Urban Meyer calls out 'fragile' coaches, players after Jaguars firing
Meyer said he doesn’t 'believe in blaming players' and denied allegation made by former kicker Josh Lambo
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer is in the hot seat again after seemingly blaming the fragility of football today – at least in part – for his short-lived career in the NFL.
Meyer said in an interview with NFL Network on Friday he believed "everything is so fragile" when asked if he believed his style of coaching could be successful in the NFL today.
"I think college has changed quite a bit, too," he said. "Just society has changed. You think how hard you pushed. ... I believe there is greatness in everybody and it's the coach's job to find that greatness, however you do that. Positive encouragement. Pushing them to be greater, making them work harder, identifying flaws and trying to fix [them]."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meyer went on to say that he doesn’t "believe in blaming players" and denied the allegation made by former kicker Josh Lambo that the coach kicked him during warmups in August.
JAGUARS FIRE URBAN MEYER: A TIMELINE OF THE FIRST-YEAR NFL COACH’S TUMULTUOUS SEASON
Urban Meyer before the Jaguars-Titans game at Nissan Stadium on Dec. 12, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Meyer apologized to Jacksonville for the whirlwind events, both on and off the field, that led to his firing.
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"I love Jacksonville. It's one of the reasons I took the job. I still think Shad's a great owner. It's heartbreaking," he said. "I just had a dream of it becoming a destination place with a new facility he agreed to build and some day to walk into that stadium where it's standing room only. Because I know how bad the people of Jacksonville want it. So, I'm just heartbroken that we weren't able to do that. I still believe it's going to be done. It's too good of a place."
Urban Meyer during the final minutes of the Jaguars-Arizona Cardinals game Sept. 26, 2021, in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)
He continued: "I think everything is so fragile right now. And that includes coaching staffs. When I got into coaching, coaches weren't making this kind of money and they didn't have agents. Everything is so fragile where it used to be team, team, team. I remember talking about it in a staff meeting three days ago. I got into this profession because I had the greatest high school coach and it was all about team. All about the huddle."
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One of the reports that ultimately led to Meyer’s end in Jacksonville alleged that he called his coaching staff losers and demanded that they defend their resumes.
Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars meets with Urban Meyer and coach Brian Schottenheimer against the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on Sept. 30, 2021, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Meyer reportedly had four years left on his contract. ESPN reported the team had no plans to pay out the rest of the money owed on the deal and that Meyer was fired with cause.