A little less easy in the NFL …

The enthusiasm for the arrival of Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville did not last very long. Overthrown in their first two games by the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos, whose 2020 aggregate record was 9-23, the Jaguars already seem to be gearing up for a season to be forgotten.

Miguel Bujold
Press

Meyer took the lead in soliciting the patience and indulgence of the team’s supporters with a social media post. Basically, he argued the team will improve and there will be happier days in Duval, main Jacksonville County.

Still, Jaguars owner Shad Khan had indicated there would be no rebuilding and his team would win quickly. Dreams do come true sometimes, but it usually takes more than a person or two and a pair of rose-colored glasses to win in the NFL.

Meyer rose to fame in North Florida leading the Gators to two national titles (2006 and 2008) through the college ranks. He led the Gators for six seasons (2005-2010), then the Ohio State Buckeyes for seven seasons (2012-2018), winning another NCAA Championship in 2014.

Being adored in the Jacksonville area, Meyer was at first glance the perfect candidate to bring the sad Jaguars out of their doldrums. He will therefore try to change the perception that the vast majority of head coaches who move from the NCAA to the NFL are breaking their teeth.

The more discerning know well that it is much more than a perception. Steve Spurrier, Bobby Petrino and Nick Saban are just three of the many coaches who have returned to school football with their tails between their legs. Saban has won the NCAA Finals six times since leading the Alabama Crimson Tide, but the Miami Dolphins haven’t even played for an average of .500 under him (15-17).

The reality is, there are half of the current NFL head coaches who would be as successful as Saban with a roster like Alabama’s. Year in and year out, the Crimson Tide sends at least a dozen of their players to the NFL and there are almost always five who are selected in the first round of the draft. Easy to crush rivals …

When you win, the recruitment is done almost by itself. It’s simple, young people who have to choose their university want to win and have fun. We see the same phenomenon here with the Rouge et Or and the Carabins.

Second, money is never an issue in America’s biggest college football programs. We don’t miss anything. It is very different for other universities, which are sometimes far from having the same resources.

But the most important factor why some coaches are unable to achieve the same results in the professional ranks is the difference in the relationship with the players. Instead of giving speeches in front of young people who have nothing to lose and who are still nourished with a beautiful naivety, we must now speak to men, multimillionaires for the most part, who want to be treated as professionals. They know what to do, they no longer need to be taken by the hand.

According to rumors that circulated last week, some veterans of the Jaguars would not like to play under Meyer. Dre’Mont Jones is not surprised.

” I the [Meyer] know well. I’m not going to go into details, but I’m not surprised, ”said the Denver Broncos defensive lineman, who played for Meyer at Ohio State.

How long ?

As he himself said, the Jaguars and their supporters will need to be patient. Lawrence should become one of the great quarterbacks in the NFL, but there isn’t much else on this team.

But Meyer has had success with several different teams and is a good coach. No one will say the opposite. And some coaches have been as good in the NFL as they have been in the NCAA, the best example being Jimmy Johhson, who was the architect of the Dallas Cowboys dynasty in the early 1990s.

It is therefore not impossible that Meyer will succeed in raising the Jaguars. The question may be more whether he will be patient and tenacious enough to do so.

Some people seem to doubt it. Even though he had only coached one Jags game, a reporter asked Meyer if he would become the next driver for the USC Trojans, one of the NCAA’s most prestigious teams that is in the spotlight. looking for his next head coach.

“There is no way. I am here and I am dedicated to trying to build a good organization, ”replied Meyer.

May be. But we have heard this kind of answer to this kind of question often. After a certain time, sometimes very brief, it happens that coaches prefer to take the loose before their good reputation is too damaged.

Because it is a lot more complex to win when there is a salary cap, a draft and the best football heads in the world are on the other side of the field.

Miguel Bujold’s predictions

• Washington à Buffalo : Buffalo
• Chicago à Cleveland : Cleveland
• Baltimore to Detroit: Baltimore
• Indianapolis au Tennessee : Tennessee
• Chargers de L. A. à Kansas City : Kansas City
• New Orleans in New England: New England
• Atlanta at the NY Giants: NY Giants
• Cincinnati à Pittsburgh : Cincinnati
• Arizona à Jacksonville : Arizona
• Jets from NY to Denver: Denver
• Miami à Las Vegas: Las Vegas
• Seattle au Minnesota : Minnesota
• Tampa Bay to LA Rams: LA Rams
• Green Bay à San Francisco : San Francisco
• Philadelphia to Dallas: Dallas
• Last week: 10-5
• Season Total: 16-14

Three matches not to be missed

New Orleans v. New England, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Drew Brees and Tom Brady are no longer with the Saints and Patriots, but Sean Payton and Bill Belichick are. These two great heads of football are currently the two head coaches with the most seniority with the same team. After their amazing curtain-raiser performance, Jameis Winston and the Saints offense were brought back to Earth by the young Panthers defense last Sunday. Marquez Callaway was the only wide end on the team to catch more than one pass, catching two. But most worrying was the Saints’ inability to gain rushing yards. Alvin Kamara finished the game with five yards on eight carries. Given the thinness of their receiving group, the Saints will absolutely have to be productive on the floor to be successful this season.

Tampa Bay v. Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, 4:25 p.m.

It’s the game of the week and it will be even more interesting if Antonio Brown does not play it, he who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. Thanks to excellent cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the Rams defense could win its battle against Tom Brady and its collection of receivers if Brown has to be absent. Even more so if Aaron Donald is able to put pressure on Brady on the inside. On the other side of the ball, Matthew Stafford will have a first chance to prove he can defeat elite quarterbacks. The former Detroit Lions is off to a great start with the Rams. His coefficient of efficiency of 127.0 is third in the league behind those of Russell Wilson (146.9) and Patrick Mahomes (131.4).

Green Bay v. San Francisco, Sunday, 8:20 p.m.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers hit the ground running in the second half of their victory over the Lions on Monday night, but let’s see what it turns out to be against a talented team. The absence of left tackle David Bakhtiari could be an issue against Nick Bosa and the 49ers’ defensive front, especially as second-best offensive line player Elgton Jenkins is unsure of playing as well. It certainly won’t bring tears to the Niners, who still have to deal with many players in the infirmary. As of this writing, tacklers Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley and running backs Elijah Mitchell and Trey Sermon were all unsure of whether to play.