By Jordan Long
The Jacksonville Jaguars won’t have anything to play for the rest of the season but pride and where they will pick in the 2022 NFL draft. They have been officially eliminated from playoff contention and haven’t earned a playoff berth since 2017. Head Coach Urban Mayer may not be back next year.
Jacksonville hired Mayer after they fired Doug Marrone following a 1-15 season in 2020. Marrone spent 5 years in Jacksonville. His record was 23-43, a winning percentage of .348. Marrone earned a playoff spot in 2017, the only time Jacksonville made the postseason under him. They went all the way to the AFC Championship game but were knocked off by the New England Patriots 24-20. Jacksonville hired Mayer on January 15th, 2021.
This was a surprise hire. Mayer spent 17 years in college football from 2001 to 2018. His record was an impressive 187-32, a winning percentage of .854. He won 2 BCS National Titles and 1 College Football Championship. Jacksonville was hoping Mayer was the answer to turn them back into a competing franchise.
This season Jacksonville knew the postseason was a long shot. All they wanted was to be a competitive football team, even if there were more losses than wins. They knew quarterback Trevor Lawrence was a rookie but they were anticipating Mayer to help him grow at the NFL level. It happens to every 1st-year quarterback in the NFL. He is learning to read defenses and has turned the ball over which is expected. Lawrence passed for 2,735 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions so far this year. His line isn’t protecting him. Lawrence has been sacked 25 times.
Mayer is going to survive this season but next year is a question mark. There have been incidents involving Mayer the past two weeks. At some point veteran receiver Marvin Jones and Mayer got into a disagreement causing Jones to leave the Jaguars’ facility. Jones had to be talked into coming back. Allegedly, Mayer called his assistant coaches losers and questioned them to explain if they’ve ever won. This is not a sign of a great Head Coach or a leader.
The Jaguars will figure out what is best for the franchise moving forward. According to ESPN.com, Jaguars’ Owner Shad Khan said, “I’m not impulsive. I learned that a long time ago with anything that’s this important. You don’t want to be impulsive. You want to look at exactly what I know firsthand or people are telling me and then collect that and do the right thing.”
Mayer needs to understand the Jaguars weren’t going to do much this year. 4 or 5 wins would have been an improvement from last year. They have 2 wins which are still more. Mayer’s actions say he is frustrated but he can’t treat players or staff that way. It takes a whole team and coaches to win and Mayer is not realizing that.
Mayer will be lucky to have another year in Jacksonville. He must change his ways otherwise nobody will want to play or coach in Jacksonville. Owner Shad Khan will do what he thinks is best for the franchise moving forward. If he decides to fire Mayer, he must look for a coach with NFL Head Coaching experience.
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