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.
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.
With the NFLPA winning its grievance against the Jacksonville Jaguars it was only a matter of time before players started chiming in on the situation and former cornerback Jalen Ramsey unsurprisingly jumped on the opportunity. Like his teammate …
With the NFLPA winning its grievance against the Jacksonville Jaguars it was only a matter of time before players started chiming in on the situation and former cornerback Jalen Ramsey unsurprisingly jumped on the opportunity. Like his teammate Dante Fowler Jr. did, Ramsey took to social media to share his thoughts and posted the following tweet:
As for Ramsey, it’s pretty much stating the obvious that Coughlin was one of the reasons he left, but he probably wasn’t the only reason he left. Being the star he is, it shouldn’t be ruled out that Ramsey also wanted to land in a more desirable market where he could expand his career beyond football.
Regardless, it’s clear the Jags are a circus at this point. With a rebuild coming up, fans are right to be concerned at the moment because the perception of the team isn’t good right now, which will make the process an uphill battle.
Dante Fowler was revealed to be the player who won the recent grievance against the Jags. He took to Twitter to share his brief thoughts.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were slammed yesterday by the NFLPA after it was reported that an arbitrator ruled in their favor against the organization after the team fined a player over $700,000 for rehab treatments that weren’t mandatory. With the modern-day web being as powerful as it is, it didn’t take long to find out who the player was in former defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. thanks to Mark Long of the Associated Press.
Eventually, Fowler himself came to the light and shared some comments of his own via social media. In a nutshell, he was happy but felt the Jags’ front office hated him based on their actions.
They literally hated me . I got it all back though! Thanks to the NFLPA https://t.co/vUIg5tsKvr
Fowler was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in October of 2018, and as fans expected, the move was fueled by more than the Jags’ upcoming cap situation in 2019. It’s worth noting Fowler had some off the field issues that occurred with the Jags prior, most notably the misdemeanor charges filed against him in 2017, so that likely didn’t help the relationship between him and the Jags either.
There are likely more like Fowler currently on the team who simply don’t like how things have gone under football executive Tom Coughlin and owner Shad Khan. With that being the case, it might be wise of Khan to start removing the stench of this current regime away from the franchise as soon as possible because waiting really does him no good at this point.
Tom Coughlin inherited a promising roster and needed only two years to ruin it and draw the ire of the NFLPA.
Tom Coughlin’s return to Jacksonville started off so well. During his first season in charge of the Jaguars front office, the team made it all the way to the AFC Championship and was one missed call by the refs — Myles Jack wasn’t down — away from beating the Patriots and getting to a Super Bowl.
It’s been all downhill from there, though. And things may have hit rock bottom on Monday when the NFL Players Association announced that it had won a grievance against the Jaguars after an arbitrator ruled that the team violated the CBA for fining an unnamed player $700,000 for not showing up to “mandatory” offseason treatment sessions that weren’t actually mandatory.
Along with that announcement, the NFLPA also released this scathing statement…
NFLPA won an arbitration grievance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Said Jags tried requiring players to get all offseason medical treatment at team facility, which contravenes the CBA. “You as players may want to consider this when you have a chance to select your next club.” pic.twitter.com/S1eyqqw8cg
One passage from the statement is particularly noteworthy…
“In the last two years, more than 25% of grievances filed by players in the entire league have been filed against the Jaguars. You as players may want to consider this when you have a chance to select your next club.”
That stat would be more shocking if not for Old Man Coughlin’s reputation as a football tyrant. I didn’t think Shad Khan needed any more reasons to move on from Coughlin after the last two seasons, but I don’t know how he survives this based on that last sentence. Remember, this letter was sent to every player in the league.
“You as players may want to consider this when you have a chance to select your next club.”
It’s going to be awfully difficult to convince free agents to come to Jacksonville with that hanging over the organization. Especially with Coughlin still employed.
If Coughlin had been doing a better job building the team, he’d probably survive this. But he’s made numerous roster-building mistakes, which includes botching the quarterback situation two years in a row. A year after out-bidding themselves to extend Blake Bortles (and subsequently cutting him and suffering the largest dead money hit in league history in the process), Coughlin then gave career backup Nick Foles an $88 million contract. Why was that contract so big when no other team seemed interested in signing Foles?
Well, you see, the Jaguars wanted to send a message to the team that Foles was their man.
He was the man … for about four starts. After struggling, Foles was benched for sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew last month, and now the Jaguars are stuck with an expensive backup for at least one more season. In order to get out of the deal, Jacksonville would likely have to give up a valuable draft pick to convince a team with cap space to spare to take on Foles’ horrible contract.
It’s not like the Jaguars didn’t have cheaper (and more promising) options for fixing the quarterback situation. Colin Kaepernick, who may not have been a great starter during his career but was certainly better than Bortles and Foles, has been freely available for years, and the Jaguars passed on Lamar Jackson because they believed in (and had just paid) a quarterback who can’t throw a spiral.
It’s not just that Coughlin passed on Kaepernick and Jackson that has to be frustrating for Jaguars fans. It’s the old school thinking that has guided Coughlin’s roster moves that should really irk them. (We haven’t even mentioned the fact that he drafted a running back who doesn’t contribute in the passing game over Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes.) When Kaepernick’s name was brought up by the Jags media, Coughlin said he wasn’t interested and then refused to explain why. Great.
That Ramsey, one of the most talented players in the history of the Jaguars organization, is no longer on the team can also be pinned on Coughlin. He sent veiled shots at Ramsey through the media, dragged his feet when Ramsey started asking for a second contract and then ended up trading the star cornerback after personal disagreements.
Hours after the NFLPA sent out its announcement on Monday, Ramsey tweeted this…
Former Jaguars teammate Allen Robinson, whom Coughlin let walk in part to free up money to foolishly pay Marqise Lee and Bortles instead, replied with crying laughing emojis.
When Coughlin took over, the Jaguars had one of the more promising rosters in the league. Two years later, it’s terribly flawed and, worse, terribly expensive. No NFL team has more money committed to the 2020 salary cap than Jacksonville does…
Cap commitments can change rapidly, but as of right now, six teams have over $200M committed for 2020: 1. Jaguars: $208m 2. Falcons: $206m 3. Bears: $205m 4. Vikings: $203m 5. Saints: $202m 6. Chiefs: $201M https://t.co/WewVitWd2Q
The Jaguars don’t have any money to spend on free agents, but even if they did, it probably wouldn’t matter after the NFLPA’s comments about the team. There are no obvious fixes for the roster or the salary cap situation, but there is an easy way to repair the reputation of the franchise: Get rid of Tom Coughlin as quickly as possible.
The NFC East doesn’t have a team with a winning record, but it’s the most compelling division in Touchdown Wire’s weekly Power Rankings.
The NFC East is the worst division in the NFL. It also is the most entertaining.
Even though no team in the division currently has a winning record, the playoff scenario got more intriguing in Week 15. Plus, there’s all sorts of speculation about which head coaches might be fired, and a New York icon may have played his last game for the Giants.
The Cowboys finally played the way a team with that much talent is supposed to play, improving to 7-7 with a 44-21 shellacking of the Los Angeles Rams. The Eagles also climbed to 7-7 after a 37-27 win over the Redskins. Dallas plays at Philadelphia in Week 16, and the Cowboys can clinch the division title with a victory.
Even though the Cowboys are in the playoff race, coach Jason Garrett’s job doesn’t appear safe. Rumors are swirling that owner Jerry Jones is considering Urban Meyer as a replacement for Garrett.
Things got even more interesting when Meyer showed up at the Redskins game on Sunday. Can you imagine a bidding war for Meyer between Jones and Washington owner Daniel Snyder?
New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur also could be on the hot seat, even though he got a win against Miami. But Shurmur wasn’t the Giants’ most interesting story of Sunday. Instead, that was Eli Manning. The veteran quarterback played what might have been his final game for the Giants, while filling in for injured rookie Daniel Jones.
Here’s where the NFC East teams — and the rest of the league — stand in Touchdown Wire’s Week 16 Power Rankings.
32. Cincinnati Bengals
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
(1-13. Last week: 32)
A 34-14 loss to New England was expected, but the Bengals actually kept the game close until the third quarter. But in the end, they lost to one of the league’s best teams. More importantly, the Bengals remained on pace to earn the top pick in next year’s draft. That means it appears as if newly crowned Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow will wear a Cincinnati uniform next season. After briefly benching veteran starter Andy Dalton in favor of rookie Ryan Finley, the Bengals have been sticking with Dalton. That’s somewhat inexplicable, because Dalton threw four interceptions Sunday. Dalton has no future with the Bengals. But he’s doing his part to make sure Cincinnati gets Burrow.
31. Washington Redskins
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
(3-11. Last week: 30)
The Redskins lost to Philadelphia, 37-27. The game meant nothing to the Redskins aside from impacting their draft position. The real story here is that Urban Meyer was spotted in a luxury box at FedEx Field with injured Washington quarterback Alex Smith, who played for Meyer at the University of Utah. Let the speculation grow that Meyer, who won national championships at Florida and Ohio State will be the next coach of the Redskins. Of course, current Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins also played for Meyer, at Ohio State. Meyer’s sighting could foreshadow an off-field showdown in the NFC East. There is widespread speculation that Dallas owner Jerry Jones covets Meyer. Given the personalities and egos of Jones and Washington owner Daniel Snyder, there could be a bidding war for Meyer.
30. Miami Dolphins
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
(3-11. Last week: 29)
The only real highlight of Sunday’s 36-20 loss to the Giants was that it likely was Eli Manning’s final start for New York. Injured rookie Daniel Jones is expected back in the lineup next week, and Manning probably will retire or play for another franchise next year. But there were a few bright spots for the Dolphins, too. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and receiver DeVante Parker hooked up on two touchdown passes. More significantly, the loss keeps the Dolphins in the race for an early draft pick, where they can seek a long-term answer at quarterback — because there is no long-term future with Fitzpatrick or backup Josh Rosen.
29. Detroit Lions
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(3-10-1. Last week: 28)
The Lions lost 37-17 to Tampa Bay on Sunday. That means they now have suffered 10 losses in consecutive years with Matt Patricia as coach. They also ran their losing streak to seven games. Does all that mean Patricia is on the hot seat? There are two ways to look at it. First, Patricia’s record in Detroit (9-20-1) has been unimpressive, and coaches have been fired for less. The fan base probably wouldn’t be too upset if Patricia gets canned. But on the flip side, Patricia still has his team playing hard even though the Lions are down to third-string quarterback David Blough and are dealing with a rash of injuries. For the sake of continuity, I would give Patricia one more season.
28. New York Giants
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
(3-11. Last week: 31)
A 36-20 victory against the Miami Dolphins may not seem like much. But there was a big storyline for the history of New York’s franchise. This almost certainly was the last start of Eli Manning’s tenure with the Giants, as he threw for two touchdowns and Saquon Barkley ran for two more. Daniel Jones is New York’s quarterback of the future. Jones has been out with an ankle injury, and that’s the only reason Manning has been back as the starter. But Jones returned to practice on a limited basis last week and is expected to return as the starter for the final two games of the season. This win was important for Manning, who could decide to retire after the season. It got his career record back to .500. Manning is a borderline Hall of Famer. A .500 record sounds a lot better than a losing record to Hall of Fame voters.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
(5-9. Last week: 27)
The Jaguars went to California and beat the Raiders in their final game in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas next season. But the win doesn’t mean all that much in the grand scheme of things. Prior to the game, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that significant changes will be made in Jacksonville in the offseason. That could mean coach Doug Marrone, executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin and general manager Dave Caldwell are on the hot seat. Any or all of them could be gone after two disappointing seasons since a berth in the AFC Championship Game. The other big question in Jacksonville is who will be the quarterback next season. Rookie Gardner Minshew has outplayed the high-priced Nick Foles. Minshew has earned the right to at least compete with Foles in the preseason.
26. New York Jets
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
(5-9. Last week: 24)
Thursday night’s game against Baltimore went exactly as expected. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the likely NFL Most Valuable Player, threw for 212 yards and five touchdowns and also ran for 86 yards. That’s no surprise, since Jackson has put up huge numbers all season. What is surprising, and concerning, is that the Jets suddenly seem to be a team in turmoil. During Sunday’s game, coach Adam Gase and quarterback Sam Darnold had a heated exchange on the sideline. They downplayed the incident after the game, but it still wasn’t a good sign. Running back Le’Veon Bell, the source of controversy in Week 14 when he supposedly missed the game with the flu but was seen bowling the previous night, returned and rushed for a season-high 87 yards. Maybe Bell should go bowling more often. The Jets also clinched their fourth straight losing season. That’s their longest such streak in the Super Bowl era.
25. Carolina Panthers
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
(5-9. Last week 23)
On the surface, a 30-24 loss to Seattle isn’t embarrassing. The Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFL, after all. But this one was embarrassing when you look at it from another perspective. The Panthers now are 2-5 at home this season. That’s embarrassing because the Panthers have good fans, and Bank of America Stadium has given the team a home-field advantage in the past. But the Panthers have lost six games in a row, and their future has more questions than answers. Will Kyle Allen, who threw three interceptions Sunday, be the starter next year? Or will it be longtime franchise quarterback Cam Newton? The bigger question is who will be the coach next year? Don’t be surprised if Urban Meyer’s name surfaces. Carolina owner David Tepper has the funds and the desire to compete with the big boys — Dallas’ Jerry Jones and Washington’s Daniel Snyder — for Meyer’s services.
The Jags have found themselves in trouble with the players union again.
Due to a violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the league’s biggest topics of discussion after what was supposed to be a victory Monday. Per multiple media outlets, an arbitrator ruled in the NFLPA’s favor after it filed a grievance against the organization.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero posted the email players union’s email, which states the team fined an anonymous player over $700,000 for missing an offseason rehab process which the Jags were trying to make mandatory at their facility. The statement is one that came down hard on the Jags’ warning players to heavily consider what they are getting into when signing with the organization which has accounted for 25% of all recent NFL grievances.
The NFLPA has informed players that an arbitrator ruled in the union’s favor in a grievance against the #Jaguars over requiring injured players to rehab and see doctors at the team facility during the offseason. Full text of the NFLPA email below: pic.twitter.com/lPLxWEej8J
These issues with the NFLPA seem to be mostly due to Jags football executive Tom Coughlin, who has a great deal of history with the union. The team hired him almost three years ago and things haven’t gone well with the player’s union since.
The statement highlighted Fowler’s incident in 2018, but there was a similar incident that occurred back in 2017 and it was believed then that something could come from it. Evidently, the Jags continued their stance on rehabbing at the facility during the offseason past that point and now have to deal with the consequences.
The NFLPA’s recent grievance isn’t one in which looks good on owner Shad Khan’s part when considering the team is likely heading for a rebuild and will need to show players that the organization is worth playing for down the road. It especially could increase the likelihood that Coughlin’s days (and several others in the front office) are coming to a close with the organization.
The New York Giants could use a leader like they’ve had in the past — a leader like Justin Tuck.
The New York Giants won Super Bowls in 2007 and 2011 because they had structure and leadership, two traits that haven’t been found in the building since the likes of Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Chris Snee and Shaun O’Hara faded into Giants’ history.
All it takes to realize what’s missing with the current Giants team is to listen to these guys talk about preparation and professionalism, A lot of had to do with the culture Tom Coughlin created but most of the traits were ingrained in the players themselves. They had the will to sin and knew what it took to get the job done.
In an interview with actor Jerry Ferrara on MSG Network’s Connections he talked about his mindset on the football field.
“I have this thing I used to do called the ‘white line effect’. Once I stepped across the white lines of a football field, I was no longer Justin Tuck. I was #91. That was my alter ego. So in a lot of ways, we do act. Some of the character we show on the football field is completely different than what we show in front of our kids, or our fans or outside the football field. It’s a gladiator concept on that field. But once you step off of it, I cant do the things I do on the field.”
Off the field, Tuck is a gentleman, a father, a pillar of society and a leader of charitable causes. On the field, he was as competitive as they come and dominated when the Giants needed him the most.
Tuck’s leadership was a quiet storm of sorts. He led by example and is the type of player and lead the Giants should be modeling their players after.
He was a kid from a small town in Alabama who starred at Notre Dame who made it big in New York, where he is still a major figure around town, revered by fans and is commonly seen at events at Madison Square Garden and other public venues.
“From what I know of making it in New York, regardless of all the flashing lights, New York is a blue collar town. And win, New Yorkers love winners. Play hard and win. If you could do that, they will always love you. Lucky for me, I had a career where we did win. I was deemed the guy that worked his butt off to get to those wins and to get to that success. The city not only embraced me, but all those great Giants teams.”
And the city is willing to embrace the Giants again. That is, if they ever get their act together.
In the latest Giants Wire Throwback Thursday, we go back in time to 2007 when the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins in London.
One of the more forgettable football games in NFL history is likely the one played between the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins on October 28, 2007. The Giants won a battle of attrition, 13-10, in the first ever regular season NFL game played outside of North America.
On the rain-soaked pitch of London’s iconic Wembley Stadium, Tom Coughlin’s 5-2 Giants faced off against the 0-7 Dolphins with Cam Cameron at the helm. The conditions were awful and well below NFL standards. The turf was loose and muddy and unfit for play but the game commenced regardless.
The Giants scored the first 13 points, all in the first half. Two Lawrence Tynes field goals sandwiched an Eli Manning 10-yard touchdown run. So, yes, an unorthodox game for sure.
The Dolphins managed to get on the board in the third with Jay Feely’s 21-yard field goal. Neither team would score again until just after the two-minute warning when Dolphins quarterback Cleo Lemon found Ted Ginn Jr. for a 21-yard touchdown.
The Dolphins’ onside kick attempt failed, and when Manning knelt three times to run out the clock to end the game, the local audience booed. Apparently, they did not understand what they were seeing was the norm.
The game was a success for the league’s first foray into the London market. The attendance was reported at 81,176 and both teams were pleased they made the trip across the pond.
“Our team was very proud to be here in London,” Coughlin said after the game. “The people have been wonderful to us. The stadium is beautiful…It was a difficult game for us. We thought we were in pretty good shape defensively for a long time…But nevertheless, on the last drive [for them] to score in those situations was a shocker to me.”
“I can’t imagine a game being put together better than this. The hospitality was like none I’ve ever seen,” said Cameron. “As it relates to the game, I told our guys you can’t make that many mistakes, especially in the scoring zone. We weren’t able to overcome those mistakes.”
It was a strange game for the Giants. Manning only completed eight of his 22 passing attempts for 59 yards. The Giants won the game on the ground behind Brandon Jacobs’ 131 yards on 23 carries. Reuben Droughns gained another 27 yards on eight attempts.
The Giants, of course, would go on the win the Super Bowl that season while the Dolphins would only win one game the entire season.
In the latest Giants Wire Flashback Friday, we look at a 2008 heart-breaker when the Philadelphia Eagles ended the New York Giants’ season.
In 2008, the New York Giants were flying high after knocking off the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. They were the best team in football and showed it by winning 11 of their first 12 games.
The Giants appeared to be unstoppable, and poised to make a run to repeat as champions. Then, the bizarre happened. They either peaked too early or were derailed by an off-field incident as they lost three of their last four games and the game they won was an overtime win.
On November 28, before their Week 13 win over Washington, star wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg at a New York night club. He was not only lost for the season but was criminally charged. The distraction was too much for the Giants to overcome.
The Giants had played well enough to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs and were pitted against the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round at Giants Stadium. Philly had beaten the Giants at the Meadowlands a few weeks earlier.
The game had an ominous feeling. Although the Giants were favored by four points, the sixth-seeded Eagles got the better of the play. It was a low-scoring affair that saw the Giants go up, 11-10, early in the third quarter, then lose the lead for good and could not muster any type of offense mount a comeback.
The Eagles won, 23-11, the first NFL game to ever end with that final score and the Giants’ season was over just like that. What a waste.
“I am very, very disappointed,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “I am sorry to see the season come to an end. There is remorse for opportunities lost.”
Quarterback Eli Manning also lamented about the missed opportunity.
“It all comes down to what you do in the playoffs. That makes your season a good one or a disappointment,” Manning said. “This is a disappointment. We felt this was a special team that could go far. The defense played outstanding today and gave us opportunities. Offensively, we didn’t do our job. We didn’t score enough points.”
