Jaguars' Tom Coughlin gets defensive talking about team

One of the surprises of the 2018 season is the disappointing play of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After winning the AFC South and advancing to the AFC championship game last season, the Jaguars have lost seven straight games, have one of the worst records in the NFL at 3-8, and on Monday they fired their offensive coordinator and benched their starting quarterback.

While many of us see a team in disarray, one of the men responsible for putting the roster together defended the franchise on Tuesday.

‘We tried, didn’t we?’

Tom Coughlin, who is the Jaguars’ vice president of football operations and has final say on all football matters, was on Jacksonville radio station 1010XL, primarily to promote his charity, The Jay Fund. The hosts got around to football in the second half of the interview, and Coughlin got defensive.

“We’re a whistle away [and] we’re in the Super Bowl. And that’s my position, OK?” Coughlin said, referring to a quick whistle after linebacker Myles Jack got a forced fumble and recovery in the fourth quarter of the AFC title game. “So tell me, everyone out there, what they’re going to do in that circumstance about your football team.

“Aren’t you going to fill other pieces in and try to be as good as you can be? And we tried, didn’t we? Well, the nature of the game got us, so we go back to the drawing board. But I’ll put the gloves on with anybody that wants to talk about what [moves the team made].”

It would seem wrong to get in the boxing ring with the 72-year-old Coughlin, but he certainly sounds willing to take it there with detractors.

‘The way we behave on the field, it’s ridiculous’

But Coughlin didn’t just sound frustrated with outsiders who are critical of the Jaguars.

He didn’t sound too happy with some inside the building either.

“Let’s face it: Our numbers are down all over the place,” Coughlin said. “Our sacks are way down. Our pressure’s down. Our turnovers are huge — they’re out of sight. Our penalties — the way they behave on the field, it’s ridiculous.

“So a lot of things will be addressed. And are being addressed.”

The Jaguars are on pace for 30 sacks, 81 quarterback hits and 131 penalties. Last year, they had 55 sacks, 105 QB hits and 131 penalties. There is a major different in the team’s giveaway-takeaway number: currently, Jacksonville is minus-11, while in 2017 it was plus-10.

“At the end of every season, you have to go through every point about your team, and this will be no different,” Coughlin said. “Your roster, where your money is being spent, how your money is being spent, what the [salary] cap is going to dictate to you in the offseason, how you can improve, what you have to do, and from every standpoint that will be done again, without a doubt. There will be some good out of it and some tough calls.”

Doesn’t elaborate on Bortles or Hackett moves

Coughlin didn’t elaborate on the moves with either Bortles or Hackett, saying coach Doug Marrone made them because “you’re going to try something” when a team is struggling.

Coughlin sat down the 1010XL but has declined numerous interview requests from the local beat reporters, even as the Jaguars have descended into free fall.

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