Jacksonville’s mayor joined scores of Jaguars fans on Thursday in responding to harsh comments made about the city and its NFL franchise by a well-known ESPN personality.
Trent Dilfer, a former Super Bowl winning quarterback and NFL analyst for ESPN, told a Boston radio show that Jacksonville is a "terrible city for an NFL franchise" and called Blake Bortles the worst quarterback in the league.
“I know this sounds harsh, and I’m usually not the guy that gives the sledgehammer comments, but I feel strongly about that,” Dilfer told WEEI’s Dale & Holley. “I would not want to coach Blake Bortles and I would not want to be in Jacksonville.”
Dilfer’s comments come as the Jaguars such for a replacement for Gus Bradley, who was fired as the team’s head coach after notching only 14 wins in four seasons.
While Dilfer did attack Jacksonville as an NFL city, and the team’s quarterback as a bum, he didn’t directly attack the First Coast as a place to live, work or visit.
In response to the comments, the Jaguars called on fans to tell Dilfer why they love Jacksonville:
#Duval - some people don't think you're a great place to live.
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) December 29, 2016
Respond to @TDESPN w/ a photo & answer to #WHYJAX & we'll RT our favs. pic.twitter.com/6k2416UXZy
Mayor Curry, not surprisingly, got involved:
.@Jaguars just told my 11 year old son what Trent Dilfer .@TDESPN said about JAX. He's said "Trent who?" Exactly.
— Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) December 29, 2016
Here are some tweets from Jags fans:
. @Jaguars I'm a Jax native and views like this in the winter is #WHYJAX. Step off my city, @TDESPN. pic.twitter.com/K83S158QmB
— Carrie McLaren (@CarrieMcLaren) December 29, 2016
#whyjax #dtwd pic.twitter.com/dMRYLzYWL9
— Cornbread (@JAGSGIRL904) December 29, 2016
#WHYJAX pic.twitter.com/eEHDd0wt20
— madebytim (@MadeByTim) December 29, 2016
#whyjax because there is no place else I'd rather call home. I served here. I live here. I love here. #DTWD pic.twitter.com/HulauvYFNZ
— TealRooster (@catoe_904) December 29, 2016
no greater community. #WhyJAX pic.twitter.com/VgaG35kjvx
— Miss Whitney (@whitneyjayne) December 29, 2016
#whyjax #ThisIsDuval pic.twitter.com/K4znc5DuhM
— Erik (@ThatGuyEdub) December 29, 2016