JACKSONVILLE – Trevor Lawrence’s reasons for optimism are many.
There are big picture reasons like Head Coach Doug Pederson and an experienced, highly offensive coach. Lawrence discussed those reasons Monday and also addressed something specific: Pederson’s offensive scheme.
Lawrence loves the offense, and is getting more comfortable with it every day.
“It allows us to play faster,” Lawrence said this week as the Jaguars begin the third and final week of the 2022 Class of 2022 as TIAA Bank Field.
Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick. 1 in the 2021 NFL Draft, he enters his second season as an NFL starting quarterback. But it’s his first season in Pederson’s offense, which Lawrence said is a strength that allows for natural play.
“We mix it up a lot,” Lawrence said. “There’s a lot of room for the quarterback to position himself. There’s a lot of response and a lot of turnovers, but only if you need them. If not, you can play fast and guys can play free. .It really allows people to behave.
“That’s the whole idea – to give you answers. But sometimes, you have to go play and play fast. That’s what we’re getting now, where we understand everything’ and we can go play.”
Pederson earlier this week praised Lawrence, citing his progress throughout the ’22 offseason.
“He’s doing a great job,” Pederson said. “He leads the football team, No. 1. He executes the offense. Obviously, we’re impressed with how he throws the football – and how easy it is for him to throw.”
Pederson said Lawrence’s interview was noteworthy.
“That’s a growth process,” Pederson said. “It’s been fun getting to know him a little bit. We’ve put him in tough situations. We’ve put the whole team in tough situations. That’s part of the process, too. He’s been able to handle them really. well.”
The Jaguars on Monday began Week 3 of OTAs, while Lawrence and several other players have been in the team’s voluntary program since mid-April. That was the first time Lawrence and many veterans saw Pederson’s playbook.
Lawrence said the team has filed three infractions since then.
“We’re almost done,” he said. “Every time we add a few things to each installation, little twists and turns and additions, all of that. We’ve got a lot of stuff now. We’ve been through it all, with everything, at least one time – and some of the things, this is the third time. We’re making great progress, the playbook is coming together really well. It’s been really good.
“It’s been really smooth. By the time training camp comes around, obviously we’re going to go back and check things out, but now we can hit the floor and have everything and practice. writing in a certain way where we have all our tools.rather than just uploading by uploading.
“We can have a whole playbook.”
Lawrence as a rookie last season threw 12 touchdowns on 17 passes. But he said the experience I gained in that first tough NFL season “helped me a lot” heading into this season.
“That was my first time dealing with the ins and outs of things, getting us into the right game — good matchup, road, whatever it was,” he said. “Last year it was difficult to think about all those things, to have all those options, to find the best one.
“Now that I’ve had that experience…it’s really helpful. I have a few things. You can’t do everything, so you have a list of things that I want to check. in your mind: “Those are some of the things I want to get to. get the right look, get to them. If not, make the best of what you have and do the next one.’
“That’s something I’ve been trying to work on, and I think it’s helped me a lot.”
As his second NFL season draws to a close, Lawrence said he is optimistic about the Jaguars’ passing and not just the new offense.
“There are a lot of things,” he said. “We have a lot of good players. The coaching staff, the way everything is organized, the way they look at everything, the leadership… all these things I think will help us a lot. Group opinion. it was good.
“We had a lot of good people here in the team, good voices, good players. But now to add a group of young guys who are also hard workers, good players, the right people you want to be close to them, all those things. to meet.
“I think leadership is really going to make a big difference.”
