The Jacksonville Jaguars’ 37-19 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 5 wasn’t much different from the one to the Cincinnati Bengals. They were competitive and made some plays on both sides of the ball but not enough to win a football game. It must be frustrating for the Jags to lose five straight games to start the 2021 season but should they be desperate for a win? According to head coach Urban Meyer, they are.
Mery had a sitdown with the local media after the Jaguars’ loss and said the team is desperate for a win.
"Pretty desperate, desperate for a win desperate, the way they go to work each day, each week, desperate for a win. We can’t worry about the past, [We’re] worried about the future and the trip to London and try to get a win, guys. Some guys are playing their tails off."
Wait, what? Why would the team be desperate? Meyer is right they can’t dwell on the past and let frustration fester. That’s why the Jags’ focus should be solely on their next game, not on the fact that they became the third club in NFL history to lose 20 consecutive games. He’s the leader of this team and needs to be cold and analytical. He must reassure the team that brighter days will come to Jacksonville if they keep working hard.
After all, the Jaguars are in the early stages of a rebuild and nobody expected them to compete for a playoff berth in 2021. This is a development year and losing part of the process, an unpleasant one but a part nonetheless. Meyer is supposed to remind his players of that. Instead, he’s hitting the panic button even though there are still plenty of games left on the schedule.
Keep in mind that this wasn’t the only concerning comment Meyer said during the press conference.
The Jaguars’ recent presser was full of puzzling comments.
By now, you might have heard there’s a disconnect between Meyer and quarterback Trevor Lawrence. While the head coach told the local media that they don’t feel comfortable attempting a quarterback sneak, the rookie passer says he says he’s willing to give it a shot.
Also, Meyer said he didn’t know running back James Robinson wasn’t on the field on a key fourth-and-1 play on the Titans’ one-yard line because he doesn’t “micromanage” the team. This isn’t micromanaging. The head coach must know what’s happening at all times. Do you think someone like Bill Belichick doesn’t have full knowledge of what’s happening during game time? Heck, he most likely knows what’s happening on the opposite sideline.
This isn’t the first time Meyer’s lack of control in Jacksonville has shown up in recent days. Not long ago, a video of Meyer getting cozy with a woman that wasn’t his wife went viral, whispers about him losing the locker room surfaced. Furthermore, Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi reported that the Jaguars’ leadership held closed-door meetings to discuss the head coach’s behavior.
You could argue that this is Meyer’s first year in the NFL and he’s learning the ropes on the fly. However, that doesn’t mean that he should get a pass. As the head coach of the Jaguars, he must hold himself to the highest standards, lead by example, and know his team inside out. It doesn’t look like that’s the case five weeks into the 2021 season.
The Jaguars’ loss to the Titans hurts but they must turn the page.
Nobody likes to lose but being desperate won’t help at this moment. Sure, the Jags must have a sense of urgency and can’t throw in the towel in spite of their slow start. Meyer surely unveiled his vision and shared it with the team’s brass before he was hired as the head coach. If owner Shad Kahn didn’t like what he heard, he wouldn’t have given Meyer the job.
There must be a plan in place, and the Jaguars can’t afford to deviate from it. They do need to make adjustments and work out the kinks but being desperate won’t help much. It’s true that pressure creates diamonds but it also busts pipes, and this Jacksonville team doesn’t currently look like a diamond in the rough.
The Jaguars need to get back to the drawing board, fix everything they can and adjust their goals and expectations for this season. They must then take one game at a time and not worry about any future or past ones. That might sound dull and even cliché but processes consist of constant repetition and consistency. Progress takes time and doesn’t happen overnight. The Jags’ rebuild is no different.
The Jaguars going to experience growing pains in Year 1 of the Meyer era. If they really trust the process, they shouldn’t panic. Rather, they should put their most recent loss behind and prepare to take on the Miami Dolphins in Week 7.