The new offense is installed and the arm talent is undeniable, but a troubling trend is haunting the Jacksonville Jaguars' offense, and franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence has seen enough.
After another scrimmage marred by penalties and pre-snap errors, Lawrence sounded the alarm on what he called a "sloppy" training camp, expressing clear frustration with the team's persistent mental mistakes.
"There's always a little bit of that in camp, but the amount we've had has been a little too sloppy for the offense than we want," a dejected Lawrence said Thursday. "Just self-inflicted wounds. Kind of been the story of camp, trying to clean up some of that stuff, pre-snap."
During the team's second scrimmage, the offense committed five penalties and struggled to find a rhythm, with the first-team unit managing just one touchdown drive despite Lawrence completing 17 of 27 passes.
'We Just Got to Be Sharper'
While acknowledging the good competition from the defense, Lawrence took ownership of the offense's shortcomings, emphasizing that their potential means nothing if they can't master the basics before the ball is even snapped.
"If we want to be a great offense, you have to be really smart, not make those mistakes that hurt yourself," Lawrence stated. "The execution has been actually decent once the ball is snapped, but the other stuff before the snap, you don't ever get a chance if you don't do that right."
As the leader of the unit, he put the onus on himself to set a better tempo.
"For me as a quarterback, have to operate a little cleaner. Let's get up to the line faster so guys can communicate and think," he said. "It's all of us in it. We just have to be sharper."
His sentiment echoes that of Head Coach Liam Coen, who has been challenging his players to take ownership of the penalty problem. "Until we kind of don't beat ourselves, then we're not going to probably be able to consistently beat anybody," Coen said earlier this week.
Finding Comfort Amid the Chaos
Despite the operational struggles, there is a silver lining. Lawrence noted that the mechanical changes in his footwork and his command of the new playbook are becoming "second nature."
"It's starting to feel a lot more comfortable and natural. I'm not having to think about it," he said.
But that personal comfort won't translate to wins until the entire unit cleans up its act. As the Jaguars prepare for their second preseason game against the Saints, the mission is clear: the self-inflicted wounds have to stop, and it has to start now.