JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2022
(On if the defense has regressed) “I think, one, teams give our defense a lot of respect, and I say that to
say this: Teams are playing a little more up tempo or no huddle against us the last couple weeks. You’re
seeing more quick passing game, little more of the RPO game. Those are all things to sort of slow down
your pass rush. Then substitution packages with different personnel, if we match an offensive personnel,
just getting the right guys in on the field. All those things can be sort of minimized when teams–and we
do it on offense–when we know a defense wants to sub their D-line as much as teams do, and it can all
affect production. It can affect how a group plays, and I really think that’s been the case in the past
couple weeks.“
(On why the team traded RB James Robinson) “I’m not going to get into all the details with it, but I’ve
got a lot of respect for James and what he’s done and what he’s done for me and the organization. I
wish him well. It’s an opportunity for him. Obviously the Jets lost a running back, and it’s honestly the
nature of our business. Teams begin to search, and we got a call on him, and made the decision to move
on.”
(On if he is concerned about the depth at running back) “No. One thing that I know that you don’t know
is that there’s a lot of information. I’m not going to divulge all the information; it’s for me to know and
for us to know and all the details on that. I went through this in 2016. We traded Sam Bradford, our
starting quarterback, to Minnesota Week 1 of the regular season and went with the rookie quarterback
in Carson (Wentz). I’ve been through this before. This is just the way our league is right now. Teams are
constantly searching. We just picked up a defensive corner that should be here later today from another
roster. There are all things that play into everything. Teams are looking and teams have needs. Like I
said, it’s a great opportunity for James (RB James Robinson) to go in there and be the guy. For us, it’s not
only an opportunity not only for JaMycal (RB JaMycal Hasty) but also for Snoop (RB Snoop Conner). Get
him going.”
(On when the Jets called the Jaguars) “Monday. It was Monday. I don’t know the timing of the call
because Trent (GM Trent Baalke) gets those calls, but it was Monday after we had met with the players
and everything else that day.”
(On if the team had been shopping RB James Robinson) “Not at all.”
(On how this trade will help them from a speed standpoint) “You want to be a fast team at all the skill
positions. I don’t think it had anything necessarily to do with that, but more so, the team that acquired
James (RB James Robinson) had a need, quite frankly, and we had two really good running backs. It does
give JaMycal and now Snoop (RB Snoop Conner) an opportunity to get more touches and more
opportunity with the offense.”
(On if the pass-focused nature of the offense had anything to do with the trade) “No.”
(On if RB James Robinson was the best blocker against the blitz) “We could debate that all day. I think TJ
(RB Travis Etienne Jr.) has done a great job, JaMycal (RB JaMycal Hasty) has done a nice job, so I think
that’s debatable.”
(On how being the main running back now will change what RB Travis Etienne Jr. can do) “You’re not
going to see anything different from TJ. He’s going to continue to do the same things he’s been doing,
it’s just that he’ll have an opportunity to play a little bit longer in a game. I still want to keep him from
taking all the load, keep him healthy for the entire season. That’s why JaMycal (RB JaMycal Hasty) will
increase his load just a little bit, and it’s our job as a staff to make sure that Snoop (RB Snoop Conner) is
ready to go, too.”
(On if coaches are given enough patience in the NFL, given that Broncos Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett’s
job may be on the line for Sunday’s game) “Obviously I can’t speak to that, but I understand our
business. Having been a player for a long time and now a head coach and a coordinator position coach in
this league for a long time. It’s about winning right now. Quite frankly, when you’re trying to build a
program and try to bring the pieces to your roster like we did in the off season and through the draft. It’s
hard because you’re asked to win right now, and that’s the pressure we face every single day. Is it fair?
Ah, I don’t know. I just know that that’s the task, and that’s what we signed up for, and we don’t shy
away from that. We understand that. My perspective as one of 32 head coaches in this league, it’s our
job to make sure that we can do the best we can and make sure our team is prepared on Sunday.”
(On preparation for the Broncos quarterback since there are two possibilities of who could play who are
very different in styles of play) “Obviously there is a ton of film with Russell (QB Russell Wilson) and now
there’s a game with the backup, with Rypien (QB Brett Rypien). We just go about it as business as usual.
We understand both. We understand what Russell brings to that team, and he also has the ability to run
and use his legs. I’ve coached against him many times, and he can beat you doing that. It has to be kind
of every hand on deck, so to speak, to exhaust the film and understand what our defense is getting into
and be prepared for both.”
(On concerns about the defense defending the zone read) “It’s something we’ve got to work on. It’s
something we’ve got to identify and maybe simplify the whole thing, and I know that’s what the coaches
and Mike (Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell) is doing and preparing for that. Then it’s up to the
players to stay disciplined on their techniques and disciplined on the scheme and try to eliminate or at
least slow down the zone read.”
(On who told RB James Robinson that he was traded) “Trent (GM Trent Baalke).”
(On if he had any conversations with RB James Robinson before he left and how it went) “I did. It was
great. I have a ton of respect for James. He came off an injury a year ago and put himself in a position to
help our football team, and now he gets a chance to do that with the Jets, and I’m wishing him well.”
(On what makes the Broncos defense dangerous) “Just put the film on and watch their front. These
guys, man, they come off the ball. It’s a dangerous group. They’re athletic, they can run, Chubb (OLB
Bradley Chubb) is a great pass rusher. I know they’re down a couple guys on the other side, but their
interior is going to be probably some of the three or four best guys we’ve seen all season so far. Then
they’re experienced in the back end. You’ve got to understand this team was built a year or so ago, and
the guys that were brought in have played together, so it’s an experienced team. The coordinator might
be new, but the guys have played together. The scheme and the structure is still pretty much in tact.”
(On how Patrick Surtain II affects game planning) “[He’s] top two. Number one, he’s a great person,
great player, you can tell that he studies his opponent. He’s long, athletic, and can run. He’s physical.
When you have those type of traits, and I think Tyson Campbell (CB) was in that mix a year ago with
those guys. This guy is young, but he’s that type of player. He’s gaining a lot of respect around the
league, obviously. When you watch tape, team’s try to throw it that way without much success. He’s
doing a great job.”
(On if international travel is still a big lift for coaches now that many teams do it every year or so) “It’s a
bit of a challenge, but I think the biggest thing for us, we plan and prepare for these few days that we
are here in town before we go. Friday, the challenge is the fatigue factor. You’ve still got to meet, and
you’ve still got to practice and keep the guys going. That’s a challenge there, but you get to Saturday and
obviously Sunday and you feel pretty good and you’re ready to go. We do the bulk of our lifting that way
these next two days.”
(On requesting to have a game the weekend after the London trip as opposed to requesting a bye week
like the Broncos did) “The time change is not that bad. Plus you’ve got Monday and Tuesday for the
players to rest and get back here. It’s not much different from going to the west coast and back. You get
back at 3 a.m. if you go to the west coast. You can do it, so we requested that, and we’ll play next
week.”
(On if he knows Patrick Surtain I) “The first one? A little bit.”
(On if he will have any trouble sleeping on the plane) “No. Just ask my wife. She knows. I have no trouble
going to sleep.”
(On the Broncos bringing in an accomplished quarterback who does not seem to have been on fire yet)
“It’s hard to put a finger on it because you’re not there and not coaching the guy, but I just know that
offensively, things take time. There’s timing with everything, there’s new schemes, new players.
Patience, right? It’s part of the process. You kind of see it with us a little bit. There’s new faces, new
schemes, new coaches, all these different things. You see glimpses of it from time to time, but it’s the
consistency and continuity you try to strive for. Even for us. We’ve been doing through that a little bit
offensively, even though I feel like we’re heading in the right direction with the whole thing, it just takes
time.”
(On if he feels like the guys are on schedule for where they should be at this point) “Right where we
need to be. No, I wish we had a few more of these wins, the losses were wins. We are two and five. I do
believe this, that the team is in a good place mentally. It’s a good group to coach. They’re still hungry
and working hard and doing the right things to try to get this thing flipped around.”
(On if the last few games’ last drives have shown him that QB Trevor Lawrence is able to handle end-of-
game situations) “He is. The next step is obviously we need to, as a team, finish and win those games,
not only as a team, but he is showing us now that he can put the team kind of on his back a little bit and
lead them down. That’s two weeks in a row and two touchdown drives, this past week a potential
touchdown drive to win, but the week before, took the lead in the fourth. That’s what you’ve got to
have. There’s so much parody in the NFL. These games come down to the fourth quarter, quite honestly,
and sometimes it’s whoever has the ball last. He’s definitely heading in the right direction for us that
way.”
(On if RB Travis Etienne Jr. is doing any extra ball protection drills this week) “Maybe. It’s a point of
emphasis every day. Again, this is one of those things, I don’t go over the top crazy with a lot of that
stuff. It think it has to happen naturally because then you start putting it in his head. It starts being a
little more tense and tight about the runner that we want him to be. He understands that he has to
carry the ball better, it has to be a little tighter to his chest, wrist above the elbow, all those things. We
work on it every week, every day. Bernie (RB Coach Bernie Parmalee) puts him through some drills. You
guys, if you’re out there on Thursdays, see the ball security circuit drill we do on Thursdays, and we’ve
just got to keep going.”
(On the recent pass rush and how to jump start it) “We talked about it a little bit earlier, but it needs to
be better. We know that. The guys know that. Let them maybe come off the ball a little bit faster, roll off
the ball, more straight rushes, whatever it is we can do to push the pocket. I know teams are scheming
no huddle and the tempo and the quick passing game, which can frustrate defensive guys. I think it’s just
a matter of us sticking to our game plan, whatever the game plan rush package is that week, and if we
need to make changes in game, we make changes in game. Somehow let these guys free up and rush.”
(On what he sees from RB Snoop Conner to give him confidence in increasing his reps, given that he has
not been active in a game this season) “He’s done a nice job with the look team, quite honestly. Him and
Sarge (RB Mekhi Sargent) have done a great job in there. You can just see his development. Even on the
look team, when our defense is blitzing, you see the protection, you see the pickup, he’s going in the
right direction. That’s the growth we want to see. He’s working hard, and he’s got a role on special
teams from time to time as a backup. He just keeps improving, so we’ve got to make sure that he’s,
maybe a limited package of plays, but at the same time, he’s got to be ready for whatever happens.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2022
(On what he does on long plane rides) “I’ll probably be sleeping. With that time change, we get there
and it’s 7 a.m. or something like that, so I’m going to try to sleep, honestly the whole time if I can, just to
get that full night’s rest. I think that’s important.”
(On if he has fond memories of last year’s London game being his first NFL win) “Oh yeah. It was a great
time. To go three thousand something miles for our first win last year. It was awesome. It was
incredible. The stadium, the fans, the city, everything was really cool. Where we stayed at, we loved it,
so we’re excited to go back. It’s a business trip for us. One goal in mind is to go and come back with a
win. That’s the focus, but I know myself and other guys that were here last year, we’re all excited, and a
lot of other players have been there in their career, too.”
(On how tough it is to lose RB James Robinson) “That’s the tough thing. The business side of it isn’t
always the most fun. You have guys that the last year and a half you’ve worked with, you grow close to
and you have a good relationship with. James is one of those guys for me. I leaned on him a lot last year,
this off season, even this season, too. For him, just keep being him. He’s a great player, great person,
just excited to see his career continue to take off. I know no matter where he’s at, he’s going to be a
great player. I’m excited for him, but obviously you hate to lose a guy like that, just what he means to
the city, too, and given everything he had for Jacksonville. I think he embodied that. I know all the guys,
coaches are going to miss him. That’s just sometimes the business side of this thing sucks.”
(On the opportunities the trade provides for RB Travis Etienne Jr.) “Definitely. You look at the way Travis
has been playing, I think he’s up for the challenge, so we’ll have to do a good job managing that. I think
he’ll do a really good job taking care of himself. Then those other guys we’ve got in the room, it gives
them a chance, too, to step up and make some plays and be more involved, whether that’s Snoop (RB
Snoop Conner), Sarge (RB Mekhi Sargent) and obviously Hasty (RB JaMycal Hasty). We’ve got some
really good backs, and they’re just going to have to step up.”
(On if he ever looks at league metrics and how the team is performing well even though the record
doesn’t show that) “We always come in Monday and look at everything. We put the stats up there. You
want to show the whole picture of the game and how you performed as an offense. How do we protect
the ball? That’s number one. What was the turnover margin, you include turnovers on downs and
obviously fumbles, interceptions, all those things. Put those up there, look at total yards, and you look at
explosives and negatives, and obviously you want to have more explosives than negative plays. Those
are some areas you look at. You look at third down efficiency, red zone. Red zone we weren’t great last
week. There’s always one or two that tell the story when everything else looks good. We might have had
a lot of yards, we might have been pretty good on third down, then you see red zone and we’re 0-3,
whatever it may be. There’s usually something that kind of tells the story, but when you look at the way
we’ve played, it obviously hasn’t been good enough to win more games, and that’s the main goal. That’s
really all we’re talking about, but we’ve been able to move the ball on everybody we’ve played. We’ve
had a lot of yards in pretty much every game we’ve played, but certain areas, whether that’s third down
one week red zone one week, turnovers one week, whatever it is, we’ve just got to kind of put together
a complete game more frequently, more consistently. We look at all that, and we know what we’re
capable of. We’ve shown when we’re at our best, and we’re playing well, we’re a great offense, so
we’ve got to get back to that and being more consistent.”
(On what he is learning about poise and leadership in the recent games’ final drives) “Just what you said,
you’re always learning something. There’s so many clips, even just from this last game, some stuff that I
could’ve done differently, we could’ve done differently as an offense at the end of that game that we’re
looking at. Obviously you’re frustrated you didn’t get it done, but there are so many things from tape,
some things in this game, too, that it’s a lot easier to learn from it when you experience it. You can
watch clips of other people doing it, but it’s a lot easier when you go through it yourself. Whether it’s a
situation you wish you would’ve signaled something or gotten to a different concept, recognized they’re
in the game coverage a little bit better. All these things you put in your memory bank, that’s what we
talk about in the QB room, then for the rest of my career, being able to pull from all these experiences,
all these end of game situations. That’s the good thing. You look at the positive of all this that we’ve
been able to learn from. We’ve had a lot of crazy situations, and I think we’ve gotten better and better
as an offense. Not just me. It goes through me in those situations at the end of the game, but it’s
everybody doing their part, and I think guys did that. The huge play Marvin (WR Marvin Jones Jr.) made
and some plays leading up to that at the end of the game. There’s a lot to learn from, and I think having
that next play mentality is something we’re getting better at as an offense. Being able to, regardless of
the play that just happened before or the quarter before, being able to move on to that next play and
give us a chance to win.”
(On an interception he threw that got called back because of a penalty on the Giants) “Yeah, it was a
really bad play. I think there were 40 seconds left. No timeouts, and I think we had about 70 yards to go.
We were probably on the 30, 35 maybe. The one thing is, one, we’re trying to get out of bounds. If we
can’t get out of bounds, it’s alright if we’re in bounds, but we’ve got to get up there and clock it or get
up there and run a quick play. The one thing you kind of can’t do is, well, turn it over is one, or get
sacked, so I was looking front side and trying to come back side, and there was a free backer, D-lineman,
whatever it was. Just trying to get the ball out of my hands, throw it near someone’s feet back side, but
we had kind of a drive concept where everything was going the other direction, so kind of came up to
throw it away to avoid the sack, and threw it right to the guy. That was one I got a little bailed out by
having a call that didn’t really affect my decision, which was really bad, and just to learn from that.
That’s what I’m talking about. Terrible play, but to flush that and go make the next one.”
(On if penalties even out over the course of the game) “At the end of the day, our job is to go win the
game, and we had so many opportunities, and you can look at different penalties or whatever it is. The
refs never decide the game. We always have opportunities to go win it, and that’s our message. It
doesn’t really matter what happened. Yeah, there were some, I don’t want to say bad, there were some
calls both ways that you could look at, and that’s how this game is played. The refs have to make a
decision. A lot of plays are close, and you can’t leave it in anyone’s hands but your own. t I think the
Giants were able to finish the game, and there’s really no excuses either way.”
(On the turf at Wembley Stadium and how much he worries about those things) “I’m sure George (Head
Equipment Manager George Pellicer) will talk to us about it. I honestly don’t know. I haven’t played at
Wembley. I played at Tottenham last year. That was fine. I think that was turf. It wasn’t grass. I heard
Wembley was a little bit different. I’ll probably wear my normal cleats, got some Adidas cleats, should
be good, great cleats, so I’ll be good to go.”
(On if he ever thinks about turf and conditions) “Not really, I just wear the cleats I always do. I don’t
really think about that. Obviously, you get out there in pregame, and you warm-up and feel what the
difference is, maybe it’s a little bit slicker, know you’ve got to keep your feet under you. I honestly don’t
really think about that stuff. I think it’s a little bit bigger for the guys on the perimeter, understanding
coming in and out of those breaks how the grass is going to feel.”
(On the biggest thing he learned last year that will help him this trip to London) “I think just something
we’ve been talking about is just trying to get your prep done. Not done, but the bulk of your prep done
before you get over there obviously because they went ahead and went over there, so they have a little
more time to get adjusted. They can do a lot of their prep while they’re over there, but for us, we’re
leaving tomorrow, so trying to take care of all the stuff we need to, whether that’s tape, meeting,
protection stuff, whatever it is, before we leave, because we’re going to get there Friday morning. It’s a
long day, everybody’s trying to get settled in, we have a practice, we have some time off, but you’re still
kind of getting adjusted. Then Saturday is the day before the game, so you don’t have a ton of time
really to catch up on stuff, so just making sure you don’t get behind during the week and you’re on top
of your game plan and all that.”
(On what is the biggest challenge ahead facing the Broncos defense) “I think they’re one of the best
defenses in the league, so it definitely presents a challenge for us to see how we stack up against them
and put together a plan to find areas to attack. Their pass rush is really good. Not just the edge guys, the
interior guys are really good players, just their whole back end, really good players. Obviously Pat (CB
Patrick Surtain II) on the perimeter playing great. We played him last year. We were both rookies, we
were talking last year. You always kind of know who the rookies are on the defense, and same thing last
year for me, I’m sure they know I’m a rookie. You have a plan for those guys, and you go in, and he’s just
playing great. He had a great year, and he’s playing great this year, too, so he’s a really talented guy,
does a good job, really smart player. Then the safeties, both safeties are really good. The new nickel
they got from San Fran, we played him last year. He’s a good player. I could go on and on. Really good
defense, really disciplined, I think that’s what you see. They’re all on the same page, and they do a good
job disguising stuff and presenting different looks.”
(On if he knew CB Pat Surtain II before they got involved with the NFL) “I can’t remember where I met
him. I met him somewhere in high school. I actually think he was visiting Clemson and I had committed
already, and he visited Clemson before he decided to go to Alabama, and I remember hanging out with
one night when we were both on a visit, so that was probably the one time we actually spent some time
together and hung out, so that was pretty much it. I followed his career, and it’s been hard to miss him.
He’s been a great player.”
(On if he is being extra cautious in the red zone or if he is simply missing on some passes) “I think there’s
always going to be a few throws you want back. That’s definitely one when I had Zay (WR Zay Jones)
coming open. Just anticipating a little bit better, throwing it to a spot and giving them a chance. That’s
something there’s always a couple throws that come up I wish I would have done that more, and that’s
definitely one of them. I wouldn’t say playing it safe. There was a backer kind of underneath it, but still,
Zay is running full speed, and you’ve got an inside linebacker that’s just dropping underneath him. He’s
going to outrun him, so just seeing that and understanding where to put the ball. I didn’t really put it in a
good spot, honestly. I kind of made him go back up the field on the back line, which wasn’t the right spot
for it, so I think that’s just one that I missed. I let go of it, and I was like, that didn’t come out good. Too
much air kind of floated it in the back. Those are plays we talk about. The fumble happened right after
that, which obviously we can’t turn it over in the red zone, but if I make that throw, that situation never
comes up. You always think about these things. Those are kind of the plays that you remember and
bother you until the next game comes up. That’s one definitely that I just missed.”
