Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan has been telling anyone who will listen of late that he expects his team to win in 2016.
That started back in October in an interview with Around The NFL and NFL.com in which Khan said he was "at the stage now where we'll be seeing some of the results."
He added of the process: "I'm very, very optimistic and believe in what they are doing. It's frustrating and maddening at times, but if you know football, regrettably it's the right thing to do."
It continued Monday in an interview with USA Today in which Khan expressed his confidence in this year's unit -- undoubtedly the best team on paper that general manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley have put together yet.
"Now, we have the talent in place, and I think if you are a Jaguars fan, you should be excited and you should have some expectations that we're going to be a sustainable, winning organization now," Khan told USA Today. "I have expectations that not only are we going to be better, but we're going to be sustainable and this isn't going to be a flash in the pan where we're just going to flame out."
Khan's words shouldn't be interpreted with any malice (he is not saying it's win or else right now). Unlike many other owners, he understands the talent gap that Caldwell was presented with at the time of his signing and knows just how far teams have to go in order to bring a roster up to speed. He's also excited to be in the playoff conversation with a potential franchise quarterback and a Pro Bowl receiver in tow.
For Khan, and Caldwell especially, this is the sweet spot: After years of toiling and turnover, their team is in excellent shape -- one good enough to win 10 games and make the playoffs. Will that happen? No one can be sure, but there is no doubt that the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts will have tougher sledding to win the division.
