The Jacksonville Jaguars lost out on Ben Johnson, and the consensus believes that having Trent Baalke was a big reason why. While they have several intriguing options and are set to interview a handful of candidates in the upcoming days, Baalke’s presence has seemingly hindered their head-coaching search. But don’t tell Pro Football Hall-of-Fame left tackle Tony Boselli, who argues that fans or the media shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
Not long after Johnson became the head coach of the Chicago Bears, Dianna Rusinni of The Athletic reported that he didn’t think Jacksonville didn’t have the setup he wanted in his first head coaching job.
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Right away, analysts and fans concluded that Rusinni was talking about Baalke without outright naming him. However, Boselli tried to push back against the notion that the general manager had anything to do with the Jags losing out on Johnson.
“I think it’d be irresponsible to jump to the conclusion that the reason Ben Johnson’s not here is because of Trent Baalke. Like, that’s the main, only reason,” Tony Boselli told Dan Hickens during an appearance on 1010 XL. “I just don’t, I don’t believe that. I don’t believe that for a second. Now, this is not a defense or anything else, whether we should have hired Ben or not.”
To nobody’s surprise, Boselli earned lots of scorn for coming to bat for Baalke. After all, the divisive general manager hasn’t done enough to help the team win, and his presence has reportedly scared away candidates for the Jaguars’ vacancy.
Later in the exchange, Boselli told Hicken that he isn’t even sure Johnson will turn out to be a good head coach.
“I can go down the list of great
offensive coordinators, great office coordinators who got head jobs and completely failed. Okay, and I can give you the list of guys who did not have success as a coordinator and were world-class head coaches… I want to make sure you guys understand: I’m not saying Ben Johnson is not going to be a great head coach. I just don’t know.”
Rightly, Hickens calls out Boselli’s puzzling defense, pointing out that you could say that about every single candidate. However, Johnson was the crown jewel of this cycle because he played a massive role in turning the Detroit Lions into a playoff contender.
More specifically, Johnson put together one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL, and that made him a highly coveted candidate in this hiring cycle. Below, is the full exchange, where they go back and forth.
Trent Baalke is an issue for the Jaguars even if Tony Boselli doesn’t accept it
In Tony Boselli’s defense, the Jacksonville Jaguars still have options even after losing out on Ben Johnson. That said, it’s an open secret that general manager Trent Baalke has played a role in the team’s inability to win games and is actively hindering their coaching search.
Granted, Boselli won’t be as critical of the organization because he has a role with them, but he cannot say that Baalke is a positive when he’s clearly not. That makes him at best look naive. At worst, it gives the impression that he’s carrying water for him. One prominent candidate for the opening made it clear that he was less inclined to take the job because of the divisive general manager.
Keep in mind that there have been other reports about Baalke’s presence holding the team back. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that the general manager feuded with the coaching staff last year, and other analysts have talked about how he has a less-than-stellar reputation around the league.
Heck, fans and media alike were appalled that the Jags took a half-measure approach when they ousted Doug Pederson but retained Baalke.
Now, there’s a chance the Jaguars will end up with a good head coach, but there’s no doubt that Baalke is making things more difficult, regardless of how much Tony Boselli says he isn’t.
