Josh Allen on the difference between Urban Meyer and Doug Pederson: 'He's talking to us like grown men'

For Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen, the difference between Urban Meyer and Doug Pederson is night and day. With training camp starting this past week in Jacksonville, Allen opened up on the biggest change he has noticed since Pederson took over this offseason as head coach.

“It’s a professional locker room,” Allen said according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. “It’s a professional setting. He’s talking to us like grown men.”

Meyer’s lack of professionalism was well-documented last year, resulting in his firing just 13 games into his tenure and tying him with Lou Holtz and Bobby Petrino for the fourth-shortest coaching stint in NFL history.

Meyer was accused of verbal and physical abuse by multiple Jaguars players and staff. Kicker Josh Lambo claimed that the coach kicked him during pregame warmups during the preseason, allegedly saying “Hey Dips–t, make your f–king kicks!” Lambo has since filed a lawsuit against Meyer for the incident. Members of the coaching staff also accused Meyer of calling them “losers.”

Additionally, Meyer was seen on video earlier in the season at an Ohio bar dancing with a young woman. That video caused a storm of distractions and speculation for the organization. At that time, Jaguars owner Shad Khan said that Meyer would have to “regain our trust,” albeit maintaining his belief in him as Jacksonville’s coach.

But after multiple other instances and a 2-11 record over the first 13 games, Khan finally decided enough was enough and fired Meyer. Now the team will do its best to move on from the drama of last season and forget about its former coach.

Pederson takes over for Meyer after spending 2021 off from football following his dismissal from the Philadelphia Eagles. He is one of just four people to win a Super Bowl as both a player and head coach after leading Philadelphia to a title in 2017. He becomes the third head coach for Allen since the linebacker was drafted by the Jaguars in 2019.

But whether Pederson is the man to turn around this franchise or not, Josh Allen is simply happy that Urban Meyer is no longer his coach heading into 2022.