Jack Del Rio, fired by the Jaguars after eight-plus seasons, says he never lost control of the team. "I never gave into that," Del Rio said when asked if his firing was inevitable. "There was certainly plenty of that kind of speculation," he added. "Any time an owner makes a statement like, 'You better be in the playoffs or else,' and then you end up starting the year the way we started, the reality is it was tough. "But we never gave in to that, the players never gave in to that. I think when you look at the way the team is fighting, competing, you really should be proud of that. No one likes to lose." Even as the Jaguars continued to lose, Del Rio said it "was not even close" that he lost the locker room. He said he addressed the team after finding out about his firing Tuesday morning. "I told them they need to continue to do the right things," he said. "That even when it didn't feel good, even it when it doesn't go the way you like, fight for what's right, there's something worthwhile there. "Having the courage to stay strong when things are tough, it speaks to your character. I encouraged them to continue, because they've been doing that for me."