The Jacksonville Jaguars need a major cultural rebuild after the franchise’s tumultuous stint under former head coach Urban Meyer and only winning four games over the last two seasons. General manager Trent Baalke and owner Shad Khan’s decision to hire head coach Doug Pederson and signing guard Brandon Scherff were good starts.
Scherff met with the media last week and discussed how he can help the struggling organization. During his seven seasons in the NFL, he has developed a reputation of being a locker room leader while also becoming a five-time Pro Bowler.
“I just try to do everything the right way, just try to be that leader on and off the field for anybody,” he said about why he’s described as a cultural leader. “If we have young guys, I try to lead by example and show them the right way to do things. And just go about my business and do everything at 100 percent.”
He added that Pederson, offensive line coach Phil Rauscher, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence played a significant factor in his decision to sign with the Jaguars. Scherff said he reached out to several players he knew that had experience of playing under Pederson and heard nothing but great things.
Scherff believes he can help Jacksonville’s offensive line unit that gave up 32 sacks last season and struggled to develop push in the run game by leading by example.
“I would say just continue to do what I’m doing and just, like you said, just focus on taking care of myself first,” Scherff said. “If I’m not doing the right thing, then I can’t help them. So, just doing the right thing and trying to be that leader for them. If they have questions, I’m going to try to help them out as much as I can.”
Scherff, who is also a one-time All Pro is a much-needed addition who should help the franchise on and off the field. And while it will be hard to top the leadership that Calais Campbell once brought to the mix, his presence could have a similar effect on the young group around him.
