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The Jaguars are a terrible football team and one of the biggest disappointments of the 2018 season. And now, 10 months after playing the Patriots in the CFA Championship game, and one day after losing to the Bills, the team fired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
"We would like to thank Nathaniel Hackett for his hard work and dedication to the Jaguars organization and we wish him the best of progress in the future," said coach Doug Marrone in a statement. "These are still tough decisions, but as a head coach, I have to do what I think is best for this football team."
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Hackett arrived in Jacksonville with Marrone in 2015 and he was promoted offensive coordinator in 2016. The Jaguar's best offensive came in last season, placing 16th (15th in passing, 12th in the race), according to Football Outsiders Measures. But the replacement level was as good as this group would be; in 2016, they placed 27th (23rd in the race, 28th in the race) and, through 11 games this season, they were 28th (28th in the race, 24th in the race).
It is unfair to blame Hackett for the poor performance of Jaguars. he was stuck with Blake Bortles, who was awarded a $ 54 million three-year extension last season. Running back Leonard Fournette, fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, has missed six games this season due to a thigh injury, and he was ejected from the defeat on Sunday against a player of the season. Bills. And then there is the offensive line, decimated by the wounds. Whether it's fair or not, Hackett is blamed for this mess.
Warren Sharp makes a compelling case why Hackett deserves criticism. Meanwhile, Hackett said Ian Rapoport of NFL.com Shortly after his dismissal, he thought he had met Marrone to discuss Bortles' benching.
"It was nothing negative," said Hackett. "(Marrone) just decided to act.I guess he did not think that I was good enough, that 's the only thing I can think of .. C & # 39; is a shock. "
In January, as the Jaguars progressed in the AFC with playoff victories over the Bills and Steelers, Hackett acknowledged that Bortles, the choice of the first round of 2014, remained a work in progress.
"We had ups and downs, we had good statistics, bad statistics, good wins, very bad defeats," said Hackett at the time. "It's one of those things, it's great and I'm really lucky to coach it."
This chance is exhausted. This season, Hackett seemed afraid to trust Bortles with a little more power to put the ball back. He made just 18 assists in the disastrous 11th-week loss to the Steelers in Jacksonville – in a game they were leading 16-0 – and Bortles earned 12 of 23 points for 127 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions on Sunday against the Bills.
And although we're not surprised, Marrone felt compelled to do something – The Jags have now lost eight games in a row – here's the thing: Bortles is still in Jacksonville. After a dead season during which the organization was not interested in Case Keenum, Kirk Cousins and Teddy Bridgewater, the quarterback position is on the verge of a major crisis. Overstated earlier this season for Cody Kessler, Bortles reportedly reached a salary cap of $ 21 million in 2019 and would count $ 16.5 million in dead funds when he was released, according to Spotrac.
As it stands, the Jaguars will be among the top 10 draft picks in the 2019 NFL and should seriously consider finding their next franchise quarterback, even if it means eating Bortles' salary. In case you're wondering, in our last draft, Jacksonville was taking Oregon's quarterback, Justin Herbert.
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