If Shad Khan’s press conference with general manager Trent Baalke after the firing of coach Doug Pederson was a Broadway play, it would have closed after opening night because of bad reviews.
Khan’s decision to keep Baalke after firing Pederson did not go well with the team’s disgruntled fans, who have seen the team lose 18 of its last 23 games. They generally wanted a fresh start with a new GM and coach and possibly an executive vice president to oversee the football operation.
But they were even more upset after watching Khan’s press conference on zoom and flooded social media complaining about the direction of the team and some said they were not renewing season tickets.
They were particularly upset when Khan was asked about why he wasn’t making a complete overhaul of the team. Khan obviously needs some coaching on how to conduct a press conference.
“I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater,’’he said and later added, “Certainly over the last few years, we’ve built a football administration and things are working out well there.”
Not working out well enough to win more than one playoff game with Baalke as GM.
“What is a completely overhaul?,” he said. “You look at it, health and wellness of the players. medical, statistics, analysis, scouting, … a number of other elements … all of those areas we have really changed, improved. You’ve got 85 people working on that side and you say “I’m going to get rid of them and find 85 new people better than that? That’s like shooting yourself in the foot.”
He said it would be “suicidal,” Of course, nobody was talking about firing 85 people. The overall was about changing the top administrators. Khan had to know that or should have known it. All he did was enrage the fan base even more.
He also said they could add an EVP if they found the right person. So how intense will that search be? Do they really want a EVP or not? Who knows.
He also said the team on the field didn’t have enough deception and was too predictable. That may be true but did Khan bring that up with Pederson when the team started 0-4?
So where do the Jaguars go from here? The old saying is when you did yourself in a hole, you need to stop digging.
At the very least he needs to make a home run hire like Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson if he is going to placate the fan base.
Johnson’s name was on the list of the eight coaches they want to interview for the job. But there are fears that a candidate like Johnson, who is likely to have options, may be leery of working with Baalke.
Khan said the Jaguars have a compelling case on what they can offer to a coach. “Players, salary cap, the city, brick and mortar, facilities, our division … a very compelling case,” he said.
He didn’t mention the team’s record. Will the top coaching candidates think they can win with Baalke’s players? We will see.
VITO'S VIEWS 