2012 NFL season: Will Jacksonville Jaguars ride on Shahid Khan’s ambitions, fans loyalty?
Jacksonville Jaguars’ new owner Shahid Khan was welcomed by local fans soon after his arrival in the town. They even donned fake moustache – the exclusive trademark of the Pakistan-born American businessman – to vow they will always be
on his side.
It was rare for an ethnic community member to get such a warm welcome, and it was not down to his ethnic roots but his ambitions for the American football, which is an unusual hobby for his community. It is well known that Pakistanis and
Indians are cricket-crazy nations.
The first act of Khan that pleased the local fans was his assurance to leave the team intact in Jacksonville.
Second, he took another unusual step to have meetings with local former National Football League (NFL) players, officials, commentators and also with fans. So his strong community-relationship building decision was a welcome step for the
fans.
He moved on to pose confidence into the team’s front-office staff including managers and took them on board for consultation in the compelling matters of hiring and firing. For example, general manager Gene Smith took full part in the
evaluation and decision-making process of the head coach hiring. He happens to be Mike Mularkey, who joined the team in January this year.
Also, Shahid refrained from interfering in direct and extensive reshuffling or cleansing of the team, which otherwise is a normal exercise at the time of change of guards. He persisted with the choice of the GM to leave almost all staff
and players of the team intact, during the initial phase at least.
A notable point, which according to some circles has a negative outfall, is that the owner has shown rather cautious approach as far as spending is concerned. This can be explained as to be the reason that he did not want to go through
deep adjustments in the team at any level.
Apparently, there is no argument against the owner’s choice within the front office or coaching department. The team has also done a rather need-based hiring in the draft or otherwise. They have also shown patience and consistency regarding
some off-field issues of their players. For example, the management posed confidence into rookie receiver Justin Blackmon who had some off-field conduct issue immediately after his arrival in Jacksonville off the draft.
Moreover, in spite of the owner’s spoken ambitions of seeing Jaguars to be consistent winners on the field, he has kept his nose out of the squad changes and players’ development process. He has given the task to the head coach and the
GM, if his help is needed.
It can be argued that since it is the first year of the new owner, he is on a rather wait-and-see approach, and he might go for rash changes at all levels next year, if needed.
Although it is hard to predict what is awaiting Jaguars next year, the owner’s laid-back approach seems to have worked well for the team, so far at least.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article in no way reflect bettor.com's editorial policies
Tags: