Every new coach wants to put his own stamp on a team.
Mike Mularkey apparently wants to imprint his with a sledge hammer.
The Jaguars coach told Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union he planned to fine players $10,000 if they talk about injuries to the media.
Mularkey delivered that news in last night’s team meeting.
“They saw a lot of numbers last night,” Mularkey said. “One of them, it was up there more than once, was about speaking about injuries. [Head trainer] Mike Ryan talked about it, I had it up there more than once. Coordinators were told prior to that meeting every two weeks, two to three weeks I want you to stand in front of that room and tell them we’re not going to talk about injuries.
“Even if mom says, ‘How are you feeling?’ If you tell you mom, go call coach Mularkey. I’m going overboard.”
Mularkey wasn’t totally serious about the fines for talking to parents, but apparently to everyone else.
“Anything I know about a guy, anything I know is hurting on him, any comment he makes will play into how they attack a team or a position,” Mularkey said. “I just don’t think it’s anybody else’s business. ... If I feel like it’s going to jeopardize us or compromise us, I will not talk about specific injuries. Right now we’re really not in a position where I don’t feel free to talk about them because I feel pretty good about our team right now. But I will be the only voice.”
Listen, that’s fine to play tough guy. The Jaguars could use a little order (as long as it doesn’t come with Jack Del Rio’s ax).
But maybe, just maybe, they’d be better off getting their quarterback to quit looking so skittish in the pocket, or having Justin Blackmon call a cab, or trying to get their best player into camp on time.
Call me crazy, but I think any of those things might be more important to the Jaguars improving more so than making sure somebody doesn’t tell Vito Stellino their ankle hurts.