JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Sitting on the team bus on the way to the airport, several Jaguars players scrolled through their phones to kill some time on Sunday evening.
The team had just lost to the Houston Texans after giving up a 12-point second half lead. Likely searching for any criticism or praise for their individual performances, players noticed several tweets and posts regarding their now-former head coach, Gus Bradley.
“It was shocking,” guard A.J. Cann said. “Coming into the locker room, everybody is upset because of what happened in the game - we lost – and all of a sudden to hear that was – it hurt. Gus is an unbelievable person [and] coach, who was always high in spirit. It was hard.”
Without any forewarning, the players learned that their boss was fired. Several players haven't even spoken with Bradley since the firing.
“It sucks because that was the guy I really wanted to come here and play for and that’s the reason why I wanted to come here,” defensive end Dante Fowler said. “Things change and you’ve just got to adapt and just hope for the best. He’s a great person, that’s what really mess with me. He’s a great guy. I’m a person that comes from the heart and if you care for me, I care for you a lot.“
The players didn't get to reflect on their ninth-straight loss. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey had the best game of his rookie season against the Texans, but was frustrated by the outcome and surprised by the timing of Bradley's firing.
"To be honest – don’t get me wrong, I was super happy with my performance – but at the end of the day I’m a winner so I was still mad after the game,” cornerback Jalen Ramsey said. “I was mad that we didn’t win the game cause honestly I felt like we should have won. But then, yeah, you get some news and it just is what it is. It just changes your whole mindset. You just think about a bunch of things.”
After a 14-48 stint, Bradley's eventual firing seemed to be a foregone conclusion. His former players seemed to be more upset about losing his presence as a person than as a coach.
“That’s one thing about Gus, he really felt like he put everything into this team and I think he has no regrets,” defensive end Chris Smith said. “It wasn’t just a football thing with Gus. Just outside of football, he is such a great person. He helped me grow as a man since I’ve been in the league. It’s a sad thing to happen but it’s part of our business.”
Offensive line/assistant head coach Doug Marrone was named as Bradley's replacement on Monday. The interim head coach has been with the organization for two years, so he has an established reputation with the locker room.
“I like Coach Marrone and his style of coaching and the way he coaches,” Fowler said. “He’s kind of a hard-nosed, physical football coach and I’m a physical, hard-nosed football player. It’s perfect.”
Marrone's offensive linemen seem to admire his "no nonsense" style, which is a major change from Bradley's "believe in victory" approach.
“I think Coach Doug will do a good job taking over,” Cann said. “He’s a coach that wants his guys to work hard and he’s very straight forward. That’s what a lot of guys – I feel like a lot of guys – will like that.”
The Jaguars still have two games remaining on their schedule. The first will be a Saturday matchup against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Field, a place where the team hasn't won in over a year.
The players know that if they don't pick up a win or improve down the stretch, many of them could join Bradley on the unemployment line.
“That would be embarrassing because we know the caliber of this team and how good this team is,” Fowler said. “Also, we want to give the fans what they want to see, but that’s why we’re practicing really hard and not changing anything up and we’re going to go out there and play hard. We kind of got embarrassed by [the Titans] on national TV, so we’re coming out here with a vengeance and we’re going to be ready to play.”
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter at @Mike_E_Kaye.
