Jimmy Johnson: Urban Meyer ‘frustrated’ by limited player contact

Urban Meyer’s move to the NFL has not been completely seamless, sometimes for reasons that he cannot control.

FOX Sports NFL analyst Jimmy Johnson, who was Meyer’s colleague at the network, revealed Wednesday that the Jacksonville coach has been frustrated during training camp due to the lack of contact with his players.

“He’s a little frustrated right now because he’s spent so little time with the players,” Johnson said, via Nate Davis of USA Today. “He’s accustomed to being around the players all the time, and they weren’t able to do that because of COVID-19.”

While training camp is more robust than it was in 2020, there are still limitations on what teams can do. That’s definitely been an issue for Meyer in more ways than one. He’s trying to instill a new culture in Jacksonville, and the fact that he doesn’t have full access to his players is definitely a hindrance. Add in the fact that he’s moving from college to the NFL, and this is definitely more of an issue than it would usually be.

Meyer really values the one-on-one experience with players. The lack of it was an issue in another part of the offseason, too.