This isn't a "fire gus bradley" thread but rather discussion on what the strategy needs to be going into the offseason. Just to get the bradley thing out of the way, I was a huge supporter of his but the same issues keep happening. Especially the second half breakdowns.
In my opinion, Khan needs to go one of three routes. Fire Caldwell/Bradley both at the end of the season OR Fire Bradley and extend Caldwell. Heres why, No serious coach will consider the Jaguars if he has a lame duck GM and that will be the major question once Bradley is fired. So you either fire him with Bradley or extend him to install confidence in your HC prospects that he will have a couple years of stability. Mularkey and smith come to mind why one of these two options need to happen.
Option 3: Keep both. Why? This team has been killed by injuries and maybe this years FA coaching crop isn't great. After year 4, We are either in the playoffs or talking to other GM's and Coaches.
Everything is fine! You have to trust the process. What's with all the Gus hate? You guys kneejerk do you even football? ITS GAME 6! Don't look at the overall record. Only judge him on his last game. If they lose only judge him on the flavor of ice cream he serves.
Option 3 is only an option if you are a masochist.
Quote:Everything is fine! You have to trust the process. What's with all the Gus hate? You guys kneejerk do you even football? ITS GAME 6! Don't look at the overall record. Only judge him on his last game. If they lose only judge him on the flavor of ice cream he serves.
I think ThunderCat hit on the key point. Maybe it's because they are serving vanilla ice cream and chocolate sprinkles. Maybe if they served chocolate ice cream and vanilla sprinkles this team would be more motivated and turn it around.
I am tired of hearing this too from the media or fan base. "They won't do anything about Bradley this year". Okay, let me tell you something, come the end of November. If Gus Bradley is 1 - 9 or 1 - 10 and he's STILL the head coach of this team. And his overall record is 8 - 35 or 8 - WHATEVER. Shad Khan is going to have a lot of explaining to do. How can you continue to put up with such mediocrity? I mean, can you even call this team and it's last three years of performances "mediocre"? I don't think you can. Mediocre would be teams like your Dolphins and Seahawks this year. We don't even perform at that level. And it's always something, every game. If the offense doesn't show up. The defense does. If the defense is playing patty cake in the secondary or can't get after the QB. Our offense is playing like the old 1990's teams. If all else fails, leave it up to the special teams to short change you on the scoreboard or give up a huge gain that sets up the opposing team in great field position. This team has been consistently out played, out coached and schooled over the last three years. It's amazing we've managed to win eight games the way we have. We're consistently good at two things. Consistently good at being inconsistent. And consistently good at being terrible at the most opportune times to change the course of a game.
It's a tough spot because Gus clearly isn't getting out of this team what he needs to, yet the extremely young offense will be forced to learn it's 3rd system in as many years if the coaching staff goes.
Ideally, we get a competent HC who keeps Olsen but get's a new DC, and Caldwell adds more talent this offseason, focusing on Oline and Defense. There is talent on offense, no question. The discipline and execution just aren't improving, and that's on Gus.
Quote:yet the extremely young offense will be forced to learn it's 3rd system in as many years if the coaching staff goes.
Who cares? Good coaches turn around bad teams quickly. Get a good coach with a good system and the pieces will fall into place. Gus Badley is a bad coach with a bad system, so naturally the team sucks and is taking an abnormally long amount of time to just be mediocre.
Quote:Option 3 is only an option if you are a masochist.
Agreed.
No way you can keep both. Kind of seems like Gus is losing the team as the weeks go by. Plus, individual players have improved, but as an overall team, still missing tackles, blowing assignments, and undisciplined penalties out there. If we get blown out against Buffalo, which I'm expecting, Gus won't make it through the Bye week.
Option 3 = slitting my wrists, and enjoying it.
Gus needs to go. He's not what this organization needs to win. He doesn't have the winning mentality, and he looked very confused everytime the camera panned in on him.
Bradley's challenges have been terrible as well. He should have challenged the first time yesterday, but didn't. Instead he challenged a catch that was a no brainer. The whole city of Jacksonville saw it on the video boards.
I'm not hating on him, he's just not the right guy for the job. He's in over his head. I think his ceiling is coordinator.
Quote:This isn't a "fire gus bradley" thread but rather discussion on what the strategy needs to be going into the offseason. Just to get the bradley thing out of the way, I was a huge supporter of his but the same issues keep happening. Especially the second half breakdowns.
In my opinion, Khan needs to go one of three routes. Fire Caldwell/Bradley both at the end of the season OR Fire Bradley and extend Caldwell. Heres why, No serious coach will consider the Jaguars if he has a lame duck GM and that will be the major question once Bradley is fired. So you either fire him with Bradley or extend him to install confidence in your HC prospects that he will have a couple years of stability. Mularkey and smith come to mind why one of these two options need to happen.
Option 3: Keep both. Why? This team has been killed by injuries and maybe this years FA coaching crop isn't great. After year 4, We are either in the playoffs or talking to other GM's and Coaches.
I find myself falling off the Gus bus.
I'd go raid the Steelers and grab Haley who has managed to make Ben a more efficient QB, every WR turns to gold up there, and he has a creative offensive mindset going with 4 WRs, Wildcat, and whatever else is necessary to keep opponents off balance during Ben's injury. Did I mention the Steelers also lost 2 offensive linemen for the year (including pouncey) and are playing with a 58 year old Heath Miller at TE
Quote:Option 3 is only an option if you are a masochist.
I just watched the Jim Jones Jonestown massacre documentary.
I think their Option 3 was drinking the koolaid as well.
Quote:I think ThunderCat hit on the key point. Maybe it's because they are serving vanilla ice cream and chocolate sprinkles. Maybe if they served chocolate ice cream and vanilla sprinkles this team would be more motivated and turn it around.
Yes! Someone finally understands! It's all about the sprinkles.
Quote:Who cares? Good coaches turn around bad teams quickly. Get a good coach with a good system and the pieces will fall into place. Gus Badley is a bad coach with a bad system, so naturally the team sucks and is taking an abnormally long amount of time to just be mediocre.
I think the offensive staff is doing a better job of playing to the strengths of their players, but it is an issue team wide.
Gus has been playing the same exact defense for almost 3 seasons, with the occasional stunt or blitz, and that allows mediocre QBs to pick us apart. Very frustrating.
HAHAHAHAH OPTION 3
WHAT A JOKE
Quote:I think the offensive staff is doing a better job of playing to the strengths of their players, but it is an issue team wide.
Gus has been playing the same exact defense for almost 3 seasons, with the occasional stunt or blitz, and that allows mediocre QBs to pick us apart. Very frustrating.
It seems like teams know exactly where to go on third downs. I haven't been impressed with what Babich has done with the D at all. His units keep struggling year in and year out even with the addition of FAs.
Never said Option 3 was the one anyone wanted. It just prevents a HC/GM disconnect contract wise which would have quality coaches ignore Jax because its just a "1 year job" due to Caldwell being on the block. Ultimately making this situation 10x worse.
With that said, I believe in Caldwell. Sure Joeckel and cyp are struggling but hes made some serious picks in Bortles, Linder, Cann, D. Robinson, D. Mccray, A. Robinson, Colvin, T. Smith, Bowanko. This is including a 2013 draft that literally had nobody. 2014 was an absolute home run. 2015's class is gotten off to a horrible injury start. Every GM lives or dies on 2 picks. Head Coach and QB. He nailed the QB pick. Give him another 2 years and lets see if he can nail the other one.
I know its not meant ot be a fire gus bradley thread... BUT
Fire Gus Bradley.
(edit: whoa, didn't realize this was so freakin' long til I hit "send"......apologies in advance)
I think, in retrospect, that many of us (me included) maybe thought this thing would be turned around quicker than what was realistic or reasonable. The level of devastation that was wrought by the previous regime..........then coupled with the new regime wanting to start over from scratch and getting rid of even the productive players (in order to build a new "culture".....which makes a certain amount of sense).......................meant that we were literally building a team from the ground up. I would say that a couple of short years ago, the Jags were basically an expansion franchise.......but the old kind of expansion franchise where you didn't get to draft "unprotected" players off of the existing teams like we did and the Panthers did. Think Tampa Bay from the 70's, more like that level of roster devastation. That's legitimately where I think the Jaguars were 24-36 months ago.
You just can't blow up a roster the way we did, and think that you can turn it around in three years, especially when your strategy going forward is to be conservative in free agency and build through the draft.
Having said that, this is NOT a "drink the kool aid" post because I am beginning to believe that hiring Gus was a mistake. Not because he's a bad guy, or even a bad coach, but I think that maybe he was just the wrong coach at the wrong time for this franchise. A team comprised of mostly rookies and second-year players should probably have a veteran coach with a stronger, and perhaps tougher, personality. A team comprised of mostly rookies and second-year players should probably NOT have a first-time head coach who is learning on the job, and isn't sure of himself. That whole thing last week where he was sorta publicly musing and going back and forth about whether or not he should change his "tone" or whatever at practice I thought spoke volumes, and in not in a good way. You either know how to be a head coach or you don't.
If I were the owner, I would probably see it this way: the jury is maybe still out, but I think Dave is probably doing a good job of rebuilding in his selection of draft picks and free agents. Some misses, sure, but every GM misses. Therefore, there IS a lot of young talent on the team, and something good may be in the process of being built. I would probably let Gus finish the season, evalute, and unless there's some as-of-yet-unknown reason for optimism, I'd find a new head coach.
Just my .02
At this point I think it's painfully obvious that Gus is gone at the end of the season.
Personally, I'm on the side of having it happen sooner as opposed to later. First, it allows you to openly look for candidates. Secondly, it sends the message of accountability. Third, it sends an important message to the Fans. It tells us that, at the very least, the issue has been acknowledged and is being dealt with. Despite recent coaching failures, it also provides that glimmer of hope for things to improve in the future. Gives us a reason to believe that MAYBE the team will get better again.
Given the options above, this also means I'm for extending Caldwell, and honestly, I'm totally ok with that.
Has he hit on every single decision? No. Every GM is going to miss on some draft picks/FA acquisitions.
Yes... Beadles is terrible. In case you forgot, our O-line was already terrible before him, so it's not like we went backwards here. Some shots don't work out, but at least this wasn't a step backwards.
Cyp is also simply not getting it dones. Was his predecessor?
Bortles is miles better than Gabbert. That's not even debatable, imo.
ARob, Hurns, Walters, Julius Thomas... you can't look at our receiving group and NOT call it significantly improved. Lee hasn't really been on the field yet, but the group itself is SIGNIFICANTLY better than we've had in a long time.
Obviously there's still work to do, but the talent level on this team is noticible higher, and that's Caldwell. There's plenty of work still to do, but in terms of talent/personnel, the arrow is WAY up. This teams woes are not Caldwell's fault.
Scary version? Imagine what we'd look like with prior GMs picks... just sayin.
But guys.... the players like Gus!