NFL

20 Reasons Urban Meyer Is About To Fail Spectacularly In The NFL

Darren - August 27, 2021

NFL

20 Reasons Urban Meyer Is About To Fail Spectacularly In The NFL

Darren - August 27, 2021

7. Can’t Handle Losses

Meyer has a fantastic winning record with Ohio State. He led the team to an 83-9 record with a national championship and three Big Ten titles. That’s incredible but there’s one problem. Meyer isn’t accustomed to losing. In fact, Paul Finebaum believes that this is why the new Jags coach will ultimately fail. He thinks that Meyer will self-destruct (via The Spun).

The ESPN analyst described Meyer as one of the worst losers that he has ever seen. While it’s essential to have a winning mentality, it’s also important to be pragmatic. Jacksonville is rebuilding after a 1-15 season. There’s no way that Meyer will instill his philosophy with an instant effect. It remains to be seen if Meyer can handle a team that expects to lose.

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6. Sticking To His Guns

Carlos Hyde reunited with Meyer after a frustrating 2020 season with the Seattle Seahawks. The veteran running back played for his new head coach at Ohio State from 2010-13 (via The Florida Times-Union). Hyde spent most of his NFL career as a backup but he’s enjoyed a lot of football so far under Meyer. The coach even used him instead of star rookie Travis Etienne, before the latter injured himself.

Everybody respects loyalty but some are questioning if this is misplaced. The Jaguars used Hyde as the second back off the bench but without great effect. They even tried a toss play that didn’t come off but would have suited Etienne’s style perfectly. Now, the rookie is out for the season so they’re stuck with Hyde regardless. It’s a strange situation but one of Meyer’s making.

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5. Zero Scruples

Speaking of Hyde, the running back is no stranger to controversy. During his Ohio State days, he received a three-game suspension for domestic violence (via ESPN). He avoided legal punishments but his school hit him with a short ban after bringing their program into disrepute. While this was a tough punishment, Meyer had no choice because of criticism he attracted for previous light penalties.

It’s also worth noting that the Buckeyes had a strong running corps at the time. Meyer was happy to bring his star back into the fold after the suspension and maintained a connection with him over the years. Clearly, as fans saw with the Chris Doyle fiasco, he doesn’t care about character flaws as long as they give him what he wants on the playing field.

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4. No Offensive Identity

The Jaguars played the Browns and the Saints in their first two preseason games under Meyer but failed to achieve a single touchdown drive (via Sporting News). Meanwhile, they lost their rookie running back Travis Etienne after he suffered a Lisfranc injury against New Orleans. It’s not been the smoothest start for Meyer and his coaching staff but they have to turn things around quickly.

After a miserable 1-15 season, nobody expected the Jaguars to become immediate contenders. But Meyer received a lot of support this summer and needs to capitalize on it. Finding offensive solutions will be an important part of their hopes of winning games. Unfortunately, the early signs aren’t good because they look like a team without an identity.

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3. The Lawrence Conundrum

There’s no doubt that Meyer’s fate rests in his rookie quarterback’s hands. The former Clemson star is arguably the most-hyped No. 1 overall pick of the past decade but alarm bells are ringing. Lawrence has an incredibly high ceiling but he is still a rookie. Meyer announced Lawrence as the Jaguars’ starter despite his shaky preseason. The rookie went 20-for-32 with no touchdowns in two preseason games (via Bleacher Report).

It’s too much to expect Lawrence to be an elite performer from the start of the season. Some NFL analysts believe that the Jags should even start the experienced Gardner Minshew for at least a couple of weeks. This would give Lawrence more time to adapt t0 the pro game without being in the firing line. However, Meyer is throwing the blue-chip prospect into the deep end and may live to regret it.

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2. College Approach

CBS Sports’ Colin Prisco reported that Meyer brought a college-style approach to discipline in the Jacksonville training camp. Allegedly this rubbed players up the wrong way because they don’t want their coaches to treat them like children. Meyer’s total lack of experience at this level is a major issue because the NFL calendar is so short.

He doesn’t have time to adapt to the league because there aren’t enough games. Meyer had an assistant coach with a boom mic telling players to hydrate and hustle. Allegedly this rubbed senior roster figures up the wrong way. The head coach’s volatile nature is well-documented but he has to realize that he can’t take a college approach to the big leagues.

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1. No NFL Experience

Meyer’s college achievements speak for themselves. But the simple fact remains that he has zero NFL experience. Furthermore, college coaches traditionally have a shocking record in the professional game. Only three took an NFL head coach role directly from college and enjoyed significant success (via Business Insider). Tom Coughlin, Jimmy Johnson, and Jim Harbaugh are clear outliers.

Meanwhile, the list of failures goes on and on. Great college coaches like Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin fell out of the NFL with a whimper. As did Steve Spurrier, Greg Schiano, and Bobby Petrino. There’s a reason why most franchises take a chance on a coordinator instead of going after college coaches. History isn’t on Meyer’s side.

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