The Jaguars can succeed if either Doug Pederson or Press Taylor make the decisions
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One of the issues still hanging in the air as the Jacksonville Jaguars prepare for training camp is whether head coach Doug Pederson will withdraw the game announcements from the offensive coordinator Press.
To be honest, I am not sure if this is so important, although the owner Shad Khan recently indicated that he wouldn’t mind seeing Pederson back behind the wheel.
Whether Pederson or Taylor sends the play to the quarterback Trevor Lawrenceit is difficult to imagine that the offensive’s method of attack will be significantly different.
Keep in mind that this head coach and OC team have been working together for seven years, the last two seasons in their current roles and when Taylor was part of Pederson’s Philadelphia Eagles offensive staff from 2016-2020.
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That means a lot of time in meeting rooms developing an attacking philosophy based on the lineups of players each offseason and then game planning for specific opponents over 100 times a week.
The only NFL coach who has worked as closely with Pederson as Taylor is the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs Andy Reidbut that was a decade ago.
The point is that Pederson and Taylor are as similar in their approach to attacking the defense as is possible in the NFL.
Regardless of whether the Jaguars are playing against the Houston Texans or the Miami Dolphins, does anyone seriously believe that Lawrence will get completely different plays on his first and tenth attempt from the midfield or on his third and fifth attempt in the red zone than the other two?
Pederson, who has not yet said publicly whether he or his 36-year-old coordinator will call the plays in 2024, obviously has more experience calling them. Still, Lawrence strongly hinted in May that he expects Taylor to continue in his role as playmaker.
“However this plays out, we’re going to make the best of it and it’s going to be great,” Lawrence said. “I haven’t talked about anything necessarily changing or staying the same. I don’t really know, I’m with you. I think we’ve had success with both guys in the past as far as making plays, even last year we could have been better, but we’ve had some success.”
“I like the continuity and consistency I have with Press, I know him really well. I think it’s good that we keep that. As a quarterback, it’s hard to constantly switch things up, change systems and change playmakers. That can be difficult. So, I like where we are now.”
It seems as if the owner has a bias in one direction, the $275 million quarterback has a bias in the other, while the incumbent quarterback diplomatically stays right in the middle.
When asked if it was important to him who called the plays, Taylor replied: “No, ultimately, winning is what matters to us. However we get to that point, we are all for it.”
That’s the perfect answer to a hopeless question. If Taylor believes and says publicly that it’s important, he runs the risk of causing friction between him and Pederson.
Taylor also said he sees little difference between 2022 and last year, when he and Pederson both called plays at different times. Taylor’s neutrality on a sensitive topic smartly promotes the team-first culture his boss wants to create.
Coaches want players to not care who gets the most yards, sacks or touchdowns. Coaches should have the same attitude and not let their ego get in the way of making play decisions.
Ultimately, Pederson has the final say on play-calling, and even if he lets Taylor continue in that role, he still has veto power as head coach.
The Jaguars’ collapse at the finish line last season had more to do with a porous defense, some untimely injuries and a lack of confidence throughout the team. Khan summed it up perfectly when he called it “an organizational failure.”
If the Jaguars want to move up and regain the AFC South title in 2024, they will need a much improved roster, a new defense and Lawrence’s performance in the decisive moments.
Pederson and Taylor, longtime tag team partners, look at the same match sheet and probably have very similar ideas about what might work best in a given down-and-distance situation.
Translation: In the bigger picture, the Jaguars’ success or failure in 2024 will have little to do with who’s in charge.
Next challenge for the Jaguars pass rushers
Jaguars pass rusher Joshua Hines-Allenwhose recent name change means he can no longer be confused with the Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allenhas an additional incentive in 2024 beyond fulfilling his $141.25 million contract extension.
With Hines-Allen, who has a season with 17.5 sacks, and his pass rusher colleague Travon Walker He collected 10.0 sacks, making him the ninth and tenth player in Jaguars history to have recorded double-digit sacks in a single year.
But in almost all cases, the player struggled to reach double-digit sack numbers the following season. Only Calais Campbell managed 10.5 sacks in 2018 after a total of 14.5 sacks in the previous year.
In the previous eight times that Jaguars pass rushers recorded double-digit sacks, their average total sacks the following season was just 5.5 sacks.
With the creative plans of the new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen and the Jaguars sign a free agent Arik Armstead To bolster the defensive line, with their 1-2 pass rushing punch of Hines-Allen and Walker, the Jaguars should have a much better chance of repeating their performance of double-digit sacks.
Bradley can boost the US Ryder Cup
It could be a stroke of luck that Tiger Woods turned down an offer to captain the US Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black in 2025.
Whether Woods’ claim that he was too busy to take on the tasks or whether he simply turned them down for reasons he refused to disclose, the astonishing choice of Plan B, Keegan Bradley feels like a compelling, unexpected choice.
Bradley, whose only major win among his six Tour victories came at the 2011 PGA Championship, is extremely competitive and has a very positive attitude that should help him hold a team together.
It’s no secret that the United States lags far behind the Europeans when it comes to team spirit. It’s debatable how much this contributes to the Americans losing 10 of the last 14 Ryder Cups, and the last seven on foreign soil.
Yet it is hard to blame the PGA of America for now turning to Bradley, who has never served as vice-captain and, at 39, will be the United States’ second-youngest captain next year, to try to reverse Europe’s recent dominance.
It is obvious that the USA cannot rely on its talent alone to defeat the Europeans, because the Ryder Cup is a unique team tournament.
Bradley’s passion for the event is evident since he won three games as Phil Mickelsonpartner in his first Ryder appearance in 2012, a heartbreaking one-point loss to the Americans at Medinah. Last year it got even worse when he was dejected and was told by captain Zach Johnson.
Under these circumstances, Bradley would probably be less inclined to leave out a deserving LIV player like the US Open winner Bryson DeChambeauwho was also passed over by Johnson in 2023.
If the Americans lose a home match in the Ryder Cup, there will be a lot of doubt about Bradley’s appointment. Aside from his youth and inexperience, I believe Bradley has the talent and leadership qualities to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Fast-hitting nuggets
As the two-way baseball star of the University of Florida Jac Caglianone was recently named Academic All-America Player of the Year for Division I, the first Gators player to be named to the team since pitcher Darren O’Day from Bishop Kenny in 2006. Only three other UF players — David Eckstein (1996, ’97), Robert Hull (1972) and Fred Bretz (1970) — were on that team. Caglianone is expected to be a top-10 pick in Sunday’s MLB draft, more likely as a hitter than a left-handed pitcher, but that depends on who selects him. …
It is probably too late, given his increased media presence, but the hype and attention that Joey Chestnut for being the GOAT of hot dog eaters is beyond exaggerated. The idea that people are going to give anyone who stuffs their belly full a rousing round of applause as if they just scored a touchdown or hit a game-winning home run is a sad commentary on what passes for legitimate sport.
[email protected]: (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
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