close
close

At 1-5, Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars, others could soon be out of a job

Posted on by Kennedy
At 1-5, Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars, others could soon be out of a job

play

There is no sugarcoating the fact that the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the edge of a cliff and on the impending death march toward the 2024 season.

At 1-5 and lacking confidence and signs of a legitimate fight, nothing short of a Lazarus-like rise from the ashes can salvage this debacle.

The situation is so alarming that almost everyone outside of these core players – Trevor Lawrence, Travon Walker, Josh Hines-Allen, Anton Harrison, Maason Smith, Tyson Campbell, Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, Logan Cooke, Cam Little And Brian Thomas Jr. – should now start thinking about their future in Jacksonville.

Obviously, the highest job safety warning should be reserved for the head coach Doug PedersonOffensive Coordinator Press Taylor and defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsenas well as managing director Trent Baalke.

Sunday's 5-1 loss to the New England Patriots at Wembley feels like a possible final call for them and many on the Jaguars staff to turn things around.

It is by no means a guarantee that the owner Shad Khan would give Pederson a pink slip on Monday or force his third-year head coach to make changes if they lose to the Patriots and another rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

But as losses pile up and there are no signs of improvement in sight, Khan will find it terribly difficult to wait and not take action.

Khan has backed himself into a corner with his “win now” proclamations in the offseason, so his patience with what Pederson strongly hinted on Monday was a losing culture should be running out.

Feeling hot, hot, hot: Jacksonville Jaguars' Andre Cisco puts Doug Pederson in a hotter spot with the Q-word | Frenette

The identity of jaguars is that they lack fire

After the Chicago Bears' 35:16 loss on Sunday, cracks were clearly forming in the Jaguars' fortress.

Between security Andre CiscoAdmonishing the team from the podium, Jax and Lawrence said “have fun” at Action Sports and warned the team about being too “fragile” when adversity strikes. Now the question becomes: How will the Jaguars respond to these cage-rattling rulings?

If they respond positively, it should be reflected in taking care of business against the Patriots, who are surprisingly 5.5-point underdogs despite the Jaguars' hot performance against the Bears.

The big concern if you're Khan is that the Jaguars have shown no signs of making any changes. Not only will a starter's job be taken away, but the Jaguars will show real fire in the game when things go wrong.

Seriously, the team's identity right now is such that it has none, except that it lacks the passion to extricate itself from a colossal crisis.

No one — not Pederson, his coordinators, Lawrence or anyone else in the locker room — seems to have a viable answer to how to fix the Jaguars.

The Jaguars' leadership has faltered, as has their football team. A loser culture cannot be wished away. Coaches and players must take the initiative to change this.

How long will Khan wait to act?

Khan is certainly not ignoring this discomfort, but the owner has given no indication of when he might feel compelled to take a stand. This is something that goes beyond a vote of confidence in Pederson and Baalke and seems superficial in the face of mounting losses.

The current ceiling for this team appears to be no higher than 6-11, and that may be an exaggeration given their previous results and remaining schedule.

There is no denying that the Jaguars are a talented and deeply flawed football team. Something is wrong, and it's up to Pederson more than anyone to find a solution to change the course of this season.

But if Jacksonville loses to the Patriots and maintains the NFL's worst record, then Khan owes it to the Jaguars' fan base to begin the process of hitting a reset button. Possibly with an official pink slip or at least a public rebuke that suggests he probably won't wait for Black Monday on January 6 to act.

The Jaguars are undoubtedly the most disappointing team in the NFL. Unless they can do something immediately to change course, the owner would be justified in wresting victory from the people he hired now.

“Some loot”: Jacksonville Jaguars players show style on game day with custom cleats

Khan is aware that there is currently no team in the NFL that is weaker than Jacksonville. This predicament is only exacerbated by the loss to a New England team led by a new head coach. Jerod Mayoand a rookie QB making his second start.

If the Jaguars can't fix this mess, a lot of people will soon be rightly unemployed.

Things to know about the World Series

Which manager in Major League Baseball history has won the most World Series titles without losing? Answer below.

Ridley's missing file

Whatever concerns the Jaguars may have had about losing their top receiver in March? Calvin Ridley For their AFC South nemesis, the Tennessee Titans, any regrets are gone.

Part of that is certainly the struggles of the Titans quarterback Will Levisbut the 29-year-old Ridley has only two catches for 14 yards in the last three games, easily the worst stretch of his career.

Despite being targeted eight times in last week's 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, he had no balls, an astonishing statistic.

For a receiver that Tennessee handed out on a four-year, $92 million contract ($50 million guaranteed), nine catches for 141 yards in five games isn't worth much to Tennessee. Signing Thomas with the No. 17 overall pick and losing Ridley was one of the few offseason transactions that worked for Baalke.

Mertz is a bright spot for Gators

Before Graham Mertz When he took a snap for Florida's football team in 2023, former Gators quarterback Shane Matthews insisted to me watching in 2023 spring practice that the Wisconsin transfer would be a better QB than many of his critics suspected.

UF fans weren't exactly doing cartwheels back then Billy Napier brought Mertz on board, but the truth is that he was one of the biggest bright spots for a struggling program.

When Mertz suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in a 23-17 overtime loss at Tennessee last Saturday, it felt like the cruelest form of injustice.

While Florida may have only had a 7-9 record in his starts, Mertz didn't lack for production. He completed 333 of 452 passes (73.7 percent) for 3,694 yards, with 26 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. If UF's defense had done anything close to that, Napier's job wouldn't be in jeopardy.

Mertz also handled quarterback sharing duties with the rising star DJ Lagway in the most elegant way possible.

This is what Lagway's father says: Derek Lagway Sr.posted in a message to Mertz on X. Furthermore, he prayed for his recovery: “We appreciate everything you have shown and taught DJ! You were a great leader and a blessing to him! Thank you for taking care of my son and supporting him! We have nothing but love for you and your family!”

Although Mertz's career at Florida would have ended with a horrific injury, his impact on the Gators will not soon be forgotten. Kudos to a quarterback who did things right.

Johnson gets the Lions offense going

With the Detroit Lions leading the NFL with a whopping 30.2 points per game, it's no surprise that the 38-year-old coordinator Ben Johnson remains a fan favorite of any team that believes they will be in the market for a head coach in 2025.

It's been a meteoric rise for Johnson, a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina who has never taken a college snap since starting as the Lions' quality control coach in 2019 under the former head coach Matt Patricia.

Promoted three times, Johnson made a big name for himself as offensive coordinator in 2022 as Detroit's offense went from 19.1 points per game the previous year to 26.7. The Jaguars got a close look at the Lions' strength in Pederson's first season with the Jaguars, as the Lions defeated them 40-14 at Ford Field, led by Jared Goff Throw for 337 yards.

Many thought Johnson would get a head coaching job last offseason, but he chose to stay with the Lions. His success makes it almost predictable that someone would hire Johnson after this season. You can bet that a lot of Jaguars fans will be clamoring for him the way this current season is going.

Fast-hitting nugget

Illinois receiver Pat Bryanta product of Atlantic Coast High, is having a productive senior season with 27 catches for 452 yards and seven touchdowns in six games. The 1.90 meter tall and 90 kilogram wideout should be considered as a late round pick or preferred free agent for the 2025 draft Dane BruglerDraft analyst for The Athletic. …

Things to know about the World Series

Current manager of the Texas Rangers Bruce Bochy has won four World Series championships, three with the San Francisco Giants (2010, '12 and '14) and one with the Rangers (2023), without ever losing.

Pigskin forecast

The Jaguars outscore the New England Patriots by 4 (pink slip delays); Green Bay Packers over Houston Texans by 3 (love lights); Indianapolis Colts over Miami Dolphins by 3 (quarterback dilemmas); Buffalo Bills over Tennessee Titans by 10 (remedial action); San Francisco 49ers over Kansas City Chiefs by 1 (cold court of revenge); Florida over Kentucky by 3 (QB sneak tutorials); Louisville over Miami by 1 (Clemson thank you).

Last week: 4 correct, 3 Nick Sirianni PR tips.

[email protected]: (9040 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *