Category: Urban Meyer

Alex Smith announces retirement

After a 15-year career, Alex Smith announced his retirement on Monday. The quarterback was released by Washington earlier this offseason.

After putting together one of the most inspiring injury comebacks in recent memory in 2020, quarterback Alex Smith is finally hanging up his cleats, the 36-year-old passer announced Monday.

Smith broke his right tibia and fibula in a game with the Washington Football Team in November 2018, and it took 17 subsequent surgeries to fight an infection and save his leg from amputation. He returned in 2020, starting six games and tossing for 1,582 yards, six touchdowns, and eight picks on the year. Despite lackluster numbers, the Football Team was 5-1 with him starting under center.

Smith was released by Washington earlier this offseason, and Jags coach Urban Meyer (who coached Smith in college at Utah) reportedly made a run on signing the veteran quarterback. Instead, Jacksonville eventually signed C.J. Beathard from San Francisco.

With Smith’s decision to retire, it seems the chances of a Meyer-Smith reunion would have to be through the former quarterback joining his staff — if coaching is something Smith wants to chase. He ends his career as the No. 27 all-time passer with 35,650 yards through the air.

Urban Meyer discusses push Jags made to acquire Alex Smith

The former Washington quarterback was released after returning from his gruesome leg injury in 2020. He played under Urban Meyer at Utah.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a bit of a loaded quarterback room at the moment. Gardner Minshew hasn’t been traded (yet) and remains on the roster along with C.J. Beathard, who the team signed in free agency from San Francisco. Further, Jacksonville is expected to add Trevor Lawrence in the draft with the first overall pick.

But with that being said, it seems the allure of bringing in a passer that Meyer has a lot of familiarity with continues to nag at the new Jags coach. Former Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith, who Meyer coached at Utah as the pair led the Utes to an undefeated season in 2004, is a free agent, and on a podcast appearance with Michael Irvin, Meyer said he considered bringing Smith in and that he may still do it.

“I wanted him here,” Meyer said. “You know, we talked to him about joining here. He’s had a tough injury. Of all the players I’ve ever coached, and I would tell people this when people didn’t know how tough he was, he’s one of the toughest cats I’ve ever been around.

“[…] We had conversations with him. There are some medical people in our organization that were very concerned. And remember, our GM [Trent Baalke] actually drafted Alex at San Francisco. So you have two people in Jacksonville that love Alex. It was that was deeper than a player, now. He’s like our family. Both of us feel so strongly about them. But that’s something that we’re just going to keep an eye on because I hope he comes back.”

The connections certainly are there for Smith. In addition to his experience with Meyer, Baalke was in his first season as a scout with San Francisco when the team drafted Smith first overall in 2005.

It seemed his career was at an end in 2018 when he suffered a horrific leg injury, but after a herculean rehabilitation effort, Smith returned to the field in 2020 for Washington. He’s 36-years-old and may be looking to call it a career, but if he has some gas left in the tank, moving to Florida and mentoring Lawrence could be an attractive offer.

Herbstreit believes Meyer’s high-profile status will ease pressure off Lawrence

The 2021 NFL Draft is two weeks away and the Jacksonville Jaguars will kick the annual event off by taking Trevor Lawrence – probably. When they turn the card in with his name on it, he’ll officially be the biggest star to be selected by the Jags, …

The 2021 NFL Draft is two weeks away and the Jacksonville Jaguars will kick the annual event off by taking Trevor Lawrence — probably. When they turn the card in with his name on it, he’ll officially be the biggest star to be selected by the Jags, which some feel will instantly put a lot of pressure on him.

However, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit seems to disagree with those sentiments. While he does think there will be a little pressure on Lawrence to deliver for the fan base, he told the media that Urban Meyer will be the one feeling the most pressure in the Jags building for the simple fact that he’s a high-profile first-year coach.

“Well, I think he’s going into a unique situation with Urban Meyer coming in there in year one,” Herbstreit said. “And Urban went out and hired Brian Schottenheimer and Darrell Bevell, a couple guys that obviously have a ton of NFL experience. I think that helps him. Urban Meyer is going to create an energy – I think it’s your question to me. I think that falls more on Urban Meyer shoulders than just the quarterback, and I think Trevor comes in, and he ends up ultimately going there.

“Obviously anytime you’re the first pick overall you’re going to feel some of that weight too. But as far as that franchise needing to go in a different direction, I think the timing for him is good because you’ve got a high profile first year head coach that has many people every week dissecting his every move as much as the quarterback.”

Herbstreit certainly makes a good point, especially when considering how the fan base already views Meyer from his days of great success at Florida. That same logic could apply from those watching from a national perspective as many fans and analysts want to see if he’ll have issues like Nick Saban did in the league, or succeed like Jimmy Johnson.

Herbstreit added that the circumstances would be different if Doug Marrone was still the Jags coach. In that scenario, Herbstreit stated that things would more so fall on Lawrence’s shoulders due to Marrone already spending multiple years in the NFL as a head coach.

Many journalists feel that Meyer has an uphill battle to overcome with this Jags team despite the assets they have to aid them. However, one thing that could help Meyer tremendously is the Jags group of skill weapons. With notables like James Robinson, DJ Chark, and Laviska Shenault Jr. in place, onlookers can’t rule out Lawrence having success as a rookie.

Darrell Bevell explains how Jags are constructing playbook

There are a lot of bright offensive minds in Jacksonville’s coaching meetings, and Darrell Bevell said they’re trying to blend philosophies.

Jacksonville’s offensive coaching staff is littered with bright offensive minds. Between head coach Urban Meyer, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer, there are a lot of people influencing the creation of the playbook.

One might be concerned about a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario, but on a recent podcast appearance with John Oehser, Bevell said they are attempting to blend the strengths of the different offensive coaches when crafting an offensive scheme.

“We have feelings of what he [Meyer] likes, what he wants to do, where he’s at – but then we’re able to blend where [passing-game coordinator] Brian [Schottenheimer] has been, where I’ve been and where [offensive line coach] George [Warhop] has been,” Bevell said. “We want to be able to blend all that together to be able to come up with the best plan.

“The plan starts one way, then once you start getting the players and start putting those players in, then that plan can morph. We’re going to make sure whoever our guys are that we’re getting – that we’re putting them in the best position to be successful.

“The more we get to know them, then the more it starts to move around.”

The playbook starts with the terminology and depending on which coaching philosophy your background is in, that can vary tremendously. Bevell said that much of the coaches’ energy so far has been spent attempting to codify and standardize the language of the team.

“It’s important for all of us to be speaking the same language,” Bevell said. “It’s powerful when your whole staff is aligned and has the ability to speak it the same way. We start on Page One, go through the cadence, the huddle and then we get into, ‘What do we call this when we line up in this formation?’ ‘What’s the best way to communicate?’ ‘Is that the simplest?’

“Everybody comes from a little different area. At some point, we have to pick a language for the Jaguars. That’s what we’ve been sitting in there doing.”

Bevell was asked what the team’s offense would look like in 2021, but he hesitated to give a straightforward answer, saying that it will depend on the personnel on Day 1. The Jags are expected to draft a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, and he will likely start opening week. Jacksonville may not know exactly how best to use him until he joins the team, so its best-laid plans could still change.

“The hard thing is, ‘Tell me who I have; tell me who’s out there on Day 1,”’ Bevell said. “Then I can give you a better answer on what it will look like. There are fundamental beliefs I believe in and Coach Meyer believes in. No. 1 is running the football. You want to be able to run the ball when you want to run it. Then when we get in the pass game, I want to be explosive. You want big plays. You want opportunities to get big plays and flip the field.”

It seems the Jags don’t want to overplay their hand now, but based on these comments from Bevell, it seems the coaching staff is comfortable with the progress it’s made over the last several months.

Josh Allen feels a sense of “rejuvenation” with new coach, position change

The third-year edge rusher said that he feels “rejuvenated” by the new staff coming to town and the change to a 3-4 front.

It was a disappointing season in 2020 for everyone on Jacksonville’s roster, but perhaps no one would like to put it behind him more than Josh Allen. After totaling 10.5 sacks as a rookie in 2019, he was limited to just eight games with injuries and managed just 2.5 sacks last year.

However, with the new coaching staff in town, Allen said he feels “rejuvenated”, according to a report from ESPN’s Mike DiRocco — both by the energy head coach Urban Meyer brings to the table and by the position change brought about by the new defensive system.

“It’s just a different environment, different vibe, like I just feel about this team and this year and this coaching staff,” Allen said. “It’s just I feel like I really haven’t felt this passion and this driven [since] I first got here. When I first got here I was all-in, I was ready, and then stepping back to this year, man, it’s just another … rejuvenation.”

Though Allen didn’t have any firsthand experience with Meyer before he was hired, he was well aware of his reputation at the college ranks. He said the two quickly got along, and Meyer has done a good job building connections throughout the team.

“The name has always stood out as one of the best coaches in college football in recent years, for him being at Ohio State and him coaching at Florida,” Allen said. “So … I always knew who he was and just having him as a coach, realizing he’s about to be my next head coach, it was kind of surreal for a little moment.

“When I did meet him it was like we took two or three days to get familiar with each other and now I feel like I’ve known him over a year or two years now. We’re building a connection and it’s not just with me. He’s building a connection with everybody throughout the locker room and throughout the building just in general.”

With Meyer comes a new defensive scheme. Allen managed to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie despite playing out of position under previous defensive coordinator Todd Wash, but the problems became much more apparent in 2020. In college at Kentucky, he played primarily as a 3-4 outside linebacker as opposed to the 4-3 down lineman spot he’s been playing so far in Jacksonville.

New defensive coordinator Joe Cullen has discussed the Jaguars’ scheme, saying the team will run a “hybrid” front that shows multiple looks but will include more 3-4 than in the past. Allen said he was thrilled to hear of the change.

“I was screaming it to my wife when we found out [the Jaguars were switching to a 3-4],” Allen said. “That’s the reason why I’m here [in the NFL] and then transitioning to play defensive end my first and second year was a transition, but it was a transition that I was willing to make and that I had to make and that I felt like I could make at the time.

“But now being able to go back to those roots that really got me here, I can really get more swag out there. In my terms, I feel like I have more swag. I feel like I can move around more. I feel like I can be more active in the front.”

Jacksonville will hope Allen, who it selected with the seventh overall pick two years ago, can return to the level of play he demonstrated during his rookie season with the new staff. And if he’s really more comfortable as a 3-4 linebacker, perhaps he could surpass it.

Trevor Lawrence impressing Jags with retention of scheme during Zoom meetings

The Jags have used their meetings with Trevor Lawrence wisely by going over the key parts of their playbook and he’s thrived in the process.

When April 29 arrives, there is a huge possibility that Trevor Lawrence will become a Jacksonville Jaguar with the No. 1 overall pick. For that reason, the team has been using their meetings with him wisely by going over some key elements in their playbook. And according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he’s impressed the organization throughout the process.

Earlier in the offseason, Jags general manager Trent Baalke revealed that the team was at around two meetings with Lawrence, both of which didn’t involve him and were coach-oriented. With each team allowed to have five video conference calls per prospect and draft ay closing in, the Jags likely have come close to hitting their limit on their meetings with Lawrence.

“You’re only allowed five virtual meetings with prospects,” Baalke said in March. “I believe we’ve used two up right now with Trevor [Lawrence]. I have not been on those. Those have been more coach-oriented. I will be on one as we move forward, but the restriction of five one-hour sessions per prospect kind of limits us to exactly what we can do.”

In addition to meetings with the Jags and other NFL teams, Lawrence has had a busy offseason between getting married to rehabbing from labrum surgery. However, it appears he’s juggled everything well, and according to Rapoport, he’s even started throwing again, though he’s not 100% yet.

It’s unknown if Baalke has taken his meeting with Lawrence yet, but if he hasn’t, it’s coming soon. As for the coaching staff’s approach with Lawrence, it’s good to see them putting him in position to hit the ground running when they turn in the card with his name.

Shaquill Griffin discusses how Urban Meyer is changing the Jags’ culture

The former Seahawks cornerback said that the Jaguars’ coach took an interest in him and his family during the free agent process.

Urban Meyer has had his fair share of controversies in his 15 years in the coaching spotlight. And those controversies were often discussed when the Jacksonville Jaguars made the decision to make Meyer, who had no NFL coaching experience at the time, the franchise’s leader.

However, in an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, new Jaguars addition Shaquill Griffin painted a different picture of the coach. He said that the way Meyer cares about his players was one of the major draws that brought him back to his home state after his contract with Seattle expired.

“You talk about bringing guys in changing the culture around,” Griffin said. “and you’re talking about a coach who cares about the players, cares about your well-being.”

Griffin said that early in his discussions with Meyer, the coach took an interest in his personal life, asking him about his family and such.

With the Seahawks, Griffin played under another former star college coach in Pete Carroll, though Carroll did have NFL head coaching experience when he was hired by Seattle. Griffin said the coaches may be a bit different stylistically, but they have the same end goal.

“I feel like the main thing is you’ve got two coaches who know how to win,” Griffin said.

Some NFL spectators are understandably dubious about Meyer’s odds of turning a moribund franchise (aside from one spectacular season in 2017) into a Super Bowl contender. But according to perhaps the top player the Jaguars signed in free agency, he has the ability to do it.

Maurice Jones-Drew explains why he liked the Jags’ free agency approach

Jaguars legend spoke with Jags Wire this week and revealed that he though the Jags made the right moves in free agency.

One thing that has frequently been an issue for the Jacksonville Jaguars recently is spending money on the wrong players in free agency who don’t perform to their contracts. That’s why former Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew is happy with how they handled themselves last month in free agency.

While the team did pay out over $83 million in contracts since the start of the new league year, their spending was wise in the eyes of most because they stuck to handing out multiple value contracts and still lead the NFL in cap space. The only sizable deal most would say the team made was to Shaquill Griffin, who received a three-year deal worth $40 million.

While some agreed with the approach and others didn’t, Jones-Drew told Jags Wire that spending recklessly during free agency could send the wrong messages, especially when paying outsiders over homegrown talents.

“I thought this free agency class was a good one,” said Jones-Drew. “I’m happy they didn’t really overpay guys because the Jags have done that in the past, which has hurt the locker room, which has hurt the team in the long run because those guys don’t really pan out. I’ll say this because I’ve said it before, but money runs everything in the NFL, right?

“If you get paid a lot of money, you become the leader of the team and people look up to you. No matter who you are. It doesn’t matter how good or bad you are [as a player]. So when you pay a guy, he better be worth every penny that you paid him. If he’s not worth every penny, and let’s say you pay him $90 million but he’s worth [less than that], guys are going to be like, ‘I can’t mess with him. They are paying guys that I am better than. Why don’t I get compensated that way?’ That messes up your locker room.”

This is an issue that seemingly came up when Dave Caldwell and Tom Coughlin were in the Jags’ front office. Sure, they had several hits during the 2017 season with the signings of A.J. Bouye, Barry Church, and Calais Campbell, but their biggest mistakes came when they didn’t want to pay their homegrown players. That included stars like Jalen Ramsey, Allen Robinson, and Yannick Ngakoue, none of whom are currently on the team.

Additionally, the Jags missed tremendously on some key signings, too, in free agency, which sent bad signals. A prime example of this was the signings of Nick Foles and Julius Thomas, two that many would say are close to the worst in team history.

Jones-Drew added that it’s fine for a team to want big-time free agents, but said he’s often expressed that the players who get big contracts have to play well.

“That’s something that I always try to tell the fans,” said Jones-Drew. “Yes, you want these big free agents, but they have to play well. You can’t miss on [big-time signings frequently].

We had the Julius Thomas miss, we had the Jared Odrick miss. We had all these guys we missed. Then you hit on Calais Campbell, right? Then all of a sudden, you take off. You hit on Barry Church for a couple years and take off and win. You hit on [Tashaun] Gipson and take off and win.

So you have to hit on guys that play well and go. But you can’t pay A.J. Bouye and not Jalen Ramsey. You can’t do that because you have Jalen covering the No. 1 receiver all over the place making pennies in comparison to Bouye. That doesn’t work.”

With Urban Meyer being more of a coach who players can relate to, maybe the Jags will be more successful with balancing who they pay off the open market and those they pay who are homegrown talent. One thing he’s done so far is focusing on acquiring talent whom the staff is familiar with, which could help tremendously.

When looking at the most recent free agency class, it appears the Jags may have the right players in terms of locker room leadership. As Jones-Drew said, Griffin’s contract will reflect how he is viewed in the locker room, and everything that has been said about him indicates that he’s exactly the type of player who can lead and prove himself.

To hear our chat with Jones-Drew, click on the media player below.

Look: Jaguars HC Urban Meyer meets boxing legend Mike Tyson

With boxing legend Mike Tyson in Jacksonville for a taping of AEW “Dynamite,” Jags HC Urban Meyer got a chance to meet him at Daily’s Place.

One of the unique things about the Jacksonville Jaguars’ facility, is that they sometimes share it with Tony Khan’s wrestling league known as All Elite Wrestling. That gives the team ample opportunities to meet with legends in the combat sports community, which was once again the case Wednesday.

With boxing legend Mike Tyson set to make a guest appearance for AEW and their mid-week show on TNT entitled “Dynamite,” there was some downtime before Wednesday’s taping for him to meet and talk with Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer. During the episode the two were briefly seen having a discussion in the flex-field at daily’s Place and even got a chance to snap a picture together.

(Warning: Spoiler for the latest episode of AEW “Dynamite” ahead)

Tyson has done business with AEW in the past, making an appearance where he got into a brawl with wrestling legend Chris Jericho. However, the two squashed their beef as Tyson came out to give Jericho a hand against The Pinnacle Wednesday.

Tyson has also attended a Jags game in the past and showed his support on the sidelines. He was at their primetime game in 2019 against the Tennessee Titans. The Jags went on to win that game by a score of 20-7.

Jags top list of teams who must do well in the 2021 NFL Draft

NFL Network’s Gil Brandt believes the 2021 NFL Draft has big implications for the Jags, as Urban Meyer will want to start on a high note.

Every year a handful of fanbases (or more) go through a period where the NFL Draft is a process their respective teams have to knock out of the park. According to NFL.com’s Gil Brandt, the Jacksonville Jaguars are in that group this year despite just naming Urban Meyer their head coach in January.

Brandt’s list had seven teams on it overall and the Jags were atop it. One reason for that is because of the Jags’ Round 1 misses since 201, which have hurt them tremendously. Another reason for the Jags landing atop Brandt’s list was because the team has so many holes to fill with their 10 selections.

None of them [the Jags’ Round 1 picks since 2011] remain on the team, and — with the exception of Ramsey — all were disappointments during their time on Florida’s First Coast. I think the Jags will finally break this run of bad luck when they take Trevor Lawrence first overall this year. Still, with the number of holes to fill on this roster, the Jags must do a better job with every pick here than they have in the recent past if they are to construct a solid foundation for new head coach Urban Meyer.

Jags coach Urban Meyer would certainly agree with Brandt as he’s said the Jags are currently in the biggest offseason in team history. With their 10 draft picks (including No. 1) and the abundance of cap space the Jags had before free agency started, the resources were/are there for the Jags to make a big leap.

The part of free agency where the biggest improvements are made has already passed. While the process wasn’t perfect for the Jags, they did bolster their defensive line, added and re-signed some solid pieces to the secondary, and added veterans Marvin Jones Jr. and Carlos Hyde on offense.

Still, there is a lot of work to be done when looking at the roster as they have a huge need at quarterback (which will be addressed by selecting Trevor Lawrence) and tight end. They also need some speed on offense, while the defense could use more pass rushers and a safety. With the team being tied for the most top-100 picks, they certainly can fix a lot of things, but as Brandt said, the overall class will need to be a superb group for the Jags.