In just five seasons with the Jaguars, Urban Meyer made some headlines. While his tenure was short-lived, these 5 head-scratching moments are worth a read because they’re truly confounding.
The “urban meyer contract” was a short but puzzling tenure for Urban Meyer. The former Ohio State coach spent just 3 years with the Jaguars, and he had 5 moments that were head-scratching to say the least.
After one of the worst head coaching tenures in NFL history, Urban Meyer was sacked from his position as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars less than a week ago.
Meyer’s unusual tenure as the Jaguars’ head coach — which lasted less than one season — drew a lot of attention from players, commentators, and media figures. From beginning to end, it was littered with highly criticized choices on and off the field.
Trevor Lawrence, the generational quarterback everyone was looking forward to seeing in the NFL, hasn’t looked anything like that. One of last season’s rookie standouts, James Robinson, has been deployed in perplexing ways time and time again.
The list goes on and on, and Meyer’s tenure will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. As the Jaguars search for a new head coach, it’s time to look back on Meyer’s tenure in Jacksonville and remember some of his most perplexing times in charge.
Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew are the Jaguars’ quarterback battle.
Today, Gardner Minshew worked with the ones and Trevor Lawrence with the twos, but Urban Meyer indicated that on Thursday, the roles would be reversed, and that will be the norm for the rest of camp. #Jaguars
July 28, 2021 — Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco)
Lawrence was the consensus #1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the Jaguars elected to share repetitions with Gardner Minshew at training camp this summer.
Many people seem to have brushed this move under the rug, maybe because of how everything else in Jacksonville went down. Rather of designating Lawrence the starter from the outset, Meyer insisted on hosting a quarterback battle for whatever reason.
Now, Minshew is a fine quarterback, but in your first year as a head coach, you don’t bench your prized rookie on a rebuilding club. It makes no sense and will never make sense.
To make matters worse, the Jaguars sent Minshew to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a third-round pick. Really.
I enjoy Gardner Minshew just as much as the next man, but selling him for a sixth-round selection today demonstrates that restricting Trevor Lawrence’s first-team reps for a phony training camp quarterback battle was a waste of time.
August 28, 2021 — Martin Weiss (@martinweiss)
Unfortunately, this wasn’t Meyer’s first blunder in Jacksonville. However, managing Lawrence in this manner from the start seems to boost the rookie’s confidence.
Running back James Robinson’s unusual mismanagement
The James Robinson affair was befuddling to say the least. Robinson was anticipated to handle a large workload once again after an excellent first season in 2020.
That is, until Travis Etienne of Clemson was picked late in the first round. If Etienne hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, who knows what Robinson’s role would have been.
Robinson was battling with a heel and knee ailment at the start of December, but he still managed to play against the Los Angeles Rams.
Robinson then fumbled early in the game and didn’t return to the field for a long period. Was it due to his ill health? Was Meyer sending a message to the rookie RB to take care of the pigskin?
Meyer’s postgame remarks just added to the confusion.
“That’s an excellent question,” Urban Meyer said when I questioned him about it today. RB coach Bernie Parmalee may have wanted to get Robinson a couple more totes at that moment, according to Meyer. Meyer answered, “I’d agree,” when I suggested it didn’t seem sensible. https://t.co/T7gTmEb3GO
December 6, 2021 — Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco)
Can this be attributed to a misunderstanding? Or was it simply another error in Meyer’s coaching?
In a chat with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport after he was dismissed, he clarified it. Meyer said there was a misunderstanding and that Robinson was benched as a result of the fumble.
That wasn’t the first time that had occurred. He was in some big-game scenarios with Carlos Hyde, and he had a strange time with Lawrence, and the list goes on and on.
Overall, the way he managed Robinson’s use — particularly without Etienne for the whole year — was one of the most aggravating aspects for everyone involved.
Josh Lambo’s notorious kicking tale
I believe that, like with almost every other college coach who has moved to the NFL, many people are rooting for Urban Meyer to fail. This is, however, an on-the-record report that adds to the increasing list of claims.
Shad Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, must make a choice. https://t.co/5iRx0kVfJR
December 15, 2021 — Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer)
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times released a revelation that ultimately proved to be the last straw in Meyer’s career.
The story’s facts are astonishing, stunning, perplexing, distressing – you name it.
That is not the correct approach to take. It’s no surprise that Meyer’s players and teammates lost faith in him during his first year in charge in Jacksonville.
After the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Urban Meyer had a night out.
Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/Urban Meyer
Meyer’s backstory is lengthy. Unfortunately, his antics from late September may go down in history as one of his worst coaching mistakes.
Meyer elected not to go home with the squad after their 0-4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. That is generally a red sign and a reason for caution in and of itself.
What’s worse, Meyer was seen at a pub with a lady who wasn’t his wife, causing quite a stir in the sports world.
That episode sparked a flurry of emotions and landed Meyer in a deep hole from which he would be unable to climb. It didn’t help that the Jaguars were losing games, and Meyer’s perplexing choice rapidly went popular on social media, serving as an awful meme reminder for the rest of time.
Meyer’s actions was chastised by several sportsmen and TV personalities, including one of Meyer’s longtime pals, Tim Tebow.
The Jaguars have signed Tim Tebow as a tight end.
The Jaguars have confirmed that Tim Tebow has signed with them. Tebow is back on an NFL roster, and he’ll try to make the squad as a tight end.
May 20, 2021 — MarkMaske (@MarkMaske)
In May, Tim Tebow signed a deal with the Jaguars. This action was, to put it mildly, startling at the time.
Before moving to minor league baseball, the former Florida Gators standout spent time in the NFL, mostly with the Denver Broncos. That didn’t work for Tebow, either, despite the fact that he did make it to Triple-A with the New York Mets.
Despite this, Meyer phoned up his former Gators quarterback and welcomed him on board – as a tight end — over a decade after leaving the NFL. This endeavor was a farce from the start, and despite giving it his best, Tebow didn’t make the roster.
Meyer had to cut Tebow in August, and it must have been a difficult choice for him.
Tim Tebow, a tight end with the Jaguars, has been dismissed.
August 17, 2021 — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)
This list may go on forever. Meyer’s stint in Jacksonville started with tumult and concluded with much more trouble, despite how brief it was. With each passing week, it seemed as though Meyer had grown in some way.
What’s the good news? The Jaguars were allowed to dismiss him for cause, releasing him from his dreadful five-year deal, and they can now regroup and look for a new head coach.
Whether you like it or not, the Meyer period will be remembered in Jacksonville for the rest of your life.
‘He’s Got to Be In the Game,’ Trevor Lawrence says of Urban Meyer and the Jaguars’ mishandling of James Robinson.
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