Category: Shad Khan

Podcast: Discussions on Jags’ decision to play in London twice, hiring of Trent Baalke

James and Smith discuss the battle presently going on between Jags fans and Shad Khan after announcing an additional game in the UK.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars making a historic, yet, controversial decision to play two 2020 games in London, Jags Wire contributor Phil Smith and I recorded our first ever episode of the “Bleav in Jags Podcast.” Specifically, we discussed the  backlash that has come out of the situation as the fans haven’t been as receptive as owner Shad Khan stated they would be.

Afterward, we discussed the hiring of Director of Player Personnel Trent Baalke, who will be replacing Chris Polian. We explained his past successes and failures in San Fransisco and explained why he can help general manager Dave Caldwell, who is entering a make or break year.

Lastly, we discussed Calais Campbell winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, as it’s finally good to see him recognized for his hard work off the field.

[protected-iframe id=”7dcd71f3ac8dc55506e800d402064c16-105974738-159322853″ info=”https://app.stitcher.com/splayer/f/500722/67136699″ width=”220″ height=”150″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]

Bleav.com homepage for Bleav in Jags

Bleav in Jags for Spotify

Apple (iTunes)

Jags fans form Duval Coalition in wake of team’s decision to play 2 games in London

As expected, Jags fans are pushing back after Shad Khan’s decision to have an extra game in London in 2020.

There has been an inaccurate perception that the Jacksonville Jaguars’ fanbase is barely existent and Shad Khan’s recent decision to play two games in London certainly hasn’t helped change that. However, the fanbase is proving that those sentiments couldn’t be further from the truth and have formed a movement called Duval Coalition in wake of Khan’s decision.

The movement was started by the Jags’ biggest support group, the Bold City Brigade, on Wednesday and has already generated a lot of traffic. In a nutshell, the site gives fans a way for their voices to be heard and declare their opposition for losing another home game. Nearly 17,800 people and 670 local businesses have been counted on the site’s tracker and that number is sure to increase over time.

“Our organization was born out of the diehard support that so many local fans have displayed over the past 25 seasons,” said the Bold City Brigade through their official page.“We want to make it clear that we vehemently oppose this decision. Furthermore, it is our belief that any other fanbase, if faced with a similar situation would feel equally as disappointed and angry.”

“We call on all Jaguars fans to make their voices heard,” they added. “We will be consulting with our members about actions to take going forward. Shad Khan may own the Jaguars franchise, but the soul of the Jaguars belongs to Jacksonville and all of the fans that passionately support them.”

Upon the news of more games being played in London surfacing, owner Shad Khan said that he expected fans to respond positively. However, that has been far from the case.

Khan and the team’s representatives have come out to say the decision is to help with revenue, as the games in London bring in twice as much as those in Jacksonville. The fans counter to that has been pointing out the fact that both Khan and the team’s net worth have increased, all while he’s accumulated a 38-90 record.

In January, the Jags showed a bit of reluctance to say whether or not winning consistently would provide a strong enough stream of local revenue. In a meeting with the Florida Times-Union, Jags president Mark Lamping stated that winning wouldn’t be enough to generate the revenue goal the team has set due to the market size.

“To sit back and say winning is going to cure everything — not in this market,” Lamping said last month.

Of course, those comments also received backlash from the fans because the Jags don’t have but one season worth of winning data to go by. Of course, that was the 2017 season (10-6), which is Khan’s only winning season out of eight.

It’s clear fans would like to see Khan do his part in terms of putting together a watchable product before making a case that the team needs to have two games in London a year. Unfortunately, it’s a pill they will have to swallow for at least 2020, and another losing season from Khan certainly won’t help rally locals as it is a chance he could hit the 100-loss mark in 2020. 

Media, Jags fans react to teams’ decision to move 2 home games to London in 2020

The Jags are going to have two games in London this season, and fans are not happy about it.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they would be having two home games in London in 2020 Tuesday, which is an NFL first. While it’s a historic move for the NFL landscape, local fans clearly aren’t happy about the move. Ultimately, they are the ones who will have another home game taken from them and have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations alongside with some members of the media.

Here are just a few of the reactions we’ve seen so far:

https://twitter.com/_tonycabrera/status/1224747713495019520?s=21

Obviously, it was hard to find positive reactions because fans feel another home game isn’t necessary as the Jags’ net worth has increased drastically since Shad Khan purchased the team. Last year, their figure increased from $1.95 billion to $2.075 billion, but in a league where the league is always trying to make bigger profits, it appears Khan wants to keep pace with his owner comrades. However, for a small market team, that may not be a goal worth chasing.

Another issue fans have with the move is the fact that Shad Khan hasn’t done his part in terms of winning consistently. He’s had just one winning season out of eight with a 38-90 record overall. With such terrible figures, fans and the city haven’t been given a fair chance to show the revenue they could generate over a decent period of time and a strong case could be made that they deserve that opportunity.

Ultimately, that opportunity will have to wait for at least a year as Khan has signed off on an additional home game in London for the upcoming season.

Jags to play 2 home games in London in 2020

The Jags are making a historic decision to play two games in London. Per the team, it’s a more simply based off economics.

In what will be an important 2020 season for the franchise, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be playing two home games in London the team announce Tuesday morning. According to their official page, both games will be back-to-back.

With two games occurring across the pond, the Jags also announced that preseason tickets would come at a 50 percent discount and also a smaller reduction on the team’s six regular season game.

“In 2020, Jaguars season ticket members will receive a 50 percent discount on preseason games and favorable variable pricing on the six regular season games that will result in an overall average ticket price reduction of 5 percent, representing a 15 percent savings off their invoice from last season,” said the Jags in their press release. “In addition, season ticket holders will receive a strong benefits package with features both new and improved that will be announced during the renewal process.”

The move is one fans have believed would be a possibility for several months now and it’s now official. The team has repeatedly stated that the move would be for economic reasons if it happened as their annual London game accounts for double the amount of revenue as their games in Jacksonville.

“Our work to create new sources of revenue to help us improve our long-term outlook and commitment to operating a thriving franchise in Jacksonville will continue and never end,” said Jaguars president Mark Lamping Tuesday.

With the Jags’ annual trip to London being such a game-changer for the team in the revenue category, the Jags have put a lot into their work across the pond since Shad Khan has been owner. In their statement, they added that the team could look to have a pair of games in London past 2020 due to the construction that is set to take place with Lot J, adjacent to TIAA Bank Field.

“For the past seven seasons, our London strategy has been a game-changer. No single approach, including London, will answer the many challenges that are common with any market the size of Jacksonville. However, playing two games in London at Wembley Stadium, where we have outstanding relationships, at least next season and perhaps in future years during construction, will help us bridge the gap between now and when we expect the Lot J development to open. Jacksonville’s potential is unlimited, and I am confident we can realize it, with the Jaguars serving as the catalyst.”

The Jags initially signed a four-year deal to play one game in London per year in 2013. They ended that process 2-2, losing the first two games to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys and followed that up with a two-game win streak against the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts.

Afterward, Khan extended the Jags’ international deal through 2020. Throughout that process they’ve gone 1-2, defeating the Baltimore Ravens and losing to both the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans. Heading into 2020, that puts them at a 3-4 record.

Mark Lamping’s comments about Jags’ market not sitting well with fans

Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping recently provided an update on the progress being made towards the development of Lot J, and it certainly looks like things are trending upwards. According to him, the city and Jags organization are hoping …

Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping recently provided an update on the progress being made towards the development of Lot J, and it certainly looks like things are trending upwards. According to him, the city and Jags organization are hoping to break ground on the project this spring as a $700 million development deal towards the project is close to being completed. However, as interesting as that news was, it was his comments about the Jags’ market that caught the attention of fans.

Lamping admitted the Jags haven’t done their part during an exchange about the team’s lack of success on the field and how it’s affected their local revenue. 

“I can tell you there’s no way the organization can sit here today and look at their fans and say we’ve delivered the type of product on the field you’d expect,” Lamping said via the Florida Times-Union.

However, he added that he didn’t believe winning would be a silver bullet for the Jags’ revenue issues due to its market size, using the Jags’ 2018 season as an example. During that time, the team sold 52,000 season tickets after going to the AFC Championship in 2017. 

“To sit back and say winning is going to cure everything — not in this market,” Lamping said.

Much like Shad Khan’s comments about Jacksonville not having enough of an “appetite” for football to get a true home game back from London, Lamping’s comments struck a chord with Jags fans for the simple fact that the Jags haven’t really shown consistency, and 2017 was Khan’s only winning season out of seven. In fact, Khan’s second best showing as an owner was during the 2019 season when the Jags won only six games. 

Here are just a few of many reactions from the fans and media:

It’s hardly fair for Lamping to base his comments off of one winning season out of seven — in fact, it’s not even necessarily based on sufficient evidence. When looking around the league, the Green Bay Packers are a prime example of the potential a small market can have if the product on the field is consistently competitive. 

That said, it would be extremely worrisome if Lamping based the premise of his statement off the 2017 season alone. After all, the fans and the local market haven’t been given the chance to show how they’d react to two .500 seasons, let alone anything better. 

Since Khan’s aforementioned comments in London, there has been a growing perception that the Jags’ higher ups are out of touch with the fanbase, and Lamping’s comments certainly won’t help the situation.That said, until there is more open and honest communication between the fans and organization, fans will likely continue to feel as though Khan is prioritizing other things over winning, and that doesn’t bode well for a good relationship.

Jags president Mark Lamping says team, city close to a $700 million deal for development of Lot J

Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping has been a busy man as of late. In an article by the Florida Times-Union, Lamping announced that a development deal is “very close” to being finalized to be sent to the City Council with hopes to break …

Jacksonville Jaguars president Mark Lamping has been a busy man as of late. In an article by the Florida Times-Union, Lamping announced that a development deal is “very close” to being finalized to be sent to the City Council with hopes to break ground on Lot J (adjacent to TIAA Bank Field) in the spring. 

There was a great deal of progress made towards the project in the summer of 2019 when Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry announced a financial framework for the city’s contribution towards funding the project. It was  then revealed that the city would fund $233.3 million towards the project, which is a neighborhood centralized around an entertainment district, with $208.3 of that being hard money.

The development of Lot J has long been a goal for Jags owner Shad Khan dating back to 2018. He partnered with Cordish Companies for the development of the district. The national developer has worked on various project like the Jags’ with different sports franchises such as the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers. 

Lamping also said the cost for the project, which was originally projected at $500 million, had risen to $700 million. However, he didn’t say that any additional money would be needed from the city and added that Khan and the Cordish Companies were able to finance their portions of Lot J and would split the private investment with each other on a 50-50 basis. 

Back in January of 2018, we previewed what we believe the project could look like when completed based on the Cordish Companies’ projects in the past. In all probability, the project could also include a high-end hotel, various sports bars in the entertainment district, and restaurants. 

Jags see league’s steepest decline in attendance in 2019, per report

If there was one thing that fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars made well known in 2019, it was their displeasure towards Shad Khan’s 38-90 record as owner after he made comments about the fanbase’s appetite for football. With all of the final results …

If there was one thing that fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars made well known in 2019, it was their displeasure towards Shad Khan’s 38-90 record as owner after he made comments about the fanbase’s appetite for football. With all of the final results in as far as ticket sales go, it appears they’ve also expressed their displeasure by impacting attendance numbers as a recent study from Sports Business Daily shows that the Jags had the league’s steepest decline in their attendance average with an 8.7% drop.

Behind the Jags were the Oakland Raiders with a 7.6% drop and the Cincinnati Bengals with a 7% drop. However, when looking at the Jags’ and Bengals’ struggles on the field and the fiasco with Oakland having to turn back to the city to play another year at RingCentral Coliseum, the decline in attendance for each team makes sense. That’s not to say any of the three teams were alone either, as the league in general saw its lowest attendance figures in 15 years, averaging just 66,648 attendees per home game.

Meanwhile, the Jags averaged just under 60,000 attendees in their home games in 2019, per ESPN. That’s a number that ranked them at the No. 27 spot, with the Raiders, Tampa Bay Bucs, Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers behind them, respectively.

In addition to the Jags’ struggles on the field, there were many fans who complained about the stadium experience as there were long wait times to get into TIAA Bank Field. Some also have taken to social media to express their displeasure about the waiting process for concessions, too, while others have expressed the need for a stadium cover due to the Jags’ playing games in the sweltering Florida heat. All are issues Khan will need to better address sooner rather than later as the league seemingly puts a lot into stadium experience.

Khan’s decision to keep general manager Dave Caldwell and Doug Marrone also won’t help the Jags’ case with attendance. Simply put, there were more fans who didn’t like Khan’s decisions to keep both than those who did after how the last two seasons have gone. However, in the end, Khan’s patience with the front office could pay off if the two get back to the level of play they were at in 2017. If there isn’t improvement though, attendance could further be impacted and one can’t blame the fans after the support they’ve given Khan and the Jags since he’s become owner.

Jaguars 1 of 5 teams eligible for ‘Hard Knocks’

One of the best parts about the NFL preseason is watching HBO’s “Hard Knocks” show which gives fans a look at the training camp process and storylines of the chosen team. Last year it was the Oakland Raiders who were under the spotlight, and as …

One of the best parts about the NFL preseason is watching HBO’s “Hard Knocks” show which gives fans a look at the training camp process and storylines of the chosen team. Last year it was the Oakland Raiders who were under the spotlight, and as usual, the show provided several entertaining moments.

For the 2020 season, five teams will be eligible for this year’s showing and the Jags are one of them. Alongside the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, and Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cardiac Cats meet the criteria of being on the show due to not having a new head coach, not making the playoffs in two years and not appearing on the show within 10 years.

Typically, there isn’t a team that volunteers for the opportunity, so the league ends up forcing a team to be on the show. Of course, the reason for that is because most coaches want to avoid distractions during training camp. With Doug Marrone fighting to improve upon two consecutive double-digit loss seasons, he likely won’t be a fan of the spotlight, but again, no coach that participates ever is.

Upon looking at the competition to be on the show the argument could be made that most would prefer the Steelers or Broncos more than the Jags, Lions and Chargers. Still, between the allure of Gardner Minshew II, Leonard Fournette roasting his teammates weekly, Yannick Ngakoue’s potential contract situation and Shad Khan needing to remove the stench of Tom Coughlin’s culture, the Jags would be quite entertaining on the big screen.

HC Doug Marrone, GM Dave Caldwell to return to Jags in 2020

Doug Marrone and Dave Caldwell will be returning in 2020 as Shad Khan wants to see what both can do with Tom Coughlin out of the picture.

[jwplayer YvPFyXRc]

According to reports, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone will be returning to his role with the team in 2020. General manager Dave Caldwell will be, too.

Marrone’s return comes after some fans were calling for a shake-up after he registered his second consecutive double digit-loss season in 2019 (6-10). In his first season in 2017, the Jags compiled a 10-6 record where they would go on a lengthy playoff run only to fall to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. However since that season, they’ve gone 11-21, with a 5-11 season occurring in 2018.

The move comes after the Jaguars also let go of former football executive Tom Coughlin prior to Week 16’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. It was reported by several media insiders that owner Shad Khan preferred to keep both Marrone and Caldwell with Coughlin out of the picture, and that’s exactly what happened Tuesday for the veteran head coach and general manager.

Marrone was well respected by the Jaguars locker room despite a tumultuous season. Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette was one of many players to praise his former head coach a few weeks ago when asked about him after Coughlin’s firing:

“I don’t know [if it’s an organizational problem with the NFLPA],” 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 [Dante Fowler jr.] 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.”

Of the Jags’ top personnel members, many fans have long held the belief that Marrone deserved the least amount of blame for the Jags’ shortcomings and most believed Caldwell and Coughlin deserved more of the blame than anyone. However, Marrone didn’t make any excuses and issued a heartfelt apology to the fans and sponsors early last week.

Marrone was initially brought into the organization in 2015 as the teams assistant head coach and offensive line coach in 2015 under Gus Bradley. When Bradley was fired, he was promoted to the head coaching role in 2017.

Tony Khan calls report on Doug Marrone “100% false”

It’s been a crazy few weeks for the Jacksonville Jaguars and things got crazier Saturday when ESPN reported that the team informed coach Doug Marrone that they would be relieving him of his duties. It didn’t take long for a spokesperson of Shad …

It’s been a crazy few weeks for the Jacksonville Jaguars and things got crazier Saturday when ESPN reported that the team informed coach Doug Marrone that they would be relieving him of his duties. It didn’t take long for a spokesperson of Shad Khan’s to come out and deny the report, and now his son, Tony Khan, has also chimed in on the matter.

In a tweet released Saturday afternoon from his Twitter account, Tony Khan called the report by ESPN’s Dianna Rossini “100% false.”

As many are aware, Tony Khan currently holds the title of Executive Vice President of Football Administration and Technology with the Jags. With that title, he’s been involved in the front office and has worked closely with general manager Dave Caldwell and Marrone.

Several reports have stated that Tony Khan will be more involved with the team’s operations. With front office executive Tom Coughlin being fired, many have speculated that it could be him taking the new role as the Jags front office leader. Ultimately, time will tell what the future holds for him.

As for Marrone’s situation, his status will eventually come to the light. With the Jags’ regular season finale against the Indianapolis Colts coming up Sunday, he’ll have a chance to address the media in his postgame presser. If he has truly been told that Week 17’s game is his last with the team, he’ll likely notify the media, eliminating the wait for Black Monday.