New Man in Charge: What Urban Meyer’s First Priorities As Jaguars HC Should Be

Urban Meyer will soon have his coaching staff in place, but there are other responsibilities that should also be near the top of his to-do list moving forward.

Urban Meyer has a big task in front of him. Perhaps a bigger task than any other recently hired head coach in the NFL. For Meyer, he will be shouldered with the responsibility of turning around the NFL's worst team in the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Jacksonville finished 1-15, the worst single-season record in team history, in 2020 for a myriad of reasons. There was a revolving door at the quarterback position. Injuries depleted the depth chart on both sides of the ball. Stars were traded or even released as the team that nearly made it to the Super Bowl in 2017 turned into the NFL's youngest roster. 

But it is a challenge that, at least publicly, Meyer seems to be acutely aware of. He knows there is an entire mountain to climb to turn around the Jaguars' fortunes. But he also believes he is the man who can lead that mountain climb.

"I’m not going to jump into a situation where I don’t believe we can win. I won’t do that," Meyer said.

For Meyer to hit the ground running during the first year of his regime, there are a number of responsibilities and aspects of the franchise that Meyer must prioritize as he begins to lay the groundwork for his new team. 

So, what should be his first priorities? We attempt to give our perspective on where his attention and energy should go here.

Develop his working relationship with Jacksonville's front office

If there is any part of the franchise that Meyer has to be in sync with over the coming weeks and months, it is the front office. The Jaguars hired general manager Trent Baalke last week, removing the interim tag from the former San Francisco 49ers general manager. Meyer and Baalke had a minor relationship dating back to Alex Smith's final season at Utah, but the two have never come close to working together. Now they will have to work side-by-side to rebuild Jacksonville's roster and utilize 11 draft picks and a plethora of cap space. 

Meyer and Baalke used the terms "partnership" and "alignment" often when talking about their working relationship moving forward. For Meyer to make his first season a success, he will have to find the exact right dynamic between Baalke and the Jaguars' front office and himself. 

Identify the core leaders of his team, as well as identify where leadership is lacking

Meyer will quickly need to know who his go-to guys will be on the roster. Having the aid of Baalke, who was around the team for the entirety of the 2020 season, should surely help. Either way, it is key for Meyer to know who his core leaders will be as he begins to set a culture and build the Jaguars in his vision. Some of the leaders may not currently be on the team, but Meyer needs to know about the quality of leadership that is currently on the roster.

Similarly, Meyer needs to determine where leadership and experience are currently lacking in Jacksonville's locker room. It was the youngest roster in the NFL last year and could be even younger soon considering some of the free agents whose contracts are set to expire. Meyer will likely have to bring in some veterans to fill that void via free agency, so he needs to know exactly where that leadership is needed.

Fill out the entire support/coaching staff

Meyer has been hard at work to fulfill this aspect of his new role. He has made it clear from the day he was hired as the Jaguars head coach that a strong coaching staff is crucial to what he will be doing in Jacksonville. As of now, there have been numerous assistant coaches and support staff (off-field assistants) that have been reportedly hired. This includes Darrell Bevell, Joe Cullen, Charlie Strong, Ryan Stamper, and others.

With that said, Meyer and the Jaguars have yet to officially announce any coaching hires. The team is likely waiting until the entire staff is finalized, which should happen much sooner than later. There are some roles on the staff that there haven't been many reports about, however, such as quarterbacks coach and defensive line coach, so seeing how Meyer fills those positions will be interesting moving forward.

Break ground on relationships with the locker room that are built on trust 

This is likely the most important of all of Meyer's first tasks. Jacksonville's locker room is in a much more peaceful place right now than it was a few years ago. Doug Marrone, to his credit, did a lot of good by helping mend fences with the team's current players, while Dave Caldwell traded away any other players who had any beef with the franchise. Plus, removing Tom Coughlin from the front office alone did its part in turning around the atmosphere in Jacksonville.

But even with the improved internal environment at TIAA Bank Field, it will still be important for Meyer to begin to build his own strong relationships with his players. It is the start of a new regime and Meyer should let the players know what he is looking to accomplish for all parties as he and the team embark on the journey forward. The previous regimes in Jacksonville struggled with player relations at times due to a lack of trust and transparency, something that Meyer and the new Jaguars brass will have to ensure doesn't repeat. Meyer built successful programs in college because he was able to get players to buy-in. He will need to do the same in Jacksonville, but his methods will likely have to adjust as he transitions from the college ranks to the NFL.

Begin to implement his culture and vision at TIAA Bank Field

Meyer should let the entire organization know early on what his message is and what he is here to do. Being the leader of the franchise is more than just dictating practices and Sundays. Instead, it is about putting touches on every part of the organization from top to bottom. The Jaguars are set to undergo a complete overhaul in terms of their culture and overall mindset as a franchise, and Meyer needs to set the tone of that change. 

"I think it has something to do with, I’m not sure I said this earlier, but I talked to Shad about this, it might be a little high school-ish, I get that, but when they see the Jaguar emblem, you better have ownership and you better love it. If not, it’s my job to eliminate those people from this organization and I take that very seriously," Meyer said at his introductory press conference. 

"You don’t always blame the players. I hear that. You guys know that. I don’t blame players. I blame coaches before players. This city of Jacksonville, when they see that Jaguar emblem, there’s a sense of pride and let’s go man, let’s go. I can see a fast team. I see people who care deeply about that organization. The two things I always talk about that inspire or are part of inspiration are love and ownership. I want you to own it and if you don’t want to do that then you can’t be here. Own that emblem.”

Yes, that is likely a motivational tactic and also an answer aimed at appealing to the fan base, but it does show Meyer's drive to establish the new culture with the Jaguars. He will have to make it clear early what is expected of those on the team.