By Anthony Licciardi
Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
Consider Trevor Lawrence punched.
For some, playing in a big city after a small school creates a nasty bout of culture shock. Lawrence dealt with a different strain of the same disease. He had to learn how to lose.
Never before had the prodigal son dealt with such weaponized incompetency at every turn. From Urban Meyer’s clown show of an administration to heinous ownership and a roster worse than The Citadel, Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars lost…a lot.
Despite a season uglier than their old uniforms, Jacksonville is not without hope. Lawrence showed flashes of greatness amidst his struggles; enough to extrapolate more success with a real surrounding cast. They attempted to build on that premise this offseason, bringing in Christian Kirk, Brandon Scherff, and Evan Engram.
Giving Lawrence enough talent to cultivate development is crucial. Perhaps the most important piece isn’t a 2022 acquisition, but a 2021 draft selection. Travis Etienne Jr.’s role in Lawrence’s growth could make him the Jaguar’s offensive X-Factor.
Etienne’s importance may transcend his position.
Etienne, Lawrence’s running back and running mate at Clemson, poetically found himself on the same roster after the 2021 draft. Not-so-poetically, he missed all of his rookie season after suffering a Lisfranc injury.
Channeling the success they had at Clemson will be important for short-term scoring and long-term development. Etienne offers elite acceleration and long speed, making him a big play threat from anywhere on the field.
When the going gets rough downfield, and it will, the ability to check down to an elite playmaker offers an enticing security blanket. Perhaps the ability to gash defenses on the ground will give Lawrence room to breathe, too.
Etienne saw some pre-draft concerns as a receiver but made improvements during his final collegiate season. With James Robinson recovering from an Achilles injury, the runway could be open for Etienne to take control of the rushing and receiving snaps out of the backfield.
FanDuel is currently offering -112 odds on Lawrence surpassing 3,800.5 passing yards. That means with an $100 wager, you could win yourself $89.29. Lawrence posted 3,641 yards in a near-worst-case scenario of a rookie campaign. With the offense’s improvements, a new coaching staff, and Etienne back in the fold, we could be in line for a level of quarterback play Jacksonville has literally never seen before.