Jags set clocks back to normal
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — About 12 hours after Jaguars owner Shad Khan fired top executive Tom Coughlin, all the clocks inside the building were reset. There was no more “Coughlin Time” in Jacksonville.
It could be the franchise’s most significant change.
There’s growing belief that Khan plans to keep coach Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell in 2020. Marrone and Caldwell have two years remaining on their contracts, and Khan apparently wants to see what they do can without one of the NFL’s most stringent taskmasters trying to control everything from draft picks to sock choices.
“We’d love to see coach Marrone stick around and see this through,” Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell. “Change can be good. Too much change can work against you.”
The clocks were the most obvious difference following Coughlin’s departure Wednesday.
“It threw me off when I first got here,” defensive tackle Abry Jones said. “I thought I was late. That’s probably the strongest adjustment we’re going to have to get to, just resetting 5 minutes back.”
Khan said he decided weeks ago to fire Coughlin, who botched several draft picks, failed repeatedly to fix the team’s quarterback situation and upset star cornerback Jalen Ramsey so much that he faked a back injury to avoid playing for Jacksonville.
Khan adjusted his timeline after the NFL Players Association slammed Coughlin on Monday. The union said more than 25% of player grievances filed in the last two years have been against the Jaguars — against Coughlin, really — and warned players to “consider this when you have a chance to select your next club.”
It was damage Khan had to address.
“Mr. Khan was trying to send a message to the league and everyone else,” Jones said. “No one wants to have that on their team, where they have disgruntled players and they’re trying to get money back and all that.”
