Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence’d rather take too much blame than not

New York quarterback Zach Wilson rubbed his teammates the wrong way when he said he didn’t he hadn’t let the defense down in a Week 11 loss despite the fact that he played poorly. Not surprisingly, he said he didn’t handle things well in the aftermath but he isn’t the only signal-caller from the 2021 class that has had to endure adversity. In fact, you could make the case that Trevor Lawrence had it worse and has had to face his fair share of challenges during his short stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After all, Lawrence had to endure the Urban Meyer debacle last season. Meyer’s toxic culture made it difficult for players, let alone a rookie, to thrive. To make matters worse, there seemingly was no plan in place to develop the former Clemson Tiger. Not surprisingly, he completed less than 60 percent of his passes and threw a league-high 17 interceptions.

Nevertheless, Lawrence didn’t seem fazed. He sounded frustrated at times when the Jaguars lost but his calm demeanor and maturity were visible more often than not during his underwhelming rookie campaign. So when did he learn to be accountable? He met with the local media Wednesday and credited his family and coaches for guiding him throughout his football journey.

“I’ve had good people in my ear, good voices”, Lawrence told the local media Wednesday. “Obviously my family; my parents did a great job raising me and teaching me. One, it goes back to humility. Two is whether you win, lose, play well, or don’t play well, it’s never about me, so that’s the main thing I try to keep in mind. I’d rather take too much than none”.

The Jaguars have a young leader in Trevor Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence gets it. He knows what words to say without sounding corny or overly optimistic. He knows that as a quarterback and the face of the franchise, he will get more credit than he might deserve after a win and be under scrutiny when the Jags lose even if doesn’t deserve it. But such is life for an NFL quarterback.

Conversely, Wilson failed his teammates when he didn’t hold himself accountable. He later asked them what a better response would’ve been and he will most likely grow from the experience but he’s got a long way to go as a leader.

Lawrence also has room for improvement but he’s made more strides than Wilson this season. Although Lawrence mistake had made several head-scratching mistakes, he’s also shown growth and flashes of the talent that made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft.

The Jaguars are 3-7 and probably out of playoff contention this season. However, they should be thrilled about Lawrence’s development and the things they can potentially achieve in 2023. Looking back, they should be glad they were able to draft him last year.