In their first public appearances since the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to fire coach Urban Meyer early Thursday morning, interim head coach Darrell Bevell, quarterback Trevor Lawrence and cornerback Shaquill Griffin spoke to the media to address the future of the team without Meyer.
Lawrence, a generational quarterback prospect who became Jacksonville’s first No. 1 pick in franchise history, hasn’t had the start to his NFL career that many envisioned, and with the team struggling under Meyer, many questioned how this season would impact his long-term development.
But Lawrence, who reportedly told Jaguars owner Shad Khan when he was drafted that he wanted to retire as a member of the Jags, said that he’s undeterred by what has been a mostly disastrous season for the team that resulted in the dismissal of a first-year coach.
“I wouldn’t believe you if you told me how this year would go,” Lawrence said. “But like I said, I’ve learned a lot and I still feel that way (about the franchise). Me and Marissa have come to love Jacksonville. And that’s our plan like ‘Let’s go turn this thing around. Let’s go become a winner. Let’s go win some games.’
“I have full faith in that still. Obviously, there is a lot of steps to be made in the future to go in that direction, but I still believe that and I plan on being here a long time. Hopefully, my whole career, whatever the future holds. I know I’m just going to be the best I can every day wherever my feet are. So, that’s how I’m approaching it and that’s how I always will.”
Griffin, meanwhile, was asked what kind of head coach the team needs moving forward. While his answer was concise, it was also very telling and gave a glimpse at how some of the leaders of the team felt about Meyer’s management strategy.
It’s also the closest any of the three who spoke came to criticizing Meyer.
“This locker room needs a head coach that actually believes in what their players are saying and trust in that we can all make this work,” Griffin said. “It’s not a one-man show. I feel like sometimes a head coach can come in and be like ‘I’m just going to flip around, this is my way, let’s do it.’ And sometimes they forget about us. For any coach that decides to take on the job, trust your teammates. We can do this together, we can win this together. This is a team effort.”
The experience this season was a new one for Griffin. He spent the first four years of his NFL career playing for the Seattle Seahawks, who have been one of the most stable franchises in the league over the last decade, and has employed Pete Carroll as head coach (and executive vice president of football operations) since 2010.
Coming to a Jacksonville team with a first-year coaching staff that saw a mid-season head coach firing and will likely have several staff shakeups later down the line, Griffin said the change took some adjustments.
“Yeah, it was different. It was different,” Griffin said. “But I appreciate it. I learned a lot. I grew as a person, I grew as a leader… I know for a fact I’m prepared for anything. So I’m grateful.”
It has certainly been a tough season for everyone involved, especially captains in their first year with the team like Lawrence and Griffin. In the case of the former, it certainly wasn’t the rookie season many had in mind for the talented passer.
But it was clear that the Urban Meyer era needed to come to an end sooner rather than later, and with owner Shad Khan pulling the trigger with four weeks to play in the regular season, the team can now at least work on building for next year without the distractions Meyer brought.