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Jaguars Interviewing A Former NFL Head Coach Thursday

Originally posted on The Cold Wire  |  By Steven Kubitza  |  Last updated 1/12/22

The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Urban Meyer during the season and thus were able to get a jump on the process of replacing him.

This is not where the team wanted to be, but it is better than another year of Meyer.

Jacksonville has been connected to nearly every notable candidate out there and that includes a polarizing option in former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien.

O’Brien just finished up his season at Alabama and is back in the NFL pool of candidates.

That makes sense, given his winning record in Houston.

But he was also fired in 2020 after an 0-4 start and left the Texans in shambles.

The Candidacy Of Bill O’Brien

The main problem with O’Brien at the end were his personnel decisions.

He was put in charge of front office moves and decided to trade DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson.

The move was widely panned and the Arizona Cardinals were the obvious beneficiary from the trade.

Yet as a coach, O’Brien took the Texans to the postseason four times.

He went 52-48 in the regular season and 2-4 in the playoffs.

O’Brien also had success before Deshaun Watson showed up, so it didn’t take an elite quarterback for him to reach the postseason.

Now the Jaguars want to figure out if he would be a good fit with Trevor Lawrence.

O’Brien did make Watson look elite and just guided Bryce Young to a Heisman Trophy at Alabama.

He would also not make any personnel decisions with the Jaguars, as the team is retaining GM Trent Baalke.

O’Brien’s reputation took a huge hit once he took on GM duties with the Texans.

But his winning pedigree in the NFL speaks for itself and his experience at the college ranks can also help him with younger players like Lawrence.

He may end up being a good fit, which is true for just about anyone who isn’t Meyer.

This article first appeared on The Cold Wire and was syndicated with permission.

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