It’s no secret that the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence haven’t played up to expectations the last couple seasons after such a promising 2022 season. Unfortunately, that energy and success couldn’t carry over and now Jacksonville welcomes a new regime starring Liam Coen and James Gladstone.

With it comes a new identity, something Trevor Lawrence and fans are both excited for this coming season. In an exclusive interview with Action Sports Jax’s Brent Martineau, Lawrence spoke about this team, who they are, and who they will become.

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“Just a hard-nosed team. I think about offensively, specifically, same goes for defensively too, but physical, high effort, play for the guy next to you. Running the ball, obviously, is a huge priority and we’ve engrained in that this whole offseason, starting in spring,” said Lawrence.

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“That’s a big part of our identity. That’s being a physical unit. That helps with the defense too. That helps all the way around when you can run the ball effectively, efficiently. We have a lot of talent, we have a lot of skill players that can make those big plays down the field. I feel like I’m a guy that can get it to anyone at any time,” Lawrence continued.

The Jaguars have no doubt struggled to run the ball at times the last couple seasons. In 2022, the Jaguars were eighth in average yards before contact. This past season, they finished 32nd, dead last, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Lawrence said the variety and attention to detail at the receiver position will make all the difference.

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“On the perimeter, the detail, the amount of detail in how our receivers are pushed to go block and really get that extra block, get that extra shove, putting their nose in there. That’s emphasized so much in this offense,” noted Lawrence.

“And I think that is where you see these runs turn from two, three, four, five yard runs into explosives, 12 yards, touchdowns, whatever it may be, because you spring it on the second level. That’s huge in the run-game,” Lawrence continued.

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Liam Coen brings his own offense to Jacksonville and it will ask Trevor Lawrence to be much more active in his approach. For the first time in his professional career, Lawrence will go without a wrist band. Martineau asked how learning this new Coen offense has gone.

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“At first it’s overwhelming but then you look up at the end of spring and I feel really good about where I’m at. I understand what we are doing,” Lawrence said.

“It’s a lot of stuff to get in. We were able to get that in early and get me more and more comfortable with it. So, by the time we got to camp, it wasn’t like starting fresh. You are really able to master the little things,” Lawrence later added.

Trevor Lawrence mentioned a lack of “juice” at the end of last season. It was something he thought was missing from their team. Admittedly, it can be difficult to keep that juice after a 1-5 start or 4-13 season, but good teams can overcome that adversity and keep their heads above water.

Lawrence noted that has been one of the biggest differences with this new coaching staff, the energy. He stated, “The energy the staff has brought, starting with Liam [Coen] and just throughout the whole staff, has just been a bunch of good energy. We’ve been coached hard, but it’s also been positive.”

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With the team’s struggles and one’s own, it can be an easy trap to let all of the outside noise affect your play or confidence. For Lawrence, he tries to ignore all of the outside chatter and focus on what he has to do.

“All that stuff, I don’t take too seriously. But there is some growth I’ve had, some reflection of maybe how I’ve done things in the past, not necessarily the amount of work I put in but the way I do things. I think this staff has really opened my eyes up to some different ways of thinking,” commented Lawrence.

He knows he has to play better. He knows, winning in today’s NFL revolves around excellent quarterback play. Gladstone and Coen have certainly made things easier for him and he now has the best set of skill position players he’s ever had. Now it’s time to go prove himself and this team right.

At the end of it all, it is the team’s energy that Lawrence keeps coming back to. He felt it was the thing last year’s team needed most and it’s what he’s most excited for this season. If this Liam Coen team has an identity, it is that

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