After Jaguar won the AFC South title on Saturday night, speaking on the podium inside TIAA Bank Field, full-back outside Josh Allen was asked if it felt weird even at this point. Consider all the losses of previous seasons. Take a look at the team’s winless streak in October. Consider the 2-6 start of the season.
Allen’s reaction? An emphatic “no”.
“Back in training camp, we had this kind of swag style, the kind of aura that we’re going to go far,” he said.
His words demonstrate how quickly Doug Pederson has changed the culture of Jacksonville, historically not one of the NFL’s most relevant franchises. Before the game, the Jaguars knew things would be different – then showed that reality.
That’s why Pederson should be the frontrunner for NFL Coach of the Year in 2022.
In his first season coaching the Jaguars (9-8), Pederson is said to have produced the best improvement of any team in the league. He led Jacksonville to his first AFC South championship since 2017, from last place in the league for the previous four seasons to first place. The team has also increased its win total to six this season (nine in 2022; three in 2021), forcing Detroit for the biggest improvement in 2022. The Jaguars’ six-win gain is the highest of any team with a new coach.
Pederson’s coaching skills were reflected in the way the team dealt with adversity. Despite winning just two of the first eight games, the Jaguars took a 7-2 lead to end the regular season. Jacksonville joined in 1970 Bengali and in 2020 command as the only team in the Super Bowl era to make it to the knockout stages after starting the season 2-6.
Not only have the 2022 Jaguars not been derailed by a rough start, but they are also building momentum for the post-season under Pederson. The Jaguars are only the fifth team in NFL history to reach the knockout stages in a season that featured both a winning and losing streak in at least five games, according to The Associated Press.
“If you don’t match what your leader is saying, it’s hard to get anywhere,” midfielder Trevor Lawrence said earlier this month. “He’s the same person every day, whether we win or lose, we lose five games in a row, how many games we win in a row – he’s the same every day and I think that’s what We’ve all gathered in the back.”
One of the biggest before Eagle the coach did was the spearhead of Lawrence’s ascension.
Who has more pressure: Justin Herbert or Trevor Lawrence
Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy discuss who they are more confident of heading into the knockout round between two opposing midfielders: Justin Herbert of the Chargers or Trevor Lawrence of the Jaguars.
A generation prospect is coming out Clemson in 2021, Lawrence struggled and made the league’s highest 17 interceptions as a rookie. But he has hit his stride since mid-season, playing as a franchise quarterback and running Pederson offense at a high level.
As of Week 9, the #1 overall pick previously topped the NFL in passer rating (104.6), second in completion rate (69.7) and third in interception rate (0 ,7).
During the season, Lawrence completed 66.3% of his passes from 4,113 yards for 25 touchdowns with eight interceptions and five more rush touches. He was the first player in franchise history to have 25 touchdowns and 5 rush touches in a single season, and his 369 finishes broke the team’s single-season record.
Under Pederson, who called the play offensive, Lawrence experienced one of the biggest year-over-year improvements for a quarterback in NFL history. According to NFL Research, he’s only the second signal caller since 1950 to double his wins (nine years now; three years ago) and touchdowns (25 this year, 12 last years) ) and halves interceptions (8 this year, 17 seasons ago) from season to season, joining Drew Brees (2003-04).
“It’s just our way of communicating, whatever the situation is, ‘Hey, this is a photo opportunity’ or ‘let’s be smart, get it done, keep the line going.’ Whatever it was, he did a great job of reminding me of some of those things,” Lawrence said in December. “Now that it’s gone more and more, he doesn’t need to do much anymore because we’re on the same page.”
One of the first things Pederson did as a Jaguars coach was to build trust with the team. It was broken, he said.
Throughout the season, Pederson’s biggest focus was on making sure the players knew about him, so they could see him as someone they could trust. He is open and transparent with them.
“When we got involved, I think that’s when their stress could ease a little bit and they felt more comfortable with who I was and who I was at the time, and that,” Pederson said. keep on forming. “Everything just builds from there. I can be even more honest, and I’ll be honest with them in a way, from a correctional point of view right on the pitch. I’ll be honest with them if they behave off the pitch. I will continue to present the same message all the time and I think that will slowly gain their trust as we go into training camp and obviously throughout the season.
“It’s not overnight (conversion),” he added. “I said this back then. It’s not an overnight fix. It’s going to take a process. It’s going to take a journey… I think we’ve built the trust factor. that trust over time and it starts to manifest throughout the year.”
He believes that’s why the team made it to the knockout stages. He believes the trust has prepared the team for the challenges of their roller coaster season.
“Just connect with people,” wide receiver Christian Kirk said Saturday by his coach. “He connects with everyone in the dressing room. He treats us fairly and always keeps his word. He always thinks about us and puts us first. Having a coach like that, who always puts you at the forefront. the right place to be successful, it’s pretty easy to buy in.”
The 2022 Coach of the Year race will be tight. Kyle Shanahan has 49ers loud, thriving with their third midfielder in rookie Brock Purdy and has a 10-game winning streak leading the league. First-year coach Brian Dabboll has giant in the knockout stages for the first time since 2016. Nick Sirianni led the Eagles to 14 wins. Dan Campbell in the lead lion to improve six wins.
But the Jaguars’ misfit before Pederson’s arrival, coupled with a championship in a season of ups and downs and helping with Lawrence’s historic improvement, gave the Super Bowl-winning coach one of his best the strongest case – if not the strongest – for the prize.
“I think the Coach should be 100% engaged in the conversation and maybe win the award,” Lawrence said on Jan. 4. “You look at what he’s done here, energy, no. not only Xs and Os and football stuff, but also the energy, the culture that we’ve created here. Obviously, he played a huge part in bringing it here. That is very difficult to do, especially in the first year and there are a lot of new people. I cannot say enough about the work he has accomplished and how much I enjoy playing for him and appreciate him.”
Ben Arthur is the AFC South correspondent for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was a beat writer for Titans for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) before moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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