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    • At 1-5, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Doug Pederson, others could soon be unemployed
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    At 1-5, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Doug Pederson, others could soon be unemployed

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    There’s no sugar-coating the fact that the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the edge of a cliff, teetering on an impending death march to the 2024 season.

    At 1-5, with confidence and little sign of a legitimate fight, nothing short of a Lazarus-like resurrection from the ashes can save this debacle.

    The situation is so alarming that almost everyone outside these core players – Trevor Lawrence, Travon Walker, Josh Hines-Allen, Anton Harrison, Maason Smith, Tyson Campbell, Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, Logan Cooke, Cam Little And Brian Thomas Jr. – should now be wondering about their future in Jacksonville.

    Clearly, the highest job security warning should be reserved for the head coach Doug Pedersonoffensive coordinator Press Taylor and defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsenas well as general manager Trent Baalke.

    Sunday’s game against the 1-5 New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium feels like a possible final call to turn things around for them and many Jaguars employees.

    It is by no means a guarantee for the owner Shad Khan would give Pederson a pink-slip on Monday, or force his third-year head coach to make changes, if they lose to the Patriots and another rookie quarterback in Drake Maye.

    But as the losses pile up and there is no sign of improvement on the horizon, Khan will find it excruciatingly difficult to wait and not take action.

    Khan painted himself into that corner with his “win now” declaration this offseason, so his patience with what Pederson strongly suggested Monday: a losing culture should be running out.

    Feeling warm, warm, warm: Jacksonville Jaguars’ Andre Cisco using Q-word puts Doug Pederson in hotter seat | Frenette

    The identity of Jaguars is that they have no fire

    Cracks clearly appeared in the Jaguars’ fortress after Sunday’s 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears.

    Between safety Andre Cisco‘s “many stops” comment to Action Sports Jax and Lawrence admonishing the team from the podium for being too “vulnerable” when adversity strikes, the question now becomes: How will the Jaguars respond to these cage-rattling judgments?

    If they respond positively, it should manifest itself by taking care of business against the Patriots, a surprising 5.5-point underdog despite the Jaguars’ fierce showing against the Bears.

    The big concern if you’re Khan is that the Jaguars haven’t given any indication that they’ll shake anything up. Not only when it comes to taking away a starter’s job, but also because the Jaguars really show in-game fire whenever something goes wrong.

    Seriously, the identity of the team right now is that it has nothing except it lacks the passion to shake itself out of a colossal funk.

    No one — not Pederson, his coordinators, Lawrence or anyone else in the locker room — seems to have a viable answer to how to fix the Jaguars.

    The Jaguars’ leadership, like their football team, is in shambles. A losing culture cannot be wished away. Coaches and players must take the initiative to change this.

    How long will Khan wait before performing?

    Khan is certainly not ignoring this malaise, but the owner has not indicated when he might feel compelled to take a stand. That is, something beyond giving Pederson and Baalke a vote of confidence that seems only superficial as the losses mount.

    The current ceiling for this team appears to be no higher than 6-11, and that could be a tall order given what it has put on tape and the remaining schedule.

    The Jaguars are undeniably a talented and deeply flawed football team. Something is wrong, and it’s up to Pederson more than anyone to come up with a solution to change the course of this season.

    But if Jacksonville loses to the Patriots and maintains the NFL’s worst record, then Khan owes it to the Jaguars’ fan base to start the process of hitting a reset button. Possibly with an official pink slip, or at least a public reprimand indicating that he is unlikely to wait for Black Monday on January 6 to act.

    The Jaguars are undeniably the most disappointing team in the NFL. If they can’t do something immediately to change course, the owner would have the right to bring the hammer down on the people he hired to win now.

    ‘SOME SWAG’: Jacksonville Jaguars players show off style with custom cleats on game day

    Khan sees that there is no bigger underperforming team in the NFL right now than Jacksonville. That predicament will only worsen if we lose to a New England team led by a rookie head coach. Jerod Mayoand a rookie QB making his second start.

    If the Jaguars can’t find it in their hearts to fix this mess, a lot of people will soon be rightfully unemployed.

    World Series Trivia

    Which manager has won the most World Series titles without losing in Major League Baseball history? Answer below.

    Disappearance act by Ridley

    Whatever misgivings the Jaguars had about losing their top receiver in March Calvin Ridley for their AFC South foe Tennessee Titans, all regrets are gone.

    Part of that is certainly the Titans quarterback’s struggles Will Levisbut Ridley, 29, has just two catches for 14 yards in the past three games, easily the worst stretch of his career.

    Despite being targeted eight times in last week’s 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, he had no receptions, an astonishing statistic.

    For a receiver, Tennessee handed over a four-year, $92 million contract ($50 million guaranteed), with nine catches for 141 yards in five games, Tennessee doesn’t provide much bang for the buck. Drafting Thomas with the No. 17 overall pick and losing Ridley was one of the few offseason trades that worked out for Baalke.

    Mertz a bright spot for Gators

    For Graham Mertz When things were looking up for the Florida football team in 2023, former Gators quarterback Shane Matthews insisted while watching 2023 spring training that the transfer from Wisconsin would be a better QB than many of his critics suggested.

    UF fans didn’t really do cartwheels back then Billy Napier brought Mertz on board, but the truth is he has been one of the biggest bright spots for a struggling program.

    So when Mertz suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury in his left knee during a 23-17 overtime loss to Tennessee last Saturday, it felt like the cruelest form of injustice.

    While Florida may have only had a 7-9 record in his starts, Mertz’s production was not lacking. He completed 333 of 452 passes (73.7 percent) for 3,694 yards, with 26 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. If UF’s defense had performed at all, Napier’s job wouldn’t be in jeopardy.

    Mertz also handled the duties of the rising star quarterback DJ Laway in the most stylish way possible.

    This is what Laway’s father, Derek Laway Sr.posted in a message to Mertz on You have been a great leader and a blessing to him! Thank you for guiding my son and supporting him! We have nothing but love for you and your family!”

    While Mertz’s career at Florida may have ended with a devastating injury, his impact on the Gators will not soon be forgotten. A tip of the hat to a quarterback who did things the right way.

    Johnson keeps the Lions offense humming

    With the Detroit Lions leading the NFL in scoring at a robust 30.2 points per game, it’s no surprise that the 38-year-old coordinator Ben Johnson remains a fan favorite of any team that thinks there will be a head coach on the market in 2025.

    It’s been a meteoric rise for Johnson, a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina who never took a college snap, since starting as the Lions’ quality control coach under former head coach in 2019 Matt Patricia.

    Johnson has been promoted three times and has made a big name for himself as offensive coordinator in 2022 as Detroit’s offense jumped from 19.1 points per game last year to 26.7. The Jaguars got an up-close look at the Lions’ potential in Pederson’s first season with the Jaguars when the Lions routed them 40-14 at Ford Field, led by Jared Goff throwing for 337 yards.

    Many thought Johnson would get a head coaching job last season, but he opted to stay with the Lions. His success makes it almost seem predestined that someone will hire Johnson after this season. You can bet a lot of Jaguars fans will be rooting for him the way this current season is going.

    Fast hitting nugget

    Illinois receiver Pat Bryantan Atlantic Coast High product, is having a productive senior season with 27 catches for 452 yards and seven touchdowns in six games. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound wideout projects as a late-round pick or preferred free agent for the 2025 draft, according to Dane Bruglerdraft analyst for The Athletic. …

    World Series Trivia

    Current Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has won four World Series championships, three with the San Francisco Giants (2010, ’12 and ’14) and one with the Rangers (2023), without ever losing.

    Pigskin prediction

    Jaguars over New England Patriots by 4 (pink-slip delays); Green Bay Packers over Houston Texans by 3 (Love-lights); Indianapolis Colts over Miami Dolphins by 3 (quarterback dilemmas); Buffalo Bills over Tennessee Titans by 10 (remedies for disappointment); San Francisco 49ers over Kansas City Chiefs by 1 (cold dish of revenge); Florida over Kentucky by 3 (QB sneak tutorials); Louisville over Miami by 1 (Clemson thank you note).

    Last week: 4 good, 3 Nick Sirianni PR tips.

    [email protected]: (9040 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette.

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