RUNNING BACK TANK BIGSBY
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2024
(On how the leadership in the locker room has been) “I feel like it’s been as good as it could
be. We’re coming in and trying to stay focused, laser-focused, keeping each other playing
for each other first. So, I feel like the focus has been there. Coach [Head Coach Doug
Pederson] has been doing a good job with that. So, I feel like everybody’s been focused and
just tried to lock into the little details of work and all that stuff. But everything else,
everything’s good.”
(On the frustration of the team not being able to eliminate mistakes) “I mean, I don’t feel
like we can’t snap out of it. I feel like it’s just a thing where we have to go in the game and
not worry about those things and put the past behind us and go out and execute at a high
level. I feel like some guys including myself, we just harp on certain things and not trying to
make it happen and it ends up happening. But just flushing those things and continue to
grow as a team and as a player to reach our abilities and do what we have to do for this
team.”
(On how difficult it is to enjoy his own successes this season when the team isn’t winning)
“Not at all. Individually, the team is bigger than one person and it hurts more to lose than if
you have a bad game, and you win. It hurts to lose in general. So, I feel like what I’m doing
individually doesn’t have anything to do with it if we can’t pull off a win. I have to bring more
to the table and more as a player and continue to grow as a player. So, stuff still hurts. It
hurts because you want to win, and it gets frustrating. But at the end of the day, it’s us out
there making those mistakes and we have to pick it up and do what we have to do.”
(On what it’s meant to him to have taken more of a vocal leadership role this season) “I
mean, I just try to speak hope into guys, because I’m big with Christ and keeping God first
and trying to keep my faith level high. I just see sometimes guys just, they’re defeated
before they even step on the field. I really don’t like to talk and lead. I like to work real hard
and let guys come along. But I just try to speak hope into guys and speak joy to guys and be
a good person, not just about leadership, just be a good teammate.”
(On if it’s difficult not to look onto next season) “I mean, that’s just how it is. But at the end
of the day, I feel like we’ve just got to finish these next two weeks strong and worry about
the offseason when it gets here. Cancel all the things that you have planned for the
offseason, and focus on these next two weeks and give it all we’ve got. I feel like if we do
that, we’ll go 2-0, and we just have to do that first. Just focus on where our feet are at, be
where our feet are at and execute.”
(On if it helps the team’s focus that the next two opponents are division rivals that they’ve
beaten this season before) “This is the NFL, man. It goes week to week. Anybody can win.
So, we have to just flush those wins and come back out on top and try to go out and
compete at a high level. Go watch film on these guys again, study these guys again, see
what we messed up in the beginning, and then come try to fix those mistakes the next time
we get an opportunity to play those guys.”
(On how frustrating it’s been to have struggled with ball security over the last two weeks)
“It’s been real frustrating, man. I couldn’t even sleep last night. It’s real frustrating. Just little
things that you control. Not seeing space, yesterday, got kind of loose with the ball. I can’t
do that. Got to keep it to my chest and just learn from the mistake and it can’t happen
anymore. I’ve just got to move on from it and go out and play confident and be who I am.”
(On if there is a common thread between his fumbles the last two games) “Yeah. Getting
loose and seeing color and just guys punching at it. So, now we’ve just got do what we’ve
got to do.”
DEFENSIVE TACKLE MAASON SMITH
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2024
(On if the season has been frustrating having been both active and inactive) “I choose not
to really worry about that type of stuff—things that are out of my control, uncontrollables.
Can’t really worry about them just because it’ll tick you off or push you to think any way, or
make you feel a certain way about yourself. So, I try to stay away from it, putting my mind
on the things that are bad or things that haven’t happened for me this season. But every
time I go out there, I just put my best foot forward and continue to grow, continue to get
better. So, for me it’s just getting the reps. I feel like repetition makes perfection. So just
doing it a lot more times helps me out. Ultimately it helped me out in my play yesterday.”
(On where he thinks he’s grown the most since arriving in Jacksonville) “I really don’t think
it’s much on the field. I always felt that way by myself that I can make plays on this level. I
feel like it’s more off the field, just really having a process. I feel like at the beginning of the
year, honestly before my ankle injury, I feel like I was kind of winging it to a point. Not
necessarily getting in the facility as early as maybe I needed to or just going off of
somebody else’s routine that—no offense—isn’t where I want to be. So, I had to take it into
myself and find my own process and ask guys who have been doing it at a high level for a
minute now what their process was and just configure my own, whether that’s workouts,
eating right, stuff like that.”
(On when he finally was able to learn what processes worked best for him) “I feel like really
when we got back from London is when I really started to try to find that. When we got back,
inevitably, it just so happened that I hurt my ankle, but I feel like my progression would have
gone straight from there, but just really probably after we left London after I sat out the
Patriots game just for some wrongdoings that I did. But after that, it kind of made me take a
step back and look at it from the outside looking in, so I had to change some things.”
(On if there was a particular player that helped him focus on his process) “Really just Arik
[DE Arik Armstead] and Josh [DE Josh Hines-Allen], really, Ham [DT DaVon Hamilton], they
all really just kind of took me under their wing. Really, I see Arik’s here all the time early. I
see Josh here all the time early and they’ve been doing it at a high level for a long time, so
just seeing that obviously, it makes sense for me, to try to make some process of mine. So
that’s all it was, just being able to pick and choose what things that they do that I like and
kind of just making my own plan.”
(On planning for his sack celebration) “I knew it for a minute now that the next time I had
got one, I was going to trip out just because it’s something close to my heart. Something
from home, tried to put a little swag on it, some Louisiana swag on it. So, I’ve kind of been
knowing it for a little minute, but I’m glad it came true this time.”
(On if he will do more trip-out celebrations if he gets more sacks) “For sure, that’s one thing
that I intend on doing. I might come up with something else, who knows.”
(On if he’s ever lost this many games before in his playing career) “No.”
(On if it’s frustrating) “It’s definitely frustrating. It’s really frustrating. It’s even more
frustrating to know that a lot of guys work their tail off every day just to see that and not see
everything coming to fruition. It’s hard, definitely, but I feel like the guys, even though we’re
losing—the bad thing about it is, we’re losing by close margins. I feel like everybody is trying
to stay positive through a tough time like this, but yeah, it does suck. Like I said, I’ve never
lost this much.”
(On if it’s tough to not look ahead to next season) “I feel like that’s kind of more individual.
For the most part, though, I know the guys that I hang around with or that I am around with,
none of them really put their mind into that. I feel like at this point of the season—the NFL,
what I’ve learned, your film is your resume. So, whereas if you’re going to be here, if you’re
going to be somewhere else, you’ve got to put good film on tape. For some guys, yeah, I
guess they might get into that mindset, but for the majority, like I said, I know that they
continue to work, continuing to grow, and they’re trying to put some good film on tape and
make plays.”
(On what it’s like to see WR Brian Thomas Jr. have success this season) “Yeah, man, it’s
amazing. Me and B.T. came to school, came to LSU the same exact year, same exact
recruiting class. So, it’s amazing to see him just grow, not even just on the field. B.T.’s been a
baller, man, even before. I know last year was kind of his year to pop out and everybody
started knowing about him, but B.T.’s been a baller ever since we got the college. Even in
high school, me and B.T. played in the same district high school football. So, I mean, I’ve
been watching B.T. for a minute and likewise. But it’s amazing to see him balling and
continue to grow, man. The cool thing about it is, I mean, you all don’t know B.T. like that,
but B.T.’s always been a real quiet person forever, ever since I ever met him and I’ve been
knowing him now for going on four, five years, and just to see how much he’s growing off the
field is to me is what is really cool. Just to see him open up and really show his personality.
He shows personality with me and a couple other guys just because we’ve been together,
but just put more of his personality out there and just be him. Be himself. That’s what I like
to see.”
(On if he’s surprised to see Thomas Jr. talking on the field) “No, because that’s him. That’s
really him, but to the outside world B.T. is quiet and everything like that. But that’s really
him, and he’s always been like that. It’s in him; it’s born in him.”
HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2024
(On injury updates following the game vs. Las Vegas) “Walker [OL Walker Little] looks like
he’s going to miss this week. High ankle, so he’ll probably be out. Ventrell [LB Ventrell
Miller], another one ankle, but he’s going to be more day-to-day. We’ll see as the week
progresses with him. [S] Darnell Savage is in the concussion protocol. He got checked
during the game, so he’s in the protocol. [CB] Tyson Campbell, [OL] Anton Harrison, [CB]
Jarrian Jones all came out with injuries during the game, but all went back in. They’re going
to be fine.”
(On if the mistakes being made are reminiscent of last season’s late skid) “I think it’s
comparable. Yeah, I think it is comparable. We did have some injuries at the end of the
season last year. I know Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] wasn’t completely 100 percent
towards the end of the season last year. Obviously, he’s out this year, missing more
weapons on offense. So, it’s just a tough situation to be in, but at the same time, listen, I’m
not going to make excuses for it. We are who we are. Right now, we just haven’t and really
for the season, we haven’t been consistent enough in our play on the field. We all take
responsibility and it’s something we got to look hard at and try to fix.”
(On why he feels that his message of fixing the mistakes is not translating in games) “I think
I have been able to get through to them. I think what happens sometimes is players, having
been there before and being on teams that sometimes—and I haven’t been on many teams
or coached many teams that go through this—but I think sometimes you look to do more
than what we ask you to do. You take things into your own hands from time to time, and I’m
not saying guys are going off the reservation or anything like that, but sometimes it adds to
our situation. We just ask them to do their job. If they try to cover for somebody or they try
to anticipate a play that’s coming at them and it’s not there and so they’re out of position, I
just think sometimes they’re trying to make plays and trying to spark your team. It’s
obviously something that, yeah, when it happens, it’s a great play and great instincts and all
that, but for us right now we’ve just got to continue to just work on just doing what we’re
asked to do. When we do, great things happen, good things happen, good plays happen,
and we’ve got to be able to get more of that out of our guys.”
(On if he would call this team “undisciplined”)” No. It’s not an undisciplined group. If you
were at practice during the week and the meetings and all the things that go on, it’s not an
undisciplined group. I just think sometimes where we are in our season, a player or two, it’s
different guy, it’s not the same guy or two guys, three guys, but sometimes you just try to do
too much. It’s all in good intention. It’s not in spite or not a lack of discipline, it’s just they’re
trying to make a play and unfortunately sometimes when they do, they guess wrong and
then something negative happens in the game.”
(On what he saw from DT Maason Smith) “I thought Maason played well. He had some
really good plays in the game. I’d love to have him get the quarterback on the ground on the
one scramble. It was a great play by Aidan [Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell] to get out of his
grasp, but I thought overall Maason played well, he’s improving each week. Probably, I
would say, his best game to date.”
(On what he saw from S Andrew Wingard) “I thought Dewey played well. Came in, filled in.
First of all, we all think Dewey’s a capable starter in his league, and he was trending that
way before the injury, way back in training camp. He got his opportunity and he made the
most of it yesterday. So, great job by Dewey coming in and filling in in that role and we’ll see
how Sav [S Darnell Savage] does this week, but definitely could increase Dewey’s playing
potential these next couple of weeks.”
(On the Jaguars’ final offensive play on fourth-down) “We had a play called that was built
for a specific defense and they defensed it. It was fourth-and-11, they sunk the coverage
back, got underneath all our deep throws and Mac [QB Mac Jones] put the ball in play.
D’Ernest [RB D’Ernest Johnson] is not a fourth string, a third string. D’Ernest has been a
starter for us. He’s been in the rotation for us. It was just an opportunity at that point that he
was in the football game. In that situation, he’s been our third and fourth-down back for the
majority of the season because of the protection stuff. We’ve talked about this. Obviously
coming up short, I think it’s more about what the Raiders did and how their defense was
able to defend that play. Would we like to have the play over? There’s probably a handful of
plays you’d like to have over, but they defensed it and we put the ball in play and it came up
a couple of yards short.”
(On any schedule adjustments due to the Christmas holiday) “Not a whole lot. Today,
normal day. Guys were in, get their lift in treatment, all of that. Tomorrow’s a day off and
then we’re going to work Wednesday afternoon for a short period of time. Get our work in
Wednesday, get them out of the building. Obviously spend Christmas morning at home and
be with their families, be with their children in the morning, and then come in here in the
afternoon, knock out our Wednesday schedule and then be home for Christmas dinner.
Then, Thursday and Friday are normal. We’ve done this in the past when Christmas falls on
what we call our workday, and it’s worked really good. So, we’ll get them in here for a short
period of time, get the work done and get them out.”
