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Rate The Urban Meyer Hire For Jacksonville (1 Viewer)

How well did the Jaguars do in hiring Meyer?

  • Terrible. Could have done much better.

    Votes: 28 31.1%
  • Ok. Not terrible but not good.

    Votes: 38 42.2%
  • Good. Solid hire given realistic expectations.

    Votes: 16 17.8%
  • Great. As good as they realistically could have done.

    Votes: 8 8.9%

  • Total voters
    90

Joe Bryant

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I'm always interested in how hires are perceived.

Some folks hate the Urban Meyer hire. Some don't. 

Given the situation and understanding all the factors that go into it a hire and the pros and cons of a coach coming to a team like Jacksonville, how well did the Jaguars do in hiring Meyer?

 
I am not especially a fan of Urban Meyer, but I will adopt the same principle I apply to political candidates and allow him to either succeed or fail before I judge him too harshly.  I voted "Ok.  Not terrible but not good."  We should expect some growing pains as the team adjusts to a new philosophy and a new QB, so I am not going to rate him as much immediately strictly on wins and losses as I am on his leadership, team cohesiveness, and how Meyer conducts himself both as a coach on the sidelines as well as interviews and press conferences.  Let's see how prepared the team is on game days under Urban Meyer's leadership.  Last season, we saw a team which lacked many football fundamentals.  

There will be a learning curve for Urban Meyer.  From all reports, he is a tireless worker, and that may go a long way toward shortening that curve.  Meyer is also fiercely competitive, but a key to his success may be in how willing he is to depart from his ways and adapt to a new game.  If Meyer can keep his ego in check, there is reason to be excited about the future in Jacksonville.

 
Then there was the first hire he made, the hire of a conditioning coach who had been dismissed/resigned from Iowa because of allegations of racism throughout the program, up to and including him.

So there's that right off of the bat. You had your choice of any strength conditioning coach in the college ranks, most likely, and you chose...that guy?

Makes me immediately think he's not going to listen to his players one bit. What, the Iowa kids were a uniquely snowflakey bunch of college guys?

Then there was drafting Travis Etienne in the first round of the draft when you had my man James Robinson sitting there at tailback, just waiting to bring talent and value to your squad while you invested in a league's worst defense.

Nope. Gotta have the running back.

And then the lamentations of not being able to draft Kadarius Toney, he of the < 13% win rate against press and man coverage, per Matt Harmon of Reception Perception.

What's not to like about Urban's decisions or proclamations so far?

I wish him the best of luck. I happen to like the skill position players in JAX and hope Lawrence does well, but these things don't leave me sanguine about his chances.

 
I'm always interested in how hires are perceived.

Some folks hate the Urban Meyer hire. Some don't. 

Given the situation and understanding all the factors that go into it a hire and the pros and cons of a coach coming to a team like Jacksonville, how well did the Jaguars do in hiring Meyer?
Clearly I'm not a big fan 

 
Jimmy Johnson was hugely successful moving from college football HC to NFL HC with no previous NFL coaching experience. He was followed by Barry Switzer, who was also successful in that transition, though he walked into a championship situation. Switzer was hired 27 years ago. How many other coaches have successfully moved from college HC to NFL HC with no NFL coaching experience since then?

No one that I know of.

  • Jim Harbaugh was a successful NFL HC, but he played for 15 years in the NFL and started his coaching career as the Raiders QBs coach for 2 years.
  • Carroll coached the Jets and Patriots before going to USC and later moving to Seattle.
  • Bobby Ross had 4 years of NFL coaching experience before he went to Maryland, then Georgia Tech, then the Chargers.
  • Schiano was a spectacular failure at the NFL HC level, but even he had previous NFL coaching experience.
  • Saban was the Browns DC for 4 seasons before LSU, and then the Dolphins. And he quickly realized he wasn't cut out for NFL HC and bolted after 2 seasons.
So those guys don't meet the criteria.

Kelly, Spurrier, McPherson, Riley, and Petrino all flopped.

Am I missing someone?

If not, then hiring Meyer was a huge gamble, since the last time someone fit this situation and succeeded in the NFL was Jimmy Johnson, who was hired 32 years ago.

Beyond that, Meyer cited health concerns when he left his last two head coaching jobs, Florida and Ohio State. So there is a risk that he will not be able to handle the demands of NFL head coach, which I expect is equal to or greater than the head coaching role at places like Florida and Ohio State. There were also reports of a toxic culture in the Florida program by the time he left.

I voted terrible hire.

 
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@Summer Wheat mentioned Nick Saban in the other thread.

What's your opinion of how Saban did in the NFL?
The Dolphins did not have a losing season from 1989-2003, a span of 15 seasons. They went 4-12 in 2004, fired HC Wannstedt, and hired Saban. The Dolphins went 9-7 in 2005 and 6-10 in 2006, then Saban bolted for Alabama. Then they went 1-15 in 2007 but 11-5 in 2008.

Saban was hampered with weak QB play, which continued after he departed. But he was clearly involved in the decision to sign Culpepper in the 2006 offseaon instead of Brees, so he directly contributed to that. (Of course, I seriously doubt Brees would have become what he did playing for Saban instead of Payton.)

If the Dolphins front office/ownership had an ability to revisit that Saban hire knowing what they learned over the next 2 seasons, I have to assume they would have hired someone else. So I think that indicates that he was a bad hire for them.

Not sure if you are asking the question thinking that Saban is a positive or negative example to compare to the Meyer hiring, but to me it is cautionary. The best college football HC of this era... one of the few best ever... flopped in the NFL and bolted in 2 seasons, presumably having realized that he was not as likely to achieve great success in the NFL game as in the college game.

 
I never liked him, but he’s a flashy coach and a good fit for the Jags right now. That’s it. He’s a transition to a better coach down the road imo. 

 
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For the folks that hate this, who do you think would have been a great hire they could have had?
This is a fair question and I want to unwrap it some. 

-Khan paid $770M for the Jags in 2012, they interviewed him on 60 Minutes and they asked him "Why didn't you buy one of the more marquee teams in the NFL?" about the 12:30 mark and Khan's response is fantastic and tries to keep himself from laughing as he says

"You buy what's available for sale. This isn't like going on Craigslist and picking out an NFL team

Joe, are you saying that perhaps Meyer was the best name that would agree to coach Jacksonville? I would think it should have been easy with Lawrence in the hopper to find a coach who would want the job and maybe that was the case and they felt Meyer was an unbelievable find. 

 
I understand the history of most other college coaches. But just like Fields as an OSU QB,  Urban deserves a chance to prove something on his own.  Give them both a couple of years to change the expected result.

 
Jacksonville's head coaching vacancy, after last year was over, was repeatedly listed by football followers, fantasy followers, just about everyone as the most desirable vacant head coaching job to have because of draft capital and salary cap. This assumes owners and locations constant of course, but there was no more marquee job to have than landing in Jacksonville with Lawrence, a bevy of picks, and being way under the salary cap.

It seems, in addition to the hires made last year like Saleh and Campbell, that there would have been others -- including coordinators like Eric Bienemy-- that would easily have considered trying their luck at head coaching in the NFL with Lawrence and cap room like that. Do you think Brian Daboll wouldn't have said yes to the chance? Byron Leftwich? I don't follow the coaching carousel as much as others when it comes to the NFL, but I'm pretty sure they could have landed a better coach than Meyer, who has left two teams because of heart/health problems, one time promising his wife "never again."

There is absolutely nothing that seems right about this hire. It seems like it was solely to give the Jags credibility in their home area, and the beginning of his tenure doesn't even pass the sniff test, as far as I'm concerned.

 
@Summer Wheat mentioned Nick Saban in the other thread.

What's your opinion of how Saban did in the NFL?
There was never a chance of Saban leaving Alabama for Jacksonville. 

Dabo Swinney could have been interesting. (And made the Etienne pick make more sense). 

Bienemy or maybe leftwich could have been interesting too.

 
@Summer Wheat mentioned Nick Saban in the other thread.

What's your opinion of how Saban did in the NFL?


Joe, are you saying that perhaps Meyer was the best name that would agree to coach Jacksonville? I would think it should have been easy with Lawrence in the hopper to find a coach who would want the job and maybe that was the case and they felt Meyer was an unbelievable find. 
This is a good question.  Almost all the hires happened within the same week.

Jan 14- Jags Meyer
Jan 14- Jets Saleh
Jan 16- Falcons Smith
Jan 17- Chargers Staley
Jan 20- Lions Campbell
Jan 24- Eagles Sirianni
Jan 29- Texans Culley

Have to think Saleh/Smith/Staley already had their teams in mind.  Can't really say Campbell, Sirianni, or Culley would have been home run picks over Meyer.  Jags had 4 interviews:

Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator -- (Didn't end up wanting a HC job this year)
Urban Meyer, former Ohio State, Florida and Utah HC - hired
Raheem Morris, interim Falcons HC -- No one wanted him
Robert Saleh, 49ers defensive coordinator -- hired by Jets

Saleh is the ONLY person I could think of that could have been seen as a "way better hire"... but I think the Jags wanted an offensive guy.

 
I'm always interested in how hires are perceived.

Some folks hate the Urban Meyer hire. Some don't. 

Given the situation and understanding all the factors that go into it a hire and the pros and cons of a coach coming to a team like Jacksonville, how well did the Jaguars do in hiring Meyer?
They could not have hired a better coach. How many guys have won NCAA championships with 2 different teams, especially in this modern era? didn't he win the title his first year in Ohio State? I mean that's impressive, he's a certified top 5 all-time ncaa coach. a legend. a legend in northern Fla. the owner has just increased the value of the Jags exponentially. they will have sold out home games - all of them.

with games against such lousy teams as NE, Jets, Lambs, Falcons, Bungles, 2x versus Houston, that's at least 7 wins right there. it's not that hard to imagine them as an 8-8 9-7 team in his first year. Jags have hired an impressive coaching staff.

This isn't going to be a repeat of the Saban debacle in MIami. 

 
There was never a chance of Saban leaving Alabama for Jacksonville. 

Dabo Swinney could have been interesting. (And made the Etienne pick make more sense). 

Bienemy or maybe leftwich could have been interesting too.
Sorry, I meant what's your opinion of how Saban did with the Dolphins?

 
Joe, are you saying that perhaps Meyer was the best name that would agree to coach Jacksonville? I would think it should have been easy with Lawrence in the hopper to find a coach who would want the job and maybe that was the case and they felt Meyer was an unbelievable find. 
Thanks. I'm not saying anything beyond the words I've written.

I'm asking, "Who do you think would have been a great hire they could have had?"

 
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with games against such lousy teams as NE, Jets, Lambs, Falcons, Bungles, 2x versus Houston, that's at least 7 wins right there. 
Man that’s just not true at all. NE would be a 6-7 point favorite against the Jags, Falcons would be -5, Bengals likely favored and Jets would be a 1 or 2 point dog depending on where it is. I don’t know who the Lambs are. 
 

Houston is the only team in the league where the Jags would be a slam dunk favorite over. 

 
Deamon said:
This is a good question.  Almost all the hires happened within the same week.

Jan 14- Jags Meyer
Jan 14- Jets Saleh
Jan 16- Falcons Smith
Jan 17- Chargers Staley
Jan 20- Lions Campbell
Jan 24- Eagles Sirianni
Jan 29- Texans Culley

Have to think Saleh/Smith/Staley already had their teams in mind.  Can't really say Campbell, Sirianni, or Culley would have been home run picks over Meyer.  Jags had 4 interviews:

Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator -- (Didn't end up wanting a HC job this year)
Urban Meyer, former Ohio State, Florida and Utah HC - hired
Raheem Morris, interim Falcons HC -- No one wanted him
Robert Saleh, 49ers defensive coordinator -- hired by Jets

Saleh is the ONLY person I could think of that could have been seen as a "way better hire"... but I think the Jags wanted an offensive guy.
Interesting answer but then we are assuming these are the only possible candidates that could have even been interviewed. I think any and all coaches can be bought for the right amount of money and control over the organization. 

Well thought out though and gives us a roster of names that were floated around but I don't give most losing franchises a lot of credit that they have the right names always on their list. 

 
Interesting answer but then we are assuming these are the only possible candidates that could have even been interviewed. I think any and all coaches can be bought for the right amount of money and control over the organization. 

Well thought out though and gives us a roster of names that were floated around but I don't give most losing franchises a lot of credit that they have the right names always on their list. 
Who would you have taken over Meyer if you were the jags? 

 
Who would you have taken over Meyer if you were the jags? 
I would have been interviewing OC/DC/Asst Coaches from as many organizations as possible, these college hires almost never work well. Any of them have better ideas on how to attack NFL Defenses and run NFL offenses than Meyer and then there is all this other baggage that comes with Meyer that i already listed item by item in the other thread on urban. I'm not going to repeat it all in here. 

Jacksonville is going to lose a lot of football games this year. 

-Pete Carroll got lucky on a 3rd round QB and was able to exploit that to his advantage assembling players and loading up at other positions while paying their QB less than $1M a season...just for comparison Tua makes $8.5M per year right now with Miami, it's still not dirt cheap taking a QB in the first few selections of the Draft. 

-I'll put almost any OC/DC/Asst HC up against Meyer even with no official head coaching under their resume. 

I wouldn't hire anyone that condones domestic violence in any way or associated with coaches who bully their wives and people of all genders for that matter. His resume speaks for itself. It hangs over the Jax organization and it's only a matter of time before the cancel culture police find him one Monday Morning and finish his coaching career forever, it should have already happened. 

 
I would have been interviewing OC/DC/Asst Coaches from as many organizations as possible, these college hires almost never work well. Any of them have better ideas on how to attack NFL Defenses and run NFL offenses than Meyer and then there is all this other baggage that comes with Meyer that i already listed item by item in the other thread on urban. I'm not going to repeat it all in here. 

Jacksonville is going to lose a lot of football games this year. 

-Pete Carroll got lucky on a 3rd round QB and was able to exploit that to his advantage assembling players and loading up at other positions while paying their QB less than $1M a season...just for comparison Tua makes $8.5M per year right now with Miami, it's still not dirt cheap taking a QB in the first few selections of the Draft. 

-I'll put almost any OC/DC/Asst HC up against Meyer even with no official head coaching under their resume. 

I wouldn't hire anyone that condones domestic violence in any way or associated with coaches who bully their wives and people of all genders for that matter. His resume speaks for itself. It hangs over the Jax organization and it's only a matter of time before the cancel culture police find him one Monday Morning and finish his coaching career forever, it should have already happened. 
Names man, I want names! Haha

I'm not disagreeing with your take on Meyer or on college coaches. Just wondering who their options were that would have taken that job, and had legitimate interest elsewhere in the league too. I can come up with 0 names. 

 
Joe Bryant said:
Sorry, I meant what's your opinion of how Saban did with the Dolphins?
Looking back, his record wasn't as bad as I had thought, it's possible we were just expecting too much. If urban can mirror his record, that would be success here.  

I just don't like assuming great college coaches can succeed in the NFL. I'd have considered Swinney in Jax, but mostly because he'd keep the QB he has been working well with for a few years already. (And he's earned the chance if he wants it)

 
Names man, I want names! Haha

I'm not disagreeing with your take on Meyer or on college coaches. Just wondering who their options were that would have taken that job, and had legitimate interest elsewhere in the league too. I can come up with 0 names. 
Leftwich not getting interest from teams is disappointing to say the least.  There's little doubt in my mind he'd do well there and would take it. 

 
Looking back, his record wasn't as bad as I had thought, it's possible we were just expecting too much. If urban can mirror his record, that would be success here.  

I just don't like assuming great college coaches can succeed in the NFL. I'd have considered Swinney in Jax, but mostly because he'd keep the QB he has been working well with for a few years already. (And he's earned the chance if he wants it)
Exactly. I find it fascinating how the narrative on Saban is spun.

Saban was 9-7 his first year in Miami and barely missed the playoffs. Started slow and finished hot. 

Then the next year, team doctors wouldn't let him sign Drew Brees and he went 6-10. (even if Mike Florio disagrees)

Then to Alabama.

I know people like to paint Saban as a tire fire in the NFL but I don't think that was the case.

If Miami had the Saints' doctors, NFL history might look a LOT different. 

 
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Exactly. I find it fascinating how the narrative on Saban is spun.

Saban was 9-7 his first year in Miami and barely missed the playoffs. Started slow and finished hot. 

Then the next year, team doctors wouldn't let him sign Drew Brees and he went 6-10. (even if Mike Florio disagrees)

Then to Alabama.

I know people like to paint Saban as a tire fire in the NFL but I don't think that was the case.

If Miami had the Saints' doctors, NFL history might look a LOT different. 
Agreed with all that, but I do think Saban in the NFL would be an adequate head coach. 

He's perhaps the 2nd best ever in college. 

 
Bienemy did not want a hc job. Wasn't really an option. 

Saleh I think was locked into the Jets. 

Leftwich sure I'll give you that. But not sure he got much interest from anyone? 
You keep saying that, but he interviewed for jobs, IIRC. Saleh interviewed with the Jags before the Jets and probably (my assumption) would have taken the job if hired on the spot. 

I think your timeline is off here.

They could have had Marvin Lewis, Todd Bowles, any of the typical coaching retreads that get hired every year. Nobody has named Daboll, who was very much considered a name if he should be enticed to throw his hat in the ring.

There were guys there to be had, one would think. Some diligence on the behalf of the hiring department would have sussed out names that were willing. It's a two-way street, don't forget. The coaches never come out and say, "I want that job!" Too much professional pride on the line for that. They always wait, or they wind up in a McDaniels situation where he's not enthused about coaching the team that has picked him like the Colts. Or like Belichick and the Jets. They make sure all the "i"s are dotted and the "t"s are crossed before then. You'll never get names, because that's the name of the game, silence.

 
You keep saying that, but he interviewed for jobs, IIRC. Saleh interviewed with the Jags before the Jets and probably (my assumption) would have taken the job if hired on the spot. 

I think your timeline is off here.

They could have had Marvin Lewis, Todd Bowles, any of the typical coaching retreads that get hired every year. Nobody has named Daboll, who was very much considered a name if he should be enticed to throw his hat in the ring.

There were guys there to be had, one would think. Some diligence on the behalf of the hiring department would have sussed out names that were willing. It's a two-way street, don't forget. The coaches never come out and say, "I want that job!" Too much professional pride on the line for that. They always wait, or they wind up in a McDaniels situation where he's not enthused about coaching the team that has picked him like the Colts. Or like Belichick and the Jets. They make sure all the "i"s are dotted and the "t"s are crossed before then. You'll never get names, because that's the name of the game, silence.
Of course there " would have been jobs".  All I)(and Joe) were asking, is who. Names of people. 

Do we know the jags didn't offer Saleh a job?  Or that he would have taken it if they did?  People saying "oh they should have taken saleh or bienemy have no idea if they actually PASSED on these guys and that the jags made a mistake. 

I personally would take Meyer over Bowles and Lewis. But that's my opinion, you might think differently. And they didn't get much interest from other team's, probably a reason for that. Imagine if Lewis was the new head coach and how much backlash that would get. 

I'm not for or against they Meyer hire. At first look I don't like it. But it was also a pretty uninspiring group of top candidates this year and I'm not sure the jags could have done much better considering the names out there who actually wanted that job. 

 
Exactly. I find it fascinating how the narrative on Saban is spun.

Saban was 9-7 his first year in Miami and barely missed the playoffs. Started slow and finished hot. 

Then the next year, team doctors wouldn't let him sign Drew Brees and he went 6-10. (even if Mike Florio disagrees)

Then to Alabama.

I know people like to paint Saban as a tire fire in the NFL but I don't think that was the case.

If Miami had the Saints' doctors, NFL history might look a LOT different. 
Saban was 15-17 as a NFL head coach. You are what your record says you are.

No doubt they would have been better with Brees, but there is no reason whatsoever to think Brees would have become as great as he became with Payton as his head coach had he instead signed with Miami. The Brees decision was also understandable. Sometimes good process leads to bad outcomes.

It also isn't at all clear how much longer, if at all, Saban would have stayed, since he quickly determined he preferred to be a college head coach over NFL head coach.

 
You keep saying that, but he interviewed for jobs, IIRC. Saleh interviewed with the Jags before the Jets and probably (my assumption) would have taken the job if hired on the spot. 

I think your timeline is off here.

They could have had Marvin Lewis, Todd Bowles, any of the typical coaching retreads that get hired every year. Nobody has named Daboll, who was very much considered a name if he should be enticed to throw his hat in the ring.

There were guys there to be had, one would think. Some diligence on the behalf of the hiring department would have sussed out names that were willing. It's a two-way street, don't forget. The coaches never come out and say, "I want that job!" Too much professional pride on the line for that. They always wait, or they wind up in a McDaniels situation where he's not enthused about coaching the team that has picked him like the Colts. Or like Belichick and the Jets. They make sure all the "i"s are dotted and the "t"s are crossed before then. You'll never get names, because that's the name of the game, silence.
$12,000,000 per year should get you a face to face interview with any and I do mean ANY assistant coach in the league. Add in the No 1 and a bonafide franchise QB, hard to fathom people mention names of coaches and have no idea if they were truly interested or not. 

 
$12,000,000 per year should get you a face to face interview with any and I do mean ANY assistant coach in the league. Add in the No 1 and a bonafide franchise QB, hard to fathom people mention names of coaches and have no idea if they were truly interested or not. 
Same goes the other way.  No clue if ANY of those other coaches were interested or not.

RE: Bienemy though, there have been numerous reports out that none of the situations were what he wanted, and that he wanted to get interview experience but have one more year in KC before going for a HC job next year.

 
Saban was 15-17 as a NFL head coach. You are what your record says you are.

No doubt they would have been better with Brees, but there is no reason whatsoever to think Brees would have become as great as he became with Payton as his head coach had he instead signed with Miami. The Brees decision was also understandable. Sometimes good process leads to bad outcomes.

It also isn't at all clear how much longer, if at all, Saban would have stayed, since he quickly determined he preferred to be a college head coach over NFL head coach.
I don't think anyone is arguing any of that.

My point is I find it interesting some people look back at Saban in the NFL as a "debacle". 9-7 the first year finishing red hot. Missed Drew Brees and faded from there. Different doctor in Miami and I think it could have been tons different. 

I do find the narrative fascinating though. 

 
I don't think anyone is arguing any of that.

My point is I find it interesting some people look back at Saban in the NFL as a "debacle". 9-7 the first year finishing red hot. Missed Drew Brees and faded from there. Different doctor in Miami and I think it could have been tons different. 

I do find the narrative fascinating though. 
Not sure if you read the first link, but it says:

...they sent the medical information of Brees’ torn shoulder to the six top shoulder doctors in the country. The doctors all came back with a similar thought: Brees had a 20 percent chance of full recovery...
I suppose if the Dolphins had a different doctor who was less diligent, he or she may not have consulted those other top shoulder doctors, which might have resulted in a decision to sign Brees. But it's odd to me to characterize this as "different doctor" may have yielded a different result, when it was several top doctors who all rendered a similar opinion on the matter.

As for whether or not Saban was a "debacle," I think he was clearly a bad hire in hindsight, since he quickly decided he didn't want to stay in the NFL. (And IMO the Brees/Culpepper decision is overstated as the primary reason.)

 
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As for whether or not Saban was a "debacle," I think he was clearly a bad hire in hindsight, since he quickly decided he didn't want to stay in the NFL. (And IMO the Brees/Culpepper decision is overstated as the primary reason.)
That's cool. We can just disagree there. 

I think the reality is he was far from a "debacle". But I know many don't see it that way. 

 
That's cool. We can just disagree there. 

I think the reality is he was far from a "debacle". But I know many don't see it that way. 
Debacle may be too much, but I can’t imagine any team would be happy with their new head coach bailing after 2 years to return to college. There is no guarantee that signing Brees would have changed that decision either. 

 
Debacle may be too much, but I can’t imagine any team would be happy with their new head coach bailing after 2 years to return to college. There is no guarantee that signing Brees would have changed that decision either. 
You will not score on one hundred percent chances you don’t take. 
 

Go big, or go home. 

 
Saban's tenure was marred, I believe, by complaints from players that he brought a collegiate atmosphere to the locker room and promptly bailed when the going got tough in the pro ranks because he couldn't get the players he wanted.

Meyer has immediately done that. He's complained about the free agent period quite loudly in the media and I'm not sure what he said about the draft process, but I got the feeling he wasn't the biggest fan. Which is too bad for him. He's signed up for the pros.

He might last as long as Saban. These guys are so used to winning and getting what they want that the pros are just a totally different and foreign game to them. Their attitudes do not match the pro game. The only guy I can remember that made the transition from an exorbitant ego coaching the college game to coaching pros was what Coach K did in basketball at the international level, but he made a tone of concessions and assuaged egos that normally would have run every other coach out of the building. He had their ultimate respect.

That's the only guy I can think of, other than Coach Wooden, who could have pulled it off. Football, while not as notoriously ego-laden as basketball is in the public imagination as far as players go, has its ego in the head coaching ranks of college. These guys get free labor, recruit who they want at will, and expect success from efforts that are less than the coaches that toil in the pros give to their craft.

Frankly, and maybe this colors what I think about Meyer, I'm just not a big fan of the college setup. As Spencer Hall would say about the chattel system that exists in our nation's universities with respect to players: Pay them their gosh darn money. 

Other than that, the coaches wouldn't exist on a level they have. It's only at the big programs where high school football is still king that these guys tend to exist as Gods among alumni and fans. I don't buy any of it. You want to prove it? Prove it in the pros.

 
In my humble opinion the Jaguars will do well on offense. But struggle on defense. Specifically their DL and line backs. 

 
That's cool. We can just disagree there. 

I think the reality is he was far from a "debacle". But I know many don't see it that way. 
Any Phinsfan, Phins Sports Writer, anyone associated with Miami during the Saban era will tell you he was a debacle and a bold faced liar who ran as fast as possible back to college football. 

Saban Era Not Remembered Fondly

Former Dolphins star guard Bob Kuechenberg called Saban a “scoundrel and a skunk’’ in addition to a “lair.’’ Former Dolphins tight end and radio analyst Jim Mandich, who died of cancer in 2011, told the NFL Network that Saban was the “biggest two-bit phony fraud I’ve ever known in my life. … (If) Nick Saban walked through that door right now, I’d say, ‘Let’s go. Let’s start throwing down (punches).’’

Saban set the Miami Dolphins back several years and while Brees might not have turned into the same QB in Miami, in fact i think most know it was best for Drew he went to New Orleans, that has to be one of the most bitter pills for any NFL fan when you see what happened with his success and he could have been a Miami Dolphin. 

Ronnie Brown with the 2nd overall pick in the NFL Draft?  Sure there can be disagreement but we're just listing the facts here. 

 
Saban's tenure was marred, I believe, by complaints from players that he brought a collegiate atmosphere to the locker room and promptly bailed when the going got tough in the pro ranks because he couldn't get the players he wanted.

Meyer has immediately done that. He's complained about the free agent period quite loudly in the media and I'm not sure what he said about the draft process, but I got the feeling he wasn't the biggest fan. Which is too bad for him. He's signed up for the pros.

He might last as long as Saban. These guys are so used to winning and getting what they want that the pros are just a totally different and foreign game to them. Their attitudes do not match the pro game. The only guy I can remember that made the transition from an exorbitant ego coaching the college game to coaching pros was what Coach K did in basketball at the international level, but he made a tone of concessions and assuaged egos that normally would have run every other coach out of the building. He had their ultimate respect.

That's the only guy I can think of, other than Coach Wooden, who could have pulled it off. Football, while not as notoriously ego-laden as basketball is in the public imagination as far as players go, has its ego in the head coaching ranks of college. These guys get free labor, recruit who they want at will, and expect success from efforts that are less than the coaches that toil in the pros give to their craft.

Frankly, and maybe this colors what I think about Meyer, I'm just not a big fan of the college setup. As Spencer Hall would say about the chattel system that exists in our nation's universities with respect to players: Pay them their gosh darn money. 

Other than that, the coaches wouldn't exist on a level they have. It's only at the big programs where high school football is still king that these guys tend to exist as Gods among alumni and fans. I don't buy any of it. You want to prove it? Prove it in the pros.
I have the Over/Under at about 2 seasons as well. Spurrier went 2(maybe less), Saban lasted 2, they grow tired quickly and don't really desire to be fired and try to bolt quickly. Atlanta had one that bolted overnight back to college football.

 
Easy to argue over how bad Saban was. But he left after just 2 seasons, making an evaluation unfair in many ways.

I don't know whether there was a better candidate then Meyer for Jacks. There's a REASON college coaches struggle moving to the NFL. As some others have pointed out, the draft is nothing like recruiting. Some of the biggest names in college also have the biggest schools and the easiest time recruiting....IE: their success is built in great part on an ability to RECRUIT which is done from an inherently unfair/unequal platform. The NFL system of talent acquisition is so dramatically different that it's unreasonable to assume that success in one league would lead to success in the other. While there is obviously some overlap in skills required, the jobs really ARE NOT the same. Just part of the reason that most of the successful transitions happen with coaches who have at least some amount of pro experience already.

Went "OK" since I have no idea who might have been a better hire, and even when considering the challenges there is SOME overlap...surely many successful coaches on one level can succeed on the other. But it's unreasonable and unrealistic to think that someone who dominates in one league can (or should) also dominate in the other. I think he's crazy to leave college with where his career was at there.

 

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