JAGUARS INTERIM HEAD COACH DARRELL BEVELL
Jaguars vs. Colts
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022
Q. Can you just talk about getting off to that great start and pushing it on for 60 minutes? DARRELL BEVELL: Yeah, I talked all week just about all the many reasons why we should play this game and we should go out and play this game with heart. One is that we all love this game, and you think back to all the training that you go through in the offseason to be able to get to this point and you get 17 opportunities to play a game. That’s one good reason to go out. Everybody, as I’ve told you many times in here, we’re all being evaluated by what you’re putting on tape. You want to go put your best opportunity and best self on tape. We’re playing a divisional opponent that had a chance to get in the playoffs. We want to be able to knock them out and have a sweet taste for us and a rough taste for them. I thought the guys responded. I told them today just a few minutes ago that I was inspired. It’s an inspiring game to see guys go out and play as hard as they did with as much heart, with as much spirit, with as much passion, and it really showed, and I couldn’t be happier for all those guys.
Q. Looks like one of the more comfortable games for Trevor in the pocket throughout the course of this one. Why did things click today?
DARRELL BEVELL: Yeah, we did a good job of getting off to a good start. One of the things that we’ve done early in the year was there was a lot of 10-0, 17-0, getting behind. So we were able to stay in the game, a good mix and run and pass. They protected well. We did a good job protecting him. Really cool for him to make a play. Ball snapped over his head, they got pressure coming off the edge, just stayed calm. Got the ball, rolled out, threw a nice ball to Marv, Marv gets his feet in. Just kind of shows hopefully what the future can hold for Trevor. Really happy for him because he really did stay dialed in this whole season. Tough season for everybody involved, but the way he did and the way everybody responded today, I couldn’t be happier.
Q. You kind of mentioned it’s been a little bit of a rough season for Trevor and the entire team. How important can getting a win to close out the year be for some of the younger players like Trevor Lawrence going into the offseason as they put in that work to get ready for next year? DARRELL BEVELL: Yeah, if you walk down the hallway, I think you can hear it. The guys were ecstatic. They’re all excited. They can go play a few more games, just because of what happened today. Anytime you win, anytime you play well, it gives you extra confidence, gives you that boost. We just were never able to get that momentum going this year, but again, just hats off to those guys today for the effort, for the passion, for everything that they showed and how hard they played against a really good football team that had a chance to get in the playoffs.
Q. Pretty nice connection today, especially early between Trevor and Marvin. Was that stuff just open to Marvin? If it hadn’t been, Trevor would have gone elsewhere?
DARRELL BEVELL: Yeah, we did want to target Marv, wanted to get him some opportunities. When you get — with my experience with him, when you get him going early in the game, then he can get hot. But all of it goes hand in hand. You’ve got to have the protection. The guys were protecting well. Even the play, he hit Marv down the middle of the field for a big gain, protection was really solid. He was able to kind of get off his read and come back to Marv and make a great play to him. So it was all working together. Again, guys just played inspired today.
Q. When you have a situation where Marvin needing four catches to get a big bonus, do you guys think about that?
DARRELL BEVELL: Defense can dictate against it, but today it worked out well and we were able to get him those shots. I think he ended up with seven.
Q. Looking at the situation of being an interim head coach, just what you’ve taken away from yourself and the task that’s been asked of you and how you’ve seen the rest of the coaching staff respond to end out the season.
DARRELL BEVELL: Yeah, again, I’m probably using the word proud too much, but I was just really proud of all the guys involved in this very difficult year. A lot of different circumstances, and for these guys to be able to stay locked in, and I think it showed today how important it was, how locked in they were. Offense put a great game plan together, Schotty and the staff, Joe and the defensive staff put a great plan together, and it all worked well. The defense was able to get turnovers. We were able to knock out the run. Offense was able to run the football, throw passes and get completions, get touchdowns, and really just did a great job of staying in and finishing all the way to the end, and now we’ll see what happens.
Q. Everybody has a chance to put film on tape. The guy that stood out to me today was Ryquell Armstead. He was drafted just a few years ago, you got him back, and today he looked pretty good. DARRELL BEVELL: Yeah, there were some guys that later in this year have been able to get opportunities, whether it’s Cisco, whether it’s Armstead. We had Sargent up today to play. Walker Little got a lot of time in there, as well. It’s always a great thing to see these young guys being able to step up. Jordan Smith was out there, and to see them get opportunities and then to be able to make the most of those opportunities is really gratifying as a coach, and I’m happy for them.
Q. Building off that, Ryquell Armstead. For him to do what he did, beyond just making money down the road, what did that say about him in the short time you’ve known him and what do you think this meant to him?
DARRELL BEVELL: Yeah, it’s amazing sometimes these stories that these guys go through. The story for him with the COVID and all the stuff that — how bad it was for him and hit him, obviously he got cut right when we got here, and then to be able to come back and play like that, it’s exciting. It shows the fortitude that these guys have and how much they love this game, how committed they are to it, to fight back from what he did, and then be able to go make those plays out there. I just think it’s really cool.
Q. You mentioned the Colts had a lot to play for today. How much does that actually matter to players in the locker room, what the other team is dealing with or what they might have by winning a game? DARRELL BEVELL: We’ll use anything we can. I mean, we were playing a divisional opponent that had a chance to go in the playoffs. I think that’s enough, but there’s so much other. I can’t even talk enough about how much these guys work, how hard it is and all the time that they put in and the time that people don’t see. They see this out here on the field, the 17 games that they get to play, but all the hard work that they put in almost year-round nowadays to get themselves out there, and it’s just — that’s something to play for. I think it just showed today, like you walk down the hall, go listen to what’s going on in that locker room, you’ll see that it was important to them.
Q. Steelers won today, so do you have a lot of friends in the Pittsburgh area, or do you expect to have a lot going forward?
DARRELL BEVELL: To be honest with you, I don’t even know what the scenario is.
Q. They’re in unless there’s a tie tonight. The Colts are officially eliminated.
DARRELL BEVELL: Okay, great, so that’s what we were trying to do today. Yes! Actually I haven’t talked to him, but Mike Tomlin and I, we were offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator at Minnesota together, so congrats to him.
Q. Can you just speak to Andre Cisco and just what he’s meant to the team here as a rookie this season?
DARRELL BEVELL: Yeah, it’s cool to be able to get him in at the end of the year and to be able — he’s also another one of those guys that has fought back. He came to us with an injury in his knee, was kind of just able to work himself back in, and he just did a nice job, and I think he’s got a bright future for us.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
JAGUARS QB TREVOR LAWRENCE
Jaguars vs. Colts
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022
Q. Was there a part of you after this game was over that said to yourself, gosh, where was this all year?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: I think everybody was kind of saying that to themselves, not where was this, but just — it’s always, I guess, mixed emotions. I wouldn’t say always. Today was mixed emotions of we finished the way we wanted to finish, and you can’t ever go back, and that’s something I’ve learned is you’ve got to do everything you can in the moment because you can’t go back and change it when it’s done. You don’t have regrets, but you do have that feeling of just, man, we could have been doing this all season. It’s disappointing to look back and think that, especially some of the close games we lost, and then just games where we didn’t play well, but just to think that that’s who we are, that’s what we can do, but you’re not that unless you do it week in and week out. But honestly, more so than that, just the confidence that this builds going forward, that’s a good football team that we just beat and really dominated the game and (I’m) just really proud of our guys. Everybody was locked in. This could have gone two different directions, could have gone like today or could have gone really bad, knowing that tomorrow starts the offseason. We’re not playing for the playoffs. This is our last game. Going to see a lot of different faces. Just knowing all those things and to have a group that really comes out ready to go, locked in and dominates the game, especially when you’re playing against a team that is playing for everything. They win this game, they’re in, the stakes don’t get higher, and just to come out and dominate, it feels really good to finish the season that way.
Q. At what point did (Jaguars wide receiver) Marvin Jones come to you and say, I need four (catches), and I need them as soon as possible?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: We joked around about it. I was pretty confident I was going to get him his four. We worked out a deal, he gives me a small percentage of that — I’m just kidding. No, we kind of joked around about it, but Marvin, the type of player he is, he’s going to get four if we play the way we should. I wasn’t really concerned.
Q. How cool is that to have something like that at stake and be able to take care of a guy? TREVOR LAWRENCE: It’s great. It’s great. Marvin is a guy that works super hard. Obviously, he’s in year 10 for him, been through a lot, and it’s been a tough year, obviously, for both of us. We wanted things to go better. We wanted to have better years and win more games, all those things, and just to — it’s a cool way to be able to finish it, honestly just me doing my job. He got open, the coverage determined who gets the ball, and he gets it. But yeah, it’s definitely nice to be able to do that for him.
Q. What’s your biggest takeaway from this season, like the difference between college ball and now you’re in the NFL, and what do you think you can really improve on going into the next season? TREVOR LAWRENCE: Oh, man, that’s kind of a tough question. It’s a good question. I don’t know. I’d have to look back and really think about the biggest thing I’ve learned. I think just for me, learning how to really be resilient in tough times and to keep being the same person and to try to keep that confidence week in and week out. It’s a 17-game season, and just because you have a bad first game or a bad seventh game, you still have so many games left, and you’ve got to come ready to play each week. Regardless of — obviously we didn’t win a lot of games this year, but there’s so many games we could have won, and we have enough talent and every team has enough talent, and it’s really about execution. It’s about being ready, everybody being on the same page, and I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned is, college, it’s more about talent. Obviously, towards the end of the season, you look at the National Championship, playoffs, all those, talent is kind of equated, but here, every game is pretty even. Any team can win any given Sunday. Knowing that, I think that’s something valuable that I’ve learned, and just preparing the same way each week. And I think I’ve done a good job of that this season, but even more emphasis on that and just realizing that it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’ve really got to be locked in, because like I say, anybody can beat anybody.
Q. You’re going into your first NFL offseason, ending the season on a high note. Do you believe in momentum going into the offseason? Is that a thing for you?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: A hundred percent. I think this was a game where, one, you’re playing for your pride, to get another win on the season. (We) Only had two wins. Obviously, that wasn’t the plan. To play for that pride, to get another win for this group, and just to feel good. Then you look at it from an individual perspective, everybody wants to show what they can do. You want to show your value and what you can add to an organization, whether that’s here, whether that’s somewhere else, and for everyone to just do that, to play for the team, to play for themselves, you’re playing for everything, and that’s how it should be every week. And just to do that and execute and have success, it feels good. But yeah, that’s definitely some momentum we want to build on this offseason.
Q. Marv (Jaguars wide receiver Marvin Jones) said pregame you came up to him and you said you were ready to sling it. I don’t know if you’ve done that previous pregames, but why was today the day that at least in my opinion, I think several others of us here, you looked the most comfortable you’ve looked in weeks? Why did it feel that way pregame and why did it look that way following this win? TREVOR LAWRENCE: I think there’s a lot of things that go into it. I’ve said that to him a few times throughout the season, not a ton, but we talk. Me and Marv have a great relationship. We talk a lot. One, it’s 78 degrees in January in Florida. It doesn’t get much better than that, and you’ve got a team coming from Indianapolis. That was probably a little bit of a surprise for them. It was a little hot today. We just kept going and going and going. So it was cool to see that. This week, I think I did a good job of just calming myself down, obviously like I do every week, but preparing the right way and really not letting anything get in my psyche and just trying to be myself and really play the way that I know how to play, to play the way that got me here. There’s been flashes of it this season, but it’s all about consistency, and I really wanted to finish the year with confidence and just show, hey, this is who we can be, this is who I can be, this is who I am. And then just, like I said, I think confidence is so important, and it was a good week.
Q. Why denim?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Oh, I don’t know. Last game of the year, denim seemed appropriate. Also, just got this outfit in the mail, so that’s part of it, too.
Q. Did Marvin say anything funny, interesting when he came back to the huddle after he got that pass that got him the 500,000?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: No. Which one was it, do you guys remember?
Q. The fourth catch, the one —
TREVOR LAWRENCE: Well, I know that. We had three early, like boom, boom, boom, really quick, so I was like — that’s in the back of my head. Obviously, I’m not forcing anything, I’m not trying, but you know, okay, he gets three quick, it was in the back of my head. I was like, I know he’s going to get it, and then I think I threw him like — I think I threw him like an eight-yard stop route on the sideline on a naked. I think that was the play. I’ll have to go back and watch, but that was like an easy completion, we got it, and I was going to say something to him, but he was doing something else.
Q. Not even a thank you? Did he even say thank you?
TREVOR LAWRENCE: No, we talked about it in the locker room. No, it was cool. It was a good day. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
JAGUARS DL ADAM GOTSIS
Jaguars vs. Colts
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022
Q. Adam, can you talk about the defensive line’s performance today, six sacks? Incredible, right? ADAM GOTSIS: Yeah, I mean, that’s what we’re built here to do. We’ve got great edge guys, great interior guys, and our secondary played lights out today. I think they had 240 (yards) total, so total defense, we just came out and did what we had to do, man. You know, it’s a bit disappointing that it’s the end of the season, and you finish on a game like that, but it’s also a lot to build off of, a division game, and to knock them out. A lot to build off coming into next year.
Q. Adam, Shaq (Jaguars cornerback Shaquill Griffin) kind of talked about momentum, you talked about being able to build off this game. How much carryover is there really from a win like this to wrap up a season going into the offseason all the way to next year? Is there much that carries over? ADAM GOTSIS: Yeah, 100 percent. Not just for the guys staying here but for guys moving on. It’s always nice to finish with a good taste in your mouth at the end of a game. Huge carryover. You look at their record and what they did this year, and then to know going into the off-season that, shoot, if we can do that, hey, we’re right in that division hunt. In my eyes we can win our division. It doesn’t matter who, it doesn’t matter when, we can line it up, and if we play like that on defense, it’s going to be a long day for any offense. It’s right there, and we see it in the building, so it’s now just developing that consistency over the offseason, over the break, and coming back next year, guns blazing, do it all again.
Q. What’s it like in the locker room after a season like this, but to get this victory and to knock out a divisional opponent from the playoffs? What is that atmosphere like and what do you feel from this team and your teammates as you move forward?
ADAM GOTSIS: Yeah, it’s a tough one, man, because you’re obviously elated for the game that you just had, but it’s also a disappointment for what could have been this year if we’d just executed a bit better in some situations throughout the season. It’s unknown what’s got to do. I hope everyone goes back, looks at the missed opportunities from this year, learns from it, and we can get better as a group. The guys coming back, put all the chips in again, get together this offseason, start developing, and come back knowing that we can roll with the top dogs in our division and in the league. We took out Buffalo this year, we took out Indy this year, two of the high-powered offenses around the league. It just shows that when we’re on fire, man, we can beat anyone. That’s something to hold our hats on and go into the offseason and continue working. Across the board, it’s right there. It’s right there to grasp. We’ve just got to go get it.
Q. I know that you trained in the offseason with Smoot (Jaguars defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot), with Josh (Jaguars defensive lineman/outside linebacker Josh Allen). What did it mean to see those two guys do what they did and end their season the way they did, and what is your relationship like? And secondly, did you know about Smoot needing one more sack to hit that bonus?
ADAM GOTSIS: No, I didn’t. I didn’t. If I knew, I would have done everything for him. Smoot is one of my homies. Just to train with those guys this offseason, they really developed me as a player, just took my game to a next level. Those guys have been dominant since they’ve come in the league. I know the spotlight has just been put on them a bit more this year, but you turn on Smoot’s film, probably the most unblocked D-end. He’s destroying these tackles. Josh is a whole other level as well. Just to be able to work with them this offseason was huge coming into this year. I think building that chemistry in the offseason is big, and just to see them develop and have a hell of a year, both of them, it’s just been awesome. Hats off to our coaching staff, (Jaguars defensive line coach) Tosh Lupoi and Lucas (Jaguars assistant defensive line coach Sterling Lucas), (Jaguars outside linebackers coach) Zach Orr, all the guys helping out in the D-line room. Some of the games this year, with them, it’s a team. It’s been a hell of a year for those guys personally, and they helped me with my year, as well. I feel like I had a decent year, and that’s kudos to them for doing their jobs and us working as a unit.
Q. The offense got the ball first and scored a touchdown for the first time since the Denver game. In addition to whatever that does for the offense’s confidence, what does it do for you guys to run on the field the first time in a game knowing that you’re not playing from behind, knowing that the other guys are?
ADAM GOTSIS: Yeah, I mean, it’s always nice to know that the offense goes down there and scores and gets points, but a lot of the time it’s — regardless of what they do, we’ve got to go play defense. Obviously, it’s a bit different, the coordinators can call the game differently when the score is swayed the other direction. But to start out and to see the offense come out and do what they did and march the ball down the field like that, it’s demoralizing for their team. Their offense probably wasn’t expecting it, so then their offense come out starting a little slow, and we come out on fire. We got all the momentum and got to keep it. Super proud of the offense. They’ve had an up-and-down year, a bit tough in some situations, but they came out and got the job done today. Again, to them, it shows that they can do it, too, right in the division, so if we can fire on all cylinders like this, no reason we can’t win this division.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
JAGUARS CB SHAQUILL GRIFFIN
Jaguars vs. Colts
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022
Q. How was that, to close out the season with a victory, and just talk about that defensive performance today.
SHAQUILL GRIFFIN: Oh, man, it was huge. The main message going into the week was leave no doubt, understand you’ve still got one more game to put it on tape. We’re not sure what’s going to happen with the staff, the coaches, the players, but understand you’ve got one more chance to put it on tape. Leave no doubt, because you never want to be that guy leaving the season saying, man, I just wish this play I would have did a little bit more. You don’t want to go into the off-season like that. It will haunt you forever. I’m glad everybody got a chance to buy into it, and then the defense showed out amazing. Career high with six sacks, that’s amazing. I’ve got to give some more credit to the guys in the back end for holding it off, rushing to cover it together. Coach Joe always says that and it showed today. I’ve got to give it up to him for making the calls he made today because everything that he called made sense and it worked, and I loved that. I loved that. We played great.
Q. Shaq, you’ve talked a lot this year about these young players getting used to that winning feeling. How important is it and could it be for them to finish the season with a win and go into the off-season with that the last game that they remember until next year?
SHAQUILL GRIFFIN: It’s huge because that’s the momentum that we need, understand that we can be that team that can go so far. Knocking a team off that had a chance at a playoff berth, that’s huge. It wasn’t a slack-off team that we played against, and to get that W in this critical situation, even for them going into the off-season with that momentum, I know I’m going to make sure they train the heck out of them this off-season. I’m staying here, around, right here in Jacksonville hoping guys come back, saying we can train right there in my backyard, I don’t care. But the main thing is I want these guys to build off that. I want to be so much better than I was this year, and I hope those guys feel the same way, and I’m going to continue to push them even when we’re out of season, so that’s my goal, so I’m going to continue to stay on the young guys to make sure we come back right.
Q. The situation you’re in now, you have a unique opportunity to kind of observe Trevor, and you practice against him regularly. Tell us how proud you are of him and his progression from week one to now? How good is his metamorphosis into the quarterback he is at this point? SHAQUILL GRIFFIN: Oh, man, it was huge, just to see the maturity level. Understanding that Trevor is a guy who had to go through a lot of situations with this team, as well. We had a lot of ups and downs, so many different scenarios we had to overcome, and Trevor being the head man, making sure everybody stayed on track and right, at that age, that shows so much maturity. And understand, he played his ball. He looks comfortable. He played his game, and that was amazing to see that because you see him getting comfortable, and that was amazing to be able to see this from game one all the way until now, and to end the season the way he did with a win, I know I can only imagine what he’s ready to accomplish going into next year. This team, especially me, I’m behind him 110 percent, and I actually told him, I’m aware of where you’re at, you call on me, I’m going to come see you. We’re going to be working, because I told him I want to make sure I catch every single football that comes to me next year, so I’m going to be training with him, getting with the receivers or whatever it takes to get this team closer now. Now that I’m here we’re going to make it happen, so I’m proud of that guy. I know he’s going to do some huge things for this team, and I’m with him 110 percent.
Q. You kind of alluded to it at the top. Obviously you personally were fighting COVID, several of these guys were, even if I know this new variant isn’t as severe. Health-wise, fitness-wise, what sort of obstacles did that present for you guys? Did you have to have guys rotating in and out? Was it a little bit tougher than normal?
SHAQUILL GRIFFIN: Yeah, it was huge for us because understand even when I came back off that COVID list and I couldn’t practice the first day. I had to make sure my breathing and everything. It came with a lot, so a lot of people had to step up, step in and be ready. We had a lot of people rotating today on defense, but man, we made it work. Everybody bought in. We didn’t have anybody making an excuse like man, we’re missing this guy or this guy can’t play. We all adapted to it and we made it work for this defense. This team, we took a huge L with the COVID stuff, but like I said, we found a way to make it work instead of making excuses about it. We made sure it worked for us, and it did, so I’m proud of those guys for that.
Q. You alluded to those guys in the back end, Andre Cisco, DT [S Daniel Thomas]. What did you think of them today?
SHAQUILL GRIFFIN: Huge, man. I’ve been telling the guys for a long time, the situation, your opportunity is going to come. Just make sure you make the best of it, and those guys played hard. I could hear in their voices during the week the plays they said they were going to make, and man, those guys stepped up in huge ways for this defense, and that’s going to show a lot going into their future. I’m rooting for those guys no matter what, and they’re going to do huge things for this team. I’m excited for those guys and they did amazing because it’s not easy stepping up for those guys to fill in some shoes, and they did that very well.
Q. Just what you can say it means going through the adversity of this season, what it means to be a Jaguar stepping forward and what the community of Duval has meant to you to be behind you and to hear them cheering for you at the end of a season like that?
SHAQUILL GRIFFIN: Man, it was huge. Understand, one, being a part of this organization changed my life. Understand that part. I wanted to do so much so early for this organization, and I feel like I didn’t get that done, but understand the love that I have for what they have done for me, I want to give more. So you hear me saying I’m going to make sure I get around Trevor, I’m going to get around the defense, whatever I have do in the off-season to make sure we get this tight mind so when we start we’re ahead of the curve. I’m willing to do that because I love this city so much because of what it already gave me, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get this team back and this organization back to where we need to be. So to get this win with this momentum going into next year, I hope everybody feels the same way of how can I get better, what can I do to do more because I don’t want this season to happen again and we’ve got to get this flipped around, and I hope everybody feels the same way. That’s why it was so great to have this win, to go into the off-season with this momentum knowing that we can do and take over whatever we decide we want to. I’m excited for it.
Q. This past week has obviously been rough starting with the Patriots game and then the social media and everybody shows up in clowns, whatever. Did you see any of those multicolored hairs in the stands while you were out there today? How offended were you guys going in, like a chip on the shoulder, wasn’t it?
SHAQUILL GRIFFIN: Yeah, but I don’t really get into all the social media or the clown suits and stuff. I think I saw someone snatch one off after we got a turnover so I don’t know if he was trying to hide that he had the clown suit on. I don’t know, but I don’t get into all that. When I go and play, I play for the true fans, and the true fans know who they are, the ones who don’t have to put on suits, the ones who are going to ride or die for this team no matter what, no matter the outcome. Those are the guys who I go out and fight for, those are the ones who I know are supporting. Everything else outside of that doesn’t matter. I care about this team too much for me to be worrying about outside noise.
Q. I have some fans tweeting at me asking about the boom box celebration. Can you elaborate? I don’t know what that is.
SHAQUILL GRIFFIN: Usually after a win I have the boom box. You know what, maybe after this interview I’m going to go ahead and go in the locker room and find that boom box and a couple players and I’m going to go ahead and turn it up a little bit, put that out there so everybody can see it because they are right, I’ve got to get my boom box.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
JAGUARS WR MARVIN JONES JR.
Jaguars vs. Colts
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022
Q. Did you tell Coach Darrell Bevell or QB Trevor Lawrence about the incentives? MARVIN JONES JR.: No, I think everybody knew, I didn’t even have to say anything. It was all over social media, and I’m not on social media. That was like the topic of the team. So, I think the message was pretty clear.
Q. How cool is that, though, that Coach Darrell Bevell was in here saying, yeah, we love to get guys that stuff?
MARVIN JONES JR.: Yeah, of course. It’s good because you hear a lot of stories, and I know a lot of stories of people that don’t get it. But hey, you just go out there, and my thing is go out there and be you and it’ll happen. So, it did, and we got the win.
Q. Would you like to share one of those stories?
MARVIN JONES JR.: No, because that’s for somebody else.
Q. This looked to be one of the most comfortable games for QB Trevor Lawrence in the pocket, reading the offense, executing for all of you guys. Why was today the day that everything clicked? MARVIN JONES JR.: Obviously, we had a great game plan, and he’s been looking great all week, confident, comfortable. He told me once he got out from warming up, he was like, “You’d better be running because I’m about to sling it.’ And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, you’d better sling it because I’m going to be running.’ He felt great, and I think it was just—everybody was comfortable and confident and let loose. Like nothing matters but just us going out there and having fun. It’s bittersweet because it was the last game, so I think going forward, everybody [will] just play free, play with no worries and do your job and be confident in the game plan and in your abilities. I think everybody did that today, and it showed out there.
Q. When you look back at you guys going up to Clemson [University], throwing with QB Trevor Lawrence, everything you’ve been through the last four months, what did today mean to you? MARVIN JONES JR.: It meant a lot. Like I said in an interview a couple days ago, you always want that good taste in your mouth at the end of the season. We’ve been through a hell of a lot as a team mentally. So just to come out here and put on a display like that, just like I said, it’s bittersweet. Everybody is jumping around, and they’re like, ‘Damn, we could have been doing this the whole time.’ You kind of get that little feeling. But hey, it’s just great to go out like this, great to see a smile on everybody’s faces, and you know, great to look towards the future, whatever that is, with whoever is in the locker room.
Q. Some of the guys have been throwing around the word “momentum” heading into the offseason. What does offseason momentum really look like? What does it do for a player as they prepare for next year?
MARVIN JONES JR.: It does a lot, because quite honestly, you don’t play football for another 17 weeks until you start getting back in here and competing and stuff like that. Momentum, it means a lot to a player, especially a young player. We had young guys out there, DT [Daniel Thomas], [Andre] Cisco, everybody. I mean, they were out there, and they did a fantastic job. For them, this is the last thing that’s on their mind, so when they’re on their offseason, they’re going to think how good they played and how great their potential is, and it gives you that edge coming into the next season. So, momentum is everything, and vice versa, if you don’t have that momentum now, you’re sitting there thinking of— ‘Oh, I should have did this, I should have did this, we could have [done] this.’ And you’re like, ‘Dang, I can’t wait to go back and erase this from my head.’ It’s important for players, coaches, everybody.
Q. Dealing with the coaching change and some of the drama off the field, where did the leadership come from this season from inside the locker room?
MARVIN JONES JR.: I think that was important. What we dealt with this season, nobody in their right mind would have thought when you came here that that was going to happen. So, it was great to have the leaders and the people in our locker room that we had to really keep the team together because there was – I mean, sheesh, it was hard. I took pride on myself to make sure—I can’t get in one of those moments to where I’m going off, because everybody is following me. It was good for me and a lot of leaders on this team to really just keep the young guys, like ‘Hey, this is not the NFL, don’t think this is like the NFL. This is what you do, this is what you do, follow me in this and don’t do this and do this and follow here and stuff like that.’ So, the leaders on our team within the locker room did an amazing job with the circumstances that we had and all the challenges that we had [been] facing, internally and externally. I tip my hat off to everybody in the locker room, the OG –I guess I’m the OG– and the youngest person, just sticking together and having fun together.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
JAGUARS DL DAWUANE SMOOT
Jaguars vs. Colts
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022
Q. How good does it feel to get a win today?
DAWUANE SMOOT: [It] feels great, feels good to end on a high note after all this turmoil that we went through the whole season, a lot of distractions, a lot of things. It’s good to just get back in and really just get that W, so it feels great.
Q. As this game wore on, did you get a sense that the pressure you had on Colts QB Carson Wentz all day was starting to affect him?
DAWUANE SMOOT: Yeah, we were in his face all day and he was definitely feeling it from the batted pass of the first series all the way down to [Jaguars DL Adam] Gotsis getting a sack in the fourth quarter. He was battling the whole time and we felt it. He threw a couple picks, so he was going to start holding it. We just started teeing off, just pinning our ears back, and it worked out.
Q. Did you feel like a game like this was coming? This is clearly the most complete game you guys have played all year. Was there something different about the preparation this week or the message? DAWUANE SMOOT: It was just, ‘Go out there and play.’ At the end of the day, I mean it’s our last game, last opportunity, last time all of us are going to be together. We just all leaned on each other and we’re just like, we got nothing to lose, so might as well just go out and win.
Q. What was the locker room like after the game?
DAWUANE SMOOT: I mean everyone was yelling. I’m still tired from it as you can see. I’m trying to just get some Gatorade in, but we celebrated a lot. They’re still in there dancing right now.
Q. Did you know going into the day that your $250,000 sack bonus was on the line? DAWUANE SMOOT: Oh, yeah, [I] definitely did. Me and my wife, she told me don’t come home if I don’t get the sack, so I’m coming home [with it].
Q. How many diapers will your sack bonus buy?
DAWUANE SMOOT: A life supply.
Q. Can you speak on the momentum that this gives you and the team moving forward? Despite ending with three wins, what it means to you to leave the way you’re leaving this season? DAWUANE SMOOT: We’re ending on a high note. It’s something to look forward to in the offseason, just thinking back, ‘Okay, we ended on a high note, we ended on a W, let’s just build onto that and let’s just keep it going.’ A lot of the guys that are coming back, a lot of the guys have signed contracts in the last couple years are coming back, so we’ve just got to kind that same mindset, just come out there and don’t worry about nothing, just go out there and play.
Q. For you, being on the COVID list and with some of the struggles you guys faced this last week, how do you prepare for a game with only half of you in the building and then to turn out a performance like this?
DAWUANE SMOOT: I mean, we’ve been playing football for a long time. It’s just kind of like just you get out there and you play. As long as you make sure your body is up to par. Like for me I came in on Thursday, didn’t really practice, [was] tired. I just really just got with Schleg [Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Anthony Schlegel]. We ran some sprints, tried to just get my blood flowing and get my heart going. That’s all it was. It’s just making sure that your body is ready when you come back out there.
Q. How good does it feel to see younger guys like CB Tyson Campbell, S Andre Cisco, and DT Jay Tufele playing well?
DAWUANE SMOOT: It’s great. I mean, just seeing all these young guys coming in, we’ve got a lot of young guys and a lot of guys, they’re ballers. We’ve got a lot of young ballers. Just to see that they’re killing it out there, they’re not flinching when there’s pressure, that’s huge and that’s going to be huge for next year, too.
Q. This team will have a new head coach and other new coaches next year. What did this group and this defense say today to whoever that new coach is and what this group may need and what it can offer to a potential head coach?
DAWUANE SMOOT: It’s letting them know that we’ve got playmakers over here. After all the things we went through this whole season, even last game when they [Patriots] put up 50 on us, just showing them that we’re willing to fight back no matter what. Whoever we’re going against, whatever O-line. Apparently, they were saying that this is the best O-line. We came out there and dominated. So that’s just showing whoever comes in here you’re going to get a solid group.
Q. You not only got a victory, but you also landed the No. 1 pick. Can you just give a reaction to achieving both of those today?
DAWUANE SMOOT: I mean, it’s bittersweet. That’s a hard question right there. It’s different. We won. It’s good. But at the same time, we’re still rebuilding, so that’s going to be huge going forward, whatever we end up doing with it. I trust the front office, and I feel like we’re going to be able to turn this around really soon.
Q. Is there such a thing as taking momentum into the off-season, and could a win today help with that?
DAWUANE SMOOT: I mean, definitely. I know for me, each off-season is the same. I take two weeks off and then I’m back in the gym before February. For me it’s the same thing. But for other guys, especially younger guys, just knowing that we can do something, we can do something with these guys and them just working in the off-season just knowing that we can come out there and get a W.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
JAGUARS WR LAQUON TREADWELL
Jaguars vs. Colts
Postgame Media Availability
Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022
Q. How did it feel, first of all, to get this win today? You guys have been fighting for this for a while. LAQUON TREADWELL: It felt great. The locker room is still rocking right now. We’re just enjoying it together. We know this is our last one of the year and everybody is going to go in the off-season and try and get better. But we’re enjoying it, we’re going to enjoy tonight. We’ll see each other in the morning and probably still be enjoying it. It’s just fun. It was fun.
Q. How did it feel for you to connect with QB Trevor Lawrence on that touchdown? LAQUON TREADWELL: It was great. First one of the year, worked hard all year for it, came at the right time in the game. Great play call. It was overall great execution, great ball. Yeah, I was super excited, excited to get a ball to my son this afternoon.
Q. What does this do for your long-term future here? Do you think that this will help you maybe sign here going into next year and keep it going?
LAQUON TREADWELL: Well, I think every game that I played helped that case. I want to be here. I enjoy playing here. I enjoy the opportunities that I got here. I enjoy growing with Trevor, and if I’m here, we can go into the off-season with momentum and we can come back and do something special here next year. It’s been in the air a lot in the locker room. We talk a lot about it. But that decision is up to the owners and the staff that’s going to come in. From my perspective, I want to be here.
Q. How does off-season momentum really carry over? Does it carry all the way to training camp or does it give you motivation to work a little harder during those workouts?
LAQUON TREADWELL: For me in my situation, previous years, just not having a destination or offensive scheme to game plan for, it played a huge role because I was just training. It’s kind of like the quote [Green Bay Packers WR] Davante Adams said this past week. You go in the off-season, you do a lot of drills, and he goes and trains on football. To my point, if I have a quarterback that I know I’m going to be working with in an offensive scheme that I know I’m going to be in, we can go and work on these timing throws and all these different variables. That’s going to play a huge factor when it comes to training camp, OTAs and then we can kind of progress faster throughout those times with the coaches and go into the season with great chemistry and timing.
Q. What can you attribute to that comfort level with QB Trevor Lawrence over these last few weeks, and what do you think about him as a leader stepping forward?
LAQUON TREADWELL: I just attribute it to the work that we put in in training camp. We were clicking in training camp. He was finding me in training camp, I was making a lot of plays. Unfortunately, it had to stop because I was cut and then I was brought back. We picked back up on it just due to the fact that we were familiar with each other. We made plays early on in the season and that first catch versus the Colts, my first start, it just kind of sparked it back up and just allowed him to know that he can still come to me. I’m still valuable, I’m still here, I’m still present, and I’m still going to work to get open for him.
Q. At what point during the week did WR Marvin Jones Jr. come to you or tell you guys, I need four for $500,000?
LAQUON TREADWELL: Marv[in] never said anything. It was something that we [had] seen. I think one of the guys put it in a group chat. You know, we support each other wholeheartedly. I was telling Marv all game, hey, seven more, six more, five more, whatever the number he was on. I was just gassing him and gassing Trevor [Lawrence], like we want to see guys reach those incentives and go out and take care of their families on and off the field. We go out and that’s what we play for. We play to get stats and to score touchdowns and do all these great things. It was exciting to see him get one of the incentives, get the four catches. Wish we could have got to 14, but we fell short.
Q. But he definitely is funding the end-of-season dinner for you guys, right?
LAQUON TREADWELL: We’ve got to get the rookies, man. We’ve got to get the rookies still. We let them off the hook, we threw a dinner for them. We let them off the hook with something light. But we’ve definitely got to get the rookies for that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
