The Jacksonville Jaguars once again find themselves as the NFL's cellar-dweller. Gone are the days of Sacksonville that struck fear in the hearts of opposing quarterbacks. In most years, finishing dead last would be devastating. However, with their pitiful 1-15 record, they secured the top pick in the draft. The consensus first-overall pick is Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence is one of the highest-rated quarterbacks reminiscent of Andrew Luck coming out of Stanford. He has the talent to turn a franchise around. Yes, that includes the Jaguars. To accompany him in this journey is someone from a rival school, but not on the field, but rather on the sideline. Jacksonville has recently hired former Ohio State Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer.
Head coach hires in the league are usually a carousel amongst those in the league, be it head coaches or offensive and defensive coordinators. Every now and then a team takes a risk and hires someone from the collegiate ranks. A recent example of this is Kliff Kingsbury of the Arizona Cardinals and formerly the Texas Tech Red Raiders. A common adage points to current Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban's two lukewarm seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
Here are three reasons why Meyer and the Jaguars might succeed.
1. Winning culture
If there is one lesson from the Miami Heat‘s unexpected run to the NBA Finals last season, it is that culture matters. Even with the departure of LeBron James at the end of the 2013-14 season, the Heat didn't tank. They tried to win with what they had and that culture started with Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra, which permeated to the players.
From 2012 to 2018, Meyer led the Buckeyes to an 83-9 record. They won it all in 2014 against the Oregon Ducks. There will be an adjustment mentoring adult men compared to college students, but hopefully, Meyer instills the winning culture at TIAA Bank Field.
2. Player selection and development
One of the biggest differences between college and professional football is player recruitment. Big schools like Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson can almost horde the talent in a year's class. Meyer will not have that luxury in Jacksonville, but he has Lawrence and that makes things a lot easier. Notable players that were coached by Meyer and are succeeding in the NFL are pass rushers Joey and Nick Bosa, running back Ezekiel Elliott, corner Marshon Lattimore and his teammate at the Big Easy, wideout Michael Thomas.
3. Brilliance on Offense
Meyer is willing to push the envelope, especially on offense. His spread offense helped pave the way for running quarterbacks to be more accepted in college. These are two trends that continue even at the professional level with the rise of players like Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Josh Allen. Whether he will use his “power football with a spread set” scheme or not remains to be seen. Nonetheless, we can be certain that he will put his players in the best position to win.
Follow Us
Subscribe