Coming off the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 24-20 loss to the Houston Texans this past Sunday, head coach Doug Pederson discussed the state of Jacksonville’s locker room amid the club’s 0-4 start to the season.
While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Pederson was directly asked if he had lost his locker room one month into the campaign.
“I would know,” Pederson responded, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “I talk to those guys every day. I see them every day. And no, I have not lost the locker room. I think these guys have done everything I’ve asked. They continue to play and practice hard and battle. And it’s a good group — the right leaders in there. They know — they know what we need to do. They’re not making excuses for it. I’m not making excuses. We’ve just got to go do it.”
Pederson’s players may have to prove they can “go do it” when the Jaguars host the 2-2 Indianapolis Colts this coming Sunday to save his job for at least a week. Jacksonville has dropped nine of its past 10 games going back to last season, and rumblings continue to suggest team owner Shad Khan could fire Pederson at any point if the club doesn’t soon right the ship.
The Jaguars were recently named a “sneaky” potential landing spot for former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. NFL reporter Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports pointed out on Tuesday that “it’s hard to imagine Belichick joining any team midseason,” but moving on from Pederson now could allow Khan to actively recruit the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach while an interim coach finishes Jacksonville’s campaign.
Pederson said on Wednesday that he and his staff must find a way to “get the most out of” the roster beginning with the Indianapolis matchup.
“We need our elite players to play elite,” Pederson continued. “And that’s it. Sometimes, that’s what it comes down to. Are they going to be elite every week? Probably not. That means the good players have to step up and play, too. But if we get enough of that and get enough guys playing that way, we’ll be better off.”
How those “elite” and “good” players respond to Pederson’s challenge could determine if he’s employed at this time next week.
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