Making the jump from the college ranks to NFL coaching is no easy feat, but if there’s one person who knows how to navigate it, it’s Hall-of-Fame coach Jimmy Johnson. A national championship-winner at Miami in 1987, Johnson also won two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.
And on a Zoom call leading up to his induction into the HOF, Johnson said that Meyer has been frustrated by aspects of coaching at the professional level, especially the limited contact with players as a result of COVID-19.
“He’s a little frustrated right now because he’s spent so little time with the players,” Johnson said Wednesday, according to USA TODAY’s Nate Davis. “He’s accustomed to being around the players all the time, and they weren’t able to do that because of COVID-19.”
The Jaguars were fined $200,000 earlier this month (with Meyer specifically fined $100,000) for violating off-season no-contact rules. As punishment, the team also forfeits two organized team activity sessions for the 2022 offseason.
Johnson said that the difficulties Meyer is facing aren’t unique to him. Every coach making the jump has to navigate the same areas that Meyer is now.
“There’s not a world of difference, there’s a galaxy of difference,” Johnson said. “As a college coach, I was a mentor, I was kind of a father figure, I did a tremendous amount of counseling with the players. They were young kids that had left home for the first time in their life, all the pressures of getting that college education, the pressures of the girlfriend, the pressures of living away from their family.
“So my relationship with the players was a heckuva lot different than professional players, who are really – they’re dictated by financial reasons, it’s a business, their agents are influencing them – so it’s a completely different relationship.
“It’s really a different world, professional football.”
However, Johnson believes that Meyer has what it takes to cut it at the professional level. He won three national titles between previous stops at Florida and Ohio State, and he’s not worried about the recent dubious track record of first-time NFL coaches.
“Urban’s very thorough. Urban has spent his due diligence getting ready for this job,” said Johnson, who spoke with Meyer on Wednesday morning and plans to attend part of Jacksonville’s training camp.
“He knew what he was getting into when he accepted the job. We had numerous conversations during the job process. And I think he’ll do a great job. He knows how important personnel is. He knows how to deal with people.”
Only time will tell if Johnson’s words ring true, but his praise is high for the new Jacksonville coach, who is expected to lead the team into the best era in franchise history with quarterback Trevor Lawrence on board.