JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Even though he was wearing a sling on his left arm, Trevor Lawrence was able to point plenty of fingers on Thursday — most of them at himself.
The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback spoke publicly for the first time since having season-ending shoulder surgery that came after he had recovered from a violent, concussion-inducing hit. His availability came three days after team owner Shad Khan fired coach Doug Pederson and kept oft-criticized general manager Trent Baalke.
Lawrence agreed with Khan’s assessment that the offense was too predictable and made it clear that the Jaguars (4-13) need more toughness and a better culture under their next head coach.
“We need to get some juice back in this place,” Lawrence said. “It seems like we’ve lost that in the past year and a half or so, for whatever reason. We got to get that back. And I think that’s something that us as leaders on the team really have to look at.
“We have to take our part, too. This isn’t just we fired Coach Peterson, so that’s all on him. That’s on us as players, too. We have to get that energy back. … We have to be the ones to really change our trajectory, to be honest.”
The Jaguars have requested interviews with 10 potential replacements, a list that includes five current NFL coordinators and three former head coaches. Jacksonville released an eight-man list Tuesday but have since added Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Joe Brady (Buffalo), Liam Coen (Tampa Bay), Aaron Glenn (Detroit), Patrick Graham (Las Vegas), Ben Johnson (Detroit), Todd Monken (Baltimore), Kellen Moore (Kellen Moore) and Robert Saleh (Green Bay) also are on the list.
“It seems like we are doing all the right things as far as talking to all the right people and all the big-name candidates that are out there,” Lawrence said. “I don’t know any of those people personally, really. So … I don’t necessarily have an opinion.”
Lawrence does have a preference, though.
“Obviously I’m biased. I’m an offensive guy. I’m a quarterback,” Lawrence said. “From that standpoint, sounds great having a young offensive coach that can bring the system in and that we can just grow together and have that system in place for years to come.”
The part that would help the most: Lawrence staying healthy.
Lawrence was carted off the field in early December after Houston's Azeez Al-Shaair delivered a forearm to his facemask, a late hit that caused two sideline-clearing brawls.
The unsportsmanlike blow left Lawrence in the fencing position — a common response to a traumatic brain injury in which both fists clench — and he stayed on the ground for several minutes while a melee ensued nearby.
Lawrence said, “I don’t think the hit was right,” and added that Al-Shaair has yet to reach out.
“I don’t think personally attacking the guy is the right answer,” Lawrence said.
It was the latest injury for Lawrence, who missed a game in 2023 because of a sprained right shoulder. He also missed significant practice time that season because of a sprained left knee, a sprained right ankle and a concussion two weeks later.
He now has missed eight games over two years and surely will be labeled as injury-prone moving forward.
“It doesn’t bother me,” said Lawrence, who threw for 2,045 yards in 10 games this season, with 11 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. “I just want to stay healthy. What bothers me is not being out there, so I’m not really worried about any labels or tags or anything.
“I just want to be out there. I feel like I know I can impact the game and help us win games when I’m out there. And when I’m not, it’s tough.”
Lawrence will be in the sling for three more weeks and expects to be back on the field for organized team activities in May. In the meantime, he will wait for Khan and Baalke to land Lawrence his third head coach in five years.
“Whether it’s an offensive coach or a defensive coach, just a guy that’s going to instill that culture, that toughness into our team and that confidence that it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, when we’re playing, just spot the ball and we can beat anybody," Lawrence said. "Just a tough team that other teams don’t want to play against.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Mark Long, The Associated Press
