Jaguars have right QB/HC duo in Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson

The Jacksonville Jaguars have had a myriad of talented players throughout their history but never have they had a quarterback as talented as Trevor Lawrence, who should flourish under head coach Doug Pederson’s calmer hand.

Jarrett Bell of USA Today talked in his latest column about Lawrence’s development in his second NFL season and how much things have changed since last year, when Urban Meyer was the head coach. Bell believes that the former Clemson Tiger is “now in better hands”

"A year ago, Lawrence was splitting first-team reps with since-traded Gardner Minshew, despite his status as the new franchise quarterback. It was one in a series of questionable moves by eyer as he tried to break in Lawrence, who undoubtedly could have used every first-team rep possible as a rookie.That was then. The toxic culture that emerged under Meyer is contrasted by a coach drawing praise in the locker room for professionalism. And Lawrence maintains his comfort level with Pederson and [offensive coordinator Press] includes a lot of collaboration in working the schemes."

The Jaguars went 2-11 under Urban Meyer and he was given his walking papers after reports of his coaching methods didn’t show him in a favorable light. The fact that he failed to put Lawrence and several other players in a position to succeed didn’t help his case.

Meanwhile, Doug Pederson led the Philadelphia Eagles to three consecutive playoff trips during his five-year tenure and helped them raise their first and only Lombardi Trophy in franchise history in 2017.

Moreover, Pederson has a history of squeezing the most out of his quarterbacks and he has never had one of Lawrence’s caliber, which could give the Jags a legitimate chance to compete in the AFC South in 2022.

The Jaguars have a good HC and a potential franchise QB in place

Jack Del Rio routinely led the Jags to the playoffs but never had a true franchise quarterback. Gus Bradley, Mike Mularkey, and Doug Marrone might have fared better during their respective stints in Jacksonville had the front office given them better players.

Tom Coughlin help Jacksonville play in two AFC Championships but he also had several building blocks at his disposal, including but not limited to Hall-of-Fame offensive tackle Tony Boselli, wide receivers Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, quarterback Mark Brunell and running back Fred Taylor. See a pattern?

Good head coaches need good players to succeed and a franchise quarterback to get to the top (more often than not). Bruce Arians was always a good head coach but only won a Super Bowl when he had Tom Brady at his disposal and a stacked Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster. Speaking of Brady, he had a key role in the New England Patriots winning six championships. As great as Bill Belichick is at coaching, he’s a pretty bad general manager and Brady helped him mask his shortcomings as a talent evaluator.

Right now, Doug Pederson is the most accomplished coach the Jaguars have had — Tom Coughing notwithstanding — and his approach will most likely result in an eventual turnaround. On the other hand, Lawrence showed flashes during his rookie year and should continue to make strides in 2022.

Last but not least, this Jaguars team has talent at most position groups and is arguable as loaded as the one in 2017. The difference is that this one has a franchise talent and seems to be set to be more than a one-year wonder due to the presence of Lawrence.