The first sentence to this article was ripped off the page and tossed aside. When we witness a game change so drastically from one half to the next, the talking points have to change too. Even the original headline for this article had to be put in reverse.
As a sports writer, nothing is ever totally wrapped up or guaranteed. That’s why I can understand how the losing Los Angeles Chargers are feeling. The original narrative is no longer the narrative because the fans that tuned in to watch the Jaguars and Chargers Saturday night witnessed an epic, unthinkable turnaround (the Jaguars were down 27-0 and went on to win 31-30.) The introductory line I had prepared no longer held true because Saturday night’s AFC wild card playoff game ended up being a tale of two halves.
At some point, regardless of the outcome, it is incumbent upon writers to put things in perspective. Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson spent the majority of his NFL career as a backup quarterback whose cool demeanor and understanding of the game makes him a hot commodity on the coaching market. He maximized his team’s talent in Philadelphia by lifting the team to win the 2018 Super Bowl. Fans and pundits alike reference the “Philly special” whenever he is within their scope. This Saturday night was no different as commentators Al Michaels and Tony Dungy were taking in the unlikely, yet methodical comeback the Jaguars executed Saturday night.
Pressure creates both “Pederson the player” and “Pederson the coach”
Pederson’s cool demeanor was really put to the test on Wild Card Saturday when his lottery pick quarterback Trevor Lawrence was intercepted four times in the first half alone. Going into the halftime tunnel after an embarrassing and lopsided first half like that, many coaches would have avoided reporters all together. Even if they would have felt compelled to do an interview, they would have given very short answers, alerting the reporter that more questions were not welcome. That’s not Doug Pederson. He is different.
Doug Pederson took the reporters’ questions on the chin, much like he took the entire first half of Saturday’s game. He had the attitude of someone who had come across a few bumps in the road, that were expected, even necessary. He goes on to answer very calmly that his guys just need to “settle down“ and “chip away. There was no panic or second guessing.
Doug Pederson had many stressful times during his tenure as a quarterback in the NFL. He was signed, yet waived two seasons in a row from 1991 to 1993 by another Florida team, the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins signed him in May 1991 as a rookie free agent out of Northeast Louisiana University. However, the team that took a chance on him a few short months earlier released him by August of the same year. Finally, he was signed to the Dolphins’ practice roster and played backup to another backup, Scott Mitchell, the backup originally chosen to relieve Dan Marino.
Thinking he had earned his way onto a roster and would get to play, he was waived from the Miami Dolphins not once, but twice. With just a few games played under his belt, everything suddenly changed with a very serious injury to Marino. There was no choice but to show up and perform: he had to be the replacement for one of the greatest passers in football history. When Dolphins’ starting quarterback Dan Marino tore his achilles in 1993, Doug Pederson got his number called. On a moment’s notice, he had to be prepared for a very unique opportunity. That’s pressure. It also helped mold the man who currently makes the final calls for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Quarterback turned coach brings unique and spontaneous style
It was that kind of pressure that built character and solidified Pederson into the fearless leader that we see lending his presence to the Jaguars sideline. When you back up one of the greatest to ever play the position, your chances to play are very small. In spite of that, Pederson kept showing up; he remained professional.
Yes, he stayed the course but when there is a chance to make an unlikely play happen, even if it’s risky, he takes it. He is known for unique decisions that are charged with an element of risk. That experience helped the Jags Saturday night in the 2023 Wild Card game when they faced a 20 point deficit coming out of halftime.
One quarterback influences another
Those experiences as a player influenced Pederson as a head coach. That cool command is infectious and it’s no surprise to hear Jaguars’ quarterback Lawrence say: “The way our whole season has been…we are never out of the fight. We don’t care what the score says.”
On Pederson, Lawrence went on to say, “He was cool at halftime. He was calm. He just said we need to get it together.” Lawrence knows that Pederson is the same every day. He doesn’t get too high. He doesn’t get too low. Knowing this allowed Lawrence to stay calm and focus on himself. He had to look in the mirror after committing four turnovers in just one half of play: “These guys have sacrificed too much for us to lose because of me. That’s what I kept thinking.”
Though Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson played the same position, Pederson was a huge underdog, who had to make the most out of every single play on the field because he never knew when the man he was relieving, the all time great passer, Dan Marino would come back for his job. He also didn’t know when he might get cut again. His experiences as a player influenced Pederson as a head coach.
If Doug Pederson had been any less calm and collected, he wouldn’t have weathered all the times that the Miami Dolphins cut him. Then on a Saturday night in January, he wouldn’t have been able to be so even-keeled and deliberate in mounting the second half comeback to secure the 31-30 victory. With his unique approach to football, it’s not surprising that the third largest comeback victory in NFL postseason was effected with Doug Pederson at the reins.