10-25-2016, 02:04 PM
- "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
It is amazing that a quote by the the famous philosopher Plato in the late 1800's most appropriately sums up the Casey Bradley era. After stunning the deep and talented Chicago Bears on the road and looking like the best team in the NFL in the 4th quarter, the Jags showed up in what I felt was the biggest game in the history of Everbank and laid an egg. The best of times in Chicago, followed by the worst of times back at the Bank. Then, Jack Del Rio came in and exhibited wisdom while Casey Bradley showed nothing but foolishness. Absolutely incredulous that we could look so ill prepared in such a key game, but we did not. And now, the 2016 season is over. At 2-4, we have virtually no chance to catch the 4-3 Texans. As a result, tough decisions must be made. It is time to hit the reset button and rebuild the rebuilding project. So with that, suggested changes and my suggestion on solutions.
- First and foremost, Gus Bradley must go. He's a nice guy but as they say, nice guys finish last, which he has every year and will again this year. There is only one obvious choice to fix this mess and that choice, as I've alluded to before is Coach William Callahan, currently of the Washington Redskins. Bill Callahan has been to a super bowl and is a proven winner. While he is a no nonsense coach, he is a scholar and a gentleman and is the first person the Jags should turn to. Bill Callahan is on record stating that his teams don't take what the defense gives them, they take what they want. This philosophy would serve the Jaguars well as right now we don't take much of anything other than a beating most weeks. If we are going to stick with Blake Bortles, then the West Coast Offense is a must for our young team. Also, William's expertise coaching the offensive line would be a huge benefit to our porous and underachieving front 5.
- While our defense has been ok, I think if we are going to hit the reset button, we must hit the reset button. While my suggestion to fill this position may be somewhat of a reach, I think it merits consideration. Nick Saban is a proven head coach, but was a failure as a professional coach. If any GM of the NFL is ever going to consider hiring him again as a head coach, he must prove that he can relate and successfully coach players at this level. He's accomplished all he can at Alabama, and I believe the time is right to transition Coach Saban back into the NFL.
- Promote Mike Mallory from special teams coach to offensive coordinator. Special Teams has been our one unit that has over achieved this year and while I am in favor of holding coaches accountable for their failures, I think it's important to also reward coaches for their successes. There is no way Coach Callahan would keep Greg Olsen on anyway if he were to get hired, so let Coach Mallory learn from a coach who is unquestionably one of the most innovative in the NFL.
- Create a new position called "Director of Catching". In the Jags Infrastructure, this would be a position that would over see the receivers coach and also our special teams coach. As it stands, the Jags have fast, athletic players who can't catch. We don't catch punts and very rarely catch passes. The obvious choice for this position would be Mike Locksley. Very few teams (or possibly even any teams for that matter) caught and fielded football that Coach Lockley's teams have done at New Mexico and Maryland, and I think that Coach Lockley is a reason why Alabama has taken several steps further this season. Coach Lockley's abilities to create an overwhelmingly positive culture within the locker room would be an added bonus to this hire. I just think that for us to take the next step, we are going to need to be able to catch punts and catch passes, particularly when we are wide open.
It' sad and discouraging to have to concede the season and our makeover from several years ago so early, but it's clearly the time.