Doug Marrone and His Team Chasing Wins, Not the No. 1 Pick

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone knew the questions would come on Monday. He understands the business of football, the mindset of fans, and the reality that if the Jaguars had a better year in 2020, he wouldn't even have to field questions about a future draft pick.

Fewer than 24 hours earlier, the 1-13 Jaguars had been placed into the slot of the No. 1 draft pick due to a 40-14 loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens and 23-20 upset of the previously winless New York Jets over the Los Angeles Rams.

But being potentially gifted Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, widely considered the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck, isn't on the mind of Marrone, his coaching staff, or his players. What is instead their focus is a quest to win their final two games and end the 2020 season on their terms.

"Well, I mean no one’s advised me anything different than to go out there and win," Marrone said on Monday. "I understand I guess from a standpoint of I was young growing up and had a favorite team and was excited to see where they were going to pick. So, it’s not something that I don’t look back and I understand, but Jesus, we’re trying to win."

The Jaguars are currently undergoing a franchise-worst 13-game losing streak, tying the previous franchise record for consecutive losses. A loss to the 7-7 Chicago Bears in Week 16 would mark 14 straight losses, a new franchise record.

Jacksonville has fended off tanking questions all the way back to last March, and probably even a bit before then. But the reality is that no team intentionally tanks, even if they make short term sacrifices for long term benefits like trading A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell, and making other moves to purge the roster this past offseason.

Despite making those changes, the Jaguars still did everything they could to field a team that could win on Sundays. It just hasn't worked out, a result that is leading to them holding the league's worst record.

"We’re doing everything we possibly can and that’s my job right now and I owe it to the coaches and players. None of us are going to look at this and the future. No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow never mind at the end of the year," Marrone said.

"But I do understand the question and appreciate it. That’s probably a better question maybe for… I don’t know. I really don’t know. I can understand it though, but that’s not the way we think, myself, players. We’re just too competitive.”

But when a team sits at 1-13 and is two losses away from a transcendent quarterback prospect, these types of questions arise. Especially when the team is in its third-consecutive season with double-digit losses and a last-place finish.

Marrone noted the reality that the Jaguars and the word "tank" would not even be associated together if the Jaguars built upon their Week 1 upset win over the Indianapolis Colts. But the Jaguars didn't; they started losing and haven't stopped since.

"I feel a sense of responsibility. I’ve always taken a lot of pride in being able to get a football team to play well and a team that people can be proud of. I think when people start talking about that, then they know that you’re obviously not performing to the level that you want to perform to," Marrone said.

"Myself, personally, it’s very difficult for me to manage a team and to really read about what goes on and what people say or anything like that, so I really don’t pay a lot attention to that because I just have too much going on. But I’m not an idiot either, I understand that there’s talk out there. I just think the way today’s world is everyone’s going to have their opinions, everyone’s going to write what they want to write, and they’re free to do it. That’s why it’s such a great country. But at the same time, I can only explain to you what my thought process is and how I think and what I do."

The Jaguars have faced countless obstacles this season that have led them to the current losing streak. The youngest roster in the NFL had played 79 players entering Week 15, the highest figure in the NFL. Injuries and other issues have depleted a roster that was already a bit band-aided to begin with due to the trades and departures that took place before Week 1.

But in the NFL, feelings don't matter. What matters is wins and losses. And when a team loses at the rate the Jaguars have in 2020, the conversation turns to the future because it is a more pleasant conversation to be had than what is happening in the present.

Despite all of this, the Jaguars have eight more quarters to play this season. They will spend those eight quarters trying to win -- even if those who otherwise root passionately every other Sunday for a win hope the team loses the next two games and lands Lawrence.

“I wouldn’t be able to do that. I couldn’t do it. I just wouldn’t. I’ve never done that with anything in my life," Marrone said when asked about the hypothetical reaction to being asked to lose.

"I had trouble letting my kids win when they were little. And I’ve never heard of it, no.”