Florida Sports Wires

By Jeff Moeller, Florida Sports Wire JACKSONVILLE (www.jaxsportsnews.com) - When he took over as offensive coordinator last season, Grant Udinski had plenty of pressure on him. Udinski was part of the new regime under GM James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen. He had the challenge to take the team to the next level after predecessor Press Taylor failed in his attempt the previous three seasons. But this was a new beginning for Udinski. He previously had served  as assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach  for Minnesota during the  previous three seasons, and was an assistant coach for four previous seasons.  There were plenty of questions surrounding the 29-year-old on whether he was ready for the job.  He certainly had the deck stacked against him.   Udinski inherited an offense that was derailed due to Trevor Lawrence’s early season-ending injury, and the Jags never got on track with a 4-13 overall slate. Prior to that seaso...

  Are the Jaguars ready to play their best football in the next three weeks? Most of the indications are trending upward playing in Denver late Sunday afternoon. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is coming off one of his best performances in his five -year career with a five-touchdown outburst against the Jets, gaining AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Lawrence has been laser-focused over the last three weeks, throwing nine touchdowns without an interception and a quarterback rating over 111 in each of them. He also has run f0r 92 yards, 51 of them last week.  More importantly, Lawrence appears in sympatico with offensive-minded head coach Liam Coen, an aspect that Lawrence couldn’t connect with the previous regime.  Along with Lawrence’s passing game, Coen has jumped started the running game behind Travis Etienne, who should break the 1,000-yard season mark Sunday.  Watching him this season, it’s easy to see the different wrinkles in the offense, and how Lawrence h...

  For the Jaguars, this could be a tale of two seasons. The Jags (5-4), though, surely would want it to be a year of three or four seasons. After they lost a 19-point lead - their largest advantage in club history when they lost a game - last Sunday in Houston, they suddenly looked like a shadow of themselves from their opening enthralling chapter of a 4-1 start. Their loss in Houston could be pinned on their defense, and the offense also to share some of the blame. The Jags’ offensive line didn’t have any answers to stop Houston defensive end Danielle Hunter, whose 3.5 sacks couldn’t have been more perfectly timed to stall their offense. The miraculous 31-28 last-minute, Monday night victory over the Chiefs at EverBank seems like a long time ago. Was it all smoke and mirrors? A true fluke? That victory marked the end of the Jags. 4-1 start when they were considered one of the prime-time contenders for the AFC South title as well as the league championship.  Their offense was...