(03-29-2018, 08:04 PM)jaguarmvp Wrote:

(03-29-2018, 07:06 PM)Bullseye Wrote: How can ANYONE blame the first season or two on Caldwell?

Even if he hired a better coach than Bradley, no coach could have won those first 2-3 seasons with the talent on the roster during that time.

ANY GM faced with such a talent depleted roster would need more than one offseason to fix it, especially considering the disaster that was the 2013 draft.

As for TC, he did three key things since serving in his current capacity:

1.  He provided credibility to the FO.  While Caldwell had done a pretty good job drafting talent, he didn't have the results to back him up.  When TC came aboard, he had the reputation that gave the franchise credibility with vets like Campbell.

2.  He placed greater emphasis on special teams.  Caldwell, by his own admission, did not emphasize this part of the game enough.  Before TC got here, Special teams was a dumpster fire for the team.  Last year, with the exception of the Rams game, special teams was a positive factor in most of our games.

3.  He was an enforcer for Marrone.  Make no mistake, Marrone had established himself as a competent head coach before he came to Jacksonville.  However, the time and losing that elapsed since he was coaching Buffalo kind of put his accomplishments in that area on the back burner.  To the extent he needed FO support in case of any locker room issues, TC having his back was huge.  If any player has any sort of beef with Marrone, he likely won't be able to play clubhouse lawyer with TC.

If I had to add a 4th thing, drafting Fournette was key too.  I don't know that Caldwell wouldn't have drafted him absent TC's influence, but I firmly believe TC influenced that first pick.

Having said that, Caldwell assembled the bulk of this roster.

What are you arguing?  I already said Caldwell has the eye for talent and I give him credit for buidling most of the roster.  That being said, acquiring the talent is only part of building an organization. 

To me if Dave was the Top Dog before Coughlin and now Coughlin is the top dog that means Dave got demoted. 

I guess you forget under Dave and Gus it was like a college Dorm in the Jags locker room.  Ping pong, videogames, ice cream parties, you name it was going on. 

Tom came in here and instantly changed this culture. Tom came in cleaned house and put this franchise on the right track.  Dave Caldwell has not proven he can do the same.

Talent is the main factor.  I agree it isn't the only factor, but it is the main factor.

Caldwell fired Bradley before TC got here, and he named Marrone HC.

TC cleaned house?  Who exactly did he clean out?  I seem to recall all of the complaining on this board about how the bulk of the coaching staff-especially the coordinators- remained intact.

TC vetoed the hiring of DBs coach Donnie Henderson, and was likely key in hiring Keenan McCardell, Perry Fewell and Joe DeCamillis, considering all three either played for him (Keenan) or coached under him previously (Fewell, DeCamillis).

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(03-30-2018, 12:36 AM)NYC4jags Wrote: Holy. Molé.

The whole "Everything good that happened in 2017 was Coughlin, not Caldwell"  thing is approaching hilarity in this thread.
Folks on this tip need to seriously think a little harder.

Blaming Caldwell for Bradley's 2016 failures - but then not crediting Caldwell for primarily the same team under Marrone is some chump-a-licious garbage. The team's success in 2017 should be (in part) credited to years of hard work from David Caldwell - like it or not. 
The other credit goes to Marrone and his staff for organizing the talent much more efficiently (and quickly)  than Gus did. Coughlin's 2017 input is nebulous at best - and the first move everyone quickly assumed was "his idea" unfortunately failed miserably. (Branden Albert) 

I'm very glad TC signed on and I think he will absolutely make Caldwell a better GM and he's absolutely aiding this franchise.  However  -  I do believe it's complete fantasy to think that the turn-around from 2016 to 2017 was some magical sea-change resulting primarily from Coughlin's executive role. That's silly. 

Remember   -  when Coughlin initially came to interview, it was ostensibly for the coaching gig. Not a F.O. role. 
Kahn (and maybe his consultants) it would seem, proposed to TC that he take on the Exec/Football Czar position instead.
 In Kahn's interview the other day it seemed clear that Caldwell and the Kahns were already all in on Marrone as HC - then they convinced TC to go the F.O. route and his signing off on Marrone as HC was part of the deal.

Please tell me if I'm crazy for seeing it this way - but all the "tea leaves" make this ^  breakdown seem pretty apparent to me.

I see it pretty much the same way.

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