Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson doesn’t believe in firing assistant coaches during the season. He didn’t do it during his five years with the Philadelphia Eagles and he doesn’t plan to do it in Jacksonville, even after the worst loss in the franchise’s history.
After the Jaguars were blown out 52-6 by the Detroit Lions and with a bye week approaching, Pederson said that “everything’s on the table” when it comes to making changes. However, he also emphasized that keeping his coaching staff intact is a priority for him.
“I think you got to be really, really careful,” Pederson said. “When you start pointing fingers at certain people, it’s a dangerous thing. And I’m not going to do that. Not doing it. Not right now.
“As a head coach in this league that’s going through what we’re going through, you’re pointing a finger. And if it’s going to be pointed, it needs to be pointed at me. Start with me. That’s enough on that.”
The Jaguars (2-9) have plenty of issues to address, and they could look in many directions to find the problems. They’ve lost four straight games and 14 of their last 17.
Their offense struggled badly, posting the fewest yards over a three-game stretch in the team’s history. Jacksonville gained just 528 yards in losses to Philadelphia (215), Minnesota (143), and Detroit (170).
Their defense has been even worse, giving up the most yards over a three-game span in the team’s 30 years. The defense allowed 1,494 total yards to the Eagles (447), Vikings (402), and Lions (645).
Clearly, something—maybe even everything—needs to change in Jacksonville. However, Jaguars owner Shad Khan decided not to fire Pederson or general manager Trent Baalke following the team’s most lopsided loss.
“Football is a war of attrition at times,” said veteran center Mitch Morse. “Our team has been no exception to that, both on offense and defense. That’s part of the gig. You go in and you’ve got to battle with who you’ve got and rally around guys.
“You ask anyone in this locker room. You don’t expect to lose, but it’s how you respond to that. That’s going to be a great challenge.”
