Gus Bradley said his goodbyes to Jacksonville.
During a farewell press conference Monday, less than 24 hours after he was officially let go by the club, the team's former head coach lamented the fact that he will not be around to see the rebuild through.
"I'd just like to be here with this team when it's successful," Bradley said, via the Times-Union. "I do really believe this fan base is unbelievable. The regret I have is not seeing these players and all the -- when you go through something that's hard and then you come through it and have success, you say 'That's why we do it.'
"And then [to] see a stadium that's filled like when you told me about when they came back from the playoffs and the plane flew around the stadium and the stadium was filled. I kept envisioning that part of it where the city would go wild and the players would connect to the following."
His farewell was extraordinarily positive -- a nod from Bradley to the owner and general manager who kept him on despite just 14 wins in four seasons. He said if a prospective Jaguars head coach wanted to reach out with questions about the organization, he'd only have good things to say.
"I just got let go and I'm telling you this place is phenomenal, this owner is phenomenal and the players are hungry. Good situation," Bradley said, according to CBS47/FOX30.
He added: "What's my next opportunity? I don't know but whatever it is I'm going to pour my heart and soul into it man."
With two games remaining under an interim head coach -- offensive line coach Doug Marrone -- the parting of ways between Bradley and Jacksonville could not have gone smoother. Unlike Jeff Fisher's ouster in Los Angeles, which yielded a slightly vengeful interview from the long-time Rams coach, Bradley seemed to understand that this was coming. He knew that this was the year Jacksonville earmarked for a return to the postseason after years of roster turnover.
"I take full responsibility for it," Bradley said. "I have no excuses. I have no misgivings. There is nothing I look back on and say, 'Would have, could have.' I understand the NFL is a business and it is results oriented and we didn't get it done."
Known as one of the NFL's good guys, it would not be a surprise to see Bradley on the sidelines next season as a defensive coordinator or position coach. He said his main priority right now is ensuring that everyone in his household has a good Christmas.
