HC Doug Pederson says there are parallels between the Jaguars and his golf game
The Jacksonville Jaguars seized the AFC South division crown and made the playoffs last year. If they want to repeat as division champions and return to the postseason next season, they can't rest on their laurels. Head coach Doug Pederson made that known in a recent interview.
Teams are currently off before they return to training camp in the last days of July. Pederson has taken advantage of the extra time to play a round of golf. And during an appearance in the 2023 American Century Championship, Pederson said the Jags, just like his golf game, have to be consistent.
"We've got to build on last year, build on the end of the season", Pederson said. "We had a nice run into the postseason but as a football team, we're not there yet. We're still chasing Kansas City and Buffalo and Cincinnati, and some of those top teams in the AFC. I feel like we had a great quarterback, I feel like we have the nucleus to be good".
After the Urban Meyer debacle, the Jaguars hired Doug Pederson to turn things around. Despite the fact that he said the rebuild could take time, Jacksonville won the division and made the playoffs in his first year at the helm.
What makes this even more impressive is that the Jags had started the 2022 season 2-6 and their chances of clinching a playoff seed were pretty low after losing to the Chiefs. But led by Trevor Lawrence, they managed to go 7-1 the rest of the way.
Then in the playoffs, the Jaguars once again proved they belonged, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 31-30 after being down by 27 points early in the game. Heading into the 2023 season, they are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Projected to win 10.5 games, they have the chance to have even more success than they had last year. Here are the comments Pederson made during the round of golf, via Jamal St. Cyr of News4Jax.
Doug Pederson is playing in the second round of the 2023 American Century Championship today.
— Jamal St. Cyr (@JStCyrTV) July 15, 2023
Pederson said the Jaguars are still chasing the top teams in the AFC.
"As a football team, we're not there yet." pic.twitter.com/6ZVVd7cDIY
The Jacksonville Jaguars must consistently prove they're a top team in the NFL
As successful as the Jaguars were in 2022, that's in the past. Now, they must focus on what's ahead, that's why it's refreshing to hear Doug Pederson say that they must remain consistent if they want to return to the playoffs. As he noted, they couldn't get over the hump last year.
Even though the Jags beat playoff teams such as the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens to end the season, they went 0-2 against Kansas City. Similarly, they dropped a game against the Houston Texans, who were one of the worst clubs in the league last year. Good clubs simply don't allow that to happen.
If the Jags want to be name-dropped when discussing the best teams in the league, they can't afford to lose to lesser clubs. Similarly, they must beat the Chiefs, Bills, and Cincinnati. Coincidentally, Jacksonville is slated to face all these teams, along with the San Francisco 49ers, next season. If they manage to win at least half of those games and return to the postseason, they can then join the NFL royalty. Until then, they will be included in Tier 2: Teams that may or may not make a playoff push.
Pederson knows the Jaguars have their work cut out ahead of the 2023 season. And instead of making any empty promises or offer magic wand solutions, he's putting in the work needed to pick up where they left off last year.