The Jacksonville Jaguars are currently in the process of finding a replacement for Trent Baalke. Although they originally wanted to keep the embattled general manager around, they moved on from him when they realized he was hampering their search for a new head coach. Vice president of football operations Tony Boselli recently talked about the traits the Jags looking for in candidates to fill the vacancy. And along the way, it looks like he took a shot at Baalke.
Boselli made an appearance on 1010 XL and talked about the traits Jacksonville wants in its next general manager. Among the biggest ones is someone who won't put individual success over the team.
"I'll give you my perspective on how I'm going into the interviews. Obviously, Liam's gonna be part of it, and he has what he's looking for. Mark Lamping will be involved, and we have a number of other people involved. And ultimately, we'll make a recommendation, and Shad will be very involved, Boselli responded when asked what the Jags are looking for in a general manager. "We'll make a recommendation, and Shad will make a decision about who the next GM is.
Boselli continued, "But what I'm looking for, first and foremost, is the individual —from a character and integrity standpoint — what kind of egos this individual has because just the way I'm wired, and probably because of the position I played, you got to be in it for each other, and it's not about you as an individual. Like I'm not looking for the smartest guy, and to let everyone know they're the smartest guy because of how great they did when they pick good players. And if they don't, if it's not a good player, it's someone else's fault, and that's we're just not going to have that in this building."
If you felt like Boselli was describing Baalke, you aren't alone. Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but some of the traits he listed certainly fit the former general manager's profile.
For instance, Baalke rarely met with the local media and rarely held himself accountable for the team's shortcomings. Instead, he routinely implied that the coaching staff was at fault for not developing his players.
If that wasn't enough, Baalke had a less-than-stellar reputation around the league dating back to his days with the San Francisco 49ers and constantly feuded with the Jaguars' coaching staff.
But despite all the red flags, owner Shad Khan unequivocally trusted Baalke, even when it was clear he was actively hurting the team. It wasn't until then-candidate for the head coach vacancy Liam Coen declined to interview, that Jacksonville moved on from the controversial executive. Below are Boselli's full comments.
Tony Boselli has changed his mind about what the Jaguars need from a GM
As the recently appointed EVP, Tony Boselli will give recommendations to both the general manager and the head coach. It won't be his job to either acquire players or coach them. The Hall-of-Fame left tackle will be reporting to Shad Khan and will offer a fresh football perspective.
Boselli will also assist during the search for a general manager. And based on his comments, it looks like he's made a 180-degree turn when it comes to Trent Baalke.
"So really, for me, it's looking at the type of character and the individuals they are, and then what's their vision? How do they how do they see building the team? What's their philosophy, and then the process how do you get to that answer? How do you work in a collaborative method? So those are kind of the three big buckets that I'm looking at to understand who the individual is, what their vision, their philosophy is, football, you build the team, and then how do they get to that, to the right answer?" Boselli asked during his appearance on 1010 XL.
When the Jags were searching for a head coach, Boselli vehemently denied that Baalke was hurting the search and routinely talked about how important he was to the organization's success. Maybe he went to bat for him because he was still around, but with him out of the way, the Jaguars legend can speak his mind freely without having to worry about any potential retaliation.
Ultimately, the Jacksonville Jaguars must find a general manager who will be on the same page as head coach Liam Coen. If they follow the parameters Tony Boselli has outlined, they should have no trouble finding their guy.