Accountable Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence will "take arrows for his guys"

Trevor Lawrence is one of the most talented quarterback prospects to come out of the collegiate ranks since probably Andrew Luck. However, questions about his commitment to football arose because of his chill demeanor in the months preceding the draft. But that calmness and his authenticity are precisely a few of the many reasons he's had so much success with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

During an appearance on The Season with Peter Schrager, Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor shared an anecdote in which a friend of his wondered if Lawrence was always that chill.

"'We're playing golf with a couple of buddies, two or three days ago and I had a buddy that's a Jags fan and didn't know him or anything like that", Taylor told Schrager. "We get off, he asks, he's always like that, just chill. I've never seen him lose his cool or anything like that. I've seen him getting tense, and a little more competitive, but he's pretty much just always the same guy even keel and I think just the authenticity that carries himself with, guys appreciate that.

"He's humble but he's accountable. If something goes wrong, he's the first to say that's all me, whether it's him or not, he's the quarterback. He's gonna stand there. He's gonna take the arrows for his guys. And I think guys see that and guys respond to that. When you know what you're getting out of a guy, he's got your back. You're willing to fight a little extra for him", Taylor said.

Taylor continued, "Our players saw that from the jump because we brought in a lot of new guys that didn't know much about him other than the hype and struggles his rookie year, but he quickly earned everyone's trust and the way he prepares the way he plays, the way he treats people".

Before the draft, Lawrence had a sitdown in which he said he loved football but his life didn't revolve around it. He got flak for his comments but a closer look shows that his personality hasn't prevented him from performing at a high level and instead is the reason he's thrived and ascended in the NFL.

For proof of how Lawrence's calm demeanor has helped him, look at the times he helped the Jaguars come back from a deficit to beat the Las Vegas Raiders, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Dallas Cowboys in the 2022 season. He left the best for the playoffs though. Down 27-0, the Jags rallied from behind and beat the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30. Here's some of Taylor's exchange with Schrager about Lawrence's personality.

Accountability and calmness are 2 underrated traits of Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence

Because of the entertainment aspect of the NFL, it's easy to forget that players are people and many of them aren't equipped to deal with the challenges they're presented in the pros. Just last year, quarterback Zach Wilson made headlines when he said he didn't take accountability for the New York Jets' awful outing on offense. More recently, rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison was cited for driving 85 miles over the speed limit.

These are young men in their young 20s and like many people in that stage of their life, they're bound to make mistakes. On the other hand, there are examples of young adults with the mental maturity to cope with adversity. Trevor Lawrence is one of them.

Some analysts and teams probably wanted to hear that Lawrence ate and breathed football 24/7 and when he didn't, they questioned his character. In the end, he's proven he can deal with adversity. It wasn't surely easy to play for Urban Meyer and he sounded frustrated because of the little progress the team was making that year. However, Lawrence didn't throw in the towel and kept fighting until the end of the year. Looking back, it's possible that other players in his position might have crumbled.

As Taylor noted, Lawrence is accountable, and that's what you want to see from your leaders. On the other hand, being chill allows him to remain unfazed in the face of adversity and that's what you want from your quarterback with the game on the line.

In retrospects, questions about Trevor Lawrence's commitment to football look silly and everyone, including the Jacksonville Jaguars are surely glad he's he way he is.

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