JAGUARS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR TODD WASH
(On thoughts on CB D.J. Hayden’s injury) “He’s been working on the side. So, I think today is really the first day that we’re going to be able to have him out on the grass and going through some defensive stuff. Obviously, he’s a vet, he knows our package inside and out. So, it’s probably not going to be where he’s going to play every snap in the game, but we’re hoping to get him up—see how he responds today, first of all, at practice—and then we’ll just make the decision as we get through the rest of the week.”
(On how the secondary group has performed thus far) “You know, I think you’ve got to give a lot of credit to Tim [Walton] and Joe [Danna], our two secondary coaches. I think those guys are getting better and better each week as we go out. And that’s really kind of what we anticipated. Obviously, we’ve got a very young football team, but they are getting better and better each week and they take a lot of pride in what they do. So, I think the biggest thing is just seeing them execute because they have play-making ability.”
(On progress and improvements from defense) “You know, I think we did a better job with explosive plays—we did give up a couple of them, the big touchdown was one. But I think we’re starting to keep the ball in front of us, we’re tackling pretty well, and I think even with the—we’re getting them in third-and-longer situations, which is helping us out. We can bring some pressure, we can do simulated pressure when we get in those down-and-distances and still play zone coverage behind it. So, I think we’re doing a better job on first and second down and getting them in third-and-longer situations that really allow us to be a little bit more successful.”
(On progress from DT DaVon Hamilton and CB Sidney Jones IV) “DaVon is a big, physical guy. Probably what I like the most about him is he’s a gym rat, he’s very intelligent. You know, we put some stuff on his plate last week, he was able to execute it and played really well for us. So, I think the sky is the limit for him. And once again, he’s getting better and better as the season goes on. You know, Sidney gave up the one deep, deep play last week. But he’s getting his hands on balls, I think he’s being disruptive. He’s really doing a nice job in man coverage and getting disruption at the line of scrimmage. Obviously, some plays you don’t even see that he gets great disruption at the line of scrimmage and the quarterback goes away from him. So, he’s playing [consistently], which is really good to see and hopefully he’s going to be a Jaguar for a while.”
(On combatting Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger) “Yeah. You know, what he’s doing better than he’s ever done, is he’s getting the ball out fast. He’s one of the fastest ones in the league with his release time. You see a lot of the balls that he’s throwing, they’re actually called runs, but they’re not necessarily RPOs [run-pass options], they’re pick screens and stuff like that—or excuse me, rub screens. And so, he’s doing a great job at that, but he’s still a very big, big guy. He’s bigger than probably a couple of our defensive linemen. But he’s just so consistent and he’s got a really good feel for the offense. He’s been in the same offense for a long time, so it’s hard to rattle him if you hit him or if you don’t hit him, because he knows what he’s doing with the ball so fast. He’s just an exceptional quarterback and he’s playing as [well] as he did when we’ve played him the last couple of times in 2017 and 2018.”
(On reasons behind the defensive improvement over the last two weeks) “I think they’re getting better, there’s really no doubt. We knew we were going to be young, really no offseason, and that kind of stuff. So, I think a lot of it is they’re just playing more and we’re playing a lot of young guys. So, it’s really good to see them mature and grow as the season goes on. I think we’ve done some different things defensively, too, with some simulated pressures that we added in the bye week and that has definitely helped us on third down. We’re playing different packages, we probably played more of what we call ‘bandit and dime’ than we have in the previous three or four years combined since I’ve been here as coordinator. So, we’re doing some different things, getting different guys on the field and they’re in position to make some plays and they’re making them.”
(On success of defense taking their opponent off the field on third down and three yards or less) “Yeah and going through the self-scout, we’re better on third-and-1 than we are in third-and- 2 to 6; which is crazy, that usually doesn’t happen. But we got a big stop late in the 4-minute. I think we’re doing a better job of playing man coverage; it really helps us on those down-and-distance. If you sit in zone on 2, 3 and 4, they’re just going to pick you apart. So, I think we’re playing better man coverage and once again, when we do get them to longer yardage, we’re getting them off the grass right now.”
(On pros and cons with the cornerbacks) “Yeah, I think a lot of that is just playing that position. You know, you’re going to give some up. If I’m not mistaken, I think people in Green Bay get paid, too; I’m pretty sure. So, they’re going to against good people, they’re going to get beat at times and they’re going to make plays. So, we don’t talk in a room—you can’t win just 50 percent of the time, you’ve got to win more than 50 percent of the time and I think they’re doing a really good job of that. When it’s 50-50 balls, we need 70-30 of those 50-50 balls; and those guys are doing that right now. And when they do get beat, they’ve got to shake it off and come back the next play, because they are making plays.”
JAGUARS DE JOSH ALLEN
(On watching Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger growing up) “I grew up a Steelers fan. I was a Steelers fan right up to when I became a Jaguar, so I’m excited about this week and I finally get to play against the man that I grew up loving. That’s definitely a big accomplishment that I can write on my check list.”
(On bringing down Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger) “He’s a big dude. I never got to hit him yet so I can only speak for what I bring to the table. It looks like he’s a big, solid guy but he can still stand up and you still get the sack so it’s all good.”
(On the improvement of the defense as a unit) “I mean just playing assignment free and just flying around to the ball and just having fun. We found out regardless of winning or losing, as long as we get to play together, as long as we get to play for each other and we just have fun doing it, the outcome’s going to be the outcome. We can control what we can control…I mean just flying around to the ball, having fun basically, knowing that I know K’Lavon [Chaisson] has my back. Just having fun out there and playing with each other, that’s probably the most we get from it. What else do we have to lose but to go out there and play 100 percent?”
(On Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger’s weakness) “I feel like he’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. We’re about to play two back to back. Last week we played [Packers QB] Aaron Rodgers and we saw what he can do for his team in situations and now we’re about to play against another one. You never know what to expect week in and week out with these guys and I just know we’re going to get 100 percent from them, and we’re excited about it.”
(On if keeping last week’s game close gives him confidence going into this week) “I mean being within four? I was confident we were going to win that game. Just being within four, losing by four or losing by three, losing by one point, that’s something that we don’t [like]. We want to win. We don’t want just good games that we just come down to losing them. We’re trying to win every game, so we were definitely heart broken. We were definitely upset because we felt like played a really good game, but they made a couple more plays than we did, and they just capitalized on opportunities. We have to bring our A game this week again and hopefully we get this win, we do get this win.”
(On if he pretended to be Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger when playing backyard football growing up as a Steelers fan) “No, it was [former Steelers safety] Troy Polamalu. It was Troy Polamalu, [former Steelers receiver] Hines Ward, [former Steelers receiver] Santonio Holmes. Who else? [Former Steelers linebacker] James Harrison. I wasn’t the quarterback.”
(On pretending to be former Steelers RB Jerome Bettis) “He’s [one of my] top three favorite Steelers players, for me personally. Troy Polamalu’s definitely number one though. [Former Steelers safety] Troy Polamalu, [former Steelers receiver] Hines Ward, and then [former Steelers running back] Jerome Bettis, ‘The Bus’, big dude.”
(On if ever wanted to be the quarterback growing up) “I wanted the ball. I’m trying to play receiver. I didn’t want to get hit all the time. We were smacking our quarterback and I didn’t want to be that. No, not for real, but I always liked [Steelers QB] Ben [Roethlisberger]. I’m ready to hit him.”
(On playing against someone he grew up watching) “That’s basically every week to anybody who ever played, especially around my age, year three, four and under. I feel like that’s everybody in the NFL, so every week you always play against somebody and be like, ‘Dang, I remember this dude. I remember this dude.’ But as soon as the game gets started, all that’s thrown away. The respect’s still there of course, but your main objective is to win that game at all costs whoever you go against. At first, it’s going to be pretty cool but as soon as the game gets going, I’m going to be locked in until after the game where I get to holler at him and talk what I can. But during the game and in between the lines, I’m ready to play ball.”
(On having the same name as Bills QB Josh Allen) “Next question. I’m just here so I won’t get fined. I’m never speaking about that man ever again. Last year, Josh and I would’ve been good. This year? No, I have to make my own [name for myself]. But I don’t get anymore letters, no more mail and they better not send me any [because] now I’m going to get offended. Last year I could see how people get mixed up, but now this year, if they don’t know me by now, I can’t mess with them.”
(On what he’s seen from the Steelers’ defense and if it’s the best they have had) “Best they ever had? I mean I know they’ve been legit thus far. They’ve been one of the best defenses as a whole. They have a lot of good players on that team. They definitely can rush the passer, every man up there can. So, [I’m] watching them, learning from them, learning from [Steelers LB] T.J. [Watt]. Being around him at the Pro Bowl I learned a lot from him so I can see why he has that grit, he has the dog-ness in him. [Steelers LB] Bud [Dupree] being a UK product, I don’t expect anything less from him. Then [Steelers DT] Cameron Heyward upfront, he’s a dog too. But I’m excited to see them play, hope they don’t do what they normally do, but I think our offense is going to take care of that. I just know our defense, we’re going to have to match their intensity or they’re going to have to match us because we’re going to be flying around to this ball and we’re going to be hungry for a win. I know what we’re going to bring. I don’t know what they’re really doing over there or how they come to play but I know our team, we’re going to be ready to play, ready to get this win.”
(On what he learned from Steelers LB T.J. Watt or other players at last year’s Pro Bowl) “There was a couple guys, but being around him, he was just telling me about how hard you have to work to get here, how hard you have to be to take that next level, it’s good that you’re here, everybody’s on the same level right now, but to take it from this level to that level, it’s going to take a lot more extra work and a lot more dedication. Just going over that and his routine and how he trains his body, how he trains his mind and stuff going out on the field and just learning about that. That definitely opened my mind to how I want to prepare myself moving forward because I definitely do want to be Defensive Player of the Year or up there or all that, which he’s striving for [too]. I have a long ways to go, but one day I’m going to get there.”
JAGUARS LB JOE SCHOBERT
(On the defense’s improvement) “I think we’ve taken steps in just everybody doing their assignments on any given play, just being able to function as a whole unit successfully, everybody knowing their jobs, doing their jobs, and executing. I think we’ve taken big steps in our execution. I think what we need to still improve on would probably be explosive plays. There’s still a couple times a game I think the last two weeks where those explosive plays are the ones that really got us because we’ve proven if we make teams drive down the field, even some of the best teams in the league, that we’ll be able to get a stop, make them punt, give the ball back to our offense or create turnover. But when we give up those explosive plays and we don’t give ourselves a chance to hold them out of the end zone or defend every blade of grass, that’s something that we really need to improve on.”
(On Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger) “Like you said, he’s a very accurate quarterback. Just going against him two times a year for the last four years, he very good at like the backyard, school yard football kind of plays where things break down and him and his receivers have a good understanding of what to do post their initial routes, whether they’re turning up the field or they’re coming back, and he’s able to put the ball on them. It’s really hard for defensives to cover guys for more than two, three, four seconds, so he’s really good at extending plays. He’s been big and strong his whole career. He can move around just enough. He has the arm talent to be able to put the ball out there and he has the guts to be able to make the gutsy throws.”
(On his experience going against Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger when he was playing for the Cleveland Browns) “I never sacked or tackled Ben Roethlisberger when I was playing. I got a sack on (Steelers QB) Mason Rudolph, but not Ben Roethlisberger. But when we were playing with the Browns, we had some big d-linemen, like what we have here. You have Myles Garrett and those guys who were able to bring him down and we were able to get after him pretty good in a couple games, which hopefully we’ll be able to replicate here. We have the talent and the guys we have upfront here are physical specimens as well, so I think they’ll be the ones handling the job. If I’m able to get in there and get my hands on Big Ben, I’ll do my best to get him down as quick as possible.”
