Jaguars HC Doug Pederson wants to ‘meet halfway’ with Trevor Lawrence

After giving Urban Meyer his walking papers, the Jacksonville Jaguars knew they needed to get a head coach that could get the most out of Trevor Lawrence and after an exhausting search, they hired Doug Pederson, who was a proven track record developing quarterbacks and winning football games. Based on a recent conversation with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, it looks like he’s got a clear plan to help Lawrence make a leap in Year 2.

When talking about the Jaguars’ young passer, Pederson brought up his work with former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and how important it is to build a relationship from a ‘playcaller/quarterback standpoint’. He says he wants to find out what makes Lawrence thick and meet halfway with him.

"It’s really, you gotta find that common ground and that’s what we did with Carson. Let him verbalize what he likes, what he doesn’t like. And listen, we have playbooks and pages of stuff, but it’s what he likes. We don’t have to run it all, but we gotta find that common ground. That comes through getting to know each other, and that’s the important part. And yeah, it’s that coming together where we want the quarterbacks to be involved and give us their input because that’s how we shape our system."

During the conversation with Breer, Pederson talks about his first encounter with Lawrence and how Clemson head coach Dabo Sweeney told him to keep an eye on him, “keep your eye on this kid… He’ll be in the NFL someday“. The whole exchange takes a look at the head coach’s philosophy and what he sees in his quarterback. It’s pretty interesting a worth your time.

Doug Pederson will be a positive influence on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence.

Trevor Lawrence was always going to need an adjustment period in the NFL but the fact that Urban Meyer and his coaching staff disagree on how to best develop him hurt accentuated his learning curve in the pros. Sure, the young passer didn’t have the best supporting cast and was going to have growing pains but better coaching would have helped him considerably.

Pederson says he can help Lawrence become a better player by showing him how to set a routine and teaching him how to prepare. Of course, it sounds great in theory but Meyer also said that he wanted to put his players in a position to succeed and failed miserably. Of course, it may not be fair to compare Pederson and Meyer, one being known for helping the Eagles win their first Super Bowl in franchise history and the other for kicking his players.

The Jaguars have gotten rave reviews for the Pederson hire. Having a coach that can squeeze every ounce of talent out of Lawrence will go a long way towards winning football games but that’s just one of many steps they have to take if they want to right the ship. Now, they need to get their quarterback more weapons and fortify both sides of the ball this offseason.