HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2025
(On injury updates) “[LB] Ventrell Miller, ankle. Probably not going to make the game. We’ll
see today, but I doubt he makes it. Of course, [OL] Walker Little won’t make the game. So,
those are the only two. Everybody else is good.”
(On S Darnell Savage clearing concussion protocol) “He is. He is. He cleared earlier in the
week, practiced the last couple of days. Been looking good, feeling good. So, expect him to
play.”
(On if he worries about the team’s focus for this last game vs. Indianapolis) “A little. A little,
but I’ll tell you this, the guys have really done a—I mean, practices the last two weeks have
been a little bit lighter. I think just because we’re at the end of the season, but they’re still
engaged, still focused. Still a lot to play for, so there might be a little bit of that, but it’s
probably excepted.”
(On CB Montaric Brown’s growth this season) “Just someone who, a young player who’s
really embraced the opportunity, right? You never know in this league. You never know
when you get your shot, and when you do, you hope you’re ready. He was one of the players
that was ready. He just continues to work hard in practice, works on his craft. It means
something. If he makes a mistake, it means something. You see him, he’s dejected. He
knows he made a mistake, but he fixes it, corrects it. Again, been a solid corner for us and
excited for him and how far it’ll take him.”
(On what Savage brings to the team as a veteran) “Brings leadership, brings a veteran
presence. When the season began, the expectation was he was going to play our nickel
spot. Then, we moved him back to safety where he’s obviously comfortable back there and
brought some stability there. But just again, another guy who loves ball, much like Buster
[CB Montaric Brown], and leads a lot. He’s one probably, he leads by example, but he also
leads verbally in the locker room, too. So, he’s good to have on the team, been a bright
spot, been someone that I think has really kind of kept things going in the right direction.”
(On if he thinks WR Brian Thomas Jr. was deserving of an outright Pro Bowl selection, rather
than as first alternate) “Well, I would have hoped he would have got a little bit more,
honestly. As a rookie receiver, putting up the numbers, I think he’s second in the AFC and
maybe in the top four, six, I think in the league. Most of those guys are from what school?
LSU. But it’s good company to be with. It’s really good company. As a rookie, I thought
maybe he would definitely make it. But look, I’m excited for him. He’s going to have plenty
more opportunities to make that Pro Bowl. Just a bright spot for us offensively this year.”
(On if it’s possible to establish the run game and balance touches between RB Travis
Etienne Jr. and RB Tank Bigsby against the Colts’ defense) “I think it’s going to have to be,
quite honestly. I think that’s 26 carries. The success we’ve had, we’ve been up close to 30
run attempts, right? So, however, whoever gets them, that’s kind of a magic number, I think,
for us and really for any team. But it’s a tough defense to run against. They do a great job
plugging gaps. Linebackers are downhill, fast flow. But you’re going to have to try and you’re
going to have to get that thing started.”
(On if RB Keilan Robinson will see time on offense on Sunday) “Yeah, I think he’s done a
nice job on special teams. I think giving him a couple of snaps in this last game would be
good to see.”
(On if he would consider this season to be the hardest of his coaching career) “Yeah, and
like I’ve told the team too, with 12 losses like this, I don’t think anybody has gone through—I
mean, you go all the way back to high school, middle school, have a season where you had
12 losses—and it’s hard to… The hardest thing probably is just keeping the guys in it each
week, mentally. It’d be easy for them to kind of check out. So, from that standpoint, it’s
hard. Obviously, the pandemic year in ‘20 was another difficult one with the challenges of
COVID and the safeguards in place that we had to do, the social distancing and all that,
that made it difficult. But this one was tough. It was tough just to maintain the focus and
the drive and each week be competitive, and still give ourselves opportunities to win
games. Then on top of that, I think, nine of the 12 one-score losses is just something we’ve
got to work on, and then we’ve got to focus and then push through that barrier. I think once
you do, you learn how to win and then you’ll be better. You’ll be better for it.”
(On how he doesn’t let coaching job uncertainty affect his loved ones) “Yeah, because I
don’t listen to it. I don’t subject myself to reading. I don’t get the notifications on my phone,
things like that. And/or your friends telling my wife, ‘Oh, do you see what they said today?’
I’m like, why did you say that? You know, type of thing. But it’s hard to keep your family in a
bubble. They’re outside of these walls and they see it and hear it every day. I’ll tell you this,
if it wasn’t for probably our faith and being grounded there, then I think you could cower
under just about anything. Any stress, anything that kind of weighs you down. But as a
family, we choose not to let it bother us. They get mad at it, just like I do sometimes when
they tell me about it. But look, we’ve been around this league almost 30 years, player and
coach, and you’ve seen a lot of things. If this is the last one, then I can look back and go,
‘Hey, it was a great run.’ You had a chance to do a lot of great things. You had a chance to
win a Super Bowl. You’ve coached some great players. You played in this league for a long
time. So, whatever happens, happens. But we keep moving forward.”
(On if he addresses his job status with the players) “I don’t talk to the team about it. I don’t
want them to have to—I know they’re going to get asked, and it’s their right to answer the
question, obviously. But I don’t get into it with them. Our goal and our task is to win games.
I’ve got to keep the focus on that.”
(On if it’s easier as a player or as a coach to not listen to rumors) “It’s probably easier as a
coach to not listen to it because we’re a little more isolated, and I choose not to. I’ve kind of
always been that way. Even as a player, I never really read much of what people were saying
because sometimes they don’t know, sometimes they do know. I just choose not to buy
into it.”
(On what his emotions will be going into the final game of the season) “Well, obviously,
mixed emotions, number one, because I think you look back on the season and how
disappointed we are as a team. The things that have kept us from probably winning,
obviously, more games. Then there’s the excitement of playing another game. You’ve got a
great opportunity to stand on the field that you’ve been blessed to play on and coach on.
You’ve got one more opportunity with these guys, because you know come Monday,
Tuesday, the team goes their own way, and you know that it’ll be the last time that this
team’s together ever again. So, it’s a little bit of a mixed emotion. But at the same time, I
think once the ball is teed up and kicked off, you’re in it. You’re coaching it to win it and then
you see what happens after that.”
JAGUARS MAKE ROSTER MOVES
JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Jaguars have elevated DE Joe Gaziano from the practice squad to the active roster for tomorrow’s game via standard elevation, the team announced today. Additionally, DE Josh Hines-Allen will not be traveling to Indianapolis (personal) and has been downgraded to out for tomorrow’s game.
Gaziano signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent the first three seasons of his career with the Chargers (2020-22) before joining the Falcons in 2023 and the Jaguars in 2024 (Aug. – Dec.). Gaziano has played in 25 games (one start), including two appearances for the Jaguars this season (Week 7 vs. New England and Week 8 vs. Green Bay), and totaled 26 tackles (16 solo), four quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and one pass defensed.
The Scituate, Mass., native played four seasons at Northwestern University (2016-19) and earned All-Big Ten honors consecutively in 2017 and 2018. As a sophomore, he led the Big Ten with 8.0 sacks in the regular season.
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