Mike McCoy thinks Trevor Lawrence has gotten better in ‘all areas of the game’

It has been an exciting day in Jacksonville Jaguars’ news! Earlier today, the conceptual designs for the stadium renovation were unveiled. This afternoon Wide Receivers Coach Chad Hall, Quarterbacks Coach Mike McCoy, Senior Defensive Assistant Bob Sutton, and Outside Linebackers Coach Bill Shuey met with the media to discuss the wide receivers room, Calvin Ridley, Trevor Lawrence, and more.

Coach Chad Hall described the wide receivers as, “A bunch of guys who love the game of football, unselfish, like to work hard, they’re open to coaching, they want to learn”. When asked about Calvin Ridley, Hall stated, “It’s more of a mental game with him right now because it’s a new offense”. He noted that Ridley “just wants to play ball” and get the reps in with Trevor. Hall said Ridley is doing a great job, is learning the offense “really fast”, and looks “great” physically. Hall compared the wide receiver to DeSean Jackson.

When asked what he was most excited about for the upcoming season, Hall said it was the group of guys and stated, “One of the best things about coaching is the relationships you create”. They’ve had dinners to create those relationships. Hall stated that it has been going well and that’s what this time period is for. “If you’ve got guys who work hard and are unselfish, and don't care about anything other than winning and helping each other, those are the guys you want to be around.”

When asked about managing expectations in high-pressure situations, Hall said to “play like the underdog” and to never be complacent because there’s always something they can learn. Christian Kirk told the wide receivers today that they’re not where they need to be. Hall stated the expectations outside of the wide receiver room are different than the expectations inside of the room. Hall noted that all the wide receivers don’t think they’re “close to the best” and want to get to that “next level”.

Coach Mike McCoy was asked about Trevor Lawrence. McCoy stated, “His voice carries a lot of weight” and that “everybody listens” when he speaks. McCoy also pointed out the progression of Lawrence throughout the 2022 season and noted that you can see Lawrence on the sidelines talking to players and coaches during games. Lawrence has become “more familiar in a system and comfortable with his teammates” and “knows every little detail”. McCoy thinks overall, “He got better in all areas of the game.”

Senior Defensive Assistant Bob Sutton stated, “The attitude of our players was really something special” during the team’s losing streak during the 2022 season. Sutton said he thinks that allowed the team to be successful. The culture and the focus gave the team a better chance of succeeding and moving in the right direction. Sutton “loves” the pressure because it means “we have a good team”. He noted that with a quarterback like Trevor Lawrence, you can have the mindset of “Just give him the ball one more time”.

Sutton also pointed out that last year the rookies were learning the system along with the veteran players. When asked about Travon Walker and Devin Lloyd heading into their second season, McCoy stated, “That second year is a pretty good jump for everybody” and “They’ve both had really good Springs. There's no limit to where those two guys can go.”

Coach Bill Shuey spoke on how he explained to the players the importance of being ready physically and mentally while OTAs are “winding down” and they’re “winding up” for Summer training. Shuey is “excited” about K’Lavon Chaisson. He sees “good things” when Chaisson is healthy and that he’s put in the “quality time” in regard to practice. Shuey hopes Chaisson can “push the other guys to earn their playing time”.

Shuey was asked about the number of sacks Josh Allen had. He stated that Allen is aware there is a “gap” there but spoke on the importance of creating pressure against the quarterback because creating pressure can lead to many things such as an interception or other error. Shuey said Allen does great things for the team outside of the sack numbers. “More importantly to me, the sacks are important, but the sack-forced fumbles are really what the goal is.”