BACK WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Del Rio returns to Jacksonville, scene of first head coaching job
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Don’t believe everything Raiders coach Jack Del Rio says.
Take Sunday’s game at Everbank Field against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Del Rio is doing everything he can to downplay his return to the stadium he called home for his first nine years as a head coach.
“I’ve been in this league a long time,” said Del Rio, who has been an NFL coach or player every year since 1985. “It’s not the first time going back to places where I’ve been. So yeah, I think I’ll be OK.”
Del Rio might not be overcome with emotion when he coaches his first game in Jacksonville since his 2011 firing. But it would be impossible to imagine him not sporting an extra satisfied grin if he can beat his former employer.
“I haven’t seen anything different,” Raiders quarter- back Derek Carr said ear- lier this week of his coach’s demeanor. “We’ll see if he comes out in pads today for practice.” (Note: he didn’t). Del Rio was 40 years old and eight years removed from his final NFL appear- ance when he made his Jaguars’ coaching debut in 2003. A year as the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordi- nator and three seasons as linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens — includ- ing their Super Bowl XXXV victory — prepared him for the job.
Del Rio delivered his first winning season in Year 2 and had the Jaguars in the playoffs with a 12-4 mark a year later. Through his first five seasons, Del Rio went 45-35.
But the inability to find a quarterback — Byron Leftwich, David Garrard and Blaine Gabbert all fizzled as long-term options — contributed to a 23-36 record over his final four seasons and Del Rio’s firing after 11 games in 2011.
Del Rio’s final tally was 68-71, which isn’t bad considering Jacksonville has combined to go 20-46 in the four-plus seasons since, finishing with double-digit losses every year.
Del Rio still considers his time with the Jaguars a very positive one.
“You learn from your experiences and I think certainly the second time around is a whole different perspective,” Del Rio said. “Your first time being in that chair and understanding the volume of work and the number of decisions that need to be made, regardless of your preparation, there’s an adjustment. I think having that experience under my belt now certainly makes me, I think, a better head coach.”
While he has grown, those around him still see largely the same coaching style and dismiss talk that he has grown more willing to delegate responsibilities to his assistants.
“Jack’s a hands-on coach and knows a lot of football, on both sides of the ball,” said Raiders offensive line coach Mike Tice, a Del Rio assistant for four seasons in Jacksonville. “He’s going to make sure that things are done the way his vision is, and we as assistants need to understand the vision so that we can go out and spread that vision to the players.”
“I’m pretty involved in everything and always have been,” Del Rio said. “I don’t know that you can totally turn away from the responsibility of making sure this football team is operating at a high level in all areas.
Raiders safety Reggie Nelson played for Del Rio and the Jaguars from 200709 and was part of Del Rio’s last playoff team during his rookie season. He wasn’t too interested in comparing the situations.
“We’re in different circumstances and we’re in a whole new era now,” Nelson said. “What he’s doing over here is special with this group and we’ve got a great group of men.”
Nelson did offer that he felt lucky to have a coach with Del Rio’s experience when he entered the league.
“I was blessed to come as a rookie into a league to a coach like that, that played the game and understood from a defensive perspective,” Nelson said.
Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave held that same position for Del Rio’s first two seasons in Jacksonville but was fired when the Jaguars failed to average more than 17.2 points per game in either of his two seasons.
“Most of the time I’m just worried about my own kitchen, try to keep my own head above water,” Musgrave said when asked to compare Del Rio from then to now. “I enjoy working for him. The two years I worked for him in Jacksonville were the best two years of my professional life. The organization, the structure, you get to concentrate on your job and not just worry about being at the right place at the right time with changing schedules, unevenness. So I jumped at the chance to do it again and I’m really glad I did.”
The Jaguars have undergone an ownership change since Del Rio’s exit and so much turnover that only three players — linebacker Paul Posluszny, tight end Marcedes Lewis and defensive lineman Tyson Alualu — remain.
“That season was cut short, but I really enjoyed playing for him,” Posluszny, whose only year was the one in which Del Rio was fired, told ESPN.com. “I never had a head coach take such an interest in the Mike linebacker and being able to teach and to coach. To me, that was awesome.”
If Del Rio can get a win in his former home, expect him to have a pretty awesome smile on his face.