Even though he said a day ago his team’s 1-7 record was “embarrassing,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said Wednesday he was not going to make any changes during the season.
Khan met with a small group of reporters after his first volley of comments to a local television station, and insisted a sacrificial firing now is not part of his plan.
“That’s not something I would do,” Khan said, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “That’s not me.”
Even though general manager Gene Smith seems a likely place to start, Khan said it would be “irresponsible” to address specific people in the organization, and said he wouldn’t make “knee-jerk” decisions.
“I’ve been here obviously half a season so this will be something for me to reflect on at the end of the season,” Khan said. “I want to see where we are as an organization. There are certain companies and organizations that win over time and certain companies and organizations that lose over time. It doesn’t matter if it’s auto parts or football.
“The most important thing for me is this becomes an organization that is going to win over time.”
Khan, who made his money in the auto parts business, said his model will carry over to the NFL.
“The key lesson I learned building organizations is you need to have the right people in the right spots,” he said. “You need to have the process of how you make decisions and then you need support and it’s not just ownership support, it’s sponsor support.”
Of course, there are some things he could not prepare for prior to buying an NFL team.
“You get approved in Dallas and you get a camera crew that follows you to the bathroom,” Khan said. “In football, everything is visible and has a high degree of emotion and media scrutiny.
“Nobody would show up [to interview me] if I shipped a bad set of bumpers. I did that early in my career, suffered the consequences and learned some life lessons, which at this time is very valuable.”
The Jags, as presently constructed, need more than a new bumper. But it looks like Khan’s prepared to let a few parts rust off before he starts in with the Bondo.