JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2023
(On if the schedule he made leading up the Saturday night game worked out the way he had hoped and
can be similar this week) “Going back to the Houston game, being able to get some guys out of that
football game to get them a little bit of rest going into that Tennessee week. Everything went well. We
had a good week of preparation, guys handled it. Even thought it was a little bit of a shorter time frame
for us, but the guys handled it well. Good week of prep. Did a nice job. They’re comfortable with that
schedule.”
(On having a conference loaded with great quarterbacks) “It’s exciting. It’s exciting for the game. It’s
exciting for fans, the league, the whole thing to have these young quarterbacks who are year in, year out
vying for these postseason spots, and now Trevor (QB Trevor Lawrence) gets his opportunity. It just goes
to show you how important that position is, as we know. We’re just fortunate and blessed to have
Trevor as our guy and how much he’s improved over the course of the season leading this football team.
Really looking forward to watching him now on this type of stage. Last week was a step for him.
Obviously, now this is another step in that direction. The list you mentioned, particularly in the AFC, it’s
a good group.”
(On the current quarterback ages around 23 to 27 years old compared to quarterback legends) “Right
there, it’s kind of the same thing. All those guys back then, a lot of them were in the league when I was
playing as a rookie or first year player. Got a chance to watch these guys firsthand. We’re kind of fast
forwarding now into where we are today, and it’s kind of very similar. These guys are all very capable
men to win these type of football games. That’s why it’s exciting this time of year.”
(On if guys now are more prepared because of the camps and training resources that younger players
have available to them) “There’s a lot more exposure, obviously, with these younger guys today.
Whether they’re prepared or not, it just depends on when you get them and how you coach them up. I
do think that their exposure to the social media and media in general, kind of prepares them a little bit
for what’s at stake. Kind of magnifies and amplifies the games just a little bit. But these guys are as
prepared as the older veteran guys years ago were. It’s still the same excitement.”
(On if he has any concerns about the offense being a little flat the past few weeks) “Not concerned, but
we’ve got to do a job this week in preparation. We’ve got to get our guys prepared, and we’ve got to get
them focused in a little bit for whatever reason. I’m not concerned from the standpoint of we’ve kind of
been through it this season. Obviously, now is not the time to take a step back, but really looking
forward to this week of preparation for this game Saturday night.”
(On how much the Chargers have changed since Week 3 when they played them the first time) “That
was a long time ago. There’s some new faces on their side. There’s some new faces on our side.
Schematically, probably both the same with us and with them. Again, we’ve talked about it a lot, you’re
not going to trick anybody. It just comes down to execution, both sides, them and us. I’m looking
forward to it, watching our guys on this type of stage. We haven’t been there, this team, and obviously,
it’ll be a great atmosphere, home game for us and really looking forward to watching our guys perform.”
(On if he relies more on the Week 3 tape or recent tape when he is preparing for this game) “I think you
go back and you watch it and you see, just from an Xs and Os standpoint and personnel standpoint kind
of how we attack them and how they attacked us, both sides of the ball and special teams. Then you
kind of look at the whole body of work since, and if there’s anything that’s changed and why it’s
changed, and then you put your game plan together that way and according to that. It’s a good football
team. They’ve got a great young quarterback as well, and I know they’ll be ready to go. They’re looking
forward to this opportunity just like we are.”
(On when he started to earn the players trust) “I think it started back in the offseason when we got
together for the first couple days in April. I just wanted them, kind of the biggest thing, was to get to
know me. Really, not as the head coach but just as a guy, obviously in the head coaching role, but just to
see that how they could gain my trust, and that was to be open and honest and transparent with them.
Just show them exactly how the offseason program was going to go. Gave them a calendar from day one
that said, ‘Hey, these are the days we’re going to work, these are the days you’re going to be off.’ You
just slowly start gaining their trust. As we got into it, I think that’s when their tension maybe eased a
little bit, and they got more comfortable with who I am and who I was at the time, and it just builds. It
just builds from there. The more honest I can be, and I’ll be honest with them in a way that, from a
correction standpoint right on the field. I’ll be honest with them if they act up off the field. I’ll just keep
presenting the same message the whole time, and I think that slowly gains their trust as we headed into
training camp and obviously through the season.”
(On if giving some of the veterans minicamp off earned him some brownie points) “You look back at it
now, and you go, ‘Did those three days matter?’ Quite frankly, sometimes your team is a little bit
different in the spring than they are sitting here mid-January. Stuff like that can go a long way to building
team unity, team camaraderie, and it kind of catapults you into camp.”
(On when the team earned his trust) “My trust? I really felt it coming into training camp with this group.
Still a work in progress, obviously, but again, the more we got to know each other. They got to know me,
I got to know them, and the more time we spent together is when things really began to click and felt
like you had a good, cohesive group. We kind of had moved on from the past and we were focused on
the upcoming year.”
(On if it feels rewarding working on trust to get to this point in the season) “I really think that’s why
we’re here. Being able to work through some of those issues and challenges back then and that’s part of
this game. I’ve got to be able to trust the players just like they’ve got to be able to trust me, not only on
the field, but off the field as well. Then, the players have to trust each other on the football field and off
the football field as well. All those things that we went through, what they went through, has prepared
us for moments like this.”
(On the team’s ability to win in different ways) “A win is a win is a win. It’s hard to win in this league, and
I don’t care how you do it. The bottom line is, you got to try to figure out a way and sometimes you’re
going to score 40, sometimes you’re going to score 20 or 10. Sometimes the offense is hot, and
sometimes they’re not. Defense is smoking or special teams or whoever it might be. That was the type
of game it was this past Saturday. That’s a good football team that we played and look, they were
playing for the same things we were playing for. That was a win-and-in scenario. It wasn’t our best
offensively, we know that, but it was one of our best games defensively and on special teams. That’s just
how football seasons go, that’s how teams go. This time of year, it really doesn’t matter. As long as you
figure out a way to win that game.”
(On the defense making big plays in recent games) “I think again, it just comes down to the trust factor
within the unit. Trusting the coordinator or play caller to make the call and it may not be the best call at
the time, but the players seem to make it work. That’s when you know you got a team that believes in
what you’re doing. They’re growing together as a unit. You’re seeing it with the defense, and you’re
seeing it with the offense, special teams. They kind of started a little bit sooner than the other two units,
but now you’re seeing it as a team. That’s the important thing. Again, you talk about peaking at the right
time, well, that started for us in December and now here in early January where you’re starting to come
together and figure some things out.”
(On advice for players when preparing for a night game) “I just told them to get off their feet, to rest,
take a nap, maybe watch some more tape. Whatever they can do. I didn’t want them running around
town or spending a lot of time at home with family and friends. Sometimes that can pull you away and
drain you a little bit mentally as well. Just if they could get away and take some time for themselves, and
then get over here and get ready to play. It’s a long day. We got together. We did some meetings and
things like that on game day. For the most part, guys did a nice job of just handling their particular
business.”
(On if the arrival time for the team changed last Saturday) “No, nope. Just kept the schedule the same,
didn’t change up. I’m not a big believer in changing just because we have a big game or now a
postseason game. Just keep everything the same, but advise them, in these moments, you don’t want
your emotions to control you. You’ve got to control the emotion, and that’s what they did.”
(On players performing the best they have at this point in the season) “Again, it just shows that they’re
buying into what the defense and what Mike (Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell) has been talking
about and the scheme. It takes time; it takes a little time to gel as a unit. Sometimes it’s faster,
sometimes it’s slower, but it takes time. You’re now seeing that and sticking with it and you’re not
reinventing the wheel on offense or defense. You’re sticking to your game plan for the season and what
you’re trying to accomplish for that week. The players have just bought into that and that’s the trust
factor that you talk about.”
(On what’s been seen by DL Corey Peters as a late addition) “Veteran guy. He’s played a lot of football.
Really, somebody that’s really kind of anchored the center of that D-line. You’re starting to see his
impact. He had a great game the other night, and it was good to see. It was good to see him, good to see
Roy (DL Roy Robertson-Harris), good to see D-Ham (DT DaVon Hamilton), those guys play well and play
well together. He’s just a humble guy that takes his snaps when he can get them. He makes the most of
his opportunity and he’s been a really good leader for that group.”
(On the conversation of acquiring DL Corey Peters) “Yeah, we had a conversation about it. Obviously,
Brentson Buckner (Defensive Line Coach Brentson Buckner) has got some familiarity with him and
coached him before. We had those meetings and those conversations, and we felt like he would be a
good addition to the room.”
(On having someone who has had playoff experience talk to the team this week) “It’s always a
possibility. I haven’t thought about that yet, but it is nice to have guys that have had some postseason
experience. Guys that you can lean on and just kind of voice their feelings on how to handle situations. I
did it back in 2017 and 2018 and had some of those guys talk to the team. Sometimes now, you get to
this late in the year, they’re tired of listening to me. Listen to their teammates a little bit. Just too, how
those guys prepare during the week and how they handle their week because for us, postseason started
last week. Everything from last week on is a win-and-continue scenario. Guys like that can bring a lot of
information to the rest of the team.”
