Jags coach Meyer says ‘no chance’ he takes job at USC
Urban Meyer rarely, if ever, experienced anything like this at Ohio State or Florida.
Ten penalties, six dropped passes, three turnovers, down 20 at halftime. Confusion on the sideline and in the huddle.
The Jacksonville Jaguars essentially looked unprepared in Meyer’s NFL debut, a 3721 loss at Houston on Sunday. It was such a shoddy performance against another team presumed to be one of the league’s worst that critics wondered whether Meyer would stick around long enough to fix the floundering franchise.
And when USC fired coach Clay Helton a day later, speculation swirled about Meyer’s immediate future in Jacksonville.
Meyer responded Wednesday by saying “there’s no chance” he takes the Trojans job. Believe him or not, he insists he’s in for the long haul.
“I’m here and committed to try to build an organization,” Meyer added.
It’s unlikely to be the last time Meyer’s name gets linked to a collegiate job opening. After all, the 57-year-old coach has found success at every stop, building winners at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. He won two national championships with the Gators (2006, 2008) and another with the Buckeyes (2014).
He stepped down after the 2018 season and spent two years working as a college football analyst at Fox Sports. Jaguars owner Shad Khan persuaded him to return to the sideline in an effort to deliver a consistent contender in Jacksonville.
So far, little has gone right for Meyer.
He botched the hiring of two coordinators (Chris Doyle, Brian Schneider); filled his staff with longtime NFL types instead of guys who know his wants and ways; invited Tim Tebow to training camp as a tight end; and had No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence split valuable firstteam repetitions in training camp with a quarterback no longer on the roster.
He raised eyebrows last week when he mistakenly identified Joe Mixon as Houston’s running back and again this week when he couldn’t come up with the name of his backup swing tackle, Will Richardson.
At best, Meyer looked like a stretched-thin coach wading into uncharted waters. At worst, he was in too deep.
Meyer practice to prepare for Sunday’s visit to the Chargers. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the club hasn’t announced the injury. Lawrence is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
The injury to Lawrence came with the Cowboys planning to be without their other starting defensive end in Randy Gregory, who is out after testing positive for COVID-19. Coach Mike McCarthy didn’t seem optimistic Wednesday when asked about Gregory’s availability against the Chargers.
Browns’ Beckham not ready after surgery
Browns star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t ready to play following knee surgery and won’t make his debut Sunday against Houston.
Coach Kevin Stefanski ruled Beckham out Tuesday, saying he will practice on a limited basis this week but will sit out against the Texans (1-0).
“I talked to Odell about it,” Stefanski said. “This is my decision and felt it was the right thing to do for this week.”
Beckham, who tore his left anterior cruciate ligament last October, was expected to play in the season opener at Kansas City. However, after going through pregame warmups, the three-time Pro Bowler told the Browns he couldn’t be on the field for the number of plays they wanted and he was ruled inactive.
Stefanski said he decided to reveal Beckham’s status early in the week.
“Just felt like that was the right thing to do,” Stefanski said before Tuesday’s workout. “Last week I felt we had a good plan, he was close, working very hard on the side. But just felt like it made more sense to have clarity early in the week from a game-planning, practice standpoint.’
“So that’s the plan for this week.”
Dalton ready to face former team
Andy Dalton remembers how strange it felt playing against the Bengals. That the game was in Cincinnati made it that much more emotional for the veteran quarterback.
“It was cool for me, though, because they received me well,” Dalton said Wednesday. “My wife and I, we poured a lot into the city, into the community, into the organization and everything. I was well received.”
Dalton goes against the Bengals for the second time in as many years when they visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday. And this one figures to be a little less emotional than when he faced them last season as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
“I kind of got that out of the way last year, and now I’m just focused on doing what we can to win the game,” he said.
The Bears are looking to bounce back from a seasonopening, 34-14 loss to the Rams.