SPORTS

Patience, Jaguars fan! Lawrence-Meyer start similar to that of Aikman-Johnson

Tim Walters
Florida Times-Union

Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence aren’t used to losing.

Meyer amassed a 187-32 record as a college football head coach, never losing more than five games in a season. He won three national titles.

Lawrence won two high school state titles, and in his first year at Clemson, led the Tigers to a 14-0 season and a national title.

In his next two years, he’d lose just three total games. His sophomore season’s only loss was to LSU in the national title game. He was this year’s No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick.

So, to go 0-5 through their first five NFL games together must be jarring for the duo.

But all isn’t as bad as it seems.

While Meyer has been mired in a recent scandal, Lawrence has shown improvement on the field.

Rookie progress:There are 10 rookie NFL quarterbacks in 2021. Here's who played and how they did in Week 5

Losing streak:Postgame review: Titans' Derrick Henry scores 3 TD, Jaguars' losing skid stretches to 20

Lesson learned:Jaguars move closer toward tying 1976-77 Buccaneers' 26-game losing streak

Sep 19, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer (left) alongside quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) against the Denver Broncos at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

If you just look purely at rookie coach and rookie quarterback, you can harken back to 1989 and find another high-profile college football coach who joined a rookie quarterback only to go 1-15.

That duo was Jimmy Johnson and Troy Aikman.

Johnson won the 1987 college football national championship as head coach at Miami. He had a college coaching record of 81-34-3.

Aikman had a solid career with the Oklahoma Sooners and UCLA Bruins, winning the 1988 Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback. He was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1989 Draft.

Sure, Johnson and Aikman started 1-15. They also went 7-9 in Year 2. After that, they won back-to-back Super Bowls together. Aikman would win one more Super Bowl two years later, with Barry Switzer as Cowboys head coach.

FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 30, 1994,  file photo, Dallas Cowboys' head coach Jimmy Johnson hugs quarterback Troy Aikman in their locker room after defeating the Buffalo Bills 30-13 in Super Bowl XXVIII at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. "Jimmy was a Hall of Fame personnel guy," Aikman said. "One of his greatest strengths was his ability to evaluate talent and maneuver draft picks -- all those things set him up to be a Hall of Fame coach."(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

In other words, fans need to be patient with Meyer and Lawrence.

In his first season, Aikman started 11 games, going 0-11. Steve Walsh quarterbacked their only win, 13-3 against the Redskins in Week 9.

Like Lawrence, Aikman started the first game of his rookie season. He went 17-for-35 for 180 yards and 2 INTs in a 28-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints. He threw his first TD in Week 2, to Michael Irvin, but had two more INTs. Aikman finished the year with 9 TDS and 18 INTs.

By contrast, Lawrence lost his first game to the Houston Texans, throwing for 332 yards with 3 TDs and 3 INTs.

Another comparison could be made between Lawrence and Peyton Manning.

Peyton Manning meets the Indianapolis media at the Colts headquarters as first-year head coach Jim Mora looks on on Saturday. The Colts took the quarterback from Tennessee with the No.1 pick in Saturday\'s NFL draft. AP photo

Manning was the No. 1 overall pick in 1998 and started his entire rookie season for the Indianapolis Colts, going 3-13. He finished the season with 26 TDs and 28 INTs. The following year, Manning led the Colts to a 13-3 record and the playoffs. He went on to win a Super Bowl title with the Colts, and a second with the Broncos toward the end of his career.

The last quarterback to be taken as the No. 1 overall pick and win a Super Bowl was Peyton’s brother, Eli Manning. Eli was the No. 1 overall pick for the N.Y. Giants in 2004. Eli was 1-6 in his rookie year but went on to win two Super Bowls.

It’s also worth noting John Elway, the No. 1 overall pick in 1983, was 4-6 as a starter in his rookie year.

All told, six quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall won Super Bowls as their team’s primary starter. Those were: Eli Manning (2), Peyton Manning (2), Troy Aikman (3), John Elway (2), Terry Bradshaw (3) and Jim Plunkett (1).

Lawrence is still learning the NFL game, but he’s also had a 300-yard passing game and one game with no interceptions.

The Jaguars need to build a better defense and give him more protection, but it’s too early to judge what he is or isn’t.

As history shows, even the best of quarterbacks didn’t start their careers on a Hall of Fame trajectory.

Fans of the Jaguars need to show patience. Good things could be yet to come.