Category: Urban Meyer

Meyer says a timetable is set for naming Jags’ starting QB, hopes process can be ended soon

“In theory it could [last through the final preseason game], but I’d rather not.” Meyer said this week about the Jags’ starting QB contest.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer told the media that he does have a preferred timeline to name a starter at quarterback on Friday, but as expected, he didn’t show his hand and reveal it. Instead, he said it could carry on through the final preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday, but would rather it not drag on.

“I do [have a timeline] in my own mind, but once again, it’s conversation that the three people are having daily,” Meyer said. “In theory it could [go through the final preseason game on Aug. 29], but I’d rather not.”

These statements come after fans have started to grow impatient with Trevor Lawrence not being handed the keys to the offense over third-year quarterback Gardner Minshew II. Additionally, Lawrence has looked better than Minshew in training camp, and the longer he has to alternate days with the first team, the more getting off to a fast regular season feels unlikely.

As for Lawrence himself, he told the media that he’s not bothered by there being a competition on Friday and added that he would continue to look to take advantage of every rep he receives.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Lawrence said. “I think that’s the way to run a team, honestly. The best player has to play and you’ve got to compete. As a first-year player coming in, it’s kind of what’s expected. You want to compete for the job. There’s a right way to do things, and I think they’ve handled it great. We’re in a good spot and we’re just going to keep working, and I’m going to take advantage of every opportunity I get. That’s all I can really do.”

It’s unknown if the rookie will be the starter Monday against the New Orleans Saints, but offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said it’s likely. If that happens, Lawrence could see some quality reps if the Saints play their starters as their defense was a top-10 unit last season. And while Bevell told the media that preseason performances don’t necessarily affect roster competitions, one would have to think a solid night by Lawrence on Monday put the pressure on the staff not to prolong this process.

Urban Meyer discusses his desire for a balanced offense

Meyer talked about the moves Jacksonville made this offseason to bolster its run game.

After taking a strong-armed, accurate quarterback with the first-overall pick, it’s no secret that the Jacksonville Jaguars want to be a team that airs the ball out downfield. With targets in the receiving game like D.J. Chark Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr., and Marvin Jones Jr., the team will certainly have the opportunity to do that.

But some of Jacksonville’s other moves this offseason make it very clear that coach Urban Meyer doesn’t want this offense to be a one-trick pony. The team has bolstered its run game quite a bit, adding Carlos Hyde in free agency and Travis Etienne in the draft. Further, the team added two primarily blocking tight ends in Chris Manhertz and rookie Luke Farrell.

Meyer discussed these additions, and he said that he wants the team to be balanced between the rushing and passing attack.

“[In] free agency I think you see we hit that really hard with Carlos [Hyde] and [Chris] Manhertz and in the draft with Luke Farrell. We thought he was the best blocker in college. That’s one way to extend [the] run, extend the formation. I’m a big believer, I’ve always been a big believer in that, and so is Bev [Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell]. We’ve had that conversation, not recently but when I hired him, and I saw his history of balanced offense and he believes in that as well.”

Bevell is primarily known as a “quarterback whisperer” of sorts, but especially during his tenure in Seattle, he ran an offense that made good use of the run game, as well.

Starting running back James Robinson is coming off a 1,000-yard season as an undrafted rookie, and Jacksonville will almost certainly lean on him as Lawrence gets comfortable with the NFL game. And it’s clear that even once he does, Meyer wants the run game to continue to be a viable option.

Urban Meyer says Tim Tebow’s lack of special teams experience hurt his chances to stick with Jags

If an NFL player isn’t a starter, they most definitely need to be able to contribute on special teams — and that’s something that hurt Tim Tebow’s chances with the Jags.

The Jacksonville Jaguars cut one of the most popular figures in the football community in Tim Tebow yesterday, which made them one of Monday’s trending topics. The decision came when the Jags needed to trim their roster down to 85 players on Tuesday, which gave the team some time to evaluate what they saw during their first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns.

Of course, with Urban Meyer speaking with the media Tuesday afternoon he had nothing but respect and kind words for the player who once led his collegiate teams in Gainesville. He also said the decision came down to Tebow only being able to help on the offensive end and not on special teams like many non-starters are often required to do.

“It was special teams,” Meyer said. “This whole roster management is really critical as we journey here into the next two weeks. Two of the special teams phases are tackling and he had never tackled. That’s what I found myself and I still find myself, all of us. Every off day we’ll have a two-to-three-hour meeting about roster management, and it comes down [to that] because we expect to be very good on special teams. The tight end position is one of those [positions], and tailback, if you can’t contribute on special teams, that’s a tough go.”

When looking at the team’s snap chart, Tebow was the only tight end on the roster who didn’t see a special teams snap on Saturday. Even the Jags’ top-2 tight ends James O’Shaughnessy and Chris Manhertz saw at least saw one rep on special teams, so a tight end on the back end of the depth chart would definitely need to be able to contribute there.

As for his performance on the offensive side, he struggled with the blocking aspect of the game tremendously. He also wasn’t able to register a catch, although he was targeted once.

With Tebow’s time with the Jags up, it will be interesting to see what’s next on his agenda. Whether that’s taking another crack at sports or furthering his career as a sports analyst, it’s clear that he has many supporters, and the football community will always be keeping track of his next moves.

Watch: Jags Day 14 training camp press conferences

While the Jags lost their first preseason game, Urban Meyer says he saw many positives to take from it.

After having their first preseason game Saturday, then having Sunday off, the Jacksonville Jaguars returned to the practice field Monday for one more session before the first wave of cuts. It was an interesting day as Urban Meyer met with the media before practice to give his assessment of what went down Saturday as the Jags fell to the Cleveland Browns by a score of 23-13.

While it was far from a perfect game, Meyer tried to focus on the positives, which there were a lot of. At the same time, he didn’t tip his hand much when speaking about the next preseason game against the New Orleans Saints.

Meyer wasn’t the only coach to talk to the media about Saturday’s game, as defensive coordinator Joe Cullen had a chat with them after practice, too. The media also got to speak with one of the more vibrant personalities in the locker room in Jihad Ward, who came from Baltimore with Cullen this offseason.

Here are all three pressers from Monday’s practice:

Urban Meyer shares his assessment of Trevor Lawrence, Jags in first half

“I saw a guy who made a couple nice plays on third down,” Meyer said during halftime when asked about No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence.

Urban Meyer is currently on the field for his first ever NFL game, and though it’s a preseason game, he understands that there is a lot of work to be done. During halftime, he was pulled to the side to share his assessment of rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who had a solid debut that still could’ve been better.

“I saw good plays,” Meyer said about the rookie. “I saw a guy who made a couple nice plays on third down. I think he held the ball a little bit a couple times, which you would expect out him maybe. Instead of anticipating the throws [he was] holding on to it a little bit but we have a long way to go.”

As we’ve previously mentioned, Lawrence made two notable third-down conversions in his debut, displaying the poise we’ve known him for. However, there were times where he took sacks that led to significant losses, but that can be cleaned up down the road in practice.

As for the rest of the team and their first-half performance, Meyer liked some of the things he saw on defense, but wasn’t too thrilled about a few penalties the Jags received on special teams.

“Defense is hanging in there, a little upside down,” he said. “You miss a fourth-and-1 and then also two penalties on kickoff returns coming out of your own endzone. I thought some good things, but my gosh, when we are twenty yards and no points … We are going to have to have a good second half.”

The Jags ended the half down 13-0, and with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter, the score is now 23-6. Their lone touchdown came through a 5-yard reception to Tavon Austin (from C.J. Beathard) early in the fourth quarter, which put the Jags within 10 points at the time (16-6).

Listen: Jags Wire discusses Jags QB competition, Meyer’s preseason plans with 97.1 The Fan

Jags Wire joined 97.1 The Fan this morning to discuss the state of Jacksonville’s roster heading into their first preseason game under Urban Meyer.

The time has almost arrived for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first preseason game, which will take place at TIAA Bank Field against the Cleveland Browns. With the Jags enduring many changes this offseason between adding Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence, they will be one of the more interesting teams to watch this weekend and even beyond.

Jags Wire joined The Fan 97.1 of Columbus, Ohio for a few minutes to address some key questions surrounding the Jags as they inch closer to Saturday. Among the topics discussed were the Jags’ competition at quarterback, Urban Meyer’s debut on an NFL sideline, the culture he’s established, and a key player to watch in Saturday’s game. We also discussed our thoughts on the CJ Henderson situation as teams believe he could be available for trade.

To listen to the whole segment, simply click here.

Jaguars coach Urban Meyer remains cryptic about QB competition

Meyer declined to name a starting quarterback for Saturday’s preseason opener against Cleveland.

The collective imaginations of the Jaguar faithful are running wild after leaked videos and reports from training camp indicate that first overall pick Trevor Lawrence is as good as advertised. Though he faces competition from Gardner Minshew II, the incumbent starter from the last two years who has had a solid camp himself, the rookie is clearly the team’s most talented option at quarterback.

Lawrence will make his debut in a Jags uniform on Saturday when the Jaguars take on the Cleveland Browns at home in their first preseason game. Coach Urban Meyer confirmed on Thursday that both Lawrence and Minshew will play in the preseason opener, but declined to say who will start the game. He instead praised Minshew’s work ethic throughout camp.

“He’s earned my respect. I love that guy,” Meyer said, via NFL.com. “He’s a warrior, competitor. He’s a fighter. I told him that. I just got great respect for Minshew. He brings it every day, every day.”

Since Jacksonville moved into position to select first overall, the expectation has widely been that Lawrence would line up under center for the season opener against Houston, barring unforeseen setbacks with his health. He’s now fully recovered from the shoulder surgery he underwent in the spring, and it’s not expected to impact him during the preseason.

Asked if there was a chance Lawrence isn’t the starter for the first game, Meyer once again left the question open for interpretation.

“Is there really a chance? I think we’ll answer that as we get closer,” he said.

Meyer has been hesitant to speak authoritatively on the quarterback battle, instead opting to praise both Lawrence and Minshew. However, one thing he has said is that the team wouldn’t play Lawrence for the sake of development. If Minshew puts the team in a better position to beat the Texans, he will start the opener.

“If he’s not the quarterback we think we can win with — we haven’t made that decision,” Meyer said earlier this week. “It’s not a four-year plan. It’s not fair to these players. It’s a one-year plan.”

There’s probably some misdirection going on here, and Lawrence starting Week 1 is more likely than not. But unless Meyer has already made the determination and is just keeping his cards close to the chest, it seems the competition between Lawrence and Minshew will continue into the preseason.

Jaguars coach Urban Meyer offers condolences to the Bowden family

The Jaguars coach praised Bobby Bowden, who he called one of his mentors.

Legendary Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 91 after a short battle with terminal pancreatic cancer. The architect of the modern FSU football program from 1976-2009, Bowden is the second-winningest college football coach of all time with a 377-129-4 record to go with a pair of national titles.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer, who coached five matchups against Bowden while he was at Florida before the long-time Seminoles coach finally retired in 2009, praised Bowden and offered his support to the Bowden family on Twitter.

“Today, we lost a legend,” Meyer said. “Bobby was a great friend and mentor to me, and his impact transcended the coaching profession in so many ways. Sending love to Ann and the entire Bowden family.”

Luckily for Meyer, he took over at UF in the final years of Bowden’s tenure and never had to draw a matchup against one of his best FSU squads. Still, it’s clear that Bowden made quite an impact on Meyer in that short time, and the former paved the way for college football success in the Sunshine State, which the latter took full advantage of.

Bowden is survived by his wife, Ann, and their six children. Public funeral services will be held for him at the Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee on Saturday.

SI ranks Urban Meyer near the middle of the pack among new HCs

Meyer ranked fourth out of the seven new hires on Sports Illustrated’s power rankings.

Jacksonville coach Urban Meyer certainly has had his fair share of doubters since the Jaguars chose to bring him on this offseason. Meyer was a legendary coach at the college level, winning national championships at Florida and Ohio State.

But the 57-year-old has never coached at the NFL level before, even as an assistant, and he’ll have his work cut out for him as he inherits a Jags team that is coming off the worst season in franchise history in 2020. Given the spotty track record of first-time NFL head coaches, it makes sense that Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr ranked him near the middle of the pack among new head coaching hires.

To be fair to new hires who haven’t had the chance to prove anything yet, Orr ranked all seven of them separately on his coaching power rankings. Among those coaches, Meyer ranked fourth.

4. Urban Meyer, Jaguars
Staff strength: 7
Playoff chances: 25%

Meyer’s staffing has been fascinating thus far. Credit him for taking a leap at the NFL after establishing and solidifying himself as one of the greatest head coaches in NCAA history. That said, his time in the NFL will be far more restrictive than he’s used to and his staff will be shouldered with the task of bringing Meyer up to speed. Trevor Lawrence helps, but also hinders. If the franchise quarterback’s development stalls, the finger points at the head coach … unlike college.

Meyer is below Los Angeles’ Brandon Staley, New York’s Robert Saleh, and Atlanta’s Arthur Smith on these rankings, but he comes in above Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni, Detroit’s Dan Campbell, and Houston’s David Culley.

There will be a learning curve for Meyer, and being a leader for highly paid professionals is a lot different than leading unpaid 18 to 22-year-old college students. But he has surrounded himself with a staff of highly touted NFL assistants like offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, and he has a franchise quarterback to help him along — something Nick Saban, who Meyer has drawn some comparisons to, never had during his stint with the Miami Dolphins.

Meyer has a lot to prove and a lot of people to prove wrong at the NFL level, but he also has all the tools he should need to find success.

Jimmy Johnson says Urban Meyer has been “frustrated” by lack of contact with players

Jimmy Johnson said the lack of contact with players due to COVID-19 has been an adjustment for Meyer.

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.