Lawrence and the Jags have finally got everything covered
We can’t give credit to the scattered and covered hash browns, because Trevor Lawrence didn’t place his order until he was done with one of the greatest comebacks in NFL playoff history.
A late-night visit to Waffle House following an unlikely win is a stark metaphor for just how far the Jacksonville Jaguars are from the Urban Chop House.
Although the menu isn’t as extravagant, it is certainly more comforting.
Yes, that’s right. The team that made a strong case not so long ago for the election. worst franchise in all of professional sports is now prepping for Saturday’s AFC divisional playoff game against the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.
And if the Jaguars somehow pull off another upset — the Chiefs are a hefty 8 1/2-point favorite — they might want to start checking on possible dinner spots in Arizona, site of this year’s Super Bowl.
(Not to worry, Trevor, we’ve counted up 10 Waffle Houses around the Phoenix area.)
Lawrence, the young quarterback, is the one with the Fabio hairstyle and all the romance novels Lothario swagger. one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NFL history — especially when you consider where this franchise was roughly 13 months ago.
Urban Meyer’s laughably pathetic tenure as “head coach” (cue the air quotes) finally came to an end With a record of 2-11 and enough egregious behavior to make Elon Musk blush,
Meyer’s missteps in a brief-but-not-nearly-brief-enough reign are too numerous to document, but he’ll forever be remembered for ditching his team to stay behind in Ohio after a loss — supposedly to spend time with family heading into an off week, only to turn up on social media snuggling with a woman who was not his wife at the bar next door to his Urban Chop House restaurant.
It was difficult to imagine the Jaguars changing their course after reaching the bottom of their long-bumbling existence.
Here they are, ready for another playoff match a week later rallying from 27 points down against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I will say that being 27 down, you’re scratching your head going, ‘OK, can we do this?’” coach Doug Pederson conceded. “There was a lot of belief at halftime that we could. It was felt by the guys and it just demonstrated to me how close this group, how close it is. No matter what adversity or challenges that face us, we’re willing to take them on, to tackle them and overcome them.”
That comeback against the Chargers, which produced a field goal on the final play of the game for a 31-30 victory, is just the tip of what’s becoming The Jacksonville Miracle.
A team that had been to the playoffs just three times in the last millennium was hit with a losing streak of five games that ended all of October and left them with a 4-8 record at December’s beginning.
The Jaguars (10-8) haven’t lost since.
Yes, it was in South AFC, but that didn’t make it any less important. the favored Tennessee Titans totally collapsed No other team has posted a winning record.
But let’s not diminish what the Jaguars have done, and especially the Coach of the Year job by Pederson.
Philadelphia Super Bowl Champion, he took the Meyer mess apart and showed his team how to win.
Beyond the Xs, Pederson has shown how much he cares for his players by treating them respectfully. This is a huge improvement on Meyer’s treatment of them as children.
There is no resistance to Pederson asking his players more information than they actually know.
Most important, the Jaguars — after the lost years of quarterbacks such as David Garrard and Blaine Gabbert and Blake Bortles and Nick Foles and Gardner Minshew — finally have the signal-caller who can lead them to the promised land.
Lawrence, who was the top pick in 2021’s draft, did not falter after throwing four interceptions at the Chargers. Lawrence then bounced back to throw four TD passes, as if it was just flipping a switch.
“I think quarterbacks, coaches, we’re measured on championships,” Pederson said. “Trevor is 1-0 in the postseason. That’s a start. Not where he, obviously, or myself, where we need to be or want to be, but it’s a start in the right direction, much like this season has been for us.”
Lawrence knows how to take a group of people to Waffle House. In the excitement following their win over Chargers, Lawrence introduced many of his teammates to the legendary diner.
Even though he threw another pick while ordering — he asked for cheese on his hash browns, when every Waffle House aficionado knows that’s not how it’s done — he rallied at the end with a pecan waffle.
“Is it smothered?” Lawrence asked, when someone posed if he knew the official Waffle House term for hash browns with cheese. “I just say cheese. I probably should say …”
Trevor, we’re gonna stop you right there. The correct term for cheese is “covered.” If you ask for smothered, you’ll get hash browns sautéed with onions, though that’s not a bad audible.
In the midst of all the food, it seems appropriate to issue a warning.
Five seasons ago, the Jaguars had a shaky run to the AFC championship and were just one stop away from Tom Brady and New England Patriots. They did not advance to their first Super Bowl.
It tastes different.
It seems that the Jaguars finally have everything covered.
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Paul Newberry is The Associated Press’ national sports columnist. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963
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