Why Mike Mularkey Is an Interesting Choice for Next Jaguars Head Coach

The Jacksonville Jaguars officially introduced Mike Mularkey Wednesday as the third head coach in franchise history. Mularkey was formally the offensive coordinator with the Atlanta Falcons from 2008-11.

Here is the confirming tweet: 

Now that Mularkey's hiring is official, can we consider this a good move for the Jaguars?

Time will tell the full story, but it's certainly an interesting hire when you consider the whole package that comes with Mularkey. 

For one, he's already been given the chance to turn around a dying franchise. Mularkey failed in that endeavor after the Buffalo Bills hired him in 2004, going just 14-18 in two seasons before resiging the position due to a disagreement in the direction of the franchise. The Bills failed to make the playoffs in either season with Mularkey in charge.

Of course, past failures don't ensure future struggles. But one has to consider past head coaching results when picking your first guy to lead a franchise, like new Jaguars owner Shahid Khan had to do in this situation.    

His hiring is also interesting when you look at the Falcons' playoff collapse against the New York Giants just a few days ago. Atlanta failed to score on offense and were completely overmatched against a Giants defense that had given up plenty of points and yards during the regular season.

Surely, the Falcons were expecting more out of their offense in 2011, especially after trading up to draft Alabama receiver Julio Jones in the first round in April. Atlanta never adjusted in New York, and that blame goes to Mularkey.

But with the negatives come a few positives, and the impact Mularkey could have on young quarterback Blaine Gabbert is likely one of the driving points for Khan's decision. Mularkey developed Matt Ryan into a winning quarterback in the NFL early on in his career, and he'll attempt to do the same with Gabbert, who struggled mightily during his first NFL season.

In the end, how Mularkey molds Gabbert will likely be the biggest factor in whether this hire works out or not. If Gabbert improves, the Jaguars could be a sleeper team in 2012, especially with how well their defense played this past season.

If Gabbert continues to struggle, Mularkey's time in Jacksonville could be short-lived.