Ben Arthur
AFC South Reporter
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson was justified in relieving defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell of his duties.
Down the stretch of 2023, when Jacksonville had the chance to secure its second straight AFC South title and playoff berth, the defense collapsed. The tackling drastically regressed. Derrick Henry’s eruption in the regular-season finale, which eliminated the Jaguars from the playoffs — a season-high 153 rushing yards and a touchdown on 8.1 yards per carry — was a symbolic final straw.
But Pederson is also now putting all his chips in backing offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
Is he making a grave mistake?
Pederson’s staff changes — firing Caldwell and most of his staff, while parting ways with just two offensive assistants (running backs coach Bernie Parmalee and assistant offensive line coach Todd Washington, whose contract wasn’t renewed) — indicate that he does not see coaching as an issue for an offense that failed to meet expectations despite returning nine starters and adding standout receiver Calvin Ridley (missed 2022 due to suspension). And the difference this past season was that Taylor was the full-time playcaller after he called just the second half of games in 2022.
The offense regressed in several major categorizes, including yards per play, rushing, scoring, third down, red-zone efficiency and DVOA. It was an Achilles’ heel all season. It was the defense keeping Jacksonville afloat early in 2023, sparking the team’s 8-3 start.
“I thought it went [well],” Pederson said of Taylor’s performance as playcaller. “Can it be better? Yeah, it can be better.”
Pederson’s end-of-season remarks pointed the finger primarily at player execution, quarterback Trevor Lawrence being a significant part of that.
The former No. 1 overall pick had 21 turnovers this season, third-worst in the league, according to StatMuse.
“I think it’s number one,” Pederson said of…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/is-jaguars-coach-doug-pederson-making-a-mistake-backing-oc-press-taylor
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Publish date : 2024-01-10 23:50:05
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