Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone

Sunday, August 18, 2019

(Opening Statement) “Today is our in-season Wednesday. We are getting out there. Yesterday we had those [offensive] linemen, like I talked about, out there. I thought they looked good. I thought Marqise Lee looked good. We are still going to go day-to-day on a decision of what we are going to do with him. Again, when they are out there and they are working, good things are happening. When they are not out there, it’s tough. [Ryquell] Armstead is in the last day of concussion protocol. If he can get through today and pass that, then obviously he will be ready to play. We are pulling for him to pass that and get himself back on the field and see what he can do. That’s pretty much it.”

(On where TE Josh Oliver and TE Geoff Swaim are in regards to their injury status and how James O’Shaughnessy has looked) “[Geoff and Josh] are exactly where they should be. They are rehabbing and they are on the side. You can see them. They are out on the practice field. You have just as much information as I do on how they are doing. They are working to get back and they are working hard. I think that James … I look at everyone. You name one player and I’ll say I’m sure there are some things that I like, but there is a lot we need to work on and get better. That is kind of how I look at it. I never want to be that guy that stands up there … I just want to say, ‘Hey, that’s a good play. That’s a nice job. We can get better here. We can get better there.’ I never want to try and give it like, ‘This has been unbelievable, everything is great,’ and think that we have arrived. I’m a pretty negative son of a gun like that. I don’t know. I’m not the right guy.”

(On if being injured as a rookie can weigh on you mentally as much as physically) “I don’t know. If something happened to me and I wasn’t around anyone – with my personality – I’d probably be happy. I think it all depends on each person. It depends on who it is. If it is someone that is really social, obviously that can hurt them. If it is someone like me, then it’s not going to phase me. I’m just telling you the truth.”

(On if Calais Campbell has become one of his favorite players he has ever coached) “I don’t like any players, so I don’t have any favorites.” (laughter)

(On if he has a good feel for what the offense is going to look like) “Absolutely not. When I say that, obviously I know the direction that we want. But you get into that thing where I say this and we go out there and it doesn’t work and the next thing you know, it’s on fire … [People say], ‘Oh, it’s not what they have been working on. It’s not what they did.’ I think in any offense, everyone has a vision and it really comes down to execution. If we can go out there and execute and be consistent, it’s going to be what we want and what we are looking at. Are there things that we are still working out? If that’s the question, of course there is because we don’t have the full players out there. I think when everyone gets out there, there will be some little things, some tweaks here and there, and then a lot of the time there are things that we can go out and dictate as an offense and sometimes there are things that you can’t do as an offense that the defense may dictate to you. You want a good balance to that. You want to be able to take advantage of the defense when they take stuff away from you.”

(On if he would consider playing Josh Oliver or Quincy Williams in the fourth preseason game if they were healthy) “I think I would be able to consider that. I think you’re right. I think that when you say you’re OK, I don’t think anyone is OK with a guy that has never really played before. I think you are always going to question what’s going to happen. ‘What’s it going to be like?’ And probably more so than the player or his teammates from a coaching standpoint, I would be like that. Sometimes you are going to put what you feel is the best player out there. If those guys are the best players to take that position and they are healthy at that time and they weren’t healthy enough at a time when you could play them, then I think you are going to put them in there if you really believe they give you the best chance to win. If they don’t perform well, you go to Plan B and get someone else in there right away and move on from there. Those are all good questions, I think they all come into the picture.”

(On what he has seen out of WR DJ Chark Jr. the last few weeks) “I think like anything, like most of the players, DJ would be the first to tell you that he has things to work on, but he has gotten better from where he was last year at this time. It’s his second year, meaning that he’s showed a little bit more confidence, I think he knows the system better, knows what we are looking for, the routes. It’s just going to be a matter of him really getting out there. He has made some plays in practice and it’s just going to be a matter of him being able to make those plays in the game. We know he can, and it’s just going to be a matter of him going out there and doing it.”

(On where LB Quincy Williams is in his rehab) “I would say on schedule.”

(On if any of the young players have stood out on special teams) “I think we will have some young guys that are going to help us on teams. I think that you saw that last year – we have had some guys that stepped up. I think we have some guys now that will be able to do the same thing, it’s just a matter of what the final roster is going to be and it’s tough trying to figure that out.”

(On how the veteran tight ends on the roster responded to the team drafting Josh Oliver and signing Geoff Swaim in free agency) “I don’t look for any response out of them. If I bring somebody else in, I always want competition. I’m always looking for competition. I’m trying to replace guys constantly. I’ve told the players that. That’s the one thing about the NFL – if you can go out and you can get a better player, a better coach … If ownership can get a better me, we’re all replaceable. We are looking for the best guys there. You are fighting your ass off to keep your job every single day in this league. I don’t think I was looking for a response out of them. I just look to bring in players and whoever the best ones are, they are the ones we are going to keep and the ones we are going to play. I tell players that all the time. It’s not a shock to anyone to say, ‘Hey, the minute I can replace you, I’m going to replace you and get rid of you.’ It’s the reality of the business. That’s how it is.”

(On how S Jarrod Wilson played on Thursday against Philadelphia) “Good. I saw it starting last year. It goes way back. Guys put a lot of work in, guys put in a lot of time. There are some things in this game that needed to step up for him. I thought last year he showed us he was able to do that. He really worked hard at it and he was able to work himself into a position that he is in now. He went out there the other day and showed us that he can obviously do all of those things. I have a lot of trust in him.”

(On the process of trying to sneak a player on to the practice squad in preseason) “That’s probably a good question for [General Manager] Dave [Caldwell] and [Executive Vice President of Football Operations] Tom [Coughlin]. I just try to figure out who the best are for the 53-[man roster]. Practice squad is a little bit of an afterthought. I’m not really thinking that until I feel comfortable with the 53. I try not to look at guys and say, ‘Oh, he’s a practice squad guy.’ It’s, ‘I like all of these guys. Is there any way to keep all of them? No, you can’t really keep all of them. [I think] Well, I really like this guy, he is young, and I think he’s going to have the ability to start – maybe there’s a spot on the practice squad. That’s great.’ That’s kind of how that stuff goes.”

(On how LB Myles Jack has developed as a communicator) “That’s a good question for him and the reason why I say that is because he’s always done that for us. I think you see a player that is just a natural … It’s just a natural progression of quickness and everything. You see that. I think it’s a good question for what is his vision of the defense, what is the vision of himself and things of that nature. I don’t talk to a lot of players individually about things like that, but he has been great since day one. He’s been a great player. He can play multiple positions. I could put him at SAM tomorrow, and he’d be a great SAM linebacker. I can put him at WILL, and he’d be a great WILL linebacker. I can keep him at MIKE, and he’s a great MIKE linebacker. He is a guy … You could put him at running back, he can play running back. There are a lot of things that he can do, and we are fortunate to have him. He’s doing a really good job for us.”

(On if he would ever consider putting Myles Jack at running back) “Yes, if I lose them all – the [running backs] I have.”

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