On the whole, the Urban Meyer experiment was a humiliating failure in 2021. Regardless of what was written or said, Meyer had no business coaching in the NFL. Especially at a struggling franchise like Jacksonville. The Jaguars are going through a massive NFL odds rebuild and rebranding. Years of failure have proven difficult to overcome. Last year quarterback Trevor Lawrence went first overall in the NFL Draft. But what was supposed to be a season of training and development was lost to the Urban Meyer debacle.
Jacksonville Jaguars Future Odds at SBG
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| To win the Super Bowl | +11300 |
| To win the AFC | +5000 |
| To win the AFC South | +700 |
| Over-Under Win Total | 6.5 |
Jacksonville Jaguars History Began Well Before Fading
Founded in 1995 as an expansion team, the Jacksonville Jaguars made the AFC Championship Game in their very next season. Accordingly, taskmaster Tom Coughlin was the absolute dictator of all football operations and the head coach. “Camp Coughlin” was the toughest in the NFL, and the Jaguars adopted the mentality of their leader.
Jacksonville made the AFC playoffs four consecutive years and went 14-2 in 1999. However, the Jaguars lost the AFC Championship game and were never the same. Coughlin lost his touch both with roster moves and player relations. Thus, he was shown the door in 2002. Since then, the Jaguars occasionally showed signs of contention but could never sustain it. Since 2000 the Jaguars have made the playoffs just three times.
In 2017 Jacksonville led the host New England Patriots midway through the 4th quarter in the AFC Championship game. But New England quarterback Tom Brady pulled the game out of the fire. Jacksonville was said to be a team on the come at that time. Instead, they regressed, never to return to the postseason.
A Long Road Ahead in 2022
Urban Meyer had no NFL experience when he took the job. Although Meyer denies it, reports indicate that he was surprised by many facets of the job. Statements based on anonymous sources said Meyer used abusive or college tactics to motivate his players. On the other hand, other stories said that Meyer was undermined by his backstabbing assistant coaches.
As a result of the lost offshore betting season, the Jaguars have chosen a proven NFL head coach and quarterback developer. Doug Pederson led the Philadelphia Eagles to their only Super Bowl championship in 2017-18. Now he is tasked with getting Trevor Lawrence up to speed. So too must Pederson build a professional atmosphere in the Jaguars organization.
Cause by their perpetual ineptitude, the Jaguars do not get much in the way of prime-time games. Jacksonville is featured in a morning game from London in 2022. In Week 8 on October 30, the Jaguars will face the Denver Broncos in London. Second-year Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence will meet Russell Wilson, the former marquee man of the Seattle Seahawks. Now Wilson is attempting to get the Broncos into the NFL betting odds postseason.
Also, Jacksonville gets one prime-time game this season. In week 16, on Thursday, December 22, the Jaguars are at the New York Jets. This game features second-year Jets quarterback Zach Wilson. In like manner to Lawrence, Wilson is coming off a lost rookie season. By the time this game kicks off, gamblers will know how far Wilson and Trevor Lawrence have come.