JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — If the Jacksonville Jaguars want to sustain winning, they need to look at the Detroit Lions.
That is a sentence written few times in NFL history. In the past, the New England Patriots were the envy of the league and now the Kansas City Chiefs are the blueprint.
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The Jaguars should want to be the Lions.
I’m not talking about Ben Johnson as the next head coach. The current Lions offensive coordinator could be part of the equation, but it’s deeper than that if the Jaguars are going to win and win big.
This is something I’ve been talking about on the airwaves in Jacksonville for over a year.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan could start to put the Motor City Plan in motion immediately following one of the most embarrassing losses in franchise history Sunday in Detroit 52-6.
The Jaguars gave up the most points in franchise history and lost by the most points in franchise history while getting outgained 645 to 170 yards.
The Jaguars need another reset to turn around the organization like the Lions have done in Detroit.
Why the Lions?
The Detroit Lions have two things the Jacksonville Jaguars do not: Chris Spielman and an IDENTITY.
In my opinion, those two things are the secret sauce of the upstart Lions and part of the reason why Detroit is one of the league favorites to win a Super Bowl this season.
Spielman’s role is listed as special assistant to the owner and CEO. Doesn’t it feel like Shad Khan could use that position in his organization?
WATCH: Brent and Austen talk about Spielman’s role in the Lions’ success
He needs someone to look out for the organization and their fan base. The NFL is a selfish league. Jobs are at a premium and come with handsome pay. The combination of that and losing creates finger-pointing and toxicity. There’s plenty of that happening right now in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars organization doesn’t just need a new general manager and a new head coach again. This franchise needs someone who understands the city, the fan base, and the business side of the building. Of course, the next regime still needs to put together a championship roster and win football games too.
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While it’s hard to know exactly the impact of Spielman in Detroit, a 2023 article from prideofdetroit.com says this:
“Spielman, who played linebacker for the Lions from 1988 to 1995, was hired by the organization in 2020 and played an “integral role” in the hiring of both general manager Brad Holmes and (Dan) Campbell himself. Since then, he was given the title of Special Assistant to President/CEO and Chairperson. His role is constantly shifting, from helping set a new culture for the franchise to helping scout college talent to being a pair of extra eyes on the practice field to even assisting on the business side of operations.”
The Jaguars don’t have to go far to find the perfect candidate here in Jacksonville. Hall of Famer Tony Boselli should be part of the front office of the Jacksonville Jaguars. His role should encompass a lot of things.
He cares about the organization, he played for the organization and he understands the angst of the fan base. In a league full of selfishness and protecting your million-dollar jobs, Boselli would protect the organization and be a conduit to owner Shad Khan without bias and agenda.
Khan came close to hiring an Executive Vice President in 2022 with GM Trent Baalke being retained and the hiring of head coach Doug Pederson. It is believed by many in Jaguars circles that Boselli was a candidate for that position. Khan eventually chose to bypass the EVP role in that cycle.
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He can’t do that again.
Boselli’s role would help fix missteps like last January. After an epic collapse to miss out on the postseason, nobody was protecting the organization and messaging a furious fan base.
Pederson had a postseason news conference on that Monday afternoon. Later that night, he fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and didn’t comment on the move until six weeks later at the NFL Combine.
It took Baalke 18 days to speak about the late-season collapse. In the interim, the rumor mill was spinning with discourse between Pederson and Baalke among other things.
The Jaguars should have had Baalke and Pederson speak days after the season relating their disappointment of the end of the season with the fans and vowing for it to never happen again. It was a big miss by this regime. Nobody was talking to the fans and nobody was defending the organization.
Boselli would have known better. Boselli could have advised and instructed the regime for transparency. It’s a small example of many. This current regime has lacked transparency and relationships in and out of the building.
In Detroit, Spielman helped hire the GM/Head Coach combo of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell.
When Campbell was hired, the Lions found an identity and everyone in the NFL knows what the Detroit Lions are all about -- GRIT.
What’s the Jacksonville Jaguars identity? The last time we knew it was 2017. Tom Coughlin helped message the word grit. That toughness and the emergence of Sacksonville helped the Jags to the AFC Championship Game.
Khan had the right idea of hiring an EVP. It just turned out Coughlin wasn’t the best choice to sustain the success.
We are in year three of the Baalke/Pederson era and this franchise and football team still doesn’t have an identity.
Who are the Jacksonville Jaguars?
The next GM, Head Coach, and EVP have to deliver the answer to that question.
The Jaguars have some good football players. Sure, they need more of them. It’s a players league.
But, this is a business too.
It’s hard to name a successful business that falls short in messaging, alignment, and identity.
The Jaguars don’t have that right now. The Detroit Lions do.
It’s time to be like the Detroit Lions.
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