The Jacksonville Jaguars shocked their fanbase by holding a press conference for executive Vice President of football operations Tom Coughlin, who has never spoken to the media in the regular season. He made it clear that the Jags have zero excuses to offer for their performance as of late and took questions (well, kind of) afterwards.
Here are some takeaways we came away with in listening to the 13 minute presser:
The point of the presser may have been to rally the fans more than to explain their issues
It initially looked as though the front office heard the fans’ cry to hear from someone in the front office about the Jags’ issues, but in the end, that wasn’t the case. While Coughlin did offer some thoughts on the team’s issues, it wasn’t much. Instead, he spoke to rally the fans, attempting to convince them that there is still a chance for a winning season.
Coughlin never addresses the media during the regular season, prompting reporters to ask if he was told or asked to have his presser. He insisted that wasn’t the case, but when considering the presser didn’t offer much insight into the team’s struggles, fans can’t help but think the opposite.
Only time will tell if the fans show up for the Jags’ next three home games, but it would be hard to blame them if they didn’t. Sure, Coughlin was right when he said the team has a chance for a winning season, but their performance in the last three games makes it difficult to see the Jags having a drastic turnaround.
Simply put, deploying Coughlin to rally support and optimism likely isn’t going to work as it would’ve in 2017. What will work is Khan putting a winning product on the field. and it’s hard to have faith that his current front office and coaching staff can do that.
The futures of Doug Marrone Tom Coughlin and Dave Caldwell are uncertain
A majority of the questions the media asked Coughlin were about the future of the staff and players. Most, if not all, of those questions got the same response: “We still have five games to play.” That was also the response he gave when asked if he plans to return in 2020 and whether the team knew about Doug Marrone’s future. It can be assumed that the same applies for general manager Dave Caldwell, too.
In the last episode of the “Jags Den Podcast,” I spoke on the fact that the Jags’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts showed owner Shad Khan all he needs to know about his front office. The reason I came to that conclusion was because the hardest part of the Jags’ schedule is over, and when they’ve faced the teams who will be in the post-season, they’ve been defeated and sometimes in convincing fashion. That said, the remainder of the Jags’ schedule is set up to prove what fans already know — and that is the fact that the Jags can beat teams who are below .500.
Whether or not Khan starts things over is a story for another time, but it appears Coughlin and company are in the dark about their futures. That likely points to a decision on each individual being made when the season is over.
Yannick Ngakoue is undervalued by the organization
Coughlin praised a lot of the Jags young players, including Yannick Ngakoue, who has six sacks this year and 35.5 career sacks. However, when asked if the team wanted to keep him though a long-term deal, Coughlin’s reply was that the team still had five games to play and that every player had something to prove.
If there is any player on the team who deserves an extension it’s Ngakoue. There was one point in the season where he was playing injured, according to Marrone, and Calais Campbell even went as far as saying that Ngakoue was playing on “one leg” when he was dealing with a hamstring issue during the early stages of the season. Still, he’s climbed his way to the No. 2 spot in terms of the franchise’s all-time sack leaders.
When considering the year Ngakoue is having, he’s proven the short-term deal the Jags shot him wasn’t adequate for a player of his caliber. Ultimately, time will tell if the Jags eventually understand his worth, but they clearly don’t right now. and that’s concerning.
If Tom Coughlin returns in 2020, Nick Foles is probably his guy
When the Jags signed veteran quarterback Nick Foles, his deal indicated the current regime was all in on him. Despite the veteran getting off to a slow start, Coughlin did make mention of him and praised his work habits in practice. This could be an indication that Coughlin would love to have Foles back as his guy in 2020 if he still has a job with the Jags.
Coughlin’s statements aren’t surprising in the slightest because he was the one to ultimately sign off on Foles in April. Khan also stated that the Jags had been eyeing Foles long before free agency.
Ultimately, we’ll have to see if Foles begins to play like the highest-paid free agent in team history. If he doesn’t, and Coughlin remains the head of the front office, it could lead to more division between the organization and the fans, some of whom are higher on Gardner Minshew II.
Forget about an explanation on the Jalen Ramsey saga
Of course, the media asked the question that was on the minds of many fans: Was there an attempt to repair the relationship with Jalen Ramsey before his departure? Predictably, Coughlin dodged the question by saying he didn’t want to speak on a player on another team.
That said, as long as Coughlin is running things fans shouldn’t expect to hear from the organization. However, it would be nice for the fans to get some type of details on why the All-Pro is no longer on the roster. After all, they pay their hard earned money to support the franchise.
