The Jacksonville Jaguars are the first team in the NFL to hire a head coach following the end of the regular season. They have decided to stay within the franchise and make Doug Marrone full-time head coach
Jacksonville Jaguars to Hire Doug Marrone as Head Coach
The former Buffalo Bills head coach has been with the Jacksonville Jaguars since 2015, and took the helm from the dismal Gus Bradley on an interim basis after Bradley was fired. The Jaguars finished the 2016 season 1-1 under Marrone which included a strong performance against the Tennessee Titans which somewhat redeemed being blown out on Thursday Night Football before Christmas.
There were many candidates for the head coaching role, but Marrone has seen legitimate offensive success in New Orleans and even managed to get the Bills to 9-7 with EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton as his starting quarterback. That may lead many Jacksonville fans to wonder whether or not he will be able to turn around the play of under-performing Blake Bortles.
It would make sense to see Nathaniel Hackett keep his job as offensive coordinator. However, the defensive coordinator position is well and truly up for grabs. Shad Khan has also hired Tom Coughlin as executive vice president of football operations in order to aid Marrone with the sizable project which is turning this 3-13 Jaguars’ roster into a winning team.
We will have to wait and see what staff Marrone and Coughlin can build in Jacksonville. And with a slightly uninspiring hire from Caldwell, it makes sense that Coughlin has been brought home to ease the fans tension. Time will tell as to whether or not this has been a smart move made by the Jaguars’ front office, but it’s certainly a better look than was seen after the Bradley era.
