Jacksonville Jaguars fans had a lot to be excited about heading into the season, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence expected to emerge as one of the top talents in the league. Fans were also excited about Lawrence’s new weapon, rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. out of Louisiana State University.
Thomas Jr. certainly lived up to the hype. The rookie totaled over 1,200 receiving yards to go along with 10 receiving touchdowns. Unfortunately, the season as a whole never quite lived up to expectations.
The Jags finished the year 4-13 and missed the playoffs entirely. Unsurprisingly, head coach Doug Pederson was let go on Monday, one day after the season concluded.
Now, Lawrence is speaking out about his former coach.
“I think it’s difficult to look at where we’re at now at the end of this season and take it for what it is,” Lawrence said in a Thursday Press Conference, according to Pro Football Talk.
“Like, man, it was just such a rough year and tough in every regard, injuries not winning games. That’s just tough on a team, so I think as a player, you look at it and you understand that’s part of the business. But you’re also disappointed and you feel some responsibility because as a player, you have impact on the game.
“It’s on us as well, so I think you see it and it’s unfortunate, I guess is the best way to put it, just because you feel like you wish you could have done more, and you wish you would have won more games. … I think it’s a weird feeling, but you do understand it’s part of the business and you just have to continue to get better and for whatever reason this year we didn’t do that.”
It’ll be interesting to see who the Jags bring in to try and get things turned around.