By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

After an offseason of pundits and media touting the Jacksonville Jaguars as sleepers to win the AFC South, and possibly make a run in the playoffs, it now appears that owner Shad Kahn will look to replace head coach Gus Bradley.

The team has regressed, especially offensively, and time seems to have run out on the Bradley experience. With that being said, the question is of course, who should be the next coach of the Jaguars?

One candidate that makes the most sense is former Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith. While in Atlanta, Smith rode with young Matt Ryan at quarterback to very successful seasons early on.

Smith finished his tenure in Atlanta with a 66-46 record, and won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year once and The Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year three times.

Mike Smith earned the Falcons head coaching job by building a resume with stops at college and in the NFL. Smith is currently the defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In fact, Smith has several ties to the Jaguars organization, including being the defensive coordinator under former head coach Jack Del Rio. Smith also has a solid working relationship with current Jaguars general manager, David Caldwell.

He is a solid defensive mind, but has shown a propensity to bring in the right offensive coordinator to make his team difficult to stop. Mike Smith’s tenure in Atlanta came to a negative close, as the team took a precipitous downturn record wise.

However, much of that had to do with injuries and poor draft picks by Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff. Smith deserves a second opportunity to be an NFL head coach, and Jacksonville could be a great fit for both Smith and the franchise.

If the Jaguars do not listen to me and decide to go in another direction, there are others that could be the next coach in Jacksonville. Who are they? Let’s take a look at a couple of them.

The first place to start would be in the Northeast, specifically New England. The Patriots offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, has reestablished himself as a legitimate NFL head coaching candidate.

McDaniels got the head coaching job of the Denver Broncos and flamed out faster than water on a campfire.

McDaniels went back to New England, with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, that tends to make one look better, and that is why McDaniels is a big-time risk as a head coach.
It is not only the offensive coordinator, but the defensive coordinator Matt Patricia who will get a definite look for several head coaching jobs in the NFL this offseason. Patricia has done a stellar job running the defense for the Patriots, and tends to get overlooked as Tom Brady and the offense get most of the attention.

Patricia is intense and seems to have the loyalty of his players, but again similar to McDaniels, Belichick deserves the bulk of credit for the Patriots’ success. Especially the defense, as that is Belichick’s expertise. Be careful going after Patriots coordinators, the Patriots have not missed a beat when replacing seemingly irreplaceable coordinators over the years.

One sentimental choice may be the very first head coach in Jacksonville, Tom Coughlin. Coughlin had a strong run as the head coach of the New York Giants and feels as though he was forced out too soon.

How much does he have left in the tank at over 70 years of age? Players tend to tune the hard-nosed disciplinarian out over time, but if he can get the results that a Coughlin-coached team usually has, would it be worth it?

It is always a gamble when rolling the dice on a new head coach, and they often are a roller coaster ride of highs and lows.

The best bet for the Jaguars would be to give Mike Smith a second chance as an NFL head coach. Smith has the resume and the previous relationships with the Jaguars front office to make it a great fit.