Khan won't act 'helter-skelter' when deciding Meyer's fate
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) â Donât expect Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan to be impulsive when deciding coach Urban Meyerâs fate.
Khan made it clear Monday he values making informed decisions over âjust acting helter-skelter on emotion.â He pointed out giving former coaches Gus Bradley and Doug Marrone four years apiece to see what they could build in Jacksonville.
âI think we have a history of looking at the facts and doing the right thing,â Khan said. âWins and losses, this is a little bit different. Iâm going to reflect on all of that and do whatâs the right thing for the team and the right thing for the city.â
Khan held a series of meetings the day after Jacksonvilleâs fifth consecutive loss, a 20-0 drubbing at Tennessee that showed just how far the Jaguars (2-11) have regressed on offense. Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw four interceptions in a game for the first time in his life, and Jacksonville finished with fewer than 200 yards for the second straight week.
It was the first time Jacksonville had been shut out in Khanâs decade of ownership.
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Khan met with players, coaches and members of the teamâs business department at TIAA Bank Field before hosting nearly 20 media members on his superyacht docked in downtown Jacksonville on the St. Johns River. The sessions were planned long before Jacksonvilleâs latest loss and part of the 10-year anniversary of Khan buying the NFL franchise.
It was impossible for Khan, however, to avoid addressing everything surrounding Meyer and the team this week and this season. NFL Network reported Saturday that the Jags are dealing with internal strife stemming from how Meyer treats his assistants. The report cited unnamed sources and detailed a heated argument between Meyer and receiver Marvin Jones that Meyer denied ever happening.
It was the latest issue for Meyer, whose first NFL season has been filled with embarrassments and head-scratching decisions.
âWhat concerns me is obviously wins and losses,â Khan said. âBut, hey, weâre sitting here, we havenât had a lot of wins. Whatâs different about this thing is you have losses and you have drama. In the past, it was like, you were, âItâs like the lowly Jaguarsâ and everyone left you alone. Now, the scrutiny we have is really something different.
âSo how much of that is weâre bringing it upon ourselves or how much of that is deserved? In this case, Urban, he won wherever he was. This is something heâs never dealt with. And when you win in football, you create enemies. The only way you can really deal with that is you got to win again. I wish there was a panacea.â
Khan called the season frustrating and expressed hope for the future because Lawrence âis even better than advertised.â
âI think heâs vital,â Khan said. âLook at how heâs handled the last week, and I think itâs exemplary. I have nothing but the utmost respect. And Iâve got to tell you one thing he told me the very first time I met him: âIf you pick me, Iâm going to retire as a Jaguar.â I hate to say it, (but) nobodyâs ever said that to me.â
Lawrence accepted blame for the teamâs offensive issues at Tennessee and told Meyer that running back James Robinson needed to be on the field more after Robinson was benched in consecutive weeks following fumbles.
Khan said he expected more in Meyerâs first season. He called Lawrence a âgenerational talent,â mentioned having five of the first 65 picks in the NFL draft (only Lawrence and second-round pick Tyson Campbell are contributing) and signed a number of free agents.
Khan said a four-year build was âabsolutely a trap I donât believe falling in.â
âThe plan is you need to start winning now and tell me what you need and thatâs what weâre going to do,â he said. âI feel we have a roster that is far better than winning two games.â
But thatâs what the Jaguars have through 13 games. It is, however, double their win total from last season.
âIâm not impulsive,â he said. âI learned that a long time ago with anything thatâs this important you donât want to be impulsive. You want to look at exactly what I know first-hand, what people are telling me and then collect that and do the right thing.â
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