4 Observations on Jaguars’ Reported Interest in Urban Meyer and Coaching Search Thus Far
The Jacksonville Jaguars' search for their next head coach is now four days old. We have already seen some major developments take place since the team fired Doug Marrone on Monday, with the biggest coming within the last day.
The Jaguars are tight-lipped about the search via their social media channels, but they have reportedly already met with Eric Bienemy and Raheem Morris, and San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said earlier this week that they put in a request to interview defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as well.
Add in today's report from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport that the Jaguars are planning to meet with Urban Meyer, and there are a lot of moving pieces with Jacksonville's search for Marrone's replacement.
“Well, I think obviously you want the harmony and the mission, the goal that we’re here to win. I think for me, somebody—a proven leader who understands not only the basics of football, the blocking and tackling, but more importantly the modern football," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said on Monday when asked for what he is looking for in his next coach and general manager.
"Some of the things, the new football—but more importantly, handling the 21st-century athlete at the same time. So, the old and the new, I think, are absolutely vital. And then being able to attract really the right staff, I think that is a key element. You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. So who they can attract and really the approach is going to be very, very important for us.”
So with the search for Khan's next big hire appearing to heat up, what observations and takeaways do we have? We offer a few here.
Urban Meyer is a risky option, but one the Jaguars are clearly interested in
The idea that the Urban Meyer rumors are "just rumors" at this point seems a bit misguided. Shad Khan shut the rumors down himself on Monday, and even still could say he hadn't yet contacted Meyer until Doug Marrone was officially fired, but Meyer reportedly meeting with the Jaguars formally for the job erases a lot of guesswork.
Up to this point, all that has been reported by national media is the Jaguars' interest in Meyer and nothing really about Meyer's interest in the Jaguars. If the two sides are set to meet about the job, however, that obviously indicates some mutual interest from both sides. Meyer almost positively wouldn't meet with the Jaguars if he wasn't at least considering taking Marrone's place, after all.
Would Meyer be the right fit for the Jaguars? Would the Jaguars be the right fit for Meyer's first stop in the NFL? These are the questions the two sides desperately need to answer soon. One way or another, the prospect of hiring Meyer is a major roll of the dice. It is as high-risk, high-reward as one could get when hiring a head coach. He doesn't have NFL experience, has had health issues force him out of his last two head coaching jobs, and would likely come with a big price tag.
But Meyer also has his countless positives. He is a winner, an organized and accomplished leader, and the epitome of a program builder. The Jaguars need more than a football coach, they need a new way of developing a football team. Meyer would certainly bring that, which explains why it appears to be some legitimate interest from the Jaguars in the former Florida and Ohio State head coach.
It is looking more and more like a head coach comes before a general manager
When general manager Dave Caldwell was fired after Week 12, we were of the belief the Jaguars would be hiring a general manager first and then let him conduct the search for the team's next head coach. This is how it played out in 2013 after all.
Well, that hasn't quite happened.
The Jaguars have conducted a number of general manager interviews to this point, as Khan alluded to on Monday. But the Jaguars are running the two searches at the same time it appears, which means neither role would have power or influence over the other. This way, the head coach and general manager both answer to Khan. The early thoughts that a general manager or front office executive would once again control the football hierarchy seem to now be out the window. At this point, it would be a surprise to see a general manager hired before a head coach, just based on how the Jaguars have publicly conducted their searches.
“Well, I’ll tell you, I think ideally, you want to hire them about the same time. What I learned, and I think it’s really true, it doesn’t get quite the visibility, but the current environment is, the head coaches, the kind of coaches you want, they want to be able to work very closely with the general manager on the personnel side," Khan said on Monday.
"The key thing, how we would be structuring this is that I’m going to have the general manager and the head coach report directly to me. And that way, really, you have the transparency and the needs and concerns of both parties without really getting filtered or have a chain of command. And that’s really what necessitates that you basically hire them about the same time and really you have a perfect alignment, which you need in a winning organization.”
What all of the current candidates have in common
With four coaches now officially reported to be set up for interviews (Arthur Smith has been rumored by ESPN's Adam Schefter to be connected to the job as well), we could always talk about what makes these coaches different in terms of their qualifications and backgrounds, but instead we are opting to look at what the four of them have in common. This gives us more insight into what Khan and the Jaguars are looking for, after all.
All four candidates (Bieniemy, Meyer, Saleh, Morris) have college experience. Meyer has clearly been a college head coach, while Bieniemy and Morris have been coordinators and Saleh has been a defensive assistant at the collegiate level. This would likely apply to most coaches, but it is still worth noting each candidate has experience working with younger athletes.
All four are also known most for their football leadership skills. Meyer is a true football architect, building programs from the inside out. Meanwhile, Morris, Saleh, and Bieniemy are all known as coaches who are beloved by their players. Richard Sherman himself has gone to bat for Saleh, while Patrick Mahomes has done the same for Bieniemy.
It was clear on Monday that Khan wants to hire a coach who understands the new-age athlete and how to manage them. From the accounts of those who have played for them, all four of these candidates can do just that.
One reason for a lack of Arthur Smith/Brian Daboll news
Surprised by no official announcements on Arthur Smith or Brian Daboll being requested for interviews for the Jaguars? You aren't alone.
After Meyer and Bieniemy, they are the next two high-profile offensive minds who are in this year's cycle. With the Jaguars owning the No. 1 pick and likely to take Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the draft's top selection, it is reasonable for most to assume the Jaguars would be all over the offensive candidates. Despite this, the Jaguars have been linked to two defensive coaches out of the four coaches they reportedly have official interviews with.
So, why so little news on Smith and Daboll? One reason could be, of course, that Khan has eyes set on Meyer, but we think it is something else. Khan isn't the type of businessman who would turn his nose up at interviewing other candidates because he has his eyes set on one target; he knows how invaluable the insight of outside voices is.
Instead, it is for a much more simple reason ... because these coaches can't interview yet. Teams could put in requests, but Smith and Daboll can't actually meet with teams right now. The rules are explained well in this SI.com article below.
No in-person interviews are permitted as long as the hiring club or candidate's club is playing. In-person interviews may begin for head coach or coordinator positions and for higher-level employees (primary football executive/general manager) and secondary football executive positions with candidates who are not current NFL club employees or whose club is not participating in the postseason on Jan. 4.
Virtual interviews for head coach or coordinator positions may begin with coaches whose clubs have a bye in the first week of the playoffs and may continue through the conclusion of Wild Card Weekend on Jan. 10. From Jan. 10 to Jan. 11, Virtual interviews with coaches whose teams won a wild card game may begin for head coaching positions through the conclusion of the Divisional Round on Jan. 17.
So, do not take the lack of media momentum for Daboll or Smith to Jacksonville as a sign of a lack of interest. The Jaguars very well could still attempt to speak with them after this weekend. They could also pass up on doing so, but making any judgments now would be jumping the gun.
