Don't expect Urban Meyer to join the Broncos

On Wednesday, University of Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer, who some considered a potential candidate in the Broncos search for a new head coach, stepped down from his current coaching position at UF, presumably for good.

Last year about this time, Meyer quit coaching due to health concerns (and was later diagnosed with having esophageal spasms), but decided to come back a day later. This time, it doesn't look like he'll be returning to Florida.

"I have been a Division I football coach for the last 25 years and during that time, my primary focus has been making a difference in the lives of the young men I have been so fortunate to have coached and building championship programs," Meyer said in a statement. "At this time in my life, however, I fully grasp the sacrifices my 24/7 profession has demanded of me, and I know it is time to put my focus on my family and life away from the field. The decision to step down was a difficult one. But, after spending more than two decades motivating and celebrating the young men I've been so proud to coach, I relish the opportunity to cheer for my three terrific kids as they compete in their own respective sports."

Given his health issues and desire to spend more time with his family, its unlikely he'll be coaching again any time soon. His statement hasn't stopped the rumors and suspicions from piling up however, as many speculate the Broncos will pursue him (or already have), and that he'll rejoin Tebow in Denver and lead the Broncos to countless Super Bowl winning seasons.

Right.

Backing up my realist view is Adam Schefter, who tweeted:

An ESPN Insider, Schefter is known for being in the know, and is not often proved to be wrong. One exception however, was when he stated that Pat Bowlen would never pay three Head Coaches at one time and that Josh McDaniels was safe through 2011. That doesn't cancel out all the times he's been right however, and its safe to trust him on this one.

Two hours prior to Schefter tweeting about Meyer to Denver rumors, Senior ESPN Analyst Chris Mortensen also tweeted that Meyer "will not be coaching Denver next season."

Following in the mindset of Mortensen and Schefter, ESPN AFC West Blogger Bill Williamson noted, "There is more to the Denver Broncos than Tebow, although the team has plenty of interest in him and it will want to hire a coach who is interested in continuing his development. But Denver wouldn’t fire McDaniels just for the chance to secure Meyer.

"Meyer is walking away from Florida to take a breather, not to increase the pressure in his life. So, the whole the timing is interesting, connecting the dots on this one is off base."

So while leaving Florida would give him an opportunity to pursue coaching in the Pro's, it's unpractical to think (or hope) that he will in 2011.

Photos used in this post were used courtesy of Getty Images.