JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars barely missed
the playoffs, a fitting end to a season filled with close calls.
The Jaguars (9-7) had 13 games decided in the final two minutes.
They won eight, lost five and finished one victory shy of returning
to the postseason for the first time since 1999.
It was a four-win improvement from coach Jack Del Rio's first
season, and it gave the players plenty of confidence heading into
the offseason.
"Even though we didn't quite make it to where we wanted to go,
it's a start," running back Fred Taylor said. "You've got to
start somewhere. You've got to find something positive in a winning
season. You don't want to settle for being mediocre, but because of
what I've been through the last four years as far as losing, I'll
take 9-7.
"It's a step in the right direction."
The Jaguars expect to be even better next season. Safety Donovin
Darius is the team's main free agent, and Jacksonville will have
plenty of room under the salary cap to upgrade at defensive end,
offensive line and cornerback.
But the most significant changes might have already happened.
Del Rio fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bill
Musgrave on Tuesday after the Jaguars finished last in the AFC and
29th in the league in scoring. He also fired linebackers coach Mike
Haluchak and announced he would not renew the contract of assistant
head coach Steve Shafer.
Musgrave was heavily criticized for not getting the most out of
an offense that featured running back Fred Taylor, receiver Jimmy
Smith and emerging quarterback Byron Leftwich.
"It's too hard to be successful in this league scoring as
little points as we did," Leftwich said.
The Jaguars struggled all season in the red zone, on third down
and in short-yardage situations. Del Rio never publicly ripped
Musgrave, but he never gave him a vote of confidence either.
Musgrave may have had cause for the problems.
Left tackle Mike Pearson started the first four games before
injuring his knee and missing the rest of the season. Taylor nursed
a broken foot bone early in the year and missed the last two games
with a strained knee ligament.
Leftwich also was injured. He hurt his knee against Houston on
Oct. 31, missed two games and wasn't the same after his return.
He averaged 270 yards a game and completed 64.8 percent of his
passes in the first seven games before the injury. Those numbers
dropped to 175 yards a game and 53.6 percent after returning for
the final six games.
"I really believe that coming back from his injury that his
footwork was never quite as crisp, quite as sharp," Del Rio said.
"The mechanics were just not quite as tight as they were early in
the year."
Nonetheless, the Jaguars had a shot at making the playoffs in
the final week and opening the postseason at Indianapolis. They
needed to beat Oakland and have Buffalo and Denver lose to get in.
The Bills lost to Pittsburgh and the Jags held on the defeat the
Raiders. But the Broncos beat the Colts, who rested their starters.
"No team wanted to see us in the playoffs, especially not the
Colts," said linebacker Mike Peterson, whose team was the only one
to win at Indy this season. "They didn't want to see us again.
They remember what happened the last time we played up there, and
that was in the back of their minds."
The Jags will remember the season for all the close calls.
It started with consecutive victories against Buffalo, Denver
and Tennessee in the waning seconds, earning Jacksonville the
nickname "Cardiac Cats."
They lived up to it, too.
Buoyed by a stingy defense that finished seventh in points
allowed, the Jags gave themselves a chance to win nearly every
game. And they won the majority of them.
"From last year to where we are now, it's a big jump,"
Peterson said. "And everybody in this locker room is looking for
another big jump next year."
Del Rio got credit for the turnaround, and LSU took notice after
coach Nick Saban agreed to take the head coaching job with the
Miami Dolphins. Del Rio agreed to meet with LSU officials Friday,
but reportedly canceled the interview when he realized his agent,
Gary O'Hagan, had not spoken to team owner Wayne Weaver before
setting up the interview.
Del Rio said he wanted Weaver in the loop as a courtesy.
LSU officials, apparently upset by Del Rio's cancellation, hired
Oklahoma State's Les Miles.
"It was flattering to hear some of the things regarding an
opportunity with LSU. But in the end, I am firm in my commitment to
help Wayne build a championship team here in Jacksonville," Del
Rio said. "I believe that we are well on our way in that effort. I
believe that we've established some things, a foundation that we
can build around."