OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR PRESS TAYLOR
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2023
(On how to prepare for a defensive front this weekend compared to last month vs. Titans) “Yeah, we’re
assuming all of those guys are going to be healthy. We’d rather go into this thing assuming everybody is
going to make it. They’ve obviously been dealing with the injury bug, sat some guys that were trying to
get recovered versus Dallas, but we’re assuming their best is going to be available at all times. It is a very
tough front to play against, they’re tough, they’re physical, they’re big, they’re strong. They’ve done a
great job, really, against everybody they’ve played in terms of stopping the run. They just present
matchup issues in terms of who they are and the way they play and the structure they play for a
defensive front.”
(On using the passing game instead of running game in last matchup against Tennessee) “Yeah, it’s kind
of the way that game just expressed itself. That doesn’t mean we’re carrying over and saying, ‘We’re not
going to be able to run the ball because we struggled in the first game.’ We’re going to do everything we
can to move the ball, whatever that looks like. We certainly are doing our best to put together a plan
where we can move the football on the ground, if need be, and then doing what we can to come up
with complimentary passes, movements, screens, play action, whatever that may be. Just to put us and
our players in the best position. We had some certain schemes we wanted to try against them the first
time that probably didn’t shape out the way we hoped they would, so you can scrap those and look for
new ideas; go back to the drawing board a little bit to come up with the best plan.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence needs to have a game like he did against Dallas or Tennessee) “I hope not. I
hope we don’t need Trevor to do anything at all and everything is all fine. No, we certainly need
everybody we expect to raise their level of play and execute at a high level. We were certainly playing
the last two games just like we’ve played all the other games; to win. Whatever that looks like. If we
need to try to throw it for 400 yards because that’s the only way to move the ball, we’ll go that route. If
we can run for 250 yards, then we will go that route. It’s a game-by-game, series-by-series decision
within the game that we make as a staff and as a unit as the game moves on. Certainly, we’re going to
need everybody to be at their best. This is a playoff atmosphere game, the implications, if you win, you
continue on, if you don’t, your season is over. We all know that, and we expect our players to be at their
best and the coaching staff as well.”
(On how the players and coaches are handling everything after Bills CB Damar Hamlin’s injury) “It’s
certainly something that is on everybody’s mind. Damar and the Bills, the Bengals, the NFL, everybody is
on everybody’s mind. First and foremost, we are concerned about the health and safety of all the
players, Damar, and his family. We are praying that there is peace and comfort for his family, that the
doctors and everybody has a steady hand and clear minds and consciousness that work through getting
him back to health. There’s certainly a cloud in the air that everybody is conscious of and aware of. I
think Coach [Head Coach Doug Pederson] has done a great job of making resources available for the
team and letting everybody know that whatever you need, we will provide for you. Whether that’s just
somebody to talk to, more answers as we move onto things, and just move forward with it. As we move
forward, everybody’s thoughts and prayers are with Damar, and everybody involved in this thing.”
(On if Bills CB Damar Hamlin’s injury has been addressed with his brother [Bengals Head Coach Zac
Taylor]) “Moreso, I called him that night just to check in on him. It’s a traumatic experience for anybody
that was involved in the situation, and you watch whether it’s football, whether it’s outside the building,
you watch somebody in a life-threatening situation, and everybody is affected by that. I just wanted to
call and just talk to him, make sure he was good. He actually had just left the hospital that night. He had
gone up to see and check on him, just be there. It’s certainly something you don’t plan to deal with. You
don’t have a plan for. We as football coaches and football players, we like the structure of our job. We
like knowing we are meeting here, we do this at this time, we do this at that time. There’s no playbook,
there’s no manual for somebody being in a life-threatening situation. I have a lot of respect for my
brother and the way he handled things, the way the NFL has handled things. Obviously, that wasn’t the
right time to continue a game. There’s a human element to this thing that I thought everybody used
some common sense and handled that thing the right way so far.”
(On feelings of how QB Trevor Lawrence will handle the biggest game of his career thus far) “I’m very
confident in just the preparation that he’s gotten into. I think in times like this, where there’s a little
more anxiety maybe, a little – people would say, more on this game, it’s just more of an emphasis on
relying on our process. The thing that put us back into the situation where this is a relevant game, that
you just want to fall back on that a little bit more. Double down on our process, the things we’ve done
to get us here. We make the saying to our guys, ‘We need to tighten things up, but we don’t need to
tighten up.’ You want to just make sure we’re on all of the details. We go through every little nook and
cranny of the plan, making sure that everything is sound, everybody is comfortable with it. We come up
with a lot of football plays, and if people aren’t comfortable with something, we don’t need it there.
We’ve got plenty of other things.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence being ready for this moment) “Exactly. We’re very confident in the guy he’s
shown us to be so far, and we don’t expect anything different from him. Like you said, he’s been in big
game atmospheres before. Whatever level that was, whatever that meant at the time. We’re very
excited that he’s leading our team.”
(On playing this team for the second time this season) “Well, a lot of it is that everybody has shown who
they are at this point in the season. You’re trying to do everything you can, and we’ve got things that we
feel like we can kind of hang our hat on, we’ve got our bread-and-butter type of things that we feel like
we can execute regardless of the defense. I think the nice thing about having played these guys a couple
of weeks ago is your process that you have a good feel for who they are. It’s late enough in the year that
you’re comfortable with what they like to try to do, but you also play the cat and the mouse game
where we’re sitting there thinking, ‘Alright, what would they do differently based on how that first game
went?’ That’s the paranoia of being a coach, I guess, and the process that you go through.”
(On if there’s a worry of nervousness for this game) “Not necessarily, like we said, we trust our process.
We trust what has gotten us to this point and that’s when you lean a little harder on your preparation. I
think that gives you the confidence to just go out and perform now. We understand there’s going to be
emotions. There’s going to be emotions in all these playoff atmosphere games. We want our guys to just
lean on their preparation and be confident in that.”
(On RB Snoop Conner’s performance in the last game) “He did a great job. With all of those guys, we will
continue to try to use everybody that’s available and put them in a position where they’re doing what’s
best for their skillset and giving us any opportunity to move the football whoever that may be.”
(On feelings of seeing a player score their first NFL touchdown) “It’s awesome, it’s exciting. You kind of
want to watch and make sure he doesn’t throw the ball to somebody. He gave it back to the ref, I think
they went and got it. We were making sure on the headset that they went and got it. What is fun is just
to see everybody on the field with him and on the sidelines congratulating him. That’s a cool moment
for anybody. Not a lot of people get to score a touchdown in the NFL, so for Snoop [RB Snoop Conner] to
get his first one, that was exciting. The guys were really excited for him.”
(On reliance of WR Marvin Jones Jr.’s ability) “Yeah, honestly, I didn’t know much about Marvin. I had
watched him play from afar during his time in Cincinnati, his time in Detroit. Jim Bob Cooter [Passing
Game Coordinator Jim Bob Cooter] was actually the Offensive Coordinator in Detroit, so Jim Bob knew
him well and had some interactions with him. Obviously, from their time together, he had a very high
opinion of him. He’s done nothing to disappoint. Marvin has been a steady, consistent pro, and I
appreciate in a way, shape, or form, that he’s kind of filled his role to the best of his ability knowing that
it’s been built for these other guys. Christian [WR Christian Kirk], Zay [WR Zay Jones], Evan [TE Evan
Engram], all those types of guys, but Marvin has done a great job, and anytime we’ve needed Marvin to
come through, he’s come through. Whether that be a third down, whether that be in the red zone,
whether he was a primary or secondary target on a play, he’s shown up and made plays. He’s somebody
we certainly know we can count on; he’s done it throughout his time in his career. We’re happy we have
Marvin right now.”
(On if there’s a concern of ball security with RB Travis Etienne Jr.) “Ball security is a concern with
everybody at all times. I think, again, you want to double down on the things we believe in. We believe
protecting the football is the most important element of the game. We go through every Thursday; we
start our day with ball security. Talking about it, how we can do it better, how the other team tries to
take the ball away from you, we do it out on the field as we work through. It’s continued to be a point of
emphasis for everybody. We don’t want to allow anybody to slip in any way, shape, or form, whether
they’ve put the ball on the ground or not, we’re going to coach the fundamentals and techniques of
what we believe gives us the best opportunity to hold onto the football.”
(On importance of getting a lead quickly in the upcoming game) “I think it’s definitely very important,
especially against a team that’s trying to get a new quarterback into the game and settle him into the
flow of the game. We’d love to say we start fast every single game, and that’s always the goal. Coach
[Head Coach Doug Pederson] does a great job of putting together opening scripts and adjusting as we
need to make sure we’re putting the ball in the hands of the right guys and attacking the defense
however we see fit going into that game. Certainly, going out and scoring early gives you the ability to
now put them in pass situations. Trying to take the ball out of 22’s hands, however that goes. Easier said
than done. Certainly, the plan is always to try to get out with an early lead if possible.”
(On looking at potential playoff opponents this week) “We definitely have, the guys are responsible for
breakdowns. They’re aware, and I’ve been in that position, it’s not a lot of fun. You’re aware of the odds
of who could be where based on how we get in. As a former QC, you pick the top two most likely, you go
all in, you get all that done, and then you say some crazy scenario that happens and some other team,
I’m going to be here for ten hours on Saturday after the game and get it all done. That’s just the way it
goes and the decision you make, so that’s what they’re doing.”
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIKE CALDWELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2023
(On the importance of the defensive line when playing the Titans) “Definitely. In this division, you’ve got
the Colts that run the ball well, you’ve got the Texans that run the ball well, and Tennessee runs the ball
well. We’ve got some big guys up front, and they know in our division, you’re going to have to stand up
up front.”
(On how tough it is to go against a quarterback that has only been with the team for about two weeks)
“You go back, and as coaches, you always want to turn over every stone, and we went back and watched
the preseason, we played him in the preseason. You just go back and talk to as many people as you can,
and you just study the film. You go back with our scouting department. He was here for a while, so we
have a good feel of the type of person he is. You know right off the bat, real smart kid, handles their
system well, athletic, can make the throws, so it’s a challenge for us.”
(On if they go back and look at any of his college play) “Well, my wife went to The University of
Tennessee, so I try to stay away from that.”
(On LB Shaq Quarterman’s hit on RB Derrick Henry that made him fumble last game against the Titans)
“When you look at it, in the first quarter, we didn’t play the way we were supposed to play, and Shaq
came in, and it was an opportunity for him to get on the field, and he got there, and he made a huge
play for us, momentum-changing play. I think that did spark us, and we’ve had guys like that all year step
up. Dewey (S Andrew Wingard) steps up. You can think about Smoot (DL Dawuane Smoot) and Key (DL
Arden Key) and other guys step up. It’s a team where everybody has to pitch in and do their part, and
when guys get chances, we’ve been lucky they’ve been able to play well.”
(On if when a guy that doesn’t play as much makes a big play energizes the team more) “The thing about
it is, when you’re a starter, you’re a starter. When you’re a backup, you want to be that starter. I was a
backup for a while in the league, and you understand that when you get that opportunity, you’re giving
everything you’ve got. Shaq is that type of player. He’s a guy that comes to work every day, he gets
better, and he works on his craft, he’s improved playing special teams, he’s making plays when he’s out
there. Guys know that, and guys pull for guys that want a chance. He’s one of those guys, and you can
see that when it happened on the sideline, you could see the energy of everybody understanding that
he made a play for us, so let’s take advantage of it.”
(On if the way they stopped the run after the first quarter last matchup can carry over to this game)
“You go back and you look at it, and you understand that when it didn’t work in the first half, the
mistakes you made, you correct those, and you go out and just trust your technique. You go out there,
and you understand you’re supposed to be in a gap, it’s your job to get in the gap. Understand your
technique, get in the gap, and when you get there, everybody in their gaps, and the defense will be
successful.”
(On if covering the gaps was the big difference in the change of defensive play in the last matchup) “It’s
always that. It’s gap soundness, understanding the scheme, and guys playing with emotion, playing with
excitement. We do that, we play hard, we just have to make sure that we’re doing it all 11 on the same
page at the same time.”
(On if his approach changes any with the Titans playing QB Josh Dobbs instead of QB Ryan Tannehill)
“You go back and you look at it, and Tannehill, former receiver in college, he’s a mobile quarterback. All
three of them are mobile quarterbacks, so the same element of quarterback run game, you have to be
prepared for. You just go back and you look, arm strength, Tannehill has it, Malik (QB Malik Willis) has it,
Dobbs has it. They’re NFL quarterbacks, and you just have to understand that they can make all the NFL
throws, and they can hurt you with their legs. We understand that and just have to have a good plan for
it.”
(On if it makes play action less effective with an inexperienced quarterback) “I don’t think so. When you
look at the game, you see they’re still running their offense, and their offense is based off of Derrick
Henry. He runs the ball, and off of that, you’re geared up to stop the run, so play action becomes
something that you want to do. I think they will continue to do it, but we have to understand that, have
to have our eyes in the right place, read our keys, and get in our gaps but also understand, see what gets
us out of our gaps.”
(On what he learned from the scouting department about QB Josh Dobbs) “Really, I didn’t go to them,
they came to us. That’s the thing about in the NFL, we all work this together. The scouting department,
they went back and did the research of when they scouted him coming out of college, and they just
brought the information, whatever scores, whatever he did well in college. We put together the cut-ups
of him in the preseason and things like that, so we have a good understanding of what he does, but at
the end of the day, they’ll have a plan, we’ll have a plan, we’ll make adjustments, they’ll make
adjustments, and you go out there, and let’s go.”
(On how helpful it is to have someone like LB Foye Oluokun who leads the league in tackles for the
second year in a row) “It’s always good. Just like having a strong quarterback out there, it builds
confidence with the team. We have a strong defensive leader, and it builds confidence. I always call it,
he’s an eraser. If a guy makes a mistake or a guy is out of a certain gap, he can erase that mistake, and
that’s what linebackers are doing, and he’s one of the best.”
(On if LB Foye Oluokun gets enough respect around the NFL) “No. No.”
(On what has sparked all the confidence and swag that the defense has been playing with) “I think guys
are just enjoying being around each other, and they’re growing closer together, and they’re playing for
one another. When you play for your brother next to you, excitement just picks up. In this day and age,
everybody wants to celebrate. I don’t know if Tyson (CB Tyson Campbell) was riding a bike or a horse or
something, he might have been dancing, but we want to see him dance some more.”
(On seeing more growth from OLB Travon Walker) “I think when you look at it, at the outside linebacker,
you have the ability to stand up in the two-point or go down to a three-point. Wherever he’s
comfortable getting off the ball, that’s what he’s doing. You’re seeing just his overall growth as a player.
He’s continued to improve. It was good to get him back last week, and we’re looking for good things out
of him this week.”
(On if he has thought about switching to a 4-3 defense next season, given the personnel that the team
has) “At the end of the day, you always put your personnel out there that’s best-suited to win the game,
and right now, we’re happy with the guys we have playing and the roles they’re playing, so we’re going
to continue to do that, and next year is way down the line.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2023
(On if he thinks Doug Pederson will be coach of the year and why does he think he should get
consideration) “I think so! I think Coach 100 percent should be in the conversation and could win the
award. You look at what he’s done here, the energy, not only the Xs and Os and football stuff, but just
the energy, the culture that we’ve created here. Obviously, he’s had a huge part in bringing here. It’s
tough to do, especially in the first year and a bunch of new people. I just can’t say enough about the job
he’s done and how much I love playing for him and appreciate him, so 100 percent, I think he should be
in that conversation.”
(On if he thinks the game will be like last time where the Titans load up on the run and make him be the
one to make all the plays or if it is hard to know what to expect because of the Titans injuries) “It’s
tough. Exactly. You don’t really know exactly what they’re going to do, and I think especially when
you’re playing a team for the second time, a division opponent, the second time you play them, usually
there’s some adjustments and things. You go off of the tape that you have and what you put together
and what you think is a good plan, and you make adjustments as the game goes on. I would think that
they’re a team that’s really, really good at stopping the run anyways without loading the box. They have
a really good front seven. That’s something where I don’t know exactly what they’re going to do. It’s
hard to say, so we’ll just have to see what they do and adjust. They’ve definitely got a challenge for us. I
know they’ll have some guys back and some other guys in there, so we’ll just have to see who suits up
on Sunday, and no matter who it is, we have to execute on our end, and that’s the biggest thing.”
(On if it feels good to be back playing these big games like he did in college) “Yeah, it feels good knowing
what we had to do to get here, but also, the job’s not finished. We have to win this game to get in, and
then moving forward, we kind of get what we earn every week. We’re embracing that. I think that’s kind
of how it’s been for us. Like I’ve said before, it’s been like that for us for the past month, really. The
team’s responded well to that. I’m proud of the situation we’ve put ourselves in. It wasn’t easy to get in
this spot, especially the way we started the season, and here we are with an opportunity to win the
division. This is the only game that matters right now, and we’re just putting everything we have right
now into scoring just one more point than them. That’s all that matters is winning the game. That’s what
we’re focusing on. Like you said, it feels good to be in a big time game like this. The city has a lot of
energy, and everybody’s excited, so we’re excited for that, but at the end of the day, you can’t make it
bigger than it is. We’ve still got to go out there and execute and play well.”
(On how he decided to get his offensive linemen watches) “You kind of think about things. I try to think
about it a little bit before; in the season it’s crazy, so try to think about what would they like. There’s so
many of them, too, you can’t go too crazy, but also you can’t get them some flip flops or something,
especially the job they’ve done this year. They’ve done a great job protecting me. Either way I’d get
them something nice, but they’ve done a great job. Last year I think I got them golf clubs, something
they can use. I try to get them something everybody would like no matter who you are. They’re all
different. Like a watch, everybody can use a nice watch. Golf clubs, maybe a few guys don’t golf, but
everyone probably goes out at some point get invited somewhere to play. You can’t win them all. I think
they liked it.”
(On which player had the best reaction to the gifts) “The guys loved it. I think Shatley (OL Tyler Shatley)
was good. Bartch (OL Ben Bartch), always. Bartch is always, his reactions are always great. He was
pumped up. Coy Cronk (OL) was a surprising one, maybe for you guys, his reaction was good, too.”
(On how critical all the healing the team has done over the summer and season was after the Monday
Night Football tragedy this week) “Just speaking on that, I think it’s scary for everybody to see that. You
just hate that something like this happens to someone, especially a guy like Damar (Buffalo Bills DB
Damar Hamlin), a guy I played against in college I think twice. Just a tragedy. Our prayers and our
thoughts are with him and his family. It’s scary for us that play the game. Even coaches and everyone
that has played the game, and even people like the stadium full of people that witnessed that, and it’s
just scary. It really puts things into perspective. That’s the main thing. It puts it into perspective. Life is
fragile, and you just never know what could happen. It is scary, but I think, like you asked about, our
group being close, I think that helps when you go through things like this. Coach talked about his brother
passing away last year and just what got him through it was the people around him, and that’s kind of
how we look at it is when things happen like this, you just rally around each other and you just seek that
comfort of the people around you whether that’s family, friends. Luckily here we have a bunch of
teammates and coaches that care about you and are in this with you. Definitely a tough situation. I think
everyone that is involved in any way in football and even if you’re not is feeling what happened on
Monday. Definitely not an easy thing. I think that relationship part of it is huge when dealing with
something like that. That’s really never been something that people have had to deal with before.
Definitely the relationships, you appreciate and makes you realize how much you appreciate those
people around you, too, because you just never know what could happen.”
(On if how connected this group is and if it’s different than other groups he’s been a part of) “I really do
think it is. I’ve been on a lot of teams, obviously only two in the NFL but just the way this group has
gotten tighter and tighter, regardless of the circumstances, whether it’s adversity or winning or
whatever it is, I think just the way we’ve gotten closer and closer and really have kept our focus the
whole season has been impressive and just, it’s somewhere where I think everyone can say they love
coming to work everyday, love being around each other. The coaches, Coach McCoy (Quarterbacks
Coach Mike McCoy), Doug (Head Coach Doug Pederson), Press (Offensive Coordinator Press Taylor),
everybody. We love being around each other, we’re appreciative of each other, and I think that’s
something that we recognize, too, and all the work that goes into it, it’s nice to see some benefits from
it and be in the position we are this week. It’s a really fun group, and it’s been fun to get to work with
them everyday.”
(On if he felt like this team had something special, even after the horrible October, because of how they
handled October) “I always thought this group was really, really good, obviously on the field talent-wise,
but also just the way we work, just how resilient everyone is, and that was really tested earlier in the
year. After those game without a win, five-game losing streak, and nobody panicked, nobody pointed
the finger, and I think that’s something where—and we talked about it, too, after three or four of those
games—this is where a lot of teams start to divide, and you start pointing the finger, and people start
looking for ways out, and we never did that. We knew how close we were. You look at all those games,
one score games, and really just a lot of them, it was our own mistakes where we gave away the game.
We knew how close we were and that that rock would eventually break, and it did, and I think that’s a
testament to the consistency and the work we put in. It doesn’t always show right away, but eventually
it will.”
(On if that is also a reflection of the messaging from Head Coach Doug Pederson) “One hundred percent.
It starts from the top down. If you’re not aligned with what your leader’s saying, it’s hard to go
somewhere. It’s hard to go far, especially. The leadership that he’s brought, just the consistency, I’ve
said that before. He’s the same person every day, whether we won or lost, we lost five in a row, we’ve
won however many in a row, he’s the same way every day, and I think that’s something that we’ve all
rallied behind and we’ve kind of adopted that as players. Just go, put the work in, trust your process,
show up, play on Sunday, and that’s all you can do, and that’s what we’ve done every week and got
ourselves in a good position.”
(On the role WR Marvin Jones Jr. has played in helping him develop) “We’re really close, spending two
years together now, and just have a lot of experiences from last season, too, to draw from, we got close.
We sat by each other on the plane ride home on all those away games last year. I sit by C.J. (QB C.J.
Beathard) this year. We had a lot of conversations. Just talking to him, a guy with that much experience
that’s played that much football, seen a lot of things, it’s kind of invaluable just all the things that you
can learn from him then the experience, too, for the receiver room now, you have some younger guys,
then you bring in Christian (WR Christian Kirk) and Zay (WR Zay Jones) and all those guys and how they
work together and communicate and talk. He’s a guy that’s just, that I’ve always trusted, especially on
the field and off the field, obviously, too, but just a guy that I’ve had a lot of trust in since really, day one
last year. We built that relationship, and I think that shows. He’s my security blanket when all else fails,
Marvin’s always there and making the play.”
(On if Head Coach Doug Pederson’s recent Super Bowl title gave him some instant credibility with the
team when he got here) “I think everyone really bought in pretty quick, but I do think he did a good job
of, just because, we all really respect that. That’s obviously something that’s easy to respect, someone
that’s won a Super Bowl, especially recently and one as a coach and one as a player, so you respect that.
You know he knows how to do it he’s been there before, but also he never assumed anything about
that. He earned the respect from us by the way he came in every day, was consistent. He really started
from the ground up. He didn’t come in talking about his Super Bowl. That’s not how he addressed us and
how he started off that relationship. He came in talking about what our culture was going to be, what
we needed to do to get to where we wanted to be, all those things, and just took it step by step.
Obviously, everyone knows he’s won a Super Bowl. He doesn’t really have to say it, so I think that’s
something you don’t really have to say when you’ve done something like that, everyone knows it and
respects it, and that’s not really something that he’s used a ton, but he has said some similarities of
what great teams have because he’s been on some great teams. He talks about a lot of that. He’s done a
great job.”
(On if it is more difficult managing a game outside people say doesn’t matter or a game that people are
saying is the biggest regular season game ever for the franchise) “I think it’s the same. It really is. To us,
last week’s game wasn’t meaningless. I think you see the way we played and controlled the game.
We’ve known that this game was coming for a while, that this is where we wanted to be, Week 18.
Coach Pederson said it a few weeks ago, ‘I’ve got a crystal ball. This thing’s going to come down to Week
18, and we’re going to have a shot.’ We all jumped on board. We believed it. We kept putting in the
work, and we’re here now. We knew this was coming, but we had to take care of business every week to
get here. That’s the same thing this week. We have to stay in the moment. We have to do what we’ve
been doing, prepare the same way, put together a great game plan, got to know it, obviously, go out
and play the game, and that’s what we’ve been able to do, and we’ve been able to execute. The same
things that won the other ones are going to win this one. We’ve just got to play well and out-execute
them.”
(On how important the players who have played in the postseason before have been this week) “I just
think that experience of them playing for so many years, they’ve been through so many seasons,
whether that’s playoffs or whatever, the same thing, we have a lot of even-keel, level-headed guys that
no matter the occasion will—and too, I’ll say first of all, guys like them and Marv (WR Marvin Jones Jr.),
they rise to the occasion. That’s when they play their best, when the game is on the line, and you’ve
seen that with Marvin throughout this year and in the past in his career, too. Same thing with Brandon
(OL Brandon Scherff), but that’s because they’re the same guy. They’re level-headed. They don’t get too
high or too low no matter the moment, and I think all of us younger players and especially like rookies
this year, we can all learn from guys like that that have had a bunch of success in their career and have
played really well in big moments.”
(On if he knows anything about the heartbreaking loss to the Titans in 1999) “I was three months old? I
don’t remember watching that one. I don’t know, wasn’t familiar with that game. I need to go do some
research. I’ll look it up though, Gene, thank you.”
