A Word of Caution to Urban Meyer

 Now that Urban Meyer has agreed to be the next coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, I thought I'd pass along a caution to the former Buckeyes coach -- carefully choose your top draft pick.  Everyone's favorite is Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, but he might not be worth the money.

Let me start off by saying that Lawrence is very talented.  My caution has nothing to do with his potential.  But the NFL has a long history of talented college players who fail miserably in the pros.  Why do I think Trevor Lawrence might fall into that category?  Because I see some alarming similarities between Trevor Lawrence and another highly talented college QB who failed miserably in the NFL -- Johnny Manziel.

For both of these stars, their college coach revamped the offensive scheme to fit what the quarterback already knew.  In other words, neither player had to learn a new offense during their college career.  Both quarterbacks played in a system that favored long passes and quick scores, instead of a ball-control offense that focused on short passes and running the ball, thereby running down the clock.  Both played in conferences that might have quick defenses, but the defensive schemes were not complicated.  Neither player had to make too many on-field adjustments because they were facing an unusual defensive scheme.

In the NFL, both offenses and defenses are more complicated.  To be successful, the quarterback has to be willing to work, to learn, and adjust for a large number of on-field situations.  And that's where the worst similarity between these two players occur -- both Trevor Lawrence and Johnny Manziel preferred to bask in their fans' adulation instead of spending more time reviewing film.  For Manziel, he attended lots of parties, which led to his substance abuse problems.  Lawrence spends more of his time online with social media, so he is less likely to suffer from the substance abuse problems that sank Manziel's career, but he must still be willing to do the work and study.

Now, there are two situations that might help Trevor Lawrence prevent the ignoble fate of "Mister Football".  First of all, Urban Meyer is the Jaguars new coach.  Meyer is strict about discipline, and won't give Lawrence much leeway.  If Lawrence isn't putting in the appropriate amount of time to learn the schemes, Meyer won't tolerate it.  Lawrence might find himself benched in favor of Gardner Minshew, who is capable but not spectacular, nor consistent enough to make this team a winner.  How will Lawrence take the benching?  That, also, may demonstrate how successful he will be.  If it makes him more determined, than he could become a great quarterback.  If he sulks and pulls away from the team, he's dead weight, and a waste of Jacksonville's money.

What is the second situation?  The fact that the Ohio State Buckeyes defense was so successful at shutting him down.  For the first time, Trevor Lawrence could not do what he wanted on the field.  And, by pure chance, a coach who truly understands that defense would be his new head coach -- Urban Meyer.  The result of his frustration over the Sugar Bowl Game could open his mind to what Coach Meyer has to offer, and that could lead to a successful quarterback career.