Jacksonville Jaguars and the Byron Leftwich effect

Even though it looked like a done deal for a couple days, the Jacksonville Jaguars somehow haven’t hired Bryon Leftwich as their head coach. After all, there was a second interview between the two parties, which lead to contract discussions. Nevertheless, the process hasn’t come to an end and the presence of general manager Trent Baalke is most likely the reason why. If the Jags want to end up with their preferred candidate for the position, Baalke needs to be out and Leftwich will deserve credit for that.

When there was a need for a change in the Jaguars’ front office, Leftwich was the first candidate to take a stand (at least that we know of) and that’s a good thing. Baalke has had a reputation for being a coach killer and someone who is difficult to work with. Back with the San Francisco 49ers, he had three different head coaches and the last two only lasted a season on the job.

Based on his previous work history, no head coach should want to work with Baalke, and it doesn’t look like Leftwich does. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported he gave the Jaguars an ultimatum: ‘It’s me or Baalke‘. Nobody should blame Leftwich for wanting no part of Baalke. If you have been following the Jaguars’ head coaching search closely, the general manager has been a deterrent for most potential candidates.

Byron Leftwich makes a stand, he’s the head coach the Jaguars need.

It appears that Arizona Cardinals vice president of pro scouting Adrian Wilson will be the one helping turn the Jaguar’s fortunes around. According to Mike Jurecki of the Cards’ official website, Wilson would be the Jaguars’ general manager if Baalke is out.

Wilson can do a lot of different things to get the best from the players on the roster. There is a need for someone to step in that has the leadership to stand up for what is right for the franchise. Shad Khan, for the first time in his tenure as the owner, is taking the head coaching search with patience. Look what happened when he rushed to sign Urban Meyer.

I can understand why Khan wanted to make a splash hire with Meyer last year. Jacksonville has a negative perception in the national media’s eyes. He was simply looking for a way to bring some positivity to the Jaguars. This time, he wants to get it right.

The time for the Jaguars being the butt end of the jokes will come to an end sooner rather than later. Leftwich has thus far made a big impact and he hasn’t even been officially hired yet. He will have a patient owner in Shad Khan, which is a good thing because the Jaguars are likely to be a few years away from being a perennial winner.

Are you ready to stand up with Leftwich leading the way after his ultimatum for Adrian to be the new general manager?