It’s Week 1 of the regular season–so, of course, this game matters for the Jacksonville Jaguars. But the significance of this game against Carolina goes beyond the wins and losses columns.
This is the first game for the Jaguars since Liam Coen and James Gladstone took over as head coach and GM.
While an opening weekend win or loss won’t dictate either way what the future holds for the Jaguars, getting early buy-in from the players is an important part of establishing a strong foundation for this new-look Jacksonville team.
The process of forging that buy-in has been taking place all offseason with the new schemes being implemented, a new culture being set, along with casting a clear vision for who the Jaguars will be moving forward and how they’ll get there.
However, at the end of the day, what really creates buy-in is winning football games.
“When they’re showing improvement and you do execute in all three phases, it helps create more buy-in for what you’re trying to do,” Coen said on Monday via Jaguars.com. “Now they’re listening, and you have their attention. I wouldn’t say the season’s lost if we don’t have as much success that we would like to have, but you definitely want to see that jump we’re talking about in terms of the physicality, the toughness, the nature that we want to play the game.
“That’s really what I’m looking for, and to see how we respond to adversity. Something’s going to happen in the game that doesn’t go our way. I want to see how we respond to that, and that will help me as we move throughout the season seeing how we do that, and that helps guys come together as well as a team.”
When everything that’s been said and all of the teaching of the new schemes and techniques results in a win, naturally, there is going to be a greater willingness from everyone involved to continue down that path.
Now, again, a loss isn’t doom or gloom–it’s just one game in what is a long NFL season. But with that said, getting things off on the right foot with a win always feels good. And with each win that the Jaguars can stack, especially early on, that buy-in will grow, and that element is key when it comes to long-term success.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Importance of Week 1 for Jaguars goes beyond wins and losses
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
