Kevin O'Connell's remarks resonate amid Trevor Lawrence's struggles with Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't getting the return they expected when they gave Trevor Lawrence a massive contract extension in the offseason. While No. 16 deserves some of the blame for his underwhelming play in 2024, the organization has also failed to put him in a position to succeed. In light of their recent struggles, they should pay attention to Kevin O'Connell, who's led the Minnesota Vikings to a 3-0 record to start the season and has helped Sam Darnold enjoy a career revival.

O'Connell recently got the spotlight because he made an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show and said that more often than not, quarterbacks don't take off because their team fails them.

"You better have a plan for development. You better have a plan to maximize the time that you get with that player," O'Connell told host Rich Eisen when he was asked if there's a method to develop a quarterback. "And it doesn't always equal sitting, it doesn't always equal playing from Day 1, but it's very important that people have an understanding of this position, the unique intricacies of how you need to play, how you need to respond when you inevitably get punched in the mouth in this league is the quarterback position."

O'Connell continued, "Why it's the hardest position in all sports is because the entire team experiences your adversity right alongside with you, but it's also impacted by it. So your ability to respond, your ability to get back to all those little things that that you've either demonstrated early on you're ready to do consistently, regardless of circumstance, or over a period of time where you're kind of solidifying all those things within you."

"And no guy comes out of college the same these days, how they see the field, what you're going to try to teach them from a standpoint of your progressions. I just think as a whole, there's not enough emphasis put on the organization's role in the development of the position. Meaning, I do believe this Rich, I believe that organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations."

Darnold, the third overall pick in the 2018 draft, has turned the corner under O'Connell's tutelage. After spending his first three seasons with the New York Jets, the former USC Trojan became somewhat of a journeyman, suiting for the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers before landing with the Vikings in 2024.

In three games, Darnold has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 657 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. If he manages to keep up the pace, he'll become a hot commodity in the open market in 2025.

O'Connell, for his part, became the Minnesota head coach in 2022. Despite entering his first season at the helm without high expectations, he led the Vikings to a playoff berth. Although they went 7-10 last year, they were routinely competitive despite the fact that they had no viable quarterback after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles. His win-loss record is 23-14 three games into the 2024 season.

Here's O'Connell's full exchange with Rich Eisen in case you want to give it a look.

The Jaguars haven't helped Trevor Lawrence nearly enough in 2024

It's easy to forget it now but O'Connell interviewed for the opening the Jacksonville Jaguars had at head coach in 2022. At the time, he was one of the hottest offensive coordinators in the NFL, having played a big role in the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl run.

Although O'Connell interviewed well, he didn't get the job. The Minnesota Vikings were surely glad he didn't, as he's helped them turn things around. Meanwhile, the Jags and Trevor Lawrence are struggling.

There's no doubt that head coach Doug Pederson played a massive role in helping Jacksonville heal from the Urban Meyer debacle. Nobody will deny he was a big reason they made the playoffs and won the AFC South in his first season leading the way. However, the Jags weren't able to sustain the pace and are currently trending in the opposite direction of the Vikings. Since their 8-3 start in 2023, they've lost eight of their last nine games.

General manager Trent Baalke most definitely deserves some of the flak for not doing nearly enough to reinforce the roster in the offseason. That said, the Jaguars have enough talent to be competitive. Yet, they're 0-3 to start the 2024 season. Lawrence, in particular, has been underwhelming, completing 52.8 percent of his throws for 560 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

The fourth-year quarterback has certainly left much to be desired. His decision-making hasn't been the best and has been unable to elevate his teammates like he did in previous year. Then again, he's not getting much help from the team, and that's where O'Connell is right.

A club must put its quarterback in a position to succeed, and Jacksonville hasn't done it with Lawrence. The playcalling is uninspiring and outdated. On top of that, Pederson's message doesn't seem to get across and the offensive line has provided poor protection. The truth is that most signal-callers will struggle to win games under those circumstances.

This is to say that if the Jaguars want to get the most out of Trevor Lawrence, they must give him a better supporting cast. The head coach, for his part, must craft a game plan around his strenghts. It doesn't look like Doug Pederson is currently doing it, and if he's no longer capable of getting the most out of Lawrence, the organization must look for someone who will.

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