It’s finally happened. For cause. The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired embattled head coach Urban Meyer after less than a season in that role, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Meyer’s firing comes after allegations from former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo that the head coach kicked him during practice this past summer.
In no way is that the extent of it. Pretty much from the get, Meyer’s tenure in Duval was doomed. Earlier on that, included signing former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow to play tight end. What a disaster that was.
It didn’t get any better in-season with the Jags posting a 2-122 record — culminating in a 20-0 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 14. Off the field, things were even more dramatic under Urban Meyer in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville Jaguars fire Urban Meyer: Timeline to disaster
- February: Meyer hires former Iowa assistant to Jaguars staff. Chris Doyle resigns one day later after criticism stemming from alleged racism on his part as a member of the Hawkeyes’ staff.
- May: Urban Meyer goes against conventional wisdom by signing former quarterback Tim Tebow to play tight end. Certain members of the Jags were not happy given that Tebow had not been with an NFL team since being released by the Eagles back in 2015. Ultimately, the former Heisman winner would be released in August.
- July: Reports indicated that Meyer was already frustrated wtih his new gig, citing some different rules in the NFL compared to college football. Jaguars players were already taking issue with his coaching style.
“He’s got to change a few things. He brought a bunch of college-like things to the program which I don’t necessarily agree with. I’ve heard some of the players aren’t thrilled with them either. One of his assistants on the field during practice with a boom mic telling everybody to hydrate, hustle and get to the next series. Obviously, he’s a work in progress,” CBS Sports Pete Prisco said of Urban Meyer. “He’s been a good football coach everywhere he’s been. It’s a lot different when you recruit guys to your school and you’ve got a bunch of players, the five stars, then it is when you’re trying to build something.”
- August: Meyer receives criticism for failing to name rookie No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence starter during training camp and the preseason. Instead, he split first-team reps with Gardner Minshew — the latter of whom would soon be dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of Week 1.
- September: Urban Meyer already “rasing red flags” for lashing out with the Jacksonville Jaguars just one regular-season game into his tenure. Reports indicated that issues with assistant coaches and players created a bleak atmosphere within the locker room. Anger problems were apparently at the root of it.
- October: A video surfaced following the Jaguars Thursday night loss to the Bengals in Cincinnati of Meyer dancing with a woman at an Ohio bar. Said woman was not his wife. Adding another layer to this, the head coach had decided to remain in Ohio after the loss rather than return to Florida with his team.
“I have addressed this matter with Urban,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said after the incident. “His conduct last weekend was inexcusable. I appreciate Urban’s remorse, which I believe is sincere. Now, he must regain our trust and respect. That will require a personal commitment from Urban to everyone who supports, represents or plays for our team. I am confident he will deliver.”
- October: Reports point to Urban Meyer and the Jaguars locker room being at a “crisis point” following the aforementioned incident. Player didn’t buy Meyer’s story or apology and pretty much laughed his speech offer after the head coach left the locker room.
- December: While Meyer denied reports, those close to the Jaguars indicate that he got into a shouting match with veteran receiver Marvin Jones and called his assistant coaches “losers.” Said reports indicated that he challenged his assistants to defend their resumes — despite hiring them in the first place.
- December: Josh Lambo accuses Meyer of kicking him during a practice over the summer. Said allegations includes the head coach telling Lambo “I’m the head ball coach, I’ll kick you whenever the f**k I want.’”
It now appears that the Jaguars can reasonably fire Meyer for cause given this most-recent allegation. More so than the Jaguars’ on-field performance, his actions off the field led to this eventuality. And in reality, no one can blame Jacksonville’s brass for ultimately coming to this conclusion.
Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has been named as the Jaguars’ interim head coach, according to multiple sources.
