Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone grew up a Lions fan — “I’m probably the only person from the Bronx that was a Detroit Lions fan,” he said. And he remembers the excitement he felt as a 15-year-old when his Lions took Oklahoma running back Billy Sims with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 draft.
“I was all fired up,” he said. “I understand how the fans feel. But I think when you’re actually doing it and coaching it, it’s different.”
Indeed it is. As coach of the Jaguars, Marrone is caught in the middle of one of the trickiest, most conflicting scenarios a football coach can face. He is programmed to win every game and finish a dreadful season on a high note. But if he beats the Bears on Sunday at TIAA Bank Stadium, it could cost the Jaguars the opportunity of a coach’s lifetime.
At 1-13, the Jaguars are first in line for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft and the right to presumably choose Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence — considered by many draft analysts a generational talent, drawing comparisons to Peyton Manning and John Elway.
If Lawrence is that good, the Jaguars are in a bit of a pickle in their final two games against the Bears at home and the Colts on the road. If they win, it could cost them the quarterback they’ve been searching for since they entered the NFL in 1995 (their career passing leader is Mark Brunell). The Jaguars’ hold on the No. 1 pick is tenuous — the Jets are also 1-13 after beating the Rams last week.
So many times when big decisions are made, coaches talk about “doing what’s in the best interest of the Chicago Bears” or whatever NFL team they’re coaching. At this point, it looks like it’s in the best interest of the Jacksonville Jaguars to draft Trevor Lawrence if they get the chance.
But you can’t say that, of course. And Marrone isn’t even giving it a wink and a nod when asked about playing to win or lose Sunday. He’s all-in for winning out. He’s a football coach. It’s all he knows.
“You want to put the work in,” Marrone said. “You want to be able to go out there and win a football game, and you want to do it for your teammates and your coaches. … Winning’s the most important thing for us.”
It’s the ultimate no-win situation for Marrone, because his status as the Jaguars coach is in limbo. Jaguars owner Shad Kahn fired general manager Dave Caldwell after a 27-25 loss to the Browns dropped the Jaguars to 1-10 — and Marrone’s future is uncertain at best.
So when Marrone says he’s going for the win, he means it. He has a decision to make at quarterback against the Bears — either Gardner Minshew or former Bears quarterback Mike Glennon. Minshew’s development as a sixth-round draft pick last year encouraged the Jaguars to trade Nick Foles to the Bears. But he’s stagnated as the anointed starter in 2021 and was benched in favor of Jake Luton, who was benched in favor of Glennon, who was benched in favor of Minshew.
Everything about it screams “Trevor Lawrence” — though Ohio State’s Justin Fields or BYU’s Zach Wilson look like workable Plan Bs.
“I’m just trying to figure out what the best thing is for us to do,” Marrone said. “We’ve tried a bunch of different things. We’ve gone through a bunch of quarterbacks here the last couple of years. Right now we’re not playing well at that position.”
Marrone said he’ll choose the quarterback who in practice looks like he can best execute the game plan against the Bears. Like any coach he’s looking for the quarterback who gives the Jaguars the best chance to win. You can’t blame Jaguars fans for wanting him to go with the quarterback who gives them the best chance to lose.
