Although Urban Meyer attempted to slam the door on a quick NFL exit for the USC job, his start with the Jaguars has not gone especially smoothly. Rumors of discord in Jacksonville have surfaced months into Meyer’s tenure.
A number of red flags emerged during the offseason about Meyer’s transition from the college game to the NFL, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who reports the rookie Jags HC’s temper has caused “repeated issues.” Meyer threatening coaches’ jobs has already led to unease among the staff, La Canfora adds, noting the three-time national championship-winning coach’s reactions to preseason losses struck many as bizarre.
This report emerged before the Jaguars’ 16-point loss to the Texans in Week 1. In March, Meyer certainly indicated he was onboard with steering a rebuild. It appears his demeanor early in the process has irked many in the building, which is interesting since the accomplished HC obviously put together the staff. While this might not be cause for alarm just yet, the Jags’ initial game effort left much to be desired.
The Jaguars have ex-49ers GM Trent Baalke in a GM role, but Meyer is running the show in his first year. That personnel power and the team being in position to draft Trevor Lawrence helped convince the Fox analyst to give the NFL a try. Meyer, 56, has run into a few issues along the way. After Meyer’s hire of Chris Doyle as director of sports performance led to a fierce backlash, leading to Doyle’s quick resignation, the NFL fined both the organization and Meyer for violating NFL OTA protocols. Meyer seeking to approach preseason games like regular-season contests also created issues, La Canfora adds.
Meyer’s personnel moves have brought some internal concerns as well, per JLC, and his using the franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson and essentially entrusting the O-line from last year’s 1-15 team to protect Lawrence surprised many around the league. All five Jags O-line starters returned from last season, which contrasts from the team’s changes at many other position groups.
The Jags have certainly invested plenty in Meyer, who is overseeing the development of the highest-profile quarterback in franchise history. It will be interesting to see if this situation stabilizes in the coming weeks and months.
I’m sure he’ll be faking another health issue shortly and will head for the next college job after the season is over.
I’m guessing it goes south in Jacksonville quickly and he heads to USC early in 22’, before Letter of Intent Day.
Just kinda strange he would take job at all if this is how he really feels
They paid him $12 mil a year, and he had the ability to draft Lawrence to see if he liked it. It’s like why not? Basically it was free money.
Winning in the NFL is more complex with free agency, salary cap, grown adults as players, etc.
At FL/OSU the key to winning was to invite a massive number of the country’s best HS stars and have assistants break out the coeds and pga punch….
Plus, in the NFL, the coach is NOT the highest paid human on the team…
Remember Urban also won big at Utah and Boiling Green. He did more than what you just said.
Please come to USC
Why would you want a guy who is a repeat offender of ncaa violations and then claims health concerns and leaves everybody high and dry as he bolts for the next best thing?
He sells tickets & merchandise. Bowl games have pretty good revenue as well.
But you’ll be left high and dry
Ohio State was in the national championship game last year. That’s neither high or dry.
Maybe he’s a UCLA fan.
Poor Jags can’t catch a break …
I agree, but they did this to themselves. Everyone and their European brother who doesn’t watch football opined that this was a questionable risk that Jacksonville was taking. Then, they compounded the issue by proclaiming Trent Baalke, a manager with his own history of questionable decisions and rumored personality issues, to be GM-seemingly because he was the only left in the building after Caldwell was canned. Caldwell gathered the picks, Meyer and Baalke spent them (also questionably), and now we have to see where they go with it.
Meyer was hired to sell tickets in an area were they see him as a God. Nothing more.
He will fake a heart attack and be out by week 10.
More proof coaching the pros like it’s college doesn’t work. Same problem Beilein just had in Cleveland.
That was exactly my thought.
Some of these coaches don’t adjust well to speaking, motivating, and treating older adults compared to young college kids.
But, at the same time some of these older guys get spoiled and become frustrated with these types of coaches. With cavs the players said they were practicing fundamentals too much. Here it said that Meyer was taking preseason too seriously. The dude wants to change the culture and win, maybe he went too far but he’s bringing accountability.
Sounds like Chip Kelly in Philly…
chip would’ve traded Trevor by now
Really? In his 3 seasons Chips only trades of substance were to get Sproles for a 5th rounder and swap McCoy for Alonso. McCoys time in Philly was over and needed to go, trying to fill a much needed home at LB didn’t go as planned.
I disagree with you regarding the necessity of McCoy’s departure (he was pretty good in Buffalo for a few seasons), but I do think that people forget how successful Kelly was at first in Philadelphia. He had two good years before the wheels fell off.
Of course everything eventually caught to him-mostly in regards to his on field predictability and lack of game management (going fast on offense will wear out your defense, for starters), but his management of the team and players was a big factor in his failure. In this way, yes, the big time college coaches tend to fail because they try to treat NFL veterans like college kids-maybe not assertive, maybe too assertive, or too controlling about their lives. They don’t tend to take what they perceive as authoritative challenges well. In those ways, and likely others that we’re not privy to, it’s likely that Kelly and Meyer are similar.
The guy at least deserves a chance to show what he can do. It’s not like he could wreck the franchise any more than Tom Coughlin did.
for sure, but it’s more likely he will quit on the team than the team quits on him
Oh a new coach is upset with a losing culture and expects more from his staff regardless of the time of the year? He is totally out of line… the world is so so so unbearable right now. GROW A SET!! If the head coach is threatening your job, do better!!!
@tjbarn….it sounds like you learned management skills designed for failure.
Exactly there is always someone better that would work harder and get more results in your job
How many times did your Dad say “bootstraps!” during your youth?
Oh no, he is mean and demanding to his assistants.
He just needs to get 1 more wide out, or
Flanker or split end and he’ll be fine
I’m not sure what he’s angry about. A blind man could see the Jags were going to stink again this year. No matter how much you beat your donkey it ain’t ever going to win the Kentucky Derby…
Ya but they looked especially bad against the worst team in the NFL week 1
He’ll be gone by week 10. Meyer is a college coach and nothing more
Nothing new or surprising here. An awful lot of very good/very successful college coaches washed out in the NFL. For every Pete Carroll, there are multiple Steve Spurriers.
Hubcap – Carroll’s 1st go around at NE was a total bust.
Not really. He just wasn’t Bill Parcells. They made the playoffs the first year. Also, he wasn’t a college coach first. He was a well-regarded defensive coordinator. He coached with the 90s 49ers for one.
It started poorly, it’s going poorly and it’s going to end horribly. You know, for everyone except him cuz he’s effin’ rich….
The one constant that is present with many of the Jags problems is Shad Khan. The hiring of ineffective upper management rests solely on his shoulders.
If he waits until December Miami, FSU, and maybe Michigan will be hiring