Jack Del Rio's comments about fan frustration (1 Viewer)

[Wadsworth]

Jags are 0-2, 2-7 last two season at home and 2-10 over their last 12 games. Fans are frustrated with the lack of wins, the vanilla offense, the team leaders being run out of town, the lack of development of players among other things.

Yesterday on local radio Del Rio states:

Lamm:"Do you understand the fan's frustration?"

JDR: "I understand my own frustration."

(Laughs)

Lamm:"I know you do, but do you understand the fan's as well?"

JDR: "I don't really care to understand the fan's frustration or elation, whichever it is and I know that both come. You win, they love you, there's elation. You lose, you're terrible, you're the worst, you're a bum, all of that. I understand all of that. That's not part of what I really, uh, spend time worrying about or considering. I think, you know, for the most part, the die hard, the solid fan is going to be there supporting the team, uh, the guys that are kinda fair weather fans will jump on when things start rolling good. Right now they're not, so, uh... That's not where I look for my support."

Obviously the bolded part is getting all the air time. Locally some fans were offended. Is this a bonehead comment by a head coach or much ado about nothing from frustrated fans?

 

[daveR]

Sounds sensible to me. Why spend time worried about something you can't control? There's bigger fish to fry.

 

[sho nuff]

I agree with him though.

Coaches and GMs cannot worry about fan reaction. They have a job to do...and while the game is entertainment...their job is to try and win...not to try and please the fans.

 

[JaxBill]

I think he worded it badly but basically he's just repeating the old adage about if you coach to the fans, you'll soon be sitting with them.

 

[identikit]

Poor choice of words.

I imagine Del Rio does that a lot.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I don't see anything wrong with what he said - it seemed pretty reasonable. "We're losing so the fans are disappointed but so am I." If fans are angry they are taking it out of context.

 

[two_dollars]

Coaching 101: If you listen to the fans, you usually end up sitting with them.

 

[FavreCo]

It doesn't matter. He's a goner.

 

[finito]

It doesn't matter. He's a goner.

 

[JohnnyU]

I've never thought JDR was a good coach, and is somewhat of a a---hole, but I don't see anything wrong with what he said about the fans.

 

[Wadsworth]

What Del Rio said is true, but I'm still not sure it's the right thing to say. For comparison here's the response to a similar question by rookie head coach Jim Schwartz:

"It is on us because it's our job to win," he said. "It's our job to get fans excited and to give them a reason to come to the game. And when we do that, we won't have to worry about blackouts or sellouts or anything else."

LINKSchwartz is preparing for his 3rd game as a head coach and Del Rio is in his 6th season and yet Schwartz's answer seems a good deal more savvy to me. Jacksonville is facing blackouts, a terrible season and potentially losing their NFL team. And while I'll agree that the team doesn't need a coach that's worried about trying to please the fans, I also don't think they need a coach that goes on the radio and says it in that manner.

 

[benm3218]

It doesn't matter. He's a goner.

Bingo! And it was a real stupid thing to say. Whether or not its true if he has that little understanding and regard for the owners pocketbook (trying to draw in fans that are not "die hard") then he doesn't deserve to be a head coach for that team.

 

[Statcruncher]

What he said is correct, he simply should have calibrated his words differently.

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

Welcome to phase 3 of my JDR evaluation.

Phase 1

Guy's a nobody brought in to replace a great coach (Coughlin) because Weaver got too impatient and looked for people to blame (Coughlin, Brunell).

Phase 2

Guy made the right call and went with Garrard. Took the Jags to the playoffs where they unfortunately met the 2007 patriots offense buzzsaw.

Phase 3

BAD personnel decisions have been being made since the end of last year (Mike Peterson is kicking butt in Atlanta, etc etc).

Having said all of that, Jax fans need to either start going to games or they can kiss their NFL team goodbye.

 

[Jason Wood]

I think he was being honest and reasonable. Does Bill Belichick care what the fans think? Is he an open book for beat writers? Do the Patriots reshape their draft board or personnel decisions based on what the Boston Globe or blogosphere is requesting? I know as an Eagles fan, many of the team's best moves under Andy Reid have been the most hated by the fans. And for a guy with one of the best winning rates of the last decade, if Reid even listened to the fans most of the time he would wonder if he was going to have a job a week later.

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Alot of what Jack Del Rio does bothers me.

This isn't one of those that bother me, though.

 

[perry147]

What he said is correct, he simply should have calibrated his words differently.

This is how I would have said it.I understand the fans frustrations and I myself am frustrated with how we have been playing. The team itself has not performed - this includes me. We have been in close games and unfortunately have come up short too many times. We are working to turn this around and the team needs it fans to rally with it.

 

[Breesisdaman]

I cant understand why De; Rio still has a job myself. What has he done exactly in his tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars?

 

[tim_whatley]

Like many things in life, it's not a dumb thing to think, but it is a dumb thing to say.

 

[TheDirtyWord]

I think ideally, the coach/GM shouldn't care about the fans frustration. Fact is, Del Rio's frustration should eclipse any fans frustration. It's his livelihood.

However, given the situation in Jacksonville where it looks like fan support is dwindling at a very alarming rate, there is an element of marketing the franchise to the fanbase that simply needs to be taken into account. Del Rio is a steward of the Jaguars and needs to be more conscientious of his comments regarding fan support.

 

[JamesTheScot]

What he said is correct, he simply should have calibrated his words differently.

This.He got the substance of the issue right, he was just completely inept in articulating the thought. Still, not a huge deal even then.In context, he was referring to the idea that winning cures all and losing leads to second-guessing and frustration. His job is to win, which if he does so, leads to content fans. So he's focusing on getting the horse straightened out instead of the cart. Unfortunately, his statement could be construed as him saying he doesn't give a damn about the cart.My concern is that he doesn't know a damn thing about horses.

 

[SuperGreen]

he's frustrated, defensive, and a lame duck...he's also never exactly cared to take the "soft" approach with anything he's said.

seems a predictable quote coming from him. knowledgable fans shouldn't take it personally, though. the core of what he said is right.

 

[FavreCo]

I cant understand why De; Rio still has a job myself. What has he done exactly in his tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Because the assistant HC is Meathead Tice. : They should wait until the end of the year and flush the whole crew down the crapper. Nothing like hiring a guy worse than yourself as insurance that they don't fire you.