“I’m really excited to be a part of this organization.”
Those were the words of new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey as he took the podium in front of 6,789 fans at the “Ready to Rise Rally” held at EverBank Field Tuesday night.
Along with Mularkey, owner Shahid Khan and general manager Gene Smith addressed the energetic crowd, as did cornerback Derek Cox and fullback/special teams ace Montell Owens.
The theme of the night was “all in.” Khan said, “Jacksonville, I’m all in,” and Mularkey said the culture around the building is “You’re all in, or you’re all out.”
While Khan and Mularkey both took the stage to thunderous applause, the biggest ovation of the night came when Mularkey introduced defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Mel Tucker to the crowd. Tucker, who took over as interim head coach the last five games of the 2011 season, received a standing ovation that lasted several minutes, and it was easy to see that Tucker was touched by the response.
The crowd also made it very clear to Mularkey who they wanted to see him hire as wide receivers coach – former Jaguars receiver Keenan McCardell. During a Q&A session, Mularkey was asked point-blank if he was going to hire McCardell, who interviewed for the position Monday. That question was greeted with chants of “Keenan, Keenan…” from the crowd.
It was a very encouraging night, with a lot of positive energy coming from all parties. It is easy to take it all in and have hope that the future is bright for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
