Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested the Jaguars should replace Urban Meyer with a Hall of Famer who knows how to handle a No. 1 pick. He believes that HOFer Tony Dungy would be the perfect fit for the job, and thinks he could lead the Jags back to prominence in a hurry.
Mike Florio, a former NFL player and current NBC Sports Pro Football Talk writer, suggested that the Jacksonville Jaguars should replace Urban Meyer with a Hall of Famer who knows how to handle a No. 1 pick.
The Jacksonville Jaguars took a risk by hiring Urban Meyer, and Florio, Mike of ProFootballTalk is eager for a fresh start.
Meyer’s first year as a head coach has been marked by controversies involving a risque video featuring the head coach and a young woman in Ohio, as well as the Tim Tebow experiment, an abysmal 0-4 start, and the recent controversy surrounding a risque video featuring the head coach and a young woman in Ohio. If the Jaguars decide to split ways with the college football icon, Florio has a suggestion for the team’s next move.
Mike Florio proposed that the Jaguars hire Tony Dungy to replace Urban Meyer.
Tony Dungy would be an excellent option to lead the Jaguars until 2021 and then assist in the search for the proper person to take over in 2022. Jeff Fisher and Wade Phillips are two more candidates that are presently available and have extensive NFL head-coaching experience.
October 7, 2021 — ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk)
If Jaguars fans were salivating at the prospect of Meyer joining up with No. 1 overall selection and ex-Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, how would they react if Tony Dungy took over as coach later this season?
On Thursday, Oct. 7, Florio, who works with Dungy at NBC Sports, proposed the notion in an article and following Twitter conversation. The commentator for Football Night in America merely proposed the notion; he didn’t say if Dungy or the Jaguars were interested in working together.
If Meyer is fired or retires later this season, Florio believes offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell would “make the most sense.” Florio then recommended that the Jaguars take an out-of-the-box approach and employ an interim coach from outside the organization.
Dungy, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016, is the perfect guy for the position, according to the creator of ProFootballTalk.
“It would be interesting (but sad) to see Dungy agree to take over the Jaguars only to get them through the rest of the season and assist [Jaguars owner Shahid] Khan find the proper coach to carry the program forward in 2022,” an NBC colleague said.
Mike Florio
As of publishing, Meyer was still the Jaguars’ head coach. Dungy had also been silent about Florio’s proposal.
Even though hiring Dungy is unlikely, Florio has the correct idea.
Mike Florio (L) of ProFootballTalk has a perfect short-term successor in mind if the Jacksonville Jaguars break company with him. B51/Mark Brown/Getty Images; Andy Lyons/Getty Images; Urban Meyer | B51/Mark Brown/Getty Images
First and foremost, let’s get one thing out of the way. Dungy, who last coached in the NFL during the playoffs in 2008, is unlikely to return to the bench. He turned 66 on Oct. 6 and seems to be enjoying his retirement from game preparation and press conferences.
Nonetheless, Florio is correct in his desire for someone like Dungy to take over the Jaguars. Jacksonville wants someone who has already served as a head coach and has worked with a franchise quarterback, particularly one who was chosen first overall. In their seven seasons together, Dungy and Peyton Manning, the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, won a Super Bowl and advanced to two AFC Championship Games.
Florio also suggested Jeff Fisher, the former head coach of the Tennessee Titans, and Wade Phillips, the former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, as candidates for the Jaguars. Fisher won Super Bowl 34 and made the playoffs five times in Tennessee, despite the fact that he had a career record of 173-165-1.
Phillips, who is 74 years old, has at least served as an interim head coach lately. In 2013, he was 0-3 in that capacity with the Houston Texans.
Fisher, out of the three, makes the most sense for a concept that, to be honest, has a little possibility of becoming a reality. Even if it takes bringing in Alabama offensive coordinator and former Texans head coach Bill O’Brien, the Jaguars should consider adopting that criterion in the future.
If Meyer isn’t hired by the Jaguars in 2022, they can’t go wrong with their next head coach choice.
The Jaguars have now dropped 19 games in a row. Only two other clubs have ever lost more games in a row. The current record is 29. Khan must decide whether to stick with the current strategy or make a change in order to avoid a 30-game losing streak depending on the results of the following two games (assuming both are losses).
October 7, 2021 — ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk)
Meyer’s departure from the Jaguars does not seem to be a “if” at this time. Unless we’re all idiots, which is quite conceivable, we’ve been in “when” mode for a few weeks now.
To be safe, if Meyer does not lead the Jaguars next season, it will be the team’s third full-time head coach in three seasons. The Jaguars can’t afford to make it four in four years in 2023 if they want to have Lawrence as their franchise quarterback.
Following this season’s merciful conclusion, the Jaguars should contact the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers to see if either Sean Payton or Mike Tomlin can be acquired. Both are Super Bowl-winning head coaches who have had success with quarterbacks Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger.
If the Jaguars are unable to get Dungy, they should consider dealing a draft choice or two for Tomlin. In 2001, Dungy’s defensive backs coach was the Steelers’ longstanding head coach.
Who are we fooling with this? After two seasons, the Jaguars will hire a trending coordinator and dismiss him. Some brands are adamant about continuing to play Pong, while others devote endless hours to chess and checkers.
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RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Speaks Out on the Urban Meyer Scandal’s Biggest Issue: ‘You Call Your Coaches Coach in College, and You Call Them by Their Name in the NFL.’
The jaguars coaching staff has been a concern for the Jaguars organization. Mike Florio, an NFL insider, suggested the Jaguars should replace Urban Meyer with a Hall of Famer who knows how to handle a No. 1 pick.
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