Why Mike Tannenbaum, Joe Banner Think the Jaguars Are in Good Hands With Doug Pederson

In his first year as Jaguars head coach, Doug Pederson has completely flipped the script for this young team.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Doug Pederson earlier this year, they were a team desperately in need of direction and stability. Pederson has provided that tenfold.

Though their 5-8 record may not be indicative of major success, this young Jaguars squad is coming off the Urban Meyer dumpster fire and still have a slim shot at making the playoffs due to their statement win over the Tennessee Titans in Nashville last week.

Former New York Jets general manager and current 'The 33rd Team' contributor Mike Tannenbaum noted that the content of Doug Pederson’s character in addition to his success in the last few weeks make him the ideal coach to lead the Jaguars rebuild.

“He’s a really good coach and a better human being,” Tannenbaum said this week. “Kind, and generous with his time, and somebody that is incredibly easy to root for. I think this team is headed in the right direction. I don’t think it’s perfect by any stretch, but clearly, the quarterback the last couple of weeks is playing with a lot more confidence and I think that comes from Doug.”

Former NFL executive and fellow 'The 33rd Team' member Joe Banner spent a great deal of time with Pederson dating back to their days in Philidelphia, where Banner served as the Eagles President from 2001-2012. Banner made clear that when Pederson was first hired in Jacksonville, it would take time for him to lay down a foundation for which he was going to run this team. Immediate win totals were not expected.

“A tremendous coaching background, as well as one of the better coaches of the last few decades,” Banner said. “I’m also not really surprised that it didn’t really take off in the first second. He very much believes in the likes of Andy Reid brought to things which was really, you know, just laying bricks on top to build a really strong foundation, lay bricks on top of each other. 

"You know, what you’re really shooting for is to be great in year two and three as opposed to when, say seven games versus six and you’ve won. These are all, you know, very well-thought-out principles that he’s used. If you look at the teams recently that turned around, you know, the Bills for example teams like that, that really came into situations like that for a very long time, then fixed them," Banner said. 

"They’ve done the things that the Jaguars are doing. Jaguars were a little more aggressive in free agency in the first year than most teams, but just laying the foundation, not having a sense of urgency that the world ends in the first year, but the foundation you are building will last a long time. Between the way Lawrence is playing and how well I know Doug and what kind of coach he is, and by the way, I think he put together a great staff. I think people should be having elevating expectations there and I think they’ll end up being proven right.”

All eyes will be on Pederson and these young and hungry Jaguars as they look to keep their playoff aspirations alive against the 10-3 Dallas Cowboys. Win or loss, Pederson has these Jaguars playing meaningful games in December and has drastically improved the outlook of the team in his first year in Duval County. For the first time in what feels like a lifetime, the Jaguars have stability and direction.