Jaguars Head Coach Search: 3 Observations on Potential interest in Rams OC Kevin O'Connell

Could the Jaguars really be hitting the reset button on their impending search for Urban Meyer's replacement?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are keeping everybody on their toes with their coaching search.

To this point, four head coaches have been hired but the Jaguars appear no closer to finalizing a deal for Urban Meyer's replacement. This became more clear on Sunday, with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reporting the Jaguars have interest in speaking with Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell.

What does the potential interest in O'Connell mean for the Jaguars and their search? We break it down below.

This reeks of desperation and panic by the Jaguars, a result of the misstep that was retaining Trent Baalke

For the Jaguars to suddenly have interest in a coach 31 days after they kicked off their marathon race of interviews, which consisted of nine initial interviews, two second interviews, and one scheduled second interview, it can only mean one thing: the Jaguars are panicking. The Jaguars are letting the entire NFL know that their plans A, B, and C fell apart, leading to them looking to a potential reset on a coaching search that has already stretched into Month Two. There would be no other reason for the Jaguars to show their first even hint of interest in O'Connell until now if their initial plans -- whatever they were -- didn't come undone at the seams. 

There is a strong chance the Jaguars are having to potentially turn their search upside down after four teams have already fired head coaches due to the presence of general manager Trent Baalke, who owner Shad Khan has still refused to fire. Baalke's presence has played a direct role in several coaches' potential interest in coaching the Jaguars, while it can be assumed that Baalke and his level of authority in the Jaguars' organization is the biggest reason Byron Leftwich is not currently head coach.

The Jaguars had an entire month to put O'Connell on their list, but they now are only doing so because it appears that the Baalke-led search has hit roadblock after roadblock. There is no other reason for the Jaguars to effectively say no to their first nine choices and add O'Connell last-minute, especially after several teams have always made O'Connell a finalist.

The Jaguars aren't playing the long con and biding their time until O'Connell is available, because they didn't need to -- that is why the Texans and Vikings have already spoken to him. Instead, the Jaguars simply look like they are panicking and attempting to stick anything to the wall that they can.

Jaguars continue to look like a team that doesn't know what they are doing compared to their peers

The Jaguars shouldn't be happy that reports of potential O'Connell interest came out on Sunday. If you are the Jaguars, that is news you would have hoped would have come out on Monday pending a Rams loss. If the Rams didn't lose, it is something you hope doesn't get out at all. That is simply because the Jaguars look amaeturish due to this report considering two points. 

1) They didn't make O'Connell a part of their initial interview pool, meaning doing so now makes it look as if the Jaguars don't really have any tangible plan and are conducting a search by the seat of their pants. 

2) The fact the Jaguars can't talk to O'Connell if the Rams win but the Vikings can still speak to him because the Vikings actually, you know, held a normal search process and talked to O'Connell over the last several weeks. The Jaguars had a two-week head start over the Vikings in terms of being able to interview assistants, but the Vikings will still likely get a second interview in with O'Connell before the Jaguars get their first. 

With the Vikings clearly having leverage over the Jaguars simply because they did things the proper way and held a search with a logical timeline, the Jaguars again don't look like an NFL franchise. The Jaguars have lone not operated like any other franchise, and this entire process has been another reflection of that. The Jaguars do not look like they know what they are doing, at least not in comparison to the other teams looking for a head coach.

Is O'Connell actually a strong candidate based on his coaching career?

Aside from the terrible optics and lackluster process the Jaguars have held to this point, the most important facet of the O'Connell interest is clearly this: can he coach? The bumps along the way mean that this search will be stained whether the Jaguars ended up hiring Leftwich, O'Connell, or any other coach at this point, but is O'Connell actually a viable option for a Jaguars team that needs one? 

I think the fact he is a former quarterback and is a part of the Sean McVay tree is a big positive. He knows what it is supposed to look like from the position, and we have seen three different teams now trust him with the development of their quarterbacks. With that said, it is a concern that he doesn't call plays for the Rams and only briefly did so for Washington, and his track record with young quarterbacks isn't strong with Johnny Manziel, Dwayne Haskins, and Jared Goff as his results. 

In short, I think O'Connell is likely an okay candidate. He is clearly a young and forward-thinking offensive mind, but at some point we have to see production to believe in. I do not think he is as good of a candidate as Leftwich or Doug Pederson, if you are simply looking at offensive coaches.