A tumultuous 2021 NFL season has the Jacksonville Jaguars pushing the restart button. With Urban out, the Jags are searching for another head coach.
Jacksonville Jaguars fans may not want to look back at the 2021 NFL season. Urban Meyer brought more controversy than he did wins. He didn’t seem to be on the right page with rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Unfortunately for Jags fans, Meyer became another great college coach who failed in the NFL. Trent Baalke and Shad Khan made the right move by firing Meyer early. The move should have given the team a head start on the coaching search.
Even with the head start, the Jacksonville Jaguars are lagging. They fired Meyer in season, but they aren’t any closer to nailing down a candidate. There were a few guys the Jags should have interviewed before the other vacancies—it didn’t happen. So, here we are, deep into the coaching carousel with the Jags looking for their guy.
Trent Baalke, the Jags general manager, has questions marks surrounding his job security. To the dismay of some, he’s currently leading the head coaching search with Shad Khan. Needless to say, there are more issues looming over the Jags. Still, they need a head coach, not a GM, and there are five guys ideally suited to coach their potential franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Jacksonville Jaguars HC options that could save Trevor Lawrence
5. Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator, New England Patriots
It’s been a while since Josh McDaniels was a head coach in the NFL. A lot of people remember him as the guy who drafted Tim Tebow as the Denver Broncos’ head coach—that was a long time ago. All McDaniels has done was show he’s a play-caller who can adapt to the team around him. His head coach and general manager, Bill Belichick, gave him different types of players over the years.
McDaniels’s versatility is evident by the way he calls plays for his quarterbacks. When he had Tom Brady, he worked the middle of the field with short, quick passes. After Cam Newton replaced Brady, McDaniels changed the playbook to include more RPOs.
McDaniels understands why running the ball is important for any quarterback. His offenses ranked inside the Top 10 in rush attempts four years straight. In 2021 he ran more 12-personnel, which helped shrink the field for Mac Jones.
As the Jags head coach, he’d do the same thing. Like the Pats, the Jags also have a two-headed duo in James Robinson and Travis Etienne. The difference is Trevor Lawrence is a better linear athlete than Jones.