Urban Meyer aims to keep perfect season-opening streak alive against Houston

Urban Meyer has been a head coach for a long time. Since 2001, he’s only spent three seasons not in that role when he was taking gaps between jobs. And in that span, he’s done something fairly unbelievable.

He has never lost a season opener. Ever. Not at Bowling Green State, not at Utah, not at Florida, and not at Ohio State. Of course, that’s an easier streak to pull off in college football, where Week 1 contests are often buy-games against much weaker competition.

But that couldn’t be further from the case in the NFL, where every game presents a matchup with relative parity. And if Meyer’s going to continue that streak into his career as a professional coach, it won’t be easy.

“I don’t remember ever coming out of the chute where the talent is equated across the board and you have a young quarterback,” Meyer said, according to Yahoo Sports. “So, yeah, it is a lot going on. But I like where we are at.”

Luckily, he has about as good a first draw as he could ask for. The Jags open the 2021 season on the road against a Houston Texans team who many believe to have the worst roster in football. The quarterback situation is murky, to say the least, and the Texans have hemorrhaged both talent and draft picks over the last couple of seasons.

Still, Meyer said the unexpected nature of openers still makes him nervous, despite the heavy preparation he is undertaking this time around.

“All coaches get there, and if they tell you they are not, then they are probably not being truthful with you,” Meyer said. “I am one of those people, if you remember. It’s every T crossed, every I dotted and every tip sheet, ‘Why didn’t we dot the I on this tip sheet?’

“So instead of players, I drive coaches crazy. I just want to make sure those players have a shot.”

Given the unpredictable nature of the NFL, it’s unlikely the streak will survive if Meyer plans to stay in Jacksonville for the long haul. But he has a very good chance to extend it at least one more year on Sunday when Jags fans get their first glimpse of the new-look team in real competition.