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Coach speak: Broncos 23, Jaguars 13

JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser examines Head Coach Urban Meyer's postgame press conference following the Jaguars' 23-13 loss to the Denver Broncos in a 2021 Week 2 game at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville Sunday …

1.Keep it tight. Meyer, one of the most successful coaches in college football history, was asked after a second consecutive loss to start the season about being 0-2 for the first time in his head-coaching career. Meyer emphasized the importance of loyalty in an adverse situation. "I've seen nonsense seep into organizations when you're 2-0," he said. "I guess I haven't seen it when you're 0-2, but I've seen it when you lose a game. We can't allow that – and the good thing is I don't see that happening. I told the players and staff: 'That's the one thing that will not be tolerated with the Jags, is nonsense.' I see zero point zero of it. It's a bunch of good players, good guys and coaches working their tails off."

2.Balance needed. A major post-game topic Sunday was the Jaguars' offense, which produced 83 yards on a game-opening drive that ended with a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trevor Lawrence to wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr.  – but that managed just 106 yards after that. The Jaguars threw 33 times and ran 16, having thrown 51 passes with 16 rushes in a Week 1 loss at Houston. "We had a couple of dropped passes in some key situations that would have kept the chains moving," Meyer said. "We'd also like to have a little more balance; it seems like we're dropping back a little too much. The easy answer is make more plays, get guys in position to make more plays. That's an easy answer. It's hard to execute, obviously." As was the case against Houston, game situations hurt the Jaguars' ability to run Sunday, with Meyer saying long-yardage situations and a double-digit deficit caused the Jaguars to pass more than was ideal. "I felt at times we were running the ball decent," he said. "When the score's tight, you can be very balanced. You start getting behind a little bit and you have to start scoring points."

3.On Lambo. Meyer following Sunday's loss addressed Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo, who missed field-goal attempts Sunday from 52 and 48 yards after missing from 55 yards against Houston. Lambo, who entered the season having made 76 of 80 field goals in four previous seasons with the Jaguars, is zero for three this season. "[There's] concern, but the one thing I admire about him – first of all he's had a decent career – is that he works his tail off," Meyer said. "If he didn't work hard, if he wasn't a professional about everything he does … yeah, I'd have a problem with him. He misses some kicks … he's a professional and he's going to make those kicks. I have confident he will. I know he'll be out there working again. I don't know what the plan is as far as bringing someone else in."

4.Tidying up. One area the Jaguars improved from Week 1 to Week 2: penalties. The Jaguars were penalized 10 times for 82 yards against Houston, with seven penalties for 53 yards in the first half – a half in which the Jaguars were called four times for holding and three times for illegal formation. The Jaguars also used two timeouts in offense early in the first half against Houston. The Jaguars against the Broncos were penalized seven times for 70 yards, including just two in the first half. "It was a cleaner game," Meyer said, "but it better have been a cleaner game. We worked real hard at that."

5.On Lawrence. Lawrence struggled much of Sunday, completing 14 of 33 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions – including nine of 26 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions after the game-opening drive. "I see a very good leader," Meyer said. "I see obviously an exceptional talent and a guy that the game is hopefully going to start slowing down more and more as he gets more reps." Meyer also was asked about the process of he and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell learning Lawrence's game and vice-versa. "It's him learning how to play the style of offense we're playing," Meyer said. "I know for his career that's going to be the best thing to do. When I made that decision to hire Bevell and Brian Schottenheimer, a lot went into that decision. To run a spread offense, I don't know … I think he needs to become a professional quarterback. That also includes some spread elements in it, which we do. It's going to be a combination of both. I know that's the right thing for him and his career and his future."

6.Thanks, fans. Meyer made a point early in his availability to acknowledge Jaguars fans, saying: "I appreciate them being here. We have a saying around here, 'We're going to own it.' I speak on behalf of our players that it (the fan support) was good.' From myself, my staff and the players, 'Thanks for being there. Don't give up on us. Hang in there with us. We're going to get better. The one thing Jacksonville and 904 [needs to know] is there's not going to be any group work harder to get this thing flipped.'''

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