HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2023
(On how it would feel to be the first NFL team to win back-to-back games in London) “Well, that would
be a great achievement, very special for me personally. We understand that it’s another football game
against a really good opponent, too so it’s a challenge but if it happens, that would be great. One of
those things that you never thought growing up that you’d be in this situation as a head coach. Anytime I
get a chance to take the field with this team or my previous team, it’s always a special moment.”
(On what advantage the team has by staying in London all week) “I don’t know about that, I just know
that back-to-back games, the advantage for us is that we’re here and I try to keep it as normal as if we
were in Jacksonville as far as the schedule goes. We understand what that travel is like, leaving on
Thursday and getting here on Friday morning. Buffalo will experience that, and Coach McDermott [Bills
Head Coach Sean McDermott], I have a lot of respect for him, and he’ll have those guys prepared for that
trip coming over. For us to be here, it’s a great place at Hanbury Manor and it’s really nice for us to be
here a week and experience this culture over here in the UK. To be at this great place is an experience for
all of us.”
(On if he’s looking forward to Sunday’s matchup) “Absolutely. This is a great football team, great
quarterback. Well coached, the fingerprints of Coach McDermott [Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott] on
his defense and what they’re doing. It’s a challenge for us, it’s something we can maybe learn from that
Chiefs game with preparation and hard work and all of that going into this week. Just know that our guys
will be ready for Sunday and look forward to the opportunity.”
(On if he feels any different in coaching after last Sunday’s win) “obviously, anytime you win, the week
following is a better week. Guys are in better spirits, I’m in a better mood typically after a win. It’s short-
term memory, you put wins and losses behind you quickly and you move onto the next opponent. It’s
still going to take a solid week of preparation to play in this game.”
(On injury updates of WR Zay Jones and WR Jamal Agnew) “Right now, both guys are day-to-day. We’ll
get them out there today in practice, move them around, see where they’re at physically. Along the
same lines [OL] Cam Robinson will be out there today and [OLB Dawuane] Smoot will be out there today.
[S] Antonio Johnson will be out there today. All these guys we will see out there this week and see where
they’re at going into this game.”
(On where OL Cam Robinson stands in terms of developing him back in the scheme) “Well, he’s in a
really good frame of mind. He’s prepared himself for this moment, he knew all along what he was doing
and how he needed to get ready. For us as a staff, I think it’s just how he’s going out there and executing
this week in practice and how he gels with Walker [OL Walker Little] or [OL Tyler] Shatley there at left
guard. All those different combinations that could happen, so I know he’s mentally ready, the physical
part is sort of natural to him.”
(On there’s a chance OL Tyler Shatley would replace OL Luke Fortner once OL Cam Robinson is back) “Oh,
no. Luke is solid in there. We have no issues with Luke at all. He’s done an outstanding job. We do know
that Shatley is a backup center for us, so if something would happen to Luke, Tyler would be the one to
go in. There’s no conversation at all about that, I’m fully confident in Luke.”
(On what OL Cam Robinson brings to the offensive line) “Another leader, another veteran player. He’s
somebody who’s played a lot of games at left tackle. There’s physicality there and a mindset that he
brings. I think, too, there can be a little bit of comfort level or stability with the offensive line. My hat’s
off to [OL] Walker Little, he’s bounced around in the short time that I’ve been here on the offensive line.
He’s somebody that you can definitely count on. Cam definitely brings that leadership and maybe a little
more stability to the offensive line.”
(On having an international player on the practice squad) “I think it’s tremendous to have international
players involved in the NFL. [S] Ayo [Oyelola] is part of our team and he does an outstanding job. This is
the second year for him and it shows the health and growth of our sport growing worldwide.”
(On if having a possible NFL team in the UK in the future) “I’m looking forward to playing the Bills on
Sunday. It’s something that’s a bridge we would cross if we got to that point, but I think it’s a credit to
the NFL and the 32 owners and teams for taking our sport globally. From a coaching standpoint, you got
to think of all the logistics of travel and all that different stuff. Maybe one day we will experience that.”
(On what’s seen out of Bills QB Josh Allen) “As I mentioned, he’s a tremendous player. He’s one of the top
quarterbacks in the AFC and a top quarterback in this league. He’s big and physical, he can run. Last time
I faced him, I think it was in 2019 and it’s a challenge to get him on the ground when you can. He’s got a
big arm; we can’t fall asleep on the receivers and his ability to extend plays. He does a nice job of finding
his targets. It’s a challenge for our defense this week.”
(On how he spent his time off in London) “I didn’t have time off. I was right here and we were game
planning actually. My wife is here, and she’s had a chance to experience the city and the surrounding
area. She says it’s great. I’ve been right here.”
(On what challenges playing on turf brings) “We’ve played a few games (on turf). We played the Colts in
the first game of the year on turf and it’s part of it. Obviously, we practiced this week on grass and the
guys do a nice job. It’s just a matter of handling it properly with the right footwear and shoes and things
of that nature. It doesn’t affect us one way or the other.”
(On what changes and what stays the same in terms of a preparation week in London) “I think the
biggest thing is somehow, someway, just eliminating some of the distractions. You’re here at the hotel
and you’re in and out of meetings, it’s just not the normal routine. You’re not getting in a car and driving
to work, things of that nature. Just staying up on your game and staying sharp, you’ve got to continue to
stay in your gameplan books. You’ve got to continue to watch the tape and the film. We don’t have the
luxuries of all our technology right here. Our guys do a great job of bringing that to us. That’s probably
the one thing that concerns you a little bit, just the mental preparation for a game like this.”
(On flexibility of players to explore the UK) “After the game Sunday, this past week, we got here at
Hanbury Manor and gave them Sunday night and Monday off because a lot of them have family or
friends here that they get a chance to experience the city with and go places, eat dinners and things of
that nature. Then, we got back to a little bit of a routine on Tuesday and now we’re back into our normal
workweek.”
(On OLB Dawuane Smoot cleared for practices) “Yeah, we just want to see where he is physically from a
football standpoint. He’s been cleared and ready to go, we just opened up his 21-day window and just
see where he’s at. I’m excited for him to get back with the team and get back on the grass. We’ll monitor
that day-by-day.”
(On not being able to score on the offense’s opening drive) “You’re doing as much as you can. If you go
back and look at a couple of those, there was probably something that kept us from scoring like a
penalty or, I guess it was the Houston game, there was a dropped pass for a touchdown or a missed field
goal early. Just those things that have kept us from scoring on those first possessions. I think those things
happen, they come to you, and when they start coming in waves. You don’t do anything special; I think
the attention to detail maybe with the players. You look at this week and what Buffalo has done for their
defense to start fast. They’re bringing a lot of pressure early in games to try and help jumpstart them as
well. Whatever you can do to execute the plan.”
(On how the offensive improved in last week’s game) “The biggest thing, we didn’t turn the ball over. We
didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot with penalties, negative plays. We created some explosive plays there
and the fact that we finished some drives with points, especially in the second half. We were at the ten-
yard line and the six-yard line in that football game and came away with points. We did some good
things. There’s still a lot of work to do, some things to clean up and some areas to clean up and
emphasize. But just playing a cleaner game from that standpoint was a step in the right direction.”
(On how this week varies from a standard week in Jacksonville) “One, is that we’re here. We don’t have
to travel anywhere. Mondays and Tuesdays are typically those player days for themselves, we did some
work yesterday with the players and went through, wrapped up the Falcons game with the players and
started on the Bills yesterday. Got their workout and treatments are still the same on Mondays and
Tuesdays. Today, they wake up today and go right into meetings. We just finished a walkthrough and
practice here in a few minutes. Those are all typical things on a Wednesday and Thursday that we’ll do
and just keep that very similar. That’s one thing, we’re creatures of habit where we follow a schedule. I
don’t like to necessarily deviate from that schedule if I don’t have to and keep a lot of things the same
for the players.”
(On how WR Calvin Ridley has adapted to the team) “He’s really done a nice job and he’s really learned
our offense. I think Press [Offensive Coordinator Press Taylor] has done a really good job of incorporating
him in certain pass concepts. He’s embraced that and he’s just a tremendous worker on the practice field
and continues to improve and get better. He’s a really good leader in his room, the wide receiver room,
and on the team. It was good, I made him a captain last week against Atlanta and his old teammates.
He’s just been really good.”
(On how to coach players through a tough upcoming schedule) “That part’s a challenge. I think about
that because we’re going to come back from this trip where we’ve gotten used to the five-hour time
change from the east coast of the U.S., it takes a few days to kind of get your body clock acclimated. I got
to take that into consideration as we prepare next week. As you mentioned, a Thursday night game
follows. I can facilitate with helping them get more rest possibly during the week but then the players
have to do their part and study, prepare and have the mental side down as you go into Week 5, Week 6
and Week 7. A lot of the physical part, they know how to play and do by now, it just turns into a mental
game at that point.”
(On the growth of the secondary unit) “It really started back in the spring and what I saw was the level of
communication, second year in the system with Coach Mike [Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell] and
Deshea [Passing Game Coordinator and Cornerbacks Coach Deshea Townsend] back there and Cody
[Safeties Coach Cody Grimm]. That’s what you’re seeing, you’re seeing guys being in the right spot at the
right time and opportunistic. Getting their hands on these footballs and making these plays. It was good
to see it on Sunday. Just got to continue to do that and be opportunistic when you can.”
(On uniqueness of playing overseas) “Well, that was a long time ago. I think anytime you get a chance to
travel, whether it be here in the UK or whether it be in Germany, I can remember my days early in my
playing days when we were in Tokyo playing. It was some of those preseason games and stuff. Fans are
incredible, and they’re NFL fans. They’re football fans, American football fans. It was interesting because
when I was watching the Atlanta game, they showed the crowd from time-to-time, you just see all kinds
of NFL jerseys. It’s not just Falcon’s jerseys or Jaguars jerseys. You’re seeing Dolphins and Steelers and
Giants and Cowboys, and you name it, Cardinal’s jerseys. That’s what’s exciting about opportunities to
come over and really embrace the culture, number one, and experience the fanbase. It’s all been very
positive and very exciting.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2023
(On what kind of threat Bills QB Josh Allen is) “Yeah, he’s a great player and we played against him two
years ago. I remember going into that game and just the threat that he poses, running the ball and
throwing the ball, extending plays. Not just him, their offense, receivers, their line, their backs. All of
those guys are capable of making plays and it starts with him and his unique ability to extend plays. Him
making plays outside of the pocket makes him really tough to defend. On the defensive side of the ball,
they have a great scheme, players that really fly around. They’re physical up front and the backers are
really disciplined and do a good job. Milano [Bills LB Mat Milano] is a great player and their secondary
are guys that have played together for a while. They have great instincts, great ball skills, they’re good at
disguising coverages, they’re smart and play well together, they’ve had this system for a long time now.
You see all those things on tape, and you saw it two years ago, it was the same thing, and the same
challenges are here today. They do a great job, that’s why they’ve had a lot of success. They’re a really
good team on both sides of the ball, and we’re just going to have to execute. I think that’s what it’s going
to come down to offensively and defensively, is what team executes beter.”
(On the impact if he could win back-to-back games in London and becoming a fan favorite) “Well, if that
happens from us winning back-to-back games, great. I think that’s the main goal is to win no mater
where you’re at, but especially over here. I’m not really thinking about that too much, but this would be
big. This is a big game, an AFC matchup, a team that’s playing really good football right now who’s been
one of the top teams in the AFC for the past few years. We’re looking forward to getting this opportunity
and we know it’s the next game though. That’s all it is, it’s the next game on our schedule that we have
to go put our best foot forward to go win it. That’s going to put us in a good position moving forward.
Then, we’re gong to have to go do the same thing next week. That’s all we’re thinking about, is just going
1-0 this week and that’s the goal.”
(On the uniqueness of the setting for practice) “It’s pretty cool. I don’t know if you guys saw out there,
just overlooking the golf course and the country side, it’s beautiful. It’s really cool being out here, the
weather was great today. It’s a litle cooler than it is in Jax, so it’s a nice change up. It’s great, it’s different
spending a full week out here and practicing. I haven’t done that before. But it’s been awesome, it’s
really beautiful, the guys are enjoying it and are really focused and locked in. The space has been good
for us, it’s been good.”
(On level of frustration towards converting third downs and short yardage situations) “Yeah, it’s
obviously not where we want to be through four games. We have some issues that we’ve talked about
already, it’s kind of been the same issues all season. We’re frustrated but continuing to find ways to get
better and improve on them. I think that’s all you can really say, every week it’s different of what the
plan is going to be, what teams like to do on third down. I think the most simple answer I can give you is
just that we need to execute better. That’s what we’ve been saying. That’s still the emphasis and
adjusting to different looks. We need to do a better job and that’s including myself, if we get a different
front or coverage or pressure or whatever, we’ve got to be able to adjust to those beter in game. That’s
something we’re not doing a great job of right now. That’s on us, is just knowing the ins and outs of
everything and how to respond to different looks and scenarios. We have to be better as players there
and just execution. We found a way to win the game, we did a lot of good things. We had some drives
we were able to move the ball, get points, hold onto the ball when we could. That was an offense last
week that we were playing that we knew was going to use a lot of clock, was going to try to run the ball,
was going to try to limit our possessions. We knew we had to make ours count. Obviously, we’d love to
score more touchdowns and we need to be better on that sudden change like getting the ball in their
territory after the interception. We got to score a touchdown there and we came away with no points.
That’s something that, of course, is something we need to fix. I think there are some positives that we
did and we found a way to win, that’s always the goal. Frustration is the right word in that situation, but
overall, we find a way to win and it’s hard to win in this league. We’re happy with the result but we have
to get better situationally because we’re not always going to win games where you don’t execute in
those situations. We’re still moving forward and figuring out the best ways to make those improvements.
I do think Cam [OL Cam Robinson] could potentially help. He’s a great player and it’ll be great to have
him back in general. Throughout the whole game, he’s going to help us.”
(On if he’s followed any soccer in the UK this year) “I haven’t. I haven’t followed really anything but what
we’re doing here with our team, honestly. My wife is a former soccer player so she’s probably not as in
tune either, but she keeps up with that a litle bit more. I don’t, I need to keep up with it a litle bit
beter. I enjoy watching and I have a lot of respect for the game, I know it’s huge over here, too. It’s
always interesting, but I don’t have a favorite player necessarily.”
(On if he prefers grass or turf fields) “I usually prefer playing on grass, but the grass over here is a little bit
different. Especially for the soccer field, it’s a little bit slicker. I don’t know if that’s intentionally just for
the ball, I’m sure, rolls better on it. Our grass is different in the states. I prefer grass in the states, I think
here, turf is a little better for footing and cutting and all that stuff. Probably turf I prefer, so the guys
don’t slip as much. Either way, I don’t think it poses a big issue.”
(On the Bills defensive line) “They do a great job. They might get Von (Bills OLB Von Miller) back this
week too, which adds to that pass rush and the skill up front. They’ve done a great job. I think one thing
that stands out about them is that they play through the whistle every play. Even if their initial pass rush
doesn’t get home, when you step up, they’re retracting and refolding back in to make the play and they
don’t stop until the whistle. I think that’s something they do a really good job of and why they’ve been
able to get so many sacks. Obviously, they have a good initial pass rush and a good push on the interior
as well. Like you said, keeping guys fresh, they’re able to rotate the full d-line and keep guys fresh and
keep them rolling. That helps them so I think the biggest thing is just us playing through the whistle,
blocking the whole play for myself and understanding they’re going to fold back in. They’re going to do
certain things; they’re going to really contain the pocket and they do a great job of that. When I do step
up, just taking care of the ball, making the right decision and getting it to our guys in space, all those
things that are there every week are just more emphasized.”
(On improving being better at the start of games and critical short-yardage situations) “That’s something
we’ve talked about for a long time now, is being better to start games. That’s something we definitely
emphasized. I think it’s something different every week of why we’re not able to convert a third down
and keep the ball, or maybe we get across the 50 and we get a short fourth down and go for it and turn it
over on downs. There’s different things that go into it, but the execution in critical situations and on third
down, we all have to be on the same page. We got to execute and communicate, whether that’s
protections, whether that’s certain routes or getting to the right play from my standpoint, or just making
the play. Making an accurate throw and catching the ball. There are all those things that hit us at the
wrong time on those situations and I think it all just comes back to starting the game fast and really
executing every snap to start the game, don’t wait until you’re two, three drives in to start doing that
stuff, so just emphasizing that.”
(On if this game feels bigger because of the opponent) “Not necessarily, you understand from an
offensive perspective the team you’re playing and their offense and what they’re capable of. I think
there’s more emphasis on a sense of urgency and making our possessions count because that’s a very
high-powered offense that can score at any moment. There’s a lot of offenses like that in the league,
especially this one and the guy you’re playing against at quarterback. Nothing changes, there’s not
necessarily any more edge for us or for myself because we’re playing the Bills. Every game is big, I think it
is big given that they are another AFC team. This is a team where it’s big to try to win these games, same
thing when we were playing the Chiefs in Week 2, an AFC team that’s been one of the top teams. I think
these are big games, but really, especially this early on in the season, every game is a big game, no
mater if it’s NFC, AFC, if it’s a division game. You’re trying to get as many wins as possible to put you in a
good position at the end of the season. This will do that for sure. As an AFC game, it’s a big one.”
(On the difference of playing in Wembley versus in Jacksonville) “I’m trying to think what would be the
biggest difference. It’s a different energy, it’s a really cool experience. Wembley is bigger than
Totenham, is that correct? Wembley is awesome. It’s a cool venue, so is Totenham. I remember playing
there two years ago, I was kind of blown away. Just the facility and the locker rooms, all the amenities in
Totenham are really cool. I would say just from the fan perspective, it’s not a very obvious home and
away crowd. I think that’s the biggest thing in the states, is you play an away game and every time you’re
on offense especially in third downs, it’s so loud and you’ve got to use silent cadence because the line
can’t hear you. Here, last week we were the home team and they did a great job of making it feel like a
home game and putting on the video board when to be loud and all that stuff. But still, they’re using
verbal cadence over there and it wouldn’t be that way if we were playing in Jacksonville. It would
probably be super loud when they’re on offense so it gives you that homefield advantage. Here, neither
team can communicate better, you can hear all of those things. It gets loud at different points but not
just for one side.”
