After a slow start, the Jacksonville Jaguars have named Trevor Lawrence their starting quarterback. Not a big surprise for the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Despite not scoring a touchdown through two preseason games, Lawrence is still the silver lining in the dark cloud of this offense. We have to remember that head coach Urban Meyer likes big plays, his ideal offense is up tempo with high percentage throws but his offensive coaches do not want to show their hand in the preseason. Instead, Meyer is forcing his rookie quarterback to go through his progressions and trust his offense.
The non-existent run game prevents play action from being successful, so this allows the linebackers to sit and play the pass preventing the receivers from getting open off the line of scrimmage. Since the receivers are getting open only when they are further downfield, at their breaks, this puts pressure on the offensive line to hold their blocks for a longer amount of time and since the line have been beat up with injuries, Lawrence’s progression from Week 1 to Week 2 hasn’t been transparent, yet its still exists.
Lawrence took two sacks against the Browns that were purely on him. He would rather throw it deep than check the ball down, which honestly is a breath of fresh air than what we are used to seeing from the Jaguars offense. Although Lawrence took a sack, he remained undaunted, on the very next play he continued to stand in the pocket extending the play while Marvin Jones got open.
From the broadcast it looked like the play took a lot of time to develop. Instead, it seemed like a receiver didn’t read the defense correctly, therefore two receivers ran the same route. The takeaway is that Lawrence noticed he had time, and then took a shot downfield and succeeded.
Now just to make it clear, I wont say the play-calls have been perfect either, except we don’t know if its the receivers not making the adjustments or if the play call was actually bad.
With a long developing play like this deep hitch (above), the receivers should be making their breaks at the sticks. Despite that, Lawrence is still making good choices as he slides within the pocket, keeping his eyes down field while feeling the pressure, then taking a hit by two Saints defenders while attempting to throw his receiver open (below). This was just a great pass breakup by safety Malcolm Jenkins.
The long developing play calls have been less than ideal, but it’s all about timing and rapport. Lawrence will have the time when his starting offensive line is playing, and he said himself, “we all just have to get on the same page…”
What is great about this play (above) is that Lawrence learned from game one and decided to get it out quicker but during the season when the rapport continues to build, Laviska Shenault Jr. gets this ball for a big play.
All in all, Lawrence has shown that he has the potential to be a very good quarterback in this league through his poise, athleticism and determination to win. I mean, come on, we can’t deny this….
Remember, it’s only preseason! Jacksonville’s offense is flawed right now, but let’s wait and see if offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer give Lawrence more schemed openings and favorable concepts when the Jaguars take on the Texans in Week 1 of the regular season.