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Jacksonville Jaguars' Andre Cisco using Q-word puts Doug Pederson on hotter seat | Frenette
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- Jacksonville Jaguars' Andre Cisco using Q-word puts Doug Pederson on hotter seat | Frenette
It was quite possibly the most damning sound bite in Jacksonville Jaguars history.
What safety Andre Cisco uttered on camera after Sunday's dreadful 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears will surely warrant a heart-to-heart conversation at some point with head coach Doug Pederson, not to mention pique the interest of Jaguars owner Shad Khan .
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I'm not sure if safety Andre Cisco meant for it to come out as indicting as it sounded when he uttered those four red-flag-raising words — "A lot of quit" — to Action Sports Jax anchor Brent Martineau. But it won't soon be forgotten in the locker room or with the Jaguars' fan base, you can bet on that.
The national media, some of whom love to needle the Jaguars about their foibles, is running with Cisco's comments like it just got a favorite Christmas gift.
It should be noted that the 24-year-old Cisco is a mature, thoughtful player with an even-keeled temperament, so he's not prone to making knee-jerk, off-the-wall statements without choosing his words carefully.
Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andre Cisco told Action Sports Jax anchor Brent Martineau he saw “a lot of quit” in the team following Sunday’s 35-16 loss in London to the Chicago Bears.
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Before Cisco answered a question from Martineau about the Jaguars' performance and what he's observing from the team, there was a distinct pause, followed by: "How should I say this?"
Translation: Cisco wanted to choose the right words, following that by another slight pause before the hammer nobody expected came down, adding: "A lot of quit."
Here's what followed: "As the last line of defense, in a situation like that, you can feel when we're playing as one and when we're not. I felt that very early in the game, maybe after halftime, it felt like we weren't playing as one."
Cisco's bold, frank response was refreshing not just because of his wording, but also the calm demeanor in which he expressed it.
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This wasn't a media member catching a player in a fit of anger or Cisco popping off to put himself in the spotlight. That's not who he is or wants to be.
But obviously, the Jaguars' fourth-year safety felt he needed to say it. Otherwise, he would have kept his mouth shut or just made a generic statement about how "we need to be better" or "we got to find some answers quickly," words to that effect.
Tough optic for Pederson
Being 1-5, which includes two blowout losses to the Buffalo Bills and the Bears on national television in standalone games, is bad enough for Pederson.
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The Jaguars are reeling in ways not seen since the Urban Meyer dumpster fire . But a respected player — one who has struggled this season before getting the team's first interception of the season against Chicago — saying the Q-word about the Jaguars adds substantial fuel to an already smoldering fire.
Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andre Cisco (5) steps in front of Chicago Bears receiver DJ Moore to make the Jaguars' first interception of the season Sunday in a 35-16 loss at Tottenham Hotspur in London.
On his 15-minute Zoom call with the media Monday morning, Pederson was clearly struggling to find the right words on how to respond to Cisco's harsh assessment.
Pederson, who was aware of what his starting safety said on camera, said he hadn't seen the players Monday because it was their day off, but fully intended to talk to Cisco about his comments.
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"I would like to just get some clarification from his side. ... I don't think he meant in a. ... in a. ... in a. ... you know, obviously it's his observation," said Pederson. "But I don't think it was necessarily meant to harm anything or point a finger at anybody or anything like that. Sometimes when you get in a game like yesterday, that sometimes is the feeling.
"We've been on the other side of that, too, where we've had games where we felt like we had that type of success and you feel that way with your opponent. Again, I don't think it was necessarily a finger-pointing."
I don't buy that Cisco was trying to throw anybody specific under a proverbial bus, be it Pederson or any of his teammates . However, there was purpose behind his words, whether intended to shake things up or to inspire himself and his teammates to perform better.
Regardless of his true intent, there's no putting that genie back in the bottle. This is either going to serve as some kind of wake-up call for the Jaguars, have no effect at all, or make things worse.
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It also can't be ruled out that Cisco's starting job, along with safety Antonio Johnson , could be in jeopardy once veteran safeties Tashaun Gipson (due to come off six-game suspension) and Andrew Wingard (on injured reserve) are ready to return to the field.
Jaguars shakeup feels imminent
The blowout loss to the Bears, along with Cisco's postgame judgment, will surely put Khan on higher alert about any possible changes that might be coming down the road.
It's impossible not to view Pederson as currently sitting on the NFL's hottest coaching seat, despite Khan having a deserved reputation as one of the league's most patient owners.
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Another owner might well have fired Pederson after Sunday's performance, and if Khan had pulled that plug, it would be hard to argue that action was unjustified.
But being just six games into a 17-game season — and knowing Pederson led the Jaguars to the playoffs in 2022 and their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2004-05 — there's also justification for Khan to give his 56-year-old coach a little more time to see if he can pull the team out of this massive funk.
As things stand now, Khan knows he can't treat this season the same way he did the 5-11 third season with Gus Bradley or the 6-10 third season with Doug Marrone, both of whom survived to coach another year.
No, this is different because Khan made it so. By placing the "win now" expectation on the 2024 Jaguars during the offseason and emphatically doubling down on it later, that means Pederson will likely not get the same long leash if the team doesn't finish with a record somewhere near .500.
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Whatever happens, Pederson, general manager Trent Baalke and some well-compensated players are plenty aware how the NFL business works. Losing tends to foster all kinds of change, maybe as soon as next week for Pederson if the Jaguars fall again Sunday to the hapless New England Patriots at London's Wembley Stadium.
Few expected the Jaguars to be in this awful predicament after six games, but all kinds of pink slips must now be on the table.
Andre Cisco speaking his mind only verified what a lot of us were thinking.
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com : (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars in crisis mode after Andre Cisco's tough judgment
