04/27/24
December 18, 2019
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
I got two words for Coach Coughln: Boston & College.
Hey, it seems to be working for Mack Brown and the Heels.
posted by NoMich at 07:54 AM on December 19, 2019
Then he can go back to doing what God put him on this earth to do: beat Notre Dame.
posted by beaverboard at 08:24 AM on December 19, 2019
I like Tom Coughlin and his surly hard-ass demeanor but his firing was overdue.
He saddled the Jaguars with $16.5 million in dead cap hit by extending Blake Bortles and there's another $33.8 million potential hit to Nick Foles, who has no trade value after the team gave up on him.
Coughlin also never explained what he said to Jalen Ramsey that led to him demanding a trade. The draft pick haul is nice, but as a fan I expected to be told a lot more about the post-game blowup between Coughlin and the immature-but-enormously talented star player.
posted by rcade at 09:50 AM on December 19, 2019
Coughlan is certainly a polarizing dude: when he took marginal teams and won Superbowls he was a god; when his marginal teams perform at their true level he becomes the primary target.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:14 PM on December 19, 2019
Remarkably, the last 4 Jags starting QB's before Foles and Minshew are still in the league.
Maybe the team got rid of Coughlin before he had an opportunity to draft Blaine Gabbert's younger brother, also a QB and currently in the midst of his college career.
Too bad that Greg Schiano has already signed on to return to Rutgers. He and Coughlin could have joined forces for a reality TV concept entitled "NFL Survivor: Rookie Camp". Crumpling young men like Dixie cups at a facility outside of Laredo.
posted by beaverboard at 12:28 PM on December 19, 2019
I expect that Coughlin isn't the primary target. He's just the first domino to fall and Doug Marrone and Dave Caldwell will be gone at season's end. Owner Shad Khan said he decided earlier this season to fire Coughlin and accelerated it because of the player fines disaster.
I'll miss Marrone and his bologna. He keeps having to be the public face of the franchise through tough moments when no one else shows their faces, like the press conference today, and handles it professionally and with grace.
posted by rcade at 04:09 PM on December 19, 2019
2 seasons ago the Jags had a solid running game and a decent defense but were lacking a steady QB (like Foles) and decent coaching: I recall watching a game, I think against NE, where the opponent ran the same play (alternating right side then left) for 3 straight series without any defensive adjustment. It was pathetic to watch; stopping just 1 of those drives would have won them the game. Aside from the in-game coaching they had a pretty solid approach at that time. Watching them this year it doesn't appear that they have any idea of what they are attempting to be on either side of the ball. Most of the players are still in place so there is obviously some other variable(s) preventing their success.
posted by cixelsyd at 05:49 PM on December 19, 2019
KHAN CANS COUGHLIN