JACKSONVILLE – This still feels new, and it still feels right.
Tony Boselliis entering his second month as the Jaguars' executive vice president of football operations. As he sat down with senior writer John Oehser earlier this week for the first episode of the new series 'EVPodcast,' he said his feelings about his new position remain positive.
"It's not work if you love doing it – and it has not felt like work yet," he said, calling the position "an amazing opportunity" and a "dream come true."
Boselli, the Jaguars’ Hall of Fame left tackle and longtime member of the Jaguars' broadcast team, called the EVPodcast – which will run throughout the year on the Jaguars' YouTube channel and website – a way to "make sure our fans understand how we're thinking about things, how we're going to do things at the Jacksonville Jaguars, how we plan to build a winning culture, a winning organization, and ultimately reach the goal we all have – and that's to win a Super Bowl."
Boselli covered multiple topics in the first EVPodcast, including:
- Owner Shad Khan saying Boselli was "born" for the EVP role: "I've had a lot of jobs in my life, jobs I've loved. This is the second job that doesn't feel like a job. The first one was playing. That was my dream growing up, playing in the NFL. This is the second dream job I've ever had. I hope Shad's right, because that means we're going to have success."
- Head Coach Liam Coen: "Let's start with the Xs and Os. He does an outstanding job coaching, but what jumped out at me during the interview – and what has been confirmed – is the overall leadership he possesses, the ability to communicate. That is the job and he has the ability. He has a presence about him. Wrap that up with a lot of energy. He's going to go."
- General Manager James Gladstone: "Liam and I joke that he raises the IQ of the front office quite a bit. He not only has a very high IQ, he has what I would say is a very high EQ. His understanding of how to communicate and bring people along is really impressive. You got that in the virtual interview. What really was impressive during the in-person interview was his evaluation of the roster. He's a real talent evaluator."
- The EVP role moving forward: "It will always evolve. What Shad has laid out and what we all have stacked hands on is clear – that Liam is the head football coach. We all report to Shad. We're going to be head coach-centric. Liam's responsible for what happens on the grass. He's going to be the voice of this football team. That's non-negotiable. My job is to oversee all the supporting staff. James and I's job together is to make sure Liam and his staff and the players have everything they need to be successful."
Listen to the first episode of the EVPodcast in full on YouTube or jaguars.com.