Pro Say: Check In Next Season

It has become a common theme of mine in these Pro Say columns to criticize small market teams. Undeniably, my fruitless lifelong dedication to the Portland Trail Blazers, about whom I have not held back, leads me to take out my aggression on other franchises as well (sorry Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Nationals, Tennessee Titans, and Minnesota Vikings). Perhaps some more positive columns are in order. Maybe today will be different. Except…

The Jacksonville Jaguars happened to release their starting quarterback less than one week before the start of the regular season today. I guess those positive vibes will have to wait until next week.

I have been more than clear that I believe successful franchises are built organically, both by drafting talented players and developing them, and by hiring competent coaches and giving them ample time to implement their systems. (It also helps to have a patient owner with deep pockets, decades of tradition, and/or a fan base that will never abandon the team.)

So, why should I be irritated that the Jags are putting their faith in a quarterback they drafted and looking toward the future? After all, their coach, Jack Del Rio, is entering his eighth season in charge. Seems like Jacksonville is doing exactly what I would prescribe many struggling franchises.

Except that they’re not. See, Jacksonville was on track for a decent season. Between Peyton Manning’s neck injury, Tennessee’s transition to the – cough – Jake Locker era, and Houston’s perennial failures, the Jags had a puncher’s chance to make the playoffs. Every year, a sleeper team rises from obscurity to make some noise. Jacksonville could have been this year’s Kansas City Chiefs.

Not now.

Why would a team with a chance to make some noise mortgage a rare opportunity for an above-mediocre season? It’s not as if David Garrard was a terrible option under center. Fans of a handful of NFL teams would gladly welcome his arrival. (Looking at you, Buffalo, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington.) Furthermore, it’s not like fans in Jacksonville will just come out and watch the team no matter the players on the field. Nope. In 2007, the last time the team made the playoffs, it was still nineteenth in overall attendance. In years of futility, it is regularly in the bottom third of all NFL teams.

I’m sure the Jacksonville ownership and coaching staff has its reasons behind the move. I’m sure it has everything to do with planning to put and awesome product on the field for many years to come. You know, foresight. Something pro sports teams are so good at. I’m super sure releasing its quarterback has nothing to do with chopping a huge chunk of salary, saving ownership money. I’m positive it has nothing to do with ownership’s apathy towards fans (the few the team actually has left).

After all, what does a struggling small market team have to gain from a few successive years of bad records and lousy attendance? I’ve seen this movie before.