Jacksonville Jaguars: A winning season depends on Doug Marrone

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone is the key to the success or failure of the 2020 season.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone knows this is an important season not only for him but the Jacksonville Jaguars organization.

The head coach in the NFL is the most important person on the team. He approves and designs game plans, creates the atmosphere, has input into player selection, and hires assistant coaches.

"“There are few positions in sports more important than an NFL head coach.  While quarterbacks can help a team become a Super Bowl contender, having a great head coach can be the difference between winning it all and disappointment for an organization,” Matt Johnson of Sportsnaut explains."

Right now, Marrone is not considered one of the best at what he does. Marrone is consistently ranked in the lower half of the 32 coaches in the NFL. This is not a ringing endorsement. On the positive side, he has not been named as a problem by the disgruntled players who want out of Jacksonville. However, he must continue to improve as the head coach of the Jaguars or the head coach of any NFL team.

In any profession, it is critical to continue to grow and one way to do that is to look at the experts in your field and find ideas to incorporate into your style. Three head coaches that come to my mind are Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, and Andy Reid. They are rated the first, second, and third NFL head coaches by a variety of experts.

Bill Belichick has two traits that are critical to his success.  The first is attention to detail and the second is adaptability.

"According to Doug Farrar of USA Today’s Touchdown Wire, his central concept is, “An opponent who doesn’t know what’s coming is at an inherent disadvantage before the game even begins.”"

In other words, the game is often won before it starts. Patriots players learn quickly that they must be adaptable and expect change. There were complaints last season that the Jacksonville Jaguars couldn’t make adjustments in the second half of football games and Marrone needs to improve in that critical area.

The entire coaching staff does as well.

My second coach, Sean Payton, has another important skill. He is able to adapt his game plans and philosophy to suit his available players. He can take a journeyman quarterback like Taysom Hill and find a way to make him an integral part of the offense.

Last year when Nick Foles went down and Gardner Minshew started the team didn’t change the offense quickly enough to take advantage of Minshew’s talents. A great coach knows his players’ strengths.

More from Jacksonville Jaguars News

• Jacksonville Jaguars unlikely to pursue Carson Wentz despite Doug Pederson connection
• Jaguars RB Travis Etienne expected to have bigger impact in 2023
• 5 bonafide stars from the Jacksonville Jaguars 2022 season
• Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t heard any Calvin Ridley news from the NFL
• WR Marvin Jones Jr. will give 110 percent with the Jacksonville Jaguars or wherever he plays in 2023

"Quarterback Drew Brees commented, “His play-calling, his instincts, his ability to cater to the guys who are out there and put them in the best positions to succeed are second to none."

My last coach Marrone could emulate is Andy Reid. He took two teams to Super Bowls and is known to be an offensive guru.  He is critical to the development of many quarterbacks including the great Patrick Mahomes. He has honed his skills in the offense area and hired strong assistants to run the defense.  It’s difficult to be an expert on both sides of the ball.

I think Marrone made a wise decision in choosing Jay Gruden as his offensive coordinator.  This gives the head coach more time to deal with other areas of the roster.

I would love to see our likable head coach become more adaptable, create game plans that suit his available players, and work to become an expert in either the offensive side or the defensive side. Maybe that is a lot to ask, but I believe it is within his ability to make strides in these areas.

He is free to run the team his way now.