I hope it works out, but I always thought “perfect storms” were bad things with catastrophic consequences. Helen
Sent from my iPad > On Feb 12, 2021, at 12:34 PM, Shane Ford <goufgator...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Charlie Strong calls the opportunity to work under Urban Meyer again 'a > perfect storm' > Garry Smits > Florida Times-Union > > Charlie Strong started laying the groundwork for a reunion with Urban Meyer > during a conversation the two had last summer. > > "We were talking and I told him, 'we have one more run in us,'" Strong said, > referring to the five years at the University of Florida from 2005-09 when > Meyer was the Gators coach and Strong the defensive coordinator for two > national championship teams. "He said, 'don't ask me to do that.' I told him, > 'I know you want to do it ... it's still in you.'" > > Strong got his wish. They're together again. > > Strong, who has 38 years of college coaching experience but, like Meyer, is > an NFL novice, was formally announced on Thursday as Meyer's assistant head > coach and inside linebacker coach for the Jaguars. > > Meyer said Strong will be "my right-hand man," and was his first choice when > he began filling his staff after being hired on Jan. 14. > > "He was my first hire ... arguably, one of the most, if not the most > important hire," Meyer said. "He's going to be the No. 2. He'll be in front > of the team ... as he's been many, many times during our time at Florida." > > Meyer went further with his belief in Strong. > > "The chances of us winning those two national championships [at UF], without > Charlie would not have happened," Meyer said, referring to the aggressive, > suffocating defenses the Gators put on the field. "He's a high-character guy > with a great family, someone I trust implicitly." > > There's a long history between the two men, dating back to when they were > Notre Dame assistants for Lou Holtz. > > And this isn't the first time Meyer has put tremendous trust in Strong. When > he was hired at Florida to replace Ron Zook, Strong was the only assistant > coach Meyer retained, keeping him at defensive coordinator. > > When Strong was running the defense at Florida from 2003-09, the Gators gave > up an average of 17.6 points per game and from 2006-2009, gave up less than > two touchdowns per game in three of four seasons. > > Strong's defenses finished among the top-10 in the NCAA in total defense four > times in seven years and among the top-10 in scoring defense three times. > Florida led the NCAA with 81 turnovers during a five-year period from 2005-09 > and led the SEC in turnovers three times. > > The Gators also averaged more than 31 sacks per season under Strong. He > produced 11 first-team All-SEC defensive players and four consensus > All-Americans, Keiwan Ratliff, Reggie Nelson, Joe Haden and Brandon Spikes. > > Nelson, Derrick Harvey and Jarvis Moss were first-round NFL draft picks who > played for Strong. > > Strong said the combination works because of the trust the two men have in > each other. > > "We can have a conversation, bring things to each other and even if one of us > disagrees, we don't take it personally," Strong said. > > After leaving Florida, Strong's head coaching experience in college was mixed. > > He posted a 37-15 record at Louisville and beat the Gators 33-23 in the 2013 > Sugar Bowl to cap an 11-2 season. > > Strong was then hired at Texas but posted a 16-21 record in three seasons. > After he was fired in Austin, he took over for Willie Taggart at South > Florida and went 10-2 in his first season in Tampa, in 2017. But the Bulls > then dipped to 7-6 and 4-8 and after getting fired following the 2019 season, > Strong worked for Nick Saban as a defensive analyst at Alabama. > > Strong said he has already talked with the Jaguars' two veteran linebackers, > Myles Jack and Joe Schobert, and anticipates they'll continue being part of a > defense that will have multiple looks, according to new coordinator Joe > Cullen. > > "Myles Jack is very fluid, gets downhill, very athletic, very good in open > space," Strong said. "These are two backers kind of in the prime of their > careers. They can make plays and become the staple of our defense. If you're > not good at linebacker don't have much of a chance to play good defense. They > want to learn and they want to get better." > > Strong had NFL internships during training camps at New Orleans, Detroit and > Tampa Bay, but said the opportunity for an NFL job never came at the right > time. > > Until now. Until Meyer called. > > "This is a perfect opportunity, the perfect storm," Strong said. "I'm looking > forward to the challenge." > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Sent from Shane’s iPhone > Go Gators! > -- > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 > National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 > National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "GatorNews" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to gatornews+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/gatornews/1BE7DCC6-013C-44C3-BA2F-2C2AD6533901%40gmail.com. -- -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GatorTalk" group. 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