Jaguars flames Mike Mularkey

The additional Jacksonville Jaguars proprietor Shad Khan watched his group perform, the much more he recognized something:

"We required a rebuild through the ground up," Khan mentioned.

So the Jaguars fired coach Mike Mularkey on Thursday right after just 1 season, the worst in franchise historical past. The move came ten days soon after Khan fired standard manager Gene Smith.

Khan also introduced new GM David Caldwell on Thursday, and by parting approaches with Mularkey, gave him a clean slate heading into 2013.

"I've usually been a a part of a winner," mentioned Caldwell, who signed a five-year deal. "I've hardly ever been a a part of a losing crew."

Mularkey gets the eighth NFL coach fired because the common season ended. Two of these teams have due to the fact employed new coaches, with Andy Reid, who was fired through the Eagles, taking more than the Chiefs and Doug Marrone joining the Expenses.

Amongst candidates for that Jaguars coaching occupation are anticipated to get 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and Falcons special-teams coach Keith Armstrong, league sources informed ESPN.

Roman and Caldwell had been teammates and roommates inside the 1990s although attending John Carroll University.

"I believe Greg can be a heck of the coach," Caldwell stated.

The Jaguars by now have requested permission through the Rams to interview Schottenheimer, in line with a league supply. Schottenheimer interviewed to the Jaguars' career final year.

Mularkey, who went 2-14 this season, became the eighth head coach fired because the finish in the standard season. He looked like he can be 1 and completed when Khan parted techniques with Smith final week and gave Mularkey's assistants permission to look for other jobs. Despite the fact that Khan in the end employed Mularkey, Smith directed the coaching search final January that commenced and ended together with the former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator.

"I felt like we essential a fresh commence right here," Caldwell stated. "Coming in right here as being a first-time standard manager, I am in search of a co-builder of our crew. When I talked to Shad regarding a culture adjust along the football side, I felt like it had been much more of that. I felt like it had been an environment of alter. I felt like that to undertake that, you have to possess a fresh get started across the board."

Mularkey's short tenure -- he did not even final a year -- was filled with problems. His greatest one particular may perhaps are his loyalty to Smith, who assembled a roster that lacked talent on the two sides in the ball.

Mularkey in all probability caught with Smith's franchise quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, longer than he really should have. And also the coach's insistence the crew was closer than outsiders believed and his robust stance that he had the roster to turn issues close to became comical since the losses mounted. The Jaguars lost eight video games by a minimum of 16 factors, a staggering variety of lopsided losses inside a parity-filled league.

Mularkey would happen to be superior served had he explained publicly what he voiced privately: The Jaguars did not have adequate playmakers or maybe a starting-caliber quarterback.

As a substitute, he by no means conceded that Jacksonville was a rebuilding venture that essential time.

Now it is actually -- and Khan produced that clear Thursday.

"A year ago, when I came right here, the organizational judgment was we have been a rather excellent group, only a number of gamers in addition to a draft far from seriously competing for any playoff spot," Khan stated. "As the year progressed, it had been fairly evident that was not the situation, and we would need to have a fresh start off and also a rebuild from your ground up."

Mularkey signed a three-year contract on Jan. 11, 2012, acquiring a 2nd probability to become a head coach 6 many years soon after resigning using the Buffalo Expenses.

His return was shaky through the start out.

His greatest player, operating back Maurice Jones-Drew, skipped offseason workout routines too as coaching camp plus the preseason inside a contract dispute. His 1st draft select, receiver Justin Blackmon, was arrested and charged with aggravated DUI in June. And his crew was riddled with injuries, which include critical ones to linebacker Daryl Smith and Jones-Drew.

Even issues Mularkey had handle in excess of went awry.

He needed to backtrack immediately after saying Chad Henne would compete with Gabbert for that beginning occupation in March. He developed a stir by threatening to fine gamers as much as $10,000 for discussing injuries. He at first played rookie receiver Kevin Elliott above Cecil Shorts III early on. And he actually irked some gamers with difficult, padded practices late inside a lost season.

Throw during the way he handled injuries to receiver Laurent Robinson (4 concussions in advance of happening IR) and Jones-Drew (admittedly ought to have had foot surgical procedure sooner), and there have been good reasons to doubt whether or not Mularkey was reduce out to get a head coach. Dating back to his last season in Buffalo, Mularkey has lost twenty of his final 23 video games.

Caldwell and Mularkey spent 4 many years collectively in Atlanta, receiving to understand one another effectively sufficient that Caldwell did not have to have a sit down with Mularkey following he got the GM task Tuesday.

"It was difficult," Caldwell mentioned. "I possess a ton of respect for Mike. ... It is in no way simple and that is almost certainly the worst a part of the business enterprise."

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