The Jacksonville Jaguars need to move on from their head coach Gus Bradley. Here are five coaches the Jaguars should target to replace Bradley in 2017.
This should come as no surprise. The Jacksonville Jaguars have to move on from head coach Gus Bradley. After falling to the Tennessee Titans in Nashville in Week 8, Jaguars owner Shahid Khan has no choice but to pull the plug on the Bradley experiment gone wrong in North Florida.
In three plus years as the head coach of the Jaguars, Bradley had gone an atrocious 14-41 as their head coach. Yes, the Jaguars had a significant rebuild to undertake the last four years, but the 2016 team has too much talent on it to be coached this poorly.
Bradley was a defensive guru with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012 before coming to Jacksonville. His Jaguars defense is toothless, despite Pro Bowl caliber players and elite prospects in all three levels. They have a solid franchise quarterback in Blake Bortles, but he can’t get into the end zone in the first quarter. Imagine how good he could be if he could play with a first quarter lead.
Jacksonville should be one of the better jobs on the coaching carousel this winter. Khan has been a committed owner, general manager David Caldwell continues to draft well, and there are Pro Bowler caliber players all over the Jacksonville gridiron.
The Jaguars need an offensive minded coach to right this sinking ship. Here are five current NFL offensive coordinators that could work in Jacksonville as Bradley’s 2017 successor.
CHARLOTTE, NC – CIRCA 2011: In this handout image provided by the NFL, Mike Shula of the Carolina Panthers poses for his NFL headshot circa 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images)
5. Mike Shula, Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator
Would the Jaguars consider bringing back a familiar face in Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula? Jacksonville should because Shula has helped take sub-par offensive personnel in Carolina and guide Panthers quarterback Cam Newton into being a league MVP.
Shula is the son of legendary NFL head coach Don Shula. He was the quarterbacks coach in Jacksonville from 2007 to 2010. Shula is best known for failing as a college head coach with the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2003 to 2006. His success in Carolina with Newton makes Shula a hot head coaching candidate in 2017.
He’s only 51 years old and Shula has close to no opportunity to replace Ron Rivera in Charlotte, despite the Panthers’ losing ways of late. The NFL is increasingly an offensive-minded sport. It would serve Jacksonville to get a former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator as Bradley’s 2017 successor.
Like Newton, Bortles is big, strong pocket-passing quarterback prototype. Frankly, Jacksonville has better perimeter weapons with guys like Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns than any receiver Carolina has for Newton to work with (sorry, Kelvin Benjamin). Shula has successfully reinvented himself as a great offensive coordinator with the Panthers.
He shouldn’t be the first call Khan makes, but he should be one of the handful of coaches he interviews to replace Bradley. Shula’s Panthers offensive scheme would thrive with Jacksonville’s personnel if he and Caldwell can improve this offensive line.
Aug 11, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan before a game against the Washington Redskins at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
4. Kyle Shanahan, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator
This is something NFL people need to come to terms with: Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will be an NFL head coach before the end of the decade. It doesn’t matter who his father is, Shanahan’s Falcons offense might be the very best in football.
Atlanta is the fourth offensive coordinator gig Shanahan has had in the NFL. He had success in the Houston Texans with Matt Schaub under center, while his tenures with the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns were largely underwhelming.
To be fair, Atlanta has had solid offensive personnel for the entire Matt Ryan era (2008-present), but what Shanahan has done to the Falcons running game and offensive line in less than two seasons cannot go unnoticed.
In 2014 under offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, Atlanta was deplorable up front and the running game. Ryan threw for a ton of yards, but spent half of the game lying on his back behind a porous offensive line in an unbalanced Air Coryell attack.
Shanahan brought the Shanahan family zone block scheming and the West Coast offense to Atlanta. The Falcons immediately became a strong rushing team with a top-five offensive line in football. Ryan was the NFC Offensive Player of the Month in September in only his second year in the Shanahan West Coast offense.
Mechanically, Ryan and Bortles are vastly different quarterbacks. Ryan is slender and more accurate. Bortles is bigger with a stronger arm. The Shanahan ZBS would turn around Jacksonville’s bad offensive line over night. A Bortles/Shanahan pairing could challenge the famous 1990s Jaguars tandem of Mark Brunell and Tom Coughlin.
Sep 1, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (R) and offensive coordinator Frank Reich (L) prior to a game against the New York Jets at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
3. Frank Reich, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator
If the Philadelphia Eagles keep playing well under first-year head coach Doug Pederson, his two coordinators in Frank Reich and Jim Schwartz could get head coaching opportunities in 2017. Schwartz is a great defensive coordinator, but Reich could be in line for his first head coaching gig with the 2017 Jaguars.
Reich used to back up Jim Kelly with the Buffalo Bills in the 1990s. Since becoming an NFL coach in 2008, Reich has worked with Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, and now Carson Wentz. He understands the quarterback position and can help Bortles become a Pro Bowler in this league. Bortles and Wentz are of the same Andrew Luck prototype as NFL quarterbacks.
Reich is 54 years old and has worked in multiple offensive schemes. He’s seen no-huddle in Indianapolis with Manning, he’s gone more vertical with Rivers in San Diego, and now he’s going ultra-conservative with Wentz in Philadelphia. The exposure different offensive philosophies might make him the most versatile offensive head coaching candidate to pair with Bortles.
What’s very interesting about Reich to Jacksonville is that the Eagles won’t skip a beat if he leaves. Philadelphia already has a former NFL offensive coordinator John DeFilippo as its quarterbacks coach. Doug Pederson built an outstanding first staff with the 2016 Eagles. Reich can bring a winning culture to Jacksonville in 2017.
May 25, 2016; Irving, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan during organized team activities at Dallas Cowboys Headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
2. Scott Linehan, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator
Though he maybe content with being an NFL assistant the rest of his coaching career, the Jaguars should try to schedule a meeting with the Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.
Linehan failed as an NFL head coach with the St. Louis Rams from 2006 to 2008. He has since been the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and now with the Cowboys. Linehan has worked with Matthew Stafford, Kellen Moore, Tony Romo, and now Dak Prescott.
He’s certainly more experienced in the NFL game than when he went to the Rams in 2006. Linehan had four NFL seasons between the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins before becoming an NFL head coach. He’s been coaching in the NFL since 2002. If he wants another head coaching opportunity, Jacksonville wouldn’t be a bad fit for him.
Linehan has seen first hand what drafting offensive linemen in the first round can do for an NFL offense. Dallas has had the best front five in football since 2014. It’s made Romo look like a Pro Football Hall of Famer and Prescott look like Romo’s obvious successor.
To be fair, there’s not a lot of elite offensive coordinators in the NFL in 2016. Linehan is one of the most seasoned. Dallas isn’t going to part ways with head coach Jason Garrett anytime soon. If Linehan wants to be a head coach again, joining Jacksonville at this stage of their rebuild wouldn’t be a bad entry point for him.
Jul 30, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels smiles during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
1. Josh McDaniels, New England Patriots offensive coordinator
The best head coaching candidate in the 2017 NFL coaching carousel is easily New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Since returning to Foxboro in 2012, McDaniels has made the Patriots offense the most intriguing in football.
New England doesn’t have vertical threats on the outside, a reliable running game, or tight ends that can stay healthy. In a bubble screen league, New England is just better at the short passing game than everybody else.
Bortles is the better pro prospect over what McDaniels had to work with as the head coach of the Denver Broncos in Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow. Caldwell is a disciple of Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who in turn is a Bill Belichick disciple in team building. There’s a good chance McDaniels and Caldwell could get on the same page and turn the Jaguars around quickly.
Yes, there are other jobs that rare more appealing for McDaniels to leave New England for. The Tennessee Titans have Marcus Mariota at quarterback and former Patriots executive Jon Robinson as general manager. The Lions are run by former Patriots executive Bob Quinn. However, Jacksonville has the better roster of those three mediocre NFL teams.
The AFC South could be appealing to McDaniels for two reasons:
1.) There is no elite team in the division. The Jaguars and Titans have been bad for a decade. Indianapolis is one of the most dysfunctional organizations in football. The Houston Texans are good, but not great.
2.) The two outdoor stadiums are in the warm weather cities of Jacksonville and Nashville. Houston and Indianapolis play in dome stadiums. Including the annual London game, McDaniels has 10 games a season where bad weather isn’t a factor. North Florida sunshine has to be better than harsh New England winters.
Though he may not leave New England for Jacksonville, the Jaguars need to get on the phone and inquire about McDaniels’ interest in coaching their football team next year. A good head coach turns Jacksonville into an AFC Playoff team overnight.
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