Jacksonville Jaguars Position Coaches, Upbeat and Focused
By Luke Sims
Whether it’s a new talent like DeWayne Walker or a known commodity like Todd Wash, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been bringing in new eyes and passionate people to coach their team as they rebuild. Wash, Walker, Terry Richardson, and George Yarno all spoke with the local Jacksonville media over the past few days and expressed how they got to the Jags and how things look for the Jaguars going forward.
A common theme among the four position coaches is that the Jags have something special that brought them to Jacksonville. A large part of that is the upbeat nature of head coach Gus Bradley. Wash has been with Bradley for years and knows how he plans and what he can expect from the Jags’ HC, meanwhile someone like Walker comes in trusting the word of Seattle head coach Pete Carroll that Bradley is the real deal. Through it all, Bradley, GM David Caldwell, and owner Shahid Khan have been able to market Jacksonville as the place to be.
The biggest part of all the interviews with the coaches may be the roster evaluation. With a new regime comes turnover and that does not bode well for players who are on the bubble – which is pretty much everyone from the Gene Smith era. Quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo spoke about the physical tools that Blaine Gabbert brings to the position and potential for improvement, but also spoke about upgrading when they can at the position. Wash made it known that the Jags do not have a premier pass rusher when he said that it is impossible to win without one and that it is still a need for the team. Walker and Richardson may be in the best position with a multitude of defensive backs to look at for Walker and Maurice Jones-Drew for Richardson to work with.
Despite the obvious deficiencies for the Jaguars, it looks as though the staff being brought in is up for the task. There is a feel of development with the Jaguars that was absent from the Mike Mularkey regime. Some good coaches were brought in under Mularkey, like wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan, but it felt more disjointed and less cohesive than the Bradley regime thus far. And that’s a major key to success, just ask Yarno and his offensive line philosophy.
– Luke N. Sims
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