On Sunday, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson had what those of us who live behind keyboards for a living might call a moment. He was flagrant in his disregard of a question about switching playcalling duty and flippant when a reporter asked if he was concerned, at 0–4, about losing his job. While the question was sensible—the Jaguars are headed to London winless, and owner Shad Khan has long adored the idea of his team building a legitimate footprint there—who likes being asked about losing their job?
As someone who went through a bit of employment turmoil back in the spring, I can honestly say that the near constant barrage of text messages about my ability to put food on the table at home were daunting. Even the well-meaning ones, which I found a way to spin negatively in my own mind. Thankfully, after 14 years in journalism at three different outlets, I’ve seen my fair share of mass layoffs and one develops a kind of callousness to it all. Callousness and a very deep appreciation for every day you get to do what you love. It’s a weird feeling, but it’s true that you can hold these two seemingly incongruent notions together at once.
