APPrior to firing coach Mike Mularkey or bringing in his replacement Gus Bradley, the Jaguars opened the door for all their assistants to seek other jobs.
But Bradley has invited two of them back in, deciding to retain wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan and linebackers coach Mark Duffner, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
Sullivan came out of retirement to work for Mularkey a year ago. Duffner, an ultimate coaching survivor, is entering his eighth year with the Jags for his third head coach.
The status of defensive line coach Joe Cullen and secondary coach Tony Oden remains up in the air, and the buzzards that circle the practice fields at the Senior Bowl will doubtless be flocking to Bradley to try to find work of their own.
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Gus would be more predisposed to keeping existing assistants than just about any head coach given that’s what happened with him during transition from Mora to Carroll
Williams and Duffner probably did the best work of anyone on staff. Or at least their position’s performed the best. Despite some serious injuries.
Gus, do yourself a favor and cut the mularkey.
He kept the two asst coaches most capable of being effective in their roles.
Sullivan is one of the best receivers coaches in the NFL. He had that reputation even before the job he did with Shorts and Blackmon this year – which is why Mularkey, in one of his few brilliant moves, pursued Sullivan and pulled him out of retirement.
It means very good things for Blackmon and Shorts (and Jordan Shipley, for that matter, who was pulled off the street and put on the field pretty quickly) that Sullivan will return.