On Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars fell to 0-4 on the year after failing to the Houston Texans. And after the game, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson tried his very best to absolve himself and his coaching staff from the majority of the blame.
After the game, reporters asked Pederson whether he has considered taking play-calling duties from Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor given the team’s winless start to the season.
Pederson made it a point to say that he believed Taylor called “a great game”, adding that neither he nor the rest of the coaching staff can “go out there and make plays” on the field.
“For what?” said Pederson about the possibility of taking Taylor’s play-calling duties, transcribed by Pro Football Talk. “I thought he called a great game. As coaches, we can’t go out there and make the plays. It’s a two-way street. So, you know, you guys can sit here and point the finger all you want. That’s fine. Point it right at me. I can take it, OK? I can take it. So whatever you wanna ask me, say, whatever, write, go ahead.”
This is a pretty clear attempt from Pederson to shift to focus of the team’s struggles away from the coaches. And while the players obviously do deserve plenty of blame, the entire organization is responsible for where they are at.
On paper, it seems like Pederson will shortly be on the hot seat if he isn’t already in Jacksonville. And this comment about the players certainly won’t gain much favor amongst the players as the team looks to turn things around in Week 5.