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.