The Jacksonville Jaguars moved on from head coach Doug Pederson after the 2024 season. Among the many reasons they kicked him to the curb was that he wasn't able to get the most out of Trevor Lawrence. Not surprisingly, the team's brass made it a priority during the search for his replacement to find someone who could get the most out of the franchise quarterback. Ultimately, the Jags chose Liam Coen. So far, No. 16 is pleased with the hire.
Lawrence met with the local media after Day 1 of Jaguars Organized Team Activities and said that he likes Coen's system, pointing out that it gives him all the answers.
"I really
like it a lot, it has a lot of answers," Lawrence responded when asked about the new offensive scheme. "You know, it's great. I mean, it puts a lot of the players, you have to know your stuff, but it gives you all the answers. You're not, don't feel like you're stuck in a play that's not set up for success. It gives us a lot of answers, and we change the presentation a lot, make a lot of things look the same.
Lawrence continued, "There's a whole lot of, without going into too much detail, there's a lot of things that I like about it, and it's definitely unlike any system that I've learned before. So it's been cool to learn and just pick the coach's brain and try to get it down as fast as possible."
Of course, Lawrence isn't bringing up Pederson by name, but if he said that he now has all the answers or that he's now set up for success, that's because that wasn't the case in the past. And that's the thing, John Shipley of Sports Illustrated reported that the Jaguars grew concerned about Pederson's lack of new ideas and innovation in his scheme after the 2022 season. His dearth of offensive creativity ultimately hurt Lawrence and the offense as a whole.
Heck, Pederson went as far as throwing his players under the bus to defend Taylor, and that might not have sat well with the locker room. In fact, he ranked 31st among head coaches in the NFLPA's latest report card because he wasn't nearly as receptive as his peers, nor used his time efficiently.
Of course, not everything was doom and gloom. Pederson helped the Jags recover from the Urban Meyer debacle after the 2021 season, but he seemingly rested on his laurels the year after Jacksonville won the AFC South and won the playoffs.
Below is Lawrence's full exchange with the local media. His remarks about Coen's scheme start at the 3:10 mark.
Trevor Lawrence is getting a fresh start under Jaguars HC Liam Coen
Coaches must always demand the best from their players but should never call them out publicly. That's why it was odd when Doug Pederson said that his team needed to execute last season despite the fact that his playcalling left much to be desired. Fortunately, Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars have turned the page and are now focused on 2025.
Lawrence, while he's under pressure to deliver, will get a fresh start under Liam Coen. The fact that he's in a system that will put him in a position to succeed will only help him reach his potential. For that to happen, though, he'll need to stay healthy, something he's failed to do the past two years.
The good news is that Trevor Lawrence is making progress in his recovery from shoulder surgery and has a much-improved supporting cast. Couple that with a system that will help him play at a high level, and it's easy to picture him bouncing back in 2025.
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