Jimmy Johnson: Urban Meyer is 'frustrated' by spending 'little time' with Jaguars players
Jimmy Johnson is one of three coaches to win the Super Bowl and a college football national championship – Barry Switzer and Pete Carroll round out the exclusive trio – and understands the difficulty of transitioning from the amateur ranks to the NFL as well as anyone.
Johnson believes his former colleague at Fox Sports, Urban Meyer, could find similar success in the pros after winning three national titles (two at Florida, one with Ohio State).
However Johnson revealed during a Zoom call leading up to his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction that Meyer, the new coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, is already navigating his professional learning curve.
"He's a little frustrated right now because he's spent so little time with the players," Johnson said Wednesday.
"He's accustomed to being around the players all the time, and they weren't able to do that because of COVID-19."
The Jaguars were fined $200,000 by the NFL earlier this month, Meyer docked $100,000, for violating no-contact rules during offseason practices. The Jags will also lose two OTA sessions in 2022.
But despite a bumpy start that included Meyer's ill-advised decision to hire controversial former University of Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle, who parted with the Jaguars after just two days, Johnson foresees long-term success for an organization that has missed the playoffs 12 of the past 13 seasons and hasn't reached a Super Bowl in its 26-year existence.
"Urban's very thorough. Urban has spent his due diligence getting ready for this job," said Johnson, who spoke with Meyer on Wednesday morning and plans to attend part of Jacksonville's training camp.
"He knew what he was getting into when he accepted the job. We had numerous conversations during the job process. And I think he'll do a great job. He knows how important personnel is. He knows how to deal with people."
Johnson said Meyer joined him on a fishing trip years ago, and they "talked football all day."
He was able to share his own experience leaving the University of Miami (Florida) in 1989 for the Dallas Cowboys, whom he elevated from a 1-15 season to Super Bowl champions in 1992 and 1993.
Not that it was a seamless transition – even if you have a quarterback like Troy Aikman (or Jacksonville rookie Trevor Lawrence) in place.
"There's not a world of difference, there's a galaxy of difference," Johnson said. "As a college coach, I was a mentor, I was kind of a father figure, I did a tremendous amount of counseling with the players. They were young kids that had left home for the first time in their life, all the pressures of getting that college education, the pressures of the girlfriend, the pressures of living away from their family.
"So my relationship with the players was a heckuva lot different than professional players, who are really – they're dictated by financial reasons, it's a business, their agents are influencing them – so it's a completely different relationship."
He also cited the NFL's lengthier season and parity as significant hurdles.
"I didn't even need to show up, we had so much talent," he said of his time with the Hurricanes, joking his wife would have won eight or nine games as their coach.
"You're gonna have to be at your best for maybe three games a year (in college)."
Meyer's new players have already credited him with changing the Jaguars' culture, and he understands he's a rookie himself in some ways.
"I’m learning, I expect it to be a little different," Meyer said earlier this offseason, "but if you’re not a competitor, you certainly wouldn’t be here."
He must also concern himself with the salary cap, a different practice structure with far fewer players than he had available in the college ranks while not overworking his roster in the midst of a regular season that now spans 18 weeks.
Said Johnson: "It's really a different world, professional football."
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Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Johnson: Urban Meyer 'frustrated' by Jaguars' time restrictions
