Jaguars Journal
by Sam Kouvaris
January 03, 2011
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Jaguars 2010: Better?
The emotions are easy to come by: frustration, disappointment, resignation and even anger. And all of those are legitimate.
As a football team the Jaguars were in position to win the AFC South for the first time just three weeks ago. That’s when you challenge yourself as a competitor. The opportunity is right in front of you. But for the second year in a row the Jaguars were snowed under by the challenge and missed the playoffs.
Again.
Last year sitting at 7-5 and a Wild Card berth in their sights, the team collapsed during a 0-4 finish to complete the season at 7-9. After a promise to "retool" the defense by Head Coach Jack Del Rio, the Jaguars got to 7-5 again this year with the AFC South title in their sights. But instead, again the team collapsed under the weight of the challenge, losing to the Colts in a game that would have clinched the division title for the first time in their history.
A 1-3 finish in the last four games left the Jaguars out of the playoffs again and left their fans wondering what the future holds for the team.
That’s a hard question to answer.
Del Rio is 66-65 in his tenure as Head Coach. The team has one playoff win with him at the helm. And as with any decision involving personnel the question Wayne Weaver has to ask is "Are they better off with or without him?" At 8-8 the team is one game better than last year but does it mean they’re an "ascending" team or are they just running in place?
Del Rio was quick to point out that 33 of the 53 roster spots were filled with new players in 2009 and thought the 2010 version of the Jaguars were a much better squad. "We knew we weren’t going to be a great team right away," he said after the loss to the Texans noting the roster turnover, "and in the end, we just weren’t good enough."
That’s probably accurate as an honest assessment of this year’s squad’s capabilities but it’s disappointing when you see them show flashes of being capable but not being able to sustain that kind of play. Does that responsibility rest on the players or does the coaching staff have some culpability when it comes to the flagging emotions of a team?
Remember, Del Rio signed a new contract after the successful 2007 campaign so getting rid of him would cost Wayne Weaver money at this point. In addition to that, who’s out there to replace him? Would you just sign another assistant or a college coach to run the show? Do you lavish money on an established winner like Brian Billick, Bill Cowher or John Gruden in order to re-energize the fans? Would any of them want the job?
Plus, the collective bargaining agreement is in a very contentious stage and runs out on March 4th. Can you run a team in a lockout year with no head coach?
I do think coaches have a "shelf-life" when it comes to the NFL. After while their story runs thin among the players and they can’t get the production out of the squad that some new blood might accomplish.
Is Del Rio there?
That’s an answer only Wayne Weaver can come up with.
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