Jacksonville Jaguars 2007 Preview
Background: Before the NFL arrived in Jacksonville, the town was seen as the South’s version of Pittsburgh and/or Green Bay. Jacksonville is a solid, blue collar city with a fervent football base. Both the NFL and owner Wayne Weaver figured that Jacksonville fans would be there through thick and thin. The early success under Tom Coughlin seemed to indicate exactly that.
As they are finding out in NYC, Tom Coughlin isn't a great media guy. However, his tough reputation resonated with the Jacksonville football faithful. Coughlin also won games. The Jags had a nice group of stars like Mark Brunell, Tony Boselli, and former Gator Fred Taylor.
Those early glory years seem like a faded memory. Seats are covered in the upper deck to insure sellouts. Alltel is dropping its naming rights, and no company has stepped up to pay to replace them. Jacksonville has also had its Super Bowl (which is in no hurry to return) so the pressure is on the Jaguars themselves to make the NFL relevant in Jacksonville again.
Team Identity: After firing Tom Coughlin, the coach that took them consistently to the playoffs and set high standards for Jags fans, owner Wayne Weaver chose not to hire Steve Spurrier (a legend in the state and in Jax) in favor of a far cheaper Jack Del Rio. This move may have been he will regret the most. It may have even planted the seed for the Jaguar's potential departure from Jacksonville.
Steve Spurrier might not have been a successful coach for the Redskins, but no one has been able to win under Daniel Snyder. Steve Spurrier was a football god in Florida when he was available to be hired by the Jaguars. Coughlin won, but he wasn't media friendly. Spurrier makes for great media. Spurrier alone could have made the Jaguars relevant outside of Jacksonville, something that remains critical to their long term survival in that market.
Jack Del Rio has been a solid, but unspectaculor coach. He reflects his team - hard-nosed, but boring. Yes, he's coached the team to one playoff berth, and the Jags are one of the tougher teams to play, both physical and punishing. Unfortunately, they slant to the wrong side of boring for a fan base that is used to high octane wide open offensive football in Gainesville and Tallahassee.
Del Rio has even further backed himself into a corner by releasing Byron Leftwich in such a strange fashion, without any notice right before the season started. Leftwich has been the face of the franchise since he was drafted in the first round 4 years ago. Now, career backup David Garrard must become an effective starter even though he struggled and the end of last season in that role.
When the face of your franchise is a coach without much of a personality (see Houston Texans), your team better win soon because your identity factor is zero. Winning cures most ills, and the Jags have a chance to do that. However, dumping their big name QB won't help a team alreaday lacking in star power (think of all the Leftwich jerseys that will have to stay in the closet this season).
Boring is a sin in the South. Losing may be inevitable, but at least lose with flair and excitement. (Listen up Bobby Petrino, Gary Kubiak, and Cam Cameron!)
The Jags are unfortunately a prime case of how the "No Fun League" can create indifference in the South. The team is workmanlike and possibly a winner, but the excitement meter is barely registering.
2007 Storyline: Playoffs or bust. Del Rio knows he has to win now which is why he made the seemingly sudden QB change. Unfortunately, Garrard did not win when given a chance at the end of last season to do so. This isn't helping the overall feeling around the team's fan base. It might not just be Del Rio's career, but the entire future of the franchise in Jacksonville, that hangs in the balance this season.
As bad as things are in Houston, that market is still so strong that it can be turned around. Jacksonville is running out of chances.
Expectation meter: This is off the charts. If the Garrard gamble helps lift the Jags to a division title and a deep playoff run, Jacksonville football faithful should come back strong. This is a solid NFL market that has been mistreated for too long with a boring team. However, the AFC South has last year's Super Bowl champ still showing no signs of age and two young, improving teams. The window is now or never.
Mark this down, if the Jags finish outside the playoff hunt, the franchise's future in Jacksonville will be in question. Orlando has just secured funding for an overhaul to the Citrus Bowl. The Orlando market is already considered part of the Jacksonville market by the NFL. Don't be surprised if the NFL stops allowing the tail (Jacksonville) to wag the dog (Orlando), and encourages Weaver to take a two hour trip South to newer digs and a far better market.
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