Since then, Urban Meyer has spoken, both in public and in private, about how he knew he was now working in the NFL, not in Ohio or Florida fiefdoms.
Its players are now adults, not university students. They have obligations, families, agents, contracts and experience. They also often have the confidence and power to express their concerns and opinions. Nowadays, teams need to be a kind of partnership, not just a dictatorship. And it is not just a comparison between college and professional. It’s 2021 versus 2015 or 2009 or whatever.
“Times are changing,” said Meyer last month. “… I mean, the whole country has changed, everything has changed. And then you have to adapt, and those who adapt are successful, those who do not adapt, fail. “
Speaking is easy, of course, and even among Meyer’s words you can see potential problems lurking. Then he made the disastrous decision this week with.
That trainer, Chris Doyle, resigned on Friday, just a day after taking office.
“Chris didn’t want to be a distraction,” said Meyer in a statement.
Too late for that.
By taking the job last month, Meyer tried to minimize his transition from the king of college to an unproven NFL coach, noting that he has adapted over his two decades at the college level. The way he trained at Bowling Green was not the way he trained at Ohio State.
He then equated the training of NFL players with the training of all the players he sent to the NFL, although the circumstances are different.
He looked like who he is: the overconfident guy, my way-always-works, able-to-rationalize-everything that set these characteristics for three national titles and a winning percentage of 0.854.
Part of that is what made it great and can still make Jacksonville great.
Only part, however.
Hiring Doyle as the team’s new Director of Sports Performance made no sense. Doyle spent 20 years at the University of Iowa before former Hawkeyes players performed. Meyer took him anyway, dismissing, or even oblivious to the turmoil.
Then he.
“We are responsible for all aspects of our program and, in retrospect, we should have considered more how your appointment may have affected everyone involved,” said Meyer in a statement.
This better be Meyer’s mulligan, or else he will fail exactly the way he defined it at his introductory press conference – through an inability to adapt.
Presumably, he can soften any resentments that exist between NFL players – both the current Jaguars and the types of free agents Meyer wants to recruit – and himself. This was a self-inflicted wound to his credibility. It doesn’t have to be fatal.
Meyer rationalized that Doyle was the best in the business and therefore would give players the best chance of winning.
“The only thing I am very confident about is that I imagine that in a year or two we will have the best sports performance team in the National Football League,” said Meyer.
This is a rah-rah, hyperbole. Works with teenagers and desperate fans and supporters. And this is how Meyer has always operated. Throw some impossible-to-quantify statements out there and use them both as a reason for madness and as a cudgel against critics.
If you disagree with Meyer, you shouldn’t want to earn as much as he does. If you challenge him, you shouldn’t care as much as he does.
However, these children are no longer paid. Professional players know that quality strength and conditioning coaches are quite easy to find. The highly paid and highly praised force guy – Doyle earned $ 1.1 million in his senior year in Iowa – is mostly a recruiting ploy for college.
If Doyle was so amazing, why was he in Iowa, anyway? Meyer did not sign him away from the Patriots or Steelers, or even Alabama.
Meyer said he had “examined [Doyle] completely ”, although what that means is unknown. He said that the owner of Jags and the general manager were at the background check, but none of them are African-American, current or former player. And nothing about the lawsuit has been shared publicly other than Meyer declaring, “I have known Chris for almost 20 years.”
This is not really positive in this case. It looks like one friend is saving another. Although nepotism is rampant on NFL training teams, this was ridiculous, especially for a new coach.
In college, Meyer’s track record of success was sufficient for drivers, administrators, fans, even enough media, to excuse any and all of his actions, because the end always justifies the means: winning. Meanwhile, the players, desperate for success and eager to enter the NFL, crowded into his system.
When Meyer was occasionally challenged, he took it badly. Ohio State for continuing to employ an assistant coach, despite Meyer.
Meyer, citing your health.
Now he is back, with his first stumble.
If he can somehow adapt his tremendous coaching talent and overconfidence to a professional environment based on mutual respect and cooperation, then the Jaguars can become successful. This arrogance can be great for a football operation.
He also needs to conform to Meyer’s new reality. Or else you are doomed.
That’s the bet with Meyer. That was always the bet with Meyer. A high-risk act, high reward, great drama and barbed wire.
Welcome to the NFL.
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