This was supposed to be a season of change for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. I guess in a sense it was but the changes they realized during the season were not the same changes that were hoped for at the beginning of the season last summer.

First things first, the Jags had a brand new coach. The NFL franchise had plucked Urban Meyer from broadcasting to return to the sideline. Meyer had a solid track record after posting national championship wins at the University of Florida and at Ohio State University too.

Urban Meyer and the Jags
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
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The team also had a brand new "once in a generation" talent a quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. He of the flowing locks and Subway sandwich smile was fresh off an incredible college career at Clemson University. Heck, the Jags had even signed Lawrence's Clemson teammate and South Louisiana native Travis Etienne.

Yeah, things were really looking up for the team from Florida that didn't have Tom Brady or Tua Tagovailoa. Then the wheels not only came off the wagon. The wagon hit the ground and promptly fell apart and may have actually run over Urban Meyer in the process.

First Coast News via YouTube
First Coast News via YouTube
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If you didn't hear, Meyer was unceremoniously fired in the middle of the night. The last straw was his alleged kicking of a player during warmups. Etienne, I don't think ever got to play a down this year because of an injury he sustained to his foot. Lawrence made some really nice Subway commercials but except for a few bright moments, his year was "as expected" for a rookie quarterback in the NFL.

The dumpster fire in Jacksonville got so bad heading into the final week of the NFL season that many of the Jacksonville faithful had started a social media campaign that encouraged fans to show up at the game between the Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts dressed as clowns. A lot of them did.

Now you might think that was pretty cold-blooded of the Jacksonville faithful. Actually, when you consider the team had 2 wins against 14 losses record at the time of the game, it makes sense. You might remember Saints fans pulling a similar ploy back in the day when the Black and Gold were struggling.

 

As you might imagine, it was quite comical seeing so many clowns show up in the stands for the game but what the "clowns" did during the National Anthem is what sparked a lot of talk across the country.

One fan tweeted, "respect the Flag, not the team", and I guess that was the mantra that many in Jacksonville embraced. It also opened up a new Internet debate. You may have heard the debate about "is a hot dog a sandwich"? Well, many Jags fans now want to know "is a clown wig a hat"?

3 First Coast News via YouTube
3 First Coast News via YouTube
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Oh, and the underdog Jaguars did win the game. They downed Indianapolis by a score of 26 to 11. The loss knocked the Colts out of the playoffs and to make the day perfect for Jags fans. The fact that Detroit beat Green Bay, another huge upset in the NFL, Jacksonville will still retain the right to the number one pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Just goes to show you, why be good when you can get lucky. And why should you expect anything less from the circus that is the NFL?

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