Jacksonville Jaguars: Gus Bradley firing is an early Christmas present

Gus Bradley, head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, has been fired after posting an historically bad 14-48 record over four seasons.

Better late than never, right?

The Jacksonville Jaguars finally broke down and fired head coach Gus Bradley. This comes on the heels of a close 20-21 division loss to the Houston Texans. That loss, like so many other close losses by the Jaguars in 2016, simply added to his total of 48 overall losses.

Firing Bradley is something that has been anticipated all season as it quickly became clear the Jags weren’t competitive enough in 2016. This was supposed to be the season that the Jags competed for .500 or even a playoff spot and division title. But instead the Jags were treated to one of the worst seasons in franchise history (the Jags went 2-14 under Mike Mularkey in 2012). The 2-12 2016 Jags are in danger of repeating that mark.

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Many fans had hoped Bradley would be relieved of his duties during the Week 5 bye week but he clung on. He also clung on as his losing streak became longer and longer, sparking the question of whether the Jags would ever get rid of him.

While Bradley has been a kind, energetic head coach, he also hasn’t been a winner. In a league dominated by a “win now” mentality, the Jags were incredibly patient, letting Bradley and general manager Dave Caldwell build the team their way. The rebuild was long and arduous and never fully materialized despite strong additions to the roster.

Now, Jags fans get an early Christmas present, allowing the team to move on. We can look forward to the next chapter for the Jaguars as they work to mold the young stars on the roster into winners.

There is hope on the horizon.