DJ Chark Not Sure Urban Meyer Would Succeed Again in College
Detroit Lions wide receiver DJ Chark is unsure if Urban Meyer would be successful if he returned to coach on the collegiate level.
Chark, who is set to become a free agent, recently appeared on "The 33rd Team" podcast hosted by his teammate Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown.
In the near 45-minute conversation, Chark discussed playing for Meyer, being a part of the Lions organization and how he will handle being a free agent again this offseason.
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The talented wideout expressed that he decided to make "on the record" comments about Meyer in a story that ended up being published in The Athletic out of respect for his former coach.
The 26-year-old did not want to make comments publicly without attaching his name to what was being said.
While in Jacksonville, Chark acknowledged that the ex-Jaguars coach used motivational tactics that were not going to be effective for professionals playing in the NFL.
"I think he's a good person. I think he wants the best out of all players," Chark expressed. "I can go talk to coach Meyer about whatever I wanted to go talk to him about. He'll talk back, and we'll have a conversation. I give him that. I think it was very, very misguided when he came to the league.
"Coached us the way that he best knew how in order to get the best out of us, but you can't do that in the league because I know what it's like for me. I know what it's like to reach a high level success in the league already," Chark explained further. "I don't really need the motivation from you to make me get up and work. I have kids. He just tried to motivate us in a way that didn't really work for professional men."
In the age of the transfer portal, where young athletes can move on from college teams easier, Chark is unsure if modern athletes will support the way Meyer coaches in this day and age.
"I think it works for college," Chark started to explain. "I don't know about now in college, because you can get in the transfer portal like it ain't nothing. So, I don't know."
Feelings regarding free agency
Chark indicated that last year, he read articles in the media that discussed the "best fits" heading into 2022.
He indicated that those articles missed the mark, frankly, and the teams he thought were going to contact him ended up not reaching out.
When asked about his feelings heading into free agency this time, he expressed, "Going into this year, man, I'm trying not to even worry about what is going to happen. I feel like I'm going to be where I'm supposed to be. If that's Detroit, that would be great, because I got some real good friendships and I like it there. And, it's really good. But, you know, it's a business. You never know. So, we'll see how that will go, but it'll be smooth regardless."
Playing in Detroit
Part of the reason the culture has started to change in Detroit has been the level of accountability that has been placed on the coaches and the players.
Chark indicated the standards are high in Detroit and everyone holds each other accountable in order to achieve the necessary goals.
"One thing I can say about the coaches in Detroit, they really -- they know your kids' names and they are really into who you are as a person, whereas that's not always the case," Chark said. "A lot of different personalities that mesh well. There's very, very high expectations, too, throughout the building. Like the expectation on receivers, you got to really be in your playbook every week, because it's very detailed and they expect you to -- there's no excuses for messing up. So, like that accountability was, I haven't really had that since college."
Chark highlighted how Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson puts the receivers in the best position to succeed and the scheme allows for many members of the offense to make plays.
A challenge for Jameson Williams
Near the end of the conversation, Chark acknowledged that Jameson Williams could defeat him in a foot race.
But, the veteran wideout wants to see Williams run a 4.1 40-yard dash.
Chark can imagine Williams hitting the 4.20 mark, but needs to see 4.1 speed in person, with his own eyes.
