Ex-Jaguars HC Gus Bradley Comments on Facing Former Team in Week 7

Gus Bradley knows the Jaguars have changed a lot since the last time he coached them -- in fact, only a handful of players remain from his tenure.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to the west coast to take on the Los Angeles Chargers this weekend, there will be a familiar face on the opposing sideline. For some, that is. 

Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley spent four years with the Jaguars as the team's head coach from 2013 until nearly the end of the 2016 season. The Jaguars found little to zero success in the Bradley era, going 14-48 in the process and never winning more than five games in a season. 

But Bradley's tenure in Jacksonville was still significant, even with the long period of losing. He was the first head coach Dave Caldwell hired, and he oversaw a team that added Blake Bortles, Jalen Ramsey, Yannick Ngakoue and others. This isn't to say Bradley had a positive reign, of course, but it is still notable the Jaguars are set to face their former coach for the third time in four years since firing him.

Last year, Bradley and the Chargers walked out of Jacksonville with a 45-10 victory. In 2017, the Jaguars got a 20-17 overtime victory over Bradley and the Chargers in Jacksonville. Now, the Jaguars are set to travel to Los Angeles to face Bradley.

But the Jaguars team that will travel to Los Angeles won't feature many people who were with the Jaguars during Bradley's final season. As it stands today, three coaches remain on the Jaguars' staff since 2016: Doug Marrone, Todd Wash and Rod Middleton. Similarly, only six players remain from that team: Abry Jones, Myles Jack, Jarrod Wilson, Brandon Linder, A.J. Cann and Tyler Shatley. 

The Jaguars do have one more connection to Bradley on the staff, however. Former Jaguars running back Denard Robinson, who was drafted by the Jaguars and Bradley in 2013, is an offensive assistant with the Jaguars in 2020.

"You know, that team has really changed so much, some of the players. I still know some of the coaches," Bradley told Los Angeles media this week when asked about Jacksonville.

"They kind of changed the roster quite a bit. But, you know, as always, you know, I've had fond memories of my time back in Jacksonville, both for me and our family and the good people there. But right now our focus is on what do we need to do to, you know, get over the hum. We've taken two playoff-type teams, New Orleans and Kansas City to overtime. We just got to learn that's not good enough. What do we need to do to get over the hump, you know, and play well against teams like that. And so this week is really about us and what we need to do, especially coming off that self-scout week."

The Bradley-Jaguars connection isn't as great as it was when the teams faced off in 2017, but it is still a prevalent one for two teams that have struggled out of the gate this season. Don't look for there to be some kind of mass reunion, of course. That is simply the nature of the NFL -- as time marches on, teams transform. 

These are no longer the Bradley era Jaguars, even if the on-field performance hasn't improved much other than in 2017.