In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette wrote the Jaguars “pivoted” from their reputation as a “stale organization that rarely ventured into bold, creative thinking and charted a new course” with the hiring James Gladstone as GM. The Jaguars have completed an organizational makeover that “should energize their entire workplace.” In hiring Gladstone, “you couldn’t have asked for a starker contrast to previous old-school, retread” in Trent Baalke. The move is “symbolic of a young generation of NFL personnel who bring fresh ideas and a new wave of thinking into the game” (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 2/21).
COMPLETE MESS: In Toronto, Steve Simmons wrote the Blue Jays have made an “extraordinary mess” over handling 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.‘s contract extension. In Blue Jays President & CEO Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins’ 10 years on the job, this is “their largest mess.” Simmons: “They don’t have Guerrero or [SS] Bo Bichette signed beyond this season. They have next to no prospects on the way. They have an old team with diminishing assets.” What they promised they “would do -- from Day 1 to today -- they haven’t” (TORONTO SUN, 2/23).
HOUSE HUNTING: The HOUSTON CHRONICLE editorial gave the Texans’ new stadium exploration a “thumbs down.” The editorial stated NRG Stadium “doesn’t have as many luxury suites as the homes of several other teams. Boo-hoo for the billionaires.” The board wondered would taxpayers “have to foot the bill for a new stadium?” Harris County has not “even paid off NRG yet. Plus, what would we do with yet another empty stadium in that parking lot?” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/22).
