SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR HEATH FARWELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2025
(On LS Ross Matiscik and P Logan Cooke’s seasons that have earned them Pro Bowl
selections) “They’ve both been outstanding. The way they work every single day. They work
together. They care about each other. You see the work they put in, and then it shows up on
the field. They’ve been outstanding. I mean, they’ve been the best in the game. I’m not
surprised at all, but I see them every day. So that’s a big part of it. Logan had a fantastic
year. His ability to control the returners with all those different punts he has. He’s a
problem for other coordinators. I have more people come up to me in pregame and talk
about Logan. So, it’s a respect he gets across the league, and both those guys are just
fantastic players. It’s great to have them here. They’re great to work with. I think one of the
cooler things they’ve done is taking Cam [K Cam Little] under their wing. He’s like a little
brother to them. They brought him along. It was something we had talked about when we
first drafted him. I said, ‘I’m going to challenge you guys. You’re going to have to help this
kid,’ and they’ve done it and more. They get along great. They have him over for dinner. They
do all these things with him off the field, and then when it comes to playing, they set the
table for him. Perfect snaps, good hold. All those things show up. They really give him the
best chance to be successful, and he’s been outstanding as well. So, three of the best
specialists in the league. Very fortunate. I mean, this is a great group. That group, those
three guys, and then even the core guys. I’m very lucky. [S] Daniel Thomas, [WR] Tim Jones,
[LB] Caleb Johnson, covering for those guys. Covering those punts, controlling the net. All
that stuff is a big part of what they’re doing. So, again, I love the group. They play hard every
play. They just do it the right way.”
(On what sets Matiscik apart from other NFL long snappers) “I mean, let’s start out with a
snap. I mean, he’s had great snaps all year. He’s been fantastic in that, and that’s a big part
you don’t want to overlook. I think what separates him from most snappers is coverage.
Him covering down the field. It’s like a linebacker on a punt team. Covering down the field,
he’s an actual tackler, where teams have to account for him. They have to block. You
literally have to block him, and across the league, there are not very many snappers, if any,
that really get blocked. That’s the freed-up player that kind of they let run free, and if he
makes the tackle, great. But Ross gets accounted for. So, it just shows you the respect of
him being a factor in coverage. It’s a big part of our coverage. He’s saved the day a million
times for us of just guys spreading the net, and then he’s a big part of the tackle and has
made some cool plays for us since we’ve been here. So, that’s what separates him.”
(On how he was notified of Matiscik and Cooke’s Pro Bowl selections and how he let them
know) “I was notified the other day. It was hard to keep it a secret. We brought Cam in and
kind of worked with him. Did it in a special teams meeting. Cam did a little presentation in
the only way Cam could do (laughs). But at the end of it, once he got to the point, it was a
special part of it, and you could see how excited, how much they had worked for it. It was
so emotional for Logan and Ross, because it is important to them. These guys worked so
hard to be a Pro Bowler, to be honored across the league. It’s such a big deal. So, to have
Cam, who was a big part of their success as well, to present it to them, it was cool for the
group. In the middle of a special teams meeting, it happened, and then, of course,
everybody coming, giving them hugs. All that was really cool because it kind of brought it all
together of, hey, these guys are a big part of why they’re there. It was a cool moment for the
group.”
(On if he’s surprised that this is Cooke’s first Pro Bowl selection) “I am. I am because he’s
had some fantastic years in the past, and he could have gone other years, I believe. But
sometimes that’s just how it works out and sometimes it takes a year or two. You’ve had
some good players that don’t exactly get it right away and sometimes you’ve just got to
keep working at it, and keep improving, and keep doing all those things, and keep doing it
consistently, which he has. So, sometimes it takes longer than others, but you knew
eventually he would do it, and be honored. Like I said, I get more coaches across the league
telling me how good he is, and how talented he is. I even had some coaches say, ‘I’m voting
for him,’ that kind of thing. So, I’m not surprised.”
(On how impressed he is with K Cam Little having success as a rookie) “It is tough and I
think a lot of you here, with rookies, you get the ‘rookie wall’ and some of those things. It
happens with kickers as well, just like any other position. We haven’t seen that. He’s been
great, but he’s locked in. That’s one thing he is. He’s very focused. He cares so much. He
still comes up every day and watches film. All those things, he’s still working like he did in
the spring. So, I’m not surprised. He’s so consistent. He wants to be great. It’s important to
him. Those are great traits to be a good kicker and just the mindset he has hasn’t wavered
since he’s been here.”
(On if he received an electric scooter as a special teams Christmas gift) “No, no scooter for
me. I don’t think they trust me on one. No scooter for me.”
(On what makes Little unique among the kickers he’s worked with in the past) “Cam is
quirky, and I mean this in a great way. But what he’s different, I think, is the guys love him.
He’s just himself all the time. So, he’s one of the favorite guys on the team, even as a rookie.
Some of the things he does, he just fits in just with his quirkiness and just playful, young
rookie that’s well-liked. Sometimes kickers don’t quite fit in as much. That’s not the case
with Cam. The players all love him from the specialists to the offensive and defensive line.
He just fits into this team as good as anybody. So, he’s different in that way.”
(On if he’s ever had to tell Little to scale back his energy) “No. From the moment I met him,
when I flew out to Arkansas, I saw that same energy in him and just the excitement and the
passion in him. I think you embrace that. I think that’s what I loved about him. I knew the
mindset and where he was headed. He was a guy that—I had him as the top kicker in the
class for a reason. I really felt that. It was part of his talent was there, but it was the
mindset. It was all the other things that he did that I believed he was the best kicker, and I
still believe that. He is so talented. But it’s the mindset.”
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR RYAN NIELSEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2025
(On if it’s bittersweet to be in the last week of his first season in Jacksonville) “Very.
Especially coming in here every week and seeing you guys.”
(On if he will miss addressing the media weekly) “Yeah, I think so. Called it. No, really you
guys have been awesome. It’s been great. Appreciate everybody.”
(On how he would describe the mood among the team) “Good. Good. Give a lot of credit to
our players. They’ve continued to fight. Like the game last week, they fought all the way
through to the end. All the credit goes to them. They were prepared, ready to play, finished
the game the way that we did. It was awesome to see, so expect that again.”
(On how much he learned about himself and his defensive coaching staff) “Yeah, we’ve got
a great staff. Appreciate those guys through the whole season and the ups and downs and
everything. We’ve learned a lot, for sure. You learn so many things, because it’s such a long
season, and each week presents its own challenges, but you try to take some things from
every week. So, either we won’t do that again, or we do that again, and things like that. So,
we’re getting into the post-season, after this week, obviously, we’ll finish strong, and then
what happens next is the postseason self-scout. Looking at ourselves, really taking a deep
dive into formations and what we’re doing defensively and trying to tweak it and making it
better for the future. So, our guys, staff-wise, those guys are studs. They’ve stayed the
course and continue to coach and teach throughout the season, and appreciate all of
them, really do.”
(On his expectation for S Darnell Savage’s availability on Sunday and how he will be used in
rotation) “Yeah, he’ll get back in there. You’ll still expect those guys to play. Kind of what
you’ve been saying, really very similar.”
(On why it takes some guys longer to adjust to being a professional out of college) “Some
guys just take a little longer. Some guys pick it up a little quicker. Some guys take a little
longer. I think it’s each individual basis. Really do. I don’t think that there’s just a science
of… But really, when they all come to that point of the, ‘Hey, this is what I have to get done.’
They all say, ‘Hey, I have to do off-the-field things, take care of my body.’ It’s all the same
things. It’s just when they really realize that, hey, those things really do matter, and maybe a
guy—I’m not saying this for [DT Maason Smith], but he’s a really talented guy, and some
really talented guys get by on their athletic ability, and everybody’s talented here. So,
maybe that realization of, wait, man, I’ve got to work a little bit harder, study a little bit
more. Like, these things really matter in this league. I’m glad he did that because you’re
seeing what he—his future is very bright, and the trajectory that he’s on is pretty cool to see
and how he’s working at practice. [Defensive Line Coach] Jeremy Garrett, those guys have
worked really well together in that room and see a very bright future for Maason ahead. As
long as he continues to do the things that he told you about the other week.”
(On CB Jarrian Jones’s potential for success long-term) “He can be as good as he wants to
be. That’s where he’s going to go, is if he wants to be the best, then he’ll continue to trend
and work that way. If he thinks that this is it, then this is what you’ll see, which he’s playing
really good football right now. But there’s another step in his game. That’s the thing, there is
another step and another level for him to achieve in this league, to really become one of the
most dominant players at his position. He’ll tell you that that’s what he wants to do. So,
we’ve just got to continue to stay dominant, we’ve got to be disciplined in the things that we
do going into the offseason and come back even better next year, now that he knows the
season in the NFL. He can do it. We’ve just got to take the one-day-at-a-time approach.”
(On if it’s difficult to find nickelbacks because of their versatility on the field) “It’s a tough
position to find, for sure. For a player to play it at a high level, there’s not a lot of guys out
there that can. It’s one of the toughest positions to find for a guy to come in, especially a
rookie, and have an immediate impact like he has. It’s been pretty impressive. So, give him
all the credit in the world because he really did have the right mental approach coming into
the season and got thrown in there very early, and he’s taken it and made it his position and
ran with it, so it’s been pretty cool to see.”
(On where Jones has improved the most throughout the season) “The thing is, his
improvements has been his coverage. His coverage intensity throughout has been pretty
impressive to see. All of the multiple coverages that we play and the things that he has to
do and the different types of guys that he has to cover, because sometimes he’s on the tight
end, sometimes he’s on a bigger receiver, quicker receiver, things like that. He’s not always
on the outside guys, and it’s been good to see him to be able to. His body control and his
speed and things like that allow him to be able to match up well with everybody. So, that’s
definitely a focal point in his game.”
(On if he feels the defensive staff has done enough this season to return next year) “Yeah, I
think so. Absolutely. First of all, we love this place. Like, man, we want to make this into the
best place that it can possibly be, and we’re here for the long haul. That’s for sure. We’re in
it, and no one ever said it was going to be easy, and sometimes it takes longer than a year.
So, yeah, we’re here. We’re ready to take the next step, win this game, and then go into the
offseason, and we have a plan already. We’ve talked about our offseason, what we’re going
to do, the things that we’ve really got to focus on, and when we get into the self-scout and
some positions of how to maybe tweak some things to be better next year. It was a great
learning experience. Wish we could have won some more games, for sure, especially those
close ones. There were so many close games that we had an opportunity at the end of the
game, to pull one out here and there, and I think it could have changed our season, really
do. But definitely think that we have a bright future with this football team here, and we’ve
got the pieces in place, and we’ve just got to focus on some of the things to help us win
those games next year. If it really comes down to, you have, even the games that we’ve won,
I mean, those are one-score games too, except one of them. So, there are quite a few one-
score games, and you win a few early, and it could change the trajectory of the season, and
that’s kind of how we’re taking the approach, and we’ll continue to be positive with the guys
and go into this offseason and be very positive but understand that we’ve got to do some
things better so we can change the outcome of the games next year, for sure.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR PRESS TAYLOR
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2025
(On what WR Brian Thomas Jr. needs to improve on next year after a successful rookie
season) “Like anybody, it’s just get better. Master more of your craft, more of the detail,
more of the preparation, hone in on your process a little bit. There’s always aspects you can
get better at. As he’s gone too, he’s been exposed to more and more and more and more,
and shown he can handle it, but you want to go from handling it, to mastering it, and to
making it your own. That’s something that’s been cool to see throughout the course of the
year of as we lost some guys and he took on a little bit more responsibility and more routes
of things he hadn’t necessarily done, it doesn’t look the same as the way Christian [WR
Christian Kirk] runs a certain route. It’s going to look like the way Brian runs a route. Just
kind of owning that, mastering that and making everything your own.”
(On who Thomas Jr. turned to for leadership after injuries to veterans Kirk and WR Gabe
Davis) “I don’t know that there’s necessarily—I mean obviously Chad [Wide Receivers
Coach Chad Hall] is a huge part of that. Chad’s in lockstep with him in terms of what he
needs to know and how he needs to digest that information. But there’s a lot of credit to
Brian, if he was comfortable enough to, he goes to Chad first for questions and for detail
and things like that. But I think this is something, he’s a very smart kid and we’ve known that
since the day we got him, that he’s an intelligent kid and can carry it from a classroom to a
practice field, from practice field to a game.”
(On if he was surprised that Thomas Jr. was selected as a first alternate for the Pro Bowl) “I
don’t know how that works. I think it’s more just that’s the best person at the time. I don’t
really know. I wish for him he would have made it as just one of the original guys. But it’s a
cool opportunity. See how it shakes out if there’s an opportunity to go or not.”
(On if WR Parker Washington has proven he is capable of playing both inside and outside,
and can be a starter in the NFL) “I believe so, yeah. He’s done a really good job. Since
offseason program of flexing to the outside position and being able to put a lot of wins on
tape out there, and that’s something we’ve seen obviously starting in the spring we were
excited about it, carried training camp and then it’s carried out now. You win on tape
sometimes without getting the ball. But we all see he’s where he needs to be, when he
needs to be there at the right depth, and then when the ball comes his way, he’s made
plays. He’s made tough catches. He’s made contested catches. He’s been critical third-
down catches for us. Yeah, I think he’s proven he can be a starter in this league.”
(On his evaluation of OL Anton Harrison this season) “I think Anton’s kind of taking that step
you’d expect to see from a first-year player to a second-year player of, there’s no longer that
rookie wall. You understand when Thanksgiving hits, we’ve got a long way to go. That’s very
different for a lot of young players of being able to push through that, and he was exposed
to that, obviously, his first year. For Anton, it’s just being as healthy as possible, being able
to get an offseason under his belt, be able to really continue to hone in on a lot of things.
Master his craft, same thing we were talking about with Brian earlier.”
(On if he feels the offensive staff has done enough this season to return next year) “All the
decision of who returns and who does what, that’s well beyond me. If the right people ask
my opinion and things like that, and I get an opportunity to sit down and talk with people, I’d
love to do that. But those are all decisions that go away beyond me. Yeah, I think we’ve
shown enough in terms of growth and continuity and the things that we could do and what
we’ve done with who we’ve had and the position we put those guys in at times, I believe so.”
(On whether the core receiving group next season, with the veteran receivers returning from
injury, has the potential to be among the best in the league) “Sure, I think if everybody plays
to their potential and you continue to put them in positions to do the things that they do
really well, and a lot of things align around them. That’s the one thing with skill players is,
and the line’s got to stay healthy, quarterback has got to stay healthy, the game situation
has to dictate terms where they’re able to get the ball and do the things that they can do
well. But yeah, I believe so in terms of just talent alone.”
(On if he’s been impressed with Thomas Jr. handling teams game planning for him) “Yeah,
he’s done a great job. I mean, regardless of the coverage they put out there and the
situation that it determines, he’s able to move around. I think that’s a big part, is we can put
him inside, outside. He’s a single receiver, he’s part of the three-receiver set; one, two, or
three. So, there’s a number of different things that you do to try to move a guy around.
Again, like we’ve always talked about, you wouldn’t do that if he couldn’t handle it. So, it’s a
way to kind of move him away from coverage. We’ve been able to create matchups for other
guys at times when we’re getting certain looks and you wouldn’t know it, but even the other
day in the game, they were playing a certain way to Brian. So, we moved going into a
concept, moved personnel-wise to get what we wanted and it led to a big play for Parker. I
think it was a second-and-long, it was a 25-yard game that was moving the pieces around
to kind of match the way they were trying to play Brian and get coverage the way we wanted
it and then worked out for a big play for Parker.”
(On if he’s ever seen a rookie adapt mentally as quick as Thomas Jr. has been able to)
“Personally, like hands on myself, no. No, he’s been extremely impressive. I mean, I
couldn’t speak for any other rookies and how they are in a building, but me personally, no, I
have not. He’s exceeded our expectations and the sky’s the limit for him. It’s going to be
awesome to see him play.”
(On if having a versatile player like Thomas Jr. influences his offensive approach and future
scheming) “Yeah, I think so. I think you have a player that can impact the game the way he
can and can do so much. You’ve got to be very good in terms of self-scout tendencies and
the things that when he’s aligned here, what do we do, and different ways to manipulate the
defense and things like that to give you what you want, whether it’s for him or for somebody
else. But yeah, I think it’s an exciting thing to think about his future and using him moving
forward.”
