Jaguars notes & quotes ahead of Week 1: Doug Pederson, Travon Walker, Trevor Lawrence

Doug Pederson paused to think about a question during his press conference. It wasn't a break for dramatic effect.

He wanted to give himself a second to circulate through nearly a year of memory files and provide his honest opinion.

As he stood in front of a glossy black podium with the Jaguars' logo etched onto the platform, he looked comfortable.

His eyes peered from the shadow of his visor as he started speaking. Months ago, in the same room, he spoke about a team that needed healing. On Wednesday, he credited the players for their part in the process.

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“I look at this team and how well they’ve come together as a group over the course of the summer and training camp now,” Pederson said. “It’s a close group, and that’s rare, especially with a new staff and coach, and sometimes it takes a little more time than expected, but this group came together rather quickly. There’s great leadership on this team within the locker room, and that’s what the players lean on.”

On Monday, Pederson was referenced by captains Brandon Scherff and Foye Oluokun as being a “players’ coach” and they credited him for understanding their needs as a team.

He gave veterans an early jump on summer break by making the last week of OTA’s non-mandatory for most players. He has been seen dancing during warmups of practices and rarely passes up the opportunity to get jokes off during press conferences.

When asked about seeming to have fun going into the first week of the season, Pederson cited his time off from coaching last season, prior to getting the Jaguars job. He said he had time to think about his next opportunity during that period and how he wanted it to look.

And now, he’s firmly at the head of a team that feels a lot different than last year.

“Ultimately, I get to set the tone for the day, for the week, for the month, for the year, and I want these guys to have fun,” he said near the endo of his Wednesday availability. “This is a short-lived business for players and coaches, and if we don’t enjoy coming to work every day, having fun doing what we’re doing, then we need to honestly go do something else.

“I want to create that environment for these guys. Still hold them accountable and make sure they’re still doing their job and all that, but at the same time, let’s have fun doing it.”

Walker Ready for First Game

The "Dawg" is going to have his day soon. No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker will have his first full game action against the Commanders since winning a national championship with the University of Georgia in January.

After having to hold himself back during practices and getting merely a taste of action during the preseason, Walker will be fully turned loose Sunday.

“I’m just ready to play,” the outside linebacker said after practice Wednesday. “Very excited to show what I’ve been working on the whole offseason. Just ready to get to it.”

The anticipation has been building for months to see Walker in full-speed action for a full game. It might be a situation that would cause anxious feelings for some players, but not Walker.

“No nerves, at the end of the day it’s still football. No matter if you’ll play one quarter, two quarters or three quarters it’s football,” Walker said. He later talked about his thoughts on being the top overall pick and what he says to his teammates.

“They’ll lean on me, of course, that’s why I’m drafted in that position, but them knowing me, I’m not that type of guy. You don’t have to refer to me as a first-round draft pick. I’m just a regular football player, just like everyone else.”

Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell passed his advice to the star rookie. He tried to encourage him to be himself and play in the manner that led to him being a highly touted draft prospect.

“I tell him the same thing all the time; Just be yourself,” Caldwell said Thursday. “Don’t try to live up to anybody’s expectations. Go out there and play the game you’ve played your whole life and play it the way you’ve played it your whole life. You’ll be fine.”

Tricky Trevor questions

On Wednesday, Trevor Lawrence was asked if winning the season opener would validate everything the team had been working toward. He laughed before saying he wouldn’t word the statement that way.

But then he delivered a thoughtful response to the question, peeling back many layers of how the second-year quarterback has grown ahead of his sophomore campaign.

“I wouldn’t phrase it that way, that’s a tricky one there,” he said while chuckling. “But a win, obviously, that’s the plan, that’s the goal. We feel great about our game plan and how we’ve prepared ourselves. But, at the same time, if you lose the first game, you’ve got sixteen more.

“You can still make the playoffs, you still got everything ahead of you. So, we’re going to take it as we go, and honestly, I feel really confident, so there’s no thought of losing, but there’s no thought of ‘if we lose this game, all the work we’ve done is gone’ that’s not how it works either. So, it’s just about having that mindset.”

As with every team that enters the regular season, the goal is to win the first game and stack good performances afterward. But Lawrence’s response shows the maturity of a young quarterback brimming with confidence.

As the losses started piling in 2021, Lawrence was forced to bear the brunt of the load and tasked with answering questions he probably shouldn’t have had to answer for. But the turmoil birthed a quarterback who understands the nuances of the NFL. A player who understands that even in defeats, victory can be obtained.

Injury Report

As of end of Thursday's practice injury report: 

Defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi was limited in Wednesday's and Thursday's practices with a calf injury.

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars Week 1 notebook: Travon Walker, Doug Pederson, Trevor Lawrence