JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – I know I have been calling for Doug Pederson to lose his job, but he did something that no other Jaguars coach has ever done. After Sunday’s 20-13 win, Pederson has now swept the Titans twice. Tom Coughlin swept them once, in 1997. Jack Del Rio swept them once in 2005. Pederson has led the Jags to a sweep of the Titans in two of his three seasons. And people want to fire that guy? ...
Yup, I sure do.
Recommended Videos
Look, we beat that drum to death. If Pederson coaches more than one additional game as Jacksonville’s head coach, I’ll be surprised. So, instead of talking about him and general manager Trent Baalke, I’ll give them the night off.
Let’s talk about Fred Taylor. For the second straight year, he is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall committee has made Taylor wait long enough. They need to put him in the Hall of Fame. It boggles my mind how he’s waiting for his gold jacket. When you look at the NFL rushing record book, all of the guys who are eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame ahead of Taylor are in the Hall. Why does the list just stop right there? Why is Taylor having to wait this long for his turn?
The Jags.
That is the honest answer. It’s not fair, but it’s true. If this team had won a Super Bowl, he’d be in the Hall of Fame by now. Honestly, I’ll go further than that. If they won the Super Bowl in 2017, Taylor would be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame now.
His resume is one of a Hall of Fame player. The problem is that Taylor did it in Jacksonville, the smallest NFL market and a franchise that has had more downs than ups. Not fair, but it’s true.
That shouldn’t be a factor, but it is. I asked Travis Etienne about Taylor after the game, and he said that “he was before his time” and “that if we keep winning, we going to get Fred in.”
Now, some might ask themselves: What does the Jaguars winning in 2025 or the future have to do with Taylor getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? And an intellectual would tell them it shouldn’t have anything to do with it. But it does, and that is the sad part.
Taylor deserves his jacket. I hope he gets it this year. But once Taylor does get to Canton, who is the next Jaguars player who is going to get in? It’s going to be a long wait. Might be Brian Thomas Jr.