JAGUARS HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2021
(On having situations where he feels he has to use his veto power on which players are in the game, including in the fourth quarter yesterday) “Yeah, I do use the veto power quite often. In that situation, I saw Carlos [Hyde] and I trust Carlos. Carlos is running hard as well [as James Robinson] and I didn’t make the change. We were discussing the play and I did not make the change at the running back position.”
(On whether he didn’t make a change because he has the same confidence RB Carlos Hyde and RB James Robinson) “In that moment, I did. When I saw Carlos there, I didn’t ask why James [Robinson] wasn’t in there. We were discussing the play, I saw Carlos and I trust Carlos. Obviously, [Darrell] Bevell trusts Carlos.”
(On whether it was about an injury issue with RB James Robinson as to why he was not playing) “No, no injury.”
(On the process of the challenge flag on the near fumble) “Yeah, it’s an interesting way we do it. [Football Database Analyst] Zach [Beistline] is tremendous—our guy that is upstairs—and the official was right with me. I said, I’m going to challenge this. He said, ‘Coach, I already looked at it.’ And then, I kept staring at the video and then the guys upstairs said, ‘Coach, that is a fumble.’ They kept saying, ‘It’s an open hand. It’s an open hand. That is a fumble.’ Critical point in the game and I’m looking at it. The official was great. I said, ‘I’m going to challenge this.’ He said, ‘Coach you can challenge this.’ And upstairs they were adamant that it was a fumble and I held onto it. I said, ‘How much more time do I have on this thing until I can’t throw it?’ But the officials were great on the sideline, the communication was great. I said, ‘Okay.’ And then, boom. I really believed it was [a fumble] and so did the guys upstairs.”
(On whether yesterday’s game was a turning point for DE/OLB K’Lavon Chaisson) “Oh, he played great. He had one miss, one mental error. But he [had] 1.0 sack, a great play on [Titans RB Derrick] Henry. He’s been a product of hard work, great attitude. We need him to play like that.”
(On revisiting the kicker position) “Yeah, it’s an open competition and we’re also searching. So, [Matthew] Wright slipped on the extra point and the 54-yarder hit the crossbar and I mean, that’s the … There will be some competition this week. But we’ve got to make a decision here.”
(On whether having confidence at the kicker position helps with offensive play-calling) “It sure does. It helps everything. It helps the momentum of a game, obviously it helps the points, but it helps the momentum of the game. We’ve had a bunch of those where you get a decent drive and then all of a sudden you just lose that energy on the sideline. And then obviously the confidence to get it to this yard line and you usually walk away with three points.”
(On whether having a strong kicker would allow for more aggressive play-calling) “Yeah, absolutely.”
(On whether the search for a kicker gets complicated in searching for someone who is vaccinated ahead of the London game) “It does. We couldn’t even talk to a kicker that’s not vaccinated because [he’d] have to sit out for five days. So, that’s what Trent [Baalke] and those guys are doing right now. I don’t have much more detail on that. But if it’s [Josh] Lambo or Matt [Wright], they’re going to compete. Or if we want to find one that’s vaccinated, then it’s got to be a fairly quick decision.”
(On whether his coaching is different compared to his coaching in college) “I spend most of my time on offense and the kicking game. Not because of me, but I think [Darrell] Bevell is—I like our identity right now. If you say, ‘What’s the identity of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense?’ It’s a physical offense that runs the ball and balances. Our goal is always 250 [rushing yards], 250 [passing yards]. I want to say we were 250 [passing yards] 200 [rushing yards]. That’s what we want to be. Our tailbacks are running hard, both of them. Our offensive line is coming off the ball, physical. I think Trevor [Lawrence], in his last three games, has been—I mean, just he’s on a steady progress. So, I like the progress of the offense. Obviously, turnovers were all but stopped and we had that one that was hit early, we gave up several points. The detail there, there are some communication issues on defense, that’s what we have to keep working on.”
(On whether he now has to be more ‘in the weeds’ with his coaching staff) “That’s a good question, that’s something I made a point that I’m evaluating everything. I was a certified nut in college, I’m not that now, so detail-oriented is something I’m looking at.”
(On an injury update on OL Brandon Linder) “Yeah, high ankle [sprain] and MCL [sprain]. So, as bad as that sounds, it was much better than the initial [report]. So, we’re going to get him back, we’re going to—four to five [weeks].”
(On any other injury reports) “Yeah. Roy [Robertson-Harris] should be back. Myles Jack, it turned out to be an oblique. I think someone said back, it was an oblique. And that’s day-to-day, we’ll find out more on how he heals. And Tyson [Campbell] should be—we’ll see how he heals up, too.”
(On the challenges getting ready to play in London against the Miami Dolphins) “[It’s] my first trip, but the Jags have done it. We had many, many meetings throughout the summer [because] there’s a lot of new people here that aren’t familiar with it. We have a pretty good plan. Our players are very involved in the plan. [Brandon] Linder was one that was very [helpful]. I hung with him, and we talked about the positive and negative [of] going out early, going out late. When I say going out late [I mean] going early
in the week or later in the week. So, there’s a challenge. The challenge is also you’re down two offensive linemen. [They’re] probably our most consistent group on the team right now and you’re down two, two good players, A.J. [Cann] and Brandon [Linder]. Obviously, DJ Chark [Jr.] [is hurt]. I just saw him, not having him [is a challenge]. So, we’re dinged a little bit right now, but so is everyone in the NFL. Those are the challenges and you’re facing a team that has a lot of talent and they play a unique system on offense and defense.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s growth and patience) “I see so much growth from him. I see so much in leadership, I see so much in his decision-making, his accuracy, his trust. It’s funny, it’s not funny but it’s the reality of a quarterback relationship with a wide receiver, whether it be Marvin [Jones Jr.] and now he’s getting a little good feel for that tight end we got, Dan Arnold. The best quarterbacks should coordinate a defense, so the best quarterbacks should be able to go coordinate the defense and I see
that happening. I see his knowledge of defense with Coach [Brian] Schottenheimer doing a really good job with his progress. He’s very comfortable and I’m going to add this, he’s an absolute warrior. I mean he is a competitive maniac.”
(On getting RB James Robinson more involved after his carries were cut in half in the second half against the Titans) “He is playing really well. I didn’t realize that. I’ll check after this, but there’s no intent other than if he gets a spell. I know after a long run they yank him to get his wind back. But he’s playing at a high level. He’s another competitive maniac.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence saying he was comfortable with the quarterback sneak and making that a part of the offense) “That was our staff, the offensive coaches said that. Trevor [Lawrence] is comfortable doing anything. The comment made to me was, ‘We have not done it live.’ If you say Trevor go do this, Trevor’s going to do it to the best of his ability. But that came up over the headsets and he [Darrell Bevell] said just, ‘We have not done that live.’”
(On practicing live) “Live? We don’t do much live. Training camp we did, obviously not enough with quarterback sneak.”
(On his assessment of the defensive sacks against the Titans) “[It was] our best day pressuing the quarterback. It was our best day, even just missed a couple, missed an opportunity. Shaq [Griffin] had a pick six right in front of him. Until that changes, the score—the game of football from 50 years ago to another 50 after this is about the ball and unless we start getting turnovers—in eight games, we have one. In eight games, we have one. It’s not because … We’re out there working, turnover circuit, doing this, doing that. You’ve just got to step in front of one and make a play. And when that does, I think this whole thing changes.”
(On receivers having difficulty coming out of coverages and blocks when QB Trevor Lawrence was scrambling) “[We practice that] every week. I’ll have to go recheck with the coaches. I didn’t see that … You mean when he scrambled? I’ll go back and look, but that’s a weekly drill.”
(On WR Laviska Shenault Jr.’s lack of targets) “What we did was when we lost [DJ] Chark [Jr.], he had to go to play outside as well, but he was point of attack many times. It just didn’t get him the ball. That’s something we have to make sure he gets the ball because you saw the one that he had. He’s dynamic and he’s arguably our best playmaker right now.”
(On the linebackers coverage and the 14-yard Titans TD in the second quarter) “That was a missed assignment. It was a man coverage missed assignment, miscommunication. That’s an area not of strength right now.”
