Jaguars Enter Coaching Hunt
Added on Jan 10, 2013 by Scott in
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Mike Mularkey had to wait over a week to learn his fate as the Jaguars head coach and the news wasn’t good. Earlier today new general manager David Caldwell fired Mularkey after one season manning the sidelines. There is plenty of blame to toss around the Jags organization, but Mularkey is on the hook for a nightmarish 2-14 campaign that saw star running back Maurice Jones-Drew lost with an injury and supposed franchise quarterback Blaine Gabbert benched.
Mularkey was hired to inject some pop into what has been a floundering offense for years. Not having Jones-Drew for ten games didn’t help his prospects, but Mularkey’s prowess as a playcaller and quarterback mentor was sorely lacking. His unit finished 30th in scoring and 30th in rushing. If not for Chad Henne’s late season surge, the 21st ranked passing attack would’ve been much lower.
Unfortunately for Mularkey, he was saddled with first-round bust Blaine Gabbert, who prior to being injured, showed no signs of improvement following a less than stellar rookie season. There’s only so much a first year head coach can do when he has little to work with under center. Adding to the offensive woes, highly touted wide receiver Justin Blackmon didn’t begin living up to his top 10 status until Henne took the reigns.
Most of the recent woes within the franchise can be attributed to recently fired GM Gene Smith, who not only pegged Mularkey but also drafted Gabbert. Once he was dismissed and Caldwell was introduced, it seemed only a matter of time before a coaching change was instituted. The glaring dearth of talent on both sides of the ball will be a challenge for whomever is hired, and quite frankly the list of candidates who want the job will be few.
The only clean spot in this mess is the number two overall pick in April’s draft. The Jags could go in multiple directions, including rolling the dice on another signal-caller. However, whichever player they target and whomever is their next coach, this team is a long way from being a contender.
