World News – USA – Gene Frenette: Jaguars, Khan should exercise caution in hiring Urban Meyer

It’s understandable that Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan and one of college football’s most successful coaches, Urban Meyer, could have a shared interest in a merger.

One is desperate to find a leader who has a consistent history of enduring success. The other probably sees an ideal, and perhaps last, scenario for taking an NFL franchise from rock bottom to mountain top.

A tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter last week said that « at least two NFL teams » contacted Meyer to see if he was interested in finally taking the plunge into professional football. One thing is undoubtedly true: reports like these don’t come up when a Team Meyer may step on the tires or the coach is looking to return to the sidelines without Urban wanting his name out there as the hiring process speeds up.

It is certainly plausible that Meyer, who trained Florida to two national titles (2006, ’08) during his six-year tenure and also achieved the feat in the state of Ohio (2015) in seven seasons, made the NFL teams the green gave light to pursue his ministries. Or maybe, as the Toledo Blade reported, 56-year-old Meyer had informal discussions with the Jaguars about a possible job posting through an intermediary.

None of this would surprise anyone as Khan is expected to be fired sometime after Sunday’s season finale against the Indianapolis Colts head coach Doug Marrone. And also because a Jaguars coaching position that includes the chance to be the presumed No.. 1 Draft pick Trevor Lawrence as franchise quarterback seems like an opportunity Meyer would find most appealing.

However, since Meyer is one of the most polarizing figures in coaching, it is impossible not to discuss the value of his potential attitude by the Jaguars, even if it turns out to be only a brief flirtation.

As far as Khan is concerned, it only takes two words to chase Meyer: buyers, attention. This would be the epitome of a boom-or-bust attitude.

For starters, wherever Meyer has been in his two stints in Ohio State and Florida for the past 15 years, there has always been a three-alarm fire or smoldering ashes of controversy hovering.

Whether it was a denial of what he knew about former Buckeyes assistant coach Zach Smith, who allegedly molested his ex-wife Courtney or the 31 players arrested during his UF tenure, the suspicion was How Meyer conducts his program tends to be a constant thing. In Florida he had a reputation for being one of the most insincere trainers in the business, which earned him the derisive monicker « Urban Liar » among critics.

But while All America quarterback Tim Tebow was squeaky clean he was there to remove the stains from a program that gave too many character-impaired players second and third chances and the Gators won, Meyer got one Pass free kick. That is, until it all fell apart after UF lost the 2009 SEC championship game to Alabama, which led them to quit the retirement the next day and then retire.

Meyer withdrew from Florida twice, citing health concerns related to stress. He said he wanted to spend more time with the family and then returned to coaching the Buckeyes after spending a year at ESPN.

Three years after winning his only national title in Ohio, the government put him on administrative leave while investigating Courtney Smith’s allegations that she told Meyer’s wife, Shelley, all about the abuse allegations. After the board of trustees found that he was not adhering to the values ​​of the OSU, the University blocked Meyer for the first three games of the 2018 season.

Courtney Smith also punished Urban in an interview for not being more reactive. He said, “You have a duty to do something to help instead of worrying about winning games. ”

Nobody denies Meyer is a brilliant coach, and his 17-year-old record of 187-32 (. 853) at four different stops is proof of this. But a price was undoubtedly paid for his ambition at all costs, including his recurring health problems.

Meyer also admitted to HBO’s Andrea Kremer in 2014, his third season in the state of Ohio, that he was not well versed in the disciplinary aspect of coaching while in Florida.

« Looking back now, the biggest mistake, I’ve probably given some people second and third chances that [I] maybe shouldn’t, » Meyer said. « But this is someone’s son. I know in my soul that we are doing it right and doing the best we can. Did we make mistakes? We make mistakes. ”

How does all of this stuff in Meyer’s recent / distant past affect whether Khan should consider hiring him? Only that: One has to wonder whether the Jaguars can trust a 56-year-old trainer who, at a relatively young age, has twice completed highly successful college programs in order not to forego them.

Remember, Meyer went 83-9 in seven seasons with the Buckeyes and resigned for health reasons. That kind of dominance doesn’t exist in the NFL. Coaches are lucky if they win 50 percent of their games.

In his first year with the Jaguars – even with Lawrence as quarterback and the team flush with Cap Space and 11 draft picks – Meyer could easily lose nine or more games. How would he deal with 6-10 and 8-8 in his first two years and not smell the playoffs? What kind of coaching staff can he put together with all of the strained relationships his tough driving program has cultivated?

These are fair questions that Khan and Jaguars President Mark Lamping, who will have more leverage on the hiring process than when Gus Bradley and Marrone were brought on board, has to answer before seriously getting in on Meyer Considering.

It is impossible to know for sure how a Jaguars-Meyer merger could play out. No doubt, with all the health unrest in his coaching life, one could think that Meyer has to be convinced that he can withstand the NFL grind without putting himself in danger. But if Khan is so eager to hire a seasoned college coach, wouldn’t he be better off throwing a Brink truck at Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney? No burnout worries.

Honestly, it’s hard not to care about the jaguars that Urban Meyer may hire, but they also have good reason to be careful. As the story goes, he always comes with a lot of luggage.

Urban Meyer, Ohio State Buckeyes Football, College Football