Fred Taylor built up rock-solid credibility with Jaguars fans during his 11 seasons as the star in Jacksonville, and he's asking that group to trust him on this one.
According to the retired running back, the offseason ahead -- fueled by an ownership change -- provides the Jaguars with the chance to hire a big-name coach who knows a little something about winning in the AFC South: Jeff Fisher.
"His track record speaks for itself," Taylor told The Florida Times-Union this week. "You start talking about Bill Cowher and those guys, they're pretty content behind the broadcast -- the analyst's desk -- or whatever."
A nice (if not obvious) brainstorm, but how would this sit with Jaguars fans who had their hearts ripped out by Fisher time and again during the coach's celebrated run with the Oilers/Titans from 1994 to 2010? Fisher once described Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium (now EverBank Field) as Tennessee's home away from home.
Fisher never was more comfortable on that field than in 1999, when his Titans dropped the Jaguars at Alltel during the regular season, then again in the AFC Championship Game to reach the franchise's one and only Super Bowl.
But Taylor is convinced it's long overdue for the Jaguars to excise the past, bury the hatchet and hire the best man for the job.
"He's going to be super motivated to go and kick Tennessee's (expletive) each time they play," Taylor said. "He's a good coach. I think they throw out the whole rivalry thing and look at the standpoint of this guy's been successful. It's only twice a year he has to play his old team."
