Steve Spurrier details how Trevor Lawrence could have avoided hit from Azeez Al-Shaair

Steve Spurrier revealed how Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence could have avoided the brutal hit he took from Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. On the Another Dooley Noted Podcast, the former Florida Gators and South Carolina Gamecocks head coach told host Pat Dooley that Lawrence should have dove during the run instead of sliding feet-first.

“Obviously the guy (Al-Shaair) gave him a cheap shot. Have you ever seen our quarterbacks running and slide on their butt like that when I was coaching?” Steve Spurrier asked Dooley. “I said ‘Fellas, that guy might be an idiot and hit you right upside the head,’ which this guy did.

“…If you slide on your rear end when your butt hits the turf, that’s where they spot it, and the ball is back here, you lose about three yards. If you hold the ball under your chin two hands and just dive forward, make sure you got it, dive in between two tacklers, they will hit their head on the ground on you and you get about three extra yards and you don’t get knocked straight on like Trevor Lawrence did.”

Lawrence suffered a concussion after the hit and was carted off the field. He returned to action on Sunday after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury. With the combination of the injuries and the Jaguars virtually out of playoff contention, Lawrence might be done for the rest of the season.

Will Trevor Lawrence miss the rest of the 2024 season?

“They’re 2-10,” ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday. “He’s been dealing with a left shoulder injury. He’s now got the concussion. I would say, frankly, in my opinion, I’d be surprised if we see Trevor Lawrence play again this season. Like, why are we putting him out there? To me, it’s time to rest him up and start getting him ready for 2025. He was dealing with a shoulder injury that he was playing through that was hard enough to be out there now you get this massive blow to his head where he has to be carted off. 

“Why are we going to put him back out there at 2-10? Like, what are we doing? Yeah, he’s extraordinarily tough, and he plays through everything but somebody needs to tell him in his best interest: ‘You shouldn’t be playing again this season.’”

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this story.