5 Observations on Jaguars HC Urban Meyer's Announced Coaching Staff
Exactly four weeks after Urban Meyer was announced as the Jacksonville Jaguars' next head coach, Meyer has his first NFL staff completely in place.
Meyer and the Jaguars announced the large coaching staff on Thursday, featuring many names that had already been reported and a number of names that had not yet come across any radars.
What do we make of Meyer's first coaching staff and the decisions he made to fill out the roles around him? We weigh in with five observations here.
Meyer's first Jaguars staff is deep in terms of quantity, blend of NFL and college experience
Urban Meyer's first NFL staff is plentiful in its number of assistants. Counting Meyer, there are 23 on-field coaches (head coach, coordinators, position coaches, assistants). A year ago, the Jaguars had 19 such coaches. The sheer size of the coaching staff, along with the off-field members of Meyer's staff, shows the commitment Meyer is making toward building a large and cohesive staff similar to the ones he had at Ohio State and Florida.
The coaches Meyer has brought in features a few big names in Darrell Bevell, Brian Schottenheimer, and Charlie Strong, among others. All in all, there are three former college defensive coordinators and two former NFL offensive coordinators on the staff.
Meyer noted that he wanted to bring in a few college coaches due to the fact that the NFL is shifting closer and closer to the college game in terms of schemes. Not counting Meyer, there are five assistants who are coming to the team directly from the college ranks. This doesn't mean there isn't extensive NFL experience either, though. Names like Bevell, Schottenheimer, George Warhop, Joe Cullen, Bob Sutton, and Sanjay Lal all have long ties to the pro game.
Hiring Chris Doyle in any capacity is baffling on several levels
This is the elephant in the room, and for good reason. Former Iowa Hawkeyes strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle was hired by Meyer as the team's director of sports performance, the first major public relations controversy of Meyer's tenure. Doyle and Iowa reached a "separation agreement" in June 2020 to part ways following claims by former Iowa players of racial remarks and mistreatment by Doyle. Doyle disputed the claims, but there is a reason he was available.
Ultimately there are zero excuses for the Jaguars to make a hire like this. Numerous current NFL players have spoken against Doyle's presence at Iowa in the past, and there is no reason to think current Jaguars and potential future players noticed that. Couple it with the fact the Jaguars are a little over a year removed from the NFLPA crashing down on them for player mistreatment, plus the team's own demonstrations against racism last year, not to mention several bad optics over the last few years, and this seems like an ill-advised misfire by Meyer on many levels.
Meyer has as many connections as anyone in the coaching industry. It is hard to believe he couldn't find a qualified person for this position who doesn't have the past of Doyle.
Defensive hires fully indicate a shift to a more multiple defense
Jaguars inside linebackers coach Charlie Strong and inside linebackers coach Joe Cullen both were non-committal on Thursday when it came to answering whether the Jaguars will pivot to a 3-4 defense. This isn't surprising, because most coaches say they will tailor their defense to their personnel (even if it isn't always true). With that said, it isn't hard to read between the lines.
Cullen's hire directly from Baltimore, and the fact Meyer mentioned his respect for how Baltimore plays defense when he talked about why he hired Cullen, indicates the Jaguars will shift to more of an attacking and multiple defense. The Jaguars have operated under the same 4-3 scheme since 2013, so a defense resembling Baltimore's would be quite the change. Then you look at the additions of two more former Ravens coaches in Sterling Lucas and Zach Orr, as well as the hiring of longtime 3-4 coordinator Bob Sutton as a senior defensive assistant. Finally, the Jaguars made a distinction between inside and outside linebackers coaches on their coaching staff. You don't see many classic 4-3 teams do this.
Charlie Strong will play a major role in the organization moving forward
Charlie Strong will be making his first trek into the NFL just like Meyer is, but make no mistake about it after Thursday: Strong will be a giant figure in the Jaguars' organization. Named the assistant head coach to go along with his role as inside linebackers coach, Meyer said Strong was the first person he hired in Jacksonville. He went as far as to say that the hiring of Strong is among the most important hire he has made, if not the most important.
While most on the outside focus on the head coach and the coordinators, there are countless members of a coaching staff who are vital. Strong's role as a leader of the locker room and coaching staff is already clear, playing into his value; he may not call the plays, but he is Meyer's No. 2 and will be looked at as such by the entire franchise. If Meyer is a general, then Strong is his first lieutenant.
Potential reasons for retaining four on-field coaches
The Jaguars are keeping a few holdovers from Doug Marrone's last Jaguars' staff: defensive backs/nickels coach Joe Danna; defensive back/cornerbacks coach Tim Walton; assistant linebackers coach Tony Gilbert; and offensive line coach George Warhop.
The Jaguars keeping this many coaches from the last regime may surprise some, but there are potential reasons for keeping each coach that are fairly easy to read into.
For Danna and Walton, they were among the most respected coaches on Jacksonville's staff the last two seasons. Each is well-liked by players and has had no issues building strong relationships with them. Considering the injuries at each safety and cornerback last year, Danna and Walton did admirable jobs.
Gilbert, meanwhile, can serve as a liaison for Jaguars linebackers as they adjust to a new scheme. The linebacker group is set to undergo major changes in terms of alignment and responsibility, but retaining Gilbert gives the Jaguars a familiar voice.
Finally, Warhop is among the most experienced offensive line coaches in the NFL. The Jaguars just saw their interior offensive line take big leaps as well, so they likely have trust in him to continue the development of both veterans and young players alike. The Jaguars' line improved under Warhop last year, and it appears they are banking on that improvement once again.
