Head Coach Brian Flores
(Opening statement) – “We’re excited to be here as a team. Excited to be here in London. I think it’s a special thing for our team and our organization so we’re really excited to be here so thank you for having us.”
(Do you have any update on the practice injuries – WR DeVante Parker and CB Xavien Howard and where they stand?) – “DeVante (Parker) and Xavien (Howard) – both still dealing with injuries and we’re hopeful that they can do a little bit of something today. Tua (Tagovailoa) – expect him to practice. Jacoby (Brissett) expect him to practice. (Adam) Shaheen expect him to do a little bit more today.”
(The travel to London – has it affected the usual [preparation] before a game?) – “Well obviously the time change is the first thing that comes to mind. We tried to encourage the players to sleep on the flight. We left at 8 o’clock (Eastern Time) last night which is 1 a.m. here. Encouraged guys to sleep here. Got in about 9-9:30 this morning. But obviously there’s some adjusting. I said for myself there’s a little bit of an adjustment just from a time standpoint. I normally call and text my wife at a certain time and now it’s a little bit off right now and I won’t get to talk to my kids till later, but yeah, definitely an adjustment. I think we’ve just got to get our body clocks adjusted to London time. I think we’re doing everything we can. It’s about hydration, it’s about trying to stay up today and get a good night’s rest. Obviously tomorrow will be a big day from that standpoint as well, but definitely excited to be here.”
(Have you made a decision on whether QB Tua Tagovailoa or QB Jacoby Brissett will start…?) – “No, I mean I let those guys know. Assuming everything goes well in practice today Tua is going to start the game. Everybody goes on their phones immediately… go ahead guys, take your time. (laughter)”
(On managing the expectations of players and not being able to experience much of London other than just the game) – “I think most of our guys are excited to be here. I think after a year ago when no one could go anywhere and there was no fans anywhere, I think we all just feel very fortunate to have an opportunity to come out here, play a football game, play in front of great fans. I think we’re a little bit further away from London the city than I’ve been in the past, but we’re in a beautiful spot here. We’re excited to be here and I don’t want to be the – I try to tell them, ‘hey, we’re here for a reason though. We’re here to play a good Jacksonville team.’ And while it is beautiful and it’s great to travel and be in a different country and hear different accents, that’s cool and fun, but we’re here for a reason. That’s me in a meeting trying to bring them back and just say, ‘Hey, here are the things we need to do offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. Here are the things we need to do as a team so I just try to kind of pull them in that direction and make sure they’re ready to go for the game, but it’s definitely exciting to be here. I think we all feel very fortunate to have an opportunity to come to London and play a football game.”
(After a pretty tough start is it a change of scenery, something different? Is that something you think can get players going and yourself going again?) – “I think this is a motivated group. This is a group that works hard, they prepare, they compete so just looking forward to another opportunity to compete. I think that’s where they’re at and where we’re at as a team.”
(Having seen T Liam Eichenberg come in at left tackle for QB Jacoby Brissett in the last game with Tua starting now is the plan to flip him to the right side and cover the blind side or do you see him staying on the left side?) – “No we’ll stay with the same unit that started last week. Liam (Eichenberg) has done a nice job. He’s played on the left. He’s played on the right. He’s played guard. As a rookie he’s done some nice things, but we’re going to keep him in one spot and keep the line – the same line we had last week.”
(A. Have you been to London before? B., Is there any advice you got to handle the crowd noise because it’s more of a celebration of both teams being over finally after a long time? Is there any way, any tips you’ve given your players or advice you’ve got for this specific game?) – “Yeah, I have been to London. Played two games here at Wembley. This will be my first time at – is it ‘Tottenham?’ Tottenham Stadium. I don’t want to get that wrong which obviously I did. (laughter) So my experience in these games just from a crowd standpoint is like you said; it’s a celebration so they’re really cheering the whole way through so crowd noise will be a part of this really the entire game, but again like I said earlier, last year we played with no fans. In our home stadium – we had some fans at our stadium – but we went to a lot of stadiums on the road where there was no one there so I think when you keep that in mind, you keep that perspective and then to be in London and to be with new fans, different fans and to bring our game over here; that’s something that’s very special and I think it’s very meaningful to me and having coached in this game before, there’s always a great atmosphere and always just an incredible atmosphere I would say.”
(Regarding QB Tua Tagovailoa what would be your message to him assuming he can return here relative to how you would like to see him approach what he needs to do?) – “I think my message is always the same to him. Clean operation, in and out of the huddle, be clear with the play call and then go through his progression one play at a time and he has a specific progression that he goes through. And then take the plays that are there. If there’s an opportunity for a big play, try to make it. Don’t try to force anything and it’s not a one-man game. We’ve got 53 guys on the team over there to support and help him and he’s there to support and help the rest of his teammates. So that’s really always the message. That’s the message to the entire team. Obviously he’s a competitive guy and wants to do everything he can to help us have success, but yeah, my message to him is take it one play at a time, go through your progression one play at a time and try to execute.”
(Did he pick up where he kind of left off or was there some rust coming in practice this week at all?) – “He’s looked pretty good. He’s looked pretty good. I think the one thing we can’t simulate is contact or in-game contact, but really everything else has been – I mean you said ‘pick up where he left off’ – yeah, I guess if you wanted to say that you could. So yeah, he’s done a nice job this week.”
(Can you talk to us about the rookies; WR Jaylen Waddle, LB Jaelan Phillips, S Jevon Holland and T Liam Eichenberg? How would you gauge their progress today so far this season and are they meeting your expectations or do you think there’s more to come?) – “I think they’re all getting better. I think they all have the right attributes, the right motivation and the right balance to have success in this league. I think they just need to continue to work, continue to improve and continue to get game experience. Waddle has done a nice job – not perfect but I think his routine and the way he goes about things on a daily basis and the way he’s a sponge about how people are playing in coverages. Jaelan Phillips, I think he’s really kind of improved the last couple weeks. Things are slowing down for him, same thing with Jevon Holland. I think the rookies, it’s about playing. The speed of the game in the National Football League is much faster than it is in college. Just learning and getting used to that is a little bit of a process, but these guys are picking it up pretty quickly. Same thing with Eichenberg. I’ve been impressed with the group. I think they’re doing a lot of good things and I think we just need to continue to build on that.”
(I wanted to ask you a question about Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman, what has stood out to you about him?) – “Danny, there’s a lot of things that stand out His leadership, his communication, he’s a great teacher. If you step into his room, you are going to learn something. I think he’s very creative and for me, he’s someone who’s a sounding board and someone I talk to about in-game, game management and obviously he plays a big role in that as well. But game management, pulse of the team and things of that nature; his role as assistant head coach is exactly that. Let’s call him my right-hand man, from a coaching standpoint and I’m very appreciative of him and fortunate enough to have him on our staff.”
(RB Myles Gaskin had a great day receiving on Sunday and his pass-blocking is there as well. Is he turning into someone that you can trust a little bit, a lot more with the running back group?) – “We definitely trust Myles. He’s running the football, catching the football, in protection. He’s one of our hardest-working players on our team and that hard work; it manifests itself on the field. A lot of respect for Myles and hopefully he plays well again on Sunday.”
(What are your thoughts on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence watching him from the tape?) – “He’s shown steady improvement every week. Every week. Better feel for the game, better feel for what other teams are trying to do to him defensively. He is talented, big arm, athletic, smart and yeah, he’s getting better every week. He’s a good quarterback. He’ll be a good quarterback for sure.”
(I saw a couple of American media kind of try to paint the narrative that QB Tua Tagovailoa coming back is going to save the Miami Dolphins. Do you think that’s fair? The guy is 22, 23 years of age and that’s a lot of pressure to put on him.) – “We’re excited to have Tua back, there’s no doubt about that. There’s 53 guys on the team. Like I mentioned earlier, 48 will play on game day so it’s never one person. That is the reason we have to play together as a team. There’s 11 guys on offense, 11 guys on defense and 11 guys on special teams. It’s never one person. He can throw a great ball and if the guy doesn’t catch it, it’s not a completion. If the guys up front don’t block, he’ll never get the ball off. There’s so much that goes into a play that it just can’t be one person. I know that happens at the quarterback position. I understand that player touches the ball on every snap, but if we don’t block, if we don’t catch the ball, we don’t protect the ball, somebody fumbles; the drive is over and he’s off the field. If we don’t play good defense, it doesn’t matter how many points you score. It’s a team game. It’s a true team game. That’s what I love about it. I think that’s what our players love about it and that’s what the fans here love about the game; it’s a team game. Obviously there are great individual players, but even I tell our players that the great individual players wouldn’t be the great individual players without their teammates. You literally can’t throw the ball if somebody doesn’t block for you or catch the ball for you. That’s what makes it a great game.”
(RB James Robinson has come alive over the last couple of weeks, become a beast. Do you have a special plan to stop him?) – “It’s going to take some good team football. He’s a very good back. A very, very good back. He runs hard, good vision and can break some long runs. He’s a good back, so we’re going to have to do a good job of setting the edge. We’re going to have to do a good job defeating blocks. You can do all those things and then you’ve got to tackle him too. I think you see that teams do some good things up front and then he breaks one tackle and what should be a two-yard run is a 22-yard run. He’s done a good job of that. He’s a good back. There’s no doubt about that. You’re spot on there. We’ve got our hands full with him and their entire offense so we’re going to have to play good defense.”
(Is there anything new to get from this trip that you think you will get from the players and staff that you wouldn’t get from a trip over to the other side of the states? What’s special away from the actual game?) – “I think any time you can get together as a team for a couple days where it’s just the team, I think there’s some benefits to that. There’s more dinners, more lunches, more sit downs, more conversation and more relationships that are built. That’s a part of the game that to me, is very important. When you’re trying to build a team and put a team together, the team is about the people and about relationships and about trust. Any opportunity that you can get to build that, I think you have to try to take full advantage of it. To answer your question, I think that. Because when we go to wherever, somewhere in the states, normally guys know somebody somewhere and they go to lunch or dinner with an agent or a friend or their family in their hometown. It’s different than here. Not saying that nobody knows anyone from London, I’m sure. I personally don’t but in the states it’s probably more likely that they would know somebody but here, it’s just us. Hopefully some of those bonds, those relationships get a little bit stronger.”
(How is it when somebody as important as the starting quarterback coming back to the team affect the mood on defense?) – “I think our players, they support each other. I think defensively, you never like to see anybody out so when a guy comes back there is a little bit of a boost, a little bit of juice. I would say that’s just in support of that player whoever that might be whether the guy is back from COVID, whether the guys is back from an injury. I think our guys are going to be excited that Tua is back, but I think they’re probably more worried about (James) Robinson and Trevor Lawrence and the other guys on the other side of the ball.”
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(On how it feels to be back this week) – “I feel good. I’m just happy to be out there with the team again.”
(On how he is enjoying London) – “I enjoy it. Coming from Miami, it’s pretty humid and hot. It’s a good change of scenery for us as a team. It’s cool.”
(Obviously you weren’t able to practice but what was the keeping up to date with the team? Were you at practices? I know you were getting the play calls on the sideline) – “I was in practice, well not necessarily at practices, but in the meetings with the quarterbacks just trying to help the quarterbacks out although I wasn’t playing with the gameplan and whatnot. Being on the sideline, that’s not something I take lightly as well because when I’m in, I want the next guy or whoever it is on the sideline helping me out, too.”
(Are you managing pain at this point or is it all 100 percent?) – “I don’t think it’s 100 percent pretty, I’m just 100 percent ready to get back out on the field.”
(The team has obviously had a difficult start to the season. Do you feel as though you’re in a good spot to come in and turn the season around? Do you feel any pressure given the 1-4 start?) – “I don’t think it necessarily takes one person to change the outcome of a game. The way I kind of look at it, is we all 11 have to go out there and do out jobs individually but collectively, if that makes sense, in order for the play to be successful. We have to string all of those good plays and keep stringing them together I think in order for us to be successful.”
(On seeing the game in a different way on the sideline and whether he agrees with that) – “I definitely agree with that. One of the differences that I see is that I’m not in there calling the play. I know what the play is and I’m just looking at the defense. You know what’s going to happen, what’s not going to happen watching film. It’s a totally different ball game when you’re on the sideline than when you’re in the game. In the game, you got to manage where everyone goes, you got to put people in the right spots and then aside from that you have to go out there and execute. It’s a little tougher.”
(You faced Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence in Elite 11, college and now on the international stage. Do you ever get a chance to think about that?) – “I’ve never had the time to think about any of these things. His success has been really good for him. I’ve been very blessed to have some success in my life as well. I know they’re hungry for a win as a team and for us as a team, we are hungry for a team as well.”
(Towards the end of last season we saw TE Mike Gesicki and WR DeVante Parker get a lot of targets and a lot of receptions they haven’t necessarily had so far this season. How important is it for you to get those two guys especially on the ball and making big plays?) – “I think it’s important to get all our playmakers a chance in these games, early in the game so that we can build off of that momentum with them. I think the thing that we haven’t done a good job with is doing that and that’s I think, coming to this game, that’s what we want to do. We want to start off strong and finish strong.”
(On keeping in touch with former Alabama teammates Patriots QB Mac Jones and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts) – It’s little tough in the NFL, but Mac (Jones) is in our division so it’s a little tough with that, too. But I would say just in general keeping in touch with other guys that we’ve gotten to play with at Alabama, we do keep in contact.”
(When they announced you were coming to London what were your first thoughts?) – “This is my first time out of the country, so just it’s awesome. It’s different. Back in Hawaii and back in Miami you’re driving on the right side of the road. Over here you’re driving on the left side of the road and the drivers are on the right side, (laughter) so it’s different. Everything is just different.”
(Earlier we asked Head Coach Brian Flores about this experience of being over here for these games because it’s more of a celebration. It’s a different type of atmosphere. Is there anything you’ve done to prepare for this game [differently]?) – “I guess I would say I prepare the same way I’d prepare if we were back in the United States. It’s another game. We do understand that the atmosphere is a little different, but I heard it’s a really nice stadium so I’m excited to play in it.”
(Are you expected to wear a flak jacket and have you experimented with different ones this week?) – “Yeah, I’ve had protection. I’ve had a rib cage protector when the incident happened, but we’ve made some adjustments to what I’m going to wear and whatnot.”
(On advice he would give to Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence) – “I mean honestly, I’d tell him to continue to work hard, keep your head down. It’s not easy to win in this league, in the NFL. So when you do have a win you cherish it, you remember what that felt like; and for me after my first win, I kind of went back on the things that kind of helped me I guess prepare myself to try to get a win. So as far as preparation, I tell him to continue to do the same thing and if that’s not working, then change it up and find something that works for you.”
(What does this offense need that you hope to bring to it?) – “I don’t think it’s necessarily just me. Like I said it takes all of us out there on the football field. I’ve got to do my job and everyone else has to do their job on the field.”
(I’ve been on all the London games for the Miami Dolphins except for one – the only one they’ve one… This year I’m going to see them win because I’ve always seen them lose.) – “Well that’s the plan. (laughter) We’re trying to win. We’re trying to win.”
(For the neutrals who obviously support different teams and are there for the celebration of the game why should they support your team?) – “I think that’s a good question. I think it’s really up to them. We play this game because it helps take care of our families back home, but it’s been a childhood dream for a lot of us to be in the spot and position that we’re in. It’ll be good to hear the fans whether they’re for us or against us. We’re going to go out there and continue to play the same game we’ve always been playing since we were little.”
(Considering the records of the two teams does this feel like one you really need to have to set you up for a push towards the playoffs at the end of the season?) – “Like I said it’s hard to get a win in the NFL so we try to prepare as if we’re going to win every time and at the end of the day and at the end of the week that’s the goal for us.”
