JAGUARS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JOE CULLEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2021
(Opening Statement) “It would be right to just say we’re honoring our veterans and [are] thankful for everything that they do. I have had family members that have served, and I think it’s a great tribute to why we are all free today. So, I would say that, and I appreciate everyone being here. With that, I will just say this, reviewing the game, standard of excellence, I mean I thought we played the most complete game, four full quarters on defense. There were some things that happened, but it was on to the next play. I thought our guys really worked well together, all 11, not just the front rushed well. You can’t rush well if you’re not covering, you can’t cover well if you’re not rushing, so those go hand in hand. Whether it’s a four-man rush, whether you’re bringing a pressure, whether you’re having a simulated pressure, it doesn’t matter. Rush and coverage have to work together. I thought our guys really tackled well on the perimeter with all the perimeter plays. I just say this, that it’s a standard we’re going to keep going [with]. You’ll ask, ‘Why hasn’t it been like that?’ It’s a process and you keep getting better and we haven’t waivered one bit. We haven’t changed a lot. I mean [they’re] the same zone coverages we were using in camp, using in other games. We’re just getting better at the little things, and with that, I’ll open it up to questions.”
(On the defense working together to be successful as a unit) “I think that’s a great point. I think when you are really burning the edge and you give the quarterback a step up lane and he can still throw, I mean it’s not good. I think our guys have been concentrating and really working, [Defensive Line Coach] Coach [Tosh] Lupoi and [Assistant Defensive Line Coach] Coach [Sterling] Lucas, and we’ve been concentrating on getting pocket push. we call it. It was evident and now the quarterback [Bills QB Josh Allen] couldn’t step up and he’s a really good step-up guy and a guy that takes off. We really limited, he did get out a little bit, but we limited the ability to step up and that really helped our edge rush. It helped the inside guys too because when you step up and you’re getting pressure, you can run into some sacks, and we did that. I think Taven [Bryan] had 2.0 sacks, Roy [Robertson-Harris] got great pressure, Jihad [Ward] got great pressure, Malcom [Brown], Ham [DaVon Hamilton] when they were in there, and just getting push, and obviously, all the guys on the edge rushed well.”
(On the defensive scheme to take on the Colts this weekend) “I think it’s like anything. You have to be able to stop the run in a two shell because when you’re just constantly coming down to have a single high, they are going to pick you apart, so you have to be able to do both. When you do go single high, you have to disguise it and then when you go two, you have to disguise it, make it difficult for the quarterback to read that stuff. I think our safeties are doing a great job, our backend guys are doing a great job, and we just have to keep improving. By no means are we there, we just have to keep improving. We talked about it last week, it’s a week-to-week league. What I mean by that [is] you are only as good as your last game and you’re never as good as you think you are and you are never as bad as you think you are. You just have to keep getting better every practice, every meeting, and in every game.”
(On the comparison of the rushing attacks of the Titans and Colts) “With Tennessee, it’s just basically zone left, zone right, and they’re telling you what they’re doing. These guys, I mean [Colts RB Jonathan] Taylor again, he’s a great back. 21 [Colts RB Nyheim Hines is] flying around. [Colts RB Marlon] Mack’s a great back. I mean they’re all really good backs. He’s been a Pro Bowler. Taylor’s a guy that can take it to the house on any snap and he’s a powerful back, so we have to gang tackle, we have to get a lot of hats on the ball. They’re similar in some ways, but Tennessee’s more of a stretch right, stretch left, lead right, lead left and these guys are a little bit more downhill, double teams. They have a really good offensive line. [Colts Head Coach] Coach [Frank] Reich’s always done a great job with the play action pass off the run, so we have our hands full.”
(On DL Dawuane Smoot) “I think he’s been consistent with his effort, consistent with his play. Not only has he set edges well, but even in the games earlier in the year, he was getting consistent pressure beating tackles. The ball was getting out quicker, he wasn’t getting his sack, whatever it might’ve been, but you just have to keep grinding, keep going. We always tell those guys, you never know when your sack’s going to come, so you just keep going hard, keep doing the little things right. We moved him inside at times in the Seattle game and he beat the center. But he really played a heck of a game in terms of setting edges, running to the ball, and just doing what we’ve asked him to do from day one.”
(On S Rudy Ford’s performance in Week 9) “He played fast, I will say that. He played fast, he’s explosive. He might be our fastest guy on the team, and he’s gotten better and better. [Defensive Backs Coach Nickels] Joe Danna and [Secondary- Corners Coach] Coach [Tim] Walton and [Defensive Backs Coach Safeties] Coach [Chris] Ash have done a great job with him. He’s played safety then we moved him to nickel, he’s a dime. He’s really feeling comfortable, and he played fast.”
(On having a player like S Rudy Ford that can play multiple positions) “It enables us to bring faster guys on the field in certain situations and that’s the one thing. We blitzed Rudy [Ford], he played coverage, he played man, and he’s going to continue to get better. I will say this, he’s one of [Head Coach Urban Meyer] Coach’s favorites because he was dominating on the special teams. Talk about creating a package when a guy dominates on special teams, and we did that for him early and it’s continued to grow because his play got better.”
(On DL Taven Bryan recording two sacks against the Bills) “He had opportunities that he might not have had earlier. He did what we asked him to do. He was disciplined and powerful. He’s another guy that’s stayed the course. It hadn’t gone his way maybe for his first few years here, earlier in the year [when] he was playing. We gave Jay [Tufele] a shot. I told Taven [Bryan], ‘You’re going to have to come back and help us win a game. It could be next week.’ [It was] nothing that he did and obviously he grinded it out and I thought he played his best game as a Jag.”
(On the staff making big adjustments throughout the season) “You try to see what’s not working and see what you can do to fix it and that was some of that. Then obviously, you always try to put the best 11 on the field personnel wise. Sometimes you get tied into, and I’ve done it [during] my years as a d-line coach, where he knows everything, he knows everything, you are comfortable with that. But [it’s about] just giving guys opportunities and then just trying to put the best 11 on the field.”
(On figuring out adjustments for S Rudy Ford in practice or during games) “Well, [it’s] a little bit of both. You figure it out in practice because he’s fast, he’s a heat seeking missile out there. Then, when he did have the opportunities in the games, he was really doing well in that role. Then it’s like, can we expand the role?”
(On being willing to make any adjustment to help better the team) “Yeah sure, and that’s a great point. I mean you want to be able to make adjustments. You might have to play more zone. You might have to play more man playing [Titans RB] Derrick Henry. Whatever it might be, you’re going to make those adjustments. Then, [it’s about] getting the personnel on the field that you think will give you the best chance to win. But absolutely our staff does a great job with that, [Head Coach Urban Meyer] Coach does a great job with that, and we just follow his lead on that.”
JAGUARS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR DARRELL BEVELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2021
(On his feeling when QB Trevor Lawrence went down) “It was kind of a weird play because at the end of the play I was watching Marvin [Jones Jr.] catch the ball and then all of the sudden he [Trevor Lawrence] was down. I did not know quite what had happened. It was not really a good replay when I was looking at it. You always worry about but fortunately we are very comfortable with our backup. C.J. [Beathard]. [He] came in and did a really nice job. We did not know if he [Trevor Lawrence] was going to come back or not, but we felt confident with what C.J. could do.”
(On QB C.J. Beathard being able to push the ball down the field) “The third down that he hit Dan [Arnold] on the sideline they [Buffalo] brought pressure and they came after us. We did a great job of picking it up. Carlos [Hyde] came across picked it up clean. [He] probably stepped up a little bit too much into the [pressure], you know he bumped into the guard and the ball came out a little funny, but he was able to put a good ball [out there]. He got pressure which gave us an opportunity one on one with Dan [Arnold] and Dan was able to win. I think we were just fortunate with that call against the defense at the time.”
(On how RB Carlos Hyde played) “Carlos is a good solid veteran backup for us, does a nice job of running the ball. He has to protect it, you know obviously we turned it over one time but there was another time the ball was on the ground as well so that is the focus that I am preaching. We are totally confident and comfortable with what Carlos can do and if he has to be a main back, he was done it in his past and he can do it here. We are happy that we have him as well.”
(On moving QB Trevor Lawrence around less due to his ankle) “We just have to see how the week continues to progress. We are assessing it everyday and right now we are planning on just doing our normal stuff and just kind of see during the week if we need to pull back on some things.”
(On how OL Walker Little played) “Yeah, I mean I was really proud of him. To get thrown in the moment he got thrown in with very little notice. The one thing that was really cool for him, just talking to him he said ‘It was the most prepared he had felt, just in terms of the game plan.’ Some things were simpler because they had just a four-down defense so he was very well prepared. Practiced there all week, I think that was another major factor on why we went with Walker. He did a good job, you know he got stepped on one time that we ended up getting pressured and sacked. As far as going in for your first game against the defense we were facing, we are really proud of him.”
(On making strides on third down) “No. I think third down is an issue for us. It is a major focus and we have to continue to work on it. It all works together as you guys know. Number one it has to be protection, that has to happen to be able to push the ball down the field. After that you have to be on time with the ball and guys have to get open. When guys get open, we have to make the throw. All those things we have kind of had a little bit of issue, really in every one of those areas at different times. We have to get that overall execution cleaned up.”
(On it being impossible to drive the ball without third down conversions and big plays) “Absolutely, the number one thing well I can not say the number one thing … Both of those things are critical factors, you have to be able to convert third downs to stay on the field and to think that you’re going to go 10-12 plays against all these NFL defenses – it is hard to hang your hat on that, right? We need to be able to find those explosive plays that we talk about all the time. It is something that we are continuing to look for and we are just going to continue to work in both of those areas.”
(On an increased focus on ball security) “Yeah, just like last week we talked about Buffalo’s defense and how they were number one. Well now this is the number one team on takeaways with 20 takeaways, right. They are second as far as turnover margin, but you watch the tape and [Darius] Leonard does an amazing job at tackling the football and punching it out. All our guys are highly aware of that and we know how ball security’s going to be a major factor in the game. I think from the beginning of the season to where we are, we have gotten better but again we turned it over last week. You can never not talk about that emphasis on protecting the football. Every guy that has it, the thrower has to make great decisions and every guy that has it [ the football] in his hands has to be entrusted to take care of it.”
(On TE Dan Arnolds impact) “Yeah it is [a big impact] and we are continuing to try to find ways to get him involved and we have to continue to evolve in that area and find ways to move him around and get balls to him. Then again, there is one ball and I still have to get it to ‘Two-Live’ [Laviska Shenault Jr.], I have to get it to Ag [Jamal Agnew], have to give it to Marv [Marvin Jones Jr.], have to turn around and hand it to James [Robinson] but we want all those guys involved. I think those guys will make plays for us.”
(On manufacturing down field passing) “Yeah, again I think it is just you know go back to the third down deal where number one you have to have the protection. There were a couple of shots we took down the field and we did not have the protection. Then there were a couple times that we got open down the field and did not make the throw like the double-move to Marv [Marvin Jones Jr.] late in the game. You know guys open and there is some pressure but you have to find a way to get him the ball. Just some things like that, we just have to work on that execution. They [deep passes] are there and they are being called, but one of the things we tell the quarterback is a shot called is not a shot taken, right? Sometimes when it is not there as well then you need to bring it down and check it down, so the defense can sometimes dictate whether you take the shot or not. All of that works together but we have to find ways to keep looking for them.”
(On disappointment with low scoring) “A win is a win and these dang things are hard to come by in this league. Nine points is definitely not what we are looking for, but we did play a complimentary game. The defense did outstanding and we held the ball long enough and we are fortunate enough to get the three field goals. We are moving it [the football], I think five of the six drives we were in scoring range opportunity whether it was field goal. You know one of them was a turnover on the 20-yard line. We are getting down there, but we just have to finish those drives. If we turn in three of those and turn three of those into touchdowns and three of those to field goals, then we would like the result at the end but we have not done that yet. That is what we are continuing to work for.”
(On how QB Trevor Lawrence handled the injury) “Yeah, I loved it, right. I loved that you have that mentality and want to be out there with your team and lead your team. You know once he figured out he was okay, he was, he was chomping at the bit. There were a couple plays before where it was like get back over here. We have to make that decision first and it was in the middle of the drive to and C.J. [Beathard] had made a couple of big plays. I was happy that he was willing to do that.”
(On who tells QB Trevor Lawrence he can go back in the game) “That is the head coaches call, well first the trainers and doctors have to say that he is okay. Then the head coach will say he is good to go in.”
(On how he finds out the injury news) “I am on the headset the whole time, so I heard the whole conversation, yes.
(On making a QB switch in the middle of a drive) “Not a lot of times, but he was dying to get back out there.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence showing growth by not making mistakes) “Yeah, I mean as far as protecting the ball, that is something that really since game one we have been harping on. I think early in the season he had double digit turnovers at the beginning of the year so we are cleaning that up. He is getting better, you know every game he goes out there. There is just so much that happens and stuff you have to learn. I think he is doing a really nice job with it.”
