Category: Doug Marrone

Jaguars deny reports about Doug Marrone being dismissed after 2019 season

According to a spokesperson of Shad Khan’s, the Jags haven’t made a decision on Doug Marrone’s fate despite a report from ESPN.

On Saturday afternoon a report surfaced from ESPN reporter Dianna Russini stating that the Jacksonville Jaguars have informed Doug Marrone that he’ll be relieved of his duties after the team’s season finale. However, according to a Jags spokesperson in which NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reached out to, that’s not the case as Shad Khan will be meeting with the staff next week.

Reports of Marrone’s firing come after the firing of front office executive Tom Coughlin. Last week, Rapoport reported that the Jags were leaning towards keeping both Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell, but he also stated that Khan would be using the Jags’ last two games as an evaluation period to make a decision. The Jags went on to lose the game to the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 24-12 following the report, marking their fifth double-digit loss since their bye week (Week 10).

Marrone’s tenure has come under fire as of late due to the team underperforming. Similarly to last season, the Jags have only totaled five wins on the season though they can surpass that with a win Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Still, critics of Marrone feel as though that shouldn’t be enough to keep him or general manager Caldwell.

As of Saturday, Marrone has accumulated a record of 21-28. Since going to the AFC Championship in 2017, the Jags haven’t been able to gather themselves and get back on top.

4 things to know about Jags season finale vs. Colts

Sunday’s game could be the last for Doug Marrone as Shad Khan could be making changes to his staff for the Jags’ terrible season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ season will be coming to a close this Sunday as the team will host their division rivals: the Indianapolis Colts. With the playoffs not being a possibility, Jags fans could still view Sunday’s game as a win-win because if they lose, the team will get better draft positioning, and if they win, they will get some payback for the embarrassing loss the Colts handed them Week 11.

All of that in mind, here are four things to know about Sunday’s AFC South showdown:

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Both teams are eliminated from the postseason, but the game has playoff implications

The Jags and Colts both won’t be going to the postseason, but their game could have playoff implications, which is why the NFL moved it 1 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. However, if the Titans simply win Sunday against the Houston Texans, there will be no need to look into the implications behind the Colts’ and Jags’ game because that would put Tennessee in the playoffs.

However, if the Titans lose, they could see a scenario where they would need the Jags’ help (a.k.a. a Colts loss). The Steelers and Oakland Raiders also could see scenarios where they would need help from either Indy or the Jags on Sunday, too.

To check out the different scenarios for the No. 6 seed, they can be viewed on NFL.com.

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Doug Marrone issues an apology for Jags’ shortcomings

Like the fans, Doug Marrone wishes the Jags’ season would’ve gone a lot better and issued an apology for how dissapointing 2019 has been.

As is the case with all NFL teams who’ve been eliminated from the postseason picture this month, late December has been rough for fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars who’ve been disappointed once again with another losing season under Shad Khan’s tenure. However, it appears as though the fans may not be taking this season as hard as coach Doug Marrone.

Tuesday afternoon, the Jags’ third-year head coach gave a heartfelt apology to the fans, sponsors and others involved with the team who he felt would love to be investing their time into a winning team for the holidays.

“I know [the media] has a job, and you guys are here, but there’s always a lot going on around the holidays that you guys can be doing,” Marrone said Tuesday. “I’m sure there would be shopping or getting meals ready or something like that. So, I just want to say I appreciate that. […] And then for our fans that are so disappointed, and our sponsors, I truly take responsibility and apologize because it’s the holiday time, and you want your team to be doing well so people can have some pride and some joy, and we haven’t done that and that’s my job. And I haven’t done that.”

Marrone’s apology comes after the Jags fell to the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, giving them double-digit losses on the season. Like a majority of their games since the bye week, Week 16’s game was one where the Jags looked clearly outmatched, proving that some massive changes will be needed to get the Jags heading in the right direction in 2020.

On offense, the Jags struggled to get going early against a defense that ranks in the back half of the league in a lot of key categories. On defense, Matt Ryan and company moved the ball at will, whether that was on the ground or through the air.

With just one game left, most seem to believe Marrone has a good chance of keeping his job due to a report that surfaced last week, but it’s hard to say that will be a given when looking at the team’s body of work. While its true that several things out of Marrone’s control impacted the season, it may be best for Khan to reset his staff and begin rebuilding for the future.

Report: HC Doug Marrone, GM Dave Caldwell have a “good chance” to return to Jags in 2020

The Jags may not make a head coaching or general manager change in 2020 with Tom Coughlin now out of the picture.

Despite football executive Tom Coughlin being fired, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone has stressed that he’s focused on fighting for his job with just two games left. If he has a strong showing in the process, it appears both he and Dave Caldwell will keep their jobs in 2020, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

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With Black Monday just over a week away, Rapoport stated something fans already knew and that was the fact that Coughlin didn’t make anyone’s job easier, including that of Marrone and probably Caldwell, too. For that reason, owner Shad Khan wants to see how the two do without Coughlin making the atmosphere tense.

Rapoport is right about how detrimental Coughlin was for the organization as he chased away some solid players, most notably Jalen Ramsey. However, several players have come out to say they appreciated Marrone’s communication with them throughout the year, with the most recent being Leonard Fournette. Their respect for Marrone also was on display in last Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders, as they went out and fought hard for him and got the victory.

As for Caldwell, it’s very possible Coughlin made some decisions that he didn’t agree with. Shelling out a boatload of money to Nick Foles in free-agency may be at the top of the list and the handling of the top-3 picks from Caldwell’s 2016 class (which consisted of Ramsey, Myles Jack, and Yannick Ngakoue) also may not be something he was happy with.

Personally, I think the Jags should pull off a clean sweep because making half measure changes has never worked for them. They did it in the past by keeping Caldwell and firing Gus Bradley, and prior to that by keeping general manager Gene Smith and pairing him with Mike Mularkey. Both situations ended up being catastrophic and the Jags have only had one winning season during Khan’s whole tenure.

Additionally, the Jags have looked very unprepared since coming from their bye week. They went through a stretch where they lost five games by 17 points or more, which hadn’t been done since the 80s. Sure, a lot of that was a result of Todd Wash’s struggles as a defensive coordinator, but it isn’t as if the Jags have looked good on offense either through the stretch.

Leonard Fournette praises Doug Marrone’s efforts through organization turmoil

Jags coach Doug Marrone has done his best to communicate with his players throughout the Jags recent turmoil and it isn’t going unnoticed.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been one of the NFL’s biggest topics of discussion after the NFLPA recently singled them out for fining Dante Fowler Jr. (and perhaps others) for not rehabbing at their facility during the offseason. With the team heading towards a rebuild, that’s going to greatly complicate things as Shad Khan and the Jags will have to change the perception of the team gradually over the years.

Despite the recent drama, it appears the Jags have at least one player who isn’t completely miserable in Duval. On Monday’s episode of “Action Sports Jax” on ESPN 690 AM the third-year tailback joined hosts Brent Martineau and Austin Lane in the process of him doing some holiday shopping with the Jacksonville youth at Academy Sports.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noy4hXA9Jzs&t=7235s

Towards the end of the interview, Martineau brought up the various battles between the NFLPA and Jags as of late and asked whether he thought it was an organizational problem. Fournette responded by saying he’s not sure, but praise coach Doug Marrone’s efforts through it all.

“I don’t know [if it’s an organizational problem],” Fournette said. “As far as the money part, I think it’s kind of extreme sometimes. To see what I seen today [with the grievance situation] was crazy. Individually, I don’t know what happened to cause it, but I’m glad [Fowler] got his money back, or will be getting his money back. Whatever the case may be. I think that Doug is doing an excellent job of trying to communicate with the players and build a better relationship with the players No. 1. That’s all I can speak on is coach Doug.”

Fournette’s comments echo the sentiments we’ve been pushing all along about Marrone distancing himself from personnel executive Tom Coughlin and his stern culture. Seemingly, Marrone’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed by the players despite how the season has gone.

Afterward, Fournette was asked if he wanted to continue his time with the franchise throughout all of the recent turmoil and his response was one that should definitely put a smile on the face of Jags fans.

“Yeah, most definitely [I want to be here],” Fournette said. “I love it here. The people love me. [Jacksonville] is my second home so I’ve enjoyed every bit of it.”

Much of Fournette’s desire could be because he understands changes are coming. Now, it’s on Khan to get the right people in his front office to steer the organization away from the path they’re currently on.

3 keys to a Jaguars victory vs. Chargers

Jaguars vs. Chargers provides an opportunity to finally stop the losing streak, here’s how Jacksonville can beat their struggling opponent.

The Jacksonville Jaguars need a win more so than any other team in football this weekend. Currently on a four-game skid, Jacksonville has gone from division title contenders to being near the top of the draft order in less than a month.

Unfortunately, the games don’t get any easier heading forward. Sunday’s opponents, the Los Angeles Chargers, are undeniably talented but are enduring a difficult season of their own, too. Thanks to divisional losses, they’ve found themselves at the bottom of the AFC West, though they have some big wins against the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts and the 9-3 Green Bay Packers.

If Jacksonville is to stop the bleeding and avoid being condemned to their eleventh losing season in the last 12 years, they will have to stick to a clear game-plan.

Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Take the pressure off Gardner Minshew II

Gardner Minshew II has been reinserted as the Jaguars’ starter ahead of this game, but if the Jaguars end up relying on “Minshew Mania” too heavily for the win today then they have let their rookie quarterback down. The Jaguars have a running back playing at a Pro Bowl level this season in Leonard Fournette, and he should be utilized heavily in Sunday’s game.

The Chargers pass defense is fourth-best in the country, with the secondary continuing to shut down receivers and Derwin James set to start in his second game of the season coming back from a foot injury. This means offensive coordinator John DeFilippo will need to lean on his running back for the win Sunday.

This year Fournette has established himself as an option out of the backfield whilst continuing to impose himself as a powerful runner. Chargers’ pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram are both exceptional at getting after the quarterback, and with Minshew’s documented fumbling issues, Fournette should be the feature of Sunday’s game if the Jags want to minimize turnover opportunities.

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Chargers vs. Jaguars: 3 causes for concern against Los Angeles

There are a lot of concerns for the Jags heading into Week 14, but the pass rushing duo of Bosa and Ingram should be atop the list.

The Jacksonville Jaguars 2019 season has been a forgettable one and most fans have been anticipating its end. The Los Angeles Chargers’ season has been equally disappointing, however, most tend to think they have a better chance to win Sunday’s game between them and the Jags.

With a 7-3 all-time record against the Jags and a better overall team than Jacksonville, there are several concerns we have here at Jags Wire for Week 14’s game. Here are three of our biggest concerns as they will look to end a four-game skid this Sunday:

Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Chargers pass rushing duo of Nick Bosa and Melvin Ingram

The Jags will be up against one of the fiercest passing defenses in football as the Chargers only allow an average of 199.3 passing yards a game. That’s good for fourth in the league, which means the Jags could struggle to find guys like DJ Chark Jr. and Dede Westbrook through the air.

Part of the reason for that is because of the dynamic duo they have as pass rushers in Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, both of whom have grades of 77.9 and 86.2, respectively, via Pro Football Focus. The two will enter Sunday’s game with a combined total of 14 sacks and will be looking to get after rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

The most concerning part about going up against the Chargers pass rush is how Cam Robinson is playing at the moment as he hasn’t been overly impressive. Jawaan Taylor could also have issues against the dynamic pair as he’s had issues with penalties and leads the league in the category with 13.

This issue brings me to my next topic of concern.

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Report: Jags ‘likely’ to go through a coaching change after 2019

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo doesn’t know if it will be before the season, but believes the Jags are heading towards a coaching change.

The Jacksonville Jaguars season has been a big-time failure and the fans aren’t happy. Jags owner Shad Khan likely isn’t happy with the results he’s seen either as the Jags are on a four-game skid in which they’ve been outscored 129-47 and have looked like a dumpster fire organization along the way.

Due to all of the aforementioned issues, many have suspected changes are coming. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo seems to believe that those changes could definitely include acquiring a new head coach after stating that the Jags are “likely” to move on from Doug Marrone, who has been the Jags’ coach for almost three full seasons now.

“If you’re asking me if it is going to be before Week 17, I honestly have no idea. It’s gonna depend on what happens in these next couple of games here,” Garafolo said Tuesday afternoon. “But I think everyone is looking at this situation saying it’s a likely coaching change in Jacksonville.”

It’s worth noting that Garafolo was the source to break the news of Doug Marrone being hired by the Jags under Gus Bradley, so it appears he knows his stuff when it comes to the veteran head coach. It’s also worth noting Garafolo stated that Marrone could make a case to stay by finishing the season strong and showing he can win with rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

The news is pretty much what most fans were expecting, however, when looking at how the Jags have looked over the last two years. In fact, since going to the AFC Championship the Jags are 9-19, which isn’t a good look —even when looking past 2018, which was a year full of key injuries for the Jags.

I think Marrone is a good coach but there may be varying opinions on him in the locker room because executive vice president of football operations, Tom Coughlin, has seemingly gotten involved with issues that the coach should more so control. A prime example is the Jalen Ramsey situation.

Speaking of Coughlin, Garafolo didn’t really offer any news about his job security or that of general manager Dave Caldwell, though he did say the front office wants to see how the season plays out. However, a half-measure by Khan wouldn’t be wise. Ultimately, he’d still be keeping two people who have played a key part in the organization’s mistakes of the past. There is also the fact that no head coach that’s worth having will want Coughlin hovering over him while he does his job.

Doug Marrone says he still believes in Nick Foles despite benching

Just because Doug Marrone benched Nick Foles doesn’t mean he’s lost confidence in the veteran.

Minshew Mania will be returning to Jacksonville soon as Jaguars coach Doug Marrone announced that the team will be starting rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II against the Los Angeles Chargers. The decision came after veteran Nick Foles struggled to get going since returning from the collarbone injury he sustained Week 1.

Marrone told the media the decision wasn’t an easy one in Monday’s media conference call, but in the end it came down to the mobility and elusiveness Minshew brings. He also added that he still believes in Foles and that his struggles solely weren’t his fault because the Jags weren’t playing well around him either.

“I still believe in him as the quarterback. I just think that a lot of times it’s never really just the one position, or one person. That’s the one position [where] it’s a team game, you need people around him to do a good job, and right now, we’re all not doing a good enough job. So, we’re just trying to put the best guys out there that give us the best chance to win. And it’s tough. It’s tough when you’re not doing a good job, starting with myself, to the coaches and at times obviously the players.”

Marrone’s statements on Foles sound identical to those he made when Minshew was sent back to the bench as he was on record for saying he believed in the rookie, who showed a lot of ability earlier in the season. After putting in the effort to cater the playbook to Foles this offseason alongside coordinator John DeFilippo, Marrone has built a strong bond with Foles. However, the Jags’ offensive line is an issue and the lack of mobility by Foles puts the unit at a disadvantage in most cases.

Heading forward, Minshew has a grand opportunity to put together a strong case to be the starter in 2020, too, regardless as to who is the coach. However, if he doesn’t, the Jags will have to heavily consider drafting or signing a starter in the offseason.

3 takeaways from Jags’ 42-20 loss to Titans

There was a lot to unpack from the beatdown the Jags received from the Titans and a lot of the takeaways aren’t good.

The Jacksonville Jaguars once again left egg on the faces of their fans Sunday after another embarrassing loss within the division. This time, the Jags were handily defeated by the Tennessee Titans by a score of 42-20.

It goes without saying Sunday’s performance, in which the Jags were outmatched in every way, was hard to watch but somehow we’ve managed to gather some thoughts on the Jags’ abysmal performance.

Here are three next-day takeaways we came away with:

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

It’s just a matter of time for Doug Marrone

Sunday’s performance by the Jags may have been the worse we’ve seen all year. The team’s embarrassing loss to the Titans marked their third consecutive divisional loss by 20 points or more, which is a telling sign that points to coaching.

Neither side has played well, so let’s get that out of the way first. On offense, the team has only scored 36 points in three games, most of which occurred when the game was out of hand. Those struggles were due to game planning on John DeFilippo’s part and struggles at quarterback (which I’ll save for later).

On defense, it’s been downright dreadful. Apparently, Marcell Dareus was a bigger piece to the unit than I initially thought because Todd Wash’s unit just doesn’t know what to do about the run especially. Derrick Henry once again made the unit look like an elementary school team, racking up 159 total rushing yards. In total, the unit gave up over 200 rushing yards and 471 total yards. To put it lightly, the Titans moved the ball at will after the first half and all Wash could do is take it.

The struggles of Wash and DeFilippo are ultimately a reflection of Doug Marrone. He ultimately is the overseer of the Jags’ game-planning in the end, and it appears that he and his lieutenants simply aren’t breaking through to the team. The veteran head coach has been asked about coaching changes two consecutive weeks and has seemed certain of himself when stating that no changes will be made. That said, it appears he’d like to stick with them to the end, which in all probability will result in his firing. 

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