Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars spokesperson Jim Woodcock said team owner Shad Khan had considered firing Urban Meyer for "weeks" and finalized the decision after a conversation with the embattled head coach following Sunday's shutout loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Jim Woodcock told Mark Long of the Associated Press on Friday night the decision to fire Meyer early Thursday morning wasn't a direct result of former Jags kicker Josh Lambo alleging the coach kicked him during an August practice:

The announcement was made at 12:35 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 16, to provide coaches and staff alike a fresh start upon reporting to the stadium that morning. Contrary to incorrect assumptions and widespread egregious reporting, the dismissal was not triggered by a single newspaper report late Wednesday afternoon related to a claim made by a former player.

To repeat from Shad's official statement, the decision was reached 'after deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban's tenure with our team.'

Woodcock explained the discussion between Khad and Meyer after the Titans loss yielded "few answers for the team's woes or how he planned to fix them" from the coach.

While that sealed Meyer's fate, the Jaguars owner decided to wait until after some previously scheduled events during the week to make the announcement.

"It was determined to wait until the conclusion of previously scheduled appointments that week to make the announcement," Woodcock told Long. "Those appointments included an employee staff luncheon and meeting with Jacksonville media, both to recognize the 10th anniversary of Shad's purchase of the Jaguars, on Monday as well as NFL meetings in Dallas on December 14 and 15."

Thursday's firing marked the end of a tumultuous 11-month NFL tenure for the former Florida and Ohio State college coach.

In July, the league fined the Jags $200,000 and Meyer $100,000 for a violation of rules preventing contact during offseason practices.

Meyer then landed on the hot seat in October when videos were posted on social media that showed a woman who wasn't his wife dancing on him in an Ohio bar. The coach had stayed back in his home state to visit family after a Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Those two situations combined with Lambo's allegations and the Jags' 2-11 record during his first season in charge led to his quick exit from Jacksonville.

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will serve as the interim coach for the final four weeks of the regular season.

The Jaguars will then search for a new head coach in the offseason, which will mark the fifth different leader of the coaching staff since Khan purchased the team in January 2012. They've reached the playoffs just once over that span.

Urban Meyer's tumultuous tenure as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly didn't alienate everyone in the locker room. 

Per Hallie Grossman and Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, one source close to the team said that most players "felt just fine" about Meyer. 

"He hadn't, at least by the last weekend before his dismissal, lost the locker room, the source said," Grossman and DiRocco wrote. 

There were strong indications that Meyer alienated at least some of the Jaguars players. 

Kicker Josh Lambo, who played five seasons in Jacksonville prior to his release in October, told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times that Meyer called him a "dips--t" and told him to "make his f--king kicks" before kicking him in the hamstring. 

Lambo also said that Meyer would refer to some players on special teams only by their position instead of using their names. 

“It was ‘Kicker, Punter, Long snapper,’ ” Lambo said. “Or S--tbag, Dips--t or whatever the hell it was.”

Meyer also didn't seem to be aware if or when certain players were appearing in games:

Before Stroud's story with Lambo came out, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence seemed to acknowledge the drama around the team this season. 

"You're always going to have some form of drama. I've learned that the NFL is just more drama in general than college, no matter where you're at," Lawrence told reporters. "But you're right. There's been a lot. To your point, I do think that has to change and that's something that we need to work on for sure."

The Jaguars moved on from Meyer on Thursday when owner Shad Khan fired the 57-year-old 13 games into his first season with the team. 

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. He previously served as interim head coach for the Detroit Lions last season after Matt Patricia was fired. 

Meyer led the Jaguars to a 2-11 record prior to his dismissal.    

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan reportedly has discussed Byron Leftwich, Brian Daboll, Todd Bowles, Doug Pederson and Josh McDaniels as potential head coaching candidates for 2022, per Jordan Schultz. 

Previous head coach Urban Meyer was fired this week after a 2-11 start to his first season in the NFL. Darrell Bevell is set to serve as the interim coach for the remainder of 2021.

Jacksonville has already clinched double-digit losses for the fourth straight season while the franchise has just one year with a winning record since 2007. 

The list of projected candidates features a varied field from both sides of the ball, some with head coaching experience and others without.

Pederson, 53, was the most successful head coach on the list, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl title after the 2017 season. He produced a 42-37-1 record across five years before he was fired after going 4-11-1 in 2020.

McDaniels struggled as a head coach for the Denver Broncos (11-17 over two seasons), but he has excelled as an offensive coordinator during his career with the New England Patriots. In his first 12 seasons running the Patriots offense, the 45-year-old has led a top-10 scoring attack 11 times.

Bowles went 24-40 during four seasons as the New York Jets head coach, although he has also thrived as a coordinator. The 58-year-old helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Super Bowl last season and has navigated injuries to keep the unit tough again in 2021.

Leftwich also won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay as the team's offensive coordinator and the unit is even better in 2021, currently ranking first in the NFL in both points scored and total yards. Even without head coaching experience, the 41-year-old is clearly a coach on the rise.

Daboll, 46, is also seeking his first head coaching position after eight years as an NFL coordinator. The Buffalo Bills had the No. 2 offense in football last season under Daboll's leadership and remain an elite squad with the sixth-most points in the NFL.

Turning things around in Jacksonville would be a challenge for any of these men, but there are exciting pieces to help create a contender. Even with Trevor Lawrence struggling as a rookie, the 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick is loaded with talent and could thrive in the right system.

The right coach could get the most out of the roster and help the Jaguars return to the postseason.    

The Cleveland Browns have reportedly signed Kyle Lauletta off the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad to serve as their backup quarterback for Saturday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders because of expected COVID-19 absences, including starter Baker Mayfield.

Lauletta's agent, Mike McCarthy, confirmed the signing.

Zac Jackson of The Athletic reported Friday the Browns are signing both Lauletta and free-agent quarterback Jake Dolegala, who will serve as the No. 3 emergency QB.

Nick Mullens, who's in line to start against the Raiders, was the only active signal-caller on the roster with both Mayfield and Case Keenum on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Lauletta spent the second half of the 2020 season on the Browns' practice squad. He signed a reserve/futures contract with the organization in January but was released following this year's preseason. He joined the Jags' practice squad a few days later.

The 26-year-old University of Richmond product has only appeared in two regular-season games since the New York Giants selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He failed to complete any of his five throws in those relief appearances for the G-Men that year.

Lauletta enjoyed a solid college career with the Spiders. He compiled 85 total touchdowns (73 passing and 12 rushing) and 35 interceptions across 40 appearances.

His knowledge of the Browns offense should allow him to handle the unit if forced to play in a pinch against the Raiders.

Dolegala has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of Central Connecticut in 2019. Cleveland will be his fifth team after time with the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins.

The 6'7" New York native has never attempted a regular-season pass.

Cleveland's COVID-19 issues are occurring as the team attempts to make a late surge into the playoffs.

The Browns sit eighth in the AFC standings with a 7-6 record. The top seven teams in each conference qualify for the postseason. The Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills, who are also 7-6, currently hold the last two spots based on tiebreakers.

How long the COVID outbreak continues to impact the team will be a major factor in their playoff hopes as it faces a difficult schedule down the stretch. After facing the Raiders (6-7), it takes on the Green Bay Packers (10-3), Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6-1) and Cincinnati Bengals (7-6).

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence is ready to move forward without Urban Meyer, who was fired as head coach of the franchise early Thursday morning, following the drama surrounding the longtime college football coach throughout the 2021 campaign. 

"I wouldn't believe you if you told me this is how this year was going to go," Lawrence told reporters. " ... I think [the coaching change] brings a little bit of clarity to the guys in the locker room. I wouldn't say relief, but I would say just bring some clarity and some direction moving forward."

Lawrence added: 

You know, we really want to go and finish the season strong and to be honest, it's been hard to last the last week with everything going on. And there's a lot of things being stirred up I think by the outside, too. That didn't help [and] made things a lot worse, but also everything that's going on.

It's hard to be focused and have all your attention and efforts going towards winning the game when there's so many things going on.

Meyer's tenure in Jacksonville was anything but smooth. First, he hired former Iowa strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle as the director of sports performance in February. Doyle was accused of racism and bullying from Iowa players, and he resigned from the Jacksonville position two days after being hired in the wake of backlash about his past. 

Then in May, Meyer brought in failed former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow as a tight end. In July, Meyer and the Jaguars were fined a combined $300,000 for excessive contact during offseason practices. After that, videos of a woman that was not his wife dancing on him at a Columbus, Ohio, bar surfaced in October. 

In addition, reports surfaced alleging that Meyer called his assistant coaches losers, and former kicker Josh Lambo accused Meyer of kicking him during warm-ups. 

Then just one day before Meyer was fired, Lawrence admitted that he was fed up with the drama surrounding the franchise. 

“You’re always going to have some form of drama. I’ve learned that the NFL is just more drama in general than college, no matter where you’re at,” Lawrence told reporters. “But you’re right. There’s been a lot. To your point, I do think that has to change and that’s something that we need to work on for sure.

“So you can’t always be in the headlines. You just got to go play football and that’s where we’re trying to get and I have no doubt we’ll get there, but for sure [it has to change].”

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell is now serving as interim head coach of the Jaguars, and Lawrence appears to be looking forward to having him as the team's boss. 

"He's very even keel," Lawrence said of Bevell. "Always the same person. Never gets too high or too low. That's something that I respect and that I can level with."

The Jaguars went 2-11 with Meyer as head coach. They'll look to turn things around when they meet the Houston Texans on Sunday.  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich says his focus remains on the task at hand rather than any head-coaching opportunities that could arise. 

“I’m just trying to win a division," Leftwich told reporters Thursday. 

Leftwich will be one of the most highly sought-after assistant coaches this offseason, and his name was instantly thrown to the top of the pile with the Jacksonville Jaguars' job opening early Thursday. Leftwich was the Jaguars' first-round pick in 2003 and played four seasons with the franchise.

The Jaguars fired Urban Meyer after just 13 games following a series of embarrassments both on and off the field. The final straw came Wednesday when kicker Josh Lambo accused Meyer of kicking him at practice during the preseason.

"I'm in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back," Lambo told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. "Urban Meyer, while I’m in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, 'Hey Dips--t, make your f--king kicks!' And kicks me in the leg."

Lambo said he told his agent, who contacted the Jaguars' legal team. While the Jaguars say he was given an opportunity to report the incident in a meeting with team management, Lambo said that was not the case. 

Despite the matter being known internally for months, it appears Lambo going public was the final straw for Meyer's embattled tenure. The accomplished college coach never found his footing in the NFL, clashing with players and his own assistant coaches while Jacksonville scuffled to a 2-11 start. 

Leftwich is in his third season as the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator. While his contributions often go unheralded due to the presence of Tom Brady and coach Bruce Arians, both have gone out of their way to praise Leftwich's offensive mind. Arians revealed in October that he does not even attend offensive meetings, trusting Leftwich to handle one of the most explosive offenses in football. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired head coach Urban Meyer.

"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 early Thursday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"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," Khan stated.

He continued: "In the spirit of closure and recharging our players, staff and fanbase, I will not comment further until some point following the conclusion of the NFL season."

He also said: "Trent Baalke continues as our general manager and will work with [interim head coach and ex-offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell] to ensure that our team will be inspired and competitive while representing Jacksonville proudly over our final four games of the season."

The 51-year-old Bevell, who has worked as an offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions, will take the Jags over for the remainder of 2021.

He was also the Lions' interim head coach to end 2020 after former head coach Matt Patricia was fired. Bevell went 1-4 over the last five games.

The team posted a 2-11 record during Meyer's brief time on the sideline, and his departure comes soon after former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times that Meyer kicked him and cursed at him during warm-ups for a practice in the preseason this year.

That came after a series of missteps following his hiring in January.

Recently, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero painted an unflattering portrait of Meyer's tenure:

But sources say Meyer's repeated public comments shifting blame to players and coaches amid the team's 2-10 season have exacerbated frustration in the building with his hard-charging and sometimes condescending approach -- a style that many observers believed wouldn't work in the NFL even before the Jaguars hired him.

Meyer also reportedly said during a staff meeting that "he's a winner and his assistant coaches are losers." He disputed that rumor following Jacksonville's 20-0 loss to the Tennessee Titans:

In general, this move has been a long time coming.

A video showing a woman dancing close to Meyer's lap went viral on social media in October. He apologized days later, saying he had stayed behind after his team's road loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and gone out to dinner with his family before the scenes depicted in the video occurred.

Khan issued a statement saying Meyer's behavior was "inexcusable" and that he "must regain our trust and respect."

In a vacuum, that story arguably wasn't grounds for dismissal, and it likely would have blown over eventually. But NFL Network's Michael Silver reported the situation exacerbated internal discord in Jacksonville:

From the moment Jacksonville was linked to Meyer in the offseason, many were skeptical the partnership would work even though pairing an adept offensive mind with a young quarterback (Trevor Lawrence) made sense in theory.

The 57-year-old resigned from Florida in late 2009 for health reasons—returning to the school for one more season. He also cited his health as one of the factors leading him to walk away from Ohio State in 2018.

The Athletic's Stewart Mandel recounted his past interactions with Meyer and described him as "a man who takes losses harder than any coach I've ever encountered."

Now, the legendary coach was taking a job where a team can lose six or seven games and still make the playoffs. It only took two defeats before he made a public pledge to turn things around:

Meyer also struggled with the culture shift from college to the NFL.

Jacksonville badly misread the room when it announced the impending hire of Chris Doyle as the director of sports performance. Beyond his lack of experience at the pro level, he left Iowa amid allegations he made racist comments and showed racial bias against Black Hawkeyes players.

Doyle quickly resigned, and Meyer acknowledged he "saw the impact of the decision and the distraction it caused."

And the Jaguars hadn't even kicked off the regular season before CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reported in September that "Meyer's ability to adapt to the NFL game and make a smooth transition from college is a topic of considerable debate in league circles":

There have been repeated issues with other coaches on staff, with Meyer's temper and lack of familiarity with the ebbs and flows of the NFL calendar rubbing the Jacksonville Jaguars staff and players the wrong way, the sources said. There is a disconnect at times between the members of the staff with extensive pro experience and those who lack it, and morale has suffered as the outbursts have continued. His fiery remarks to players and coaches after games have already struck many as bizarre.

Some coaches have found success in the NFL after thriving at the college level. It quickly became apparent that Meyer wouldn't be joining that group.

For the Jaguars, his hiring was a clear mistake, and admitting that error now is at least better than keeping him on the sideline and waiting for things to change.

It's probably too late for another coach to reverse Jacksonville's fortunes this year, but the organization now has the opportunity to reset its future while still building around Lawrence.

Trevor Lawrence is tired of the drama.

The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback told reporters Wednesday that the team needs to find a way to eliminate the distractions and focus on football.

"You're always going to have some form of drama. I've learned that the NFL is just more drama in general than college, no matter where you're at. ... There's been a lot," he said. "... I do think that has to change and that's something that we need to work on for sure. So you can't always be in the headlines. You just got to go play football and that's where we're trying to get and I have no doubt we'll get there, but for sure [it has to change]."

Most, if not all, of the drama has surrounded first-year head coach Urban Meyer:

• He hired Chris Doyle to serve as director of sports performance, despite allegations of racism made against him by Iowa's Black players during his time with the Hawkeyes. Doyle resigned shortly thereafter.
• Before the season, Meyer signed his former player at Florida, Tim Tebow, who hadn't appeared in an NFL game since 2012. Rampant media attention followed, though Tebow was cut in August.
• Meyer held a quarterback competition between Lawrence, the top overall pick and presumed starter, and Gardner Minshew. The latter was ultimately traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Meyer was investigated by the NFLPA in August when he said publicly that a player's vaccination status played a part in the team's roster decisions when making cuts before the season.
• A video went viral in early October showing a woman dancing against the married Meyer, who appears to be touching her backside. The encounter reportedly took place after Jacksonville's 24-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
• He has repeatedly benched James Robinson for long stretches in games after fumbles, later telling reporters he "should be more aware of the rotation at running back" and that he doesn't "doesn't micromanage position coaches," implying that running backs coach Bernie Parmalee was behind the benchings.
• There have been other instances where it appears Meyer isn't really aware of who is on the field and who isn't:

• A report from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network outlined several alleged conflicts between Meyer and various members of the organization, including a heated meeting with wideout Marvin Jones and a staff meeting in which he reportedly "delivered a biting message that he's a winner and his assistant coaches are losers, according to several people informed of the contents of the meeting, challenging each coach individually to explain when they've ever won and forcing them to defend their resume." Meyer has denied the reporting.
• Finally, on Wednesday former Jags kicker Josh Lambo told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times that Meyer kicked him during a preseason warm-up:

So there haven't been many dull moments in Jacksonville this season. There also haven't been many wins—the team is 2-11, has lost five games in a row and its last two losses have been by a combined 50 points.

Jacksonville is regressing, and more concerning is that Lawrence is struggling, throwing for 2,735 yards, nine touchdowns and 14 interceptions while taking 25 sacks and completing just 58.2 percent of his passes.

Lawrence is the future face of this franchise. If all of the drama surrounding the organization is impeding his development, it's fair to question why the source of that drama remains employed.

In the latest negative headline surrounding Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, the team's former kicker, Josh Lambo, alleged the first-year NFL coach kicked him during warm-ups.

"I'm in a lunge position," Lambo told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. "Left leg forward, right leg back ... Urban Meyer, while I'm in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, 'Hey Dips--t, make your f--king kicks!' And kicks me in the leg."

Lambo then said he confronted Meyer about it:

It certainly wasn't as hard as he could've done it, but it certainly wasn't a love tap. Truthfully, I'd register it as a five (out of 10). Which in the workplace, I don't care if it's football or not, the boss can't strike an employee. And for a second, I couldn't believe it actually happened. Pardon my vulgarity, I said, 'Don't you ever f--king kick me again!' And his response was, 'I'm the head ball coach, I'll kick you whenever the f--k I want.'

The kick allegedly happened during a practice leading up to an August preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Lambo said his agent, Richard Irvin, reported it to the team's legal counsel, although the kicker said he does not remember being offered a chance to meet with the counsel. However, the team's legal counsel told Stroud in a statement it offered to speak with Lambo and "any suggestion otherwise is blatantly false."

Meyer denied Lambo's version of events, saying "Josh's characterization of me and this incident is completely inaccurate, and there are eyewitnesses to refute his account. [General manager] Trent [Baalke] and I met with him on multiple occasions to encourage his performance, and this was never brought up. I was fully supportive of Josh during his time with the team and wish him nothing but the best."

The Jaguars have struggled on the field in Meyer's first season with a 2-11 record. What's more, supposed franchise quarterback and 2021 top overall pick Trevor Lawrence has just nine touchdown passes to 14 interceptions.

Yet the turmoil around Meyer has not been limited to the team's play on the field.

In October, videos with a woman dancing against him at a bar spread across social media. His wife, Shelley, was apparently babysitting at the time. This was after he made waves by remaining in Ohio and not flying back with the team following a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement that said the conduct was "inexcusable" and meant Meyer had to "regain" the team's trust.

Michael Silver reported at the time that a player said Meyer "has zero credibility in that stadium. He had very little to begin with."

On Saturday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reported "months of tension surrounding Jaguars coach Urban Meyer has boiled over with multiple run-ins with players and other coaches."

Pelissero listed multiple incidents, including a "heated argument" between the coach and veteran wide receiver Marvin Jones. A number of players also reportedly complained to Los Angeles Rams players following a game that the head coach does not treat them like adults.

Perhaps most notably, "during a staff meeting, Meyer delivered a biting message that he's a winner and his assistant coaches are losers, according to several people informed of the contents of the meeting, challenging each coach individually to explain when they've ever won and forcing them to defend their resumes."

As for Lambo, he kicked for the then-San Diego Chargers in 2015 and 2016 before joining the Jaguars. He remained with Jacksonville until he was released after he missed his first three field goals of the 2021 campaign.

The free agent made all five of his field-goal attempts in four games last year and was an impressive 33-of-34 in 2019.