It will be hard to dethrone ex Jaguars HC Urban Meyer as the worst coach ever

The Jacksonville Jaguars believed that hiring Urban Meyer was going to help them become relevant. Unfortunately, that's not the way things went. Instead of helping steer the ship in the right direction, Meyer sunk it even lower. And while the Jags finished in 2021 with a better record than they did the season prior, hiring Meyer will probably go in the books as one of the worst decisions owner Shad Khan has ever made.

With the benefit of hindsight, it's fair to say that Khan missed all the red flags Meyer had, but as dreadful as he was, does he deserve a place in the list of the worst NFL head coaches ever? Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network certainly believes he has a case.

Robinson compiled a list of the worst NFL coaches ever and gave Meyer the top spot, noting that he made so many questionable decisions that it's hard to know where to begin. He goes on to mention a few but believes that the breaking point was when kicker Josh Lambo came clean about being hit in December 2021.

"But the breaking point came in December, when Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo revealed that Meyer kicked him in the leg while he was preparing for a preseason game. Lambo said Meyer told him, “Hey dips—, make your f—— kicks!” before kicking him with some force.

Meyer was fired hours after Lambo reported the incident, mercifully ending the worst head coaching tenure in NFL history."

Kicking Lambo was the straw that broke the camel's back but was far from the only time he made headlines for the wrong reasons. For starters, his tenure got off on the wrong foot when he hired Chris Doyle as the director of sports performance. This was noteworthy because Doyle had a history of mistreating players and verbally abusing them. He turned in his resignation just one day after his hire was announced.

Throughout his stint, he told his players that they wouldn't get a job that paid more than $15 if they got cut. His abuse wasn't reserved for players though. He also questioned his coaches' credentials, which is ironic when you take into account that he hand-picked every single one of them.

More often than not, Meyer had no idea what he was doing and was seemingly more interested in off-field endeavors. This was clear when he stayed in Ohio instead of flying back with the team after a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. Supposedly, he said that he wanted to spend time with his grandchildren. However, he was caught dancing improperly with a woman who wasn't his wife Shelley at a bar.

That's an impressive list (and not in a good way) of off-field incidents. When you factor in that he was a horrible head coach, it's easy to see why he lasted less than a year on the job.

The Jaguars hit rock bottom with Urban Meyer as their head coach

All things considered, Meyer is facing stiff competition for the dubious title. However, most of the coaches who made the cut are considered the worst because of their on-field prowess (or lack thereof). Sure, Bobby Petrino quit midseason but he wasn't responsible for as many off-field incidents as Meyer.

The worst part is that he had shown what kind of baggage he brought to Jacksonville, having left Florida and Ohio State under questionable conditions. Still, Shad Khan chose to ignore the obvious signs. On the bright side, the Jaguars owner acted swiftly and kicked Meyer to the curb. Furthermore, they came out stronger after the debacle they had to endure.

Looking to fill the void left by Meyer, the Jags hired Doug Pederson as the head coach. While it hasn't been perfect, they are in much better shape than they've been in years and are as relevant as they've ever been. For proof, they've gotten five primetimes since Pederson took over, three last year and two in 2024. For most of the 2010s, they didn't get more than one per season.

This is to say that Urban Meyer will have trouble losing his title as the worst ever. On the other hand, the Jacksonville Jaguars proved they could rebuild after the disaster he created, and that most definitely deserves praise.

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