JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2022
(On WR Jamal Agnew’s knee injury) “He’s going to be day to day this week. It’s a strain in his knee.”
(On how much it impacted the game plan not having WR Marvin Jones and WR Jamal Agnew leaving the
game early) “It didn’t, actually. We made the adjustments when we knew Marvin wasn’t able to go, we
made the adjustments. I had Kendric Pryor (WR) up then Tim (WR Tim Jones), Tim’s been playing the last
couple weeks. We just stuck to our game plan. Offensive line, when you rush for 240 plus yards, and
Trevor (QB Trevor Lawrence) was efficient in the passing game, score four touchdowns, the whole thing.
It didn’t really change anything we did.”
(On his role in accountability when the defense struggles) “Well, number one, I still take the fall for the
whole thing because I’m responsible for the team. You have conversations with the coordinators each
week. I have conversations with the team. Everybody needs to know the importance of each game. Each
game is its own entity, and there are things that still are kind of showing up in these games that are sort
of self-inflicting. It just so happened this week was third downs in the second half, just being able to get
off the field defensively, and two DPIs and a roughing the passer kept drives alive for them. Those are all
things we have to eliminate, we have to correct, and I’m a big part of that obviously with the
coordinators and the team.”
(On his confidence level that the team can get back on the right track) “I’m still confident in this group,
coaches, players. When you put the tape on, it’s about us and about what we do, and sometimes about
what we don’t do. We’ve got a group of guys that want to get it fixed, and that’s the encouraging part.
We just take them one week at a time. Some people want them sooner than later, and there’s some
patience involved, and everybody needs to know the importance of every play, every snap, every series,
practice, games, the whole thing. That’s just the nature of what we do.”
(On how much of the lack in pass rush can be attributed to the Colts getting the ball out quickly) “It’s
two things. One, I think it’s the respect that they have for our pass rush, number one, because we’ve got
some guys that can rush the passer. Two, it’s their game plan and wanted to go tempo with it. Really, it
wasn’t a full-speed tempo as much as it was just no-huddle at the line of scrimmage. That’s what can
sometimes frustrate a good pass rush by getting the ball out of your hand. I thought the Colts and Matt
(QB Matt Ryan) did a nice job of doing just that. Then there were times your second and long, third and
long, we have to get there. We have to put pressure on the quarterback. I think we only had either
seven hits or hurries in the game, and you would like to see more with 58 pass attempts. No sacks
obviously, but that was just a product of him getting the ball out of his hand.”
(On halftime adjustments made by the players) “I do (think they adjusted to what the Colts were doing).
It’s not going to change the fact that he’s (QB Matt Ryan) still getting the ball out of his hand; he’s still
getting it out. I think they ran the ball just to run the ball at times, just to see if they could. We were able
to sort of stymie the run game. Again, it just comes down to when you get opportunities to get after the opposing passer, we’ve got to do everything we can to do that. It’s no different offensively. If there’s a
third and eight, we’ve got to do everything in our power to stay on the field and complete the pass or
make that run. It goes hand in hand. We’ve just got to be able to get it all together. I think that’s where
we’re sort of a little bit out of whack right now is we haven’t been able to play complementary football
together, and that’s what needs to get fixed.”
(On if he sees similarities between their team and the Giants with a young quarterback and new coach)
“I haven’t studied them as much. I will this week. It seems that way. Daniel Jones (Giants QB) has been
in the league now for a few years, and it seems like he’s settling in, doing a nice job with what they’re
doing up there. He’s played a ton of football. Coach Daboll, a lot of respect for him and what he brings
to that team—leadership, stability, and all that. Then, of course, we know Wink Martindale (Giants
Defensive Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale), D-Coordinator there, a legend as far as his schemes and
what he did in Baltimore, and it’s going to be a challenge for us, but they’re making the plays when they
need to. It’s been effective, and they’re winning the games because of it, and we have to get our team
to understand that at some point we need somebody to make a play. That was kind of my message to
the team this morning. We’ve just got to be able to do that a little bit better.”
(On how important the last scoring drive was for the growth and confidence of the team) “I think it was
a step in the right direction. I think it was 18 or 19 plays, there was a penalty in there. To be able to do
that in a time where we needed something in that second half. We started the second half with a great
drive. We were moving the ball in that second series up until the fourth and one, and we were able to
end with that long drive. I think it just gives the offense confidence, the fact that when it’s crunch time,
they can do that. It just kind of shows you, shows us, too, this is what we’re capable of doing if we just
do our jobs and focus on one play at a time.”
(On what he says to guys like CB Shaquill Griffin after a frustrating game like Sunday) “Just that—short-
term memory, learn from it, go back and study the tape and just know that whatever you put on tape, the next week’s opponent may try some similar things. You’ve just got to get back into practice and
work on it and detail it and try to get better. I don’t care if it’s a rookie or a veteran player, that’s what
you’ve got to do. You’ve got to have short-term memory in this business and just move on.”
(On if guys like Colts QB Matt Ryan has a knack for getting the ball off quickly and finding somebody to
get it to) “He’s always been that way. It’s just a great sense that he has, and some of the great
quarterbacks have that. They have the ability to find and (have) great vision. He’s a big, tall guy, too, so
he has great vision down the field, and there were a couple times yesterday, how the ball found their
receiver with our guys barreling down on him was pretty impressive. Again, that’s the trust that he has
in his guys, and it’s the understanding of what they’re doing and it also comes from a lot of game
experience and seeing a lot of different things.”
(On if he thinks the team has been preparing for games the way they need to) “I do. I think this team
does a nice job. They’re young, they’re still learning though, and it’s still our job to help them prepare
each week and make sure they’ve exhausted all their questions and they’re studying their opponents. I
feel like when we get to Saturday and obviously to game day, that you see great communication still in
practice, and the attention to detail and all that, now it just has to carry over to the game.”
(On RB Travis Etienne Jr. saying he was surprised to start yesterday, and if that is part of the plan) “It’s
not a big deal, but the actual…he probably would’ve known, well no, yeah, he would’ve known on
Saturday, but anyway, sometimes it just depends on what the first play is going to be, who the
personnel is going to be and stuff like that. It’s good to keep those guys thinking and guessing. You never
know. You’ve got to be ready.”
(On if RB Travis Etienne Jr.’s production the past two weeks has been better than he had hoped) “I don’t
think it’s better than we had hoped, I think it’s exactly what we had expected with him, what he’s kind
of shown us this season. You can see it. He’s got speed to get around the edge, he’s tough, physical,
powerful, between the tackles, just somebody you try to continue to find ways to get the ball to.”
(On RB JaMycal Hasty) “He’s new to us since the end of camp, and we’ve liked him as a third back in
these games because he can help us out on special teams, and he’s just shown the ability to, a little
burst in practice, the way he catches the ball, the way he kind of picks up on certain things. We don’t
give him a ton of plays, but we do give him a few things with his skillset, and it was great. When that
thing opened and he went off tackle right there. It was well-blocked, well-executed, and he was able to
show his speed. I just told him when he came off the field make sure he’s in the endzone first before he
drops the ball. Oh yeah, he was across, by about a foot. As he gains more confidence, we can give him a
little bit more.”
(On the offensive line leaving big holes for running backs to hit) “I thought the offensive line blocked
extremely well yesterday. It was unfortunate a couple of the sacks, we just got edged quickly and all
that, but I think in the run game, it was one of the things we kind of focused on with the Colts is just
blocking their defensive line. Two inside guys are really good. We know 91 is a good player, as well, on
the edge. If we could somehow handle their front, we felt like we could do some things in the running
game, and it’s a credit to the offensive line for that.”
LINEBACKER FOYESADE OLUOKUN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2022
(On the frustration on defense against the Colts offense yesterday) “It’s definitely frustrating, because
they were just dinking and dumping it down field. When I got into the league, when you see a
quarterback doing that, you know it’s going to be probably a longer drive if they execute what they’re
supposed to execute. You got to be able to stand up in the red zone which we didn’t do, I think we’re 3-
4 in the red zone. When they were coming out and doing that, we saw that and I think we were good
the first two drives, but something to get adjusted to. Especially because they kept on going tempo
based on the field, they were keeping the nickel set on the field. They thought they liked it, trying to get
us going out of that.”
(On if he expects to see similar gameplans moving forward) “We’ll talk about that in the room. I
definitely expect to see tempo at some point in the game moving forward. I think we saw some tempo a
little bit earlier in the season, but we’ll be able to have a gameplan for it. Whether we have a certain set
of calls in different formations or different personnels that we’re in, I’m sure that’s what we’ll get to.
Being able to rattle off some pressures if we need it, or man-to-man, or get into different zones,
whatever we need. Everybody just being on the same page and getting that communication out quickly,
that’s really all it is to it.”
(On the confidence level moving forward) “I got confidence in the boys, because that’s what everybody
is signed up to do. Obviously, we got to do it, it’s one thing to sit here and say, ‘I want to fix this and
that’, it’s really how we start fixing this and that. Really, it will start on Wednesday at practice,
everybody will be on that same page and really gearing up to win on Sunday. But really, it starts on
Wednesday at practice, and everybody knows that. Just trusting that process and it’s really getting out
there and doing it.”
(On the difference with not having DE Folorunso Fatukasi) “I like him in there. First of all, the depth and
deposition you can see. Playing a full game as a 300-pound, whatever-pound man, every snap, I’m sure
that takes a toll on them. Just having a rotation, but in the run game, I’m sure he takes up gaps and
dominates his one-on-ones. That’s just the player he is, but we have a next man up system here.
Whoever is in the game, I have confidence that they’ll win their one-on-ones too, but I like having him in
there.”
(On how to create more turnovers in games) “We got to take advantage of the opportunities that come.
Remember, they did have a fumble, and we didn’t get it. That’s a want-to thing. We got to run to the
ball better, the ball is everything in that situation. The ball is oxygen, and you need oxygen to breathe. If
you want to breathe, get the ball. Couple balls left up in the air we didn’t get to, but we got to take
advantage of the ones that come and get back to that.”
(On the balance of making plays while doing your job as a player) “Yeah, I can only speak for defense.
We kind of all get that, ‘Oh, I got to make a play, make a play, make a play’ but the maturity part of it to do my job to make the play. I’m going to do my job first, and when that ball ends up in my gap, then I
can make a play on that ball. Or, I’m going to hit this, I’m going to get off the ball, and then there’s
rushers. I’m going to stay on the side of this rush, and then do everything perfectly to set up something.
Or hit the quarterback, then all the sudden there’s an errant pass and we can catch the ball and stuff. Match our coverage tighter, pass off the routes better, just really doing our job. When you do that hand-
in-hand, the plays will come to you. But when the play is there, we got to make them. We all have to have that confidence in the room. It’s not just one person that makes the play, when everybody is doing
their job, when you see one-on-ones, just winning that match up or making a play that comes.”
(On the preparation of the team week-to-week) “I feel like we prepare. The plan is all the same,
sometimes we’re human beings, sometimes you’ll feel up and down in the week of practice and stuff.
My job is to come in here and get everybody on that same motivation that we were on in the beginning
of this year and try to prove doubters wrong, whatever. Trying to prove ourselves right, trying to prove
we’re a good team. I think we are who we put on tape, and I don’t think we’ve put great stuff on tape.
Obviously, there’s great stuff that went on tape, but the end results and what you can draw from, there
was not great stuff on tape. It’s getting back to proving that we’re that team we can be.”
(On if the crossing routes were successful because of a lack of communication) “I think we knew the
plays that we were in, I don’t think we knew that they were going to hit crossing routes the whole game.
Obviously, when they started doing it the whole game, there’s adjustments that we should’ve had.
Maybe just in whatever coverage it was to come back with it. I know I missed one, must’ve been the
third quarter. Whatever coverage you’re in, they show us a specific formation, especially when they’re
doing hurry-up, they only have so many plays that they can do. When we see that formation again,
expecting the same routes, they kind of just drained us out their front side. I don’t even know if they
were running real routes, expecting either the low or the high crosser, just match with it. That’s
something we see on film, and we know we can adjust to now, but it’s a learning thing.”
(On how to counteract cross routes when approached with them) “If you want to get into football, you
can play man-to-man or if you’re in zone you have to match the backside when they flood the front side.
Or you can get to the quarterback and tackle him.”
WIDE RECEIVER ZAY JONES
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2022
(On how his ankle felt yesterday and today) “It feels good, Gary. Appreciate that.”
(On if there were any issues playing yesterday with health) “Yeah, doing what I can. It’s a process to get
back 100 percent healthy, but the training staff has done an unbelievable job as well.”
(On if the offense improved in yesterday’s game) “Yeah. Obviously, we didn’t perform the way we
wanted to in the Houston game, another divisional opponent, and then the Colts coming up so we knew
we had to be on our game. Proud of us, but ultimately, we didn’t get the job done and win, and that’s
the greatest statistic that counts; is winning. Just trying to find where we can connect some more as an
offense.”
(On the confidence in the offense yesterday) “There definitely was. Trevor (QB Trevor Lawrence) really
set the tone, you can just see it in his eyes the intensity that he had to finish, encouraging voice
inflection, everything that he was speaking was very authentic and raw. I think some guys, just in
experience in football, can give fake ‘rah-rah’, but he really set the tone for that last drive. I think
everyone was in one accord just working together, and truly felt as though we were going to finish in the
endzone. Really proud of that group, at that moment, I think it was a step for us as a team in that space
with that situation, time on the clock, very methodical drive to go down and put points on the board.”
(On if learning how to finish is moving a step forward for the team) “Just to reiterate, yeah. I think
definitely just because we knew what was at stake, some people may view it as a pressure-like situation,
where we had to make something. Just from OTA’s, from training camp, the previous games, or just
putting plays together in a drive consistently across the board, running, throwing, third-down,
converting, fourth-down, whatever it is. To have that type of result was really good for us as a unit to
say, ‘Okay, now we can go back to the film where we have a piece, a steppingstone that shows that it
can be done’ and moving forward just executing like that continuously.”
(On the running game in yesterday’s game) “It was dominant. That’s a good front, we knew who they
had up front, and we wanted to control their box and control their D-line to establish the run game like
that. In 61-yard runs, 20-whatever runs that you know we had, it’s really good to see – credit to our
offensive line up front. Coach Phil (Offensive Line Coach Phil Rauscher) putting those guys in the best
position to be successful, our tight ends coming in, having some key blocks in 13 personnel receivers
getting in there. Christian Kirk (WR Christian Kirk) had a really, really good block at the beginning of the
game, the spring. Travis (RB Travis Etienne Jr.) towards their sideline down the field. Overall, a group
effort of everyone being hands-on and efficient in the run game, that will ultimately lead us to have
more production in the passing game as well in the future.”
(On the progression of learning new systems for each game) “That’s a good question. It’s hard to say, I
think we can run the football. I know we can run the football, to be true, with James (RB James Robinson), Travis (RB Travis Etienne Jr.), and even JaMycal (RB JaMycal Hasty) getting in there, that was
pretty awesome to see that guy have a phenomenal game like that. I think collectively we’re putting
pieces together; I don’t want to sound like we’re far behind because we’re really not. We’ve been in
these games, battling until the end with a touchdown to go, three points to go, a possession, we just got
to finish these drives out. When we’re all playing on the same track, offensive, defense, and special
teams, not defensive had a good game but offensive struggled or vice versa. When we can put it all
together, I think we’re going to see more W’s in the column at the end of the games and ultimately,
that’s what we want, and our coaching staff believes in that as well.”
(On not having WR Marvin Jones Jr. in the last game affecting performance of receivers) “Marvin is a
special talent. He’s been like that for the majority of his career, all of his career, whether there’s one
hand or two hands, whatever it is. Guys have to step in and fill in and then obviously, Jamal (WR Jamal
Agnew) had his little hiccup in there so guys had to get shuffled around. I thought that Tim Jones (WR
Tim Jones) did a good job of stepping up and being ready to go. I know it didn’t show maybe as far as
catches and things like that, but he was put in position to run some routes that he didn’t practice all
week. I ran some routes that I didn’t get a chance to practice all week. It’s not an excuse, but that’s why
being in those meetings is important. The walkthroughs are important. The listening when Coach is
talking to one player; Press (Offensive Coordinator Press Taylor) could be talking to Christian (WR
Christian Kirk) about a specific route, but Christian may have to move to another spot, and I might have
to move to another spot. You can’t really replace the type of guy that Marvin is, but we can play
collectively as a whole, and I feel as though that drop off will be minimized.”
(On confidence of turning around the performance after a rough October) “October has been spooky, to
say the least. You want to play your best football in November and December. You don’t want to peak
too soon, and I feel as though this team is on pace to do something special down the road. Coming up,
we have an unbelievable opportunity this week against the Giants, a good football team. They run the
ball well, a great challenge for our defense. We know who they have on defense as we get into them a
little bit more. November and December, when we start clicking at that moment, and we gain that
momentum, I think that’s what makes a dangerous team and hopefully we can put ourselves in that
category moving forward.”
(On if these losses can prepare for more challenges in the season) “I think it can for sure. Losses will tell
you a lot about yourself, a lot about yourself as a man, and adversity and the type of character that you
have instilled. I think we’re at a good point in our season now as a new Jaguars team to decide, ‘Are we
going to turn the table and be something new? Or are we going to fall into old habits?’ I truly believe
that this is a special group that moving forward, I believe in this group to win football games. This
coaching staff does, I think our coaching staff comes with a phenomenal gameplan each and every week
to allow us to be successful. I take a lot of ownership in myself to know it’s my job to execute. Looking
forward, I think it’s a great opportunity for us.”
