JAGUARS INTERIM HEAD COACH DARRELL BEVELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2022
(On the plan for the backup quarterback position since QB C.J. Beathard is on the COVID-19 Reserve list) “We’ll bring Danny Etling up to the active roster.”
(On whether he expects OL Cam Robinson back on Sunday) “I would say it’s not 100 percent yet. There’s still a possibility, we have got a little bit of time left. So, we’ll see how it goes.”
(On whether the Jaguars have been in contact with him about remaining as the team’s head coach or if he has an interview lined up) “I don’t have anything lined up right now. [I’m] just worried about this game right now. There’s enough going on with that.”
(On DE/LB Josh Allen’s progression and lessened production level since the Bills game) “No, I don’t think so. I was really proud of him last week. I mean, he fought hard to get back in that game. The comeback from the COVID-19 list and I saw him playing with good effort. So, it’s just been one of those years, really.”
(On whether he thinks DE/LB Josh Allen is still the player that the Jaguars drafted) “I wasn’t here, I don’t know what their thoughts were when they drafted him and all that. But I like Josh Allen, I like what he has the opportunity to bring to us. It’s been a really tough and challenging year for all of us here. So, that’s something that we’ll continue to—and I know that he’ll continue to work on to be the best that he can.”
(On the plan for the punter position with P J.K. Scott on the COVID-19 Reserve list) “That’s why we had extra punters on the practice squad. I don’t expect him back, so we’ll just move on to the next.”
(On his interactions with General Manager Trent Baalke throughout the season) “[It’s] been much more these last few weeks, particularly with this COVID-19 stuff. I have interacted with him daily these last four weeks, getting on the same page, trying to stay on top of the actives, inactives, who’s going to be ready to go, making a lot of those decisions that way. Because COVID-19 definitely made that way more challenging.”
(On the General Manager’s involvement with the interim head coach position compared between his experiences with the Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars) “Well, there wasn’t a GM in Detroit at the time, when I became the interim. So, there was no interaction there, so obviously there has been much more here.”
(On the status of RB Travis Etienne Jr.’s recovery) “Yeah, he’s been doing a great job of being around in the building. We really wanted to keep him around and make sure that he continued to grow with the football stuff. As far as the progression, I know that he was on a non-weight-bearing for a long time, he’s now off of everything now and walking around. As far as anything more than that, I don’t think he’s back running yet. I don’t think we’re at that point.”
(On the status of WR DJ Chark Jr.’s recovery progression) “[He’s] progressing the same way. I know that he’s done a little bit, but he’s not full running or anything yet.”
(On how his birthday went on January 6) “My girls, they did a great job. They made it a great day. My wife and my three daughters, they made it for a great day, yes.”
JAGUARS OL WALKER LITTLE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2022
(On the challenge of blocking DE/OLB Josh Allen) “There’s a lot of things: he’s big, he’s strong, he’s athletic, he’s quick. I’d say one of his best attributes though is just his tenacity. He never stops. You can block him his first move and he has another move coming. He’s a hard worker and a great leader for this team. He’s made me a lot better.”
(On his progress from training camp to now) “I think the biggest thing for me was just getting used to playing NFL talent, getting used to be being better with my hands, being better with my feet, kind of the whole deal. The next level, if you have any kind of mishap, any little mistake, it’ll be shown in a big scale so there’s no opportunity to mess up. You have to be really precise each and every day. I think just going through practices and going against guys like Josh [Allen] really forced me to get better and forced me to be really precise with everything. I’ve been working on it all year. I think it’s been helping me out a lot.”
(On his high and low points of the season) “Obviously the low points, just we haven’t been able to win as many games as we wanted to. We came in this year with a lot of high hopes and weren’t able to really achieve quite everything we wanted to this season. But the high points I think is just getting back to football. Obviously, the end of my college career was difficult, I wasn’t able to play a whole lot. Getting back in the locker room, getting back into this locker room, specifically this o-line room, getting coached at a really great level with [Offensive Line Coach] Coach [George] Warhop, I just felt I was able to get a lot better being surrounded with great talent behind guys like Jawaan [Taylor] and Cam [Robinson]. I’d say those are the high points.”
(On what he needs to improve on) “I think the biggest thing is just being consistent, consistent with my footwork, consistent with my hands. Those are just the things I try to work on. I feel like I have it in me where I can block anyone in this league, but you have to be able to consistently do it each snap having good sets, good angles. That’s the thing I try to work on in practice is just not letting up at all and being precise with everything I’m doing.”
(On what worked well for him in his performance last week against the Patriots) “I felt like one of the biggest things was just I had a lot more confidence going out there having played in some games before. Just coming to the end of the season, I feel like I got a lot of reps, against some of our great pass rushers, I’ve gotten a few reps in games and stuff. Really being to go out there confident, just calm and play my game, I felt like that was the biggest thing.”
(On playing in the Bills game at the last minute versus having the time to prepare for the games the last two weeks) “Obviously, the Bills game was a great opportunity, but it was right in pregame warmups that I found out that I was going to be starting that one. It definitely was a little bit of a shock to it, but it was a great opportunity and kind of my first chance to kind of be thrown in the fire. I wouldn’t say it was a perfect performance, but I thought I did a lot of good things, and it gave me a lot of things to build on. Versus this time around knowing and being able to prep, getting reps with the first team, that kind of just helps with the confidence going into it and being able to be a little bit more calm just having taken reps all week. I think that helps with anyone, so I think those were the biggest things.”
(On working at left and right tackle in practice his season) “Yes, I have.”
(On getting more comfortable at the right tackle position) “I noticed at the beginning it was definitely different for me, took a little bit, but now I feel very comfortable on the right side of the field, just as comfortable on the left and the right. I’ve been doing it all season now.”
JAGUARS DEFENSIVE TACKLE MALCOM BROWN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2022
(On his relationship with DE/OLB Josh Allen) “Our relationship has grown over the year to be something real special. He is a young player willing to learn and his career will go wherever he wants his career to go. He puts in the work and does everything to try to outcompete anybody he’s a hard worker and we compete every day at practice.”
(On what he thinks the team needs in a coach moving forward) “Somebody who can come in and get the organization going in a winning direction. I know that kind sounds cliché or whatever but we just need someone to come in with a system or something and get everything going right. I don’t know what’s right or wrong, I’m just a player and I just come in here and play ball. Whatever they coach me up to do and want me to do on the field, I try to go out there and do my best at doing that.”
(On how tough this season has been for him) “I mean it’s been another season. I’m just a player who takes it week by week. I know everything else is going on but I’m still in football mode and still focused on the Colts and I’m still trying to win a game this week. I haven’t had time to sit back and think about the whole season in general but as far as losing so many games in a season and this and that. I don’t really want to speak to the past, like I said I am still in game mode and it’s still on to the Colts but it’s a hard feeling and that’s for any team that comes in at the beginning of the year. You want to win as many games and set yourself up for success at the end of the year. To be where we are at now, I know all of us are feeling it, but we’re still focused and trying to get this win and go out the right way.”
(On what his motivation is for Sunday’s game) “To go out and play ball and go out and try to win the game, that’s the motivation. Like I said, go out in execute. There aren’t any special goals or anything, we just want to go out and play a good like we’ve been trying to do all year and end the season off right.”
(On the Colts playoff situation being a motivating factor) “I don’t know all the motivating factors, I just know we’re trying to go out and get a win and that’s the goal every Sunday when we touch the field. The goal doesn’t change no matter the circumstances of the year. The goal is still to go out and get a W and that’s all our focus right now on the gameplan and trying to do that.”
