JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The 2015 season is almost upon us. Training camps begin soon, the Hall of Fame game is Aug. 9, the preseason begins Aug. 13, and the first regular-season game is Sept. 10.
To get you ready for the Jacksonville Jaguars' season, I’ll have a list of 15 things to know, ponder and file away. The series will continue each weekday until training camp begins July 31.
Call it 15 for '15.
Today: Staffing
When Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley hired four new assistants on offense early in the offseason, he made sure he got plenty of experience -- something that is very valuable for a young group of players.
Three of the four hires -- offensive coordinator Greg Olson, quarterbacks coach Nathaniel Hackett, and offensive line coach/assistant head coach Doug Marrone -- have all been offensive coordinators in the NFL, and one (Marrone) is a former head coach.
Marrone went 15-17 as the Buffalo Bills’ head coach the past two seasons before opting out of the final two years of his contract. He also was the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints from 2006-08, during which time Drew Brees threw for 13,910 yards and 88 touchdowns and the Saints reached the NFC Championship Game once.
Olson has been an offensive coordinator for eight seasons with four different teams: Detroit in 2005, St. Louis in 2006-07, Tampa Bay in 2009-11, and Oakland in 2013-14. In Olson’s first season with the Rams, Marc Bulger threw a career-high 24 touchdown passes to only eight interceptions to go along with a career-high 4,301 yards in 2006. Olson worked last season with rookie quarterback Derek Carr, whose 3,270 yards and 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions were the most by any rookie in 2014.
Hackett was the Bills’ offensive coordinator under Marrone the past two seasons. He didn’t have the luxury of coaching a quarterback as talented as Brees or Bulger. Hackett had E.J. Manuel, who was benched for Kyle Orton this past season.
Running backs coach Kelly Skipper is the only one of the four new assistants who hasn’t been an offensive coordinator, but he spent the past eight seasons with the Oakland Raiders coaching running backs and tight ends.
Bradley believes the experience Olson, Hackett and Marrone bring to the staff will be invaluable to an offense that likely will start five first- or second-year players, including quarterback Blake Bortles. Olson, who replaced the fired Jedd Fisch, agrees.
"I’m a big believer in experience, especially when working with a very young group of players," Olson said. "I think that’s important. I think that’s a great sounding board for me. We have guys that come from a lot of different places. Some of us have worked together. Some of us haven’t. Bouncing ideas off one another will be extremely helpful in the process. Putting the initial offense together, having guys that have done it before and been part of those things before will be extremely beneficial."
In addition to the four new hires, Bradley moved Frank Scelfo from quarterbacks coach to senior offensive assistant. Scelfo will have roving duties, and during organized team activities and minicamp he spent time with the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers.
The hope is that the new staff can make Bortles (11 TDs, 17 INTs, 21.9 QBR) and an offense that averaged just 15.5 points per game over the past two seasons significantly better.