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Gus Bradley thought he possibly had Eagles job

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley has a defensive background, but he doesn't necessarily want just a defensive-minded team.

"I don't want all games to be 10-7," Bradley said Friday during his introductory news conference. "We need to be explosive."

The Jaguars have been anything but explosive in recent years and have major questions at quarterback. So Bradley's coordinator hire will be crucial. Bradley says the team will take the time to find the right guy, and the Jaguars don't necessarily need to hire an offensive coordinator with previous experience.

It's been a whirlwind week for Bradley. The Seattle Seahawks lost on Sunday, and he was in Philadelphia on Tuesday for an interview. He was planning to leave the city that night, but the Eagles told him to stay in town overnight. At that point, Bradley thought he might have had the Eagles job locked up.

"There was a thought it could be a possibility," Bradley said.

Instead, Chip Kelly got the Eagles job. Bradley landed with the Jaguars and hardly seems disappointed. Here's what else we learned from his press conference:

  1. Bradley's energy and positivity comes through naturally. He's certainly in the mold of Pete Carroll.

"I have great passion and great excitement. I'm trying to hold it back a little right now," Bradley said.

  1. Even though Bradley talked about an "explosive" offense, he emphasized establishing the run as the foundation of his offense, whether that was through the running back or quarterback. 
  1. Bradley wouldn't commit to a 3-4 or 4-3 defense, but it sounded like he planned to use both approaches either way.
  1. General manager David Caldwell and San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman are close friends. Caldwell indicated that the timetable of hiring a coach, with Roman still in the playoffs, was a "little bit" of a factor.

But Caldwell said he knew right away after meeting Bradley that the Jaguars had their man.

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.

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