One of the byproducts of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ run to the playoffs this season was NFL fans renewing their mockery of Urban Meyer.
Meyer, the longtime college coach, was hired by the Jaguars prior to the 2021 campaign but lasted just 13 games, amassing a record of 2-11 before being fired. A year later, the Jaguars went 9-8 and won the AFC South.
Meyer, however, isn’t ready to concede that the primary reason for the Jags’ improvement was better coaching in 2022. During his appearance on the “All Things Covered” podcast with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden this week, Meyer said the biggest difference between the Jaguars this season and during his tenure is the team’s personnel.
“They have a lot of different players from when I was there,” Meyer said. “They did a really good job in free agency this year.”
Meyer also pointed to the growth of second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence as a reason for the Jaguars’ improvement. Lawrence went from completing less than 60 percent of his passes and leading the NFL with 17 interceptions as a rookie to completing 66.3 percent of his throws and tossing 25 touchdowns versus eight picks in 2022.
Meyer praised Lawrence, saying he “might be a Hall of Famer someday.” He also said the opportunity to coach Lawrence was one of the reasons he took the Jaguars job. But he declined to say that Lawrence’s second-year improvement had anything to do with the team’s coaching change.
While Meyer might be convinced that he wasn’t the problem in Jacksonville, he’ll have a hard time persuading many fans to come around to his perspective.
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Publish Date:2023-02-02 05:00:29
