07 August 2023 , 21:37
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Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has passionately defended his decision to play his No. 1 quarterback Trevor Lawrence in their pre-season opener against the Dallas Cowboys this week.
Usually, NFL coaches opt to leave out their star quarterback, with the risk of injury not worth it for most ahead the start of the campaign. Pederson, however, has a different approach, and has made the decision that Lawrence will take to the field in preparation for the season.
The pre-season matches give coaches the perfect opportunity to bring in some of their younger, fringe talent, gearing them up for real-game situations that could well come their way later down the line.
When the Jaguars make the trip to Dallas on Saturday though, Pederson is changing things up by also including some of his star men - including Lawerence. Speaking to NFL Network, he said: "I’m a big believer in the starters playing.
"I really feel like they need to feel that energy that comes with starting a football game," the 55-year-old went on following practice. "I did it last year with the guys and I anticipate right now him getting maybe a series or two this weekend.”
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And it seems the decision has been backed up by Lawerence himself, who appears to have no concerns over picking up a pre-season injury. The quarterback believes it is 'valuable' to get some minutes in the tank before the NFL kicks off in September.
Doug Pederson has defended his selection (Getty Images)"Yeah, I mean that's something that we're going to talk about, it's kind of whatever coach wants to do," he commented. "I think it's valuable to get some reps, especially when you've got a few new pieces, get some live game reps where it is full speed, it's full contact, there's something on the line.
"That's valuable. Who knows how much that will be, but whatever it is I'll be ready." Keen to sharpen up on his skills, he went on: ""You just want to be clean, you want to execute, you want your offence to look sharp, you want to make the plays, you want to be smart, and just be clean.
"That's the main objective, obviously to play well too. But that's the same thing whether it's the starters of whoever's in there, to play well and execute our offence."