JACKSONVILLE – It's Week One, and all that that implies.
Doug Pederson said the means a real-live feel, and some start-to-the season jitters and "edginess," as the Jaguars prepare for Sunday's 2024 regular-season opener.
As absolutely should be the case.
"If you don't [have that feeling], it's time to move on quite frankly," Pederson said as the Jaguars prepared to play the Miami Dolphins in a 2024 Week 1 game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday at 1 p.m.
"I get nervous for the players. I get nervous for us as coaches. It's the excitement of playing meaningful games."
Trevor Lawrence, entering his fourth season as the Jaguars' starting quarterback, said, "I always get a little game-day nervous. Stomach's tight, it's harder to eat in the morning, stuff like that."
"Once you kick it off, you settle in really quick," he said. "I wouldn't say there's anything added to it except for just excitement."
The Jaguars went 9-8 in each of Pederson's first two seasons as head coach, winning their last five regular-season games to win the AFC South in 2022 and losing five of the last six games to miss the postseason with a loss in the final game of the 2023 regular season.
The Dolphins have made the AFC postseason as a wild-card entrant in each of Head Coach Mike McDaniel's seasons, losing in the first round of the postseason each season. They led the NFL in points last season, entering the season having hired former Baltimore Ravens defensive assistant Anthony Weaver as defensive coordinator.
Kam Nedd/Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars enter Week 1 after what some players called the most intense training camp of Pederson's three seasons as head coach.
"I feel like it was it was hard, being the third camp here,” Pederson said of Jaguars 2024 Training Camp. “The first one's always tough, just because of the unknown. This one was purposeful, I guess, in my own quirky way.
"Camp is camp, and you kind of want it to be hard. You want it to be tough. It's, as they say, the dog days of summer. There's no substitute for the hard work. We put the guys through as much pressure and stress as possible, not only on their minds and bodies.
"I think the way we practice, hopefully late in the season you lean on that. You lean on those tough moments."
NOTABLE
- Pederson on Wednesday said he has yet to decide who will call plays Sunday – Pederson or offensive coordinator Press Taylor. "We're still working through that," Pederson said. "Press and I are still talking about it. I think it's really not a whole lot of difference. Press and I think alike a lot of times and converse a lot a lot of times during games, and I just think if you're looking at us, there's probably not a lot of a lot of difference." Pederson and Taylor split play-calling duties in 2022, with Pederson calling plays in the first halves of games and Taylor calling them in the second halves. Taylor called plays throughout the 2023 season. Pederson also said Taylor will coach from the sidelines Sunday after working from the press box the past two seasons. "It's better because we can be face to face and there are conversations that he and I can have off the mic," Pederson said. "So, I like that part of it. I think for him, too, it's a comfort level. You obviously can feel the game. You're on the field with the quarterbacks too; you're right there, face to face."
NOTABLE
- Pederson was simple and concise Wednesday when discussing the biggest concern facing the Dolphins' offense, which ranked No. 2 in scoring, No. 1 in total yards and No. 2 in passing yards in 2024: "Speed. Speed. Speed." Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is among the NFL's fastest receivers, and running back Raheem Mostert also is among the fastest players in the NFL at his position. "It's a lot of misdirection, a lot of motions and shifts," Pederson said. "They do a great job with that in their run game as well. It can cause you to distort your eyes a little bit and get off your cues. That that's where some of the big plays have come for them. We know Tyreek and [wide receiver Jaylen] Waddle and the guys. There's just a lot of speed and something that we have to be able to at least try to match. They're on you fast. When you we put the film on, these guys are on you and they're by you."
