Teams Jacksonville Jaguars - Touchdown Town

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Or maybe not.....


Michael Lombardi reports the Jaguars have held "many closed-door meetings ... over the last two days in the football offices and none of them have anything to do with the Titans."
It's likely that Urban Meyer's disastrous eight months as Jacksonville's head coach, capped off by an embarrassing video of Meyer in an Ohio bar last week, prompted the closed-door discussions. Meyer offered a muted apology on Monday for the video, which caught fire on social media and raised questions about Meyer not traveling with the Jaguars after a Thursday night loss to the Bengals. Maybe Jaguars brass wants more contrition from their head coach, or maybe they're ready to cut ties in a decidedly failed experiment. The ensuing chaos of Meyer's potential departure would surely trickle down to the team's players, many of whom complained about Meyers' tactics this summer.
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SOURCE: Michael Lombardi on Twitter
Oct 5, 2021, 9:48 AM ET
 
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Report: Things “might get ugly” for Urban Meyer in Jacksonville

Posted by Mike Florio on October 5, 2021, 10:12 AM EDT


The Urban Meyer situation in Jacksonville is bad. It could get worse.

Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi posted an ominous tweet on Tuesday, a day after Meyer addressed during a press conference the social-media uproar over photos and videos of the Jaguars coach with women other than his wife.

“According to two Jacksonville sources, there are many closed-door meetings happening over the last two days in the football offices and none of them have anything to do with the Titans,” Lombardi said. “Stay tuned. This might get ugly.”

It’s already ugly. Meyer, after a loss he described as “devastating, heartbreaking,” did not return with his team to Jacksonville. He says he stayed in Ohio to visit his grandchildren. Unless that’s some sort of euphemism, he definitely was not with his grandchildren for part of the stay in Ohio.

Meyer’s judgment and lack of self-awareness is stunning. Apart from engaging in behavior of which his family (specifically, his wife) would not approve, he did it in a public place. Posing for photos. And ignoring the reality that, even when not smiling for the cameras, the cameras are still watching.

What did he think would happen? Did Meyer, whose quarter-zip top displayed an Ohio State logo, think he still had sufficient power and influence in Ohio to ensure that no one would post the photos or videos on social media? Or does he just not understand how the world currently works?

Regardless, whatever flaw in his brain caused him to think the situation wouldn’t create a storm of scrutiny and controversy arguably can manifest itself in all sorts of other ways, including within the confines of the many judgments he makes as a football coach.

Meyer ultimately needs to have credibility in a locker room full of adult males, most if not all of whom are surely raising an eyebrow and wondering what’s wrong with the guy who is responsible for their collective professional fates. Will they still listen to him? Will they still follow him? Will they question every decision he makes, every strategy he employs?

Apart from whether the Jaguars decide to end the relationship with Meyer, it becomes difficult to envision Meyer continuing in the job. He acknowledged on Monday that his family is upset. His wife undoubtedly is the most upset of the bunch. And for Meyer to achieve and maintain the very fragile balance of putting so much of his time and effort into coaching an NFL team, he needs Mrs. Meyer to be fully on board with it. Otherwise, an incredibly demanding and challenging job becomes virtually impossible to perform.

Before seeing Lombardi’s tweet (and some in league circles strongly believe one of his sources is Jaguars G.M. Trent Baalke), I said on PFT Live that it’s hard to imagine Meyer returning in 2022. At this point, he may not make it to the end of 2021.

At this point, he may not make it to the end of the week.
 
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Jaguars so-called coach Urban Meyer said "the ownership of this team is with the players.”
During his weekly radio show with 1010XL AM, Meyer went on a long fake spiel about "earning the players trust back" following his viral videos after skipping the team flight and attempting to "move forward" with the locker room in unison. He also said "the ownership of this team is with the players," suggesting it's the 53-man roster that he singlehandedly ignored and destroyed that's to blame for Jacksonville's 0-4 start. Owner Shad Kahn reaffirmed his confidence (and disappointment) in Meyer on Tuesday but this fairy tale is headed in one obvious direction. A multi-score loss to Tennessee on Sunday would be damning.
SOURCE: Mark Long on Twitter
Oct 5, 2021, 5:52 PM ET
 
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Jaguars owner Shad Khan said head coach Urban Meyer's conduct last week at an Ohio bar was "inexcusable."
Khan said he "addressed" the controversial social media video with Meyer, who must now "regain our trust and respect." Khan has chosen to extend the franchise's nightmarish melodrama. It appears Meyer has avoided the pink slip -- for now. Meyer, per reports from Sports Illustrated's Mike Silver, may have already lost the Jaguars locker room. Players told Silver that Meyer has "zero credibility" among the team and that players laughed at his awkward apology for being caught on camera getting cozy with a much younger woman in a bar following the team's Week 4 loss to the Bengals. Silver reported players "were particularly put off by the fact that Meyer canceled Monday's team meeting" while he dealt with the fallout of his latest controversy. Meyer's chances of finishing the season as the Jags' head coach are markedly worse today than they were yesterday.

SOURCE: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
Oct 5, 2021, 11:21 AM ET
 
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Urban Meyer’s explanation for Chris Doyle’s departure has fresh relevance

Posted by Mike Florio on October 5, 2021, 3:20 PM EDT

The first dose of NFL reality for Urban Meyer came from the reaction to his effort to hire Chris Doyle to serve as the team’s director of sports performance. Many loudly questioned the move given the accusations of a history of racist remarks made by Doyle while working for the University of Iowa football program.

Meyer moved quickly to sever ties with Doyle. Meyer explained the decision by citing a desire to avoid distractions.

I saw the impact of the decision and the distraction it caused,” Meyer said at the time. “The most important part of the organization is and always will be our players, and I just — we both felt, we all felt, when I say both, Trent [Baalke] and myself, and then Chris Doyle felt it was best, that this team didn’t need [any distractions].

Everything’s going too well. We hired an excellent staff. We don’t need a distraction, and [to] move forward is the best interest of all.”

Although Doyle himself was the source of the distraction, Meyer caused the distraction by hiring Doyle.

More recently, Meyer provides both the distraction and the cause of it. His reasoning from March has fresh relevance, given the ongoing situation in Jacksonville arising from Meyer’s Ohio misadventures.

The only difference, of course, is that “everything’s” not “going too well.” Some would say that’s all the more reason for Meyer to step aside and alleviate the distraction.

Owner Shad Khan suggested in Tuesday’s statement that Meyer won’t be fired. However, Khan’s strong language coupled with the team’s current uphill climb could make Meyer more inclined to tap out and walk away, like he previously did in both Gainesville and Columbus.

There were suggestions on Tuesday morning that the Jaguars were looking for a way to fire Meyer for cause, shutting off his entitlement to the balance of his contract. If he resigns, he gets nothing.

It’s possible that the Jaguars and Meyer will try to negotiate a partial loaf that gives him some of what he’s owed in exchange for walking away now. That’s the cleanest and easiest way for everyone to move on, if that’s where this is heading.
 
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“One player told me, ‘He has zero credibility in that stadium. He had very little to begin with.'”

Silver adds that players were “particularly put off” by the cancellation of a Monday team meeting. “He was too scared,” an unnamed player told Silver.

Meyer reportedly “apologized to position groups individually,” and he claimed that the woman in the videos that surfaced was “just there dancing.” Silver says the audience was “highly skeptical.”

“We looked at him like, WTF?” an unnamed player told Silver. “Right when he left everyone started dying laughing. And he knew it.”

‘It’s bad,” the unnamed player told Silver. “I don’t know how he’s gonna function.”

This supports our theory that owner Shad Khan opted for a strong statement over a pink slip, because a resignation could be coming, if/when Meyer realizes that it will be impossible for him to lead, to teach, to inspire.

Frankly, this feels like a calculated effort to put enough heat on Meyer so that he will walk away (thus forfeiting his contract/salary).
 
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Maybe he's trying his best to get fired so he can go back to college, rather than quit and look like petrino etc

Can't imagine that any of this is deliberate and planned.

The conversations on the home front would not be pleasant. The players are laughing at him. He's lost a whole lot of respect... How can he be taken seriously after this?
 

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The full quote is even shittier...

“The ownership of this team is with the players,” Meyer said, regarding the question of getting the team ready to play the Titans on Sunday. “I don’t believe that’s in my court. . . . The leaders on the team are going to make that decision. It depends on how much trust you have built up with them, how we structure everything this week and focus on winning that game. . . . I’m going to be extremely clear as I can. Our staff is working their tails off. But you know as well as I do that the ownership of this team is with the players.”
 
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Trevor Lawrence: Urban Meyer is still my head coach and I still respect him

Posted by Myles Simmons on October 6, 2021, 3:51 PM EDT

The most important line in Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s Tuesday statement on Urban Meyer was that the head coach needed to “regain our trust and respect” in the aftermath of his weekend controversy.

But the most important player in Jacksonville’s organization said on Wednesday that Meyer still has both.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who turned 22 on Wednesday, was peppered in his weekly press conference with questions about his head coach. But Lawrence deftly fielded each one, publicly backing Meyer after what’s been a rough few days for the organization.

“I think everything’s been right on schedule like normal. I think we’ve operated well,” Lawrence said. “But at the end of the day, I can speak for myself for sure and I think — or I know most of the team feels this way: He’s still my head coach. I still respect him, regardless of what happens. Like I said, we’re a team and we’re figuring it out. So, we’re all good. We had a great day of practice today and we’re all still working.”

Lawrence said he didn’t “feel any type of way” after Meyer mentioned the quarterback’s bachelor party as an example of how, as a coach, he usually tells players to be smart. And Lawrence noted he thought Meyer addressing the team was great on Wednesday because the coach was upfront and apologized.

“I think he’s done right by us,” Lawrence said. “And we’re a team and we’re sticking together. Just because something happens that puts a little stress on it, that doesn’t mean you give up and just go your separate ways. You figure it out and work through it. So that’s what we’re doing and I feel good about our team. Nothing’s changed. We’re still really tight. So we’re just looking forward to playing the Titans this weekend and getting back on track.”

But Meyer was certainly aided by Lawrence’s comfort with the spotlight in this press conference. When the quarterback was asked when he knew Meyer wasn’t on the team plane back to Jacksonville, he said he was unaware of it and then did his best to turn the conversation back to football.

“I feel like, at this point, we’ve all addressed everything,” Lawrence said. “Everyone knows the situation, the details. It is what it is. Like I said, I’m still going to respect him. He’s our coach. I still believe in him — this team does. And we’re moving on to playing the Titans. And everyone kind of knows everything already, so there’s really no more questions, I don’t think, to be answered about it.”

Still, when pressed on if he had an issue with Meyer not returning with the team, Lawrence used his inexperience with NFL processes as a rationalization for Meyer’s choice.

“Not really, that’s not my call to make,” Lawrence said. “I still don’t know how this whole thing works in the NFL. Obviously, things are a lot different than college, so I don’t know. I don’t have an issue. Obviously, the situation happened and it became an issue. But I didn’t have an issue with him not going back. I get it, he has family in Ohio.”

As many have noted on social media and elsewhere, at any level of football, it is extremely rare for the head coach to not return home with his team after an away game. And Lawrence surely knows this. But saying that publicly would have only invited more strife.

That’s part of why Meyer is lucky to have a quarterback as mature and media-trained as Lawrence. As this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Lawrence’s comments likely helped calm things down both in and around the organization — and on his birthday, no less.

But Meyer still has a lot to make up for. A win over the Titans might help start that process more than anything else.
 
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Urban Meyer says he stayed in Ohio to “get out of Dodge” and “clear [his] head”

Posted by Mike Florio on October 6, 2021, 12:03 PM EDT

Jaguars coach Urban Meyer met with reporters on Wednesday, a day after team owner Shad Khan issued a stunning statement that called Meyer’s future and his ability to lead the team into serious question.

Among other things, Meyer was asked whether he regrets not returning with the team to Jacksonville after Thursday night’s loss to the Bengals.
Obviously, Meyer remaining in Ohio laid the foundation for the events that have created this week’s crisis situation. Regardless of the things that happened in Ohio, his decision to not return with the team and get back to work has been regarded by many as inappropriate if not unprecedented.

“I thought at the time, now that maybe I thought it through, but I thought at the time this was a chance for everybody to clear their head, including myself,” Meyer said. “With my family located where we were, to go spend a day or two with them and then get back. Because I knew I wanted them to get out of Dodge, too, and clear their heads.”

The problem with that explanation comes from the answer Meyer gave to the question immediately before it.

Asked whether he secured approval from Khan to stay in Ohio for a day or two after the game, Meyer said, “I discussed it with [G.M.] Trent [Baalke] way in advance.”

So which is it? Was the mini-vacation with his family in Ohio after a game played in Ohio planned “way in advance,” or was it something deemed necessary to “clear [his] head” after a heartbreaking loss?
Meyer also said he has given no thought to resigning, and that he wasn’t fined by Khan. As to whether the situation will be a distraction on Sunday against the Titans, Meyer said, “I’m in a fight to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Meyer concluded the press conference with a message to the fans and owner Shad Khan.

“Why did I decide to come out of what I was doing and do this? Our owner, I just became — I admire the guy so much. He’s become a friend, he’s a guy that I, like I said, I just admire. Jacksonville, I know very well. I know our fans have been hanging in there with us, and I apologize to them. And I wanted to make that perfectly clear.”

It was smart for him to do that. He needs to send a perfectly clear message to the fans now, because there’s a chance they will be sending a perfectly clear message to him on Sunday. And he may not like the contents of it.
 
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The Jaguars produced the most surprising result of Week Nine when they beat the Bills 9-6 in Buffalo on Sunday afternoon behind what rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence called “one of the best defensive performances I’ve seen.”

That performance kept the Jags in the game despite the fact that they never got in the end zone and went long stretches of the game without scoring any points at all.
 

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The Jaguars produced the most surprising result of Week Nine when they beat the Bills 9-6 in Buffalo on Sunday afternoon behind what rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence called “one of the best defensive performances I’ve seen.”

That performance kept the Jags in the game despite the fact that they never got in the end zone and went long stretches of the game without scoring any points at all.
Shocker but the Bills have form....
 

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