Meyer says he’s in position to win
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Despite winning three national championships and never having a losing season in 17 years as a college coach, Urban Meyer still yearns for more to achieve.
At 56, the desire was strong enough for Meyer to come out of a comfortable two-year retirement to make the jump to the NFL for the first time to assume the challenge of turning the Jaguars’ franchise into a winner after nine losing seasons in 10 years.
The Jaguars ushered in a new era Friday when they formally introduced Meyer as head coach during a virtual news conference.
And while Meyer appeared eager to get started, he didn’t shy away from admitting the Jaguars landing the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming April 29 draft was huge in his decision to take the job.
The Jaguars are expected to use the top overall pick to select former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who went 34-2 in three seasons as a starter
”I think Shad (Khan) and the organization are positioned and it’s not by accident,” Meyer said Friday during a virtual call. ”It’s primed to put together a good team. People who know me (know) I’m not going to jump into a situation where I don’t believe we can win. I won’t do that. First of all, I have to get a great staff, not a good staff — a great staff.”
Next week, Meyer said, will be a critical time because he will be looking to make hires on his staff and begin the process of evaluating the roster and assess potential needs.
Meyer was hired Thursday to replace Doug Marrone, who was fired Jan. 4 after a franchise-worst 1-15 season.
Meyer said he has always been intrigued with the NFL and there have been a few opportunities he could have accepted but declined because he didn’t think it was the right situation until Khan and the Jaguars came calling.
To prepare, Meyer said he has spent significant time over the past 13 months studying the NFL’s salary-cap structure and understanding roster management.
”I just want to be very well-educated, and it’s something that’s obviously going to be critical to our success,” Meyer said.
The Jaguars have 11 draft picks in the upcoming draft, including two picks in the first and second rounds. They also have more than $90 million in available cap space for free agency. Another potential strength for Meyer is taking advantage of a promising young core that includes defensive end Josh Allen, linebacker Myles Jack, running back James Robinson, cornerback CJ Henderson and receivers DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault.
”My vision, my dream has always been to be the fastest team on the field. When I say fastest, not necessarily 40 times fast, but fast,” Meyer said. ”And the reason you play fast, the 4 to 6 is that I want a team that plays fearless. It falls on the coaching staff. One way to take a great player and slow him down is to be too complicated, and I can assure you that will not happen. If it will, I’ll step in.
Khan selected Meyer over Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, former Tampa Bay Buccanneers/Atlanta Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris and Tennessee offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
”From this remarkable pool of candidates was one man that clearly separated himself from the field,” Khan said Friday. ”As I said yesterday (Thursday), he’s a winner, leader and a champion. He’s the man we need in Jacksonville, and he wants the challenge.”
Meyer led Florida to national championships in 2006 and 2008 and led Ohio State to a national title in 2014. He had a 187-32 record as a college coach, including 12-3 in bowl games. Meyer’s 85.4 winning percentage is the third-best in FBS history.