The discussions regarding Bradley make me question what makes our fan base tick.

 

One of the biggest criticisms our current coach receives from fans is that he is too soft on his players.  References to ice cream and sprinkles (still not sure from whence that originated) are commonplace here.  The prevailing sentiment among his detractors is that he does not push his players hard enough to excel and avoid errors.

 

However, I recall the early days of our franchise when we had Tom Coughlin.  He was derisively called Sgt. Coughlin by many here in town because he was known as a strict disciplinarian.  Some of his rules were rigid to the point of ridiculousness to some.  Players had to sit up straight in meetings.  Being on time to practice or meetings meant you were actually late. Being 5-10 minutes early was actually on time for TC.  Nobody, not even reporters, could wear shades at practice.  There was one famous incident that still makes me cringe. Tavian Banks and another player were on their way to an evening meeting when their car overturned on the Main Street Bridge.  Fortunately they weren't injured (neither was anyone else, IIRC), but I'm sure the accident was unnerving and the damage to the car had to be substantial.  Coughlin fined them anyway.  While Coughlin won with those practices, it turned many fans off for him, and when the team fell off, his detractors cited those rigid ways as reason to fire him.

 

JDR seemed in many ways to be the anti Coughlin.  His mantra was to treat the players like men, and at the surface, didn't seem as rigid as TC.  But there was no abiding sense he was overly soft on the players the way Bradley is viewed.  Nevertheless, the fans grew dissatisfied with him, too.

 

My question to the board is what is the ideal balance a coach should have in terms of dealings with players?  If you were hiring the next Jaguars coach, would you err more towards the disciplinarian or the more relaxed approach?  Why?

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