The Jacksonville Jaguars are - once again - a joke.
For the seventh consecutive season, the Jaguars will finish with at least 11 losses after entering the season with more hope than owner Shad Khan has ever known in all his years with a controlling stake.
Related: Jaguars fire head coach Gus Bradley
"We should have ambitions for the postseason now," Khan said back in July, entering his fifth season as team owner. "I think we’ve suffered long enough. It's been painful."
The high expectations only made another double-digit loss season that much worse. But while the pain may seem eternal, it hasn't always been this way.
While it's tough to shake the image of the more recent Jaguar teams limping through December without any postseason hope, once upon a time, they were pretty good.
Enter Tom Coughlin. Joining the league as an expansion franchise in 1995, Jacksonville took just one 4-12 season to figure things out. The head coach proceeded to take the young Jaguars to four straight playoff appearances between 1996 and 1999, including two trips to the AFC title game.
| Season | Record | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4-12 | Missed Playoffs |
| 1996 | 9-7 | Lost in AFC title game |
| 1997 | 11-5 | Lost in Wild Card round |
| 1998 | 11-5 | Lost in Divisional round |
| 1999 | 14-2 | Lost AFC title game |
With the Pro Bowl duo of quarterback Mark Brunell and wide receiver Jimmy Smith, along with running back Fred Taylor, the Jaguars had an exciting offense seemingly poised to bring Florida its first Lombardi Trophy since the 1973 Miami Dolphins.
After three straight losing seasons between 2000 and 2002, Coughlin was ditched. The Jaguars saw just two more playoff appearances over the next 14 years while Coughlin bounced back nicely, winning two Super Bowls as head coach of the New York Giants.
Fast forward to 2016. Having no clear answer as to who should replace recently fired head coach Gus Bradley, it's time for the Jaguars to turn back to Coughlin, the only one who found any real success with the franchise.
At age 70, it may not be realistic to expect Coughlin, who currently serves as a senior advisor to football operations at the league office, to be a long-term option behind the bench, but his leadership and continuity could be key to helping the Jaguars' front office regain credibility.
Similar to Bill Parcells' role as vice president of football operations with the Dolphins after their infamous 1-15 season in 2007, or John Elway's re-connection as an executive with the Denver Broncos after going 4-12 in 2010, Coughlin's pedigree can lead the rebuilding process.
The Jaguars' small market and poor reputation makes it difficult to attract big names to help them guide could-be stars like Jalen Ramsey, Allen Robinson, Myles Jack, Allen Hurns, Dante Fowler Jr., and Yannick Ngakoue to their full potential. Coughlin is one of the few available, qualified personalities with championship experience and an actual connection to the Jaguars who can do so.
There aren't many, if any, coaches who meet the appropriate qualifications to give Jaguars fans much hope that won't be scooped up by another, more championship-ready franchise. But, under the leadership of Coughlin, a young coordinator like Josh McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan, or Matt Patricia could kick-start the youthful Jaguars back to being the surprisingly successful team of the late '90s.
And if all else fails, they can always hire this lady to lead the way.
