Rage for revenge.
Ex-Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley faces his former team Sunday when the Los Angeles Chargers visit Jacksonville.
Bradley spent four seasons swimming in losses in Duval, posting a woeful 14-48 record. In the first year without Bradley, the Jags are 5-3, tied atop the AFC South, and own one of the most smothering defenses in the NFL.
Now the defensive coordinator in L.A., surely Bradley is jealous of the defensive upgrades current Jags coach Doug Marrone was given. Surely Bradley wants to exact revenge against his former franchise, right?
"No," he stated matter-of-factly when asked by the Chargers' official website if he viewed Sunday as a revenge game. "I'm more focused on us and what we have to do."
Revenge might be a dish best served cold, but, come on, give us at least a little heat, Gus.
While the Jags are enjoying a renaissance, Bradly works for a team that opened the season with four losses (putting Bradley's personal streak at nine straight defeats at the time), and sits at 3-5 at the halfway mark -- coincidentally (or perhaps not) the exact inverse of Jacksonville's record.
Bradley predictably said he's ecstatic to see his former players find success this season.
"To me, you're happy for them," he said. "You can't not care for players that you were with for so many years. To see them do well and play at a high level, and some of them get rewarded because of it, I think that's cool. I'm all for that. ... I think in the NFL there's a lot of really good people. [That's] what I've learned from the years I've been in it. Just really good people, and people that all want the same thing -- at least where I've been -- and Jacksonville was just another place that had a lot of really good people."
Stop being so logical and calm, Gus. We need #Fire! We need you to say 'screw them, they hung me out to dry all those years, then do this!?!'
Dang Bradley and his constantly sunny disposition.
Sunday, Bradley will take Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram to Jacksonville in an attempt to batter Blake Bortles, the man who helped escalate his Jags demise. Perhaps if the Chargers pull off the road win, we'll get a flamethrower quote from Bradley (highly, highly, highly doubtful).