Category: Darrell Bevell

Jags’ Charlie Strong all but confirms Trevor Lawrence selection, talks about getting a QB

While he didn’t completely confirm what the team plans to do with the first pick, Strong offered some candor about the quarterback position.

Whenever a franchise selects first overall and don’t have a proven quarterback, it almost always chooses to address that position with the pick. This is the exact situation Jacksonville finds itself in, and it’s an open secret that the team plans to address the position with its first pick.

In an interview with reporter Anthony Amey, Jaguars assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach Charlie Strong said that the current coaching staff knows what it’s doing when it comes to developing a quarterback. Before working for the Lions, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell held the same position in Seattle where he helped develop Russell Wilson and led the unit to two Super Bowl appearances (including a win in Super Bowl XLVIII).

Meanwhile, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer succeeded Bevell in Seattle, where he worked for the last three years. Before that, he was the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and the New York Jets as well as a stint at the college level with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Strong said the duo, with the leadership of head coach Urban Meyer, whose track record as an offensive coach at Ohio State, Florida, and prior jobs speaks for itself, knows what it’s doing when it comes to developing a quarterback.

“With Bevell being the offensive coordinator and then (coach Schottenheimer) being the quarterback coach, they have a track record of getting the quarterback ready,” he said. “And Urban’s an offensive guy, he’s driven, that’s his deal is offensive. So I think when they make that selection, which it’s been a lot poured into it so the groundwork has already been laid, so when they make that selection, everyone will be prepared to go.”

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In addition to basically stating that the team will take a quarterback with the first overall pick, Strong seemed to heavily imply who that quarterback will be. Though no one affiliated with the Jaguars has officially come out and said it, the predominant belief has been that they will take Clemson passer, Trevor Lawrence.

While Strong didn’t confirm this, he also seemed to concede that the team’s decision is already widely known.

“When you talk about the quarterback, whomever it may be — and everybody knows who it’s going to be, it’s no secret…”

The NFL draft is less than a week away, and soon the coaches won’t have to speak about Lawrence in such coded language. But for the time being, it seems Strong, who is very familiar with Meyer as the two worked together at Florida from 2005 until 2009, is confident in this coaching staff’s ability to prepare a quarterback.

Darrell Bevell explains how Jags are constructing playbook

There are a lot of bright offensive minds in Jacksonville’s coaching meetings, and Darrell Bevell said they’re trying to blend philosophies.

Jacksonville’s offensive coaching staff is littered with bright offensive minds. Between head coach Urban Meyer, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer, there are a lot of people influencing the creation of the playbook.

One might be concerned about a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario, but on a recent podcast appearance with John Oehser, Bevell said they are attempting to blend the strengths of the different offensive coaches when crafting an offensive scheme.

“We have feelings of what he [Meyer] likes, what he wants to do, where he’s at – but then we’re able to blend where [passing-game coordinator] Brian [Schottenheimer] has been, where I’ve been and where [offensive line coach] George [Warhop] has been,” Bevell said. “We want to be able to blend all that together to be able to come up with the best plan.

“The plan starts one way, then once you start getting the players and start putting those players in, then that plan can morph. We’re going to make sure whoever our guys are that we’re getting – that we’re putting them in the best position to be successful.

“The more we get to know them, then the more it starts to move around.”

The playbook starts with the terminology and depending on which coaching philosophy your background is in, that can vary tremendously. Bevell said that much of the coaches’ energy so far has been spent attempting to codify and standardize the language of the team.

“It’s important for all of us to be speaking the same language,” Bevell said. “It’s powerful when your whole staff is aligned and has the ability to speak it the same way. We start on Page One, go through the cadence, the huddle and then we get into, ‘What do we call this when we line up in this formation?’ ‘What’s the best way to communicate?’ ‘Is that the simplest?’

“Everybody comes from a little different area. At some point, we have to pick a language for the Jaguars. That’s what we’ve been sitting in there doing.”

Bevell was asked what the team’s offense would look like in 2021, but he hesitated to give a straightforward answer, saying that it will depend on the personnel on Day 1. The Jags are expected to draft a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, and he will likely start opening week. Jacksonville may not know exactly how best to use him until he joins the team, so its best-laid plans could still change.

“The hard thing is, ‘Tell me who I have; tell me who’s out there on Day 1,”’ Bevell said. “Then I can give you a better answer on what it will look like. There are fundamental beliefs I believe in and Coach Meyer believes in. No. 1 is running the football. You want to be able to run the ball when you want to run it. Then when we get in the pass game, I want to be explosive. You want big plays. You want opportunities to get big plays and flip the field.”

It seems the Jags don’t want to overplay their hand now, but based on these comments from Bevell, it seems the coaching staff is comfortable with the progress it’s made over the last several months.

Jags OC Darrell Bevell attends Zach Wilson’s pro day, Urban Meyer not present

The Jaguars offensive coordinator was on hand for former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson’s pro day, but the Jags head coach was not.

Just because a team is fairly sure what they want to do with the first overall pick doesn’t mean they won’t do their due diligence. It seems that’s exactly what happened on Friday morning, as Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell attended Zach Wilson’s pro day in Provo, Utah.

Notably, however, Jacksonville’s head coach Urban Meyer was not in attendance. That’s a bit surprising, as one would assume the man leading the team would want to be on hand to watch a potential franchise quarterback in action.

Meyer also didn’t attend the pro day for North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance earlier this month. He was, however, in attendance for former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s pro day, and he helped him coordinate an earlier pro day to accommodate his shoulder surgery.

Given these indicators, it doesn’t seem anything has changed regarding the Jags’ plans with the first overall pick. Though some analysts seem to prefer Wilson over Lawrence, there’s no reason to think the Jags’ staff feels that way.

But that doesn’t mean the team won’t scout the rest of the field, and considering the fact that, according to Albert Breer, Bevell has a house close to BYU (where his daughter attends school), there doesn’t seem to be much here that should worry fans who want Lawrence.

Jamal Agnew ready to be a leader in receiver room, on special teams

The former Lions receiver is surrounded with some familiar faces on his new team, and he’s ready to contribute in 2021.

One of the less-discussed but potentially intriguing pickups of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2021 free agency class was former Detroit Lions receiver and return specialist Jamal Agnew. A former fifth-round pick in 2017 from non-scholarship San Diego, Agnew has become an underrated utility player.

Starting his career as a cornerback with a special teams focus, Agnew ditched the defense to become a full-time receiver before the 2020 season. That led to his most productive year on offense, by far, totaling 13 catches for 89 yards on the season.

The coach who helped him make that transition, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, now holds the same role in Jacksonville. This week, Agnew told the media he’s coming into Jacksonville with a high comfort level towards the offense and feels his best is yet to come as a receiver in it.

“To be honest, it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, just playing defense my whole life and transitioning to offense so suddenly,” he said. “But [Offensive Coordinator] Darrell Bevell and even the receivers coach back in Detroit, they made it so much easier for my transition and I’m happy I did it to be honest. I feel like I get to use my skill set a lot more on the offensive side of the ball and it’s just more opportunities to make plays… That was one of the main reasons why I chose Jacksonville was because I got to pick up where I left off with Bevell because I felt like I was just getting started.”

Though he’s a bit new to being an offensive player full-time, Agnew said he’s excited for the opportunity to help a young quarterback and receiving corps. He said his familiarity with both Bevell’s offense and new addition Marvin Jones, who played with Agnew in Detroit, should be beneficial for the still-improving group.

“So, now I’m very comfortable for some of the younger guys to lean on me.” Agnew said. “I feel like I have a really good grasp of the offense, but I’m excited for this opportunity to work with a young quarterback. Especially to work with Marvin again, he’s a great player, even better person off the field. He’s a great father, he’s just a great role model and I was so grateful to learn from him these past four years.”

Though he could figure into the Jags’ offensive game plan to some degree, the bulk of Agnew’s production as a pro has come on special teams. He’s been one of the NFL’s best return men over the last few years, though he’s struggled to match his production as a rookie. That season he totaled 447 punt returns yards and two touchdowns, bringing home First-Team All-Pro honors in the process.

Though he had just 178 punt return yards and a touchdown in 2020, he emerged to have his best season on kick returns, taking 28 for 783 yards (both career highs).

Like many players on the Jags’ roster, Agnew said he’s excited to play for Meyer, a coach who understands what elite special teams players can bring to the table. Skilled returners are a staple of Meyer’s teams, as evidenced by players like Brandon James and Chris Rainey when he coached at Florida. In securing one of the league’s best special teams players, it’s clear he’s working on a similar vision in Jacksonville.

And if Agnew’s to be believed, the Jaguars’ first opponent may be best served sending the opening kick of the season away from him.

“It definitely means a lot to me just to know my skill set is being valued as it is,” Agnew said. “I feel like special teams is a very important aspect of the game and you don’t really realize that until something catastrophic happens. But I want to come in and be that spark. I want to bring the juice. I want to create energy plays, spark plays. I love doing that, that stuff’s fun to me. It was kind of weird last year without fans. I’m running a big return back and it’s kind of quiet so it’s just like what’s going on? But I’m here, we’re going to have 100 percent capacity, so I can’t wait to house call that first one in this stadium.”

Meyer explains why new OC Bevell is the right man for the job

The new Jags coach said Darrell Bevell had the best interview, but a ringing celebrity endorsement from one of his former players helped.

Darrell Bevell has a major task at hand. The new Jaguars offensive coordinator will be the man primarily tasked with the development of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who Jacksonville will almost certainly take with the first overall pick.

Despite that, coach Urban Meyer said he’s confident that Bevell was the right hire. In the staff’s introductory presser, Meyer said the former Lions play-caller had the best interview in a large candidate pool (and a high-profile endorsement, to boot).

“The amount of people we interviewed was as many as I’ve really ever done,” Meyer said Thursday. “His interview was by far the best. His ability to adapt to my vision of the offense, which is a little different than maybe he’s done in the past, the flexibility and not rigidness, that was very important to me because we do have the first pick in the draft and there is a vision that I have about the style of offense. I’m certainly not going to call plays — that’s his responsibility. But I have a real clear vision of what I want the offense to look like.

“And by the way, Brett Favre — I called I don’t know, 10 people about Darrell — and Brett Favre, who I’ve known for quite some time, when he made a comment [saying], ‘That’s as good a coach as he’s ever been around, and by the way I had my best year with him in Minnesota.’ And he said, ‘Hire the guy.’ Brett Favre, the respect I think we all have for him, I listened closely.”

Jags fans will hope Favre’s impression of Bevell, who was his quarterback coach from 2003-05, is an accurate one. Bevell was also Favre’s offensive coordinator in Minnesota, and he won a Super Bowl coaching offense for the Seahawks before spending the last two seasons under Matt Patricia in Detroit.

He’ll have some pieces to work with in Jacksonville, including the talented receiver duo of D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault and the NFL’s third-leading rusher last season in James Robinson in addition to Lawrence. The question will be how much improvement he can get in one year from those pieces.

Bevell, Meyer, and Schottenheimer to attend Lawrence’s workout Friday

Trevor Lawrence will throw for the NFL tomorrow, and of course, the Jags will be there.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be taking the field tomorrow morning for a workout in front of the whole NFL, although it’s pretty much a guarantee that he’ll be going first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell told the media he will be attending with Brian Schottenheimer and Urban Meyer in what will be their last look at Lawrence before he has a left shoulder injury repaired.

In what was his first meeting with the Jacksonville media, Bevell also said he’ll personally be paying attention to Lawrence’s velocity, as it’s something that can be hard to gauge on film.

“I think for me it’s just important, like I said earlier, just to see the ball come out of his hands,” said Bevell. “I think one of the hardest things to do on tape is to be able to tell velocity and just the way it comes out of his hand. I also want to see the command that he’s going to have. [It’s] kind of our first opportunity to be able to get him in person, so [I’m] excited to do that.

The news broke of Lawrence’s workout and injury last week. While it isn’t known how or when he sustained the injury, it is known that he’ll be ready for training camp. That would seem to indicate that the labrum injury to his non-throwing shoulder isn’t severe.

As for Bevell, he isn’t foreign to rookie quarterbacks after working with Russell Wilson during his first season and beyond. That said, fans should be very excited about the OTA and training camp phase as Bevell had a long and mostly successful run in Seattle.

Report: Jags expected to land Darrell Bevell for offensive coordinator job

The Jags are close to naming their new offensive coordinator and it’s expected to be Darrell Bevell.

While it hasn’t been made official, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Urban Meyer found their defensive coordinator and it will be former Baltimore Ravens defensive line coach Joe Cullen. Not too long afterward, it appears they found their offensive coordinator, too.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Jags are expected to hire former Detroit Lions interim coach Darrell Bevell as their offensive coordinator. While the signing isn’t official, it seems the Jags beat out several others for his services.

Bevell, 51, is a coordinator who will bring 21 years of NFL coaching experience to Meyer’s staff, which is a huge plus. He started his career with the Green Bay Packers in 2000 as an offensive assistant and quality control coach and spent six seasons there. He also became their quarterbacks coach in 2003-05. Afterward, he spent five seasons as an offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, then served as the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator from 2011-17.

After taking a few seasons off, Bevell found himself in Detroit as an offensive coordinator from 2019. He became the interim head coach when Matt Patricia was fired on Nov. 28. Many came away impressed with the job that he did when taking over for Patricia and thought he had a decent chance to remove the interim tag from his name.

The Lions finished 2020 with 30th in rushing with a 93.7-yard average, which may concern some fans. However, it’s worth noting he’s inheriting a talented running back (James Robinson) and a good interior offensive line that aided him to put up historic numbers as a rookie. It’s also worth noting that the Lions finished eighth in passing, averaging 274.8 yards.

Many fans will recognize Bevell for the infamous play-call in Super Bowl XLIX where he called a pass play on the 1-yard line during the Seahawks last offensive series. Instead of utilizing Marshawn Lynch to pound it in, he had Russell Wilson attempt to hit receiver Ricardo Lockett for a play where corners Malcolm Butler and Brandon Browner would interfere with each other. It backfired and ended up being a pick, however, that one play shouldn’t define Bevell’s career.

In addition to Stafford, Bevell coached Wilson from his rookie season to his sixth season and also coached Aaron Rodgers and Brett Farve when with the Packers. That should certainly help Jags fans feel good about him possibly inheriting Trevor Lawrence when the veteran coach makes his signing official.