Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence had quite a roller-coaster debut season in the NFL. At the least, he did come away from the campaign with multiple learning lessons.
Lawrence recently took some time to speak to the NFL Network, where he reflected on his rookie season and the one major challenge he faced in the transition from playing at Clemson to Jacksonville.
“I would say situational football I think is so much more important in the NFL compared to college,” Lawrence said. “I could count on one hand probably the amount of games in college that came down to one or two possessions and in the NFL, it's pretty much every week. You're not going to have many games where you win by multiple scores, and I think that was a big adjustment for me and realizing the importance of that and just learning a lot.
“I think that was the biggest adjustment was understanding situational football and really trying to put us in the best position to win is a lot. It's not as simple as it sounds sometimes. I thought I learned a lot.”
As Lawrence opened up about, he was regularly involved in blowout contests during his run at Clemson. For one, he did not play in a single one-possession game in his final campaign with the Tigers, as they cruised to an ACC title and also a berth in the College Football Playoff. Clemson did have two such games over the 2020 campaign, although backup quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei led the Tigers in both encounters.
In his opening campaign in Jacksonville, Lawrence featured in six one-possession games, as he sure was tested throughout the season in crucial pressure situations. At the least, he did have a few promising showings in such games, which include recording 319 passing yards in Jacksonville’s 23-20 win over the Dolphins in the first half of the season.
Much was talked about regarding Lawrence’s overall sluggish performances throughout the season, as he finished with 17 interceptions and had his share of struggles in the red zone. Still, the former College Football Playoff national champion did see signs of improvements as his season went on and also saw progress with his game as well.
“I had a lot to learn this past year and still have a ton to learn,” Lawrence said. “I feel really good with where I'm at. I think I progressed as the season went on. Stat line might not say that but I just know mentally, the situations I was in and the things I was exposed to. I feel great about the progress I made and where I'm at.”
The Jaguars have now embarked on a new era under new head coach Doug Pederson. The former Philadelphia Eagles head coach has already noted that he plans to implement a scheme that aims to simply get the best out of Lawrence.
Much attention will be centered on just how Pederson and Lawrence will mesh next season. More so, a crucial offseason will also await the team later this year. There could be plenty of turnaround on the offensive side of the ball, especially as the likes of veteran left tackle Cam Robinson and tight end James O'Shaughnessy will become unrestricted free agents in March.
It may turn out to be one chaotic offseason for the Jaguars front office.
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