Known for being a stickler as well as a disciplinarian, Tom Coughlin did not accept players, coaches or other members of his staff being late to meetings when he was the head coach of the New York Giants.
As such, the two-time Super Bowl winner would have clocks at the team facility set five to 15 minutes ahead so there was almost no excuse not to be punctual.
Fired by the Giants in 2015, Coughlin joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as the executive vice president of football operations and brought his clock tradition with him.
That tradition is over, as is Coughlin’s time in Florida.
After Coughlin was fired on Wednesday night following the NFL Players Association slamming the team for the number of player grievances filed against the franchise, Jaguars’ equipment staff turned all the clocks in the facility ahead five minutes to the correct time.
For many on the team, it was about time.
“I noticed the clocks,” said defensive tackle Abry Jones. “It threw me off when I first got here. I thought I was late. That’s probably the strongest adjustment we’re going to probably have to get used to – resetting back to five minutes back. Other than that, no real big difference.”
Despite getting rid of Coughlin, The Associated Press reports that Jaguars owner Shad Khan plans to keep coach Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell in 2020.
“We’d love to see coach Marrone stick around and see this through,” said Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell. “Change can be good. Too much change can work against you.”
Losers of five out of six, the Jaguars (5-9) will finish their season with games against the Falcons and Colts.
The Jaguars have lost 19 of their last 26 games.
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