Rich Eisen: ‘I’m happy for Jaguars fans, so great to watch’

Urban Meyer left the Jacksonville Jaguars in shambles and it was hard to tell you long it was going to take them to undo the damage he did. Moreover, fans were tired of the organization undergoing yet another rebuild. But how much difference a year makes!

Just last season, talks were centered on who their next head coach should or shouldn’t be and who should be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Right now, the Jags are getting ready to take on the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football and trying to make the playoffs. One look at social media will show you that fans are ecstatic the team has taken a 180-degree turn. Similarly, Rich Eisen is pretty thrilled.

Following the Jaguars’ shocking win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15, Eisen said on his podcast that it’s awesome to see the impact Trevor Lawrence and head coach Doug Pederson has had on the team and their fans.

"Trevor Lawrence succeeding under Doug Pederson, it’s great to watch incredibly talented people get hooked up to those who can make them even better. And watching someone as talented as Trevor Lawrence, he’s making everyone else around him better and watching it happen for a Jaguars franchise that has been downtrodden. It’s awesome to see and the best part about it for Jaguars fans is Trevor Lawrence is just getting started."

Eisen goes on to say that the Jaguars’ recent success sheds light on how bad Urban Meyer was during his short stint in Jacksonville and he’s right. He alienated pretty much every player and every coach on his staff. Whether he was getting frisky at a nightclub or throwing a fit, it felt like there was no week during his tenure where he didn’t get a negative spotlight.

Now, the Jaguars are playing meaningful football in December and have a pretty united locker room. Similarly, anytime you hear the national media talk about them, it’s in a positive light and to discuss how well Lawrence is playing. Here’s the clip of Eisen talking about the Jags.

The Jaguars have undergone a makeover over the last 12 months

The firing of Urban Meyer was a moment for celebration but the Jaguars had their work cut out. As bad as Meyer was, the organization had gone through several bad head coaches and needed to hire the right one to develop Lawrence and get the most out of their team. The fact that Shad Khan chose to keep general manager Trent Baalke around wasn’t well-received.

After all, Baalke didn’t have a glowing reputation around the league and had been fired by the San Francisco 49ers after failing to restock the roster. But Baalke brought in players like wide receiver Christian Kirk, right guard Brandon Scherff and tight end Evan Engram. Also, the Jaguars got it right when they hired Pederson, who has restored the team’s morale and is successfully turning the culture around.

Of course, the Jaguars still have plenty of work left. They haven’t officially qualified for the postseason yet. Once they do, they need to show they aren’t a one-year wonder and keep replenishing the roster next offseason. But for the time being, everyone’s noticing the progress they’ve made, which is why Eisen and their fans are happy.