JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023
(On needing some extra juice to start the game at Kansas City, especially being a playoff game)
“(Jokingly) Yeah, we’re going to onside kick again to start the game. When you’re playing, you’ve got to
play disciplined football, number one. You’re playing a well-coached team. They’re a disciplined football
team. We have to be prepared for them, too, as they’ve had a couple weeks now to really maybe come
up with some wrinkles of their own. That’s Coach Reid (Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid). He’ll have some
wrinkles up his sleeve, I know, but for us, it’s just a matter of staying disciplined and trusting what we’re
doing and just understand your role within your game plan and just execute each play one at a time.”
(On if he spends any time on the recent play where the Chiefs offense ran in circles before lining up)
“No. They still have to line up and get set. It’s fun and everything, and it’s exciting, and players love it.
I’ve been there with Coach Reid when things like that happen, and the players are engaged. The players
probably came up with it, quite honestly, but you don’t spend too much time on it. Eventually they’ve
got to get lined up within the 40-second time limit.”
(On how often he talks to Head Coach Andy Reid) “We talk during the season, we do. Obviously, this
week is different and when we played them a while back, but I owe a lot to Coach Reid, my career, not
only as a player but as a coach, and I want to pick his brain and learn. He’s been doing this a long time,
and he’s been really, really successful at it. Anything I can learn and take away from him is a blessing for
me.”
(On if he is worried about the many turnovers the team has had in recent games even though they have
won) “Yes, you worry about it. We’re fortunate. We’re very fortunate. We were very fortunate the other
night. That doesn’t happen, five takeaways or five giveaways and come back and win a football game, it
just does not happen. That’s something we address our team a lot about. I don’t want to overemphasize
it, but at the same time, they have to understand the seriousness of keeping the football and the
seriousness of creating takeaways. Our defense has also been getting the ball a little bit here, too, so
that’s been a bonus for us, but offensively, we just can’t give it away like we’ve been doing in order to
win these games, especially now where we’re at.”
(On how many of QB Trevor Lawrence’s four interceptions on Saturday were the result of a bad
decision) “Probably two of them, honestly, but he gets credit for four. It’s unfortunate that that
happened, but we don’t make excuses for it, we just look at it, we try to correct it. As coaches, we help
our players not turn the ball over, especially the quarterback. He understands it, we understand it, and
hopefully we’re better for it.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s ability to bounce back) “You saw it during the game, just the expression on his
face. He never wavered. A play like that is going to happen. You don’t want it to happen, but it does, and
when it does, you shake it off, and you move on, you move to the next play. He did a great job of that.
That’s a credit to where he is from a maturity standpoint in his development.”
(On if he ever played for a coach that had an up and down personality) “The coaches I’ve played for
were all very level-headed demeanor, never got too high, never got too low. Yeah, they can get
emotional but never really coached that way, stayed level-headed, and that’s probably where I get some
of it from, just learning from that.”
(On if his demeanor is any different with this team than when he coached Philadelphia) “No. I just think
you learned from your time, where I was before, and sometimes that’s big picture. You can’t see the
forest through the trees, and now you kind of look at things a little bit big picture and have a little
different perspective, and those are all things that are learned.”
(On why it always comes back to Head Coach Andy Reid when talking about who has had a big influence
on him) “When I first went to Green Bay in 1995 until now—how many years is that? That’s a lot of
years. That’s 28 years, almost 30 years, so that’s 30 years of my professional life that I’ve been
influenced by him, so that’s why it always comes back to him. More than half [of my life]. I’ll be 55 in
two weeks.”
(On how to prepare a team for fan noise at Kansas City) “It (the last two week’s loud fans at home) does
help us, but nothing prepares you for that. I can turn the noise here as loud as I want, and it’s not going
to make an impact, but it’s loud for them, it’s loud for their defense, and we both have to play in it,
obviously. It’s a great atmosphere, and these fans are passionate about the Chiefs, obviously, and it’s
the loudest for a reason. We just got to be able to go in there. It just focuses you in more specifically on
your job. You’ve got to be able to hear in the huddle, things of that nature. You’ve just got to have
nonverbal communication on point.”
(On if it helps playing at Kansas City prior this season) “It does. It does, just the environment and being
there, seeing it. Some of the guys haven’t been there before and having gone there during the season
helps a little bit. This will be different. Playoff football is different, the crowds are different, and this one
will be pretty loud.”
(On talent of Chiefs DT Chris Jones) “He’s had a great season. This guy, probably one of the best, if not
the best, that we’ve seen this season, and we’ve played some good ones. These interior D-linemen. He’s
explosive, he’s powerful, he can move guys off spots, rush the passer. There’s not a whole lot he can’t
do. We’ve got to be understanding of where he is. Teams try to put as many hands on him as possible,
and he still gets there. Great player, a lot of respect for him. Love watching him play. Our guys
understand that and will play hard.”
(On the importance of this game mattering in this season) “Whether it’s our money or house money,
we’re here. It’s a credit to those players in the locker room and the coaching staff for believing in each
other and working hard. What we’ve done down the stretch regardless of mishaps, we’re here. I try to
block out the best I can with the team, you just block out the noise, you block out the negativity, you
block out whether it’s lack of respect or whatever. We have a young quarterback, whatever it might be.
We’re one of four in the AFC left and that says a lot. That says a lot about these guys, and we’re excited
for the opportunity.”
(On message to players entering the game at Arrowhead Stadium) “You’re right. You kind of took the
words out of my mouth. It’s a great atmosphere and we’ve got to embrace it, no one expects us to do
anything, so go play and have fun, enjoy the moment, and let’s see what happens. We’ve put ourselves
in this position to be one of the four remaining AFC teams and you got a lot to play for. Whether we win, whether we lose, our season was a huge success from that standpoint. First year together, overcome a
lot of adversity from last year to this year, pushing these guys through, and just go play and have fun.”
(On being aware that QB Trevor Lawrence has never lost on a Saturday) “This guy. (Knocks on wood) No,
la-la, next question.”
(On what stands out in the previous matchup against the Chiefs) “Yeah, I do. We study that one, but I
think offensively, we know we can play better. We didn’t execute early in that game very well. We had
opportunities, we missed some kicks early that probably could’ve kept us in the football game, made it a
little bit closer. We had a touchdown called back, things of that nature. We just got to execute better.
Looking at that and then defensively, we settled down in the second half, but again, just the mental
mistakes, the errors that we made of being out of position or out of alignments and gaps and things of
that nature. We’ll go back and look at that, we’ve made the corrections since then, and hopefully go out
and put a four-quarter game together.”
(On defensive plays lingering in the opposing team’s head) “No, not really. It’s usually over with, so no.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023
(On the idea to go to Waffle House after Saturday’s game) “I was talking to Brandon Scherff and
someone else, maybe EJ (QB EJ Perry), hadn’t ever been to Waffle House in their life. That was like a
week or two ago, and I was saying we got to go one day after the game, then last week I told them, once
we win on Sunday, we’re going to Waffle House. Marissa (his wife) actually called, and I talked to Waffle
House about reserving part of it, and they were like, ‘If you give us a heads up, we can clear some
people out of one area and have you guys some spots saved,’ so they did that, and it was great. We had
like 20 guys there. May be the first reservation at Waffle House.”
(On his go-to order at Waffle House) “It depends. That night I got the Texas bacon cheesesteak with
hashbrowns with cheese and a pecan waffle. Sometimes I’ll get the All-Star, just depends how I’m
feeling.”
(On if he ordered the hashbrowns by the Waffle House name) “Is it ‘smothered’? I just say cheese. I
probably should say [the real name].”
(On the development of the offensive line since training camp) “That group’s been great all year. You
look at just the guys that have had to play, the amount of different guys. Ben (OL Ben Bartch) was
starting at guard for us the first five games ‘til he got hurt. Obviously, Shatley (OL Tyler Shatley) has
played a lot of ball, so it’s not surprising to see how well he’s played, but still, for him to just, he’s always
impressed me how he prepares, and he’s always ready whenever he’s needed. He steps up whether
that’s a center, at guard, last year was center a lot. Whatever it is, he’s prepared. Then you look at, same
thing with Cam (OL Cam Robinson) was playing great until he got hurt, then Walker (OL Walker Little)
had to step up and be the left tackle for the rest of the season, especially the type of season we’re
having, the most important part of the year, trying to make a playoff push and just to see how well he’s
played and just been ready. Then even like Saturday, just played lights out in the biggest game that
we’ve had yet. To see that, then Jawaan (OL Jawaan Taylor). Jawaan’s had a great year. I’ve been really
impressed. That’s a guy I really love playing with. He’s about his business, loves ball, sacrifices a lot for
the guys around him. Then talk about Scherff (OL Brandon Scherff). He’s elevated everyone’s play on our
line, I think his attitude, his work ethic, just how tight that group is I think has a lot to do with what
Scherff’s been able to bring to the table since he’s been here.”
(On the execution of the late-game RB Travis Etienne Jr. 4th down run play) “It was awesome to see, just,
the guys up front, I told them in the huddle, this is 4th and four inches. That far. This is one play for our
season right here. We get this, we win the game, and that’s what I told them in the huddle. Just to see
them just mash the guys on the line of scrimmage. Even Zay (WR Zay Jones) if you see him, come down
and crack the safety and seal it then Travis bounce it. Those runs can kind of hit anywhere, and Travis
found the lane and just bounced it and got the edge. When guys do stuff like that, I knew we were going
to get it. Everyone knew what was on the line, and I knew those guys were going to come through.”
(On if he is amazed that he and the team did what they did in the second half) “Not really. Honestly, we
made the plays that were there and then a few, the plays you’ve got to make to win games like that,
especially when you’re down a lot, and really it was just a recipe of a bunch of different things in the first
half that didn’t go our way and some bad plays by myself, some plays that obviously you want back. A
lot of things were. Then you look at even the punt that hit us, crazy stuff like that, just didn’t quite go
our way, and we just kept our head down and knew it was going to turn. Obviously, we had to do it
quick, though, kind of running out of time at that point. It was good to get that drive before halftime to
kind of get the spirits back, get the momentum back a little bit, and tell our defense, ‘Hey, you guys go
get a stop. We’re going to keep scoring.’ I think we scored every drive in the second half, didn’t punt
again, so that’s huge. It gives us confidence. You don’t want to do that, but to be able to win a game like
that is really special.”
(On if he freelanced the 2-point conversion) “Yeah, I did. It’s a play where I saw the opportunity and
figured that would be a lot easier. I didn’t feel there was any risk with that. I knew I could get it in, so I
just took it. He (Head Coach Doug Pederson) was pumped. He didn’t say [a negative reaction]. If you
make the play, you’re good. That’s one thing, it’s kind of a no-no. You’ve got to make the play and make sure, there’s certain looks you’ve got to be careful there on the goal line. You saw there in the Ravens-
Bengals game where that look got returned for a touchdown, so you’ve got to be smart. There’s certain things you don’t want to do it against. Obviously, the ball is the most important thing. I felt confident in
it, and when you’re out there playing, and you feel something. The coaching staff has trusted me to
make plays, and I’m accountable for all that.”
(On the status of his thumb) “It’s good. It just got stepped on. I got sacked that one time in the fourth
quarter, and it got stepped on. It’s fine now. It was bleeding super bad, though. I had to get it wrapped
before that next play. I was afraid I was going to have to come out.”
(On playing in the noise at the home stadium and preparing for the noise in Kansas City) “Obviously, the
environment and atmosphere we’re going to play in is one of if not the best in the NFL. I can’t imagine it
will be much louder than our fans were here on Saturday, honestly, but that was when we were on
defense, not offense. We played there earlier in the year, but this is a little bit different. It’s a playoff
game, divisional round, so the stakes are higher, so I expect them to be even crazier, more packed
stadium, but at the end of the day, you’ve just got to go play, and you’ve got to make sure you
communicate. That’s the one thing. We’ve got to get in and out of the huddle. We’ve got to get to the
line of scrimmage so we have time to communicate because everything naturally takes a little longer
when it’s loud.”
(On if noise is something he has always naturally been able to handle) “We work it. We have the
speakers, pump it more when we’re on offense when we’re playing an away game. You get used to it
through college and now the last two years, so it’s just something you learn to get used to. You’ve got to
win games on the road, so you can’t let it be too much of an advantage for them. You’ve got to find
ways to operate and to communicate and to be on the same page when it’s really, really loud. I think
we’ve done a pretty good job this year on the road communicating well. That’ll be the key again and just
making sure we’re all on the same page going the same direction, and we’ll be fine.”
(On how he is mentally and emotionally different going into this game than when they played the Chiefs
in Week 10) “Week 10 seems so long ago. I guess it was 10 weeks ago. I think just speaking of the team, I
think we’re in a really good spot. We have a lot of confidence, played a lot of football since then. We’ve
won a lot of games since then. I think we’ve played much better this stretch than we did earlier in the season, so I think there’s been a lot of things. Same for the Chiefs though. They’ve had a lot of games
since then. The film is the film, and you kind of know what each team wants to do. There’s going to be
wrinkles and all that like there always is, especially game planning for a big game. It’s just about
execution, and I think that’s the biggest thing it comes down to, especially in the playoffs. They might
have a few wrinkles, but their scheme is their scheme, and it’s about who’s going to execute better,
especially when you’ve already played the team once. That’s two weeks in a row where we’re playing a
team we’ve already played in the season. It’ll be interesting to see what the plan is, and I feel great
about what we’ve got in so far and excited.”
(On his biggest takeaway from the first game at Kansas City) “Really just the way we started the game.
We got the onside kick and kind of stole a possession at the beginning, and we just didn’t really make
our possessions count the first quarter and a half all the way down to that last two-minute drive in the
first half. We just didn’t really do anything with the ball. Our defense held in there, especially early, and
gave us some possessions. That’s the one thing, I think we just left a lot on the table, and you can say
that every game, especially when you don’t win them, but I really just feel like we left a lot out there. As
the game went on, I thought we played better offensively, but when you’re playing a team like them
that has a great offense, a high-powered offense, that can score a lot of points, even if your defense is
playing well, you’ve got to score to beat guys like this, especially a guy like Patrick (QB Patrick Mahomes)
over there. You’re aware of that, and there’s definitely some stuff we left out there and excited to get
another opportunity. It’s going to be fun.”
(On what he learned from his first playoff game that can make a difference for him this week) “The
difference is you win and you keep going, you lose and you’re done. There’s that sense of urgency of
just, I don’t want to say it this way, but the desperation of doing everything you can to win the game,
and you feel that on both sides of the ball. It’s that way in the regular season, too, it’s just another level
because everybody knows. Especially now that we’re in the divisional round, we’re getting deeper and
deeper in this thing, people know what’s on the line, and guys just willing to do whatever it takes to win,
so there’s that level of intensity, and you know you’re going to get everybody’s best shot, so you’ve got
to be prepared. At the end of the day, it’s the same game. You play it the same way. Just because it’s the
playoffs, you don’t change what you do, but at the same time, we all know how big of a game it is for us
and for Kansas City and everybody.”
(On how much pride he takes on being 37-0 in Saturday games) “I take a lot of pride in it because we
play on a Saturday again. It is what it is. I don’t really think about that. I think about we’ve got to win this
game to keep going, keep playing, keep our season alive. That’s what I think about, trying to go 38-0 if
you want to put it that way. About that streak or whatever, it’s honestly kind of a coincidence that I’ve
had Saturday games at all three levels. Yeah, let’s keep that going. That means we’re playing again next
week. That’s the plan.”
(On if he can remember the last time he lost a game on a Saturday—would have to be before high
school) “I guess middle school football. We probably played a championship [on a Saturday]. I think we
won that. I don’t remember. I’m sure I lost on a Saturday at some point.”
(On if it was harder to get past Saturday’s win than others) “You mean the emotions to kind of flip the
page and get started on this week? Yes and no. The one thing that helped is that we had a little bit of
time. Obviously, gears are shifting, and we’re moving on to the next week, but we didn’t know who we
were playing yet, so you kind of pause and take a second that day, and you just, one, you rest,
physically, but also emotionally and mentally. It took a lot. It was just an emotional game. You recover, you rest, you kind of get all that back, get your energy back. Monday you can kind of fully dive in. Now
we know we’re playing Kansas City. You can kind of start all that prep and get ready for the week, so
that helped a little bit, but when it’s an emotional game. That’s what we talked about, the guys after the
game, you don’t really want to take your pads off because once you take them off, it’s done. You’re on
to the next one, so you kind of just bask in that moment for a minute because it is special. You’ve got to
enjoy them. It’s a playoff win here, whatever, huge comeback, win by one point, it’s just a special
moment. You’ve got to enjoy it, but at the same time, we’ve got another game coming in seven more
days. We took that night and enjoyed it and had some Waffle House and all that, but you’ve got to move
on pretty quick.”
(On if Kansas City plays the same type of defense all the time) “They’re a really good defense. You look
at them every year, and it’s something we talk about. They’re one of those teams where they get better
as the year goes on, especially defensively. As the year goes on, they play a lot of different guys, so
they’re mixing up the personnel and all that, then as the season gets going, especially games like this in
the last stretch, they’re playing at a really high level, and they do a really good job. They did some things
that gave us some fits when we played them last time, so we’re going to have to be prepared for all that.
They do a good job of mixing up the looks, giving you different presentations, they just do a lot of
different things. You’ve got to be prepared for all that. Obviously, Chris Jones (DT) up front, I talked
about last time we played them, he’s a guy that can wreck a game, so you’ve got to control him. You’ve
got to know where he’s at. Frank Clark (DE), if he’s back, assuming so, he had a week of rest, don’t know
there, but he’s a guy that’s really good on the edge, and they’ve got other guys too. Linebackers are
playing well. Back end has been really good, sticky in coverage. They’re good players. Got a lot of respect
for their defense for sure.”
(On the wives’ “It was always…” jackets) “I think it was Morgan Arnold’s [idea]. I don’t know. If Morgan’s
listening, shoutout to Morgan. I don’t know if that was hers; I think it was hers. Marissa (Lawrence) went
over there, and she helped make them, but it was at Morgan’s house, and she was the one that kind of
got everything organized. I think they did them themselves.”
