The Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday announced Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Doug Marrone will be interim head coach for the final two games of the season.
The move comes after Gus Bradley was fired Sunday following the Jaguars’ 21-20 loss in Houston.
The Jaguars have lost nine games in a row for the first time in franchise history. Marrone is a 24-year coaching veteran, including two years as head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2013-14.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan announced yesterday General Manager Dave Caldwell will be charged with hiring a permanent replacement for Bradley, whose 14-48 record over nearly four seasons is the worst in modern NFL history.
WJCT sports analyst Cole Pepper said on"First Coast Connect" Monday the move comes as no surprise given the team’s dismal record of two wins and 11 losses in a season when many expected the Jaguars to compete for a playoff spot.
“There’s a general sense that there wasn’t enough expectation put on the players,” Pepper said. “Gus Bradley is a player’s coach. He’s a terrific positive energy guy ...the problem was he wasn’t tough enough, and I think his approach is to let the players police the locker room.”
During a Monday press conference, Caldwell said there was a lot of blame to go around, including on himself, for the team’s failures. He also said the decision to fire Bradley was made prior to Sunday’s loss.
Caldwell said there is no time set to find a new coach. He said he will take his time to find someone who is the right fit for the team.
Regarding quarterback Blake Bortles, Caldwell said he still believes in him but wouldn’t force any player on a head coach.
Pepper said the Jaguars may look for a head coach with a stronger offensive-minded background who is more of a disciplinarian than Bradley.
One name being suggested is a familiar one: Tom Coughlin, who was the Jaguars’ first and most successful head coach and won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants. Caldwell said Coughlin is someone he would be interested in talking to.
“Tom’s a great man and a great person and we’ll see where it goes,” Caldwell said. “There will be a lot of guys we’ll in interested in talking to.”
Pepper said he believes Coughlin would like to get back in the game, but at the age of 70, he may rather want to join a front office as general manager rather that become a head coach again.
Caldwell said Marrone will be among those considered to win the job on a full-time basis.
Producer Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax
