Tom Coughlin on Jaguars' radar for open coaching position
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are interested in speaking with former coach Tom Coughlin about the team's vacant head-coaching position.
General manager Dave Caldwell said Monday afternoon that Coughlin, who was the Jaguars' coach for the franchise's first eight seasons before going on to win a pair of Super Bowls with the New York Giants, is among the people he will consider as a replacement for Gus Bradley, who was fired on Sunday.
Caldwell also said he would consider interim head coach Doug Marrone, as well as a candidate from the college ranks, and added that he has already gotten numerous phone calls about the opening.
"Tom's a great man and a great person, and we'll see where it goes," Caldwell said. "There will be a lot of guys we're interested in talking to.
"He's got so much experience on myself or on any coach that we have in this building," Caldwell added, "and he's a great individual, so I think you can always learn from people. There's always a place for knowledge."
As the first coach in Jaguars history, from 1995-2002, Coughlin guided the franchise to a 68-60 record and a pair of AFC Championship Game appearances. He also served as the Jaguars' general manager; the team got into salary-cap trouble toward the end of his tenure, which was a big reason the team had three consecutive losing seasons after going 14-2 in 1999 and reaching the AFC title game.
The Jaguars fired Coughlin after the 2002 season. The Giants hired him in 2004, and he went on to compile a 102-90 record and win two Super Bowls, including an upset of the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Coughlin resigned last January after 12 seasons with the Giants and is currently the NFL's senior advisor to football operations. The Jaguars do not have to wait for the NFL season to finish to interview him.
Marrone is in his second season with the Jaguars. He joined the team after two seasons as the head coach in Buffalo, where he led the Bills to a 15-17 record before opting out of his contract because of uncertainty over possible organizational changes. Marrone led the Bills to a 9-7 record in 2014, which to date is their only winning record since 2004.
Bradley hired Marrone in 2015 to replace offensive line coach George Yarno, who left the team after being diagnosed with cancer. Marrone interviewed with five teams for their head-coaching vacancies after the 2015 season ended but was not offered a job.
He said Monday he's not looking at the next two weeks as an on-the-job interview.
"I think of it more of a responsibility of what we've all [been] brought here to do, knowing that it didn't turn out the way we wanted it to turn out," Marrone said. "I think that's the most important thing going forward. I think as far as the organization, I've been through this before. My goal is the same as Dave's and [owner] Shad [Khan] and Tony's [senior vice president of football administration and technology Tony Khan]. However this may come, whoever is the best fit for this organization, we'll be behind whether we're here or not."
Marrone also made it clear he will not bench starting quarterback Blake Bortles for the final two games despite Bortles season-long struggles. After setting franchise records in passing yards (4,428) and passing touchdowns (35) in 2015, Bortles is second in the NFL in turnovers (20, including 16 interceptions) this season. He also has the most turnovers of any player (60) since he entered the league in 2014.
"I know that [GM] Dave [Caldwell] and I had conversation, and I am sticking with Blake," Marrone said. "Blake will be our starting quarterback."
