JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG MARRONE
(Opening statement) “I just wanted to say something first before we obviously get into questions. I spoke to the team today and I just wanted to reiterate, I told them that they need to take a moment and think about our veterans today being Veterans Day today. I’ve always had a great deal of respect for our military and it was awesome to see them well represented obviously throughout the league with the Salute to Service game and I believe that continues on to this week. We talked about these things and how we wouldn’t be able to do what we do if it wasn’t for them, so I just wanted to make sure that I mentioned that in the team meetings. That’s just the way I feel and we’re all appreciative of it.”
(On the plan for K Chase McLaughlin) “Right now, our plan is that we’ll have Logan [Cooke] work with him in all three phases. He’s able to do that and then we’ll see what Chase [McLaughlin] has. I think out of all the positions probably that you have that you can bring in to do something, that’s probably the one position [with the easiest transition]. I’m sure there might be others. I haven’t really put a lot of thought into it. Because Logan handles kickoffs, we’re really just looking at one phase in just the field goal. I’ve not seen him live. I’ve heard a lot of good things about him, so I’m excited to see what he does, and I’ll have a better feel on Saturday. I think that’s exactly when the protocol will open him up to be here.”
(On the carousel of kickers this season) “I don’t know if I would say it’s fitting. I don’t know me being an offensive lineman has anything to do with it. I definitely know that me not being a good person has nothing to do with it, so it’s not like I put this jinx on it, but it’s unfortunate. I think when I look back on it, I don’t see this happening [before]. I don’t know if it’s ever happened to be honest with you, but I’ve seen this before here at certain positions where we’ve dropped guys left and right. I would say though, if it’s going to be one [position], obviously it’s an important position because it scores points and there’s a level of confidence and things that you can do and helps you with the game plan, where you’re going to be, where you’re going to continue to go, you might take chances and go for it in that no man’s land area once you get to the team’s other side, but it’s the one position that you really don’t have to spend time getting him ready from schematic standpoints and everything like that. Like an offensive player, defensive player, you have two extremes. One would be the quarterback, trying to get him ready. One would be probably a safety or a linebacker, trying to get him ready. Then obviously I probably think that getting your kicker because your punter has a little bit more on his plate as far as protections, schemes, and what we’re doing and everything of that nature. So, I don’t know. I think I don’t really have time to look at it, I just kind of react to things right now.”
(On taking a rookie quarterback to Lambeau Field without any fans) “I thought about it last week. I think that’s obviously less pressure when you don’t have fans for a young quarterback, so I agree with that. I’ve been up there once, we played them when I was in New Orleans up in there. I think it’s a great place, they’ve really done a nice job there. It’s all about football. It’s all about the Packers. It’s exciting to see that because of the history. I’m big on the history. I’ve got a bunch of Vince Lombardi stuff in my collections. I think there’s a moment that you go there when you’re driving up, you think about everything that’s occurred up there. Then obviously the professionalism, you just kind of stop and you just go play. But I think that earlier in the year I didn’t know how I was going to react to no fans. I thought you’d be so focused and everything that’s going on with the game that you wouldn’t really notice it, but in pregame, even when you walk into the stadium or you’re going to a stadium, the more thought I put into it, it is quite different than anything else I’ve ever really experienced. [It] doesn’t affect the game though, but [I’m] just trying to give you guys a little insight at how it feels.”
(On QB Jake Luton this week preparing for his second start compared to his first start last week) “No, he didn’t show it [nerves] last week. I think he’s the same. He’s got a business-type approach, doesn’t like a lot of ‘BS’, just wants information. He’s just going to take the information and see where he’s going. Obviously, it’s a day-to-day process and we’re just trying to keep the progression going and see where we can go and see how many steps he can take. I think Gene asked a question last week, it’s funny, the first time you get in there, if you’re decent, you have a pretty good chance to do well. I think the more you’re on film and people see you, they start studying you, then you have to really continue to work. I remember I worked with Rob Moore, Rob was with me at Syracuse and Buffalo, and he’s the receiver coach in Tennessee now with the Titans. I remember him telling me, he’s like, ‘You know that first year, you go out there,’ gosh, as a receiver, he was able to do a lot of great things, Pro Bowl and all that stuff. He goes, ‘That second year was a whole lot harder because those guys got to study me, they got to watch me,’ and that’s the difference in a lot of positions. You can go in there sometimes, have a little bit of success, then once people really start watching you and going, you have to make sure that your game’s pretty tight not to give anyone an advantage.”
(On Offensive Quality Control Coach Denard Robinson) “I like him. He was good here when he was a player as far as everything going. He wanted to get into coaching and he wanted to start and it was unfortunate that they dropped the football program [at Jacksonville University] and it was fortunate that we were in a position where we could bring somebody in, and he’s working. He asks a lot of good questions. I think he’s a guy that wants to do well in this profession, wants to work his way up, which I know that we all appreciate. I think he has a really good understanding. He’s played quarterback, he’s run the ball, he’s played receiver, he’s played multiple things, he’s read coverages, so he has a good foundation right now that just needs to grow in the schematics world and I think he will. I think he handles himself well. He’s a hard worker. He’s here early in the morning. I think he’ll have a long career and I’m excited for him. He’ll be coaching well after I am, I know that.”
(On the changes in defensive game plan and personnel) “I think everything’s up there, and it’s even [the] amount of playing more coverage. There’s a lot of things going on. Like I said, I think that if we would’ve just stayed the same, I think we could’ve gotten a little better, but we weren’t going to get good enough right away to probably make an impact. I think there has been some slight improvement along the lines of what we’re trying to get done defensively, but not enough to go out there and start bragging about it, obviously because of our record. But you are starting to see some things and we’re changing so many things just to try to make sure we can put our guys in the best position. So we’re going to continue to do that because we have to do that. If we can start getting the production, or more production, then things will work out well. If we don’t, then we’re going to keep trying to search for those answers and find another way.”
(On the improvement of the team) “I’d love to answer that question the right way or truthfully, like I answer all my questions truthfully. We’re sitting here and we’ve lost how many games in a row, so I don’t want to be one of these guys that bullshits and tries to [explain] the philosophy and doing all that stuff; I do see improvement but it’s obviously not at the rate that we need. These guys are working hard, and we have no issues within the building, which gives us a chance, and they’re playing hard. How much better we can get them in this period of time and try to win as many games as we can? That’s exactly what we’re trying to do. So I don’t want to be that guy that comes out after you lose a game and is like, ‘Oh, we’re getting better.’ I think people don’t want to hear that crap, at least [in] my opinion. I’m sorry but I hope I answered your question the best I can.”
(On DT Doug Costin) “I don’t know about more reps, but I definitely love what I saw from him. I saw a player that was able to make plays, play square to the football, had good control over the line of scrimmage. For a guy starting his first game, I thought he played well. He’s been productive, we’ve seen that. I think with the amount of snaps, we still had the same production, which is good. He’s good but I can tell you guys this, he’s not going to be able to make two full starts in a row though because he’ll be out this week [with a concussion].”
(On preparing for Packers offense who has been affected by COVID-19) “They’re not that way right now, they’re full strength. We have a ton of respect for them. They’re explosive. They have one of the best quarterbacks that played the game and [their] running back’s back, left tackle’s back, have probably one of the best receivers in the league, have speed on the outside. They have size. They can block. They can run. They have a Pro Bowl left tackle. They’re loaded so it’s a great challenge for us. We have to come up there and we have to play extremely well. We understand that and we look forward to that challenge.”
(On deciding between QB Jake Luton and QB Gardner Minshew II when the time comes) “Right now we’re not at that point. I know this is a hypothetical. Right now, I want to see Gardner [Minshew II] be able to throw first. I want to see where he throws, then obviously I’ll be able to evaluate his game, like common sense stuff, and then be able to have a better idea then of what’s going on. Because if he’s not throwing the ball well because of the thumb, well then, that decision’s easy. I think that if something happens and Jake [Luton] doesn’t perform well and then Gardner’s ready to go, then that decision [will be made]. The question that’s going to come is the decision of, like you said, how is Jake playing, how is Gardner looking compared to what he was before, and then making a decision on who’s the best player that can win these games. That’s probably, logically, how I’m going about it without really thinking about it.”
(On the concern of QB Gardner Minshew II coming back from his injury too early) “In the beginning I think he’s already done that once, not reporting the injury. I told him, I said, ‘Look, when we go out there next time and you tell me you’re ready, we’re going to put you out there on the field and we’re going to look at it. If you’re not, or I feel you’re not or talking to [Offensive Coordinator] Jay [Gruden] and [Quarterbacks Coach] Ben [McAdoo] and watching it with our eyes, then we’re not going to play you until you’re 100 percent healthy.’ Your point is well taken, I understood that, the competitiveness in him, so when we met afterwards, I wanted to make sure he understood that, ‘Hey listen, you need to get healthy.’ That’s the number one thing because I think it’s shown when you come back and he’s had this injury, it’s not good for anyone, including himself.”
(On balance in defending Packers QB Aaron Rodgers) “The plays that work are the ones that look good. The plays that don’t, when you make that mistake, you look like crap because he’s going to kill you, he really is. I think there’s a balance in everything that you have to be able to do. I’ve played them three times, well really four. Once a year and that game you’re talking about, whenever that was when I was here. I played them in New York. I played them when Brett Favre was there. I played them in New Orleans up in Lambeau and then we played them in Buffalo. It’s always the big question wherever I’ve been of how do you defend this quarterback that can do so much? He can throw at every angle. He can extend plays. He can run. Like I said, he’s one of the best in the league. I think your question is one to a lot of these great quarterbacks, what do you want to do, whether they can run or not, of how you want to defend them, how you want to pressure, how you want to do it. A lot of it’s just the right sequence, right play call, right time, all those things go into the equation. I think it’s tough. It’s not like you’re rolling a dice, I don’t want to say that because there’s too much work that we put in to making sure of the right calls and what we want to do. But it’s challenging, I think that’s the best word I can say about it.”
| JAGUARS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JAY GRUDEN (On QB Jake Luton’s performance last week and where he can improve) “Well I thought for his first game ever with limited reps, I thought he did an outstanding job really. I mean if you think about how much you talk about being a quarterback and how repetition is king and for him not to get any since training camp, and even in training camp he got few or far between, for him to step in his first NFL game and stand in there and take some shots and make some throws, I thought it was really incredible. Not many guys in their first game with that limited exposure can step into the fire like that and perform like he did. Obviously, there’s some throws I’m sure he wishes he had back and some opportunities that were missed, but overall from the way he was on the sidelines, the poise, the control that he had at the line of scrimmage, using the play clock, changing protections from time to time, I thought was great. Now, it’s just a matter of continue to build, continue to get more and more reps against a different style of defense now that he’s going to have to try to prepare, get a game plan ready for these Packers and [Packers Defensive Coordinator] Coach Pettine’s defense. Obviously, [I’m] very excited about the way he played. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win, but as far as Jake’s concerned, I think there’s a lot to like.” (On if there has been effort to get RB James Robinson more carries) “Yeah, for sure. You know I challenge the offensive line and try to get those guys goings and get their pads down and try to get some yards that protect the quarterback and James [Robinson] has been playing very well. He’s one of our better players so it’s important to get him the ball and try to get him more touches. Fortunately, he’s stayed healthy and done some good things. Sometimes it may look like we’re predictable or what have you, but I think it’s important for him to get his touches. It takes the pressure off the quarterback and he’s been very good.” (On WR DJ Chark Jr.’s performance last week against the Texans) “Yeah, it was great. He got a full week of practice healthy. I think the last couple weeks he’s practiced with his red jersey on and wasn’t quite feeling up to speed. But I think having a good week at practice, honing in on his assignments, I think he did good. Obviously, Jake [Luton] gave him some good balls early, got him involved early, which is important for a guy like him. These guys want to get involved early, they want to feel part of the game and to get him the touchdown on the third or fourth play of the game was critical as far as a domino effect for the way he played. So, I think when you’re talking about concerted effort, concerted effort to get James Robinson the ball, I think the same goes through for DJ [Chark Jr.]. We have to get him the ball early and see if we can get him going because he’s an explosive guy.” (On QB Jake Luton and WR DJ Chark Jr. executing the touchdown pass when it mattered after not hitting it in practice) “I think a couple things. One, DJ [Chark Jr.] had a great release and ran by him and Jake [Luton] did a nice job of putting the necessary top on the ball where he can adjust to it. That’s what I keep talking about: reps with these guys. It’s one thing to say he hadn’t had many reps with the terminology and the system and all that stuff, but also with the guys he’s throwing to. He never throws to those guys except last week for the first time really. So, he’s going to get used to his guys running those type of routes for him and those guys will get used to him.” (On how much WR Laviska Shenault Jr.’s injury affected the play book) “Yeah, they’re scrapped [when he goes out]. Laviska [Shenault Jr.] does some special things. You put him in the backfield, you can do some wildcat things, and you don’t do that with anybody else. He’s getting all those reps, the reverses and all that stuff. Some other guys we can get out in space and do somethings, but Laviska’s a different cat and calls for a different type of play. Once he went out, it shortened up our playbook, but we had plenty of other stuff to get to. We were fine.” (On how many games is fair to properly evaluate a new quarterback) “I don’t know if you can really put a number on it. I think you’re looking for progression week in and week out, knowledge of the system, saying the right things and then going out and trying to do the right things. Sometimes a game may not look like the quarterback played very well, but the people around him didn’t play very well either, so you can’t judge a quarterback’s grade based on statistical performance or the score sometimes. But you do have to look deep down inside and see what they look like on game day, how they handle pressure, do they still have the poise, do they look scared, is it somebody that has a skill set you think you can build and work with in the future. Then you make your decision based on production over a year, over two years or what have you. It’s up to the head coach and the coordinator and the GM and the owner to make that decision, but my job right now is to try to get these guys the best possible plays they can to succeed. I think throwing Jake [Luton] in there and even Gardner [Minshew II], they’ve both done some great things and we hope that Jake continues to build off the performance last week.” (On playing QB Gardner Minshew II once he’s fully recovered from his injury) “I think that’s up to [Head Coach] Coach Marrone really. I’m just going to coach the guys that we have, and I really have strong belief that all three of these guys in our building can have success at the quarterback position. Moving forward with the future of the organization, I think that’s a discussion that our owner and GM and obviously Coach Marrone will have and then whatever they decide, I’m good with all these guys. I think they have talent, they’re smart, they’re competitive, so there’s a lot to like about all of them. We do have to play better at the position in order for us to get off this [streak] that we’re on. We’ve lost I think six or seven in a row and it’s unacceptable for that position. A lot of pressure’s put on that position. They have to play better.” (On planning for Green Bay’s defense with a quarterback playing his second NFL game ever) “They’re good, obviously. They have good pass rush. They do multiple things in the secondary, coverage wise. They move people around and they rush little guys, they drop big guys. From a pass protection standpoint, we have to make sure we’re playing with our eyes and understand who’s coming and who’s not coming, so that’s the important thing. Then coverage wise, it’ll be important for our quarterback to see the different types of coverage. They roll one side, they’ll double somebody, they’ll bring the safety out in the middle of the field and play lurk. They’ll do a lot of different things that can confuse a young quarterback, so we’ll have to get a good plan together and Jake [Luton] will have to see the coverages and then obviously our receivers have to win in some of these man coverages they play. It’ll be a great challenge for all of us. They’re a good football team without a doubt.” (On playing at Lambeau Field with no fans) “I don’t know. It’s weird playing in an empty stadium everywhere really. Even the small amount of people we get at our games that are loud, it’s different. Obviously, it’s a lot better playing at Lambeau as a road team being empty than full so we don’t have to mess with the snap count issues. But it’s still a great, historic place and I’m anxious to get up there.” (On QB Jake Luton’s poise) “I think that’s something you can’t really judge. You see it in practice every day and the guy seems like he has poise, but you never know what the poise looks like on game day. That’s the important time to really show and display the poise. To take our team with two minutes to go, go down and get a touchdown scramble to possibly tie the game, I think says a lot about him and his poise and his competitive spirit, so that’s exciting. Team’s will get the film on him and they’ll study him, they’ll study our scheme and it’s our job to try to put him in positions that are not easy to see or read. We have to do a good job as an offense to game plan, whether Gardner [Minshew II]’s the quarterback, Jake [Luton]’s the quarterback, [Mike] Glennon’s the quarterback. I think from a scheme standpoint, that’s our job to disguise our intent so to speak and then the quarterback’s job [is] to perform and hopefully he’ll do a good job.” |
JAGUARS WR DJ CHARK JR.
(On the challenge of taking on the Green Bay Packers this weekend) “Just to do our jobs individually. Big thing for us is to have accountability and dominate our matchup. It’s not going to necessarily be easy matchups. They have some of the best players in the league. They’re one of the best teams in the league. But at the end of the day, when we put our pads on, it’s an expectation so I hold myself to that standard, I hold my teammates to that standard, and I hope that they can hold me to that standard too.”
(On his big performance last week and continuing to play at that level the second half of the season) “Personally, I just take the same approach every week, just to make sure I run the best routes possible, when I have the opportunity to catch the ball, catch the ball, make sure I’m running the right routes, make sure I’m doing the right assignments and the rest is going to take care of itself. I feel like I do that every week, so whatever the numbers may be after the game, it’s what they are. As long as I can go back and look at film and say I ran this route hard, I got open, I saw the defense before I ran this route and made the right adjustment, then I sleep well at night.”
(On if he knew his catch on the first drive would be a touchdown) “I felt pretty confident. One thing I can say about their safety, 32, [Lonnie Johnson Jr.] is he’s sideline to sideline; he shows good speed. After that play, wherever I’m at, he shaded to that side of the field. Plays where I thought if I make one guy miss, it’s a touchdown, a lot of times he was that one guy, he made that play. So, I give him that, but on that, I never really had too much concern about scoring a touchdown on that one.”
(On when he knew QB Jake Luton could throw the deep ball) “Honestly, the first time I really caught for him was last week, that week coming into the game. A lot of times I made sure I got my reps with Gardner [Minshew II] so that we had that timing. Because he takes a lot of the reps on scout team, I would ask the receivers who were on scout team what’s he strengths and weaknesses. Then once we started working together, we were able to make our adjustments on the fly.”
(On his frustration this season) “I have pretty high goals for myself, goals that I usually don’t speak on, but I hold myself to those standards. So, any frustration that the outside may see, it’s because of my goals and the way that I want things to happen, not necessarily based on anyone else or the team or anything. It’s really an internal battle for myself and so even on good games, like the last game, I felt like I did well, but if I had to grade myself it definitely wasn’t 100 percent and I definitely feel like I could’ve done better. That’s something that my wife talked to me about, just basically I can’t put too much pressure on shoulders but I feel like if I want to be great, that’s the expectations that I have to reach. It’s really just me versus me. It’s not necessarily anything someone else is doing.”
(On his outlook on the future following the Presidential Election) “Honestly, I feel like there’s a lot of work to do. I feel like the country, I can’t necessarily [say is] headed in the right direction because we have to see what happens, but hopefully sometimes change is good. The last four years have been tough, but even before then we had some tough times. The biggest thing about this election was the amount of people who registered to vote, not necessarily about who won, who lost. It just showed that people cared about making change and I think that’s the biggest thing that I can take from it is that people were actively putting forth the effort to go out and make a change, whether their change is for Democrats, Republicans. They still took the time to register to vote, took the time to go and vote and I think that’s the biggest thing. I think if we can continue to move forward and people be more active in trying to be the change that they want to see, I think the younger generation sees this and so the next four years, whoever the candidates may be have an even larger number of people who go out to vote. I feel like that’s when you start getting more democracy. “
(On going against Packers CB Jaire Alexander) “I love it. I watch every corner I play. I understand the role that I’m in. I understand that, for the most part, the best corner’s going to follow me. Sometimes depending on scheme, they’ll stay right and left. But he’s very athletic. He has a dog [mentality], you see that. When he makes a play, he celebrates, which is the type of matchups I like. I never shy away from a competition. In college, I was going against [former LSU teammates] Tre’Davious White, Jamal Adams, Donte Jackson to come here and go against [former Jaguars] A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey, so I take this as a chance to learn. I’m excited. I’m excited to see what plans they have. Do they have any wrinkles? Do shade the safety? Do they just let them be on the island? However, it may be, I have confidence in [Offensive Coordinator] Coach Gruden in putting me in the best positions and I just have to go out there and execute.”
(On if he remembers playing against CB Jaire Alexander in college) “I remember that ball game. I can’t necessarily say if he played or not. I wasn’t the biggest on scouting reports in college, something that I wish I was. Yeah, I can’t necessarily say that I remember playing against him then, but I definitely will remember this time.”
(On voting for the first time, finding out the gender of his baby, and getting married all during the bye week) “I feel like honestly the growing took place way before then. I think the growing in my life really started before last year after my rookie year, just not being happy with what I saw out of myself on the field, off the field, just things that needed changing. I credit my now wife for helping me throughout all that, that process. With that growth, for me, it was basically just being a man, making the right decisions, and standing on my word. So, whatever I say, whatever I do, whatever consequences or cause and effect, whatever you may say, I have to live with that. I have to go every day with that, so I’d rather put my best foot forward so whatever trickles down from that, it’ll be more manageable.”
(On being a newlywed and a father-to-be) “It’s great. One thing I can say, she [his wife, Chantelle Deanna Yukari Chark] made this process way easier for me. I hear a lot of guys talk about how things change when they get married but I’ve been knowing her for six, seven years and I can honestly say she’s my best friend. She keeps it real with me no matter what. To have a girl on the way is… I wanted a girl because I felt like a boy, I can raise him, tell him the things that I did growing up, but a girl’s just a different side. I want to be able to be a great father figure in a strong woman’s life and help her grow up and make a difference in this world. So, that’s the biggest thing for me, I feel like that’s the challenge. I’ve done it as a man, feel like I’ve made a difference in a lot of people’s live, but I definitely want to be able to help a young lady grow up to be a great woman in this world.”
(On if his touchdown catch was a scripted play to get him more involved) “Yeah. Honestly, [Offensive Coordinator] Coach Gruden had a lot of big time down the field plays. Obviously, the way the game plans works, you can only call them in certain points, but he was definitely trying to get them off the script. He came up with a great plan to inside release then get back outside. Usually if I have a corner press, I’m taking the outside release, so that’s a new wrinkle added to my game brought by Coach Gruden and was able to execute.”
(On if this weekend will be the coldest game he’s played in) “Probably. I know LSU played Notre Dame [in the] Music City Bowl [in] Tennessee freshman year maybe and that was really cold. Tennessee in January is really cold. I’m not a fan of the cold, but it is what it is. We’re going out there, putting our pads on, hoping they have a few jackets on the side and we’ll make something shake. I mean, they have to play in it too. [They] may be more used to it, but at the end of the day everybody on that team isn’t from Green Bay, so they have to deal with it as well, so it is what it is.”
(On how many guests attended his wedding) “We could’ve had 20, but we had none. It was just me and her.”
(On not having family or friends attend his wedding) “Actually we wanted it that way. It felt more intimate. It was me and her. Honestly, we do a lot of things on our own and try not to broadcast it. We like to keep people included but a lot of our big decisions, we try to do just me and her, so this was perfect. We still plan on having a wedding ceremony post COVID where her dad can walk her down the aisle and everybody can come, and we can enjoy it and fellowship and have fun. But I feel like that was the best way to get married, just me, her, Amelia Island, bye week. I still had to drive up to the stadium every day to get my nose swabbed, but I felt like that’s the best way I could’ve done it.”
| JAGUARS QB JAKE LUTON (On his approach preparing for this weekend’s game) “I’m focused on myself. I’m focused on our team. [I] stepped back out on the practice field today and felt a lot more confident, felt like practice went really well. I feel like [I’m] just trying to build on what I did on Sunday and I think today was a good step in that direction.” (On playing against Packers QB Aaron Rodgers this weekend) “It’s pretty surreal. He’s a guy I have a lot of respect for, was a big fan of growing up and a huge fan of his game. A lot of things that he does, no one else really can do. He’s a wizard with the football in a lot of ways. Like I said, [I have] a lot of respect for him. It’ll be really exciting to get out there and get to play ball against him.” (On what went well and what he can improve on from last week’s game against the Texans) “I mean I think there’s a lot of things I can build on. Watching the tape, I think just continuing to work through my reads fast and getting one from one guy to the next I think is something I can continue to build on. But there’s lots of things, lots of small footwork things, footwork in the run game, and reads that you can just keep cleaning up week to week and [I’m] hoping to build on that this week.” (On if he wishes that fans were allowed at Lambeau Field this weekend to get the full experience) “Yeah for sure. It’s somewhere I’ve dreamed of playing. Lambeau Field is pretty historic, pretty awesome. It’d be real cool if it was rocking, a lot of people cheering against you. So, it’ll be a little different with it being empty but I’m sure it’ll still be awesome. It’ll be a cool moment to step out on the field and take it all in.” (On if he was a Packers fan growing up) “I wouldn’t say I was a Packers fan, but I grew up a big fan of [Brett] Favre and then [Aaron] Rodgers stepped in and I was a big fan of Rodgers, so [I] definitely watched the quarterbacks that have played there over my childhood.” (On if his family plans on attending more of his games) “We’ll see. I’m not totally sure. I’m taking it week to week. They can’t come this week, so I’m sure I’ll see them again. My brothers had a really good time, they were really excited, and I think all of them just wanted to stay out here, so I’m sure they’ll be trying to bug my mom to get back down here again sometime soon.” (On his relationship with his youngest brother) “It’s awesome. I’ve kind of been away the whole time he’s really been alive; I’ve been playing college ball. His whole entire life he’s traveled around to my games and just knowing me as kind of the big brother that he goes to watch play football. Now that he’s getting a little bit older and he understands a little bit, this past weekend was pretty special. When I got off the field, I gave him the wristbands I wore during the game and I don’t think he’s still taken them off. They were sweaty and gross, and he was loving it. He was wearing them anyways, he didn’t care. It’s a really cool relationship.” (On the leadership of WR Chris Conley) “Chris [Conley] is a guy I have a huge deal of respect for. [He’s] one of the best leaders I’ve ever come in contact with on any team and in any facet of life. He’s a great guy, stand up guy and he’s a good player too. You saw it, he stepped in, he did a great job. [He’s] a guy that I talked with today just working on somethings, how we can keep building, keep getting better. But [he’s an] awesome dude, awesome player and I’m excited to keep working with him.” (On what he’s expecting from the Packers defense) “I think a physical brand of football. I think that’s kind of what they pride themselves in. They’re a physical football team and watching them on tape, I think they’re pretty solid all over the place. I don’t think they have a glaring weakness. I think they have a good front seven, good DBs, and they’re going to try to bring it to you. They’re going to try be physical, so we’re going to try to do the same thing. We’re going to go up there and play physical football and implement the run game and try to have some success in the pass game where we can find it, but I think physicality is kind of the name of the game this week.” (On his biggest regret in last week’s game) “I mean I think every single game you play, you’re going to have those things. You can stay hung up on it and really sulk on it or just try to build. I think that there are several things. I think there’s something in every play I’d like to have done a little bit differently. We went and we looked at it, obviously there’s some throws that I’d like to have back and some reads I’d like to get through a little bit quicker, but I think that’s football. I think there’s guys that have been in the league for 20 years that they still watch it, and they wish that they could change something. They work every week to change it and that’s what I’m going to do. [I] got back on the practice field today, trying to move a little bit faster, a little bit quicker through my reads, and all those things so we can build on it this week.” |
