Jaguars Finalize Coaching Staff: 5 Takeaways on Doug Pederson's Assessment of Coaches, Roster
The Jacksonville Jaguars are officially onto the offseason and reshaping last year's 3-14 team. Gone is the Urban Meyer regime and in place is Doug Pederson and his newly finalized coaching staff, which he introduced during a press conference Friday at TIAA Bank Field.
"You know, when you finally get the job, you hope that these guys are still available. You still have to -- you go through the proper channels and do your interviews and all that, and for me, things -- especially with the coordinators, I think that's the key for any head coach is have the great coordinators," Pederson said on Friday.
"That element really kind of fell in place for me with Press [Taylor], Mike [Caldwell] and Heath [Farwell], special teams coordinator.
Now, the Jaguars and Pederson have a full staff in place and are set to attack the offseason and begin to attempt to flip the script in Jacksonville. Pederson made it clear two weeks ago when he was hired that finding a top-notch staff was at the top of his checklist, and his work is now complete in that regard.
"Then after that you kind of -- especially on offense, you want to target an offensive line guy. I think that's important to have that piece, and the quarterback coach, especially in the situation that I was coming into here in Jacksonville with Trevor," Pederson said.
"Again, you're thinking about the defensive side, then you're thinking about the guys that were here, the staff members that were here and if there's a fit with one of those guys. You just start -- the pieces and the dominos start to fall, I guess. For me, it took two weeks to fill out the staff because I wanted to take my time and interview as many guys as possible for all these positions. Here we are today."
What all did we learn from Pederson when he talked about his new staff and his locker room on Friday? From new additions to old faces, we break it all down below.
Pederson makes the offensive hierarchy clear: it is him and Press Taylor at the top
For those who think that offensive coordinator Press Taylor won't play a large role in the development of the offense just because he isn't the primary play-caller, think again. Pederson made it clear on Friday that the offense will be a cohesive collaboration between the coaching staff, but that Pederson and Taylor would be the final voices and decision-makers on an offensive staff that has plenty of manpower.
"Everything will run through Press Taylor. He is the offensive coordinator. Between he and I we'll make the final decisions on everything that we do offensively," Pederson summarized on Friday when asked about the roles his assistants will play on the offense.
"Mike McCoy is the quarterback coach. He's going to coach the quarterbacks. He'll also be involved with game planning. That's one of the things I like to do in the places I've been is we like to interject everybody and their ideas, but Mike will coach the quarterbacks. Jim Bob [Cooter] as a pass game coordinator can assist the coordinator. He can assist -- it's just another way of looking at it without coaching a position, right. It's another way of breaking down defenses, help Press wherever he needs help. He can assist in the tight end room or the receiver room or wherever it might be, and then also help us with game planning."
In short, the buck stops with Pederson and Taylor. The entire staff will have their voice heard, but assistant coaches like McCoy and Cooter appear to be coaches who can communicate primarily with Taylor, who will be Pederson's direct line of communication on game days. If Pederson is the king of the offense, it is clear Taylor is his first knight.
An assistant head coach will be named and will be an in-house selection
One title that wasn't found on the Jaguars' staff announcement on Thursday was that of assistant/associate head coach. This is a role that is often seen as the head coach's No. 2 and immediate replacement in any event of a coach being unable to be on the sidelines. Last year, that coach was Charlie Strong. As of today, though, the Jaguars don't have the role filled. Don't expect that to remain the case, however.
"Yes, now that I've got the staff in place, it's something now as I begin to kind of look around the staff, I'm not going to hire another guy as far as that goes, but I will name an assistant head coach pretty quickly here as we go," Pederson said. "Now that we've got everybody in place, it really gives me time to get a feel for the guys and the direction I want to go with that position."
With the Jaguars looking for an in-house option as assistant head coach, I think the most obvious candidate is Mike McCoy. McCoy is the only other coach on staff with NFL head coach experience and it doesn't appear that putting those added duties on his plate would interfere much with his day-to-day role as quarterbacks coach.
Jaguars, Pederson see immense value in adding extra coaches as passing/running game coordinators
One of the most interesting names Pederson hired to his first Jaguars staff is former Detroit Lions quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, the team's new passing game coordinator. And while Cooter won't call plays on offense or even have a direct line to Pederson in terms of the offensive structure on game day, it is clear the Jaguars and Pederson see a lot of value in having an extra pair of eyes and ears like Cooter's on the sidelines.
"I just think, too, there's a lot of -- with the technology and the data and the availability of information that's out there, it's again, another set of eyes to help us when we put game plans together," Pederson said. "It helps us break down all the data, all the information that we're getting from Exos or PFF or whatever it might be on our players, on our opponents. Some of it's analytical obviously."
"Having those guys in place to -- because as a head coach you've got a lot of responsibilities doing other things. You're diving into the defense, you're diving into special teams, you're in a meeting over here, I'm talking with Trent or whatever it might be, so having that extra guy, offense, defense, really benefits the coordinator, but it can really help me, as well."
Cooter isn't the only passing game coordinator on staff, either, with Deshea Townsend serving as the defensive passing game coordinator in addition to his cornerbacks coach role. It is a forward-thinking strategy many NFL teams today are using on both sides of the ball to get the best voices included in every conversation, and it became more clear today what each role will exactly entail.
Pederson has a vision for the defense that isn't reliant on scheme
With Pederson having his own fingerprints all over the offense, it was clear from the very start that arguably his most important hire would be his defensive coordinator. And in former teammate and Tampa Bay inside linebackers coach Mike Caldwell, Pederson sees a coordinator who can help bring his vision of what the defense should look like to life.
"He's kind of been with Todd Bowles, and we know Todd was a head coach, tremendous coordinator in this league, the things that Mike has always kind of been in the linebacker room, and the structure of defense that we play and the majority of the guys in the NFL play, it fits what we do," Pederson said.
"It's an aggressive mindset, and those are the conversations that Mike and I have had is we want to maintain the aggressiveness, we want to be able to put our players in position to make plays. Moving a Josh Allen around, moving a Chaisson, moving these guys around, moving safeties around, other backers. Really presenting a picture to the offense where maybe you don't know where the blitz is coming from. You kind of watch what Tampa Bay did this year and the success they had on defense."
In short, Pederson looks to have a defense similar to last year's scheme in terms of structure. While it is too early to really label the scheme a 3-4, 4-3 or anything else in between, it isn't too early to say the Jaguars and Pederson have an aggressive vision for what they want the defense to look like under Caldwell.
Pederson wants to be a part of the EVP search
One big aspect of the Jaguars' offseason is a changing front office. The front office to this point has only had a departure (senior personnel executive Tom Gamble left for Michigan) as no additions have been made. But the general consensus is that sooner than later, the Jaguars' front office will grow in size after owner Shad Khan detailed the plan to add to the staff and even hire an executive vice president.
To this point, there has been little movement in terms of public information on the Jaguars' front office front. But that doesn't mean that it isn't an important process facing the team, and it is a process that on Friday Pederson made clear that he would want to be involved with the ultimate decision-making.
"Yeah, and quite frankly I think those questions can really go to [owner Shad Khan] at this time, but I do want to be a part of that process," Pederson said.
