JAGUARS HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2021
(On what he personally has at stake with the outcome of this upcoming game against the Miami
Dolphins) “I don’t look at anything personally. I look at our team, how hard they’ve worked, how close
they’ve come, and the improvements we have made. So, this is s a great opportunity, we’re happy to be
here. But I don’t look at anything by myself. We have a heck of a locker room and the guys are working
their tails off.”
(On conversations with Jaguars Owner Shad Khan about building trust with the team) “Yeah, we have
spoken several times and our team has been—we’re focused on making steady improvement, which
you’ve seen—certainly on offense. On defense, we still have a couple detail errors that we made. But
consistent effort, improvement and [we’re going to] try to win a game. How do you earn trust? Over
time and just being around them.”
(On whether London is a welcome change compared to the recent Jacksonville environment)
“Jacksonville has been great. Jaguars fans have been outstanding, they want to win. We’ve got a great
young quarterback, we’re getting good pieces around him and we’re going to turn this thing.”
(On how Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa affects the game plan) “He’s a different style player than
Jacoby [Brissett]. We’re prepared for both, obviously, but Tua is a big [run pass option player], gets the
ball out really fast. RPO is run-pass option. It’s actually run-pass and he has the freedom to pull it and
throw it, hook release. So, we’re getting ready for both, but we think Tua will be the starter.”
(On the decision at the kicker position between K Josh Lambo and K Matthew Wright) “Yeah, Nick
Sorenson, our special teams coordinator, thought it would be great to have both here. We have made a
decision, but I just want to visit with them again before I announce anything.”
(On the offense improvements and working on third downs) “Yeah, they’re working third downs and
obviously the fourth down on—we’ve had two. Offensively, I love the trajectory of our offense right
now, I love the balance, I love the fact that we’re running the ball. Our offensive line is probably the
most consistent part of our team, James [Robinson] is running hard and you can see Trevor Lawrence,
just his improvement, his QB rating and completion percentage has gone very steady progress. So, I like
the direction of our offense.”
(On the run game and James Robinson getting carries) “Yeah, I think we’ve steadily increased
[Robinson’s carries]. Carlos [Hyde] has been playing well, too. I love the one-two punch of those two
guys. We’re trying to keep them as fresh as we can. But James [Robinson] has been outstanding. James
worked all offseason about second-level running we call it, where last year [he] was kind of a 6 yards guy
and now we’re seeing him pull through some of those tackles and getting bigger runs. So, [he is]
arguably one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever been around. Love that guy.”
(On the locker room morale during this losing streak) “Great question. It’s a very unique group that
we’re dealing with here. The rock is going to break and I don’t want to worry—facts are facts about
losing games, but it’s also facts [with] steady progress and this is the NFL. We have really good
leadership on the team, really good locker room on this team and they want to win in the worst way,
and they practice, that’s the only way to handle it.”
(On what adjustments he had to make to manage his expectations in the NFL in comparison to college
football) “I’ve been asked that a lot. It’s a—the places you mentioned, ‘You win by two touchdowns
what happened? Why did you play so poorly?’ And then here, you look across the field and there’s great
teams each week. So, it’s not something I was shocked by, it’s very different. But once again, I’m at the
point in my career that this is about a group of players. I’ve always been about the players. I’ve always
been about the locker room and giving them the best sports performance and opportunity to win a
game.”
(On what it means to him to experience a whole new group of British Jaguars fans) “You know when I
first heard about I was coming to London, I asked our players—this whole trip was designed by our
leadership committee and what time we get here, what we do and all that type of thing. I remember
Josh Allen, it was one of the first times I met with him, and the players love it. The environment [on
Sunday], this will be my first, obviously, but there’s a bunch of players that have experienced it. The
beautiful stadium, the way you’re treated, the way you guys treat us. I mean, this is great for everyone.”
(On what will be the deciding factor in turning this around) “I mean, the football piece of it is the
turnovers. Right now, we’re the worst in the league, I believe. We’re not getting any on defense, we’ve
improved—you know, the start of the season, horrible. And then went two games ago without a
turnover and then last week we had two, one at the end of the game. But if we—you’re not going to
win, [without creating turnovers]. That is 50 years ago or 50 years from now, get the darn turnover on
defense. We’ve been close and we work extremely hard on it, but it’s going to be … You take care of the
ball on offense and you get the ball on defense. That’s what you’ve got to do and we haven’t done that.”
(On whether he feels he miscalibrated the demands on the job when he missed the team flight back
from Ohio) “Well, I gave the players three days off and they gave coaches two days off. And that’s when
I stayed back to go see my two grandsons and yeah, I look back now. I talked to our general manager
[Trent Baalke] about it and it didn’t seem like a big deal, but yeah, that’s something I won’t do.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s development in practice and on game days) “Yeah, I think Brian
Schottenheimer and Darrell Bevell have had experience with young quarterbacks. From Andrew Luck to
Russell Wilson and they’ve done really a great job. I love the progress, I love the chemistry between the
coaches and Trevor and you can see it on the field. You can see his familiarity now with the offense and
the people around him. It’s really exciting to watch him grow.”
(On why a rookie quarterback has never won in London before and whether playing in London is
different than playing in the U.S.) “This is my first time here. We have a very good rookie quarterback
though.”
JAGUARS CB SHAQUILL GRIFFIN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2021
(On this morning’s practice after a long flight from Jacksonville) “Oh man, it feels good. [It was] definitely
a long flight, feels good to get the chance to move around a little bit. It feels even better to see
everybody still have that energy to be able to get something out of this day. Understand that we are not
going full speed, but this practice [has] definitely been productive. I feel like that was the best thing to
see, so we’re looking forward to that. We’re still going to try to stay up a little longer to get back on this
time change. But the energy, everything was there, the focus, so that was awesome to see.”
(On there being a lot at stake this game having a favorable matchup and still searching for that first win
of the season) “I feel like every game is like that. I feel like we have a lot riding on every game trying to
get that first W, get a chance to be this home team in London. [I’ve] been here before, kind of know how
it works. But the main thing is every game counts, so we’re trying to get this first W. It’s very important
for us and I’m glad that we have the focus to try to get this done. I feel like that’s the most important
thing and all the guys want it really bad, really, really bad. I can’t wait to see the outcome, definitely
getting the W and flying home. You talk about nine or 10 hours, you definitely want to come home with
a W, so that’s our main focus. We’re definitely going to get it done. [I’m] very confident, the whole
team’s feeling confident. We have that faith that we will get that done this week, so we’re excited for
it.”
(On being able to shut down Miami’s passing game, which has been struggling) “You kind of listen to it
but the thing about being in the NFL is things can switch so fast. That’s the great thing about this sport.
There’s no team or no person that we can take lightly. We understand their struggles and there are still
things we have to work on ourselves, so this game has to be proven [by] the guys who make corrections.
I can only imagine what they’re trying to put in or do to change those stats that you just said and there’s
things on our end that we’re trying to get done, we’re trying to figure out, and make sure we do right by
this game. I feel like this game’s going to come down to who does right the longest. Everybody has seen
how we start out the first half. Now, [if] we can get our second half to match our first half, I think we’ll
be an unstoppable team. That’s what we’re focused on. We’re focused on being our best selves, not
what they bring, what personnel they have. We’re trying to be the best for ourselves and play four great
quarters together. That’s our main focus because [if] we get that done, we’ll definitely get a W.”
(On being disappointed his brother, Dolphins LB Shaquem Griffin, is not on the active roster and will not
play in Sunday’s game) “Yeah, but it’s funny because I didn’t get a chance to talk to him this week and I
kind of miss my brother a little bit. But you know how this game goes. Being the competitor that he is, I
understand that he’s not going to be here, but I know he’s rooting for his team. That’s where he’s at, so
I’m trying to get this job done. I’ve been talking a lot of trash early on, so I have to make this happen. I’m
excited for it, but I know he’s watching. He’s still cheering on, making sure I’m doing great. No matter
the outcome, I have to make sure I back up everything I said. I have to make sure I get that done.”
(On being in touch with his brother, Dolphins LB Shaquem Griffin, this week) “I called him, he’s not
answering. I texted him, he didn’t text back. Then I tried to jump on a video game with him and he
joined the party with us to talk, and then once I joined, he left. I don’t know if it was personal or not, but
I guess I’ll talk to him after the game.”
(On the differences when playing in a different country with Sunday’s game in London) “It’s different.
Like I said, I’ve been out here before a couple years back when I was with Seattle. It’s crazy because you
talk about home and away teams and usually when the home offense is out there, it’s quiet in the
stadium, [but] oh, not here. It’s loud the entire time. It doesn’t matter who they’re cheering for, if they
have a favorite team or not, it’s going to be loud. It’s going to go crazy, so I love that. Being on defense,
that’s fine. You can be loud all day anyways. But it’s awesome to see that and the support, the love that
they have for this sport and be able to bring it here. It’s awesome to be a part of, so I’m looking forward
to that, bringing energy, and then putting on a show for the ones coming to watch. They definitely
deserve it and we’re going to have fun with, so I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in the stands
yelling the entire time.”
(On preparing for Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa) “We’re trying to make sure we have him make tough
decisions, understand that [he’s] just coming back [from injury]. In the beginning, he still was trying to
learn, trying to find himself. That’s the part we have to take advantage of, put him in situations he might
not be used to, put him in situations he has to make tough decisions on, and that’s the part. We’re
definitely going to get after him a little bit, give him a chance to make some tough throws to try to get
the run started. We kind of start that early, so get that guy in the pocket trying to make some tough passes. On the backend, we just have to make it tough. We know how it goes, we have to win our one-
on-one matchups, but at the end of the day, we have to make it tough on those guys. I know personally for me, if I see a guy trying to catch a ball on me, it’s going to have to be a top ten play because I’m
going to make it tough and that’s the part and that’s the mindset we’re coming in with. We’re going to
make it tough on those guys and make [Dolphins QB] Tua [Tagovailoa] make some tough decisions in
this game and have him make the mistakes instead of us.”
(On what the team needs to do to be successful this season) “[We have to] continue to gel right,
continue to put four quarters together perfectly. We still haven’t played our best ball yet. I can only
imagine what that looks like and that’s the part that we’re building on. This is an organization that we
plan on building the best for the future, so we have to continue to grind right now, continue to gel right
now, continue to have faith, and hope and believe in each other because that’s the part that’s going to
carry us not from just this year to the next year and the year after. We have to build that bond between
each other, and the main thing is we have to put together four great quarters every single game. That’s
the part that we’re focusing on because I feel like it’s definitely possible, we can get that done. It’s little
mistakes that we have to correct, and we can get that done. Our main focus is playing out best ball on
the field and on each game. That’s going to be our focus for the rest of the season, continue to play our
best ball, less mistakes, and doing right longer than everybody else.”
JAGUARS QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2021
(On if it is his first time in London) “First time, this is only my second time out of the United States. I
have not been that many places, but it has been awesome. It is beautiful here.
(On getting the first win of the season in London) “Yeah, it would mean a lot obviously just from looking
at it from our organization just to get a win. Obviously, we have not had a great start to the season so
looking to turn that around. That would be huge. Then to add on top out here in London, such a cool
place. It is such a cool thing that they [the NFL] do out here. It is awesome seeing all the fans that are
not in America that appreciate the game and it would mean a lot. Obviously, it would be a lot fun to get
that first win and head back going into a bye week all of that would be awesome. We are excited.”
(On if the NFL is as he expected) “I do not know if it is as expected. I think I was just ready for anything.
You know trying to take everything in and learn as much as I can as I go and I think I have done a decent
job of that. You still have to keep learning [because] you never know it all. I would say the schedule is a
little bit different as far as time put in obviously [compared] to college because you have school and all
that so that is different. It has been great, I am surrounded by good people so I think that always makes
everything easier and that is kind of what life is about – being around good people. That always helps.”
(On playing against former Clemson teammates) “Man I am looking forward to it. I love Christian
[Wilkins]. He is a great guy. You will not meet a better guy. He was an awesome teammate and he is one
of those guys that you love if he is on your team, but you just hate playing against him because he is so
annoying sometimes. He is great [and] I am looking forward to seeing him. Obviously, he is a great
player and it is going to be fun. We talked in the offseason about this game coming up. We are really
excited.”
(On having any special duties as a rookie) “I have not really had too many. Quarterbacks are sometimes
a little bit different. They take it easy on us. Our room has been good to me, so I have not had to do too
much. We had to do a skit though so I made a video that kind of made fun of some coaches and players
and then we had to sing a song in front of the whole team. In camp, we had to do all of that.”
(On the improvement in decision making and next steps) “I think it has got a lot better. Just learning
situational football [and] understanding the value of taking care of the ball, time of possession, staying
on the field. All of those things to help our defense out is huge and I do not think we did a good job of
that in the first few weeks and a lot of that was on me. Learning that and then just understanding that
so much of this game is in the quarterback’s hand. If you play well and take care of the ball you are going
to be in a position to win the game and you have seen that the last two weeks. Last week got away from
us a little bit at the end, but still going into that fourth quarter we were in a position to have a chance to
win the game. It did not work out and same thing against the Bengals the week before and that is just
huge. Keep doing that week in and week out and you are going to win some of those games so just continuing to do that. Also make the plays when they are there. I think I am kind of just settling in and I
know just the way I play that the big plays are going to come but it is about being consistent [on] first
and second [down] and not putting yourself in a hole. In the NFL, third and long is tough. If you are
consistently in third and seven plus it makes it pretty tough. Just continuing to stay ahead of the chains
has been huge. I think it has helped us a lot.”
(On Miami’s defense) “They do a lot of different stuff with the fronts [and] personnel. They play five
[and] six personnel at any point in the game and they are pulling people in and out everywhere. They do
a good job mixing it up and they play a lot of man coverage. They do a good job mixing in the two-high
and the cloud and all that. It is a defense that keeps you on your toes and you have to be ready to react
to whatever they do. Every game, it is a little bit different and they have a certain plan for whatever
offense they are playing against. Whatever that offense does well they are going to try to stop so we will
have to see what they decide to do to us and react to it. I feel like we have a really good plan and I guess
that is the biggest thing. Being able to make those adjustments in game but also sticking to the game
plan and playing a full four quarters will be big.”
(On playing with C Tyler Shatley now that C Brandon Linder got injured) “Yeah obviously Brandon is a
great player. Miss him and hope we get him back as soon as possible but Tyler has been awesome. He is
a guy that I have gotten a lot of reps with especially in the offseason and even in camp and a little bit
during the season. He is a guy that is in there a lot that can play any of the three interior positions so he
gets a tons of reps. He is a guy I am comfortable with and we have communicated a lot. We have
watched a lot of film together for this week so that is pretty seamless. Obviously like I said we want
Brandon [Linder] back as a soon as possible but Tyler [Shatley] is great and I think he is one of the
smartest players we have. As a quarterback that is really big you know [having] a center that is able to
make the calls and take care of a lot of things and take some things off your plate. That is alwayshuge.
He does a great job with that and he is a great player so no worries.”
(On the chemistry with WR Laviska Shenault Jr. and getting him the ball) “For sure, he is a guy that you
are right you know run after the catch and all that. Hard to tackle and he is a big strong guy that can run.
He has been great. I think he is really coming along and we are all getting comfortable. A lot of the guys
on our offense are new you know we have not played together much so it is this time of the year you
kind of see everything click more and more. The last two weeks, our offense has played our best two
games [and] we still can play better. You see the yards and the big plays and we are scoring more points
and getting more opportunities in the redzone. That is just coming from us all kind of clicking and I think
that is where we are at right now and [Laviska] has really come alive and even last week one catch, but I
think he had 60 yards off one catch. Stuff like that and obviously it is big getting him the ball and he is
always a big part of our gameplan and he will continue to be every week
(On Head Coach Urban Meyer rebuilding trust with the team) “I think he has done a good job of
handling the situation. He has had conversations with the team and one on one and all of us. Just him
being the same guy and coming to work, you know super hard worker. [He] really cares about this team
and no one can deny that, so we are in a good spot and we all respect him. We are just ready to go win
some games.
(On keeping in touch with Clemson and Dabo Swinney) “Yeah, I have talked to DJ [Uiagalelei] a couple of
times. Not as much recently but towards the beginning of the season and after the Georgia game we
talked. Just telling him to keep his head up. It is a long season and more than that it is all about the big
picture. It is not all about a couple of football games. You are going to figure it out and everything will start to clear up for you so I told him ‘just to hang in there’ as long as you do not quit, everything will be
fine and he will not because he is a great person and player. I stay in touch with Coach [Dabo] Swinney a
lot. He is one of my favorite people in the world and I have always kind of texted with him back and
forth probably once a week or get on the phone. He is always really encouraging and I have learned so
much about how to handle myself and really how to handle things in life from him. I am always
appreciative of him and his time. He has been great.”
