Just when you think Urban Meyer couldn't possibly do or say anything to further embarrass the Jacksonville Jaguars organization, the first-year head coach managed to do just that. While discussing the development of rookie safety Andre Cisco with reporters, Meyer gave an answer that left just about everyone dumbfounded, via Demetrius Harvey.
#Jaguars HC Urban Meyer was asked about Andre Cisco playing more (again). He said “Cisco is playing a little bit more, I believe, I don’t have his numbers in front of me”
Cisco played 0 defensive snaps yesterday.
— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) December 13, 2021
Meyer was absolutely clueless about the number of snaps the Jaguars' rookie received during Sunday's brutal loss to the rival Tennessee Titans. Rather than just admit he wasn't sure, Meyer claimed he believed Cisco was “playing a little bit more” of late. In reality, Cisco logged a grand total of zero defensive snaps in Week 14. Cisco did feature on 17 special teams plays for Jacksonville, but Meyer's response indicated he was wholly unaware of that fact, too.
This marks the sixth time this season that Cisco has been left on the bench, and the Jaguars' 2021 third-round pick hasn't played in more than 20% of the team's defensive snaps since Week 2. For a team that's so obviously rebuilding, Meyer is dangerously out of touch with the progress of his young players, even ones the team invested significant draft capital into.
Article Continues BelowAs Harvey pointed out, this isn't the first time reporters broached the subject of Cisco's playing time to Meyer, but it seems that despite the frequent questions regarding the 21-year-old, Meyer hasn't bothered to take a closer look.
We're not saying Meyer needs to know the exact snap count of every single Jaguars player by heart. But to suggest a rookie is developing and getting the playing time he needs, when in reality he didn't get on the field for a single defensive snap, is a pretty concerning admission from the Jaguars' boss.