JACKSONVILLE – Now's the time to reassess.
Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley said there actually will be more than reassessing in the wake of a one-sided Week 2 loss that quarterback Blake Bortles later called "pretty embarrassing."
Bradley on Monday said it was the kind of loss that requires immediate response to ensure no repeat performance.
"I think it does bring pause," Bradley said following a 38-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers Sunday in which the Jaguars trailed 21-0 at halftime and 35-0 entering the fourth quarter. "We all had aspirations of going in there and playing at a high level and we didn't. If we talk about getting better and being our best and that's what we're after … well, surely that did not take place yesterday.
"You have to dissect it and take a look at what led to this. Was it our preparation? Was it our mindset? Was it our discipline? What was it? Those are all things that we're talking about.
"We talk about what 'Get Better' looks like. That's not what 'Get Better' looks like. That's really evident.''
The loss dropped the Jaguars to 0-2 on the season. Bradley was asked if he considered the coming weeks important in terms of job security.
"All the intention is we have to get right," he said. "You are not defined by one game. If this brings us to the right places, then that's my concern right now. To make sure this game, this experience that we had, elevates our play and takes us to the right place. That is purely all the conversation we're having with our team right now.
"We'll be fine. We'll get back on this. Our players have been great in the meetings we've had. No one wants to get it right more than the players and the coaches."
Sunday's performance came a week after a four-point, last-minute, regular-season-opening loss to Green Bay, and also came with players having entered the game feeling optimistic about how they had prepared and about how they would play.
The Jaguars instead allowed San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers four touchdown passes – two in each half – without an interception while Bortles' two fourth-quarter touchdowns mattered little after two first-half interceptions and a first-half fumble.
The Jaguars defensively allowed 11 plays of 10 or more yards, including three passes over 40 yards with two of those plus-40-yard passes going for touchdowns.
"We all take blame," Bradley said. "It's not just the players. It's not just the coaches. We all shoulder the responsibilities."
Bradley said he was optimistic about how the team would respond.
"You really rely on the character of the team," Bradley said. "We've got new team members. I know we've bounced back before, but the character the pride of this team is great. Just my conversations with them …. there's a mindset of 'Let's get this right.' There wasn't a lot of good that took place [Sunday]. I think we owned up to that.
"Whenever you go through a game like that there are frustrations. There are frustrations as a coaching staff, as players – more that we just didn't show up and play to the best of our ability. That's what's frustrating.
"That's the feeling talking to our players, that we know we have the capability of playing to a much higher level and we didn't."
The Jaguars play host to the Baltimore Ravens (2-0) at EverBank Field Sunday before playing host to the Indianapolis Colts (0-2) at Wembley Stadium in London the following week.
Bradley said he didn't consider the upcoming stretch a "crossroads" for the season.
"We still are day-to-day and handling that way," Bradley said. "We have to get right. The meeting we had with the players – they understand it, too. They are professionals. They all understand that we cannot have that kind of performance. We all believe that we are a good team, but we just didn't play like we we're a good team. That's what we have to get back to."
Bradley added, "It's one game, one game when we did not play very well. You sit back and you reevaluate things. We observe what happened. We interpret what happened and now we have to apply it. I think that's where we're at now. We have to apply it. We must do it in practice and it has to carry over.
"The accountability is strong within this team. We all hold each other accountable, but we have to show these things on the game field."
