JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2024
(On whether the plan was to score immediately on the Jaguars’ final drive) “Yeah, with the
time left, we had talked about it on the sideline to kind of slow the pace there at the end,
you know, and it’s just something you have to try to do, right? If you can stay in bounds, you
stay in bounds. Or if it’s incomplete, you play another down, whatever it is. But the bottom
line is we still needed to score and I felt good with the way our defense had played, they
would give us a shot.”
(On whether Jaguars RB D’Ernest Johnson was the first read on the final play) “Yeah, he’s
the first read. Great play by [Eagles LB Nakobe Dean].”
(On whether he could have used more of the clock on the final drive and have every play in
the playbook open to run) “I don’t understand the question, but I guess yes. I mean, you
have a minute and 40 something left on the clock. I think it was first down, something like
that. It’s still part of our red zone game plan. It wasn’t like we were forcing a throw into the
end zone. I’m saying it was part of our red zone game plan. So great play by [Eagles LB
Nakobe Dean].”
(On how much Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. was impacted by the injury) “I don’t think a
whole lot. If you watch the game, they clouded him quite a bit.”
(On whether Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is still getting used to some of the wide receivers
and whether that impacts the play call) “No, it doesn’t impact the way we do anything.
That’s why you practice during the week. You put these guys in situations to hopefully go
out and make plays, but it didn’t impact anything offensively.”
(On the team battling but not coming out on the right side) “It’s tough. It’s tough. We have to
just keep fighting.”
(On their comeback in the second half and what it says about their performance in the first
half) “It’s a resilient group. Hats off. Some guys played banged up. [Jaguars RG] Brandon
Scherff, my hat’s off to him. He played hurt all game. [Jaguars OL] Anton [Harrison] goes
back into the game. It’s that time of the year. Guys are going to be sore and guys are going to
be hurting. But my hat’s off to those guys for hanging in there.”
(On Jaguars OL Cooper Hodges and S Daniel Thomas’ status) “[Jaguars OL] Cooper
[Hodges], I know they took him to the hospital just to check it out. But as far as that, that’s
all I really know right now, and [Jaguars S Daniel Thomas] came back.”
(On the Jaguars’ identity at this point of the season) “I’m not one to kind of settle on that.
I’m going to keep working. I’m going to keep challenging players, and we have to get better.
So I’m not going to settle on the fact that, you know, it is what it is, obviously, but, we’re
going to roll up our sleeves and go to work and try to keep it moving and try to fix it already.
Let me think. First down, second down, third down. I guess we just need to coach better.”
(On whether it comes down to execution and what they can do better) “Coach better.”
(On the big plays the Jaguars had in the second half of today’s game) “Those are just great
plays. I mean, on the run it was a draw, and there were opportunities, but, you know, credit
them. I mean they made the plays. A heck of a catch in the back of the end zone. Great run,
yeah, good plays by them.”
(On what the players’ attitude is after today’s game) “They’re hurting. They’re disappointed
like I am. Frustrated. So yeah.”
(On how the team processes the results from a close loss similar to last week) “Well, it’s
hard to process when you lose, right? But I do think there are some great players out there.
And that’s one of them, [Jaguars DE] Travon’s [Walker] play, obviously. We capitalize on two
2-point conversions in the game. So, there are some good plays, you know? It’s just not
consistent enough.”
JAGUARS QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2024
(On the team’s resiliency late in the game) “I was proud of the team; the way we fought and
hung in there, and obviously we weren’t playing well for most of the game, especially early,
and we kept fighting, we were resilient, and it’s tough, you know, you can find a way to get
back in the game, and you have an opportunity, and it finishes that way. But I mean, really,
I’m super proud to be a part of that group, and it’s got a lot of fight, and we just have to find
a way to finish these games. You know, we’ve had so many one score games that haven’t
gone our way, because some plays down the stretch, and so it’s tough.”
(On what the look was on the game-sealing interception) “Yeah, they were doing a nice job
of mixing it up on defense. But, you know, [we] kind of started to get some more man
towards the end there. We hit some big plays. Just the one when we hit [Jaguars WR Austin
Trammell], took advantage of that and got down there. And then, you know, we kind of, it
was a play [based] off of what we did earlier, and we did some stuff with the running back
and some option routes, and we tried to go over the top. And just have to give credit to
[Eagles LB Nakobe Dean] – did a great job. [Eagles LB] Nakobe [Dean] did a great job
making that play. And it’s just tough when it finishes that way. You know, when I threw it, I
thought we’d have a shot, left it a touch inside, and [Dean] got his eyes back. You know, a
lot of times those linebackers don’t get their eyes back and play the ball, and I thought we’d
be able to go up and get it. And he did – he did a great job. Made a great play.”
(On how the Jaguars can improve on their slow starts) “We’ll look at everything, and it’s
been an issue, so it’s something we have to fix. We didn’t do anything in the first half. It was
just for one reason or another, there were a couple factors, but we have to improve there. I
mean, it’s just hard. I mean, obviously we gave ourselves a chance to come back and win
the game, but we had to have a lot of plays go our way, and we had to make a lot of plays
and put ourselves in a tough spot. And, you know, we shouldn’t have to do that every week.
So, we have to look at it and how do we start better? How do we just move the ball, get in a
rhythm? It seemed like we were just really stagnant at first and couldn’t possess the ball
and our defense was on the field a lot, so we have to get better at that.”
(On processing the first half and then having a chance. There are ups and downs but it
doesn’t seem extreme for them right now) “That was definitely extreme. I mean, you look at
our season, we’ve had times where we haven’t played well, for sure, but that was definitely
extreme tonight. But we have to take it for what it is. It happened. That was our
performance in the first half as an offense, and we have to figure out how we can get better.
Yeah, it’s frustrating, you know, when we felt like we had an opportunity and make the plays
to put us in a position to win the game. So, it’s tough. I’m frustrated, and I know I always
have to start with myself and what I can do better, and I can do a lot better. I didn’t bring my
best tonight and it’s definitely disappointing. This was a game we needed and we had a
shot. And just wish I would have got in the end zone there at the end.”
(On the close losses this year and how they stay positive) “We’ve done a good job with
where we’re at. We’re two and seven. There’s no quit in us. We’re fighting every week, we’re
giving ourselves a shot, and we’re not making just the last few plays. There’s obviously
plays that lead up to it. It’s not just one play, but the ones at the end, you know, all these
scores in this league, it all comes down to the end. And we’re just not finishing the games.
And we’re fighting to get back in it, like tonight, was unbelievable. Guys not quitting, put the
defense in a bunch of bad spots and just fighting their tail off to give us a shot and they did.
And then we started getting it going on offense finally. But I’m just, I probably sound
obviously disappointed, I am. Not disappointed in our team and the way we fought though,
and the effort and everything out there. I’m really disappointed honestly in myself, the way I
played. Felt like I didn’t give us enough of a chance to win. Didn’t feel like I made enough
plays, just some stuff that I can’t do. And I got to be better for us. So that’s what’s tough
now, is I felt like if I do some things better we win the game. So that’s a tough pill to swallow,
but I have to take accountability for that.”
(On how he came out of this physically) “A little beat up this time of the year, but relatively
alright. So, we’ll assess, obviously, tomorrow morning. Some soreness sets in, and we’ll
see what we’re dealing with. But I was able to finish the game and felt okay. And I know
there’s a lot of guys dealing with stuff, and we just have to keep pushing through. It’s that
time of the year, middle of the season, and it’s tough.”
(On why he was the last one coming out of the locker room after halftime) “Just trying to
make sure I’m alright in the second half and do everything I needed to do to get ready to go.
So, it took me a little longer coming out, but I got checked on and felt like I was fine to play
so, all good.”
(On how challenging it is to have so many changes to the offensive personnel) “Yeah, it’s a
good question. It’s challenging just because the continuity isn’t always there, but I have
give credit to those guys for being ready. I mean, guys have stepped up, and it’s not easy. I
hate that [Jaguars OL] Cooper [Hodges] went down today [with an injury], and it’s like he
was playing great, young guy that had to step up and was ready to go. And it’s like another
injury, and it’s tough, and we just have to battle through it and stick together. And I think the
guys are doing that, and guys are ready to play. You see guys that don’t get many reps
because there’s only so many reps, there’s only so much time during the week, and they’re
ready to go. Receivers obviously had to step up today, and those guys did that and made
plays. I mean, it is hard though, honestly it is. There is some difficulty with not having the
chemistry and not having some of the timing. But at the end of the day, I have to trust those
guys, and I do, and they made plays for me, and I just have to be consistently better as well.
There are times I just have to sit in there and deliver the ball and make some better throws.
You know, missed a couple today and a big one on third-down near midfield, one that was
in the fourth quarter at some point. So, I have to be better for them and just be the guy that I
need to be for this team.”
(On whether he worries the team will start to accept the outcome of games) “I don’t think
so. I don’t think that’s the case. We’re playing some good teams, and we’re putting
ourselves in bad positions, and we’re still fighting and having a chance at the very end.
We’re that close. So, I think if guys were accepting that, or I’m not saying that, you’re saying
quitting, but guys are just accepting that. I don’t think you’d see that. I mean, guys are
extremely disappointed. I think it’s just been the same thing so many times this season that
it’s frustrating because you feel like, honestly, you feel like you’re going to break through it.
You’ve had this adversity, and this is the week we’re going to break through it. And we
thought this was the week, and didn’t get it done, didn’t finish. So, it is frustrating, but we
know it’s going to turn. We have to keep working. That’s all you can do.”
EAGLES HEAD COACH NICK SIRIANNI
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2024
(On balancing aggressive play calling with wanting results) “We’ve done pretty good with
those in the past. You always think about everything. You think about who you have. You
think about your past experiences with it. You always look at the analytics of it. We’ve been
pretty good with those. Today they did a good job. And I’ll look at everything. In the moment
I’m always doing what I think is best for the football team. Today it didn’t work. That’s the
way it goes. That’s the hat I have to wear. When we get a fourth down and we convert a
fourth down, nothing is really said. When we don’t, I understand there will be questions.
Again, I have to be able to have the balls to do that really at the end of the day and say, ‘Am I
doing everything I can do to help us win the game?’ In those moments I thought I was, but
I’ll go back and relook at them. I’m always going to be hypercritical of myself. When it
doesn’t work, I’m definitely going to think even more about it. So, I’m just happy with the
way the guys played. I thought we played with great fundamentals today. I will be interested
to see what our tackling numbers are coming out of today. I thought [LB] Zack Baun tackled
his butt off. [S] Reed [Blankenship] had some good tackles; [DB] Coop [Cooper DeJean].
We caught the ball well. There were some unbelievable catches both offensively and
defensively with a lot of things that we talk about. We took the ball away well. I’ll get some
clarification on [RB] Saquon [Barkley]’s fumble, but I thought we took care of the ball and
[QB] Jalen [Hurts] did a great job taking care of the football. I thought our fundamentals we
work so hard on were really on point today, which helped us get the win today. It’s tough to
win.”
(On what he thought of RB Saquon Barkley’s backwards hurdle) “It was the best play I’ve
ever seen. And I had no choice but to give him — I’ve been giving out game balls this year
for special plays. Obviously, [LB] Nakobe [Dean] gets one. Ends the game with I guess
would you call it a walk-off interception? It guess you would call it that. Even though you’ve
got to take three knees. They should allow you to go to the next play. But Saquon’s play,
what I think is so cool, is there are going to be kids all over the country and all over
Philadelphia — I really think about that — trying to make that play and talking about that
play and simulating that play as they play backyard football or Pee Wee Football. They
aren’t going to be able to make it because I think he’s the only one in the world that can do
that. I’m speechless. It was unbelievable, and the way the crowd — when I looked up, like I
thought I saw what I saw. As a coach you’re looking at the line sometimes, looking at the
secondary, looking at the defense. And so, I thought I saw it, but when I looked up at the big
screen and the crowd reacted to it, it was unbelievable. I can’t say enough about how
athletic he is.”
(On if RB Saquon Barkley better than he had initially thought) “We knew he was special.
Just when you’re preparing to play against special players in this league, they tend to take
so much of your time up of you thinking about them and you preparing to stop them. So, we
knew he was special. I think when you’re around him on a daily basis it’s safe to say, yes,
that he’s even more special than I could have even imagined. It’s with everything though. I
can’t say enough about Saquon the leader, the worker, the teammate. It was just
unbelievable that play. I think it’s fair to say that he’s even more special than I ever
thought.”
(On the sequence that led to WR A.J. Brown leaving the field in the third quarter before the
offense had gone onto the field) “I’m going to get more information. I haven’t met with the
medical staff yet. I’ll get more information here on him. I hope he’s okay. He’s obviously one
of our best players and we missed him out there. I thought [WR] DeVonta [Smith] did an
unbelievable job in his absence. We have two go-to guys. DeVonta got more balls his way
and he made some unreal plays. I heard the catch that he made in the back of the end
zone, and then [WR] Jahan [Dotson]’s catch, my goodness. There were some plays today
that will live on in the sports world of Philadelphia for a long time. They were great individual
plays by these guys. You can talk about the fundamentals of how you catch things and how
you get to your back when you’re going to the ground and this and that, but man, for him to
get his hand on it. That’s two weeks in a row that Jalen has put a perfect ball on him in tight
coverage and that Smitty [Devonta Smith] made a spectacular play. And so, man, some
special plays made. Shoot, we haven’t talked about the defense yet. Who has a defense
question?”
(On if DE Bryce Huff is healthy) “Bryce came off the field after warm-ups. Again, I won’t talk
too much about injury, but his hand was bothering him, and he was getting treatment in the
locker room after warmups. So, we were trying to protect him there.”
(On his thoughts on LB Zack Baun and LB Nakobe Dean’s play) “I think the moment we
drafted Nakobe the excitement was there. I remember coming down with you guys in there
and I was yelling about how excited we were. And it’s been a long road. He’s had to battle —
one, he was behind two really good players when he was a rookie, and he played on special
teams. And then last year, he had an injury that sidelined him. I think we’ve all just had a
ton of confidence in Nakobe and he continues to get better. I can’t remember if I told you
guys this or not, but there isn’t a night that he’s not in there just grinding. I think one thing
that makes him special is his mind and leadership. He’s constantly working on that. I’m
walking downstairs late one evening and he’s still in there watching tape. He has a special
work ethic, which allows him to make special plays like he did today. And then Zack Baun,
he’s just a really good athlete. I know he was a great special teams player for the Saints and
did some of the things that we’re doing with him now, but he’s such a good athlete that he
gets guys down in the open field. He makes great tackles. Now he’s taking the ball away.
And with special plays. That catch was a really good catch. The linebackers are the guys
getting everybody on the same page and are in a lot of plays, and I think our guys are doing
well. And our backups, we’ve got a lot of confidence in them as well. It’s so much fun when
the work that you do in the dark shows up in the light. I really see that from those two guys,
of all the work they put in.”
(On if the Jaguars defense was doing anything to make him lose confidence in a sneak play
on fourth-and-inches) “They did a good job. Any time you get stuffed on it you think twice
and try to go a different route. You know, they got us. They did a good job of it. We’re going to
have to do a better job as coaches helping them succeed. We’ve worked really hard at that
play. That play has been our bread and butter and it didn’t work tonight. What do we do as
coaches? We’ll look at the tape and see where we made a mistake as far as execution, but
we will look at ourselves as coaches first and see where we can help them out in those
scenarios. Again, you always, hindsight, you look through it and say, ‘shoot,’ we didn’t get it
here. Now the third time we did it, obviously we didn’t run that play. We tried to get around
the outside and it didn’t work. We’ll be hypercritical on ourselves, but good job to
Jacksonville for getting that play stopped. To be quite honest with you, not a lot of people
have been able to stop that, and they did a good job. We’re probably going to have to be
ready to see that again.”
(On how rare it is to have two rookie defensive backs play at a high-level) “I just go back to
how calm and cool these guys are. And going back to Q [CB Quinyon Mitchell], when we
watched him at the Senior Bowl, he didn’t back down to anything. That’s all I’ve seen, just
calm, confident in himself, really good football player. Same thing with Coop [Cooper
DeJean]. Coop has just this competitive energy, and I think they’re both energy givers and
they’re making a lot of plays. That’s huge, right? I look back on the couple of the draft picks.
[RB] Will Shipley makes an unbelievable play on special teams today. The draft picks are
doing a great job. Then we talk about [LB] Zack Baun and what he’s done as far as a free
agent. Feel like we have added to our team. [Executive Vice President/General Manager]
Howie [Roseman] has done a great job of adding to our football team and helping us get
better. So just, again, pumped for those guys, 33 and 27. You know, they’re playmakers, and
hopefully we get to see them here in Philadelphia for a long time.”
(On how much the success of the running game has helped out the defense in the last four
weeks) “I think that’s a good question. I think when you’re able to — like we were able to
extend the drive. We gave the ball back to them, but in Cincinnati we had the ball for a long
time where the defense didn’t have to go back on the field. I think it all plays together. I
think we been explosive in the run game. Any time you rush for over 200 yards, it takes
everybody. I think offensive line and Saquon is going to get the majority of the credit, as
they should, but then there is this outside zone we run to the side of Smitty [DeVonta
Smith], and Smitty’s so tough and physical. I know it’s crazy to say, he’s 175 pounds, he’s
physical. He got a great block on the perimeter to help. So, it takes everybody. When you’re
running the football like that and playing defenses like that, that just shows you team.
Again, it’s the best teams that win, not the best groups of individuals. I’m really proud of
those guys for that.”
(On what made the third-and-17 touchdown run the right call) “Good call by [Offensive
Coordinator] Kellen [Moore], right? A lot of preparation goes into that. I think sometimes
you can put the tape on and sometimes you look at it as a game flow and you watch the
game in the flow. Sometimes you watch cutups. That’s coaching. When you get to the third
and 15 [section of the tape study], you watch it intently and see what the right calls are
there. You’re not really expecting that you’re getting many of those, but we gave it to a
special player. Offensive line did special things. I’m sure we got good perimeter blocking
there. I didn’t see it. I’ll look at the tape, but I’m sure tomorrow when you ask me, I’ll say
this guy and this guy did a good job on the perimeter and Saquon is explosive. So, I just
thought Kellen made a great call in that area. [Passing Game Coordinator/Associate Head
Coach] Kevin Patullo has a lot to do with that call as well; he’s run that play in the past. So,
man, can’t say enough about our coaches and the job Kellen is doing, the job [Run Game
Coordinator/Offensive Line Jeff Stoutland] Stout is doing, the job [Defensive Coordinator]
Vic [Fangio] is doing, Kevin Patullo, [Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs] Christian
Parker. Man, I can’t go through and say everybody [on the coaching staff] – [Inside
Linebackers] Bobby King, [Senior Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line] Clint Hurtt,
[Defensive Ends/Outside Linebackers Jeremiah Washburn] Wash, [Tight Ends] Jason
Michael, [Running Backs/Assistant Head Coach] Jemal Singleton. They’re just doing a good
job of coaching these guys, and Howie has made it easier for us to coach these guys
because they’re good players. Sometimes that’s the secret of coaching, is have good
players.”
EAGLES QUARTERBACK JALEN HURTS
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2024
(On the response in the second half to win the game after the Jaguars made a run) “I think it
was a great effort. It ended the game. I think it came down to that. I have to watch the film
to really assess it. I think, situationally, we could have been better. I think we could have
executed better in some situations, handled some situations a little better, but I just can’t
get off of [Eagles LB] Nakobe [Dean] and the play he made at the end of the game. So a hell
of a play. A big time moment. In my perspective, you’re kind of gearing and trying to be
prepared. You play the next play, and you want to be ready for the guys out there. And it was
a tough one. We had to dig deep, different challenges that we had to face. I’m just proud
that we found a way in the end. I can’t say it was a complete complementary game full of
complementary football, but we found a way to win.”
(On what he thought of Eagles RB Saquon Barkley’s leap over the defender) “God has
blessed [Eagles RB] Saquon [Barkley] with some special things. I really genuinely pray he
continues to use those things and the fullness of him and give him the glory with that
because there’s special stuff he’s capable of doing. So we just need him to continue to be
that type of player.”
(On what he saw on the touchdown pass to Eagles WR DeVonta Smith) “Sometimes, I think
people don’t take notice of how much of a lack of vision a quarterback does have in certain
situations. And I didn’t have great vision on him, but I think it’s the number of times that
we’ve repped those types of routes. [I] have a feel for him. I think it’s a thing of connection
as well. And then put it in a spot where he can only get it, and then him making a hell of a
play. I think about something similar where we had that same type of play versus Dallas
last year. On the other side, something very similar, where he was able to get his toes down
and secure the catch. And I think out there tonight, we saw three outstanding plays by three
different individuals. It all helped us win the game. I’m happy that it gave us momentum, it
gave us spark, and I think we just need to continue to build off of that.”
(On the significance of Eagles RB Saquon Barkley’s performance on the night former Eagles
RB LeSean McCoy was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame) “I can’t give you too much on
that one. It is a great game for [Eagles RB] Saquon [Barkley].”
(On why the QB sneak has was not working) “I gave them a lot of credit this week when you
guys didn’t want to ask me questions about the defense. So it was a really good defense,
and they challenged us, and they showed up situationally up front. I said they had a great
front seven. They have really good edge rushers, and they affected the game. They posed a
challenge for us, not only on that play, but on a lot of other plays in the game too.”
(On what specifically he is referring to when he mentioned situationally it could have been
better) “Fourth down. How we execute those moments and how we manage those
moments. Then obviously, we want to end the game on our terms. I don’t think we did that. I
think that’s something that you don’t want to deal with. Not as a quarterback, and not as an
offense when you have an opportunity to do something. So we just need to learn from it. I
think the biggest takeaway for me – it’s an encouraging thing because to this point, we’ve
been able to learn from our mistakes. We’ve shown that we’ve grown, and we’ve continued
to excel. And I think there’ll be a lot of takeaways and other opportunities to learn from
what we experienced today, good, bad, or indifferent. So I think that we can’t be foolish
about it and let it be what it is. That’s not the approach. There’s no satisfaction in anything.
I’m not satisfied by anything. We had some great moments out there today, but there’s
more for us to do. Don’t be a fool and learn from mistakes. Let’s learn from them, and be
intentional about that, and give your best to put your best foot forward to continue to
progress and win.”
(On his vantage point on not having great vision on Eagles WR DeVonta Smith) “They can
play one high or two high, and it’s a different variation. With the two high, they can play
quarter quarter half, or just cover two, or just straight quarters or as a bracket, essentially.
Kind of something like man, but they were in quarters and had one-on-one outside, and a
lot of double moves are similar in the sense of timing, vision where your eyes are, and that
type of ball you want to throw when you’re in that fringe area, like 20 to 30.
I don’t remember what, but I think it’s 20 to 30 range, somewhere around there, some of
those balls got to get up and down. So, it was a ball that I got up and down. I didn’t have
great vision on [Eagles WR] DeVonta [Smith], but I knew where he was going to be. I have to
see if it was a ball that maybe I could have gotten up earlier, but I threw it to a spot where
only he could get it. And that’s a hell of a play he made. That’s a hell of a play he made. I’ve
seen him make that play in practice. I’ve seen him in the back of the end zone, stick one
hand out there and make that same very play. And so that’s what I’m most excited about.
I’ve experienced those same things with [Eagles WR] A.J. [Brown], where he catches a back
shoulder ball, one hand, in Washington last year. Well, I saw him do that that same
Thursday. So there are a lot of things that we go out there and we rep, and it’s off the field,
off of time. And then there’s sometimes where the vision isn’t there. Sometimes you have a
tackle, you have a guard in your face, or you have pressure, or you don’t have the greatest
vision on it. But those are the things that I have to overcome to go out there and execute,
and that’s the challenge that I’m faced with. But I think, in a moment like that, to overcome
the flag before the game, to overcome everything, I think that’s just great team ball. I think
that’s great trust. I think that’s great continuity between [Eagles WR] DeVonta [Smith] and I.
I’m just happy. I’m happy it was a big play in the game that helped us win.”
(On how much trust and continuity positively affects passing plays) “Trust, continuity,
these are words that I’ve said 1000 times, and they’re not foreign to you guys. Those things
are important. Those things are important for success. We go to UCF, or we go to Houston,
we’re working these same routes. And so that’s a hell of a play by him on a safety. You got a
back matched up on the safety. Some may say that’s not a favorable matchup, but he made
a play. It’s a thing of continuing to build in your repertoire. And I know there’s a lot made up
about a lot of different things. But ultimately, you saturate yourself with something, and you
just continue to build. You can continue to build. And I think for that example, that’s
something that he came out the gate in Week 1, he made a great play like that. You guys
remember the stadium practice where [Eagles RB] Kenneth [Gainwell] made the same play
down the sideline in a two-minute situation in the stadium practice. And now [Eagles RB
Saquon Barkley] had a chance to make – and that was a hell of a catch. It’s a play that he’s
made, but that’s a play that we’ve repped. It’s a play that he had confidence in, and I had
confidence in. And so it comes down to that 1000 kicks rule. Do you fear the man that has
practiced 1000 different kicks, or do you fear the man that has practiced the same kick
1000 times? We want to be a team that can be multiple, attack teams in different ways, but
also be really, really good in whatever we choose to do. And so we just have to continue to
navigate what it looks like to continue to get synchronized in those things so we can play to
the fullness of what we’re supposed to be.”
(On the 46-yard completion to Eagles WR DeVonta Smith) “So that was one that I struggled
with in practice all week. I had an opportunity to [Eagles WR] A.J. [Brown] in practice, had
the opportunity to [Eagles WR DeVonta Smith] Smitty in practice. And I didn’t hit it right, you
know, it just wasn’t clicking. But we repped it and we talked about it, and we put time into
it, and we were able to execute it in a crucial moment. I think [it was] just a great overall
effort from everyone; Smitty, trusting the ball to get to him, and creating that separation and
making a play, and then making another amazing play in the red zone. I just think it took us
all from protection, to how we blocked the front in the run game, how we protected, how we
made plays at the wideout position. I think this one took everybody. When one man was
down, it was tough, but the next man stepped up. And I think that’s the exciting thing. Like I
said, I’ll bring it back and wrap it up here. But, in terms of playing complimentary football, I
think it was one of the cleanest games in that realm. But I think we had each other’s backs,
and I think that’s the thing that matters the most; guys showing up and having their
teammates’ back. And we just want to continue to build off of that, and have everyone
accept that, accept their roles in each given game. And, you know, keep moving forward
and keep pressing along. But we aren’t satisfied. There’s a lot to learn from. We’ll put a 24-
hour rule on it and enjoy it for this time being. And we know we have a big one on the road
that we need to go get.”
(On him having a knack for throwing the deep ball) “That’s the first time that I’ve heard that.
You know why? They said I can’t.”
(On who said he couldn’t throw the deep ball) “They.”
(On the deep touchdown pass to WR Devonta Smith) “It was a play that I struggled with in
practice all week. I had an opportunity to [Eagles WR] A.J. [Brown] in practice, I had an
opportunity to [Eagles WR] DeVonta Smith in practice. But I didn’t hit it right and it just
wasn’t clicking. But we repped it and we talked about it, we put time into it, and we were
able to execute it in a crucial moment. I think it just was a great overall effort from everyone.
[Eagles WR DeVonta Smith] Smitty trusting the ball to get to him and creating that
separation, making a play, and then making another amazing play in the red zone. I just
think this game took all of us. It took the protection, how we blocked the front in the run
game, how we protected, how we made plays at the wideout position. I think this one took
everybody. When one man was down, it was tough, but the next man stepped up. And I
think that’s the exciting thing. Like I said, I’ll bring it back and wrap it up here. But in terms of
playing complementary football, I think it was wasn’t the cleanest games in that realm. But
I think we had each other’s backs, and I think that’s the thing that matters the most. Guys
showing up and having their teammates back. And we just want to continue to build off of
that and have everyone accept their roles in each given game. And keep moving forward
and keep pressing along. But we are not satisfied. There’s a lot to learn from. We’ll put a 24
hour rule on it and enjoy it for the time being. And we know we have a big one on the road
that we need to go get.”
