WR Mike Thomas pinpoints Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2011 failure on Del Rio’s lenient approach-NFL News
As some of the commentators had earlier pinpointed Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2011 NFL season’s failure on the performance of the former coach, Del Rio, wide receiver, Mike Thomas, has now come out with a similar admission.
He said that the team’s failure was not just because of the underperformance of the quarterbacks, but the players at almost all positions were not pushed by the coach hard enough to add to the team’s victories chances.
The WR’s claims come in line with the criticism that the head coach had to face throughout last season.
The poor form of rookie quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, was the particular source of criticism of the official.
Yet he remained persistent with the QB at the starting line.
At the end, the coach lost his job. It also proved to be a turning point for Jaguars as they changed the ownership hands, from Wayne Weaver to Shahid Khan.
Now, Thomas admitted that it was not the QB’s performance alone to be criticised, almost all of them were not pressed to try the best and give hundred per cent on the field.
He said:
“We might not have been pushed hard enough.”
Thomas was critical of former receivers’ coach, Johnny Cox, who had been transferred by Rio from his previous position of the quarterbacks’ quality control coach to replace Todd Monken, who had joined Oklahoma as an offensive co-ordinator.
The player, while comparing Cox with Monken, said that the former was too lenient in his approach and this was the reason behind the below par performance of some of their players.
Thomas said of both officials:
“There was a difference. I think everybody can see and feel that, so that’s why we are here where we are today.”
Now, Thomas said, he looks forward to work with the new receivers’ coach, Jerry Sullivan, who is the choice of the new head coach, Mike Mularkey.
Mularkey has replaced Del Rio as the head coach by deserting the Baltimore Ravens, where he had worked as an offensive co-ordinator.
Jerry Sullivan has come out of the retirement to work as the receivers’ coach at Jaguars and the players like Thomas are keen on working with him in the new beginning for the team.
He said:
“I have heard enough about him to know what he’s about. I’m ready for it in a good sense. I’m open to it. I know he’s going to be coaching me as hard as he can. It will be good. I need that because I have a lot of room to grow. Hopefully, it turns out for
the better."
The new owner of the team has said to be holding great ambitions for the team and hopes that all players and managers perform to their potential.
He said he wanted the team to become a consistent winner on the field and performance of all their players will be crucial to achievement of the objective.
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