Myles Jack knows his Jaguars haven't won many games.
He maintains his team is not tanking for a top quarterback in the upcoming draft -- even if folks around town won't stop talking to him about it.
"I deleted my Instagram and Twitter, but you can't run away from it, even at the gas station fans talk about Trevor Lawrence," Jack said Thursday, via team reporter Ashlyn Sullivan. "We're fighting for a job, the NFL does not pay losers ... we're not going out there tanking."
This is the common chorus from those who find themselves mired in forgettable campaigns, during which the fanbase shifts from focusing on the upcoming Sunday to the spring, when the NFL Scouting Combine, pro days and mock drafts reign supreme. After all, what's there to look forward to if the playoffs aren't a possibility? Renewed optimism in the form of the league's annual injection of new talent, of course.
There might also be a coaching change to look toward. For the third straight season, Doug Marrone's Jaguars will finish well below .500, and they've never looked less competitive, at least statistically. Marrone's Jaguars own a negative-122 point differential through 13 games, have lost 12 straight and don't seem to have any solutions in front of them. General manager Dave Caldwell was already fired earlier this season and Marrone very well could be the next one to go.
"I have a lot of love for Doug -- it's been a rough year for him," Jack said. "I will always ride with Coach Marrone. He has always had my back, even when I have been wrong. He is someone you want in your corner."
Marrone has had the support and subscription of his players since he became head coach, even while internal turmoil saw the abrupt firing of executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin around this time last season. His players have traditionally given their maximum effort, finishing strong at the end of an otherwise lost 2019 campaign that served as enough proof to retain Marrone for 2020.
But it seems as if the third straight losing season might be the final straw for owner Shad Khan, who is already tasked with finding a new GM. In the results-driven NFL, it's only logical to make a change at head coach -- even if players don't like it.
Marrone is safe through the end of the season, which only includes three more games. A month from now -- and six months from now, especially -- these Jaguars could look very different.
