Doug Pederson talks Jaguars hire

On February 3, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they would be hiring former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as head coach. Pederson spoke with the media for the first time as the Jaguars’ head coach on February 5 and spoke on what he can bring to the Jacksonville community.

Peep the resume.#DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/noiWyIdkkB

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) February 4, 2022

The Goal

Just 14 days after the firing of previous head coach Urban Meyer, the Jaguars brought Pederson in for an interview. Pederson was the only person the team interviewed. This was likely because Pederson knows what it takes to win.

The former Philadelphia Eagles head coach lead the team to its first Super Bowl Championship in franchise history. The championship caliber coach said in the presser that he doesn’t plan on settling on anything less than a championship caliber team.

While the goal is to win games in Jacksonville, Pederson said that he understands it wont be an overnight fix. The Jaguars finished the 2021-2022 season at 3-14 and had the worst record in the entire league–for the second year in a row. Pederson said that the way the team will reach its goal is one person and one player at a time.

“Hard work and preparation pay off.”

Coach Pederson shared some words of wisdom during a @ODFootballCamps youth football tournament held at The Bank today. pic.twitter.com/3vIxttTi2C

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) February 5, 2022

Focus on Players

The players on the Jaguars’ 57-man roster is what Doug Pederson said his main focus is on. He said that the talent on the roster is what drew him to Jacksonville.

One of the primary standouts on the Jaguars’ roster is 2021 first overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence. One of the most glaring hiccups of the Jaguars’ previous season was Lawrence’s struggles during his rookie year. Lawrence finished his first pro season with 3,641 yards, 12 TDs, a 59.6 completion percentage and a league-high 17 interceptions.

Lawrence also spoke to the media about the hiring of Pederson. He said that he was “relieved” by the hire. The former Clemson Tiger also said that Pederson’s resume makes him excited to get to work with him.

https://twitter.com/Jaguars/status/1490024559231348736?s=20&t=JREKe13d5ZReCU6h8fBYZQ

Part of Pederson’s resume includes 10 years as a NFL quarterback and one year as the quarterbacks coach for the Eagles. Lawrence said of Pederson’s history at the QB position “he sees it through my lens more so than a lot of coaches that haven’t played the position.”

Pederson has also proven his ability of developing quarterbacks. Pederson was the head coach when the Eagles drafted 2016 second overall pick and Second-Team All Pro QB Carson Wentz. After Wentz’s season-ending knee injury in his second season, Pederson built up backup Nick Foles and lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl.

The sole focus of Pederson is to help players be their best, Pederson said in the presser.

Looking Ahead

The task of shaping the 3-14 Jaguars into a playoff contention team will not be an easy one. But Pederson has worked miracles before. Leading the Eagles to the franchise’s first championship in 2018, Pederson hopes to bring Jacksonville its first Lombardi Trophy.

With the upcoming NFL draft and a full off-season ahead, Pederson and the Jaguars will display their progression when the team travels to Washington to open its 2022-2023 NFL season.