JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022
(On his impressions of DE/OLB Josh Allen) “I’ll tell you what, he’s a pro through and through. He spent time away and came back just here recently and came back in the right frame of mind. He’s obviously a tremendous leader on the defense and the team and a guy that wants to learn and just study our defense and just get better and that’s what we need.”
(On the importance of OTAs as a new head coach of a team) “I value the OTAs and from the standpoint of really being able to evaluate players this time of year, even though we’re not making roster moves and cutting it down to 53 and all that. But you still get a lot out of these as a coach and now you get to really put your team into game situations and really start coaching that here in the OTAs. Obviously, we’re going to protect each other but play fast and get our work done. What I look to get out of these next couple of weeks is just that, just the execution from phase two that we did individually and against each other now offense and defensively, how well the guys retain the information from the classroom to the football field, and playing fast, protecting each other, and just see where we are as a football team.”
(On his biggest challenge during OTAs) “I think just continuing to grow as a football team, coming together as we build towards training camp. I think that’s probably the number one thing really is just building that cohesiveness. Again, the players and coaches are getting to know each other still and I think that’s a big part of the next three and half, four weeks, whatever we have left.”
(On how the roster moves during free agency can help DE/OLB Josh Allen this season) “Well, anytime you surround great players with good players or great players with great players, it just elevates everybody’s play. It’s the same thing on offense when you can put good people around your quarterback. It just elevates their play. I think we will see, we’re not there yet, but we will see with the additions that we did make, does that free up Josh [Allen]? Do the other guys, and I’m speculating now into the regular season, but do other teams have to look at us differently and not necessarily focus on Josh and where he is but maybe on one or two other guys on defense? That just becomes a scheme issue for the opponents. But for Josh just to come in and be surrounded with good players, good leaders, it’s just going to elevate him as a leader on our team.”
(On the defense being excited to implement the new scheme) “Without divulging everything we’re doing on defense and offense, but I know the guys are excited about it, kind of cuts them loose a little bit, be freed up a little bit. As coaches, it gives us the flexibility to move people around and this is the time of year, in OTAs, to really figure out what we have in all three phases. But I know the defensive guys are excited about what [Defensive Coordinator] Mike [Caldwell] is bringing and they just can’t wait to use it in a game.”
(On using Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell’s first year in the position as an advantage) “First year I think with a new staff, there’s always going to be the unknown. But look, once you get three, four games into the regular season, everything’s out of the bag. But yeah, going into it, I think there’s a little bit of the unknown for people.”
(On measuring the progress for QB Trevor Lawrence) “For him, just again, staying comfortable and getting more comfortable with the offense. I really like his dialogue with [Quarterbacks Coach] Coach [Mike] McCoy, and [Offensive Coordinator] Press [Taylor] and myself, and things that he likes and doesn’t like. [We] just want to see that growth in him here as we sort of wind down the offseason and gear up for training camp. But he’s been focused, he’s been here, he’s been attentive, he’s done a good job on the football field, he’s a leader, and those are the things we want to continue now as we head into training camp.”
(On evaluating the offensive and defensive lines without being able to play full contact) “It’s hard because these guys are protecting each other. It’s full speed, but at the same time, we don’t have pads on, just helmets. It’s hard, but you can kind of see how guys are retaining information, the subtle adjustments the o-line and d-line are making in live action against each other. You really can’t fully dive into it probably until training camp when you can really hit and the pads come on. But this is good too from the standpoint of just executing our plays, offensively and defensively, and I think getting some good evaluations that way with just how well these guys are retaining information.”
(On what he wants to see from the receivers) “Catch every pass. Run every route right. No, again, just being on the page with Trevor [Lawrence] and Trevor being on the same page with them. We’re limited obviously with the amount of hours we can spend on the football field in the offseason, but these guys have done a really good job of coming here and working. They’re studying too and they’re preparing and they’re learning a new system just like Trevor is, but they’re doing really well. It’s just a matter of just continuing to work together.”
(On how close the team got to 100 percent attendance in OTAs) “Really close, really close. It’s been a really good offseason. Again, we understand it’s voluntary and things come up, which they have, and that’s fine. It’s part of it when it could be just a graduation, a wedding. Any of those things are life. Experiences come up and coaches and players need to be a part of that stuff.”
(On how he is helping the team move on from last year) “Nothing really specific other than just lending an ear sometimes to these guys and working through some team settings and my communication with the team and getting them to see me a little bit on who I am and how I’m going to lead this football team. I think that’s been good for us here these first six weeks or so.”
(On the challenge of having 91 players the field daily) “It’s tight in there right now when we’re doing our individual stuff, but it’s been really good. Guys have worked really hard to keep the field in great shape and adding the turf around the field has really helped as well so we’re not wearing spots out. But it’s something that we knew going in that we were going to be in the situation and we’re handling it and doing it really well.”
(On knowing when the team will be able to practice back at the facility) “Not yet. We’re still kind of working through that. I know training camp’s going to be over there at Episcopal and we’ll have those fields set over there. They will still be available to us, but we just have to be mindful of staying off the game field as much as possible. The other thing too is with the indoor being on turf so much, it’s another thing we have to look at.”
(On having to practice at Episcopal through Week 1 or 2) “There’s a chance we do that, yes.”
(On the practice facility being ready by Week 1 or 2) “No, no, this will not be ready. It won’t be ready at all.”
(On preparing a schedule for the whole preseason) “It’s interesting because I spend the month of March and parts of April putting all the training camp stuff together and scheduling. You just don’t know your games yet and then we have the Hall of Fame game, so that kind of adds some time. But yeah, it’s good to kind of get that behind us now and really the end of OTAs and obviously heading into camp and how the dates and games are going to fall so you can plan accordingly with that. It’s good too to travel and play and practice against another team, get us out of here, and really get some good work in for a couple of days before we play a game.”
(On having joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons) “A lot of times you call around and put feelers out for teams and a lot of guys try to stay pretty close to one another, proximity wise, not a huge travel deal. Atlanta’s been a team that has been good and [Falcons Head Coach] Coach Smith and I have a good relationship. We know that we’re going to get some good work in that three or four days we’re there and it just worked out that we can work against each other.”
(On the running back situation during practices) “Travis [Etienne Jr.] has been cleared for everything. He’s been doing really well through the whole offseason program. We’re still going to monitor and make sure he’s 100 percent. We don’t want to have any setbacks at this stage, but he’s been doing really good. Obviously getting Snoop [Conner] caught up to speed and Rock [RB Ryquell Armstead] and the guys. It’s just a matter of this is the time to let these guys play a little bit to see exactly what you have going into camp.”
(On how the rookies are progressing) “Guys like Travon [Walker] and Devin [Lloyd] and Luke [Fortner] and Chad [Muma], these guys are going to be working in with the ones and some of the twos and we have so many guys. But again, this is the time for everybody to get reps, get meaning reps, and it’s just a great opportunity for them to work in. It’s something that as a rookie too, they’ve only been here about a week now and how well they can take the information to the football field as we go and how much they can understand and comprehend.”
(On seeing OLB Travon Walker on the field) “He’s been doing really well. He’s been in here all last week and really embracing the role, obviously been working at the one position and doing extremely well. He’s such a pro. He’s so hard on himself. He doesn’t want to make a mistake and you just have to tell him, ‘Hey, just calm down, relax, everything’s going to be okay. We have plenty of time before we play a game.’ But you like players like that who are critical of themselves and their performance because they want to do well, and he’s been one of those guys.”
(On evaluating RB Travis Etienne Jr. without seeing him play his rookie year) “You go back to a little college tape. But [Running Backs Coach] Bernie Parmalee has history with him, what he did in camp last year in the offseason, so we can rely a little bit on that and how he was used previously and how we’re using him here in these first six weeks.”
JAGUARS QB TREVOR LAWRENCE
MONDAY, MAY 23, 2022
(On playing with RB Travis Etienne Jr. again) “It’s nice. Last year we had a year-long break, and everybody’s been anxious for him to get back, including myself. He’s looked great. He adds a lot of versatility for us, really explosive. We’re all pumped to have him back.”
(On measuring improvement in the offseason) “We’ve had a couple different phases now. We’re back into competing against the defense and that’s a little easier to measure because you can put a grade on it, you can say was that successful or not, complete, incomplete, all those things. It’s a little tougher on air. I think having those few weeks though to prepare and really master the system helps and now, like today, I felt like we were pretty clean. Obviously, you’re going to always have a few things here and there you want to clean up, but I really like where we’re at. I feel like we’re, I don’t want to say ahead of schedule, but I really feel like we’re right where we need to be. The way that [Head Coach] Coach [Doug] Pederson and [Offensive Coordinator] Press [Taylor], all of those, our whole staff has installed the offense really strategically. I really like where we’re at and the guys are picking it up great.”
(On his performance today) “It felt good. Like I said, there’s always a couple [mistakes]. I gave DaVon [Hamilton] an early birthday present. I’m not sure when his birthday is but I threw one straight to him. I don’t want to do that, but besides that I think I had a good day. Obviously, you’re always looking to improve and when you have a bunch of guys that we didn’t play together last year and then throw in some rookies as well, you’re still just trying to work out the kinks and get on the same page. That’s still where we’re at but, like I said, I’m really happy with where we’re at and we’ve had some big plays. Just chemistry’s building quick which is always good to see.”
(On working with the offensive line during OTAs) “Just communication. That’s huge, one, between them upfront, just those five, and also myself. Communicating, whether it’s we need to change something, get us to a better play, all those things, if we can all be on the same page, it makes it that much easier. That’s something you just work the whole offseason and during the season too. Then you have new guys, and you have to figure out how to communicate, what’s the best way to talk to each other, all those things. I think we all get along great and everybody’s great to work with. Big Scherff [OL Brandon Scherff] upfront, ya’ll have seen him. He’s a man so he’s going to help us a lot and [I’m] excited to have him for sure. [OL Tyler] Shatley’s done a great job. He’s a really smart player. Ever since I’ve been here, he’s helped me a lot, so [I’m] thankful for that. And then Luke [Fortner], I haven’t gotten to work with Luke as much. He just got here, but I’m really excited to have that depth and just some talent up there. That looks really good.”
(On playing against the defense today) “Well those guys are big tempo violators on the other side of the ball. [We] didn’t really have pads on today, but they look great. The guys that were here last year, our d line played really well and obviously you just expect those guys to keep playing well. [It’s] just awesome to have Roy [Robertson-Harris], AG [Adam Gotsis], DaVon [Hamilton], a ton of other people. I can’t name them all right now. Upfront, Josh Allen, all those guys, and then the new guys we got too. To see that depth start to build on both sides of the ball and really just to have so many weapons is huge. Just offensively and defensively, in my eyes, I think it’s night and day where we were last year. I’m just excited to keep working and building on that because I really think we have something going right now.”
(On his first impressions of OLB Travon Walker) “He looks the part for sure. Just really his demeanor, I enjoy being around him. [He’s] a really calm guy, humble, hard worker. Then obviously you see him, and you see why he’s the number one pick and all that. But just his personality, I’m excited to get to know him more. I think that’s kind of the type of personality that I gel with, so I’m excited to get to know him. I think he’s going to be a great player for us.”
(On knowing OLB Travon Walker in high school) “I mean I didn’t know him well, but we’re both from Georgia so I remember meeting him and would kind of follow loosely in college. Then to see him come out this year and that team, Georgia’s team last year was so stacked. I was actually at the game, they played Clemson first game of the season, so I got to see him firsthand. Now playing together’s pretty cool.”
(On having input from his experience last year) “For sure. We’ve already talked a little bit about what those things are that we can carry over. Like you said, a lot of them, we already have. We haven’t installed everything yet but a lot of the things that we did last year that I liked, we have, we just call them something different. Just conversating and letting them know what I like, what I don’t like, I think the communication’s been really good so far. We’ve already had a couple of those meetings and that’s the best way to do it when you can just collaborate. Obviously from my standpoint [Head Coach] Coach [Doug] Pederson, [Offensive Coordinator] Press [Taylor], they have final say but I want to be a part of that process. They’ve been awesome in just working together. I think we see things the same way and it’s fun having a group that communicates really well.”
(On being able to tell that Head Coach Doug Pederson is a former quarterback) “Oh yeah. I think you can always tell the way a coach communicates with a quarterback because he’s been in my shoes. Quarterback’s an interesting position. It’s not a big rah-rah, chew somebody out. I mean you have some coaches that are like that but for me, that’s just not what I need. I can have a conversation and [Head Coach] Coach [Doug] Pederson’s great about that. At every play, he gives you a piece of feedback that another coach might not give you just because he knows what it’s like and it’s something little that he might see that someone else doesn’t see. Having the head coach be able to step in, even today a couple times, three or four times, after a play, he’ll come over and give me a little tip or whatever. Just having a head coach that can do that and really, really knows what he’s talking about is cool.”
(On using the offseason and OTAs to bond and regain trust in the coaching staff) “100 percent. I think that’s the biggest thing in a team is just trusting each other, trusting the guys in the locker room but also the staff. That’s something, clearly, we didn’t have a lot of last year, so I mean I think our locker room did a great job last year of staying together. But it’s cool to see him [Head Coach Doug Pederson] make that a priority and he knows and understands that that is definitely something that we have to make sure that we have in this building. I do think we’re building that, and I mean from everything I’ve seen, everyone’s trusting one another, really just going to work, and preparing ourselves.”
(On the change in practice facility affecting preparation) “It shouldn’t at all. I mean you just tell us where to go and we’ll either hop on a bus and go there or we’ll walk out to the game field. It doesn’t matter where we’re at. Every day you have the same job; try to get better and be as good as you can be. So, it shouldn’t change, but it is another obstacle to kind of work through but it’s not too big of a deal.”
(On his impressions of WR Christian Kirk) “He’s great. Just from a football IQ sense, I think he’s really quarterback friendly. The way he sees the field, different coverages unfold, the way he runs his routes, I just think he’s quarterback friendly. And then obviously his speed is something that we really needed and it’s going to help us a lot. You guys saw today, he can fly and locate a ball, all those things. [He’s] really talented and we get along really well. Like I said, [we have] similar personalities and demeanors. Really that’s the cool thing is seeing how this staff has built the locker room with the guys that were already here and the new guys we signed. It just seems like we’re all on the same page and everybody’s a team first guy. You don’t have any selfish guys in that locker room which is obviously really important.”
(On bonding with WR Christian Kirk through golf) “Yeah, we play a little bit Christian [Kirk]’s better than me sadly, but yeah, we’ve been playing a little bit. He’s more obsessed with it than me. I’ve been playing a ton, but he probably plays more than me. We played probably like our first week down here and we’re probably going to play again this week too, so it’s fun to have a guy to go out there with. It’s a good time.”
(On his best golf score) “It’s not very good, like 90, 92. I still haven’t broken 90, so I need to work. I’m not very good.”
(On OL Walker Little is a nine handicap in golf) “Yeah right. Walker [Little]’s probably a 14, 15. He’s better than me though so I can’t say anything. Christian [Kirk] and Walker are pretty comparable. They’re both pretty good. C.J. [Beathard]’s good too actually. I’ve seen him shoot like an 83. C.J. is good. He can kill the ball.”
(On his weight) “I’m about 217, 218 right now. I’m a little lighter than I was. I’d say the heaviest I was last year was 221, 222 maybe, so I’m a little lighter. I actually got really sick two weeks ago. I lost like eight pounds, so I’m getting it back. I was like 212 for a minute. I had some stomach bug, so that doesn’t help. I’m kind of building back from that. I want to be as heavy as I can be, hopefully in the 220 range. I’m happy with that so I can still move well.”
