Jaguars don’t have a real plan, so go petting the fans with the rental from Urban Meyer

Many NFL teams become a joke year after year. Damn, I’m from Chicago and I’m a fan of one of the biggest. But only one has gone to the level of a recurrent on a beloved network sitcom. It’s the most memorable thing about the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This is probably what Shahid Khan was trying to correct, and yet plunged even deeper, into hiring Urban Meyer as the Jags’ next head coach. There’s nothing about Meyer that suggests he was the best candidate – or even an acceptable candidate – for a head coach job in the NFL, other than a lot of people in North Florida. remember him from episodes such as “The Florida Gators’ Success Coach”. This is the lowest common denominator, appealing to the lowest in the fan base.

Quite simply, going from college to pros doesn’t work. Nick Saban couldn’t do it. Steve Spurrier couldn’t do it. Pete Carroll did, but he had been a pro coach before joining USC. Meyer’s tough bullshit that worked with kids simply because they had no choice is not going to steal with real professionals with (legitimate) paychecks who can eventually move elsewhere of their own accord.

Second, the Jags are going to have Trevor Lawrence, the most exciting QB prospect in some time. But nothing in Meyer’s background suggests he has any idea how to develop a professional quarterback. The only one who has had success among the pros after coming under Meyer’s tutelage is Alex Smith, who was also a No. 1 overall pick, but he didn’t find he until he’s been at work for years. The Jaguars don’t want to have to wait five years for Lawrence to be in working order. Also, Lawrence will have the power to get Meyer fired, something Meyer has never had to deal with before, as all college coaches live in their undisputed strongholds.

Add to that the buzz that Meyer will be hiring Scott Linehan as the offensive coordinator, and Linehan has spent most of this century proving it’s a little miracle that he can tie his shoes. Lawrence needs to think more seriously about pulling an Eli Manning on time.

The only thing Meyer has proven he can do at the NFL level is fire or cover up domestic violence under his watch.

While Meyer got the right, thanks to his successes in Utah, Florida and Ohio State, he was able to open the doors and welcome the best rookies in the country. He won’t have anything resembling that Jacksonville talent advantage. This is usually the number one reason college coaches cough up a hairball in the pros.

It’s a rental to make headlines and appease the percentage of Jaguars fans shouting “Chomp Chomp!” on Saturday what one can only assume is most of them (whether because they Gators fans or just shouting this incoherently I can’t tell you). It’s supposed to be a splash, or make some sort of statement, but the only statement it makes is that the Jaguars are even more Jaguarsian than they were with Blake flipping over from the Bortles.

---

Anyway, I haven’t been positive enough about this as much as I would like, so let’s try to resolve this. Other NHL teams kicked off their season last night, and that was highlighted by mountain sucking ball king Tony DeAngelo who once again went clowning, this time by Islanders’ Mathew Barzal in a Islanders’ 4-0 game against the Rangers.

You can actually see DeAngelo’s brain going into a steam lock during this, which admittedly probably isn’t such a heavy task, given his pea size. He simply waves his staff in a vague manner as Barzal turns it into paste, as if trying to remember what he was doing in this situation, like a sophomore trying to remember his lines in the spring piece. Not only is DeAngelo a sucker in life, he yearns for his job, which makes his entire existence a waste of everyone’s time, and yet a great TV. Which is affirming. There is hope there, people. Just look for it.