The most embarrassing NFL head coaching era in recent history has come to an end. The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Urban Meyer late Wednesday night, as first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter. Meyer lasted 13 games and compiled a 2-11 record. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will serve as interim head coach.
"After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban's tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. "I informed Urban of the change this evening. As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen."
Though the team hadn't played since Sunday—a 20-0 loss to the Titans—the midweek firing seems to have been prompted by Wednesday's Tampa Bay Times report in which former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo said Meyer kicked him at a practice during the preseason and called him a "dipshit." When Lambo told him never to kick him again, Meyer allegedly said, "I’m the head ball coach, I’ll kick you whenever the fuck I want," and later told his kicker not to complain about it in front of the other players.
Kicking an employee was possibly the most actionable thing Meyer did as Jaguars head coach, but he packed a lot of mortifying behavior within his incomplete season. An NFL Network report Sunday morning uncovered a handful of terrible decisions: Meyer treated his players like children and pissed off receiver Marvin Jones Jr., a guy who's difficult to piss off; he called his assistant coaches "losers" in a staff meeting; and he benched running back James Robinson, then pushed the blame onto his RBs coach. That was one report. There were so many more.
Urban Meyer hired, then fired a racist strength coach. He brought in Tim Tebow, presumably so that at least one person respected him in the locker room. He called for an onside kick, and the opposing team returned it for a touchdown. He lost a Thursday night game in Cincinnati, stayed in Ohio while the team flew back to Jacksonville, and showed up in his own steakhouse with his hand in a woman who wasn't his wife. He looked like the biggest fucking sadsack in the subsequent presser, and basically every presser after that. His finest moment was beating the Bills, 9-6. Meyer was a man completely exposed as nugatory when his players weren't unpaid and between the ages of 18 and 22.
The Jaguars gave Meyer a five-year contract; he couldn't even make it through one season. He made Chip Kelly's NFL career look like Bill Walsh's. At least Bobby Petrino went 3-10 with the Falcons.
A lot of what Urban Meyer did in his time with the Jaguars, and everything he's done before it, should disqualify him from being in charge of anything ever again. That said, there's a decent chance he'll be a head coach at some Power Five school within two years.
