Urban Meyer Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer watches the video screen during pre game kicking drills. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Cleveland Browns for their only home preseason game at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida Saturday night, August 14, 2021. The Browns led at the half 13 to 0. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] Jki 081421 Jagsvsbrowns 61

It’s safe to say that the Urban Meyer era with the Jacksonville Jaguars was an unmitigated disaster. The NFL franchise is hoping to move forward in 2022 with new head coach Doug Pederson and one team executive has shared the way that things already feel different in the locker room.

Meyer’s hiring was flashy and surprising, given his lack of NFL experience. However, things fell apart quickly thanks to an accumulation of losses, reports of strained relationships with players, and a viral video involving him and a young woman at a bar. Drama followed Meyer throughout the season as he was accused of kicking a player during practice and berating assisting coaches until owner Shad Khan finally fired him 13 games into the season.

The Jaguars replaced Meyer with Doug Pederson, who brings a strong NFL pedigree and Super Bowl championship with him. One of the major storylines is that Pederson is here to “heal” the team and players following the dramatic last season.

According to Jacksonville chief football strategy officer Tony Khan, that change is already palpable.

“Excitement level here in Jacksonville is through the roof,” Khan told Yahoo Sports. “It has been a great training camp. Doug Pederson, his experience is the first thing that jumps out on paper and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s able to command so much respect.”

“You can’t force people to respect someone or like someone or want to work with someone. I think at the end of the day, someone needs to do the job on their own merits and the command Doug has of the whole building, respect he has from everybody and the genuine way he conducts himself has gone a really, really long way with a lot of people, including all the staff, everybody around the office and the players. … It feels very different, in a good way, and very organized and a lot of that is based on the experience of Doug and his staff and the achievements they have in this business, the playoff wins, championship games and Super Bowl rings.”

We’ll see how much that translates to wins in Trevor Lawrence’s second season as quarterback. But the vibes are definitely a lot more positive in Jacksonville right now.

[Yahoo! Sports]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.