Greg Olson Named Jacksonville Jaguars OC

After being let go by the Oakland Raiders in the wake of a change at the head coach position, former offensive coordinator Greg Olson has landed on his feet with another rebuilding franchise, this time in the AFC South with quarterback Blake Bortles as the newest OC of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Olson was with Jacksonville before his hiring in Oakland, and according to reports will be going back to Florida for another stint with the franchise.

CBS Sports reported Olson’s hiring, a move that was expected as rumblings have been surfacing for much of the month that once the Raiders moved on that the offensive coordinator could head back to the Jaguars franchise. Olson was the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach for Jacksonville in 2012, where his role was working with top draft pick Blaine Gabbert and veteran quarterback Chad Henne at the time. Despite a lack of success from both quarterbacks, it was enough to get Olson a job in Oakland where he had little success as an unpopular figure in the city amongst fans who came to despise his short pass heavy philosophy.

More from Just Blog Baby

Some could point out that in the early part of Olson’s Raiders tenure that the offensive coordinator wasn’t given much to work worth as veteran quarterback Matt Flynn, undrafted free agent Matt McGloin, and at times promising dual threat QB Terrelle Pryor all rotated through the position in 2013 to mixed results. Olson’s background as a quarterbacks coach never quite helped Pryor succeed even with his physical tools and despite Matt McGloin showing glimpses of an arm that could put points on the scoreboard, neither quarterback exactly thrived on a consistent basis with Olson’s playbook.

However Olson’s biggest concern was how he failed to utilize the talents of Derek Carr and Latavius Murray this past season as the Raiders offense came in amongst the worst in the league once again. Murray didn’t crack the depth chart as a feature back until he exploded onto the scene in a Thursday Night Football upset over the Kansas City Chiefs, and although Carr was the top rookie passer his stats were hampered by the fact that Olson would insist on at times questionable gameplans of short passes or runs on early downs while the team wasn’t gaining positive yardage on those plays.

Olson also served as the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay during Josh Freeman’s run as the team’s starting quarterback so his Florida connections run deep and there is a chance that with perhaps his best quarterback talent save for Derek Carr this past season that Olson can turn his career around with the Jaguars. Based on his track record in Oakland fans of the Raiders will find that unlikely, but a chance in Jacksonville at the very least provides Olson the opportunity to maintain his status as a coaching mind that is deserving of one of the few offensive coordinator jobs available in the NFL.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders News