When Doug Pederson took over as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, he grabbed the reins of a franchise with only one winning record in its last 14 seasons. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lower all-time win percentage than the Jaguars.
But after starting the year 3-7, the Jaguars are coming on strong down the stretch. Jacksonville has won three of its last four, including a comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday that, according to Pederson, says a lot about the progress of his rebuild.
“Our job is to change culture,” Pederson said Monday. “Our job is to promote a winning culture and a winning atmosphere. It doesn’t come overnight, it’s not a quick fix as you guys know. I think what the players and what the team has done this year in four games to go 2-2 when trailing 17 points is huge. It shows us and shows them that we’re flipping this culture and this narrative.
“You can’t worry about the past, obviously, but you can learn from it. It’s really good to see that the guys have bought into that. Even the guys that have been here multiple years I think are in a different place mentally than they were just a few years ago. That’s a really good thing that’s going on.”
That culture flip and philosophical turnaround has been easy to see, even if the Jaguars are still just 6-8 on the year. There’s a clear belief and buy-in from players who seem thoroughly convinced they can win any game against any opponent, even if they’re in a sizable hole.
After the overtime win Sunday, Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins — who had the game-ending pick six — told reporters that “coaching” is the obvious change that has made all the difference for the Jaguars. That much is becoming abundantly clear.