Jaguars sponsor sues to have name removed from 'clown game'
The title sponsor for Jacksonville’s season finale against Indianapolis is suing the Jaguars in hopes of having its name disassociated from the game during which disgruntled fans are planning to dress as clowns to protest team owner Shad Khan’s decision to retain general manager Trent Baalke.
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Jaguars sign QB Beathard, setting up potential Minshew trade
The Jacksonville Jaguars signed former San Francisco 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, giving them an experienced backup if they trade Gardner Minshew. Beathard signed a two-year contract with Jacksonville on Wednesday, giving the Jaguars an experienced backup if they trade Gardner Minshew. He started 12 games over four years in San Francisco, throwing for 3,469 yards, with 18 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. That also makes him a potential trade option, especially with the Jaguars looking to rebuild under Meyer and new general manager Trent Baalke.
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Jaguars poised to spend big, rebuild quickly in free agency
Free agency feels a lot like recruiting to new Jaguars coach Urban Meyer. It certainly should help that the Jaguars have more salary cap space (nearly $73 million) than any other team. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Free agency feels a lot like recruiting to new Jaguars coach Urban Meyer. Clemson star Trevor Lawrence is the presumptive choice, and the Jaguars will use free agency to build around him. “That’s a room that’s going to have to be rebuilt in some ways,” said Meyer, who could sign Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith or Gerald Everett when free agency officially begins Wednesday.
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AP Top 25 Podcast: Sarkisian's road from rehab to Texas
Sarkisian is the new head football coach at the University of Texas. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)Steve Sarkisian was out of college football five years ago, having lost a dream job because of his struggles with alcoholism. Now Sarkisian is a head coach again, landing the job at Texas after helping Alabama win a national championship as offensive coordinator. Plus, Urban Meyer's first misstep as an NFL coach and Gus Malzahn lands at UCF. Ad___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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Jaguars split with accused racist strength coach Chris Doyle
FILE - In this Sept. 1, 2018, file photo, Iowa strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle walks on the field before an NCAA college football game between Iowa and Northern Illinois in Iowa City, Iowa. Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer defended the hiring of former Iowa assistant Chris Doyle on Thursday, Feb. 11, 20201, by saying he vetted him thoroughly along with our general manager and owner. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)The Jacksonville Jaguars and embattled strength coach Chris Doyle parted ways Friday night, a few hours after a respected diversity group blasted the team and called the recent hiring “simply unacceptable.”Coach Urban Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke said Doyle resigned and they accepted. “Chris did not want to be a distraction to what we are building in Jacksonville,” Meyer and Baalke said in a statement. AdHiring Doyle rekindled memories of Meyer protecting assistant coach Zach Smith for years at Ohio State.
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Expected top pick Lawrence throws for Meyer, NFL teams
FILE - Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence passes against LSU during the second half of a NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game in New Orleans, in this Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, file photo. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence worked out for several NFL personnel including his expected future pro coach, Urban Meyer of the Jacksonville Jaguars. While 16 NFL teams attended, the 6-foot-6 Lawrence with the cannon arm and flowing air doesn't figure to get past the Jaguars. Lawrence threw for 3,153 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions while missing two games after testing positive for COVID-19 in October. He said he wanted to perform for NFL teams to show he's no different than anyone else applying for a job.
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Jags' Meyer defends hiring ex-Iowa coach accused of racism
FILE - Ohio State NCAA college football head coach Urban Meyer answers questions during a news conference announcing his retirement in Columbus, Ohio, in this Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, file photo. A lawyer for 13 Black ex-Iowa football players has filed a lawsuit alleging his clients suffered racial discrimination under longtime coach Kirk Ferentz. Hiring Doyle rekindled memories of Meyer protecting assistant coach Zach Smith for years at Ohio State. AdMeyer also made former Louisville, Texas and South Florida coach Charlie Strong his assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach. Meyer kept seven holdovers from fired coach Doug Marrone’s staff, including veteran offensive line coach George Warhop, cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, nickel cornerbacks coach Joe Danna and assistant linebackers coach Tony Gilbert.
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Jags hire ex-49ers exec Baalke as GM, removing interim tag
The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Trent Baalke as general manager Thursday, removing the interim tag from his title and pairing him with new coach Urban Meyer. Khan interviewed five minority candidates and Baalke for the team’s open GM job. Baalke spent a dozen years with the 49ers, half as GM. Before moving to Jacksonville, Baalke spent three years (2017-19) working as an operations consultant for the NFL. Adding to the appeal: Khan, a billionaire businessman, has shown a penchant for patience and a willingness to spend big.
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Meyer believes Jacksonville 'is the place' he can win in NFL
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Urban Meyer first started thinking about the NFL about a decade ago. “I won’t do that.”Here’s a rundown of Meyer’s first news conference with Jacksonville:— Meyer plans to monitor his health, which was instrumental in him walking away from Florida and Ohio State. It’s something I’m going to watch very closely. We did that at Ohio State. Ohio State is home to those guys now.”___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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Urban Hire: Meyer returns to sidelines with NFL's Jaguars
FILE - Ohio State NCAA college football head coach Urban Meyer answers questions during a news conference announcing his retirement in Columbus, Ohio, in this Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, file photo. A person familiar with the search says Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars are working toward finalizing a deal to make him the team's next head coach. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Urban Meyer has won everywhere he’s coached. Meyer agreed to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, leaving the broadcast booth and returning to the sidelines after a two-year absence that followed another health scare. "Urban Meyer is who we want and need, a leader, winner and champion who demands excellence and produces results.
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Bama's Waddle back practicing, status for title game unclear
Now the question is will he be able to play in the title game Monday night against Ohio State? “I think you absolutely have to prepare as if he's going to play,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said. Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson posted photos on Twitter showing her visiting with coach Ryan Day and the team in the school's indoor practice facility. WEST COAST EXPORTSThe West Coast will be well represented in the national championship game among the players, if not the football programs themselves. Alabama All-America tailback Najee Harris, Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave and Buckeyes All-America guard Wyatt Davis are all from California.
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Jaguars fire Marrone, owner Khan plans to be more involved
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone watches during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Indianapolis. “What's evaded the history of the Jags really has been a franchise quarterback,” Khan said. But Khan gave Marrone another chance to make Jacksonville a playoff contender again. Marrone went 25-44 in four-plus seasons in Jacksonville, including 2-1 in the postseason. Khan kept Marrone in place after firing general manager Dave Caldwell in late November, but ultimately decided on a clean sweep.
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1-year sentence for angry fan who made football game threat
Federal Judge Algenon Marbley had harsh words for Rippy during Tuesday's sentencing done via video conference because of the coronavirus pandemic. An indictment unsealed late last year in federal court in Columbus accused Rippy of “electronic communication” threat from California during the game between Ohio State and the University of Michigan on Nov. 24, 2018. The game was played in Columbus that year, and Ohio State won 62-39. Instead, Rippy's threat during the Ohio State game sent authorities into a panic as they tried to figure out where he was and whether he posed an imminent threat to a stadium filled with 100,000 people, Knight said. Rippy, a Michigan fan who grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, moved at age 27 to California, where he worked in fast food but couldn't maintain a residence, the government said.
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Man behind threat to football players gets sentencing date
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A California man who used Facebook to threaten a shooting at Ohio State University and vowed to hurt players on the football team and then-head coach Urban Meyer has been scheduled for sentencing later this month. An indictment unsealed late last year in federal court in Columbus accused Daniel Rippy of making the “electronic communication” threat from California during the game between Ohio State and the University of Michigan in 2018. The game was played in Columbus that year, and Ohio State won 62-39. In separate messages, Rippy also threatened “to injure or kill specific players, their family members and the head coach,” the document said. Federal Judge Algenon Marbley on Thursday set an Oct. 27 sentencing date.
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Michigan football offseason hype: Let Joe Milton write his own story
The Michigan Football Offseason Hype Train is standing room only, and it has a whole month to pick up speed. Like Isaac Newton said: When Michigan football hype is in motion, it stays in motion unless acted upon by a Buckeye, Badger or Nittany Lion. Joe Milton #5 of the Michigan Wolverines scores a fourth quarter touchdown while playing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Michigan Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If he’s the quarterback who pushes Michigan football over the hump, celebrate him as Maize and Blue confetti rains from the rafters in Indianapolis. Let’s take a step back and let Joe Milton be Joe Milton.
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Joe Cool: Burrow confident in adapting to Bengals offense
CINCINNATI Back in pads for the first time since he won a national championship at LSU, Joe Burrow got a baptism in NFL red-zone defense. The new Bengals quarterback fumbled a snap a steady rain contributed and had trouble completing passes in tight quarters. Asked if he's nervous in adapting to the NFL, Burrow responded:Absolutely not," he said. Burrow got to run the offense in short-field situations for the first time with the scheduled season opener less than a month away. It wasn't what you'd like to see on a red-zone day, but it was the first one, Burrow said.

Worried about Army this weekend?
Michigan football hosts Army this weekend, and everyone seems pretty worried about it. The first week of action dampened the buzz around this game, as Army gained just 284 total yards in a 14-7 home win against a Rice team that went 3-22 the last two seasons. Any lingering upset hopes rest on the shoulders of the triple-option offense, which will target the weakness of Michigan's defense: the interior defensive line." Meyer sat down with Big Ten Network's Gerry DiNardo to discuss Michigan's use of two quarterbacks in the opener. During his news conference this week, Harbaugh said he was pleased with the defensive effort and the play calling of first-time offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.

Urban Meyer praising Michigan football during offensive film session just feels strange
Urban Meyer breaks down the Michigan offense in its first game under Josh Gattis. (Big Ten Network/@MichiganOnBTN)ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Less than a year ago, Urban Meyer was conditioning more than 100 college football players to despise the University of Michigan. But this is Urban Meyer. Meyer also showed how Michigan built in a passing option, turning a run-run option into a run-pass option, or RPO. Meyer was certainly complimentary of Michigan, but seven years of hate doesn't dissolve in one film session.

Ohio State football vs. Florida Atlantic: Time, TV schedule, game preview, score
5 Ohio State and analysts are predicting big things from first-year coach Ryan Day entering the Buckeyes' season opener against visiting Florida Atlantic on Saturday. LINE: Ohio State -27.5Day's first highly anticipated personnel decision came last week when he named Georgia transfer Justin Fields the starting quarterback. The ubertalented sophomore came to Ohio State last spring and flashed enough dual-threat capability through fall camp to be handed the reins to the offense, but matching first-round NFL draft pick Dwayne Haskins' production will be difficult. Senior TE Harrison Bryant might be Florida Atlantic's go-to player on offense after finishing 2018 with 45 receptions for 662 yards and four touchdowns. PREDICTION: Ohio State 59, Florida Atlantic 17More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.