Urban Meyer discusses what makes a staff “elite”
Expectations are high in Jacksonville this offseason. Higher, perhaps, than in any other season prior. For the first time in franchise history, the Jaguars have the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft, and it just so happens that generational quarterback prospect Trevor Lawrence is available. With him all but certainly coming to town, the team also added legendary college coach Urban Meyer, who won three national championships in stops at Florida and Ohio State.
In a Q&A with Jaguars.com, Meyer said he understood the significance of this moment for the franchise and city.
“Not to overdramatize the situation, but I can’t imagine a more important time in the history of the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Meyer said.
If Lawrence is going to develop into the player scouts think he can be, it will take a strong staff around Meyer. He chose to fill his staff with several experienced former college and professional coaches, and he said that the variety should be helpful.
“I believe when you intertwine college coaches with professional coaches that you don’t have the rigidity some staffs and coaches have: ‘This is the way we do it and we’re not going to listen,'” he said last week. “The NFL game has changed dramatically in the last five years, specifically in the last three years. What you’re seeing is the influx of college systems because the college quarterbacks, primarily, are used to a certain way. I really appreciate the coaches, the collaboration that’s going on right now.”
Asked to elaborate on what marks a coaching staff as “elite,” Meyer had this to offer.
“You’re going to hear the word ‘elite’ all over the place around here,” he added. “Elite is hard; I take a little bit of offense when I hear people use that word loosely. I’ve been fortunate to be around elite. You see some of the high draft picks, some of the great players we’ve been around. Those are elite players. I’ve also had elite coaches. I take that word very seriously. There’s a term we’re going to use: ‘The edge’ is where average stops and elite begins.
“The greatest way to visualize that is practices. The first five practices in training camp your body’s fine, your mind’s fine … everything is good. But what about after practice five? What about after practice 15? That’s when your body starts shutting down on you a little bit and fatigue starts to take over. What does the average player, the average coach, do at that time? They step backwards. What do elite people do? They push right through that edge. I like to say the edge is where average stops and elite begins. That’s what I looked for in my coaching staff. In free agency and then draft, that’s what we’ll look for in players.”
If there’s anyone who knows how to put together a successful staff, it’s Meyer. Many of his former assistants have received head coaching jobs, and he’s built championship teams multiple times. Jags fans just have to hope his coaching skills translate to the professional level.
