NFL owners are, by and large, not a patient group of people. They are (mostly) billionaires, and at the very least extremely rich people, used to getting things they want. It shouldn't be surprising they don't like losing and act quickly to fix it.
The Jaguars and owner Shad Khan have been the opposite of impatient, however, allowing the current regime to cultivate a roster, create the building blocks for long-term growth and drag the Jags out of the hole that the previous regime left them in.
It would appear the time for patience is coming to an end, based on what Khan told Tom Pelissero of USA Today during a recent interview.
"I think we've suffered long enough," Khan said.
That noise you heard was Gus Bradley very enthusiastically tugging at his collar. Khan was "chuckling" when he said that line according to Pelissero, but he probably shouldn't have been.
The Jaguars are in a position where a winning season is borderline expected. After breakout seasons for Blake Bortles, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, anything short of a top-10 season from the offense would be a major disappointment.
Health is a red flag for all three of the "new" first-round defensive talents -- Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack and Dante Fowler are all considered worthy a top-five pick when operating at full speed -- but there's hype with this unit too, especially after paying up for Malik Jackson in free agency.
The expectations aren't even a surprise: GM Dave Caldwell understands the rope he's been given.
"We've been fortunate where Shad's given us four good years to build this and get this up to what we feel is a competitive NFL team," Caldwell said. "This is the first offseason where I think we're all excited going into the season of, hey, we've got a chance now. And we'll see what happens."
The hype train for Jacksonville is pretty loaded. It's easy to get out of control and forget just how tough a winning season in the NFL really is to pull off.
Don't expect anything rash from the Jags if things don't go their way -- Khan likened the NFL to the auto industry and pointed out the goal is to find sustainable success. The measured approach of the last four years probably won't change, but it's entirely possible that a losing season will mean a full-blown evaluation.
The Jaguars are building something and it's clear the blocks are there. The question is whether they can execute enough to meet the expectations. If not there are very likely some changes coming down the pipe, even if they aren't wholesale.
