Doug Pederson leaned heavily on Jaguars veterans to sell his philosophy to rest of the team

The season is early but the message Doug Pederson has been trying to deliver to the Jaguars has resonated.

That’s been especially evident among the 17 players — nearly a third of the active roster entering Sunday’s game at Philadelphia (1 p.m., CBS) — who have been under Pederson, Urban Meyer last season and his interim replacement for four games, Darrell Bevell, and all or part of Doug Marrone’s tenure from 2017-20.

And in the case of offensive guard/center Tyler Shatley, the most senior player in terms of service with the Jags, it’s been five coaches, since he goes back to 2014 when Gus Bradley was in his second season.

More Jaguars-Eagles coverage

• Gene Frenette: Pedersons have fond memories of Philly, but Jacksonville now is their town

• Another test: Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will face a savvy, sack-hungry Philadelphia front

• Dominant front: Doug Pederson has two words for why Jaguars playmakers have been so good: 'Offensive line'

Shatley has seen them come and go before Pederson, all optimistic when they arrived, but all of them fired. The Jaguars were 36-93 from 2014, Shatley’s rookie season, to last year when Meyer was fired after going 2-11, and Bevell going 1-3.

Shatley said the biggest difference is that Pederson is offering hope with a large dose of authenticity.

“He’s brought a great energy here and his excitement is genuine,” Shatley said. “Not that other coaches weren’t. But Doug makes you want to jump on board.”

Safety Andrew Wingard, in his fourth season, said Pederson seems to be offering professionalism heavily laced with consistency. He said Pederson, steeped in the NFL way of doing things after 14 seasons as a player and 13 as a coach, stressed a culture of hard work and routine from the first day he met with the team before OTAs.

“He was all about habits,” Wingard said. “The first thing he said at the first team meeting before OTAs was that we all have to change our habits, do this, day in and day out. And I was like, ‘okay.’

Outside linebacker Josh Allen said Pederson, while clearly the boss, doesn’t talk down to his players. He also said Pederson was acutely aware of the mental stress the players had been through, especially the 1-15 COVID season in 2020 and the Meyer fiasco.

Allen also echoed a common refrain heard about the Jags locker room, that Pederson treats them as pros and as men.

“He really talked to us, materially,” Allen said. “He understood where we were all at. We knew we had to change the culture. The guys had to be mature enough to listen and adapt. But we bought in — earlier than expected.”

Pederson credits veterans

The Jaguars' 2-1 record, their best start since 2018, and the dominant fashion in which they won their last two games is perhaps the best evidence of that.

Pederson said what made the healing process easier is that players such as Shatley, Wingard, Allen, punter Logan Cooke, tackles Cam Robinson and Jawaan Tayler and defensive linemen Dawuwane Smoot and Adam Gotsis were among the quickest to buy what he was selling, which set the tone for the rest of the team.

“They were the ones that I leaned on to really kind of get a sense and a feel of where they were at mentally coming off of the last couple seasons,” Pederson said. “I just wanted to reassure them that we were going to work hard and get things turned around, and they bought into that. I think you’re starting to see the fruits of their labor by the way they practice and the way they’re playing.”

Players freely admit that they had more of an open mind because of Pederson’s previous success in winning a Super Bowl with Philadelphia in 2017 and because he was a quarterback in the league, for six teams.

“That was one of the main reasons,” Allen said. “He did it [won a Super Bowl] … pulled through a tough season after his quarterback [Carson Wentz] was hurt.”

“Doug knows what he’s talking about,” Wingard said. “He’s won a Super Bowl and he’s played in the league. You have a guy who has been in your shoes and that really carries over and he does a really good job balancing how he talks to us as a coach and as a former player. He relates to us so well.”

Perspective as ex-player valued

Shatley said there’s nothing as a player that Pederson hasn’t experienced: winning, losing, injuries, bench time, relegated to practice squads, which gives him a perspective that his current players respect.

“He’s been there … he knows what it takes,” Shatley said. “He’s seen it from both sides.”

Allen pointed to another key aspect of how quickly Pederson has won the locker room.

He hasn’t tried to do it on his own and he has a mix of veteran and young coaches with one thing in common: they all have NFL experience. Forty percent of Meyer’s staff last season, including the head coach, had never coached in the NFL.

“He has a great support staff,” Allen said of Pederson. “It’s not only him but all of the coaches who have made it a lot better for us.”

Three games do not make a season. The Jags have 14 more and as an illustration of how quickly fortunes can turn, the Eagles (3-0) last won their first three games under Pederson in 2016. They lost four of their next five and went 4-9 over the balance of the season for a 7-9 record.

But there’s as much optimism in the locker room as there has been since the last playoff season in 2017.

“You can’t put a price tag on his experience,” Wingard said. “When you’ve gotten all the way, you can do it again.”

Survive and thrive 

The 17 Jaguars players who have three years or more experience with the team, which means they have played for current coach Doug Pederson, his two predecessors, Urban Meyer and Doug Marrone, and the interim coach who replaced Meyer, Darrell Bevell 

Josh Allen: Starting at outside linebacker and has two sacks, seven QB pressures and two forced fumbles. 

Ben Bartch: Starting at left guard, won the job in training camp. 

K’Lavon Chaisson: Backup outside linebacker. 

Chris Claybrooks: Backup cornerback. 

Logan Cooke: The team’s punter for the last five seasons, is the NFL’s all-time net punting leader (at least 250 attempts) at 43.1 yards per attempt. 

Adam Gotsis: Backup defensive end, had a sack and three quarterback hits against the Colts.  

DaVon Hamilton: Starting nose tackle. 

Tre Herndon: Backup corner and slot corner, had six tackles and a pass break-up against the Chargers. 

Ross Matiscik: Has been the starting long snapper for three years and has delivered a near-flawless performance. 

Shaq Quarterman: Backup inside linebacker and has two special-teams tackles. 

Cam Robinson: Starting left tackle, signed a three-year contract extension before training camp. 

James Robinson: Has recovered from Achilles tendon injury to lead the team in rushing with 230 yards. Is tied for first in the NFL with four runs of 20 or more yards. 

Tyler Shatley: Swing offensive lineman, at guard or center. Has played more years with the Jags than any other player, in his ninth season. 

Dawuane Smoot: Is having another solid season at defensive end and had a sack and forced fumble against the Chargers. 

Jawaan Taylor: Has missed only five snaps at right offensive tackle in four seasons and hasn’t allowed a sack or pressure, and hasn’t committed a penalty in the first three games. 

Daniel Thomas: Backup safety. 

Andrew Wingard: Backup safety and is second on the team with three special-teams tackles. 

Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars coach Doug Pederson relied on veterans to help sell his vision