Jaguars HC Urban Meyer’s transition to NFL taking longer than expected

Urban Meyer is one of the winningest head coaches in college football. On the other hand, he had never coached at the NFL level. Nevertheless, the Jacksonville Jaguars believe he’s the right man to oversee their rebuild. The early results haven’t been great though, and the Jags lost yet another game Sunday. This time, it was against the Atlanta Falcons.

Trailing 21-3 in the third quarter, the Jaguar managed to score 10 points and make it a one-touchdown game. They had a chance to tie the game in their last drive but ultimately lost the game. This was the second time in three weeks Jacksonville had a chance to tie or win a game in their last possession but came short. Penalties once again played a factor, and so did drops.

This was always going to be a development year for the Jaguars but you would expect a more disciplined team to take the field. Instead, the Jaguars have been getting flagged at a high rate in 2021 and Sunday was no different, racking up six penalties.

The Jaguars still lack enough talent to take on better teams. They will have to address that in the offseason but that doesn’t justify all the times they’re getting flagged on both sides of the ball at a high rate and that’s a reflection of the job the coaching staff is doing.

You could argue Meyer hasn’t fully made the transition to the pros but if that’s the case, it should be a cause for concern. He’s had many months to grasp everything the job entails. Also, his staff has NFL experience and should be helping him adjust.

It may be a bit premature to tell if the Jaguars made the right hire but one thing is certain, Meyer has a long way to go in the NFL.