Jaguars move quickly to end many of Urban Meyer’s practice methods
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars moved quickly to rid themselves of some of Urban Meyer’s non-traditional methods Thursday.
There was no longer a motivational team huddle on the practice field. There was no longer an emcee with a microphone barking out directions for drills. There was no longer any use for catch phrases like “plus-two mentality” and “own it.”
The Jaguars embraced the not-so-subtle changes that followed owner Shad Khan firing Meyer after a 2-11 start that included countless embarrassments on and off the field.
“It brings a little bit of clarity to the guys in the locker room,” rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “I wouldn’t say relief, but I would say just bring some clarity and some direction moving forward.
“We really want to go and finish the season strong, and to be honest, it’s been hard to last the last week with everything going on. There’s a lot of things being stirred up by the outside, too, that didn’t help. Made things a lot worse. It’s hard to be focused and have all your attention and efforts going towards winning the game when there’s so many things going on.”
Meyer’s final week included: an accusation Wednesday that he kicked former player Josh Lambo on the practice field in August; confirmation that he got into a heated argument with receiver Marvin Jones after criticizing wideouts for not winning enough one-onone matchups a few weeks ago; and a report that Meyer called assistant coaches losers while questioning their resumes.
With his fate seemingly sealed, Meyer bolted the facility hours early Wednesday and left assistants to handle the game plan. He didn’t check out
and never checked back in with any of them.
The Jaguars and Meyer’s representatives then spent hours working out details of the coach’s termination agreement, eventually leading to the late-night news drop.
Lawrence and many of his teammates woke up to learn Meyer had been fired.
“There’s been some drama. There’s been some distractions,” Lawrence said. “You can’t ever go back, though. You just have to move forward.”
Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was made interim coach and handled a team meeting Thursday. He also instituted several tweaks aimed at maintaining a normal routine for players while putting his own spin on leading them through the final four games, beginning Sunday against Houston (2-11).
Although players and coaches refused to acknowledge Meyer’s firing was a much-needed relief near the end of dysfunctional season, they clearly saw it as a weight lifted as they try to end a five-game skid and find some momentum heading into an uncertain offseason.
Meyer’s ability to lead had clearly been compromised, likely caused by the pressure and angst that came with losing more games in any one season than he lost in seven years at Ohio State or in his first five years at Florida.