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Urban Meyer - Free Agent (2 Viewers)

Adam Gase has been hired twice in that span. A very risky hire to be sure, but no way it is the worst hire.
This. 

Also I'm a Wolverines fan so no real love for Urban. But IMO he's one of the top 10 college coaches of all time and he's a winner. I have no idea if he'll flame out like Saban and Spurrier at the NFL level or if he'll find success like Carroll and Jimmy Johnson. But he'll get Trevor Lawrence right out of the gate and that probably guarantees some level of success. Really it's all about having a franchise QB. Any coach that has a good one, usually ends up doing better than average. And without one, even the best coaches end up with losing records. See Belichick this season. 

 
Said he couldn’t win in the SEC.

Said he couldn’t fix Ohio State.

He can’t put a staff together? He put Ohio State’s staff on par with Nick Saban’s. While there was turmoil there, he fought to bring in Ryan Day who is widely considered the best offensive mind in the country outside of Lincoln Riley. Tom Herman got the Texas job (ended up being a clown but still). Brought in Larry Johnson and Greg Schiano. Retained Luke Fickell and Kerry Coombs. He spent extensive time and effort putting that Ohio State staff in position year in and year out. 

The one thing I don’t like about him is his penchant to overly rely on designed QB runs. I think he fell in love with it with Tebow at Florida or Smith at Utah. He didn’t get back to more of a traditional spread offense until Day was hired and JT Barrett was gone. Even then there were reports he wanted to do more QB runs with Haskins.

I think the Linehan hire suggests more of a traditional NFL offense, which is good. 

The “NFL coaches hating him” for Hernandez... I’m gonna ask for a link on that one because that’s not what Hernandez’s old NFL coach says: https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/bill-belichick-lauds-retiring-urban-meyer-great-man-and-good-friend

Also given that they’re so close it makes sense why he got $12mil/year (not to mention he’s the 3rd highest winning % all time in the NCAA) as BB’s rumored figure is closer to $25 mil as per PFT:

https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/sports/urban-meyer-salary-bill-belichick-contract

Nick Saban is making 9.3 mil/year at a public university. $12 mil/year from a $2 billion dollar franchise is quite reasonable with context instead of shouting into the void.

Seems to me the OP just wanted to add extra gripes about Meyer without being honest and painting the full picture. If it was just about him never coaching in the NFL, the Harvin/Hernandez drama and the Zach Smith fiasco, I’d be inclined to agree and move on. Let’s not paint a false narrative on top of those things. 

 
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30882524/jacksonville-jaguars-urban-meyer-defends-hiring-controversial-chris-doyle
 

Urban Meyer being forced to defend his decision to hire a former Iowa strength coach accused of making racial statements and abusing his players. 
“But it was the hiring of Doyle, who had been Iowa's director of strength and conditioning from 1999 until this past June, that drew the most attention. Over the past year numerous former Iowa players spoke out about mistreatment within the Iowa program. A number of Black players said that Doyle used racist language and treated them differently based on their race.”

Because when you have a chance to hire a disgraced former strength coach over a similar candidate with no baggage, you have to take it. I’m sure this will go over well in the locker room. Things shaping up nicely in JAX. 

 
But not to worry, Meyer assured the media that he has thoroughly vetted this Iowa strength coach and investigated the situation. And besides, there is no better judge of character than Urban Meyer. If you can’t trust the guy who signed up Aaron Hernandez, who can you trust?

 
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30882524/jacksonville-jaguars-urban-meyer-defends-hiring-controversial-chris-doyle

Urban Meyer being forced to defend his decision to hire a former Iowa strength coach accused of making racial statements and abusing his players. 
“But it was the hiring of Doyle, who had been Iowa's director of strength and conditioning from 1999 until this past June, that drew the most attention. Over the past year numerous former Iowa players spoke out about mistreatment within the Iowa program. A number of Black players said that Doyle used racist language and treated them differently based on their race.”

Because when you have a chance to hire a disgraced former strength coach over a similar candidate with no baggage, you have to take it. I’m sure this will go over well in the locker room. Things are shaping up nicely in JAX. 

 
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30882524/jacksonville-jaguars-urban-meyer-defends-hiring-controversial-chris-doyle

Urban Meyer being forced to defend his decision to hire a former Iowa strength coach accused of making racial statements and abusing his players. 
“But it was the hiring of Doyle, who had been Iowa's director of strength and conditioning from 1999 until this past June, that drew the most attention. Over the past year numerous former Iowa players spoke out about mistreatment within the Iowa program. A number of Black players said that Doyle used racist language and treated them differently based on their race.”

Because when you have a chance to hire a disgraced former strength coach over a similar candidate with no baggage, you have to take it. I’m sure this will go over well in the locker room. Things are shaping up nicely in JAX. 
Why on earth, when you have the pick of all the strength and conditioning coaches from the collegiate ranks or the professional ranks -- even in the world -- do you hire this guy? This particular one? Another terrible hire. He's lighting it up, isn't he?

 
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Was about to say the same.  Why hire him out of all the strength coaches on earth?
I'm seriously confused. Unless you're out to prove some sort of weird point about immediate second chances, you try to avoid doing this. Maybe, once your culture is established you bring him is as a consultant in a year or so. But right now? In a position where the players have to trust their strength coach, he hires a coach fired for belittling and racially-tinged comments towards his own players?

Something is wrong there in his decision-making.

 
Why on earth, when you have the pick of all the strength and conditioning coaches from the collegiate ranks or the professional ranks -- even in the world -- do you hire this guy? This particular one? 
Probably hubris more than anything else. I can’t even say I’m surprised. Meyer’s record when it comes to character issues speaks for itself. But the people who liked JAX’s hire of Meyer probably won’t be too concerned. This is a quote from the NFL.com article Faust linked above:

“Meyer added that he is "very confident" there will be no issues with Doyle in Jacksonville. The new coach also said he doesn't believe that the accusations of racism attributed to Doyle at Iowa will prevent Jacksonville from attracting free agents.”

When you even have to consider whether your strength coach hire might affect your ability to attract free agents, you’re doing it wrong. These are type of quality decisions JAX is playing this guy 12 mil a year to make. 

 
I love how Meyer's justification for hiring him is "I've known him for 20 years...". So either you knew he was a racist POS that whole time, which doesn't exactly justify the hire, or you didn't know he was such a POS despite "knowing him so well" which, guess what...means you didn't actually know the guy. 

 
Johnny Utah #9 said:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30882524/jacksonville-jaguars-urban-meyer-defends-hiring-controversial-chris-doyle
 

Urban Meyer being forced to defend his decision to hire a former Iowa strength coach accused of making racial statements and abusing his players. 
“But it was the hiring of Doyle, who had been Iowa's director of strength and conditioning from 1999 until this past June, that drew the most attention. Over the past year numerous former Iowa players spoke out about mistreatment within the Iowa program. A number of Black players said that Doyle used racist language and treated them differently based on their race.”

Because when you have a chance to hire a disgraced former strength coach over a similar candidate with no baggage, you have to take it. I’m sure this will go over well in the locker room. Things shaping up nicely in JAX. 
He should hire Jim Turner next - collect all the garbage.

-QG

 
And - Doyle has resigned. 

Nice work, Urbs. 
Oh wow. That's straight :tfp:

What had he been accused of saying at Iowa? Never mind, I can use Google. One on hand, you hate to see a man's career go like that. On the other hand, I've been around football programs before and know just how ignorant and potentially bordering on stupid and racist people can be. I wonder whether it's chilling of speech or whether his speech was really unchill.

Regardless of that, like I said in the other thread, it was a terrible hire. You had your choice of all the strength coaches in the U.S.A., likely. Why pick a tainted one to begin to build your program with?

I Googled it. No need to really have that kind of culture around in your locker room. Seems like borderline racist stuff that is really unnecessary among young men and older men trying to achieve a common goal. The examples aren't egregious, but have a tint to them that borders on racist. Sounds like the entire program has a race problem, though, from graduation rates to assistant coach treatment of players, though there doesn't seem to be any smoking, cross-the-line guns.

 
Johnny Utah #9 said:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30882524/jacksonville-jaguars-urban-meyer-defends-hiring-controversial-chris-doyle
 

Urban Meyer being forced to defend his decision to hire a former Iowa strength coach accused of making racial statements and abusing his players. 
“But it was the hiring of Doyle, who had been Iowa's director of strength and conditioning from 1999 until this past June, that drew the most attention. Over the past year numerous former Iowa players spoke out about mistreatment within the Iowa program. A number of Black players said that Doyle used racist language and treated them differently based on their race.”

Because when you have a chance to hire a disgraced former strength coach over a similar candidate with no baggage, you have to take it. I’m sure this will go over well in the locker room. Things shaping up nicely in JAX. 
And now that he is resigned amid controversy, Meyer Era off to a roaring start.

 
On the coaching hire, they should have settled for the "base hit" instead of trying for the home run. There has to be plenty of "not terrible" coaches to choose from. They have the Lawrence pick, cap space and some decent pieces in place. Who wouldn't be excited to come in and take on that challenge?

 
Gase was my first choice also. He has already shown that, while Meyer still has time.
There is some recently biases with Gase. Yes he was terrible but he had a 10 win season and made playoffs. Gus Bradley won 14 games in 4 years for the Jags. Hue Jackson won 3 games in 2.5 years in Cle. 

Several of the HC hires this year have been head scratchers. I still think I'd prefer Meyer to Campbell or Culley

 
And now that he is resigned amid controversy, Meyer Era off to a roaring start.
So much for Meyer’s “I’ve known him for 20 years” comment hoping to smooth things over. Coming from a guy like Meyer, that’s not going to help Doyle’s case. 

Like I said in the other thread, this move was hubris on the part of Meyer more than anything else. This is the type of hire he would have fully expected to get away with in his college jobs. And the poor judgment he displayed here is pretty remarkable for a guy lauded as a leader and “culture builder”. And JAX gets all this for the small price of $12 mil a year.  I still can’t believe there are people that actually liked this hire for JAX.

 
Vast majority of time when this place gets riled up for no reason, it’s wrong by miles. Unless Josh Boyce is breaking out this year.
Guy just made one of his first hires for an important position and picked a guy that got unceremoniously fired for racially insensitive comments. That's not "no reason." It was a stupid hire. If you really want the guy in your clubhouse, bring him in later when things are quiet. But it's

  1. A bad look to his players
  2. A bad look around the league
  3. Reaffirming that he's a real "my way or the highway" guy, and that won't necessarily play in the NFL
 
Guy just made one of his first hires for an important position and picked a guy that got unceremoniously fired for racially insensitive comments. That's not "no reason." It was a stupid hire. If you really want the guy in your clubhouse, bring him in later when things are quiet. But it's

  1. A bad look to his players
  2. A bad look around the league
  3. Reaffirming that he's a real "my way or the highway" guy, and that won't necessarily play in the NFL
That’s the problem Meyer is going to have. He’s not at Ohio State anymore, one of the 12 or 13 programs that can win a title every year and that recruits are dying to play for - he’s in the nfl coaching multi-millionaire players and they will all be quick to tell him to piss right off if he goes too far. 
 

I think the guy is an excellent game coach but I’m not sure this is going to work.

 
On the coaching hire, they should have settled for the "base hit" instead of trying for the home run. There has to be plenty of "not terrible" coaches to choose from. They have the Lawrence pick, cap space and some decent pieces in place. Who wouldn't be excited to come in and take on that challenge?
naah swing for the fences get a bad person who is also a terrible coach:

win/win

-QG

 
Guy just made one of his first hires for an important position and picked a guy that got unceremoniously fired for racially insensitive comments. That's not "no reason." It was a stupid hire. If you really want the guy in your clubhouse, bring him in later when things are quiet. But it's

  1. A bad look to his players
  2. A bad look around the league
  3. Reaffirming that he's a real "my way or the highway" guy, and that won't necessarily play in the NFL
Yup and coming to a place where players are routinely metaphorically shooting their way out of town.

Making a hire that could dissuade free agents is a bad start.

-QG

 
Thing about Meyer that gets me is I heard him on a podcast a few weeks before he took the Jags job and he was in full coach speak mode listing out his keys to program building and brought up the need for the team to love each other several times. Said the team loving each other was one of his keys to team building, said stuff like motivation is short term but inspiration is long lasting and only way to do that is with love. Said nothing he does works without the team loving each other.

Then he hires a racist who hospitalized several players.

I hope no one ever loves me like Urban Meyer loves his players.

 
This is a pure last pay day of his life, there will no Pete Carroll reincarnation in Jacksonville, Pete is a completely different type of coach and I don't think Meyer will be able to hold the locker room together when things go South.
Didn’t Pete Carroll leave USC just before all hell broke loose on the Reggie Bush scandal? That seems easily as bad as the scandal hopping from Meyer. 

 
I don't think details of his contract are known, are they? That $12m amount was made up by the internet.
You’re not likely to find the details unless you get your hands on the actual contract. It was widely reported he was seeking 12 mil. Ian Rapoport pushed back on the story but it wouldn’t be the first time he carried water for the NFL (his bosses). It was widely reported Matt Rhule got 9 per from Carolina, so if you think Urban and his inflated ego would settle for anything in that ballpark or south of it, I don’t know what to tell you. Given his mercenary nature and possibility of this being his last big cash grab, I would be very surprised if he didn’t get the 12 or very close to it.

 
Hot Sauce Guy said:
Didn’t Pete Carroll leave USC just before all hell broke loose on the Reggie Bush scandal? That seems easily as bad as the scandal hopping from Meyer. 
What Carroll did was happening on every campus in the country. I had the pleasure of living in SoCal/LA/SantaMonica from '00-'08, got to watch USC rise the entire time. I grew up in Miami/South Florida on the Miami Hurricanes, there were similarities plus the. Canes won in '01 with a dream team, they bent a few rules like everyone else, players get money put in their laps/hands in a variety of ways. 

 

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