The Jaguars and Falcons face franchise-changing decisions
By Kathy Clark
The Jaguars and Falcons have not lived up to preseason expectations. Changes will be made in both organizations. Which coaches and players will be around next season?
The Jaguars and Falcons have many common traits. They currently have 5-9 records. Per Matt Verderame of FanSided.com, the Jaguars are ranked 22nd in his most recent power poll. The Falcons are one spot ahead in the 21st position.
The Jaguars came away with a win against the Raiders in Oakland, ending a five-game losing streak. The Falcons have won four of their last six games and beat the San Francisco 49ers on the west coast. Both defenses have had their issues stopping the run this season.
Atlanta has some good players to keep an eye on this week. First, quarterback Matt Ryan has had a bit of a down year but is still ranked fifth in the NFL with a 93.5 passer rating. Wide receiver Julio Jones is fifth in the NFL with 82 receptions for 1,150 yards. Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell has 104 tackles to lead the team.
For the Jaguars, running back Leonard Fournette has 1,081 yards rushing and 73 receptions for 488 yards. On the defensive side, Josh Allen has 10 sacks in his first season in the NFL, breaking the team record held by Yannick Ngakoue.
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If the similarities with rosters weren’t enough, off the field controversies seem to have hit both franchises. Jaguars fans are aware of the questions surrounding our team. One situation has been put to rest with the departure of Tom Coughlin but other questions remain about the team’s general manager, David Caldwell, and about head coach Doug Marrone.
According to FanSided.com’s site for news about the Atlanta Falcons, Blogging Dirty, there are some grumblings in the front office with our neighbors to the north.
"“The majority of the fan base wants both Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn fired.,” Jeff Benedict writes. “However, the answer may not be just that simple.“While Thomas Dimitroff should absolutely be let go, Dan Quinn should not; at least not yet. Thomas Dimitroff is the reason we are in this mess.”"
The discussion continues to state that his poor offensive line decisions, terrible contract extensions, and poor free agent signings have left Atlanta in a bad place. Does this sound familiar?
Many have said Caldwell has made poor draft choices, poor free agent signings, and caused salary cap issues since he joined the Jaguars front office after the 2012 season. Both Quinn and Marrone have strong support from their players. Fournette has strongly come out in favor of Marrone, speaking about how he loves playing for his head coach. On the other side, Ryan has eagerly supported Quinn this season.
The game on Sunday may tell us more about the futures of Marrone and Quinn. If either coach should win out there is a possibility of a 7-9 record and another year as a head coach. Playoffs may not be possible for either team but coaches and players are playing a high stakes game.
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