JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022
(On the status of the quarterbacks) “We’ve only been at this now really four weeks on the field, three weeks of phase two and a week of phase three, and so, as a staff, we’re doing our due diligence to try to make sure all the guys get proper snaps, the amount of snaps that they need. Everybody needs to get snaps and reps. Obviously, we want to focus on Trevor [Lawrence] and getting him as many reps as we can. But I do feel like the other two [QB C.J. Beathard and QB Jake Luton] are getting a substantial amount of the reps themselves and doing well with what the opportunities given. We’re not on the field long. There’s not a lot of plays out there right now, but they’re both doing well with what they’ve been given.”
(On bringing QB Jake Luton back this season) “I like Jake [Luton]. I’ve always liked Jake. He definitely gives you value and competition at that position and he’s just a great guy, a great guy in the locker room, and [I’m] just looking forward to when we really do this thing for real in training camp and see how he does.”
(On the tight end room) “[There’s] a lot of bodies in there, which is exciting. I think it’s a strong part of our team right now. It’s a really good group, veteran group. [There’s] leadership in there with Dan [Arnold] and Chris [Manhertz], and even with Evan [Engram] now added there. [I] really like where Luke [Farrell] is and how he’s progressed this offseason and then the young guys are still learning. They’ve only been with us a couple weeks now. I’m encouraged by that group and I’m really looking forward, again, to training camp when pads come on and watching them and their physicality and blocking and how well they perform.”
(On replacing an entire starting unit on one side of the ball) “The one thing that I’ve learned I think in this business and in this league is that every year, I don’t want to say you flip it, but you’re definitely going to bring in some new faces. It’s just the way the game has evolved over the years with free agency and trades and different things. It’s just a part of it and there’s certain things as you evaluate as a staff, as a personnel staff, coaching staff that you may want to switch out. A lot of times too it’s out of our control with the UFAs, RFAs, the different things that players are provided to be able to move around and really test the waters. Some of it’s out of our control, but I do think it’s good too, and healthy, that you can flip out your roster a little bit and kind of trade some guys out and really bring in kind of an influx of new blood into your locker room.”
(On expectations of the defense) “I’ll say this, and there’s 32 teams obviously that really think this time of year that everybody has a chance. I’ll just start there. I do like the youth on this roster. Obviously, the draft picks are fitting in nicely right now, some of the undrafted guys. But there’s enough veteran leadership on that football team, on that side of the ball, on defense that has really embraced everything that we’re doing. I’m encouraged by that obviously as the coach and I know the defensive staff is encouraged by that. Again, it’s going to be exciting I think once camp [starts] and we start putting
the pads on and really the banging and start playing games. I think having the extra preseason game is going to help us to evaluate some of that and [I’m] just looking forward to where we are as a defense as we move forward.”
(On the importance of the new coaching staff for K’lavon Chaisson) Yeah, even for players I think it’s good to have sort of a fresh start, but at the same time he understands that there’s competition here too now at the position. That’s a good thing because it allows him to play and utilize his strengths to really showcase what he can do. Again, it just adds the depth that you’re looking for at that position.”
(On the cornerback group) “Again, with Shaq[uill Griffin] obviously being kind of the older guy there, I think this is very unique, and I’m thinking of the nickel corners as well, I’m lumping everybody in there. It’s a younger group. It’s a group that’s athletic. It’s a group that is eager to [improve]. There wasn’t a low of turnovers last year created, a lot of interceptions, things like that. I think it’s a group that wants to get their hands on balls and really create some turnovers that way. It’s a group that has embraced the scheme a little bit and what they’re doing. Again, it’s another position group that has a lot of potential there. I’m encouraged by that. I think Tyson [Campbell] is going to be a really good corner in this league. Then, to have a guy like Shaq as a leader, as a veteran guy to kind of lead that group too really is positive. Then, I think about Rayshawn [Jenkins] and Andre [Cisco] back there in the backend who’s getting a lot of valuable reps this offseason, so I’m encouraged by that.”
(On outside cornerbacks playing the nickel position) “You have to be a little careful. The nickel position is a little different because that’s also a run defender as well. So, you kind of have to be careful with some of the guys, sometimes it’s a different body type. But we’re going to have to ask our guys to go inside from time to time and that’s okay and they’re willing to do that. That’s the part that I really have been encouraged by. The guys are willing to really accept the challenge and the roles that they’ve been given.”
(On his impressions of S Andre Cisco) “He’s really done a nice job this offseason coming in there. He’s a great communicator, just watching him with the defense and how he moves and how he fits. Again, it’s going to be really good for him once we do get the pads on and see his physicality and how he can play. He’s a really good football player for us and I’m excited to watch him during training camp.”
(On having an experienced center in OL Tyler Shatley for a young quarterback in QB Trevor Lawrence) “It’s really everything. There’s a lot of communication up front and it starts with the center and [Tyler] Shat[ley]’s done a nice job with that and he and Trevor [Lawrence] being on the same page with the communication part of it. It’s good to have that veteran guy plus [he’s] someone Luke [Fortner] can look up to and learn from.”
(On the expected return specialist if WR Jamal Agnew is not healthy to start the season) “We’re working a lot of guys back there right now. Laviska [Shenault Jr.]’s been back there fielding some punts and some of the younger guys in some of the kickoff stuff and some of running backs now with Snoop [Conner] in here, getting him some time. But it’s a little early, obviously. We’re working about eight to ten guys back
there between punts and kickoff returns. That’s an area that we have to improve obviously. We know Jamal [Agnew] can handle it, but at the same time, we have to come away [with other options]. Christian [Kirk]’s been back there a little bit too. I’m just thinking of some of the guys that are there. But it’s a position that we have to make sure that we have, if Jamal can’t go to start the year, that we have confidence in the next person.”
(On WR Laviska Shenault Jr. as a possible returner) “He came to us. This was a couple of weeks ago. I just walked up to him on the field and just asked him if he’s ever done it and he’s like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve done it before’ and this and that and I said, ‘Why don’t you just get back there?’ So, we had a little conversation on the field, and he’s been good. He’s embraced it. He’s such a big, powerful guy, that’d be an ideal spot for him obviously to help this football team as well.”
(On his impressions of WR Christian Kirk) “[He’s] been good. He’s come in, he’s really one of the guys that’s been here learning and picking up the offense. He and Trevor [Lawrence] seem to be getting a little bit better each and every day from being on the same page. I just like the way he works and the way he practices. He’s a good role model for the young guys. He doesn’t say a lot when he’s out there,
he just goes about his business and has been real steady that way.”
(On getting back to practice last week) “It was a good week for us. Again, it was the first time really since that first minicamp several weeks ago, to be out there. The way I have it set up, we’re working some first and second downs, some third downs, some red zone stuff throughout the course of the week, so we’re throwing a lot at the guys. Right now, the guys have really handled the information. They’ve taken it from the classroom to the practice field and that’s really what we want to see right now. You can’t see physicality and all that kind of stuff, tackling and all that yet, but the guys are moving in the right way. They’re practicing fast, they’re protecting each other, and that’s what we want to see and that’s what I want to see this time of year.”
(On recognizing Memorial Day) “It’s a great holiday for a lot of different reasons. Obviously being here in Jacksonville, it’s a military town and being able to kind of reflect and sort of just sit back and think about the service men and women that have provided freedoms for our country. I think about my dad who was in the Air Force and all of that. It’s just a time to be with family and friends. Whether you’re around the barbeque grill or whatever it is, it’s just a good time to take time. We’ve been at this now for several weeks and I really wanted the team to kind of get away and kind of recharge here for the next two and a half weeks or so moving forward.”
(On the team being 100% healthy after practices last week) “Maybe. No, yeah. I may not be, but yeah, we’re good.”
(On balancing gaining the trust of the team with enforcing his role as the head coach) “That’s a great question. As I gain their trust, I can push a little bit harder. There is a fine line there, there is a balance there, and that just comes from understanding and really reaching out to the players and kind of seeing how they react to certain things. I want to push them in practice, I want to challenge them in practice, but at the same time, I don’t want to really overstep my bounds a little bit right now with them. At the same time, when I do that, I want to see the return back towards what we’re doing and that’s what I’ve seen. The more that we continue to have that two-way communication and dialogue, I can continue to push a little bit harder. Obviously in the offseason we go a little bit easier, but I think it happens more in training camp when the pads come on and it gets a little warmer outside and we can really challenge them a little bit more.”
(On using LB Foye Oluokum and G Brandon Scherff as extensions to gain trust with other players) “I think you can. I also think that everybody has a role in that on the football team, not just a certain few. I think the coaches play a role in that. I think every player has a role in that. There’s a commitment level that has to be met I think, and it has to be collective effort. But those guys right there are two guys that I
think on either side of the ball that I can lean on, among others that can really get my message across and focus on what we’re trying to get done.”
(On the tempo the defense is supposed to adhere to) “Listen, it’s full speed, full speed drills. Again, because you’re not in pads, it’s really hard for the offensive and defensive lines to really kind of control the pace of play sometimes. It’s hard. It’s really hard, but at the same time it’s sort of the fun of it, the competition of it, and really to see the competitive juices flowing a little bit out there on the practice field. Obviously, the quarterback feels it and when the pocket is collapsed a little bit. But again, because we’re not in pads it’s really hard to anchor and grab a hold of something, like a shoulder pad, to stop a rushing lineman.”
(On the most eager lineman) “Really nobody. There is not one guy that’s really crossed any kind of line that way. Look, that’s my job to control the pace and control the tempo and the guys have really handled that well.”
