Urban Meyer isn’t used to losing. He won over 85% of his games in 17 years as a college head coach, boasting an overall record of 187-32 over that time. That may be the reason why Meyer looked more stressed than the average NFL coach during his team’s second preseason loss this past Monday night. Adding to the Jaguars‘ winless preseason is the news that rookie running back Travis Etienne will miss the entire year with a serious Lisfranc injury.
As Jacksonville prepares for its preseason finale against the Cowboys, CBS Sports senior NFL writer Pete Prisco offered some insight inside Meyer’s first NFL training camp. As one would expect, Meyer’s first training camp has had its share of turbulence.
“They haven’t gotten off to a good start, that’s obvious,” Prisco recently said on The DA Show. “He clearly does not like losing, even if it’s in the preseason. I heard he had a rough go of it last week just because he lost his first preseason game, and that’s not an attitude that you need to have in the NFL.
“He’s got to change a few things. He brought a bunch of college-like things to the program which I don’t necessarily agree with. I’ve heard some of the players aren’t thrilled with them either.”
What specifically have Jaguars players not liked?
“One of his assistants on the field during practice with a boom mic telling everybody to hydrate, hustle and get to the next series,” Prisco said. “Obviously, he’s a work in progress. He’s been a good football coach everywhere he’s been. It’s a lot different when you recruit guys to your school and you’ve got a bunch of players, the five stars, then it is when you’re trying to build something.”
Given their 1-15 record in 2020, the Jaguars aren’t expected to be a playoff contender during Meyer’s first season. That being said, the amount of support Meyer has been given by Jaguars owner Shad Khan has brought added pressure for Meyer’s team to at least reach respectability in his first season. Based on how Meyer’s team look in their first two preseason games, it may take more than one season for the three-time national championship coach to get things turned around. That being said, Meyer and his staff still have time to right the ship before the Jaguars kickoff the regular season against the Texans on September 12.
“He took the job with the idea that Trevor Lawrence would be his quarterback,” Prisco said. “You’re drawn to that job because of that. And he’s been given carte blanche there. From everything he’s changed inside the building; they’ve added a bunch of new things, cryotherapy, all kinds of stuff, have been added to that building at his request. He has the biggest coaching staff in the NFL; it’s enormous. There’s a trainer, a stretching coach at every position when they stretch so that they all get the proper stretch.
“The team has gone above and beyond what he has requested, so now he has to win. The problem is that he said he has the best of the best with his coaching staff. It’s clear that that offense is a disaster right now. They have no idea what they’re doing. They don’t have speed outside. … They’re not a fast team and that’s something that he preached all offseason. They have problems, but they have a week to fix them and a couple of weeks before the start of the regular season. But right now they do not look very good.”
The Urban Meyer/Trevor Lawrence era has arrived! And what about Tim Tebow? The Jaguars are on the rise and you can download the CBS Sports app so you don’t miss any headlines out of Jacksonville. Favorite the Jaguars now if you already have the app so you don’t miss a thing from one of 2021’s most interesting teams.
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