Shad Khan loses his 100th game as Jaguars fall to Steelers
todayNovember 22, 2020
By: Hays Carlyon
Jaguars owner Shad Khan has run the franchise for 141 games, counting the playoffs.
He’s now lost 100 of them.
Khan joined a dubious list becoming the second-fastest owner to his 100th loss on Sunday as the Jaguars fell to Pittsburgh 27-3 at TIAA Bank Field.
This loss combined the numbingly expected blend of embarrassment, ineptitude and boring football – staples of the on-field product Khan has consistently produced for his customers outside of a trip to the AFC Championship Game in the 2017 season.
Khan is 59 games under .500. New England owner Robert Kraft (328-145) would have to lose every game for the next 15 seasons to fall that far under .500.
There were extra factors that made this loss, this “milestone,” particularly humbling.
The Steelers owned the place.
This isn’t an insult to Jaguars fans. Those of you who bought season tickets have every right to sell the Steelers game to recoup some of the money you spent on another lousy team. This is an insult to Khan. The crowd should be a wake-up call for him. Of the 17,244 announced in attendance, at least 12,000 of them were pulling for Pittsburgh.
The crowd was symbolic of how Khan has eroded all public confidence the fans have in him by showing an out-of-touch patience with general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone. Especially Caldwell, who is now 39-86 with the Jaguars, an inexcusable record to justify continued employment.
Marrone is 9-29 in his last 38 games.
The die-hard fans that did show up to support the Jaguars were treated to a stink bomb.
The loss extended a brutal stretch
The Jaguars lost their ninth consecutive game. They also locked in their eighth losing season under Khan in his nine years as owner. When the Jaguars lose again this season, the franchise will have lost double-digit games for the eighth time under Khan.
A standout got hurt
The Jaguars don’t have many quality pieces on the roster, but defensive end Josh Allen is one of them. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie last season. Allen suffered a knee injury in the third quarter. He couldn’t put weight on his left leg as he was helped into the locker room. This was easily the most disheartening development of the game since Allen might be limited to start the 2021 season if the injury is significant.
The offense was grotesque
Rookie quarterback Jake Luton threw four interceptions. The Jaguars didn’t find the end zone. Luton guided the offense to 206 yards, averaging a pathetic 3.7 yards a play.
Luton completed 16 of 37 passes for 151 yards for a passer rating of 15.5.
There will be a debate this week about which quarterback the Jaguars should start Sunday when Cleveland visits on Sunday. The real problem is that both Luton and Minshew aren’t the answer. Minshew has never looked as lost as Luton did Sunday, so he could be back in the lineup.
Nothing in the final six games will change the fact that the Jaguars will select a quarterback with their first pick in April’s draft.
No small victories
There was little to feel good about from this loss. The defense battled hard early before finally giving out as the offense offered no help. Safety Daniel Thomas intercepted Steelers star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but later broke his arm. Marrone said he would be going on injured reserve.
Where do we go from here?
I’ll continue to write this until I see Khan make changes.
A fresh start will bring fans back. If Khan hires a new general manager and coach and launches a new vision for Jaguars football fans will have a renewed interest.
There are great things about Khan as an owner. He spends on players. He doesn’t micromanage football decisions. Don’t underestimate how magnificent those qualities are in an owner.
However, he’s placed his trust in this current administration for too long. He’s paid Caldwell and Marrone a bunch of money and hasn’t seen that investment pay off except in one season.
Khan wants to hire the right people and leave the Jaguars operation alone. That’s great. But he doesn’t have the right people now.
The right people are out there. I would hire Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who was instrumental in LSU winning the national championship last season, as coach. I would hire Kansas City’s director of player personnel Mike Borgonzi to be the general manager.
But there are several combinations that would be sensible, exciting hires.
Khan just needs to find one.
As long as he sticks with Caldwell and Marrone, he’ll be viewed by Jaguars fans as a disconnected billionaire with 100 Ls.
(You can email Hays at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @HaysCarlyon)
By: Hays Carlyon The Jaguars won the street fight. They out hit the Packers. However, Green Bay outscored the Jaguars 24-20 on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Both of those developments were positive for the Jaguars, losers of their last eight games. It pains me to write this, but for the final seven games losing is a good thing for the Jaguars (1-8). The Jaguars might actually get turned around if they can draft Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State […]