No matter what the national commentators say, Gene Frenette writes, it's not unthinkable that Doug Pederson, Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars can enjoy a winning 2022. Here's how.
No Jaguars made it on the NFL Top 100 list. Here are five players that could join next season
The optimism flowing through the Jaguars’ locker room isn’t your typical preseason belief environment. It’s largely because Pederson and his Super Bowl pedigree has brought a vibe that players sense is a real culture-changer. “It’s just belief in yourself. Every team in the league right now has expectations. Every team in the league has good players. It comes down to execution and belief in yourself. I think Doug has been really good about having us believe in each other and being a tight-knit unit in this locker room. The path for Pederson to chart a new Jaguars course starts with doing a better job in division games.
By comparison, former Eagles coach Andy Reid, who won six NFC East titles in 14 seasons, was 52-38 against his division rivals. Pederson’s smaller sample size aside, it’s at least encouraging for the Jaguars that his resume in the most vital games shows a lot of promise. There’s no excuse this year for not sweeping Houston, which has the NFL’s worst roster. Tennessee has lost valuable receiver A.J. Brown. Plus, bulldozer running back Derrick Henry is coming off a Jones fracture in his right foot, which prevented the former Yulee High star from defending his league rushing title in 2021. So the Titans, coming off three straight playoff seasons, appear more beatable than any time in recent memory.
Obviously, getting there would require the Jaguars staying in reasonably good health and Lawrence taking the Year 2 jump demonstrated by many elite-type quarterbacks, but NFL history says it’s not a pipe dream. It’s understandable why few are forecasting a winning season for the Jaguars. You don’t earn the benefit of the doubt having the league’s worst record over the past decade.
Here’s what makes a six-win improvement for the Jaguars in 2021 nothing outlandish: it’s been done 22 times in the last decade,10 by franchises employing head coaches like Pederson in their first year with the team.
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