Lawrence Begins Focusing On 'Subtle Things' Necessary For Him To Become Jaguars' Starting QB

In retrospect, the Jacksonville Jaguars “scrimmage” on Sunday afternoon in TIAA Bank Field wasn’t much more than a situational walk-through. And being careful not to exaggerate the importance, this Saturday’s upcoming game is technically nothing more than the first preseason game, in which starters rarely play long.

But the amount of growth rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence can accomplish from this seven-day span can’t be overstated.

Sunday’s practice didn’t hold much of a true game scrimmage feel. Instead, the coaching staff elected for pre-determined situational drills. Trevor Lawrence worked with the second-team offense the entire time, allowing him an opportunity to establish chemistry with other receivers as well as gets reps against the first-team defense.

As advertised@Trevorlawrencee | @FLBlue pic.twitter.com/cmEXcpFojf
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) August 8, 2021

Each drill though, from drives beginning on the 1-yard line, to working on two-point conversions, the Jaguars coaching staff—specifically passing game coordinator and quarterback coach Brian Schottenheimer—wanted Lawrence to work through those pressure-cooker situations. Schottenheimer even forewarned local media on Saturday that he needed to walk Lawrence—and for that matter Head Coach Urban Meyer, in his first NFL coaching gig—through those types of plays.

“There is play clock, there are two-point plays, there are things like the two minute drill that are completely different [than college], so you know like the two minute drills we’ve been doing with Trevor.

“We want him to be poised but have some urgency. He has been almost a little too relaxed and remember that first down that clock isn’t stopping to move the chains. Subtle things like that, but I think we’re past that now to where he’s picked up on that and it’s not an issue.”

Lawrence is the presumed starter for the Jaguars this fall, and the amount of reps he has received with the first team the past week would support that. Mastering those subtle things, as Schottenheimer said, that are different from college to the NFL will determine how quickly Lawrence can be successful. The first down clock not stopping has been a situation coaches have had Lawrence working on a ton the past few days, setting up all of the situational team drills on Friday to be with just over a minute left to play in the game, with the offense needing a touchdown.

For Lawrence’s part, he knew after the first week of training camp what needed to be worked on in order to be ready by season kick-off.

“You’re always learning, I definitely still have some more to learn and different situations I gotta get used to, like we did two minute today. I am feeling more comfortable with that but I’m still trying to make that like clockwork — second nature. It’s just something you got to work on,” Lawrence said at the time.

“I think the biggest challenge is always — we practice, we meet all day and we’re trying to figure out little details, what we can get better at and the biggest challenge is taking that to the field. It’s easy to write something down in a meeting but actually you know changing habits, that’s something that just takes time — muscle memory and that’s what I’m trying to work on. It’s just little things I need to correct, and I think that’s always the hardest and best thing about camp is that you get the time to do that.”

Building that chemistry.@C_Manhertz | @Dream_Finders pic.twitter.com/x35ykzWofN
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) August 7, 2021

Now, as the Jaguars prepare for their first pre-season game, the coaching staff have another lesson to pass along to the rookie quarterback. While the staff hasn’t officially said one way or another yet if Lawrence will be seeing time in the first pre-season game on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns, the preparation for kick-off will be just as, if not more important for Lawrence, according to Schottenheimer.

"He and I have been talking a lot not just about football, but it’s about routine,” Schottenheimer said on Saturday of he and Lawrence. “What do you do during the week of a regular-season game? What do you do if it’s a night game?, What do you do if it’s a Thursday game? So many things that go into playing quarterback and I’ve shared stories with him — Andrew Luck had the coolest spreadsheet I’ve ever seen. Literally Monday at 7 p.m., he knew where he was going to be, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

“Those are things [Lawrence] probably has never thought of because, ‘guess what I’m going from practice to class or study hall’ and now he’s got to know how, ‘when I leave the building what am I watching for the next day? When am I getting my rejuvenation?’ And so he is ahead of the schedule with that but those are things when you think about it, it’s not just x’s and o’s with these guys it’s also bringing them along about managing your time.”

No matter what did or didn’t happen on the field Sunday, and no matter what will or won’t happen on the field this coming Saturday, Trevor Lawrence is using this week to make the biggest strides he can, preparing himself to be the quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“I’m preparing just for whatever,” Lawrence said Sunday. “It doesn’t matter to me. I’m going to make the most of whatever opportunity I get. So, for me, it’s just coming here every day, practicing hard and getting myself ready for whatever that is.”