Urban Meyer wants Jaguars to be ‘best version of who we are’

The Jacksonville Jaguars have had just one winning season over the last ten years, so they decided to clean house and start over. They hired Urban Meyer as their head coach to lead a rebuilding effort. The Ohio native oversaw the rise of several programs at the collegiate level and the Jags think he can have the same kind of success in the NFL. Meyer recently touched on several topics, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence, tight end Tim Tebow, and expectations for the 2021 season.

The Jaguars head coach recently joined Mackenzie Salmon of USA Today and said he’s trying to set realistic expectations. He says that he would never stand in front of the Florida Gators or the Ohio State Buckeyes and tell them they are going to win the national championship. He believes that kind of goal is really unattainable, and shouldn’t do that. After all, there are many variables involved when it comes to winning.

Meyer told Salmon went intrinsic over the last ten years of his career and he’s going to do the same in Jacksonville. He wants the Jaguars to be the best version of who they are, “we have some really good players here. If we play really well, I think we’ll win several games”. The head coach thinks beyond coaching played a role on the team’s 1-15 record in 2020, “I believe there are other variables, one was health, performance of the guys in the offseason and staying healthy throughout the season”.

Later in the conversation with Makenzie, Meyer said that he expects the strongest, most powerful version of every Jaguar in August. If they aren’t that, there’s a chance they will go in a different direction. The head coach added that he loves the city of Jacksonville, and expects to have a great home-field advantage if they put everything together.

Urban Meyer is positioning the Jacksonville Jaguars to have success in 2021.

It’s difficult to win in the NFL and the Jags are coming off the worst season in franchise history. However, Meyer is making sure they are in a position to succeed in 2021. Throughout his short stint in Jacksonville, he’s shown a willingness to adapt, surrounding himself with experienced NFL coaches. Also, he’s made sure players have everything they need to play at the highest level, something that seems basic in theory but doesn’t always happen in practice.

Meyer is doing the right thing by not telling the Jaguars they are suddenly going to turn into a playoff contender. Although that is something every NFL team must strive for, that’s not currently feasible for a Jaguars team that lost 15 consecutive games in 2020. Instead, the head coach is making sure the building blocks are in place for sustained success.

The Jaguars are implementing Meyer’s vision one step at a time. They know that in order to win on a consistent basis, they need to have a solid foundation in place. If they don’t deviate from their process, winning won’t evade this Jacksonville team much longer.