aguars coach Jack Del Rio fired five assistants Tuesday, two days after the team lost its third consecutive game and missed the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years.
Del Rio fired offensive coordinator Carl Smith, special teams coordinator Pete Rodriguez, quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson and wide receivers coach Steve Walters - sending a clear message that he believed the Jaguars were better than their 8-8 record.
Del Rio also declined to renew the contract of special teams assistant Mark Michaels....
...Anderson came to Jacksonville in 2005 after spending six seasons in Tennessee, helping turn former college quarterback Drew Bennett into a standout receiver. Del Rio hoped he could do the same with Jones, a former star quarterback at Arkansas....
...With Smith gone, Del Rio could promote former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Tice to offensive coordinator. Tice, fired after last season in Minnesota, was instrumental in turning Jacksonville's running game into one of the league's best.
Running backs coach Kennedy Pola also might be considered for the offensive coordinator position.
