JAGUARS HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021
(On why DE/OLB Josh Allen is making more plays and if the gameplan for him changed) “The first thing you will notice with the pressure is that there is a little more push inside. Josh [Allen] has been pretty consistent all year but when you do not get the push inside, the quarterback can escape, if that makes sense. We got Roy [Robertson-Harris] back now, Malcom [Brown], DaVon [Hamilton and Jihad [Ward]. When they get in there we have some much better push on the inside. That second half was great football on defense. Obviously, we had some penalties that were awful but to hold that team [Seattle] to 220 yards, 60 yards in the second half, three sacks and we controlled those two receivers. Obviously, we started a little slow but when you see Josh and [Dawuane] Smoot and K.C. [K’Lavon Chaisson] had a very good pressure on one. On defense there were three times where the ball should have been ours. It was not a late hit, but the roughing where he landed on the quarterback instead of coming off of him, those are great efforts but you just have to finish it. Then the offsides on the turnover. Turnovers are priceless around here and we have to get more.”
(On planning for the Bills wide receivers and playing zone) “We are not all zone, we are just playing a little bit more zone than earlier in the year. You have to be able to do both. You can not just sit in zone coverage or they will pick you apart. Also, you will get busted in the run game if you do not play man coverage. Tyson [Campbell] has been in position to make some plays and we still have a firm belief in his abilities and competitiveness, I know he missed a couple games with his toe [injury]. The combination of zone and man, the threat with this offense is that this is a really well put together team in all areas. I talk about three levels. You have the three levels of defense and the three levels of offense, really well put together. They run this quarterback [Josh Allen] a lot. He is a seven or eight [carries per game] kind of guy and I mean direct calls. I did not think I would see much of that at this level, but he is a big cat and he is a competitive guy. There are a couple times you see he could go out of bounds, but he does not go out of bounds.”
(On not making a move before the trade deadline) “Yeah, not much happened in the NFL. We all watched and Trent [Baalke] and I would come in every day and we would sit and talk. We had a few conversations but nothing materialized.”
(On how RB James Robinson is progressing) “He made a big step yesterday and we are going to see how he feels but that is a day-to-day.”
(On RB James Robinson can play against the Bills without practicing) “I have always been [of the mindset] that a guy earns that right. Guys have rules that if you do not practice then [you will not play]. I have not really ever had those. It depends on who the individual is and we do something called mental reps so he will be at practice and they stand behind their position and move their feet so that they are actually getting reps. It is not the game reps but he is at that point where if he gets some work then we will play him.”
(On getting speed on offense being a top priority) “Yeah, that is way up there. A year ago, the Jaguars had very little explosive plays. We have had some this year but not nearly [enough]. Professional football as is the highest level of college football is that it is hard to take a ball and drive it 80 yards without big hits in there. We just to have those.”
(On it bothers him that they do not have lots of speed) “We have enough but we just have to execute. I will never say that we do not have [speed]. You need speed and do we have enough? That remains to be seen. We have enough to hit some big plays we just have to execute. [Jamal] Agnew has elite speed, Marvin Jones plays a lot faster than what his 40-yard clock [shows] and Dan Arnold is one of the fastest tight ends. There is speed on the field we just have to execute.”
(On containing Bills QB Josh Allen) “You know the Dolphins did a little bit like they did against us where they played six up with no deep or zero coverage most of the day. That takes away the spread offense, there is no more spread offense when you do that. It comes down to whether you can hang in there in
coverage or not. There are different ways to defend it but the one thing about them is that they are a spread offense. They are a shotgun spread offense and they can dink and dunk and pick you apart if you sit back. That is what is going on right now in the game planning.”
(On watching the Bills run spread and if that gives him hope that his offense will work) “We still have so much work to do. Is it possible to have NFL plus spread components in it? When we were playing our best against the Cincinnati Bengals, our first half was one of the best I have seen. You see a combination of downhill pro formation running and you also have the spread element. I really believe we can do both, but we are a work in progress.”
(On Buffalo being a great team to study) “We have studied Buffalo. Trent and I [admire] how they built it. It was really intriguing for all of us, how they built that team. In my mind, Buffalo is one of the best builds in recent history.”
(On the biggest threat Buffalo’s defense brings) “Their defensive coordinator [Leslie Frazier] is excellent. It is not an all over the place kind of defense. It is extremely well coached with three levels of excellent players. It starts with their coverage and their nickel is a great player and their two corners, especially the one on the left side is elite and the other corner is very good. It starts with coverage and they can play man coverage consistently. Then you see the defensive line and they may not have the highest paid guy in the NFL but all four of those guys are really good so all three levels this is as good of a team as I have seen.”
(On the Buffalo Bills’ key components of their build) “I think defensively. I think when you’ve got [QB] Josh Allen, they start talking about it, but they lead the league inn defense. If you watch them play, you can tell they lead the league in defense. It’s not because they’re tricking you, it’s because they’re just really well coached and have great players everywhere.”
(On whether they can refer to any other previous games when preparing to face the Buffalo Bills) “This is a four-three defense and I’m trying to think, the last … Four-three defenses are hard to find in the NFL now, it’s mostly three-four. The Seahawks are a little bit of a four-three, but they did both—a lot of bear defense. You know, Houston was a very four-three defense, but that was [a while] ago.”
(On the potential of TE Luke Farrell) “He’s great. As our staff says, there’s a lot of tread on those tires. He really wasn’t used as a route guy at Ohio State much compared to so many guys around him. But we love his progress, he’ll be an NFL player for a long time.”
(On whether TE Luke Farrell could become an all-around player) “We do. I mean, he’s got a long way to go, but we do.”
(On the focus of balancing incorporating rookie players with veteran players) “You know, every second of the day is ‘How do you win a game?’ And that’s the mentality. It’s not, ‘Are we building for this?’ No. Every second, I still believe in this locker room, I still believe in this team. We got great momentum, we’ve got to get it back. We’re not playing very well, had a bunch of penalties and uncharacteristic of what was going on the three or four weeks prior to that. If [Andre] Cisco keeps improving, he’ll play more. We still feel really good about him. The other guy in front of him has been playing really well.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s performance on Sunday) “Not really. I think he’s a young quarterback that at times he looks like a ten-year vet and other times he doesn’t. I’ve always said this about a quarterback, when he has a great day, I’ve got a feeling that when I give you the grades of everyone else, they played
really [well]. When the quarterback struggles, if I give you the grades, the guys around him—he’s a product of the guys around him. We didn’t play very good on offense, certainly. I mean, you take about the steady improvement and all of a sudden you did this. We’ve got to get it back.”
(On experimenting with S Rudy Ford moving forward) “Yeah, Rudy Ford has been one of our most productive players. He’s fast and he’s aggressive. He’s one of the best special teams players I’ve ever seen. We need his speed and Tre [Herndon] is still battling a little bit with that knee. So, he’s earned that and he’ll play more.”
(On whether S Rudy Ford’s development has been impressive) “Yeah, when we saw him, I remember we were doing the free agency back in February and I watched him probably 100 times and my gosh, this guy has got elite speed, he’s tough as nails, and we kept doing research, ‘Why hasn’t he played on defense?’ And then he’s proven that he can.”
(On his expectations for the Jaguars offensive line) “Yeah, we’re still down two [players]. We did not play—that’s one of our most consistent spots when you look at statistics; protecting the quarterback and yards-per-carry. That’s been one of our most consistent and I don’t think we played as good as we have in the past few games prior to that. So, we’ve got to—we better play. This is a good group.”
(On an evaluation of the tackles OL Jawaan Taylor and OL Cam Robinson) “Free runner, you mean because the guy got beat? Yeah, like I said, it wasn’t one of our better games and we also, when you’re throwing the ball 55 [times], we had one sack and some pressures, but that’s not … You face Carlos Dunlap and those cats, you’re going to drop back 55 times—whatever it was. That’s not where you want to be, I don’t think anybody wants to be there.”
JAGUARS QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021
(On the importance of learning from the Seahawks game but also moving on) “I think it is a little bit of both. I think we are past the point now of looking at it. We came in Monday and watched the tape together, met, players talked, coaches talked and all of that. We know what we have to fix, and we know what we did not do well. Now you just have to move forward and go back to the confidence we had before of, we know we can do it and going out there and producing. Really just flush it and get ready for this week. Obviously, there are a lot of mistakes to correct but we can do that, and it is simple things that we can control. We just have to get better, and we are going to do that this week.”
(On conversations with a player after a miscommunication) “Usually it is right away if you are in a situation where you can, then it is addressing that right away, so it does not come up again in that situation. Just have to get on the same page and stuff like that can not happen between quarterback, receivers and tight ends, whoever it is. We just all have to be on the same page. People are going to make plays and you tip your hat to that but far as just not thinking and being on the same page, we cannot have that. Just correcting that right when you see it, but we have all stuff we have to work on. I have to work on my accuracy. I was not very accurate last week and so that is something going forward, I have to get better at. I have to give my guy’s more chances to get their hands on the ball and run after the catch, so we’re working.
(On seeing more coverages that take away the deep ball) “Yeah, I think that is something that around the league, people are starting to do, play more zone. More two-high and trying to eliminate the big plays. That is something that Buffalo does a really good job of, so I think it is just adjusting and when you have your chances, taking advantage of them. Every game you are going to have a few chances at some shots, but you really have to take advantage of them. In some games you will not get as much as others, but you never really know what kind of game it is going to be until you’re in it. Last week, we did not have a lot of chances down the field. They played a lot of two-high and we just did not do a good job of staying on schedule and converting on third and fourth down. We had opportunities and did not do that. Every week it is a little bit different, but you see that for sure around the league more so now I think than ever. Less single-high, where they are just trying to stop guys from making huge plays.”
(On the effects of not having RB James Robinson) “I mean obviously any good player that you lose, it hurts and is going to affect the game. I did not think it was a huge change as far as scheme or anything like that whenever he came out. We stuck to what we had planned and just did not execute well at all. We got behind obviously and then when you are trying to catch up and you’re throwing the ball more than you want to, that was kind of the story early in the season and that is what we did not want to get back to and we did. That is something that, just continuing to grow and not put ourselves in those situations but then obviously like you said when James [Robinson] goes out, that is hard. He is a great player. When there is nothing there, he will make a play out of it and when there is, he maximizes it.
When you lose a guy like that, it is hard, but we have other guys that can play. I thought Los [Carlos Hyde] did a really good job and it is really just next man up. No excuses, we have to play better.”
(On preparing for the Buffalo defense) “This is the first one since game one, the four-down structure. I guess that is what I am more used to from college. You would get more four-down than odd and bear and all that stuff. I think that is easier to go back and prepare for this when you have the 3-4 with the stand-up backers and all that on the edge – I think that’s a little bit harder because it changes the way you ID everything. I think this is always reverting back to what we are used to, going back to four-down. It is definitely different; you look at pressures different and structure changes when you have a front like that.”
(On it being harder to disguise pressures in a four-man front) “I would say a little bit because you have the bubble somewhere and usually that gives you a good tell of where the pressure is going to come from. They do a good job, they do not try to trick you really, they just do what they do and they do it well. I think they are first in almost every category on defense so you see they are really disciplined, really smart and they fly around, high effort, guys making plays. I think they had 13 takeaways so all those things it does not really matter if they disguise it or they are where they are supposed to be. They put themselves in a position to make a play and they do a good job of that.”
(On the matchup against the Bills being a great opportunity to bounce back) “I mean it is always a great opportunity when you are playing a great team. You have a good opportunity to go out there and show what you can do and go beat a really good team. Every week, any team can beat you. You see the Seahawks had lost a few in a row and we came in and laid an egg, played terrible and they killed us. Stuff like that, every week you have to come ready and play your best to win. Does not matter who you are playing, that is the motivation, you can get beat any week and you also can beat anyone any week. That is how we look at it, but it is definitely exciting to get an opportunity to play them because they have been playing so well.”
(On his thoughts on Bills QB Josh Allen) “Yeah, he is really unique. Just a guy that can get out of the pocket and use his legs, but he is also 240-250. He is huge and has a strong arm. Plays kind of like Patrick Mahomes but I think runs more. Just looks like he has fun out there and makes plays. That is a guy I look at because we are similar, I think, in traits. He is a lot bigger than me but just someone I can look at and pull things from that he does well. He has been someone that has been cool to watch and we had one of the same trainers, Jordan Palmer, so I have seen him around and talked to him and I think he does a good job.”
JAGUARS DE/LB JOSH ALLEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021
(On if he felt different during the Seahawks game) I’m just comfortable in the system that we play in and they’re allowing me and allowing the defensive front just to go out there and make plays. We’re not going to tell you what to do, we’re not going to tell you how to do the job but go out there and be a professional when you get out there. And that was the biggest takeaway that we’ve taken since Week 5 or 4. And I think we’re just getting better and better. Not only myself, but Dawuane Smoot. He’s been consistently beating tackles the whole year. So, kudos to him and this d-line. We just want to play for each other, we want to play for the back end and we do as much as we can to go out there and make plays. I was just doing my job.”
(On how getting the penetration on the inside helps the players on the outside) “I mean, that’s obviously key. We can beat every tackle in the NFL every play, but if the inside is as big as my gap, then he can just take it and go. So, they do a heck of a job of containing the pocket for us, allowing us to rush and continue to rush and continue to make plays on the end. So, we continue to harp on that and continue to grow as a unit because we all have to rush off each other—which we all know. But it’s going to be better when it’s starts paying off for everybody.”
(On the frustration when a player steps up once they’re back there) “That’s why we’ve got to continue getting better every week. I think I know what you’re talking about. We’ve just got to continue getting better every week. Definitely last week, I think we took a step up on just containing rush. D-Ham [DaVon Hamilton] got a good QB hit that caught a roughing the passer. Jihad [Ward] got one. So, we’re getting closer and closer every week and so hopefully this week we can take those lessons and they’ll pay off. Now, everybody gets to eat. So, then I’ll feel like that’s when the game is going to change for us and change for this team, tremendously.”
(On how sacking Bills QB Josh Allen would be the first time a sack happens between two people of the same name) “You know, yeah. I mean, like I said, I’m just looking forward to playing against this team and then looking forward to playing against him. He’s been playing at a high level of recent. He’s been
evading sacks recently, he’s been getting out of the pocket, his O-line does a really good job of protecting him. I love this challenge. We’re going to get after them but we have to do it early and throughout the whole game.”
(On whether he’s ever gotten any mail that was meant for him) “I have. I actually got an email that was something—I’m not going to tell his business out there—but I got an email for him and I was like, ‘Oh yeah!’ Then, I looked at it and I was like, ‘I don’t think this was for me.’ So, that was all the hiccup I got, outside of just fans or whatever. So, I thought that was pretty cool.”
(On whether they harp on the loss in Seattle or just move on from it) “I mean, we’re professionals. We’ve been in this game for a long time, we’ve played a lot of football and we know how difficult it
really is to move on. But as a professional, it’s the next week. So, we learn from the corrections, which we did, and hopefully we continue to not make those mistakes. Eliminate those mistakes and I feel like we’ve been playing good ball. So, we’re ready to move on, we’ve been game planning for Buffalo since
Monday, so I feel like we did a good job learning from those mistakes and learning from those corrections and getting better individually. And now, it’s time to move on and not make those same mistakes as last week. They always harp on, ‘Make new mistakes.’ So, that’s my big M.O. is not to reiterate and not to keep going back, watching the same thing over and over again. It’s to get better and make a new mistake, if not none. So, I think we’re moved on, we’re focused, we’re getting focused and we just want to win this game, so we just have to play as hard as we can.”
(On whether this loss to Seattle was more difficult to shake off) “I mean, I feel like in that way—it was just the penalties. We had 12 penalties, we had an interception and it got called back off a penalty. So, that was one takeaway that we missed. The roughing the passer, that was two that we took off. So, it’s
self-inflicted injuries that’s been a setback of ours. But like I said, if you go back and look at the numbers, look at the tape, as a defense, I feel like we play fast, we play physical. Yes there [were] plays where in the first quarter, in the first half, I feel like we played together as a unit. But once it started getting later and later, we started playing—and we had that team to—I don’t know how many rushing yards or how many yards in the second half. As a defense, we have to limit those mistakes, offensively we have to limit those mistakes, in special teams we have to limit those mistakes and just be more cognizant of our own selves and not go back to making those mistakes. That’s how we improve and that’s how we’re going to get better.”
(On the difficulty presented by facing Bills QB Josh Allen) “Most definitely. This is what you asked me about the front. It’s going to be a big game for us if we can control the line of scrimmage, if we can get that push in the middle, if we can get that rush on the outside. I feel like we can do a real good job of containing it, I can’t say that we are going to contain them, but if we do our jobs and we win our one-on ones consistently and just get enough push to where now he’s second-guessing, ‘Oh should I scramble, should I throw it, should I do this?’ And just get hits, hurries on him and sacks, then I feel like that’s how we can really affect his game—especially with a quarterback like that. So, as a d-line, this is a good week for us and hopefully, we’re going to capitalize off of it and do what we have to do.”
(On whether he’s surprised at how quickly Bills QB Josh Allen can escape the pocket) “I mean, he’s a professional quarterback. He’s a young, mobile quarterback and he has a big arm. I’m not surprised at all. His team has been playing really well, he’s been dropping crazy numbers. So, I’m not surprised and that’s one thing I know out of that, as a defensive mind, ball security. So, if you want to make those plays, just know we’ve got guys coming for that ball. So, jump, do whatever you want to do, we’ve got guys coming for that ball. That’s our mindsets, but that’s not taking anything away from him and the plays that he has made. But we’re coming.”
(On whether he knows anyone else named Josh Allen) “Yup, I actually do. It was when I was coming out of college—no, when I was in my rookie year, there was a guy, Josh Allen, coming out of Miami, Ohio, DB [defensive back]. I talked to him just a couple times. I know that was one and then the other Josh, quarterback Josh [Allen]. And then there was like a random person named Josh Allen that followed me and I saw him and I was like, ‘(joking) Okay, don’t follow me.”
JAGUARS TE DAN ARNOLD
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021
(On the locker room’s response to the field) “I think the locker room is similar to what it has been the last couple weeks. We are working hard. We are putting forth every good rep that we can in practice, trying to put together all the pieces. I think it is one of the things where in the NFL it is not so much you are going to go in and beat the brakes off somebody in any given day. It is really a 1-0 mentality no matter if you win or lose the previous week. You are going to come in and you are going to have an opponent that is going to be really tough no matter what. It is just focusing on each week and growing from there and getting closer to the goal that everyone has and that’s winning. It really is just a 1-0 mentality and that’s the way I think everybody sees it.”
(On if the Bills defense is tougher because they disguise less and depend on their personnel) “I don’t think so. I think Coach Bevell put it pretty well during our offensive install meeting. [He said] when you have a team that is pretty simple and they just execute well, that is essentially what we have to do on offense as well. It is just going to come down to execution. We have to minimize mistakes and not have penalties on first down, second down and get behind ourselves. It is really just throw and catch and be as accurate as we can in the pass game and continue running the ball like we have been. I think we have been running the ball really successfully and it is something we can continue to grow at. Really, it just comes down to execution, that is the biggest thing. Whether it is an exotic look or a base look, I think it is more about us than anything else.”
(On if he is fully comfortable in the offense) “There are always some wrinkles that we have. The biggest thing is not having those reps in training camp where you saw it one way and the quarterback saw it another way and you are able to grow from that mistake or that miscommunication during training camp when it tends not to mean as much. Coming in during practice and getting those extra reps, trying to get all the little details and fine nuances of route running and everything worked out with Trevor [Lawrence]. We have come a long way. The best thing too is that he is such an easy guy to communicate with to and talk to in the meetings. What happens off the field is just as important – watching film with him and seeing how he sees things. Also, bringing some stuff that I have had from other teams and giving him sone new insights. I am getting there. I think there is going to always be room for improvement 100 percent, but yes, it’s getting there.”
(On what challenge a two-high safety look presents) “There’s always going to be probably another coming at you when you are catching the ball. Really, it’s just are we going to find the right answers to what they are throwing at us and then are we going to execute it well. You can have a two-shell look and can look at it and say hey they are bringing a two high this rep and they are going to rotate down and it’s going to be something different. It really is having answers to everything that throw at you no matter what they throw at you on a given play. Then reading it correctly and then executing it. That’s kind of the more important thing. You’re going to have pass concepts put together where it’s like okay this is your two side, this is your three side and that’s just kind of how football works. It just comes down to executing it, making the right read and moving the ball.”
(On if he thinks his speed is a strength of his) “I think so. That was definitely one of the things Coach [Head Coach Sean Payton] Payton saw in me in New Orleans. He liked a guy that could just go clear out the middle and make room for guys like Ted Ginn and Michael Thomas. It’s something that I have always kind of leaned on. When in doubt if you’re just moving as fast as humanly possible, it kind of makes routes and coverages kind of void from everything. You just tend to beat people. If you have a good quarterback who is going to put the ball on the money, you might not make the right read on a given route but if you beat the heck out of somebody, it is still going to work out in the end.
(On how his speed has changed his role with the injuries to the wide receiver room) “I spent my entire first year in the wide receiver room on injured reserve in New Orleans. I learned a lot form CJ [Saints Wide Receivers Coach Curtis Johnson] there, he is a tremendous coach on route running and technique. You pick up a lot of things that maybe some tight end coaches don’t have. Dan [Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell] who I had in New Orleans, he was a tremendous tight end when he played and has a lot of knowledge of the game. Just from not doing it and not coaching that traditional wide receiver position, you kind of pick up some things. Yeah, it really is about the separation. Having those little tricks and trades where you can give them a little hesitation somewhere, to know when you are going to break. That is really working that break point to create the separation, that’s the biggest part of the league, not just speed. You can have a guy who is flat out crazy fast but sometimes he is not going to be able to separate because a guy is going to play him well. I think that is something that is unique that I can bring to the table. My biggest thing throughout my career is I want to be the complete tight end. I want to be able to block and that’s something I need to improve on more than anything so I can be that guy that’s on the field three downs and not having to come off when we need to run power or something like that. It keeps the defense on their toes. That’s always been my goal and it’s something that I keep working on.
(On having the weight to be able to block a defensive lineman but maintain speed) “Absolutely, that is something where you come into the offseason and you’re like okay I want to put on some weight, but we have to do it the right way, which is the hardest thing. It also tends to be the weight that you shed off in training camp pretty quickly too, unfortunately. At the end of the day, it is more your strength
than your play strength which helps you. Yeah, I can be 240 lbs. versus 250 lbs. but if I am not playing with the strength of that 250 when I am weighing that much it does not mean as much. It is really just playing with the good contact balance. Having that strength behind you and not overextending yourself, that is the stuff that I have been slowly learning. Taking a lot of reps at it for sure but I feel like it is getting there.”
(On the Bills front seven) “Yeah, I played them last year in Arizona and that was the DeAndre Hopkins Hail Mary so I know how close of a game this is going to be and how much we are going to have to be focused until the very end. The thing that I like about our front as well in comparison to theirs is that we have a bunch of guys that are going to give it their all every single play from quarter one until quarter four and we are going to wear defenses down because we have some guys up front that just work. That has always been our thing when we get installed and do our base run installs that we have athletes and these guys can go. They had a tough training camp here from what I know and what I have heard. They are ready to compete for four plus quarters and that is the strength that we have to play to. We just have to keep pounding the rock, keep going and keep hitting it and just know that this 60-yard run is going to bust sometimes and it is coming. Just expect it and it is going to come. I think that is our strength and that is how you beat a team like that because you know they are going to be technically sound; you know they are going to play very well; they are going to maintain their gaps and they are
well-coached. At the end of the day, we just have to ware on them and then when they finally do slide, that is when we have to take advantage of it.”
