Why Former Falcons' HC Mike Smith Is Impressed With Trevor Lawrence’s Development

The former Atlanta Falcons Head Coach joins the list of former coaches and executives to praise the young quarterback phenom.

Trevor Lawrence in his second season has been nothing short of remarkable. His decision-making and poise in the pocket combined with his ability to make plays when the pocket collapses have propelled the Jaguars atop the AFC South. With this progress all coming a year after the Urban Meyer chaos, many have been quick to praise the young quarterback, including former head coach Mike Smith.

Speaking to The BallFather Podcast presented by Sportskeeda, Smith marveled at the transformation of Lawrence’s play.

“Trevor Lawrence, second-year quarterback, he is really starting to play like the first pick in the draft,” Smith said. “It’s just amazing what he’s done. The maturity that you’ve seen in the last four or five games has been off the charts. He’s playing like a seasoned veteran, I think he’s only thrown one interception, and seven touchdowns in the month of November. Right, your quarterback is taking care of the ball, you’re gonna have a chance to win every week, and he’s doing a great job of that.”

A massive contributing factor to a quarterback's early success is the culture and foundation by which your organization is structured. With Urban Meyer, it was like a never-ending reality TV show, but Smith made clear that current Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson deserves significant credit for how Lawrence and the Jaguars have improved in a very short period of time.

“Let’s give props to coach Doug Pederson because he’s changed the culture there very, very quickly,” Smith said. “Pederson will be in the running for Coach of the Year there’s no doubt about it. Even though they’ve had a (multiple) game-losing streak. He’ll get some votes because that place was a dumpster fire when he took over.”

Looking to clinch their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 with a promising young quarterback and a competent coaching staff, the Jacksonville Jaguars are light years above where they were a season ago. The future is shining bright in Duval County.