HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 28: Shahid Khan, the billionaire owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, waits on the field before their game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 28, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

The way to know things are not going well for your NFL franchise is when you, as the owner, have to make multiple statements throughout the course of the season defending your reason for continuing to employ your head coach.

That’s where Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan finds himself on Tuesday, having had to publicly defend head coach Urban Meyer once again following reports that he was clashing with players and coaches behind the scenes in the midst of a 2-11 nightmare season.

Khan, speaking with ESPN, said that while he is aware of the situation, he doesn’t want to make any drastic decisions before the full picture has been made clear.

“I want to do the right thing for the team. I want to do the right thing for the city,” Khan said. “That, to me, is way more important than just acting helter-skelter on emotion. I think we have a history of really looking at the facts and then really doing the right thing.

“Gus Bradley was here four years. Doug Marrone was here four years. It was wins and losses and this is a little bit different but, you know, I’m going to reflect on all of that and do what’s the right thing for the team and the right thing for the city.”

The difference between the Gus Bradley era and Doug Marrone era and what’s happening under Urban Meyer is that the issues those coaches didn’t bring the kind of baggage with them that Meyer has. Between the viral video scandal, the multiple reports of player discontent, the lack of accountability, and moments where it seems like he’s not clear what’s happening, Meyer continues to create the kind of distractions and unnecessary news stories that he claims to abhor. And whether or not the media is “out to get him,” they clearly smell blood in the water either way.

Khan did admit that this season is different because of the spotlight that hiring someone like Urban Meyer brought with him.

“In the past, it was like you were, quote, it’s like the lowly Jaguars, and everyone left you alone,” Khan said. “Now the scrutiny we have is really something different. How much of that is we’re bringing it upon ourselves, or how much of that is deserved? Urban, he won wherever he was. This is something he’s never dealt with.

“And when you win in football you create enemies, OK, and the only way you can really deal with that is you’ve got to win again.”

Khan reportedly met with the Jaguars’ assistant coaches on Monday to discuss the situation, but also to clearly send a message that no one should be leaking inside information to the media. You’d think that the point of that meeting might be to understand why some of them might feel so desperate as to try to force Urban’s hand publicly. But instead, it sounds like Khan is pushing all his chips into the table with Meyer, for better or worse.

[ESPN]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.