The conversations and debates about great NFL head coaches are often times murky and esoteric. What determines a great head coach? Is it just wins and losses? Did they have to do something great with a lesser roster? Longevity? It’s classic fodder for the local bar.
And while it can be difficult to measure a coach’s greatness, it can be equally difficult to judge just how bad a coach is. They could be in a bad situation with lousy team ownership, management and/or a quarterback who looks like he’s never played football before. Is it fair to say that guy can’t coach? Ask Cleveland Browns‘ fans for their thoughts on Bill Belichick and you’ll get a wildly different perspective from a New England Patriots‘ fan. Anyone remember him cutting Bernie Kosar in 1993 and getting starts from Vinny Testaverde and Todd Philcox at quarterback?
The point is, it’s tough to accurately gauge greatness or ineptitude. Especially for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have suffered through some pretty bad stretches of football. How much of that is on the coach? Was Doug Pederson a bad coach because it didn’t work out in Jacksonville? Was he a great coach because he won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles? Ok, that’s probably a tough one.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports just released his list of the “Top 25 worst NFL coaching hires this century” and you can guess that the Jags made an appearance a couple of times. Heck, they even claimed the top spot! The full list is worth checking out and will be a painful reminder for many.
No. 14: Gus Bradley
Record: 14-48
It’s tough to kill the Jaguars for hiring Gus Bradley in 2013. He was just in charge of the “Legion of Boom” for the Seattle Seahawks and was a hot name on the head coaching market at that time. There was a large contingent in Philadelphia that wanted the Eagles to bring Bradley in, but they ultimately settled on Chip Kelly (who isn’t on this list, but could be).
“Monte Kiffin once called Bradley a “once-in-a-lifetime coach,” and the latter looked the part as an ascending assistant under Pete Carroll during the construction of the Seattle Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” defense circa 2012,” Benjamin writes. “The infrastructure wasn’t nearly as formidable in Jacksonville, however, and he ultimately left town with one of the worst winning percentages in NFL history.”
So yeah, it didn’t work out. Was Bradley that bad? Or, maybe it had something to do with trying to win football games with Chad Henne, Blaine Gabbert and Blake Bortles at quarterback.
No. 1: Urban Meyer
Record: 2-11
There are a lot of angles to take when drafting a new franchise quarterback and developing him. Pairing (supposed) generational talent Trevor Lawrence with Urban Meyer in 2021 is not one of them.
“Desperate for rejuvenation, the Jaguars looked past Meyer’s history of fielding troubled talents at Florida and Ohio State, instead focusing on his three national championships,” Benjamin writes. “It took but a few months for the trouble to follow Meyer to the NFL. Despite inheriting No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, he made it just 13 games before ownership pulled the plug. The worst part wasn’t the losses but the scandals sandwiched between them, none greater than a seemingly flirtatious trip to the bar — captured in viral video — while the rest of the team flew home from a defeat.”
Spoiler alert, the Jaguars held the No. 1 pick again in 2022.
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