Oct 10, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) gestures after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off one of their most impressive wins in years, and Trevor Lawrence seems to be dripping with confidence as a result.
The Jaguars dominated the Los Angeles Chargers on the road en route to a 38-10 victory on Sunday. After the game, Lawrence boldly told reporters that it is time for Jacksonville to be taken seriously.
“Obviously, the way we have played, you can’t deny that we are a really good team,” Lawrence said, via Adam Stites of Jaguars Wire. “But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what they say about us; we know who we are. Our only goal Sunday is to win the game, and the way people think about us, it doesn’t matter.”
Lawrence has every right to feel good about the way the start of the year has gone. The Jags won just three games last season and were a total disaster under Urban Meyer. They are off to a 2-1 start this year. They blew out the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 before making easy work of the Chargers on Sunday.
Lawrence went 28/39 for 262 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against L.A. He was an even more efficient 25/30 for 235 yards, two touchdowns and no picks in Week 2. New head coach Doug Pederson seems to be unlocking Jacksonville’s full offensive potential.
It is too early to say if the Jags are a “really good” team, but they have certainly looked it thus far. One incredible stat about Meyer illustrates just how different 2022 has already been from 2021.
Oct 10, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) gestures after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence got a fairly rude awakening last season upon his introduction to the NFL. After success after success in his prep career, Lawrence’s Jaguars won just three games in 2021.
In an interview on Colin Cowherd’s “The Herd,” Lawrence admitted that the constant losing was a learning experience and “reality check” for him as a rookie.
“There were definitely some times where you’re on a losing streak of five or six games in a row, it gets a little rough,” Lawrence admitted. “I hadn’t lost more than five or six games probably my whole career up until that point. That was definitely a reality check for sure, but just trying to stay positive, try to keep the team together, I think that’s something I tried to do the whole season.
“It was challenging. I think I learned a lot from last year. You get a different perspective than when you’re just winning like I had done in the past. I have a lot greater appreciation for winning.”
Lawrence won 41 straight games in high school, then went 34-2 as a starter at Clemson. To go from those numbers to 3-14 in the NFL has to be incredibly jarring, though not totally shocking given how much of a mess the Jaguars were in 2021.
Lawrence does seem to have endured the losing and come out of it without getting too down on himself. That bodes well for a turnaround as he gains more experience, and hopefully gets a better team around him.
Oct 10, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) gestures after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Arch Manning, the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 class, received some advice from former top draft pick and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence, the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2018, was one of the highest-rated high school quarterbacks in history. More than most people, he could understand what Manning is going through and all of the expectations that come with being the top player in a recruiting class.
In an interview with Chris Rosvoglou of The Spun published Tuesday, Lawrence offered some encouragement for the future Texas Longhorn about dealing with such lofty expectations.
“I’m sure he has a lot of good people in his corner that can help him, but I’d say it’s really important to learn how to manage expectations,” Lawrence said. “It’s important to block out all the noise. The only voices you should listen to are your internal expectations of yourself, your teammates, your coaches and family. You should try to block everything else out.”
There are already some very high hopes for Manning, who is expected to be the next great Manning family quarterback. But he does have the advantage of having two Hall of Famers to lean on for advice in Peyton Manning and Archie Manning, as well as a two-time Super Bowl champion uncle in Eli Manning.
Oct 10, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) gestures after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Trevor Lawrence would like a word with you, Barstool Sports.
On Wednesday, Barstool writer “Big Tennessee” published an article mocking Lawrence for losing the value of his NFL signing bonus money in the cryptocurrency crash.
While the value of numerous cryptocurrencies have indeed plummeted in recent weeks and months, Big Tennessee was mistaken about one pretty important detail. Big Tennessee confused Lawrence’s signing bonus with the Jacksonville Jaguars with a signing bonus the quarterack received as part of a cryptocurrency endorsement deal.
Lawrence was happy to note that correction over Twitter.
Lawrence was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He signed a 4-year, $36.8 million deal with the Jags that included a $24.1 million signing bonus. All that money is/was being paid out in US Dollars.
We have no idea what the rest of Lawrence’s finances look like, much less how his investment/cryptocurrency portfolios are doing. But if anyone has time to wait for the financial markets to rebound, it’s a 22-year-old NFL quarterback who’s already a multi-millionaire.
Oct 10, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) gestures after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Trevor Lawrence is clearly a big fan of his new head coach and how they communicate with each other.
Lawrence raved about new coach Doug Pederson during OTAs. The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback feels that Pederson’s background as a former NFL quarterback is a huge help, and that his communication style fits perfectly.
“I think you can always tell the way a coach communicates with a quarterback because he’s been in my shoes,” Lawrence said, via Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports. “Quarterback’s an interesting position. It’s not a big rah-rah, chew somebody out. I mean you have some coaches that are like that but for me, that’s just not what I need.
“I can have a conversation and Coach Pederson’s great about that. At every play, he gives you a piece of feedback that another coach might not give you just because he knows what it’s like and it’s something little that he might see that someone else doesn’t see.”
Lawrence clearly feels the Jaguars have made the ideal hire for him. That’s particularly in contrast to Urban Meyer, who definitely seemed to follow the more critical style Lawrence says he dislikes.
Pederson spent parts of ten seasons in the NFL, primarily as a backup quarterback. Clearly, his knowledge is just what Lawrence thinks he needs in his developmental process.
Oct 10, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) gestures after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Like many NFL rookies, Trevor Lawrence had a somewhat underwhelming first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. General manager Trent Baalke says he’s seeing things that make him confident in a much better sophomore campaign.
Baalke revealed that Lawrence looks “more confident” and “more decisive” in his offseason work.
“He’s just more confident,” Baalke told the O-Zone Podcast. “You know, he’s carrying himself with more confidence. He’s delivering the ball quicker. He’s continuing to do that. I’ve seen that through the course of the offseason, getting the ball out of his hands, being more decisive.”
These are the sorts of natural improvements one would expect from a second-year quarterback. Even after a middling rookie campaign, there was not a ton of concern about Lawrence. A lot of his issues were simply chalked up to ex-coach Urban Meyer.
The Jaguars have a new coach who has won Lawrence’s endorsement and have sought to improve the offense around him. The steps are in place for him to progress as a second year player.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are clearly prioritizing Trevor Lawrence’s development with their coaching hires, even beyond head coach Doug Pederson.
The Jaguars are hiring another former quarterback in ex-Chargers coach Mike McCoy to serve as the team’s quarterbacks coach, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The #Jaguars are hiring former #Chargers coach Mike McCoy as their QB coach, sources tell @RapSheet and me. Another layer of support for Trevor Lawrence.
McCoy went 27-37 in four seasons as head coach of the Chargers. Prior to that, he was a standout quarterback for Utah and also played in the CFL. That essentially means two former quarterbacks will be guiding Lawrence’s development, as Pederson has an NFL career at the position. That is an arrangement Lawrence is likely to be a fan of.
Lawrence is heading for his second season in the NFL, and he’s coming off a campaign with 12 touchdowns and a league-worst 17 interceptions. That helps explain why he was so invested in the coaching search, and why he’s probably quite happy about the outcomes of it.
Photo: Oct 10, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) gestures after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Trevor Lawrence is clearly a big fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ hire of Doug Pederson as head coach.
Lawrence said he was “excited” and “relieved” to see the Jaguars bring in Pederson, and cited the coach’s experience as an NFL quarterback as a huge positive.
“He played the quarterback position, so he sees it through my lens more so than a lot of coaches that haven’t played the position,” Lawrence said in an interview with the team’s official website.
Lawrence being pleased with this hire is a pretty big deal from Jacksonville’s point of view. He took a strong interest in Jacksonville’s coaching search and even advocated for having some say in the ultimate decision. Whether that happened or not is unclear, but Lawrence is clearly pleased with the ultimate outcome.
Pederson spent ten seasons as an NFL quarterback, primarily as a backup with the Green Bay Packers. That experience can’t hurt when it comes to developing Lawrence.
Photo: Oct 10, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) gestures after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
The Jacksonville Jaguars have made their head coach hire, and it’s actually a respectable one.
The Jags on Thursday hired Doug Pederson as their new head coach. Pederson coached the Eagles for five seasons, winning a Super Bowl in the 2017 season.
Trevor Lawrence, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, is excited to get to work with his new coach. He shared his reaction to the Pederson hire over Twitter.
How far the Jags go, and how much they win, all hinges upon how well Lawrence develops.
Pederson succeeded with Carson Wentz as his quarterback in Philly. With some better offensive personnel in Jacksonville, the Jags should be in a good position to greatly improve from their 3-14 season.
Photo: Oct 10, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) gestures after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Bill Belichick is not known for offering a lot of praise for players, particularly those on other teams. On Friday, the New England Patriots coach did offer a ringing endorsement to a rival rookie.
Belichick said Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has improved throughout the season, and that the first overall pick has the chance to be “great.”
“I think he’s gotten more comfortable as the season’s gone on and gotten comfortable with the offense,” Belichick said, via Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “I’d say the offense has gotten comfortable with the things that he does best. Definitely, a good level of execution there. They did a good job last week against the Jets, mixing in different varieties of passes: quick throws, moving pocket throws, deep balls, third down conversions, red area plays. He’s pretty good at all of them and continues to get better. I think he’s had a good year and I think he’ll be a solid NFL player, maybe great. I don’t know, but he’s certainly made a lot of progress this year.”
Statistically, Lawrence definitely has room to grow. He has just nine touchdowns to 14 interceptions on the year, though he does not have a great amount of talent around him. The Jaguars certainly still believe in him judging from the role they’re planning to give him as they hunt for a new head coach. A Belichick endorsement certainly can’t hurt his stock either.
Photo: Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
