JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2024
(On he’s frustrated by team’s effort level and mistakes at inopportune times) “Yeah, you
kind of summed it up. You’re right, it’s not for the lack of effort, physicality, all that. Those
guys do play hard. But the mistakes, penalties, things that just held us back all season. I
think as coaches, players, it’s the frustrating part. Until we get that corrected, obviously
there’s going to be a lot of long days. We’ve got to get it fixed.”
(On if there is self-doubt that affects the team’s ability to win close games) “I’m sure
there’s some. I’m sure when a bad play happens or a penalty and it sets you back a little
bit, I think maybe there’s a little bit – where we are in our season, I’m sure that creeps in.
Guys are human. They’re going to feel that. They’re going to feel that emotion. But it’s
mental toughness. It’s the grind. It’s the grit, determination. And the guys show it, and they
have shown it, but we just haven’t been able to overcome some of the setbacks.”
(On if it’s hard to focus this time of year) “What do you mean by ‘this time of year’?”
(On if it’s hard to focus at this point in the season) “I’m sure there’s some of that. I’m sure,
again, you’re human and things haven’t gone our way this season. And disappointing as
that is, you’re going to feel that emotion. It’s just something that, I think, everybody handles
it a little bit differently. But it’s that mental toughness we talk about, having that. And just
trying to flush a negative play. Trying your best you can to move on from bad plays,
mistakes, whatever it is. Trying to move on to the next play.”
(On if he can enjoy WR Brian Thomas Jr.’s successes despite the team’s record) “Yeah, I’m
so happy for Brian [Thomas Jr.]. We talked last week. He’s such a bright spot offensively
and gives a thousand-plus yards and all of that. Just a kid that is so deserving of it, from the
way he works to how he plays. And the load that we put on him, for a young player like that,
to go out and perform like he does. So happy for him, definitely a bright spot.”
(On if he’s ever seen an easier touchdown play on Thomas Jr.’s 62-yard receiving
touchdown) “Probably busted coverage, looked like. And we needed a play, because I think
B.T. [Brian Thomas Jr.] dropped one earlier. And then we come back to him again on the
same type of thing and he makes the play. So, it’s the type of kid he is. But it’s never an easy
play, but we got help on that one.”
(On how difficult managing the pre-snap was) “Those are the inconsistencies. I would say
that [Raiders Head Coach] Coach [Antonio] Pierce is probably saying the same thing with
his team. But where we are as a football team and the type of year we’ve had, we just can’t
make those types of mistakes and expect to win. That probably goes without saying. It’s
hard to overcome and try to flush it and move on, I guess.”
(On the team’s lack of takeaways in the last five games) “We had opportunities again
today. A couple of balls were tipped and had chances, and that’s part of it too, creating the
takeaways. And we had two huge costly turnovers. But again, it’s not for lack of effort and
all that. But it’s an area that just we’ve got to keep working, keep working during the week at
it. You’ve got to keep making an emphasis in game. You could see our guys punching the
football, things of that nature. It’s just not bouncing our way.”
(On if he was surprised by P Logan Cooke’s shanked punt) “Yeah, that one surprised me. I
know he definitely would want that one back. But obviously, we know Logan [Cooke] is a
great punter, just uncharacteristic of him and his ability, but definitely a punt he’d like to
have back.”
JAGUARS QUARTERBACK MAC JONES
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2024
(On how he is processing another one-score loss) “Yeah, for sure. I mean, you just have to
understand that that’s the NFL. I think almost all the games go to this situation, and how
can we just not be in that situation? I think, just a lot of self-inflicted errors. And it always
comes down to one play. And you wish the result would be different.”
(On if it’s hard for the team to stay focused at this point in the season) “Yeah, I have to look
at the film, honestly. And I’ve been in a lot of games like this, and it’s unfortunate, but I
thought the defense did a good job today. [OL] Cole [Van Lanen] obviously stepped in there
at tackle again, and we got a lot of young guys out there playing so it’s going to be a learning
curve. And obviously, I got off to a slow start. So how can I get off to a quicker start, like we
did the week before, and score some more points? If we can get to 30 points, 21 points,
then the game’s a different story.”
(On if it bothers him that the offense couldn’t build off of last week’s game vs. New York
Jets) “Yeah. I mean, every week’s so different. And I do think that’s a better defense than
what people give them credit for. So, hats off to them. And like I said, just got to make more
plays early and take away the self-inflicted errors and turnovers, and that’s kind of been the
story this whole year. So, definitely going to respond and see how we can play better next
week.”
(On the offense’s last play on fourth-down) “Yeah, I have to watch it on film to be honest.
I’ve been in that situation a lot, and the last thing you want to do is take a sack. So, you got
to put it in play. Obviously, you want to try and make a play there and get it down the field.
I’ll have to look at it, but if he makes that play, we’ll have a new set of downs, and everyone
will be saying different.”
(On if RB D’Ernest Johnson was the primary read on that last play) “No.”
(On if he thought there was a hold on the play) “Yeah, I didn’t see that. I mean, I thought it
was a good call to get a new set of downs there. And then we had a couple issues moving
the ball on the last drive with some self-inflicted mistakes, I guess you could say. So, we
just got to get on the same page, and I promise once we do that, everything will be great,
and we’ll be moving the ball down the field more consistently.”
(On if WR Brian Thomas Jr. amazes him more every week) “Yeah, he’s done a good job.
They, once again, are going to take him away. And I missed him early. We had the one
missed connection on the hold and then he made a couple great plays late. So, always
going to keep fighting. He’s his own biggest critic, and so am I. So, we fit well together, but I
think he had like 10 or so catches probably for 100-something yards, so he did his part. And
we got to continue to give him the ball.”
(On if he’s ever thrown an easier touchdown pass than on Thomas Jr.’s 62-yard receiving
touchdown) “Yeah, those are the hardest ones sometimes. If I’m looking to the right and I
miss it, then it’s a whole thing. So, I’m glad I stuck to that side and the offensive line gave us
time on that play. We need more plays like that.”
(On the challenge of having to play with different personnel due to injuries) “Yeah, it’s the
NFL. I think a lot of teams are obviously very healthy later in the year, and sometimes that
plays a part. But it’s the NFL, you’re going to have guys pop in there. Obviously, [WR] Gabe
[Davis] and [WR] Christian [Kirk] and everybody’s not out there, so I feel like they’ve done a
good job stepping up and making plays. And we can start to finish the game and really start
faster, so that we’re not in that position and we have more points on the board.”
(On if he can rely on his experiences from last season to help the team this year) “Yeah, for
sure. I mean, you got to put good stuff on tape and, at the end of the day, it’s tough, but you
got to find ways to win at the end of the game and really just play well for yourself, for your
family and for the team and finish strong. And you really have to ask that question, how
many more wins do you want to get? Is it two, is it one, or is it zero? So, we want two and
we’re going to do everything we can to get two.”
(On the postgame message to the team) “We’ll keep that private, but definitely for me, as
I’ve been in this situation two years in a row, just play good football and put the ball in play
and eliminate turnovers and control we can control. And like I said, once we’re all on the
same page, I promise things will go well, and that’s our goal.”
RAIDERS HEAD COACH ANTONIO PIERCE
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2024
Q: How are you feeling about this win afterwards?
Coach Pierce: “Long overdue. Good. Good to see all those smiling faces from our players,
our staff, everybody involved in the organization. Obviously, you don’t want to go through
what we went through over the last 10 weeks, but that’s behind us. I thought it was a great
win, great job by our home crowd. I thought they were very loud and active. That was
positive for our defense, especially in certain situations. I thought it was very efficient by
our team. Very proud of this group being resilient, blocking out the outside noise and
playing for one another.”
Q: Whether it was rookies like Brock Bowers or veterans like Ameer Abdullah, everybody
was involved and it was a team win. Would you discuss that part of it, please?
Coach Pierce: “Yeah, I’m glad you said that. Again, we had the win in Baltimore, and I
thought that was a big win. But from a team standpoint where you need everybody in every
aspect to really step up, don’t matter if it’s their first game being active, Aidan [O’Connell]
coming back, all these guys poured their hearts into it. What I loved about it, throughout
the ups and downs of the game, just very positive, man, and you could see them
celebrating with one another. The joy they have just watching one another, that’s
what it’s always been about, and it was good to put it on display with the win.”
Q: All that said, Brock Bowers is a guy that you dialed into him big time today, especially
down the stretch. To have a rookie that’s able to respond in that way when you say we’re
going to put it on your shoulders here for a little bit and he’s able to respond and do that,
what does that say about him?
Coach Pierce: “Yeah, I’ve said it from the jump. He’s all ball. He’s all business. He doesn’t
blink. He doesn’t flinch. He wants to win. Whatever it takes to win, if it’s throwing him the
ball or him blocking, he’ll do whatever it takes. Again, I’m just proud of his effort. I’m proud
of our team effort. Everybody just understanding whatever it takes to win, we need to do it.”
Q: Ameer Abdullah, a 10-year vet, has been playing really well the last couple weeks. He’s
also stepped up in the locker room. This is his most rushing yards since 2017. How much
has he meant to the team as of late?
Coach Pierce: “I’ll just say this, man. You come in as a special teams player, you’re older,
you’ve got a young team, and you kind of get lost in the shuffle. One thing he’s done is
made the most of his opportunities, and with the season the way it’s gone with the running
backs in and out, I thought he came up huge tonight for us. It’s just not on offense. You look
at what he does on special teams. With a team that’s not loaded with a bunch of veterans,
to have that presence, to have somebody that’s unselfish and sometimes has to take a
step back and then when his name is called on to make the plays like he did tonight was
huge. Again, just like when I was asked earlier, all 53 men were needed tonight.”
Q. Aidan O’Connell made some plays with his legs today. What did you see from Aidan as
far as his escape ability?
Coach Pierce: “I was shocked just like you. It was good to see. I’d like to see more of it.”
Q: Tom McMahon and his special teams responded so well from what happened. Will you
just talk about his coaching and how this team responded to that this week?
Coach Pierce: “Yeah, it started on Wednesday when I went into the team meeting, and I
just told those guys we’re better than that. Understanding I believe in him, he’s a great
coach, we’ve got some great specialists in Daniel [Carlson] and AJ [Cole] and those guys
that play on special teams. You put that behind us, you move forward, young guys learn
from it, make some personnel decisions, some changes, and guys go out there and battle.
It’s a new week and I thought they did a good job of responding.”
Q: I know that you do not like to make things about you, but tonight you were running up
and down the sidelines with John Jenkins and other guys. For you personally, just the man,
what did this win mean to AP?
Coach Pierce: “Yeah, it was good just to stop talking about losing. It’s all about winning.
That was the song we were playing when we walked through the locker room. It’s always a
good feeling because you put in all this work and to have repeated losses and then put that
to the side and just watch the team’s victory. What these guys are playing for, all this BS
noise on the outside, like I told those gentlemen in there, it’s all about us. It doesn’t matter
about the outside noise.”
Q: For the part of Raider Nation that is focused on the first overall draft pick conversation,
what is your response to them?
Coach Pierce: “Talk to Tom Telesco.”
Q: Isaiah Pola-Mao had two forced fumbles. What did you see from your defense? Missing
a lot of guys obviously but they have come back and bounced back from it.
Coach Pierce: “Yeah, Isaiah, since he stepped in for Marcus [Epps], I think he’s done an
outstanding job, one, with the communication, picking that up, understanding his role, and
then to be honest, last several weeks just making plays. I thought today just the physicality.
None of those were punch-outs. He put his hat on the ball, right, the physicality. The way
we talked about playing here, ill intent, violence. That showed up today. I thought our team,
our defense, really rallied around it. I thought did a really good job in the running game,
being stout, making them one-dimensional, and then obviously putting it in the
quarterback’s hands which we thought would play in our favor.”
Q. No part of your team has been hurt more than the defensive line, but this is kind of the
second straight week where despite it all, they still come to play?
Coach Pierce: “Yeah, Robbie Leonard and Andre Carter have done an outstanding job with
that group. A lot of pride and professionalism in that group. KC [K’Lavon Chaisson], again,
almost had an interception there. Tyree Wilson coming up with a big pressure down the
road, and all those young D-tackles that we got, they’re just constantly stepping up each
and every week, working, grinding, and like we’ve talked about before, taking advantage of
opportunities.”
Q. What was your initial message to your team after this win?
Coach Pierce: “Just a big smile.”
Q. You talked about Aidan O’Connell’s willingness and ability to extend plays tonight. How
big was that 3rd and 3 where he escaped pressure and lofted it up to Ameer Abdullah and
was able to get down with the 1st down?
Coach Pierce: “Yeah, I don’t know what got into Aidan tonight, but whatever he ate,
Wheaties or cereal or whatever little snack he had, he needs to do it again. He was moving
way more than I’ve ever seen. I think you guys can attest to that as well. I think that’s just
the determination that this guy and this team had today to get a win.”
RAIDERS QUARTERBACK AIDAN O’CONNELL
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2024
Q: If you could just take us inside that locker room, both as the team and for you as a
player to snap that streak and just get that weight off your shoulders. You’ve been so close
so many times, to get that win, what that moment was like, please?
O’Connell: “Yeah, I think guys just appreciate more than ever obviously how hard it is to
win. And yeah, definitely weight off the shoulders for sure. It was just fun to see the smiles
again. I think the biggest thing for me was kind of looking around and high fiving everybody
and seeing how happy guys were. It’s really a big part of why you play the game. So, when
you don’t have it for 10 weeks in a row, it’s tough. Just super proud of our coaches,
administration and players for just doing a great job.”
Q: You had a career long run today and extended some plays outside of the pocket. Was
that something you’ve been working on or was it just something that came spontaneously
during the game?
O’Connell: “Yeah, it’s something I try to continue to work on. Obviously, it’s not the best
strength of mine, but I think whatever play is called, you try to do what you can on that play.
Tried to look for opportunities to obviously get the ball out of my hands but then sometimes
tried to extend plays. Each play is its own, whatever each play calls for.”
Q: Antonio Pierce didn’t know if it was Wheaties or cereal or what, but on that play where
you avoided pressure and moved all over the place and got it to Ameer Abdullah, what’s
going through your mind?
O’Connell: “Yeah, I think probably some desperation. 10 losses in a row will do that to you.
Just trying at all costs to make a play and great protection by the offensive line, and
obviously Ameer making an awesome play. Yeah, Ameer has just been doing a great job
and the rest of the guys, as well. Like I said, different plays call for different things, and just
trying to make a play.”
Q: Obviously this was the epitome of a team win, but Brock Bowers, it just seems like
whenever you dial up his number he’s there and ready to put it on his shoulders. What does
that say about a rookie player to be able to deliver like that?
O’Connell: “Yeah, I think the thing I’m most impressed about Brock is his accountability
and how when he maybe messes up on a play, which he definitely doesn’t do very much,
but when he does, he takes the accountability and he tries to move forward. We ask a lot of
him, and he answers the bell almost every time. Obviously super lucky to have a guy like
that on our team.”
Q: Ameer Abdullah, 10-year veteran, thrust into a bigger role than expected later in the
season. He’s actually ran for the most yards since 2017 in his career. You guys have talked
about how he’s stepped up in leadership lately. How much has he meant to this team as of
late?
O’Connell: “Yeah, a lot. Obviously, he has experience and has been on a lot of different
teams, so knows definitely what the ups and the downs of the NFL is like, and just a guy
who’s going to be steady throughout. Also, a great personality, fun guy to have in the locker
room and to just talk life with. We’re super lucky to have Ameer. He works so hard on his
body and the game. It’s not surprising that he’s performing.”
Q: The way the NFL is structured, the fan base starts looking at draft picks and things like
that, especially this time of year. Do you guys hear that talk? And how do you guys deal
with that?
O’Connell: “Yeah, I don’t read anything, so I don’t really hear it. I think ignorance is
definitely bliss and that’s how I’m rolling.”
Q. On a lighter note, Brock Purdy, still under his rookie deal, brought all of his offensive
linemen trucks. I’m curious what you’re going to be getting your offensive linemen for
Christmas?
O’Connell: “Not trucks, unfortunately. We were kind of spearheading it between really all
the quarterbacks, and so we’re each kind of getting a different gift. But unfortunately, not
trucks. Maybe a Hot Wheel or something like that, but I can’t do a real truck.”
