Report: Urban Meyer was unfamiliar with Aaron Donald, other NFL stars while with Jaguars
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theramswire.usatoday.com]
Cameron DaSilva
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Urban Meyer’s tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars went about as poorly as it possibly could have. He didn’t even last a full season, getting fired in December after just 13 games with the Jaguars.
That was partly due to his 2-11 record, but it was also about his coaching style and, well, poor fit in the NFL. A new report shows just how unprepared he was for a job in the NFL.
According to The Athletic, Meyer was unfamiliar with star players such as Aaron Donald and Deebo Samuel.
Meyer said he conducted a six-month deep dive on the NFL that included interviews with his former Florida and Ohio State players as well as a study of the salary cap. But multiple sources said Meyer was unfamiliar with star players around the league, including 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year.
“Who’s this 99 guy on the Rams?” Meyer asked one staffer during the season, according to a source. “I’m hearing he might be a problem for us.”
Anyone around the game of football knows who Aaron Donald is. It’s really that simple. He’s arguably the best player in the world, and whether you’re coaching Pop Warner, high school, college or a team in the CFL, you know who the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is.
The fact that Meyer apparently didn’t realize who he was is flat-out shocking – especially considering the Jaguars knew the Rams were on their schedule for months before facing Donald and Los Angeles.
There’s really no excuse for this one.
