2017 season review: Who was the Jaguars coach of the year?

The Jacksonville Jaguars went from 3-13 to the AFC Championship and the biggest reason was coaching. Sure, the defense was historically productive, but with a change needed at kicker in the middle of the season, a rookie leading the run game, the quarterback acting as an anchor, their best player on offense injured after one catch, and a patchwork offensive line, the coaches had to be great to squeeze all they could out of this team.

All that said — who was the coach of the year this season? The Big Cat Country team made their decisions below:

@AlfieBCC: Nathaniel Hackett

@ryaneatscake: Nathaniel Hackett

@zach_goodall: Doug Marrone

@marhsim: Nathaniel Hackett

@ryanobleness: Todd Wash

@J_Siettmann: Keenan McCardell

I’m surprised that offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett got as many votes as he did. I thought he’d get mine and maybe one more, but instead he won the whole dang thing. And it’s not surprising — when your quarterback is Blake Bortles and you have to scheme around his limitations, you’re going to have a challenging time.

But here’s the thing: Hackett actually made it work most of the time. While his play-calling was predictable at times, I don’t believe it was who he wanted to be but rather who he was forced to be by the quarterback he was handed.

I don’t know how I feel about Todd Wash as a vote. Sure, his defense was incredible, and his ability to cook with the defensive line was huge early in the season. But his inability to step on the opponent’s throat, especially in the AFC Championship game, was the difference between going down in NFL history and being a well-remembered performance until next season.

And the Keenan McCardell vote is a nice one. At one point, this team had Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole, and Jaydon Mickens as its top three at wideout — and they weren’t bad!

What do you think? Who was the coach of the year this past season? Let us know in the comments below!