Kiffin has praised Bradley multiple times and was influential in convincing Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to keep Bradley on as defensive coordinator.  Kiffin told Taylor Lawlor of Igglesblitz.com what he thought of Bradley,

He really is exceptional.  You could tell. He’s not just a really, really smart coach; he’s got a great personality. He connects with the players really well. He reminds me of Mike Tomlin.  We hired Mike at 29-years-old out of the University of Cincinnati. It didn’t take long to know that Mike was special, and I knew from Day One that Gus was special. He’ll be a head coach in the NFL. He’s got no panic. Some people do, it doesn’t mean they’re not really good coaches, but Gus, he’s special. When he interviews, he’ll knock your socks off. I’m not trying to pump him up, but I know what he is. He’s put it on tape up there.

As if Kiffin’s word wasn’t gold already in the coaching world, being compared to Super Bowl winning coach Tomlin is a nice touch to boot.

Bradley is a unique talent.  He has a very firm understanding of what is expected of him and what he expects of his players.  He is more than a coach who is simply doing the bidding of Carroll, he has his own philosophy.  He even has his own mission statement.  First presented on January 13th, Bradley sat for an interview with Carroll’s inspirational Win Forever program to talk about how he and Carroll have similar mindsets.  Bradley’s mission is simple:

In his own words he is describing a culture for an NFL franchise.  Before ever being handed the reins of an organization, he knows what it takes to build a successful organization.  In changing organizational culture, there is a certain amount of fact finding you must do before trying to instill your “one size fits all” mantra or culture.  You need to identify the needs of the organization you are attempting to change.  You need to identify the potential roadblocks to the success you are hoping to create.  Sometimes the change may be too much and you will have to adapt.

With new GM Dave Caldwell and Bradley coming into Jacksonville, they will not have the roadblocks some other teams may already have.  They are building from scratch.  The Jacksonville Jaguars will be built in their image.  If that image is anything like Bradley’s personal mission, then the Jaguars should be well on their way to being a more successful team.

Having written many business plans and culture improvement plans for organizations it is readily apparent that having a clean slate to start from is invaluable.  Bradley and Caldwell should be able to accomplish all of their goals in Jacksonville.  It would shock me if they were unable to instill their mission into every member of the organization.

Of the most importance may be Bradley’s ability to coach well.  While many head coaches are the head of the organization and provide the mission, vision, and organizational principles of a team, a player’s coach like Bradley likes to get involved with the coaching as well.  Of this, Carroll couldn’t rave more about Bradley, “He’s the best teacher I’ve ever been around.  He’s so thorough, so thoughtful, and he’ll go to such lengths to find ways to make sense of the information so the guys can understand it in practical ways.”  For a team coming off a convoluted offense under Mike Mularkey, this could be the best thing for the Jags.  A coach that can’t communicate is not a coach worth having.

Bradley’s stint in Jacksonville ushers in a new era for the Jaguars.  Everything is pointing up.  Now, armed with a fresh GM and a “once-in-a-lifetime coach,” the Jags have a new opportunity to become something they haven’t been since 2007: a contender.

- Luke N. Sims

Feel free to leave comments on here or visit us at Facebook or Twitter!

You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

               All 32 NFL teams consider themselves Super Bowl contenders in June.  The sun is shining, injuries are minimal, and holes have been filled from last year’s rosters that are the missing pieces in everyone’s journey to the big game.  Every playoff team is poised to go further and those that missed the playoffs have the pieces in place to make a charge at the division title.

The reason all teams have this outlook is that every season follows the same script.  There are always a few teams that ascend from the cellar to the penthouse and one or two unfortunate franchises whose heavenly expectations come crashing back to Earth.  This repetitive nature of the NFL is what makes it so great, because it isn’t what is going to happen but who it is going to happen to that piques so much interest.

Among the many roles that are filled by teams each season, the “picked to go 5-11 team that finishes 11-5” is one that should interest the Jacksonville Jaguars this year.  There are countless reasons why “experts” have and will continue to predict the Jaguars to have a season similar to 2011.  Having been ESPN’s punching bag for the past few seasons, the Jaguars will certainly continue to receive the same criticism until consistent results take place on the field.  That being said, and in honor of Speculation Season 2012, I believe the Jaguars will emulate the 49ers from a year ago and take the division by storm.

This time last year, the San Francisco 49ers had a new head coach at the helm. hell-bent on changing the culture of the team.  Jim Harbaugh had brief but significant history of developing young quarterbacks and arrived in San Fran with a rocky quarterback situation.  The incumbent, Alex Smith, had yet to play to expectations and had the fan base debating on whether he was the guy that could lead their team to the Promised Land.

Elsewhere on the team, the 49ers defense was coming off an excellent performance the previous season and strengthened their pass rush in the draft.  They had Pro Bowl-caliber running back Frank Gore returning and upgraded the position by bringing in Kendall Hunter to share carries and contrast Gore’s hard-running style.

The 49ers’ division, the NFC West, was in flux.  The Cardinals brought in an overhyped, unproven quarterback in Kevin Kolb to fill the hole left by departed hall of famer Kurt Warner.  The young and inexperienced Rams scared no one and the 2010 division-winning Seahawks were consistently inconsistent, as they had been for many seasons prior.

The similarities between the 2011 49ers and the 2012 Jacksonville Jaguars are hard to ignore.  Mularkey is coming from a situation where he worked first hand with promising young quarterback Matt Ryan and is entering one with struggling young quarterback Blaine Gabbert who has yet to have the influence and expertise of a quarterback-focused head coach.  He is changing the culture in Jacksonville, recently cancelling the Oklahoma Drill that was a staple during the Jack Del Rio era.  Maurice Jones-Drew is returning stronger than ever and a healthy Rashad Jennings will help add depth to the running game.  The Jaguars defense is coming off a top 10 performance and only got stronger by adding pass-rushing threat Andre Branch through the draft and retaining the starters from 2011.

The AFC South is as wide open as it has been in a decade.  The Colts bring in golden boy Andrew Luck to fill in for departed legend Peyton Manning and expect the unproven rookie to somehow improve a disastrous team on both sides of the ball.  The Titans are a legitimate wild card, still having to decide to go with young and inexperienced Jake Locker or 120 year old Matt Hasselbeck.  Their defense lost All Pro defensive back Cortland Finnegan and wide receiver Kenny Britt is poised to injure himself on every snap.  2011 division champion Texans finally put together a consistent season on both sides of the ball and made the playoffs.  They follow that up by losing their two best defensive playmakers in Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans.  Replacing that kind of production is a real gamble and with Andre Johnson coming off multiple leg injuries, Matt Schaub returning from season-ending foot surgery, and the potential for Arian Foster to become a complacent runner now that he has his big contract a la Chris Johnson, there is not much to rest easy on with Houston.

Then come the Jaguars.  A top 10 defense that is returning all starters and adding two-time Super Bowl champion Aaron Ross and pass-rushing blue chipper Andre Branch.  Maurice Jones-Drew returns as the current top running back in the game with his young ward Rashad Jennings back to add depth.  The flawed passing game upgrades with the addition of wide receivers Laurent Robinson, Lee Evans, and Jack Daniel… I mean Justin Blackmon.  The hungry new coaching staff paired with a full offseason should almost certainly improve Blaine Gabbert’s performance from his forgettable rookie year.

I may have teal blinders on, but when I look at the 2012 Jaguars and their division, I find it hard to argue that they won’t compete for the division title.  The pieces are in place for Gene Smith’s “Master Plan” to finally gain traction and deliver results in its fourth year.  The Jaguars are the only team in the AFC South that isn’t trying to fill glaring needs left from free agency.   The Jaguars are the only team in the division with no more excuses.  Like the 49ers from a year ago, this Jaguars team is ready to buckle up their chin straps and hit teams in the mouth, blow up the scoreboard, and shift the power of the division to northeast Florida.

- Lionel Joel