HEAD COACH LIAM COEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2025
(On WR/DB Travis Hunter’s season-ending surgery) “We shared yesterday on Travis’s
successful surgery and that he’s out for the season. Yes, on the field for obvious reasons
he’ll be missed. But also, off the field, he’s got that presence, that confidence that is
infectious. Fortunately, we won’t lose that. Our team, our locker room will rally and
continue to do so, and Travis will be right here in Jacksonville, rehabbing with us for the
remainder. He’s already back in town. And he’ll be able to get with these guys in the
meetings and learning, studying and really diving into that as he goes through this process.
I understand there’s a lot of questions about if he’ll remain a two-way player and all those
kind of things. Guys, all of that is very premature. And at the end of the day, like every player
on this roster, he’ll be evaluated at the end of the season, and we’ll be able to give him his
three better, three best and the things that we need to continue to improve upon and the
things we need to build on. But right now, our complete focus is on the Chargers and
getting a much-needed win on Sunday.”
(On the benefit of seeing seven games of Hunter towards his offseason evaluation) “Yeah,
and then also looking at, okay, where do we need him most in more ways than others? So, I
definitely think that the whole thing’s been a learning experiment but getting to know the
person has obviously been the most important thing. And the type of competitor, the way
that he learns, the way that he competes, the way that he practices, that’s stuff that we’ve
been able to gain valuable information on and be able to use moving forward and actually
put into continued practice.”
(On if he expects Hunter to be the number one receiver and corner in the future) “All that’s
very premature to answer at this point. You have a lot of confidence in the makeup, the
person, the competitor, the athlete, the talent. Like I said to him, so many players have
gone through minor setbacks for major comebacks and that’s been the complete message
to him.”
(On the initial thoughts for Hunter when learning he is out for the season) “It’s always that
initial shock is, I’m sure, a challenge. And he’s very fortunate to have a strong support group
around him and got a lot of guys, a lot of people that care about him. So, I feel very
confident that he will come through on the other side of this thing.”
(On if he is getting enough out of QB Trevor Lawrence) “I think Trevor and I had a good
conversation yesterday in terms of just, ‘Hey man, cut it loose and let it rip when we do
have some of those opportunities,’ and, ‘Hey man, yes, we don’t want to turn the ball over.’
We want to turn it over on defense and we want to keep it on offense, but we can’t be
thinking about that or trying to play to not make a mistake at all. And so, the message for
Trev in our conversation is to just go cut it loose, let it rip and see what happens. You don’t
need to be [Michael] Jordan. Point guards, facilitators, distributors, that’s what we need and
that’s what we talked about yesterday.”
(On what he told Lawrence) “I mean, not screw the play, but just more like, ‘Yeah, man, hey,
it’s not all going to be perfect and or how it’s designed to maybe always hit against.’ There’s
looks that you want to try to attack, but it’s more, ‘Hey man, let’s just attack this defense
and if there’s windows that pop and present, man, let’s feel the confidence to cut these
things loose and play freely and continue to use your legs as a weapon.’ At the end of the
day, he did put us in a position to potentially kick a game-winning field goal at the end of
that thing when the ball got down to the 42-yard line, and we had the penalty. And so, I
know Travis Hunter said to me, after Vegas, he said, in the training room, ‘When we get in
two-minute mode,’—and he was obviously watching. He goes, ‘When we get in two-minute
mode, I believe we are going to go do something with it.’ He’s like, ‘I believe that.’ And so
there is belief that we can go down and get ourselves into a position to go score and we did,
but obviously had the penalty there.”
(On why the Chargers are so successful on third down on both sides of the ball) “You look,
first of all, on offense. [Chargers WR] Keenan Allen’s the most targeted receiver in the
National Football League on third down, he can still wiggle and win and separate, strong
hands, smart football player, understands how to use leverage and get open in zones. And
then obviously, so does Ladd [Chargers WR Ladd McConkey] in a lot of ways where they
both have a great feel for zone and winning verse man and having a feel verse zone. They’ve
done a nice job of mixing ball out plays with also the ability to run the ball on some third
downs to be successful, whether it’s with the backs or the quarterback, whether it’s
designed or extending plays. We know when we do get our opportunities at Justin [Chargers
QB Justin Herbert], we have to take advantage of them and get him to the ground. He is a
big dude that can make some plays off schedule. Then defensively, I think they’re extremely
sticks aware from their second to third level of their defense. The rush has obviously done a
nice job getting some pressure and being able to affect the quarterback, but I think
[Chargers DC] Jesse Minter does a great job. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. The zone
coverages, they’re very aware and they do a nice job of pattern matching.”
(On the talent of Herbet) “Very talented, man. He can make every throw, and it seems to be
with ease. He’s big, strong, athletic, I think they’re playing to his strengths, and they’ve
continued to try to put good skill and players around him to allow him to take advantage of
his skill sets. And yeah, I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
(On how penalties affect momentum) “It’s not fun. It’s not a fun place to live as a player, as
a coach. So, the continued message is that we’re in this thing together and that there’s
things that are controllable, there’s things that aren’t, and are we able to control the
controllables? We’ve talked about this. And so, talking and putting it into practice in critical
moments or in tighter games and in the fourth quarter, the first quarter, whatever it is, that’s
where it has to come out. That’s where it ultimately means the most.”
(On the team not playing four quarters of its best football) “I think you watch the Monday
night game, I’m not sure that was four quarters of those two teams’ best football either. So,
that’s just the reality. It’s football, man, you aren’t going to play perfect. We’ve played near
in a lot of ways. I mean, even not playing, I guess you could say, our best football through
those three quarters the other day, you were winning through three—you won three
quarters of the game, you lost a quarter, and you lost the game. So how do you execute in
critical moments? How do we go and take a deep breath in critical moments to reset and
not chase plays and go just execute the call, man. Let’s just go execute and play. So, that’s
what we’re focused on. We’re focused on fundamentals, going back to basics. Anytime you
go through a tough L all I’ve been taught is to dive back into the details and the
fundamentals and the players.”
(On if he is the most interested in the team’s mindset this week) “I think the post-L.A.
[Rams] bye [week] sting was probably a pretty good one to get judged on in a lot of ways, in
terms of the way that we responded throughout the week. Because it wasn’t just like this all
great gravy positive practices, it was a grind. We were competing, it was working through
things and the way that we played showed it at the end. And yes, there was a guy open, but
we strained, we did right longer and won and came out on the positive side of it. Yeah, we
do need to respond. It is part of us. And we talked a lot about today that the soul of sport is
team, the soul of sport. Why do we want our kids to play sport? Because of the lessons that
it does and provides you as people, as teammates, as men. And that connection is what’s
going to get us over the hump in those moments and in a tough time like coming off a loss
like Sunday.”
(On if he watched the Jaguars’ postseason comeback against the Chargers) “I do, yeah. I
remember watching it. I don’t recall where I was. I do recall watching it though and seeing
that whole thing happen. And so, you’ve been on the right side of it before. And to be on—
we haven’t been, guys, in too many games this year – aside from Carolina – leading by that
much. My message to the team was part of learning and growing together as a team, as an
organization, is we’ve got to learn from this. We have to learn from this. If we don’t learn
from this, well what good is it at the end of the day? And in life, we learn from hard times,
right? You actually have to look and say, okay, what do I need to confront to make sure that
that doesn’t happen again? And that’s kind of what we’ve been talking about, is, you learn
and you grow through hard times.”
(On his expectation for TE Brenton Strange) “Day to day and just see what it looks like every
day. We obviously have missed Brenton. The blocking, the run game contribution, the pass
game contribution, the toughness and mentality. It’s more going to be just seeing how he
looks out there, what he’s comfortable doing, how much can we put on his plate, and what
that’s going to feel like, especially after getting out on the grass and utilizing it and doing
things and seeing what that response is day after day.”
(On what he needs to see from OL Wyatt Milum) “Yeah, I mean, Wyatt is—obviously getting
him back into it, coming off the injuries there is trying to get him to feel like he’s coming off
the rock like he was more so in training camp and having the confidence to be able to move
powerfully at the line of scrimmage. And at the second level, adjustments and being able to
move and feel confident in those movements. He’s practicing his tail off, I never question at
all the competitor, the guy that wants to be really good and is doing everything that he is
being asked of, and just need to see him take that next step of, man, it’s all the movements
are looking pain free.”
(On where Lawrence’s hesitation has shown up) “No, just a couple plays. He made some
really good throws too in that game and also made some critical plays with his legs. There
was just a few plays that ultimately, you want back, and, okay, what’s causing this to not be
executed is really just what it comes down to. And you always want your players to—if it’s
incomplete, it’s incomplete. I mean, who cares, dude? Just cut it loose, let it rip, and that’s
why you play. That’s why you play. So, that’s more what the conversation was.”
(On the increase in sacks taken by Lawrence over the last few games) “Yeah, I think it
definitely puts you off schedule, for sure. I mean, we knew going into that game that there
was going to be some pressure, that we weren’t going to have a ton more than a hitch or
two, right, in the game. And then we had to look at the route depth, okay, are we holding on
to the ball too long or man, are we not executing this block to the best of our ability? How
can we as a group execute protection better? And against a good unit, that’s a challenge.
That’s a challenge that we have also stepped up to in the past as well. And so, they got after
us a little bit upfront in some ways. Also, we held onto it, maybe got a little deep a few
times; that stuff happens. But I do expect us to respond this week, and we also have to
continue to have a good plan for these guys to make sure that we’re helping them out and
putting them in a position to be successful.”
(On the pass rush) “Look, we’re seeing a lot of drop back pass, I think more than anybody
else, on first and second down. Some of that stuff is quick game. Some of it’s drop back,
but it’s like that combination of when the ball’s coming out under three seconds, it’s like
that 2.5, 2.7 range. It’s not quite quick game. It’s not quite drop back and the ball’s able to
spit. It’s a combination of okay, we’ve got to be a little bit more sticks and conscious at the
second and third level of our coverages and zone and be a little bit more stickier and just
patient instead of getting out of there. And then also, those guys up front, these are
opportunities. If we’re getting that much drop back, we’ve got to go take advantage of it.
And when we do have them in our hands, we’ve got to get them down and that’s just, man,
that’s football. That’s pass rush. It’s not that complicated. We’ve got to cover in the front,
they usually go hand in hand. And when both groups are doing their job to the best of their
ability and that’s all they’re focusing on, usually good things happen.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2025
(On what stands out about the Chargers defense) “I mean, really good defense. You look at
every level, I think upfront they generate a good push rush. They have a couple good guys
on the edge and the interior has played really well as well. At linebacker, they fly around the
field. Obviously, they also move Derwin [Chargers S Derwin James] around – safety, nickel,
linebacker, they move him around everywhere. He’s a valuable piece for them, where they
can kind of move him in different spots to give different presentations. So, he’s done a nice
job, and their back end has played well. They do a good job of matching different concepts
and pressuring at times; they do a lot of different things and they’re well coached. I think
they change the look for the quarterback. So, it’ll be a big week of preparation to get ready
for this defense. They’re a good defense.”
(On what he remembers about the 2022 AFC Wild Card game against the Chargers) “Yeah,
it’s a crazy game. I think just—obviously good memories with that for us and our team.
Obviously, a lot of guys aren’t here anymore and the teams have changed a lot, so not really
much in our minds about that game going into this one. Just totally different year, different
set of circumstances, but obviously great memories from that game.”
(On his conversation with Head Coach Liam Coen about ‘letting it rip’ more when the first
read is open) “Yeah, we’ve had some great conversations just throughout the season of just
checking in week to week, whether it’s coming off a win, loss, whatever. Every week we’ve
really kind of checked in and just talked. And I think that was something that we talked a lot
about this week and over the last couple days of just going out there and cutting it loose
and feeling a little bit more freedom to let some things go, to take some shots. And I think
that’s the balance of playing quarterback is the balance of aggressiveness, of when to take
the shot, when to take completions, when to protect the ball. I think that’s something
where just specifically looking at this last game, I think there were probably a few
opportunities where I could have maybe thrown a couple balls a little earlier, give our guys
some chances down the field, and you might not hit all of them, but try to avoid some of
those sacks. And then you look at just overall being a little bit more aggressive when we
have some opportunities down the field. I think that’s something that this year maybe
haven’t taken as many shots. So that’s something I know I can do well, and I know our
offense can do well that we have done in the past. So, I know that we can make some
improvements. I think that’s the biggest thing is just going out there, cutting it loose,
trusting myself, I know that Liam’s got my back, the whole team, the whole offense has my
back and just going out there and playing free.”
(On if he sees similarities to 2022 in trying to play more free) “Yeah, I’m trying to think of—
different circumstances where we were at as a team. I’m trying to think back onto that time
in ’22. I mean it was a little bit different, but I would say for a quarterback it’s a similar
thought process of, I feel like at times this year offensively we’ve just struggled to get in a
rhythm and stay in a rhythm. Even when we have gotten in a rhythm at times, we’ve kind of
fallen out of that. So, for me it’s just continuing to trust what I see, play fast and just cut it
loose. I think that’s the biggest thing is knowing I can make every throw out there. I know I
know what I’m seeing, so just trust it and go play and help us get in a rhythm faster and hit
some of these throws down the field and open up our offense somewhere.”
(On if it is more difficult to play loose while learning a new offense) “Not necessarily. At this
point I feel pretty settled into the system. I’ve had a lot of time on task up until this point. I
think early on in the season and even in the offseason in the spring, trying to get everything
down and learn a new system and obviously you’re not going to play quite as fast as you
want to when you’re doing something for the first time. So that’s gotten better. I just think at
times, early on in the year I had a lot of turnovers and I think that’s something where I feel
like I got a little bit more focused on taking some completions throughout the last few
weeks and then you look at where we’re at now and just if you look at the whole season, I
think that’s what we’ve been lacking is some of the explosives down the field. And you still
have to play quarterback at the end of the day. Read it out, take what’s there and be smart.
But I think we will have some opportunities, and I know that we can make those plays. So, I
think that’s the biggest thing.”
(On building a relationship with WR Jakobi Meyers) “It was great. I was impressed just how
he handled himself the whole week, preparing himself to go play and was asked to do more
than I think a lot of guys would’ve been able to handle on such short notice. I think he got
here basically Wednesday and was ready to play on Sunday and our system isn’t the
easiest to learn and he did a great job and was able to play a lot of snaps for us. So, he did
an awesome job. Excited just to build on that this week. I think he brings some great things
to the table as far as obviously, his hands, his route running ability, he’s really physical. He
can block, can run the whole route tree, good with the ball in his hands after. I mean, he’s a
really good player and I’m excited just to continue to grow with him.”
(On potentially getting TE Brenton Strange back this week) “It’d be huge. He is a big part of
our offense and obviously we haven’t had him the last month or so. So, I’m just excited to
get him back, whether that’s this week or whenever, obviously want to do what’s best for
him and make sure he is ready to go when he does come back. But yeah, obviously I’m
hoping that’s sooner rather than later because I think it’s no secret how important he is to
our offense and what he can do run game, pass game, just how versatile he is.”
(On what makes Strange so valuable to the offense) “Yeah, I think the way he, I’ve said it in
the past, really learned a lot from Evan [TE Evan Engram], being behind him for a couple
years and really, I think Evan set a great example and Evan was always with the
quarterbacks. He spent a lot of time with me, and so Brenton a lot of times was with us as
well. And I think he picked up on how important it is, the communication with myself and
the other quarterbacks just during practice whether it’s certain routes, technique,
whatever, I think he’s done a great job of communicating, so we’re always talking. So then
now when, at the beginning of the year, obviously he’s been out for the last few weeks, but
when he was playing and he’s the guy and he is getting all these targets, it’s these reps that
we’ve talked about in the past. It might not have been him doing it, but you can get up to
speed a lot faster because you’ve talked about it and you’ve have a bunch of banked reps
from practice. And he’s been asked to step up before this year, and he’s played really well.
So, I’ve always had trust in him. Not going to find a guy that works harder. So, he’s doing all
the right things.”
(On if this game is a test for the locker room to bounce back) “Yeah, it’s definitely a test. I
mean, every week is a test of your team and your locker room and your culture. I mean, in
this league it’s win or lose. It’s always a challenge. It’s hard to win. As you can see, it’s a
week-to-week league and you’ve got to bring your best and you’ve got to finish these
games. I think it’s a learning lesson for our team. I mean we’ve played fairly well in one-
score games this year. If you look at, especially compared to last year, that was something
that we struggled with and made that improvement. And obviously we didn’t get it done last
week, we didn’t finish the game well and we own that, and we have to move on and go try to
beat a really good Chargers team this week. So that’s the thing about the NFL is it doesn’t
let up. You can’t stay in the rear-view mirror thinking about the last one because this one is
just as important. So, I think it’s a great learning experience. You’ve got to take it for what it
is, but you’ve got to move on. You’ve got to take the accountability and look at”—there’s a
lot of plays that I want back that I think I could’ve done more to help our team and get a
couple first downs at the end of the game, whatever it is. But we’re onto the next week and
you’ve got to be able to bounce back and I think it is a good test for our team. I like the day
of practice we had today. We were flying around, had some good energy and you’ve got to
keep preparing that way.”
