Mark Brunell is widely regarded as the best quarterback in Jacksonville Jaguars Jaguars history. He led the team to a franchise-best 14-2 record in 1999, multiple playoff wins — including a 62-7 rout of Dan Marino’s Miami Dolphins. Moreover, he played in multiple Pro Bowls. His benching in 2003 for rookie quarterback Byron Leftwich, along with the firing of coach Tom Coughlin in favor of Jack Del Rio changed everything for the Jaguars, and not necessarily for good. Doug Pederson could restore some of the order the franchise has lacked over the last ten years.
Changes in regime offer an opportunity for teams to start fresh, addressing the issues that held them back previously. Look at the Buffalo Bills. Following years of mediocrity, the team hired Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane. They also drafted a couple of building blocks in cornerback Tre’Davious White and Josh Allen in the span of a few seasons.
Since McDermott’s regime was put in place, the Bills have been on a nonstop upward trajectory and recently went punch-for-punch with the juggernaut Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. Gone are the days of quarterback EJ Manuel and running back CJ Spiller dragging the team to six wins.
Teams that go through foundational changes can experience varied results. The Bills are the attractive example, but an equal number of new regimes end the way that Del Rio’s went in Jacksonville 20 years ago. He was clearly not the right coach for Byron Leftwich, and poor salary management and positional prioritization derailed the quarterbacks’ career. The one season that the Jaguars stayed healthy during Leftwich’s starting window, they finished 12-4 but injuries plagued them in both the playoffs and Leftwich’s subsequent seasons in Jacksonville.
Urban Meyer is gone, Doug Pederson is in.
The Jaguars are in a similar position today as they were in 2003, even if there is zero precedent for the front office debacle that they’ve endured the past season. With Urban Meyer out the door, the Jaguars had a chance to bring a talented young coach into the building to complement their young quarterback, the way the Bills did.
The one name that made the most sense was Leftwich’s, the offensive coordinator for last year’s Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The idea of a former young and talented Jaguars quarterback helping Trevor Lawrence avoid the disasters that derailed his own career while installing the explosive downfield passing attack he operated in Tampa Bay was scintillating. There was mutual interest between Jaguars owner Shad Khan and Leftwich, but a deal never materialized. The sticking point: General manager Trent Baalke.
Baalke was hired at the same time last offseason as Urban Meyer — arguably the worst head coaching hire in the history of the sport — and he remained in place following Meyer’s disgraceful exit. There’s more than enough bad press about Baalke out there for anybody to be enlightened as to why he’s the antithesis of successful football, and this is especially true regarding his reputation around the league.
Several potential coaches chose other jobs due to the Baalke problem, and several refused to even interview for the position. The one man who confronted the issue head on? Byron Leftwich. Allegedly demanding that Baalke be fired before agreeing to coach the team, Leftwich face the elephant in the room, something no other coaching candidate was willing to do. Rather than see another talented quarterback waste away in Jacksonville, Leftwich hoped to bring in Adrian Wilson, his former colleague and Cardinals vice president of pro scouting, as the general manager. It all seemed to add up but it wasn’t meant to be.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson has a unique opportunity at hand.
And yet, Leftwich withdrew his name from the Jaguars’ search, Doug Pederson has been hired as the head coach, and Shad Khan has kept Baalke in place for the time being. The organization stood at a crossroads. In another universe, they fired Baalke, brought in any combination of a young head coach and competent general manager, and began to build around Trevor Lawrence.
In our universe, Baalke endures and the Jaguars bring in a veteran head coach who, while not as exciting a hire as Leftwich, offers Super Bowl pedigree and stability for the time being. Pederson’s exit from Philadelphia was unceremonious, but it’s impossible to deny what he brings to the table. This is a team that could contend for the playoffs in a weak division if even a few smart moves are made. This is a team with a genuine franchise quarterback, a first overall pick, a young roster, and more than enough cap space to turn the ship around.
The right coach and general manager could do wonders with the resources this team has to offer, and the wrong ones could keep this team in purgatory for decades to come. Doug Pederson has proved he can build a contender in Philadelphia, and he has shown he can help a young quarterback succeed.
Jacksonville has never had an asset like Lawrence before, and Pederson has been given the keys to his future. Will Shad Khan’s seeming attachment to Baalke cause the Pederson era to mirror Jack Del Rio’s tenure, or will Doug Pederson do what Sean McDermott did for the Bills and bring Jacksonville to sit at the adult table in the AFC? Only time will tell.