JAGUARS TE DAN ARNOLD
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2021
(On what he attributes to his ability to make a contribution to the team right away) “I think having to adjust when I went to Arizona from New Orleans a couple years ago, just having that experience of picking up an offense and trying to contribute as soon as possible. And just getting into the playbook, trying to learn as much as you can and just working hard, that’s kind of been the player that I’ve been in my career. So, it’s something I pride myself on, being able to do those kinds of tough things.”
(On how comfortable he felt on Sunday and playing the entire game) “Yeah, I think it was a good week at practice and that’s kind of what gives you the confidence, more than anything, to be able to do that. I think having a little bit longer time just to kind of work with the tight end coach, everybody, the offensive coordinator and with Trevor [Lawrence] as well, just to kind of iron out details of, ‘Okay, this is what you’re thinking on this route, or this is where you’re going to expect me.’ There [are] little nuisances that are different with each offense and just trying to get him as comfortable as possible because this is his first year in this craziness of the NFL. And there’s a lot that goes into it, it’s something I noticed. Trying to give him pointers on everything that I can as well, stuff that I’ve picked up from other quarterbacks that I’ve been with that have been successful. Just having that good week at practice, more than anything, helped.”
(On whether he’s encouraged by QB Trevor Lawrence’s performance thus far) “Yeah, absolutely. He’s got a great mind for an NFL offense. He works hard but I think more than anything he’s willing to just do the hard stuff. Not many quarterbacks in the league, I feel like, are going to try to run it in on—like, he almost got that touchdown that got called out back on Sunday. He took a nice lick coming into the end zone and just jumped right back up. It shows his character and what he wants, what he’s willing to do to make this team successful. I can appreciate that and it’s someone you want to definitely follow behind.”
(On whether he’s played in London before) “I have not. This will be my first time. I’m kind of excited. The biggest thing for me, as I start to get up here, [being] in the league for years, is just, ‘Okay, what’s my recovery going to be like this week?’ So, it’ll be a new adventure for me, but I’m excited for it and I think it’ll be a really cool experience.”
(On the confidence level in the locker room of this 0-5 team in comparison to the Carolina locker room) “Yeah. I think the biggest thing is that we listen to what Coach [Urban] Meyer has been trying to tell us. You have a bunch of hardworking guys in this locker room and there’s no doubt about that. When you’re falling short like this, it’s just some things might not go your way in a game and minor details. Like I fumbled for a touchdown on Sunday. That’s stuff that just can’t happen. But I think the biggest thing is you can’t quit working hard. It’s something that we’re definitely going to keep doing because we have no choice other than to do that. But those plays are going to start happening and we’re going to start making headway and everything is going to fall our way once and we’re going to get a win. From my experience, I think it’s not so much—it’s not that we’re not going to win football games, because we
know we can, we have the roster to do it, we have an incredibly talented roster. But I think the biggest thing is just getting that first win, just to build that confidence and be like, ‘Okay, we can do this thing.’ And you walk into games saying, ‘Oh are we going to win this one?’ Instead you’re walking into the game saying, ‘We’re going to get this win, and it’s going to happen.’ When you play with that kind of confidence, especially with a talented roster like this, you’ll see some nice things happen, you’ve just got to keep plugging in each week and just keep working hard, that’s all there is to it.”
(On whether the confidence is an issue in the second half) “Yeah, I mean, there’s a lot of things that happen throughout a game and when you get some young players that are kind of not used to the whole ups and downs of an NFL football game. To be honest, in order to win in this league, you’ve got to play an almost near-perfect game. It’s something that’s incredibly tough to do with a young team. But it is something that’s going to happen, whether we have confidence in the second half or not, you’ve just got to keep playing the football game, keep playing the next down, have that ‘What’s next?’ mentality and just keep going.”
(On his reaction from seeing the tape of his fumble on Sunday) “I’ll be honest. I’m my toughest critic and I’m going to say it was a fumble because I kind of leaned forward to make what they call a football move. So, I’m going to say, yeah it was a fumble every time. It’s not really about that for me, it’s just tuck the ball better next time. That’s just where I have to be with it. That next step in my career is to be that guy that can be relied upon in every single circumstance and I just have to be a better football player at the end of the day.”
(On his track and field career in college) “I ran the 110 hurdles in college.”
(On his best time in the 110 hurdles in college) “13.91 I think.”
JAGUARS DE/OLB K’LAVON CHAISSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2021
(On what it meant to have a good game performance on Sunday) “Most definitely good. Obviously, from a personal standpoint. But honestly, even when I went home, I was just sick to my stomach, just obviously from the outcome of game. Just for the kind of mistakes that I had that led to big plays on the defense. I mean, obviously it was good to have good plays, standout plays but we’re 0-5 so something has got to change.”
(On his comfort level during the season) “Real comfortable. I still think there’s just a lot of experience that comes with the game. Some things are going to come with it actually happening to you in the game so you can rep as many times, or you can go over it, just watch it on film. But to see how they actually run it in a game or how they’ll scheme it out throughout the game against us. It’s something that I’m up to the challenge and I’m just kind of taking it in game-by-game.”
(On his reaction after seeing the replay of the incomplete pass/fumble with Titans QB Ryan Tannehill) “Of course I was upset. It felt like it was just a momentum changing play that can get the offense good field position. That obviously was a nice little return, I put it past the 50 [yard line]. So, I was a little upset, but I mean, things happen. You’ve got to go out there and just play the next play. We should’ve recovered from that. I think we ended up giving up a touchdown on that drive and that’s something that we can’t give up, but we’ve got to shake back and just play the next play.”
(On whether there was confusion in the communication between the defense because Myles (Jack) was longer calling the defensive plays) “No, no, I don’t think that. I just think it’s more so—it doesn’t even matter who has the calls, just all 11 of us have to be in sync with the call and we all have got to focus in and hone in on our assignment. Just what we plan on the back ends or what kind of stunts or whatever we’re doing in the front seven. That’s just something that we all just kind of overcommunicate and we preach that on a daily basis. You can never have too much communication on the field and we’ve got to keep going with that.”
(On whether it’s hard to improve communication midseason with changes happening) “No. We’ve just got to—a lot of communication comes with chemistry and we’ve just got to hang around each other more, we’ve got to be with each other more and more. And it gets more difficult at the professional level, people have families, children and everything. It’s obviously different in college when you’re with each other all day. So, it’s just something that we’ve got to—as much time as we can without taking away from family time and our loved ones. [We’ve got to] squeeze all this in that we can and communicate as much as possible and just get everything down we can.”
(On what makes WR Jamal Agnew so hard to run down) “Honestly, he’s a nice little size. Trying to track that down is just sinking your body level and your gravity and trying to track his hip is a task. Just to have someone like that who’s shifty who can move on the dime and change direction … I feel like Jamal
sees the whole field so quickly. Just watching him, the way he returns kicks and punts, he kind of knows obviously how the punt team will come down. [He] kind of knows which players will bite inside and be more aggressive. So, just kind of going against that in practice or having the chance to go against somebody who is agile and experienced as that, helps us out.”
(On being on the sideline during the field goal kick that WR Jamal Agnew returned) “Yeah, it was a special play to happen. It was my first time ever seeing something like that happen. It was amazing. The excitement that I reached is probably the most excited I’ve been all year, just because a special play like that is, like you said, historic and just the crowd, the energy that they brought, the sideline, how we were. It was a special play and I’m glad that I was there to witness it on the sideline.”
(On what he’s heard from veterans leading up to the London game) “It’s a long flight. That’s what I’ve been thinking about. But I think they were talking about the time difference, of course, and just how we’ll be playing at 9 o’clock in the morning here. Just last week—who was that? The [Atlanta] Falcons
and the [New York] Jets were playing and I was like, ‘Is this highlights or is this real?’ So, that’s going to be something different, but I’m excited. I’ve never been out of the country, so this is amazing. The things that football can do [for] you, to take you to a place you’ve never been and take you to things you’ve never seen. So, I’m excited. I can’t wait to go out there and compete and expand my horizons to see different things I’ve never seen before.”
(On what has been the most difficult thing he’s had to do to be more impactful) “That’s the word, consistent, just to be more consistent. Sometimes I go out there and I handle everything I need to handle and then sometimes I don’t pick up as much slack as I need to. As with all the expectations and everything that’s just put on me. And I’m okay with that. I’m accepting everything that’s thrown my way, I never make excuses. Obviously, [my] play needs to be picked up, defense needs to play it better and whatever the blame is put on, you can put it on me. I’m okay with that. So, I know I need to be more consistent, I know I’ve got to play better. Obviously, last week was a good game, but I just feel like the consistency that I should bring to the table needs to be on an everyday basis.”
(On how much work he puts in on his own to improve) “A lot, a lot. But I don’t do it for any special attention or recognition. I really want this bad, I really want to win. I’m sure a lot of guys pay attention, I—I won state in high school, I won in college, I’m undefeated, and now, I’m not winning as much as I’m used to winning. It’s hurting me, I can’t go home every day and just kind of take it like a normal person. Every day I’m trying to figure out what’s the issue, what can we do better as a defense or personally as an individual? So, if I need to stay longer or if I need to lift every day like I’ve been doing or just meeting with the coaches every day as much as possible or even just having some type of team activity somewhere if I’m trying to set something up at the house or some type of functional event. I just want to do whatever it takes to win and I feel like that’s just kind of the mindset that I’ve been in.”
JAGUARS WR JAMAL AGNEW
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2021
(On how he approaches his game ) “I did it early on in my career. I would try to force things because I want to go out there and make plays. It really just comes down to making the smart decision, whether that’s fair catching it with the going in situation or just surveying the field and seeing that we don’t have everybody covered and just making a smart play. That fair catch is always there, so [it’s about] just making the smart play. Obviously, vision, instinct, and speed comes into that, but really [it] comes down to securing the ball.”
(On transitioning from defense to offense and becoming a wide receiver) “Obviously, the playbook on offense is different than defense. Defense is a lot more, I don’t want to say simple, but offense is lot more complex. You have routes, but then also you have to adjust to what the defense is doing, and routes can change and everything. That’s probably been my biggest adjustment, not to say I’m struggling with it. It’s a lot different than the defensive side of the ball, but I’m loving it right now.”
(On running into a teammate during a return like he did Sunday running into TE Chris Manhertz) “I feel like that happens a lot. That’s happened a lot in my career. Like I said before, their jobs are tough especially on kick returns. That’s one of the hardest blocks to make in the league and they’re at a disadvantage. You have guys running full speed for 30 plus yards and they have to sprint back, turn around, and try to block them going full speed. I never really get frustrated with the guys missing blocks. Not to say they’re missing blocks, but those are tough blocks, so I tip my hat to them. They’re working their butts off and we’re going to get this thing going.”
(On catching a screen pass versus a kickoff or punt return) “Yeah, it’s pretty much the same thing. I just like getting the ball in my hands, making plays. That’s something I’ve done my whole life. They’re fortunately finding ways to give me the ball a bit more and I’m just taking advantage of the opportunities that are given to me, honestly.”
(On his relationship with Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell helping his transition to becoming a wide receiver) “It’s pretty helpful. I mean me and [Offensive Coordinator Darrell] Bevell have a good relationship. I’ve said before, he’s part of the reason why I came here. Me and Bevell have a really good relationship and I understand the offense. They can throw me in there, any one of those spots, and I’ll be ready to go and make some plays.”
(On watching the replay of his field goal return for a touchdown) “I’ve probably watched it over a hundred times. I’ve probably watched it over a hundred times, honestly just to hear [Fox Sports announcer] Gus [Johnson]’s call on that. Honestly, it gives me chills every time I watch it. Obviously, that’s something I’ve always dreamed about doing. That was my first time getting the opportunity and I was telling myself, ‘I’m going to score if he misses this.’ [Cardinal K Matt] Prater, the kicker, that’s my guy and I played with him in Detroit for four years. At a moment I thought he was going to make it
because I know what he’s capable of. I’ve seen him make kicks like that in practice and stuff. At first, I was like, ‘This thing might go in’ and then I saw the wind kind of kick it down and I was like, ‘I’m gone.’”
(On being embarrassed getting tackled by a kicker) “It always is. You should never get tackled by [the kicker]. That’s my number one rule and it’s been like that since I got into the league. Don’t get tackled by the kicker.”
(On his cleats being in the NFL Hall of Fame) “I mean it’s surreal honestly. Obviously, you grow up, you want to play in the NFL, you want to be a Hall of Famer. Just to have a piece of my name that’s something I did in Hall of Fame is just something to hang my hat on. Obviously, I’m not going to get complacent or anything, but I’m just so proud of where I’ve come from. I’ve always said that it wasn’t just me out there, it was ten other guys out there. We made NFL history and that’s always going to be in the record books.”
(On the frustration level in the locker room after starting 0-5) “I mean it’s always frustrating when you’re not coming out with a W. I mean the one thing that we’re hanging our hat on is we’re getting better every week: offensively, defensively, special teams. We’re leaving plays out there on the field for sure. That’s something that probably frustrates us the most because we have some sparks out there. We have a lot of good plays going and we just have to be consistent and just consistently make those good plays in the big situations, those third downs, all that stuff, the fourth downs, and everything. We’re not really frustrated. We’re going to stay confident. We’re going to go out there in London and put our best foot forward. We feel like we’re going to turn this thing around pretty soon. We just have to keep making those plays consistently.”
(On playing in London) “I honestly haven’t heard much, but I’m excited. It’s going to be my first time out of the country other than I used to go to Mexico a lot growing up just because I grew up in Southern California. But it’s going to be my first time being out of the country so I’m just excited for that.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s improvement) “He’s just getting more and more confident out there. He’s not forcing things as much as he was earlier. Trevor [Lawrence]’s a playmaker, he wants to make plays. NFL’s a lot different and he’s just getting more and more comfortable out there taking what the defense is giving him. It’s crazy to see how much better he’s getting week by week and it’s honestly scary how good he could really be. We’re just getting better every week. We’re getting that better chemistry between the quarterbacks and the receivers and the tight ends and the running backs. Like I said, we’re trying to flip this thing around pretty soon.”
JAGUARS DT DAVON HAMILTON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2021
(On how he has adjusted to the new 3-4 defensive scheme) “I think it’s been a good transition. I enjoyed it a lot and I can continue to keep on growing in it this season so far.”
(On losing 20 consecutive games) “Honestly, I’ve never lost this many games in like a very long time, I don’t think since I really started playing football. But I think the locker room is still very tight, still very strong. There’s nothing that’s going to phase us even through this tough time right now.”
(On the change of pace and schedule going to London this week) “I think it will be very nice for us, but I think at the same time, we’re still very focused on trying to win a game. Regardless of where we’re at, we still have to win a game.”
(On how the locker room has been receiving Head Coach Urban Meyer’s message this season) “I think it’s still positive. I think it’s still pushing to be better every day and it’s really all we can really ask of anybody in our locker room right now. It’s been alright.”
(On the defense trying to become more consistent) “Like you said, [we’re] just continuing to communicate, continuing to get better every day. I feel like that’s really what we’ve been striving to get to every single day, just keep on raising the bar.”
(On the communication improving each week) “Yeah, for sure. I think you can see it on the field. We’re playing a lot better. We’re consistently getting better, getting better stats. I think you can see it.”
(On the defense’s performance last week slowing down Titans RB Derrick Henry) “I think we did a pretty good job versus the run against [Titans RB] Derrick Henry this last week. But still, it’s just not where we need to be yet.”
(On trying to get Titans RB Derrick Henry down) “He’s a load. As you know, he’s a very big guy. He runs very hard with his pads and what not, so just being real physical with him was a lot from the game.”
(On what getting a first win will do for the confidence of the team) “It’ll definitely solidify a lot of things. I mean we’ve really been working very hard in practice and everything that we do. Getting a win would just solidify those beliefs that we have that we’re good [and that] we can play in this league.”
(On DE/OLB K’Lavon Chaisson getting pressure on the quarterback last week) “I love to see it. It’s just showing that his confidence is growing each and every day. He’s getting better every single day. I love to see it. He kind of had kind of a rougher year last year. Him being able to improve is just remarkable.”
(On what he’s heard about playing in London from teammates who have played there before) “All I really know is it’s a really long flight. This is my first time leaving the country, so it’s going to be very different for me. I don’t particularly like long flights to begin with, so it’s going to be different. But they just told us just to have fun. I mean it’s going to be a very different experience, especially like food and what not, but other than that, just going out and having fun.”
(On liking fish and chips) “I do.”
