The Jacksonville Jaguars were established in 1995 as one of two NFL expansion franchises. They and the Carolina Panthers were the two “cat” franchises who entered the league. Since their establishment, the franchises have gone in two wildly opposite directions. Carolina has been to two Super Bowls and won six division championships. Jacksonville, meanwhile, has been to no Super Bowls and been to the playoffs seven times. If there’s one difference between the two franchises, though, it’s their trajectory. While Carolina has had their share of problems, Jacksonville has been one of the worst franchises in the NFL over the last decade. One could say that the Jacksonville Jaguars are a clownshow and now, even their fans agree as it’s all coming to a head on Sunday.
It Wasn’t Always This Way
Surprisingly, the Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t always been a clownshow. The Jaguars won three consecutive AFC Central championships and played in two AFC Championship games in their first five seasons. The Jaguars had a solid foundation led by head coach Tom Coughlin, who had complete control of all personnel decisions. (I guess he learned under Bill Parcells that if you cook the dinner, you should get to pick the groceries.) Coughlin led the Jaguars as they became one of the best teams during the late 1990’s. Jack Del Rio was also a decent head coach, leading the Jaguars to playoff berths in 2005 and 2007. But it was 2009 when things started to unravel at the box office and media market. Owner Wayne Weaver was rumored to sell or relocate the team amidst giant losses. Eventually, he sold the franchise in 2011 and hope returned to the Jaguars… or did it?
The Clownshow Begins
The Jacksonville Jaguars clownshow officially started on November 29, 2011. Following Del Rio’s dismissal, Weaver announced he was selling the franchise to Shahid Khan. The Khan Era has brought about bad coaches and draft busts. Mike Mularkey lasted one season and Gus Bradley managed to stick around for four seasons. Finally, Khan came to his senses and brought in Coughlin as executive vice president to help turn the team around. Doug Marrone would take over as head coach. The Jaguars improved in 2017 with a 10-6 record, won their first division title since 2005, and advanced in the playoffs to the AFC Championship. They fell to 5-11 in 2018, but it was 2019 when the Jaguars entered the Hellscape they are today.
The 2019 season was the Jaguars’ 25th in the NFL and what should have been a season of improvement turned into the season from Hell. The Jaguars signed former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles to replace Blake Bortles, but suffered a collarbone in Week 1. A week later, Marrone got into a screaming match with cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who then requested to be traded. (A month later, his request was granted as he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams.) In December, Khan fired Coughlin after it was revealed that several players filed grievances against the team because Coughlin had violated their player rights. In fact, 25% of player grievances that season were filed by members of the Jaguars. The team finished 6-10, but Khan had hopes Marrone could turn things around in 2020. The Jaguars won in Week 1 and never won another game, finishing 1-15.
The Urban Meyer Era (or Error)
It was January 14, 2021 when the Jacksonville Jaguars hit peak clownshow as Khan hired former Florida and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. This hiring led to the circus which would later become the Urban Meyer Error. A month after his hiring, the Jaguars hired Chris Doyle as strength and conditioning coach. Doyle resigned two days later when accusations of bullying and racism during his time at the University of Iowa came to light. In mid-May, the Jaguars made the bizarre signing of Tim Tebow as tight end despite the fact he hadn’t played in the NFL since 2012. Then came the random shenanigans during the season by Meyer. There was the joke he made to Denver coach Vic Fangio that the NFL was like “playing Alabama every week.” Reports emerged of a disconnect in the locker room between Meyer and his players and staff.
The last straw came in December when former kicker Josh Lambo accused Meyer of basically battery. Lambo said during a preseason practice, Meyer told him, “Make your f***in’ kicks, dips***” and then kicked him. (I know, ironic that the kicker is the kickee.) After the run-ins, divisions, and accusations of battery – oh, I forgot philandering with a co-ed at an Ohio bar – Meyer was dismissed on December 16, 2021.
The Backlash Rises
A trending meme has emerged on Jacksonville Jaguars social media to communicate to ownership that they’ve had enough of the clownshow. A meme of a clown emoji with a mustache suspiciously styled like Shahid Khan’s surfaced and has spread like wildfire. Then, came this tweet from the Associate Press:
Hundreds if not thousands of frustrated Jacksonville fans are planning to don clown attire when the Jaguars host Indianapolis at TIAA Bank Field on Sunday.
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) January 3, 2022
https://t.co/G0UyWW7gSg
(Confession: I didn’t realize there were “hundreds if not thousands” of Jaguar fans.)
This is a great demonstration of fans to show their disapproval of where the franchise is going. When thousands of fans show up in clown costumes on Sunday, I would hope it will spur Khan to make changes. As a fan of a New York Metro football team who has seen their team on the Struggle Bus over the last decade, I totally get this. I hope that Khan gets the message. Otherwise, it’s going to be another long decade in the Bold City.
