Urban Meyer deservedly kicked to the curb by Jaguars

When the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Urban Meyer as their head coach earlier this year, they thought they had found the man that would help them become a perennial playoff team. However, things didn’t work out that way, as Meyer was responsible for a series of questionable decisions. Owner Shad Khan tried to be patient but he had no choice but to fire him after an incident involving former Jags kicker Josh Lambo surfaced.

Rick Stroud of Tampa Bay Times reported Meyer kicked Lambo during warmups preceding the game and told him, “Hey, [expletive], make your [expletive kicks]! Lambo says that Meyer then kicked him in the leg. Here’s his recollection of the incident.

"I’m in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back… Urban Meyer, while I’m in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, ‘Hey Dips–t, make your f–king kicks!’ And kicks me in the leg."

Lambo goes on to say that on a scale from zero to ten, it definitely felt like a five. When Meyer was told by Lambo not to *f*cking kick him again, he answered with “I’m the head ball coach, I’ll kick you whenever the f*ck I want.” Meyer denied the incident ever happened and said he was always supportive of Lambo during his stint with the team. Based on the outcome, it’s fair to say that Shad Khan didn’t buy Meyer’s refutal.

Urban Meyer’s poor leadership skills and behavior weren’t acceptable.

First, it’s never appropriate nor acceptable to kick anyone you work with under any circumstances, and even if Lambo’s claims aren’t fully accurate, that kind of behavior must not be tolerated. Having said that, Meyer’s most recent offense is far from the only one he had during his short stint in Duval. Reports about Meyer’s dysfunctional workplace are going to keep popping up and the noise was only going to get louder if the Jags hadn’t fired him.

Just last week, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reported the head coach belittled his assistants and that he had gotten into a heated argument with veteran wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. Meyer has denied every single claim and called Pelissero’s reporting garbage. Furthermore, he threaten to fire anyone who leaked info outside the building during a sitdown with the local media.

Moreover, Meyer benched running back James Robinson and blamed running backs coach Bernie Parmalee for the decision. He hired Chris Doyle as the director of sports performance even though he had no business working with players. Nevertheless, Meyer’s biggest blunder may have been the time when he was caught on video dancing inappropriately with a woman that wasn’t his wife after the Jaguars’ Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Urban Meyer was bringing embarrassment to the Jaguars.

There was always going to be a period of acclimatization for Meyer, as he was making the transition from college to the pros. Most expected those adjustments would be related to game management and strategy. However, the former Ohio State head coach often looked clueless and overwhelmed. After the Week 14 loss to the Tennesse Titans, he told the media safety Andre Cisco’s playing time had gone up when in reality, the rookie had appeared in no defensive snaps. How are you not aware of the amount of work your players get? That’s something basic a head coach must know.

The video of Meyer getting cozy in Ohio earned him the scold of owner Shad Kahn. He couldn’t even get his story straight and claimed a group wanted him to take pictures with them and join them on the dance floor even though the evidence shows a whole different picture. The former head coach often called the Arizona Cardinals the Phoenix Cardinals even though they haven’t played in Phoenix for decades. That’s not the reason he was fired but it goes on to show he didn’t care or wasn’t interested in learning about their opponents.

The Jags no longer have to endure the embarrassment he brought to Jacksonville. They now need to turn their attention to finding his replacement.