HEADLINES

Gus Bradley

Coach Rumors: Bengals, Titans, Philbin, Colts

January 13th, 2016 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Browns struck a deal today to bring Hue Jackson aboard as their new coach, leaving five teams with active head coaching searches. Additionally, plenty more clubs are looking to hire assistants to fill out their staffs, so we’ve got plenty of coaching-related notes and rumors to round up this afternoon. Let’s dive in….

  • According to Michael Silver of NFL Media (via Twitter), before Jackson agreed to join the Browns, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis approached his offensive coordinator with a last-ditch attempt to keep Jackson in Cincinnati. Silver notes that the proposal included a succession plan, which would mean Jackson eventually replacing Lewis as the Bengals’ coach, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from moving on.
  • The Titans‘ interview with Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will take place on Friday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the club will interview Doug Marrone one day earlier, on Thursday.
  • The Colts have reached out to former Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin to see if he’s interested in the team’s offensive line coach job, a source tells Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post.
  • Falcons secondary coach Marquand Manuel had a good meeting with Gus Bradley regarding the Jaguars‘ defensive coordinator opening, but Jacksonville has yet to make a decision on the position, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
  • Alex Marvez of FOX Sports has several updates on assistant jobs around the NFL. Here’s the breakdown:
    • The Colts have agreed to a deal with former Giants linebackers coach Jim Herrmann for the same position in Indianapolis (Twitter link).
    • Former Dolphins head coach and current 49ers assistant Tony Sparano is interviewing today for the Vikings‘ offensive line coach opening and is a strong candidate to get the job (Twitter links).
    • Former Vikings offensive line coach Jeff Davidson is interviewing for the same role with the Chargers (Twitter link).
    • Former Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle is expected to replace Vance Joseph as the Bengals‘ defensive backs coach (Twitter link).

Jags Owner: Gus Bradley To Return For 2016

December 29th, 2015 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Head coach Gus Bradley will continue coaching the Jaguars in 2016, team owner Shad Khan confirmed today in a statement. The announcement confirms what was already suspected, since a report back in October indicated that Bradley would be safe through 2016.

Here’s a portion of Khan’s statement, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union:

“I spoke to Gus Bradley today to confirm to him that he will continue as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016. It’s evident to see how far we’ve come in many aspects of our game, and Gus deserves a lot of credit for that progress. It’s also evident the considerable work that remains to be done to be where we expect to be at this time next season, which is well above where we stand today. And Gus understands that. [General manager] Dave Caldwell and I also spoke today and we are both confident that Gus will make 2016 the best year of his career.”

There have been encouraging signs for the Jaguars this year, as the team was in contention for a division title in the weak AFC South up until a week or two ago. The development of Blake Bortles, in particular, has been a bright spot in Jacksonville this season, with the second-year QB throwing for 35 touchdowns after tossing just 11 in his rookie campaign.

Still, the Jags are headed for yet another losing season under Bradley, and even if the club prevails in its regular-season finale, it won’t have won more than six games in any of Bradley’s three seasons. Overall, he’s just 12-35 during his stint with Jacksonville. If the team doesn’t continue to show tangible progress in 2016, perhaps contending for a playoff spot or at least finishing with a .500 record, it’s hard to imagine Bradley continuing to coach the Jags in 2017.

Gus Bradley Safe Through 2016

October 25th, 2015 at 11:19am CST by Rory Parks

Things are going fairly well for Gus Bradley and the Jaguars in London today (at least score-wise), but the same can’t be said for much of Bradley’s tenure with the Jags. As Jacksonville’s head coach, Bradley sports an 8-30 record, and with his team off to a 1-5 start in 2015, there are some who believe his job could be in jeopardy.

But according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com), that is not the case. Rapoport says that, barring a player mutiny, Bradley will not only keep his job for the remainder of 2015–which team owner Shad Khan implied yesterday–but for all of 2016 as well. The team’s front office appreciates that Bradley inherited one of the least-talented rosters in the NFL when he took the job, and no one realistically believed that the turnaround would be completed in three seasons. Furthermore, 90% of the Jaguars’ roster is 24-years-old or younger, so the team will exhibit patience with Bradley as he attempts to get the most out of his inexperienced squad.

And it’s not as though there are no encouraging signs. The team made a concerted effort to address its offense this past offseason, and although the jury is still out on Blake Bortles, Jacksonville has a good deal of enviable young talent at the skill positions with players like Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Julius Thomas, and T.J. Yeldon. The team is expected to place a similar focus on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, and the success of that unit will likely be what determines Bradley’s ultimate fate in Jacksonville. After all, Bradley came to the Jags as a hot head coaching commodity and defensive guru, after leading the Seahawks’ defense to prominence in his last two seasons as Seattle’s defensive coordinator, a position he held from 2009-2012.

If the defense does not improve, Khan’s rare and much-needed patience may begin to wear thin. And no matter the age or inexperience of the roster, Bradley simply has to start winning more games. Luckily for him, it looks as though he will be given ample opportunity to do just that.

Jaguars Owner on Bradley, Caldwell, Future

October 24th, 2015 at 9:04am CST by Ben Levine

The Jaguars certainly spent some money this offseason, committing more than $70MM in guaranteed money to the likes of Julius Thomas, Jared Odrick, Jermey Parnell, Davon House, Dan Skuta and Tyson Alualu.

Ownership certainly hasn’t received the production they had been anticipating, as the Jaguars have gotten off to a 1-5 start. This has led some to question the job security of head coach Gus Bradley and general manager Dave Caldwell.

Prior to his team’s game in London tomorrow, owner Shad Khan was clear that no changes are imminent, but he did acknowledge that his franchise is struggling. To see what else the owner had to say, check out some other quotes below, all via Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com…

On whether Bradley or Caldwell’s jobs are in jeopardy:

“The only sane – and the only proper thing to do [is to make no in-season changes]. It has never even crossed my mind from that viewpoint.

“Believe me, they want to have success more than any of us do. They’re highly motivated. I think they’re really disappointed we’re not having the success we should [be having]. We have to see how the season unfolds. There is more than half the season out there and then we’ll be able to see what’s been done.”

On whether the team has taken a step back from 2014:

“Life in general and football in particular, it’s not a straight line going up. We know where the starting point was and we want to see where the ending point is and what the journey has been over the last three years.”

On whether the team has enough roster talent to be competitive:

“There are a lot of pieces in place there are certainly a lot of reasons for encouragement. But eventually, the way you measure a football team, or any sports team, is by wins and losses.

“It’s very, very important that we don’t become a victim of the status quo. The performance and actions on the field is what dictate [what happens] going forward.”

South Notes: Jags, Brooks, Saints, Mariota

October 22nd, 2015 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Through at least the 2020 season, EverBank Field will continue to host seven Jaguars regular season games annually, rather than eight, as we learned earlier today. With Jacksonville having extended its relationship with Wembley Stadium through 2020, with an option for five additional years, the Jags will play at least one home game per year overseas for the foreseeable future.

While that announcement wasn’t a surprise, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Jags’ schedule over the next few years to see if they spend even more time in the United Kingdom. The team is a good candidate to become the first to play two consecutive games in London — likely one as a home team and one as a road team. Additionally, once Tottenham’s new stadium opens in 2018, the Jags would look like a prime candidate to play games there as well, given owner Shad Khan’s fondness for the market.

Here’s more on Khan, the Jaguars, and some other teams from the NFL’s two South divisions:

  • While Khan is disappointed with the Jaguars‘ 1-5 record to open the 2015 season, he said today that he still has “a huge amount of confidence” in GM Dave Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
  • Texans guard Brandon Brooks, who figures to be one of the more intriguing free agents at his position in 2016, was impressed by Marshal Yanda‘s new contract with the Ravens, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “Not bad at all,” Brooks said. “He deserves it.” For his part, Brooks could end up seeking a similar deal this winter.
  • Drew Brees is 36, and it’s time for the Saints to face reality and think about the future of the position, writes Pat Yasinskas of WalterFootball.com. Although Brees is coming off his best game of the season against Atlanta, Yasinskas rightly notes that there have been some signs that the veteran signal-caller is slowing down. If the Saints finish near the bottom of the league this year, they may have a chance to draft California quarterback Jared Goff, and that’s a pick that Yasinskas endorses.
  • Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota didn’t take part in practice today, and head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that tomorrow’s practice will reveal a lot about the QB’s availability for Week 7 (Twitter links via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com). Reports on the severity of Mariota’s injury have varied, with some suggesting he could be sidelined for multiple weeks, while others have indicated he should play this weekend.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Ryan, Hundley, Jags

November 24th, 2014 at 11:10pm CST by Ben Levine

While some may be questioning Rex Ryan‘s job security following the Jets loss to the Bills, the head coach is confident he’ll be sticking around. “One thing I know for a fact, unless it changes drastically, is I will be the head coach here for the next five weeks,” he told reporters after the game (via Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo on Twitter). However, Ryan did clarify that he hasn’t spoken to owner Woody Johnson (via New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta on Twitter).

Let’s take a look at some assorted notes to wrap up this Monday evening…

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Poll: Which Coach Will Be Fired First?

August 16th, 2014 at 10:00pm CST by Rob DiRe

Cowboys‘ head coach Jason Garrett has been on the hot seat for a while, with a myriad of 8-8 finishes on his coaching résumé. He has finished with eight wins in each of his three full seasons as the team’s coach, after going 5-3 taking over for Wade Phillips in 2010. Garrett’s odds of being the first coach fired are set at 2/1, according to Bovada Sportsbook.

However, Garrett is far from the only coach who should be worried about his job. Raiders‘ coach Dennis Allen (4/1 odds) has been given the organizational mandate to win some football games, despite being saddled with below average talent on the roster. General manager Reggie McKenzie might have to fire Allen in order to buy himself some time to improve the depth chart.

Dolphins‘ coach Joe Philbin (7/1), Bills‘ coach Doug Marrone (8/1), and Jaguars‘ coach Gus Bradley (12/1) have yet to take their teams to the playoffs, and their owners will only accept that for so long.

Jets‘ coach Rex Ryan (10/1), Bengals‘ coach Marvin Lewis (20/1), and Falcon’s coach Mike Smith (20/1) are all in danger of being fired if they miss the playoffs in 2014, following various levels of disappointment over the past few seasons. Panthers‘ coach Ron Rivera (20/1), who is coming off a 12-4 season, but is set to take a step back, is also a possibility if the season goes south early.

Rookie Quarterback Roundup: Bortles, Bridgewater, Carr, Manziel

August 9th, 2014 at 8:02am CST by Matt Feminis

Jaguars No. 3 overall choice Blake Bortles had an encouraging pro debut against Tampa Bay last night, completing 7-of-11 pass attempts for 117 yards, “which included three drops and just one questionable decision, a check-down effort on 3rd-and-19 that was tipped and nearly picked off,” according to the Orlando Sentinel’s Paul Tenorio. Head coach Gus Bradley was quoted after the game, saying, “I thought [Bortles] did a nice job, showed some good poise. We felt like we could protect him. Just the poise factor, we wanted to see that in him, and he did a nice job.”

How did the other rookie QBs fare?

  • Vikings first-rounder Teddy Bridgewater’s first play was encouraging, as he bootlegged right and threw a 21-yard strike on the move. The gain was negated by penalty, but Bridgewater performed well enough against Oakland to generate excitement despite an uneven stat line (6-of-13, 49 yards, two sacks, fumble). Overall, Bridgewater generated excitement, but clearly has aspects of his game to work on before he challenges for the starting job. “He looked unsteady at times when challenged by unfamiliar defensive alignments,” according to Brian Murray of TwinCities.com.
  • Meanwhile, Derek Carr, chosen by the Raiders four picks after Bridgewater, went 10-of-16 for 76 yards an interception (which should have been caught by the intended receiver). Carr was victimized by a few drops and bailed out on a few throws behind his receiver, but overall received passing grades in his debut. In terms of improvement areas, ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez notes the rookie needs to work on his touch.
  • As Dallas Robinson mentioned last night, Patriots second-rounder Jimmy Garoppolo looked better in his first NFL game action than he had looked in practice, outshining veteran backup Ryan Mallett. The rookie from Eastern Illinois went 9-of-13 for 157 yards and a touchdown. Garoppolo “showed a poise and pocket presence that was impressive,” according to the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian. “The players in the huddle responded to him. And, unlike Mallett, who struggled at times dealing with a shaky offensive line, Garoppolo made plays when the going got tough during Thursday night’s 23-6 loss to the Redskins in the preseason opener.”
  • As for Browns 22nd overall pick Johnny Manziel, his debut in Detroit tonight ranks as one of the most anticipated preseason games in recent memory. “The Johnny Football Circus comes to Detroit” as Free Press columnist Drew Sharp puts it. The game is sold out and the Lions issued credentials for all 200 seats of the press box, reports Sharp’s colleague Dave Birkett.

Pompei On Bradley, Licht, Babin

January 25th, 2014 at 9:34am CST by Matt Feminis

A dearth of elite talent in Mobile has created a potpourri of non-traditional headlines. In his latest missive, Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei explains that Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley has been the “star of the Senior Bowl.” Contained in the NFL Confidential section are the following notes:

  • Despite Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith having final say on personnel matters, ownership made the final call on the hiring of GM Jason Licht. It is believed the Dolphins were also sold on Licht.
  • Jason Babin is expected to be cut by the Jaguars. At 33, Babin might be relegated to a situational pass-rushing role for his next team.
  • One GM calls the 2014 Senior Bowl rosters the worst he’s ever seen, explaining that many of the players expected to be drafted highly are underclassmen. Additionally, several of the most highly regarded seniors opted not to attend the All-Star game. The GM refers to the exhibition as a “second-round game,” saying 15-18 players could come off the board on the draft’s second day.