QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2024
(On the offensive line’s improved protection) “Not just protection, but run game too and I
think they’ve done a great job. So, should keep that going, those guys, it’s just testament to
the work they put in. I think everybody’s just gelling together. So, they’ve done a really nice
job and just got to keep doing it. I mean, that’s for all of us. I think it’s awesome to see those
guys play cohesively. Then also, the run game last week was cool and those guys feed off
that. To see them really get rolling and dominating the run game was fun to watch.”
(On what has helped mitigate turnovers) “Yeah, it’s something I definitely worked on this off
season in training camp and OTAs. That’s something that’s been on my mind is taking care
of the ball in the pocket and out in space running with it. Same thing. I think part of playing
the game is playing quarterback, you’re going to have interceptions at some point. So
definitely, you want to limit them. You want to make good decisions, and you want to be
accurate, all those things. But you throw the ball a lot in this league and at some point,
you’re probably going to throw an interception. So, it’s all about limiting those. But I think as
far as the fumbles go, that is something where in the last few years of my career or the first
few years of my career, I’ve had some problems in the pocket and out in space. So, that’s
definitely something that I’ve looked at and addressed. It’s just a constant – it’s something
that has to be on your mind, not necessarily worried about it, but just a focus because it is
a priority and every team’s going for the ball, the D-lines, when they rush, they’re looking to
get their hands on the ball. They’re trying to disrupt it in the pocket. So, it’s just something
I’ve worked on and it’s paid off for me so far. So just got to keep doing that. You can’t lose
focus. You’ve got to emphasize it every week because every defense you play, that’s their
goal is to get the ball.”
(On working on mitigating turnovers in practice) “There’s a lot of drills that we do, ball
security drills. Most of that stuff with the team is more carrying the ball whether it’s in traffic
or going to the ground or getting up off the ground or while you’re making a move. Just times
where the ball can get loose, you work on all those things. Then in the pocket, it’s really just
doing that and all of our individual drills, and I’m working pocket movement in Indy
[Individual drills], just working, holding on to it with two hands. When I escape, keeping two
on it, not separating. There’s been a lot of times where I’ve gone to –I’ve kind of transitioned
to where, if it’s crowded, I kind of tuck it as I escape and then I become a thrower again
once I get out of the pocket. So, there’s a couple of different things that you can do that I’ve
just been working on to try to take care of the ball better, because it’s the most important
part of the game is turnovers. I mean, on both sides, getting turnovers as a defense or not
turning it over as an offense. So, it’s definitely important.”
(On if he thinks he’s been playing better in the last three weeks) “Yeah, I definitely feel like
I’ve played better. Just talking about from an individual perspective, I think I’ve played better
the last few weeks. I think that, yeah, there is some correlation between that and the
completion percentage being up. I think some of our plans the last couple weeks have
been really good in starting the games. I feel like we’ve started pretty quick the last few
weeks, which has been good for us. Something that we really wanted to improve on after
the first few games where we started slow. So, I’ve been playing better. I feel like I’ve been
seeing it great. I feel like I’ve been pretty accurate for the last few weeks, corrected a couple
of things. I also feel like as an offense, we’re kind of settling in. It’s just been going a little bit
smoother. So, it’s been good.”
(On the importance of consistency throughout his week) “I think it’s important because you
prepare the same way every week, regardless of who the opponent is. Obviously, your plan
changes and you want to put together the best plan to beat the team that you’re playing.
Defenses are different, so you have to adjust. You can’t put your head in the sand and just
always do the same things as far as offensively. So, I think we’ve done a good job of
adapting over the season and looked at things where, ‘Hey, maybe this isn’t something that
we’re doing great right now,’ or maybe this is something that we’ve had some success with,
like let’s do more of it. So, I think that’s part of it. Then as an individual too, I prepare the
same way every week, go through my same process because it gives you confidence and it
gives you a blueprint of – you’re not trying to find something every week. You’re not
searching for something. You have your same process that you stick to, whether it’s the way
you watch tape, the order in which you watch it, the timing, which days. All that stuff, I stay
pretty consistent. Then I think situationally, the last few weeks, we’ve done a good job of
scheming some things up and having a good plan for different situations that have helped
us. We’ve been a lot better on third down. So that’s been something that we’ve been
wanting to improve, that we struggled with. The last few weeks have been a lot better. So,
we’ve just got to keep doing it and keep putting together good plans and executing them.”
(On keeping the momentum from the last three weeks going) “I definitely feel like we have
some momentum, especially compared to where we were the first month of the season. So
yeah, I think we have some momentum. I think we played our best game as a team last
Sunday. I still think there’s a lot more out there that we can improve on. Even just speaking
for the offensive side of the ball. There’s some situations where I think we could’ve put the
game away even faster and really finished on that long drive when we turned it over on
downs at the end. Finding a way to get a first down, keep the ball in our hands, take more
time off the clock, and score – you could end the game right there. That’s one example. But
I feel like we do have a lot of momentum, and we just got to keep doing what got us here,
the things that got us here. Obviously, it hasn’t always been perfect, but I really do feel like
we’ve trusted our process. We’ve trusted the coaches, the players, our teammates around
us, and we have found some success here lately. We just have to do it again this Sunday.
Every week’s different. We got to play with confidence. Like I said, we have some
momentum, and let’s run with that and just put together another good week and take it one
at a time.”
(On if it feels different to be on a hot streak) “Definitely, you feel a little looser. I think just
when you’re playing better and when you’re winning, especially, you feel a little bit looser.
You’re a little lighter coming in to work and at practice, those things. Because it sucks losing
and everybody feels that. It’s hard in this league – it’s a results business. When you’re not
getting the result that you want, that you’re working for, it’s frustrating. Obviously, getting
those wins on Sunday feels great and coming in on Monday and then coming back to
practice on Wednesday, there’s a little bit more pep in your step sometimes. That’s where I
think we’ve done a good job of we lost four in a row, and then we won one. Then we had a
rough game against Chicago, and we still found ways to have that energy in practice and
really enjoy being around one another because it can be hard sometimes when you’re not
having the success. So, we’ve got to continue to do that, and I know as an individual too,
you gain confidence with the success you have too as a team. I know I’ve seen it. I’ve just
seen the offense start to gel together and that gets me excited. It’s at the right time, so
we’ve just got to keep it going.”
(On if he tends to go on streaks as a player) “No. I mean, not really. I think it’s part of this
game is you want to be as consistent as you can. I definitely think that I’m not a perfect
player and I’ve had times where I have been inconsistent, for sure, in my career. I’ve said
that up here with you guys, but as far as you’re going to have some rough games in this
league, and you’re going to have some times where things seem a little bit difficult. I mean,
these are good teams. You’re playing against some really good defenses. Sometimes it
takes a lot to settle in. There’s no excuses. I think the goal – you strive for perfection. You’re
trying to be perfect. You’re never going to get there, but you want to be as consistent as
possible. So that’s something I’ve challenged myself with over the past year is to do that. I
feel like I have, in a lot of ways. There’s been some areas where I haven’t played perfect, but
I think some of the areas that I wanted to improve on, I’ve made some big improvements
on. So, I’ve got to continue doing that and just keep being the guy every week for my team
that I need to be. Whatever that is, it might not be 400 yards and a bunch of touchdowns. It
might be just doing all the little things the right way and putting us in position to win, taking
care of the ball. That could change every week. So, I’ve just got to bring whatever it takes to
win.”
(On what he’s seen from the Packers defense) “Man, they play hard. They have a lot of really
good players, obviously, everywhere. But just they’re physical. They play fast. They fly
around and good at taking the ball away. That’s definitely something, obviously, that we
always emphasize, but especially this week, because this team is up there, one of the
highest in the league as far as forcing turnovers. So that’s something that they do a great
job of. They get after the quarterback. Their D-line does a really good job. Some of the
pressure stuff they present on third-down and different situations is really good. So, there’s
a lot of challenges. I think every level, they’re really good and they do things well. So, it’s a
challenge for us. They’ve been playing well, they’re flying around. You can tell that they’re
all on the same page. They’re definitely meshing as a defense. So, it’s a challenge for us and
it’ll be exciting on Sunday.”
(On how much it helps having both RB Travis Etienne Jr. and RB Tank Bigsby ) “I think it helps
a lot. Quarterback, yeah, but just as a team, it helps us because running back is a tough,
physical position. I think the more guys you can have – and throw D’Ernest [RB D’Ernest
Johnson] in that mix, too – the more guys you can have that, one, know what to do, do it the
right way, and also can make plays. All three of those guys can do that, they’re all a little bit
different, like you said. But just the more you can have, you keep guys healthy. You can
rotate them, keep them fresh. If it is a game like Sunday, where we run the ball so much and
you want to keep guys fresh and rolling, if you only got one guy that you trust, it’s kind of
hard to do that. That’s a lot on a running back just to keep pounding it over and over again if
it’s one guy. So fortunately for us, that’s not the case. We have a bunch of guys that can play
and play at a high level. So, it’s been really good for us. We’ve got to keep building off of it.”
(On if there’s a heightened sense of focus knowing the team will have to win to make the
playoffs) “Yeah, I mean, I think there is. We understand the situation we’re in. We put
ourselves in this situation, so we’ve got to find a way. There is, but it’s tough. You kind of
have to think about it one week at a time, which can be hard when you’re thinking about –
you can’t think about all the ones that you didn’t win and all the ones that you have to win
moving forward. You really have to put all your effort and focus onto the one right in front of
you, which I think we’ve done a good job of doing that. We’ve got to do it again this week.
That sounds like a broken record. I know it’s boring, but it is true. When you’re in this
position, you can’t look at all the games that you feel like you’ve got to get back. It’s just one
at a time because if we can string together a few of those by doing it one at a time, then we
find ourselves in a position where we do have a chance and we’re back on track. So that’s
just a situation that we’re in. and we know that, but you don’t have to be perfect. You can’t
play perfect, like we said. I mean, obviously, the details and the attention to detail and the
focus, you’re trying to be perfect in that way. But it’s football, and you can’t let one mistake
snowball, and you can’t feel like because you made a mistake, you don’t have a chance.
You’ve got to play loose and free, and you can’t play tight. So, I think we’ve done a good job
of balancing those things. In the situation we’re in, you have to remind yourself, it’s still a
game and I’ve got to go out there and play with confidence and cut it loose, especially as a
quarterback. I’ve got to trust what I see and be able to go cut it loose. I can’t be afraid to
make a mistake because of the situation we’re in. So, I do think you have to have a lot of
those dialogues as a team and within yourself, honestly.”
HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2024
(On his message to the offensive line after Week 4 vs. Houston that led to improved
performance) “I think it’s a gradual process, but I know myself as the coach standing in
front of the room. I do tell the guys, ‘Hey, we have to coach better. We have to play better,
and we’re all in this together.’ So, you make those sort of blanket statements to your team,
but then at the same time once you get to practice field, we detail things as coaches better
for the guys, maybe we simplify some things. Then for them, it’s just repetition, right? It’s
the same five guys playing together all season and getting more continuity.”
(On how the protection on QB Trevor Lawrence has been) “I mean, that’s the goal each
week. But yeah, I’ll tell you, the protection’s been really good the last couple of weeks. Our
guys take a lot of pride, and we work at it. We work at it hard. Our coaches study our
opponent and the type of blitzes and pressures that they’re going to bring. Then we put our
guys in it during the week, so it’s just credit to all the guys just working hard.”
(On opening LB Foye Oluokun and S Andrew Wingard’s practice windows and their
likelihood to play on Sunday vs. Green Bay) “Good. It just means that we’ve opened their
window, and they can practice now with the team and not on the side with the trainer. So,
we’ll see each day how they do, how they get back out there and do more football
movement. If it looks good, great. If not, we go another week and see next week.”
(On the possibility of seeing LB Ventrell Miller and Oluokun on the field together) “Yes.”
(On if Oluokun and Miller could be the primary linebackers moving forward) “I would say,
the short answer is yes. I think too, you want your best 11 on the field, whatever that looks
like. Sometimes it doesn’t necessarily have to be the best football player, but the one that
does things right the most. But I do still think that there’s enough of a rotational piece with
those guys. I think that’s one of the positions that’s gotten better these last couple of weeks
has been the linebacker. I think Devin [LB Devin Lloyd] in the middle has gotten better.
Ventrell, we know he’s improved. Now with the addition of Foye coming back, if he’s ready
to go, I think you’ve got your combinations back that you want.”
(On how he feels the team has come together in the last few weeks) “I do feel like the team
is coming together a little bit better. That’s the thing that we have to keep coming, right?
We’ve got to keep building and build off of last week. Focus in on what did we do well
during the week? How did we attack the week as coaches and players? How did we
practice and things of that nature? And then ultimately, how did we play? I think if we find
some pieces in there that we can hang our hats on, that’s what you build on. But yeah, two
out of the last three have been very positive. We’ve got to find a way to do it again, obviously
against a good team.”
(On if he made any tweaks to the preparation week that has translated to the field) “Not
really. Not big wholesale changes. We kept the practice structure the same last week. You
know, there’s something to just everybody together in the same spot. But really, a lot of
times you’ve just got to roll up your sleeves and go to work, and take ownership where you
can and move forward.”
(On getting back into the AFC South division race) “I would say this: anything’s possible. But
listen, it’s a one-week-at-a-time mentality as you know, and you just try to go 1-0, you just
try to figure out how to win a game this week. But I think we can lean and look back on that
time and say, ‘Hey we’ve been here before, we know what this looks like. What did we do
well then that we can apply to today?’ There’s a lot of ball ahead of us and yet, I think each
week now becomes a little bit more important for us as a team.”
(On having players on this team that were part of the comeback effort in 2022) “Obviously
that’s a positive. Guys that have been there with us and gone through that. You’re going to
have moments in this league, you’re going to have a lot of highs and you’re going to have
some lows. Again, it’s what you learn from each one and apply to this week and today and
how you use that, I think moving forward. Lean on your leadership, lean on the guys that
have kind of been there and done it and use them as sort of sending the message to the
guys in the locker room.”
(On injury updates to OL Cam Robinson and RB Travis Etienne Jr.) “Cam’s obviously in the
protocol, so he won’t be out there. TJ [RB Travis Etienne Jr.] is doing fine. Again, day-to-day.
He’ll get some work out there. Not with the team per se, but maybe a little bit of individual
and then work with the trainers after that.”
(On committing to the run game) “One of the things you have to do, anybody that’s making
decisions in-game – last week was last week. It’s a different set of circumstances this
week, right? It’s a different team. It’s a different structure, different players. Do you want to
go in and establish your run game early like we have? Sure. I think every team would say,
and every coach would stand up here and say, ‘Oh, let’s establish the run early.’ I mean,
that, as much of a cliche, but that’s the truth, right? Is our offensive line, are they playing
well right now? I do believe they are. I think that’s been a strength of us the last couple of
weeks. You lean on that, just like our quarterback’s been clean throwing the football too.
So, you lean on that as well. But I think it’s not until you get into the football game that you
kind of figure out that, ‘OK, this is working,’ or, ‘this is not working,’ and you switch gears,
whatever it might be. It just so happened this past week that the run game was successful,
and you just keep kind of riding that hot hand.”
(On if there was a conversation about calling consecutive run plays) “I don’t know if it’s
much of a conversation as it is just what we’re seeing. We’re seeing four yards, six yards, 12
yards, 15 yards-a-run. There’s not a lot of conversation that needs to take place. You’re
feeling the excitement of the offense on the field. So quite frankly, there is no dialogue in
those moments. It’s just kind of what you’re seeing in game.”
(On what success he’s seen Green Bay have defensively) “Yeah, opportunistic team, I
mean, right place, right time. They’re getting some batted balls, they’re getting some tips,
they’re getting some timely interceptions, I think early in the season, I think Xavier [Packers
S Xavier McKinney] was all over the place. The ball was finding him and that’s how
turnovers sort of come, right? They come in droves like that, and this team has capitalized
on that and they’ve been able to score even when Love [Packers QB Jordan Love] wasn’t in
there. They were still finding a way. So, one of the things we’ve got to do is obviously take
care of the football. We’ve been pretty good lately at that. But again, this is a good team,
and you can’t give good teams more opportunities. We’ve just got to find a way to take care
of the football.”
(On how Love is finding success post-knee injury) “Sometimes that injury kind of calms a
quarterback down. So, he’s in the pocket, he’s seeing the field, he’s getting the ball out, a
little more quick passing, the screen game, things like that have helped him. Of course,
their run game and getting the ball in Jacobs’ [RB Josh Jacobs] hands and letting him go.
They do a great job with shifts, motions and sort of the misdirection stuff too that you’ve got
to be prepared for. Then obviously the play-action pass comes off that. So, you’re just
seeing, I think, a quarterback that’s kind of settled in, quite frankly, since the injury. He’s
doing a good job.”
(On what sets Packers CB Jaire Alexander apart) “Obviously, corners of his nature, there’s a
lot of confidence in their ability and rightfully so. He’s a good corner. They’re guys that love
competition and they love the chippiness of what the game brings, right? The best ones I’ve
been around are just that way and they’ve got a swagger about them, and he’s got that
when you watch the film. I mean, he’s doing his part, right? I mean, this is a zone-scheme
team. So, eyes are on the quarterback and you’ve got to be smart as a quarterback. You
can’t stare down receivers or otherwise, he’s that good. He’s going to pick the ball off and
possibly return it for a touchdown, which he’s done. So just got to be smart as an offense. A
lot of respect for him, a lot of respect for that defense and what they’re doing right now. But
he’s really shaped himself into one of the best corners that we’ve seen in this league.”
(On the team’s emphasis on avoiding turnovers this week) “We focus on it every week. We
spend Thursdays talking to our team offensively about it. Here’s the stats. This is who they
are, and this is how they’re creating them. If we show our guys how they’re getting them, I
think it paints a brighter picture. The bottom line is we’ve got to just take care of the
football.”
(On how the defense has to account for all the Packers’ offensive weapons) “Yeah, they’ve
got quite a few guys on offense they can get the ball to. It does make it a challenge. Which
group are you going to try to take away or at least minimize? This is something you’ve got to
trust the scheme this week. You’ve got to put your players in situations to, I think,
understand the scheme, number one, and then try to be successful on game day where
there’s maybe not a lot of thinking involved, just ‘I’ve got that guy,’ type thing. Your pass rush
too, if you want ball disruption and takeaways, you’ve got to affect it with four or five guys
and you’ve got to be able to do that too.”
(On how hard it is as an organization to remain committed to letting a quarterback develop
before playing as the Packers did with Love) “Yeah. I mean, listen, the Packers have been
blessed. I mean, they had like 30-plus years of two guys playing quarterback, I think. I
mean, they’ve been blessed. But as an organization too, you’re always looking to the future,
so they drafted Jordan Love knowing [Jets QB and former Packers QB] Aaron Rodgers was
the starter and you’re going to learn from this guy. However long it takes, they were in no
hurry to make a switch and it’s obviously paying off for him because he got to sit and watch
one of the better, if not one of the best quarterbacks in modern time, play the game. I
mean, you might complain and say, ‘Well, why are we taking this guy so high and why are
we doing it all?’ But now you look at him and go, ‘Pretty good reason why,’ and he’s going to
sit for however long. So, you’ve just got to be committed to it. If that’s your plan, you’ve got
to stick to it. Then there’s going to come a day when you have to make the switch, and the
move, and Jordan was ready for it.”
(On drafting a quarterback with a high draft pick and being patient with his development)
“Well, I think that was – of course, we weren’t there, so we don’t know – but I think from an
organizational standpoint, you’ve got Aaron Rodgers. So, we can take a little bit of a risk
here and, and take this guy and probably knowing you’re going to have to answer a lot of
questions why instead of, ‘Why aren’t you taking a receiver? Why aren’t you taking a pass
rusher?’ I mean, all the questions we hear every day, right? Everybody has their plan. They
go into the draft, offseason with that plan. Packers had it, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’
They stuck to it and it’s paying off for them.”
