JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022
(On if there was less time left in the game at the time, would he have kicked a field goal instead of going
for it on fourth and a half yard) “There’s a lot of scenarios that could play into that. There was a lot of
time left. I took into consideration how we were moving the ball offensively, quite frankly. I felt good
about going for it in that situation.”
(On if it part of it was because it was only a half yard) “That’s the thing. You’ve got to go 18 inches or so.
You should pick those up 98 to 100 percent of the time.”
(On a status update for RB James Robinson) “He has been dealing with some lower body issues, mostly
in his knees right now, but he is a big part of what we’re doing. We know Travis (RB Travis Etienne Jr.) is
playing well right now, too. It doesn’t take anything away from James. It just so happens that in certain
situations Travis is getting the ball, but as we move forward, we’re always going to continue to find ways
to get James going, in the mix. He’s a big part of what we’re doing.”
(On if it is soreness because he hasn’t been on the injury report) “Just soreness, and he was dealing with
it a little bit in the game. Look, I’m big about, I want to make sure, I know they’re not always going to be
100 percent, in games, but I want them to be close, and I want them to not worry about it from a mental
standpoint. Again, it just goes back to how well Travis (RB Travis Etienne Jr.) was playing at the time.
Again, nothing about James’s playing time, nothing about him as a running back. I’ve got a lot of
confidence in James. We’re going to continue to find ways to get him on the field. I feel like, as an
offense, we are better when both those guys are playing.”
(On saying the team has beaten themselves in the losses this season and how it feels to see different
mistakes each time) “It’s frustrating. The thing is, too, the guys know. That’s the thing. They’ve played a
lot of football. They understand when a mistake is made. It’s on us as coaches to make sure that they,
one, understand, but two, that we help fix it and help correct and give them the answers. So that falls on
the coaches. Then the players having to execute the game plan, knowing their assignments, that part of
it’s on them. That’s why it’s a two-way street, but these mistakes have kept us from winning these close
games.”
(On how he thought CB Tre Herndon played yesterday) “I thought Tre did a nice job. I know there were
some plays over the top, but for the most part, for someone who’s coming in there and filling in and
doing a nice job from a backup position, who knows what’s going to, as we move forward, if he’s going
to have more of a full-time role there. We’ll see where Shaq (CB Shaquill Griffin) is this week. He played
good. He plays tough. He plays hard. I’m excited about him getting more opportunities.”
(On if CB Tre Herndon has earned a starting spot even if CB Shaquill Griffin is healthy) “If Shaq’s healthy,
you can’t discredit that. Shaq is obviously the starter at that position. Tre has done a nice job. If Shaq
weren’t able to go, then he would take that spot.”
(On if traveling to London makes it a tougher call with injuries and travel) “It can. The travel and
everything, it can. Again, with Shaq’s (CB Shaquill Griffin) injury, too, you want to make sure that he’s
comfortable and we’re comfortable and there’s no further risk to his back and just want to make sure
that he’s 100 percent. Yeah, short week, and we’re traveling on Thursday. It’s almost like a Thursday
game where you want to be a little more overly cautious.”
(On the Giants seemed to replicate the Colt’s quick passing from the week before) “Well, it was, but a lot
of it was RPO stuff, which the Colts don’t do a ton of that, but we knew, too, that a lot of the Giants’
offense was going to run through Saquon (RB Saquon Barkley) and Daniel Jones (QB), quite frankly. I
thought for about three and a half quarters we corralled Saquon pretty well. He had a couple runs in
there, but for the most part, did a nice job with him. The one area we have to look at is obviously the
quarterback and some of the quarterback runs with athletic guys. Those are areas that we have to clean
up on the defensive side. Knowing that that’s their kind of game plan, just kind of focus in and lock in on
that and try to win each down.”
(On what happened with the quarterback runs) “I think it depends on the defensive call. There’s
different ways you can defend it. You can bend the defensive end and scrape the linebacker, or you can
charge the defensive end. There’s many different ways you can play it—with safeties there, you can play
corners there. There’s a lot of different ways you can play defense there, so it’s just all about the
communication and understanding—this goes back to understanding your role, understanding the call,
the nuances of different adjustments an offense might make that a defense has to make. Credit the
Giants. They took advantage of some opportunities there and hit us with some QB runs.”
(On if there should have been more push after the Giants lost two offensive linemen) “Yeah, you would
think you could get a little more pass rush there. Again, the guys that filled in did a nice job for them,
too. You can’t take that away from them. That’s something that we’ve got to take a look at and in
situations like that, try to do better. Same way with us, when one of their corners went out in the game,
we had an opportunity to take a shot, and we missed on a deep ball, but that’s the chess match of
football. Go in and try to create those matchups when you can.”
(On if the annual game in London ever caused him to have second thoughts about taking the head coach
job with the Jaguars) “That’s why I’m here! I just want to go to London every year! No, it’s part of it.
(being the head coach of the Jaguars) We all understand, I think people in the league understand
Jacksonville is going to be part of the London game, a tradition of playing over there. We’re excited.
We’re thrilled to be over there and be able to take your team. There’s a lot of guys that don’t get the
chance to travel outside of the country, and it’s a great way for them to experience a new city. London is
a great city. I’ve played football over there. They’ve got some great fans over there. NFL fans—you’re
going to see jerseys from all 32 teams. That’s the beauty of going over there, the excitement of going
over there. We know we’re going to go there. We’re excited about it, looking forward to it, and it might
be good for us.”
(On his level of concern about the defense) “I think as a staff we have to take a look at what we’re doing
game plan wise. It’s like offense. If you’re struggling offensively, a lot of times you try to pull back just a
little bit on the volume of information and try to free up your players mentally a little bit. Those are all
things we’ve got to address in the next couple days and really see if we’re doing, number one, too much.
The other things, too, is we’ve got to understand, as players, too, that we’ve got to do our best to create
turnovers. If you can punch at a football or swipe at a football, or some of these tipped passes are just
falling out of reach of our players. Getting hands on the quarterback, getting sacks, whatever it is, we’ve
got to be able to figure it out. Sometimes they do come in bunches, but we’ve got to get back to what
we did, I think, in the first part of the season, how we started the season with getting after the
quarterback, creating turnovers, and understanding what our players do best.”
(On the missed extra point was kicked too low) “No (it was not too low), we just…there was penetration
off our left side. They did a nice job of bending the corner. Really, just got a hand on it.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence is making the strides he wants to see after two games in a row with no
turnovers) “Yeah, the last two weeks he’s done a nice job leading the football team. Yesterday he played
tough from a physical standpoint. He played physical. Took some shots in there, standing tall. That last
drive with a minute and four, I think, left, we ran about 10 plays or so, and he took some shots there. It’s
great to see him get us down there in position again, so he’s on the right track. We just have to keep him
headed in the right direction, keep him focused. Can’t get discouraged with where we are because we’re
still right there with everything that’s going on. We’ve just got to find a way to get one win.”
(On struggles in the fourth quarter of games) “It’s the same mentality each week. You’ve got to learn
how to finish. We talk about finishing a play in practice or that period in practice, then finish practice.
It’s the same way with a game. You’ve got to learn to finish the play, finish a quarter, a half, then
ultimately, the game, and we keep working at it and keep pushing at it, creating opportunities for
ourselves, and really just, you can’t be so caught up in mistakes that it kind of handcuffs you a little bit.
You’ve still got to go play and be aggressive and all that, and hopefully we push through it and learn how
to finish.”
CENTER LUKE FORTNER
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022
(On his personal growth in the NFL so far) “I feel like I’ve been constantly improving and learning what
you don’t know if that makes sense. There’s so much you don’t know that you don’t know and as the
weeks have gone on I’ve figured out things that I need to be better at, things I need to work on and
continue to prepare for. The vets in the room and the coaching staff have been incredible in helping me
out and making sure I know what to expect.”
(On how to erase mistakes that occur in games) “Yeah, I mean, it’s obviously frustrating. I think it’s
something that you have to look within yourself, focus on in practice, and it is things that show up in
practice that may get overlooked and show up in the games. For us, it’s just about continuing to harp on
those details and continue to lock down the preparation to make sure what comes out on Sunday is the
finished product.”
(On if there’s still confidence in the locker room) “Absolutely. I’m in a room full of older guys that have
all won and lost a lot of football games. Just seeing them approach the way each week as they continue
to go on, you can tell they’re excited, still optimistic, and confident.”
(On the team leaders’ messages to the team) “Yeah, for them, it’s been just continuing to keep your
head down and work. A lot of people, when things get tough, they start pointing fingers or start cracking
and that’s the last thing you can do. I really believe the dam is going to fall; keep pressing, keep
continuing to push it, it’ll all come together.”
(On what happened on QB Trevor Lawrence’s failed quarterback sneak) “Yeah, I mean, that’s a hundred
percent on me and the rest of the guys inside and we didn’t get it when we needed to get it. That’s what
happened.”
(On why they were not able to convert on the failed quarterback sneak) “Yeah, it’s just one man against
another and we didn’t come out on top that time. It was a critical situation, and we didn’t get it, so I that
one stings.”
(On if he’s been to London before) “No, I have not. I have actually never left the country, so I’m excited.”
(On if he’s watched soccer at Wembley Stadium before) “In eighth grade, I had to decide between
playing soccer and football for the rest of my life, I think I chose correctly. But yeah, I used to be a huge
soccer fan.”
(On life coming together to still play a sport at Wembley Stadium) “Absolutely, all full circle.”
(On what position he played in soccer) “I played goalie and then midfield. I used to be really skinny, too.
That part changed as well.”
(On what happened on the illegal-man downfield penalty in yesterday’s game) “Yeah, I’m not sure. I was
engaged with the player and obviously, it gets tricky when you’re running those RPO’s and you might be
running it, you might be passing it. It’s something we’ve got to look at and go back and make sure we’re
all on the same page. Making sure the offensive line knows what the receivers are doing and vice versa,
so it’s definitely something to look at, I’m not sure what happened to be honest with you.”
(On the impact of having veteran offensive lineman with him) “It’s been great. They have combined like
15 or 16 years of experience and just to hear them talk and hear them give pointers, tell me what I’m
good at and what I’m not good at has been tremendous and I’m very thankful for it.”
(On thoughts of players on the field after Christian Kirk’s rushing attempt did not result in a first down)
“I didn’t really see it, I think in the huddle at the time we were like, ‘Doesn’t matter, we’re going to get it
anyway.’ Which obviously we didn’t, but we weren’t really focused on what the refs called at that
moment or anything. That’s something that only happened this morning for us. Not something we
thought about at the time, and it happened.”
(On the feelings after the last play of the game) “Yeah, it’s a brutal picture. I don’t know if you saw the
still photo of him. It’s a tough picture. Like I said, you just have to keep pressing and the dam will break. I
really do believe that.”
(On what it is like blocking for a RB like Travis Etienne Jr.) “It’s so much fun. You have no idea where he’s
going to end up. It’s really fun, you think he’ll go over here and next thing you know he’s way down
there. He’s awesome, he’s working his butt off and I’m really excited to see him continue to grow.”
CORNERBACK TYSON CAMPBELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2022
(On the feeling of being on winning teams versus a team with more losses) “It all just comes down to the
last quarter and just finishing. We’re always right there, we just got to get over that edge and keep
fighting, eventually it’s going to fall through for us.”
(On importance of finishing games) “It just comes down to making smart plays, not beating yourself up,
not shooting yourself in the foot, and just trusting your teammates; hoping everybody does their job. I
think that’ll separate you and help you win games.”
(On if the defense may be overcorrecting at times) “I wouldn’t say we’re over pressing, I would say
we’re just going hard. Sometimes that can hurt you, but everybody trusts each other on the field and is
willing to do whatever it takes to win. Just going to keep pushing, keep working at practice, keep
learning from our mistakes, and eventually it’ll work out for us.”
(On why the defensive turnovers may have dried up) “We’re just not making the plays we’ve needed to
make. The past is in the past, but this week is an opportunity to bring our turnovers back up, so we’ll fix
it.”
(On thoughts of not being targeted much in the last game) “I just take it one play at a time. I got to have
short term memory, so I can’t be like, ‘Oh, they’re not going to throw it at me in this game.’ Because you
know, at any given moment, they could throw the ball at me. I just got to keep reminding myself to not
get rocked to sleep, just stay ready each and every play. Every pass play, just act like the ball is coming
to you. Just stay ready and stay locked in.”
(On wanting the ball to be thrown in his direction) “Yeah, sometimes. Especially if I’m in zone coverage,
trying to beat the quarterback, trying to keep guys from getting open and stuff like that. I’m always just
locked in and ready for anything to come my way.”
(On taking not getting the ball in his direction as a complement) “Yeah, you can take it as a complement,
feeling like you shut your part of the field down. As a DB, definitely that mindset.”
(On the memories of London from last year) “Yeah, it was my first time in Europe. Last year, I didn’t play
so I’m looking forward to it and getting to see our fans in Europe and how they interact. It’s going to be
fun.”
(On if he’s ever lost four games in a row in his life) “No, I don’t think.”
(On mindset to not let losses fall on him) “Like I said before, just coming down to finishing games. You’ll
realize this is the NFL, so every team you play is going to be a team full of professionals and superstars.
Of course, you hate to lose, but there’s still something to be optimistic about. I’m very optimistic and I
feel like each loss, we learn something. I have the faith and we put the work in, so I feel like we’re going
to turn this ship around.”
(On the optimism the team continues to have) “Yeah, when adversity hits, not everybody handles it the
same. As a team, we feel like when we hit adversity, that’s the perfect time where we just got to
embrace each other and come together as one group. I think that’s what we’re doing right now, it’s just
making our drive to win, and our hunger will grow even more. That’s what’s exciting, we’ll just keep
pushing and we know what’s on the other side of the fence; we just have to keep working.”
(On struggling with game mistakes for four weeks now) “Yeah, most definitely. At the same time, it’s just
like dang. These teams are beating us, it’s like we’re beating ourselves. Coach Pederson [Head Coach
Doug Pederson] says it all time, it’s always going to be about us; not about the other team, not about
the outside noise, it’s always going to be about us. We just have to keep the main thing the main thing,
and not make the same mistake twice. I think a lot of things will come our way.”
(On potential reward of improving in future seasons by struggling now) “Yeah, that’s the goal right now,
is to just change the whole culture around here and to spark things up around here. Get to winning
football games. Everybody has their role and has their job, so everybody is going to be excited to play
their part in building this into a great organization.”
(On score prediction for Florida vs. Georgia on Saturday) “I got the Dawgs winning.”
(On Georgia being predicted to win by 22 points) “It’s 22 points? Yeah, shoot. I’ll go with that.”
(On if there’s friendly competition between himself and Florida teammates in the locker room) “No,
they don’t want to talk to us.”
