SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR HEATH FARWELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
(On if the team has been working on kickoffs during camp) “We did some the other day in
practice. In fact, you’re going to see some today. You’ll see some kickoffs today. A good amount
of them; hopefully we’ll get to probably seven to nine of them is kind of the goal. But we’ll see
some today, get a good feel for it. We have been practicing them in the indoor. We practiced
them all offseason. We have a decent feel for it. We’re going to learn more every day. That’s
what I continue to tell our guys: every single day is different. I learn something new and that’s
the great thing about football in general: you’re always learning something new, especially
when it’s a completely different rule. That’s going to be cool. We’re going to learn every single
day.”
(On if the new kickoff rules lend themselves to trick plays) “It’s football. I think anytime you get
an advantage, you’re going to do it. I think there’s going to be opportunities. As we learn more
of what type of coverage we’re going to see, obviously by game plan, we’ll have some of those
things, those wrinkles, that’s part of it. But I think there’s a lot of unknown. There’s so much
stuff of how are team’s going to cover it, are other coaches seeing it the same way my assistant
and I see it? I think that’s part of it, there’s so much unknown. We think we have a good idea
what we can anticipate, but that’s not exact. It’s not exact. I think there’s going to be some
fantastic coaches that have been doing this a long time that are coming up with some great
schemes and some great ideas. Hopefully, we come up with some of those great ideas as well.”
(On waiting to see who will be the first to try a trick play) “I think there’s definitely a style, I
think is part of it. As far as a special teams coach’s perspective, some teams may be a little more
aggressive, a little more risk-taking, and then some are a little more conservative, really clean,
kind of different philosophy. So, I think you could probably anticipate some of those guys, but
it’s not exact. All of a sudden, are we considered a team that’s going to have a bunch of tricks? I
don’t know, that’s probably a question for you guys probably, but we’ll have some of those
things in some of our game plans and we’ll continue to work them – probably not when you
guys are out there. We’ll save those for when you guys aren’t out there. But yeah, that’s part of
it. That’s part of the game. We’re going to have some wrinkles. If we can gain some advantage
on another team and gain some field position by doing something a little bit uncharacteristic,
we’re going to do it.”
(On if he’s enjoying the process of figuring out the new rules) “Yeah, I think it was a lot of
unknown. So early on, there was a little bit of stress of making sure I was going down the right
path. And then we brought in—Joe D [University of South Carolina Associate Head
Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Joe DeCamillis] came and spent some time with us and he
kind of reassured me. He felt like we were on the right path and going in the right direction.
That was helpful a ton. It just kind of helped calm me down a little bit because there is so much
unknown. But I think that’s ball. I think that every week is different. I think this is obviously a
new play, but in football in general, there’s going to be some different wrinkles and as a coach,
we’re always trying to anticipate what we’re going to see and prepare our guys and try to stay
ahead of it. This is a little bit different because there’s no history to it. A lot of the stuff I’m
having to show them with these new rules that come out. For instance, the ball rolls off the tee,
who’s the holder? There’s a new rule that came out a couple of weeks ago. Well, of course, I
had to create a slide. I can’t show them videotape of a team in the past doing this. Create a slide
kind of makeshift as best I could and try to create it, and then of course, work on it in a
walkthrough and at practice.”
(On when Joe DeCamillis came to practice) “He came in the spring. He came in the spring, and it
was great. He was part of his program with their South Carolina coaches getting out with the
NFL teams and I took full advantage of it. He’s a brilliant guy, a good friend of mine, and said,
‘Hey, okay,’ explained it to him, detail the best I could, literally presented it to him, sat in the
meetings, and then, of course, went out to practice and then, of course, picked his brain after
practice. Are we on the right path? What do we need to fix? What could you do? See any
wrinkles that can help us out? And he was great. He was great. A lot of it confirmed what I
already believed. Then with a couple of wrinkles of some possible other stuff that I needed to
try. So, he was a great resource.
(On how RB Keilan Robinson has been incorporated on special teams) “He’s been great.
Obviously, his return ability is unbelievable. He’s a kick returner. He’s doing a really good job as a
punt returner. But I think what the other portion of that is, what can he do in other phases?
He’s been great. His ability to play gunner, we did some punt gunner reps yesterday, more
compete setting, and he was winning a bunch of them. I thought he’s a guy that’s going to be a
four-phase guy. He’s going to be a good player for us. I’m happy with what I saw in college and
he’s even better than that. His energy, like I said, he’s not exactly 100 percent right now – you
don’t see that out there. He’s just a guy that flies around, has fun, plays hard, wants to be out
there again. We love him in the room.”
(On potential gunners on the roster) “Yeah, and I think this is one of the best gunner groups I’ve
ever had. Obviously, DT [S Daniel Thomas] has done it for years for us, been really, really good.
Antonio [S Antonio Johnson] did a fantastic job last year. He’s a really good gunner. Jarrian Jones
[CB Jarrian Jones] is another one that’s had a really good offseason in camp. And then Keilan.
So, as far as I’m concerned, I feel like we have four really, really good gunners. This is probably
the best gunner group that I’ve ever had and that’s a compliment to those guys. Those guys, we
have a bunch of guys top to bottom that are doing a really, really good job. Like I said, this is a
really good group.
(On what he has thought about K Cam Little so far) “Cam’s done great. He’s been really, really
good. He’s so consistent, he’s locked in, he’s competitive and he’s everything I thought when I
went and worked him out, when I met with him. All those great interactions I had pre-draft, he’s
exactly what I thought, if not better. He’s talented, he’s doing it, he’s been consistent, he’s
shown the leg strength, he’s done all those things. Then the more we can put him in these
tougher situations… He’s going to kick today in team period, but he’s also potentially getting a
kick or two in move-the-ball situations. Move the ball to win a game in the two-minute. So, let’s
see how he reacts in those, but what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think we’re going to see anything
different, let’s say that.”
(On any funny moments when he realizes how young he is) “I think the funniest thing I had is
when I first went to dinner with him, I just realized he is 20 years old and couldn’t get a drink. At
20 years old, you forget they’re so young. He’s just a young kid that’s just coming along great,
but he’s actually got a birthday coming up, so he keeps telling me he’s going to be 21 soon.”
(On what he thinks of his mustache) “He just embraces it. He embraces the quirkiness which I
love. The mustache, everything about him, loveable kid. The guys really like him, and he’s done
a really good job. You guys have seen on the field, he’s done fantastic.”
(On what S Andrew Wingard, LB Caleb Johnson and S Daniel Thomas have meant to his unit)
“They’re unbelievable. I was fortunate that Dewy [S Andrew Wingard] was here before I got
here, but he was one of the guys I was so excited about. Daniel Thomas, same thing. Those guys
were on the roster and of course, I came here and they’re highlighted guys, ‘Let’s make sure we
keep these guys in the program,’ and then Caleb Johnson, adding him from Chicago. Those
three guys are kind of the leaders, the captains, they help run it. They could run the punt
meeting or any specific phase themselves. They run it, they understand it, they hold people
accountable. You need those veteran good players, not only on the field but even in the
classroom, in those meetings. If stuff isn’t exactly what we’re looking for, they’re the first guys to
walk up there and say, ‘Hold on a second guys. This is not how we play. This is not what we do
here in Jacksonville on special teams.’ And that’s why we’ve had such a good group. I have such
good players that I’m super fortunate. We’ve had a good group the last two years and that’s the
standard. That’s what we talk about all the time. We expect to be a top-10 group every year.
That’s what it is and like I said, that’s it. That’s the standard, that’s where we’re expected to be.”
(On if there are any rookies that have been standing out) “I think [S] Josh Proctor is a guy that,
for an undrafted guy, he’s done really, really well. I think he’s a very smart player that can play
multiple positions. He’s done a really good job. I really like what he’s done. Not only the drill
work but even in the team setting he’s done really, really well.”
LINEBACKER DEVIN LLOYD
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
(On how he’s been feeling over the first four days of training camp) “Yeah, feeling good.
Obviously, we’re just looking to continue to keep getting better, finding little things to grow
out every day. Personally, I feel really good, especially putting on some weight. It’s really
just kind of getting your legs back, getting the weight back under you, getting acclimated to
the heat. So, just continuing to build, but feeling good right now.”
(On his satisfaction with the defensive performance so far) “I think after assessing the first
four days on the field, I would say I’m pleased. Obviously, there’s always room for
improvement, but guys have been really communicating at a high level, obviously flying
around with a lot of effort and capitalizing on the turnovers and the big plays that we need
to get the ball back to the offense, and playing sound defense. I’m really excited about what
coach is doing with us and I’m just looking to keep building on that.”
(On how much he credits the defense’s coverage to Defensive Coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s
scheme) “Yeah, you credit it a lot to Ryan and all the coaches. They’re obviously teaching
us the right techniques, and then the scheme helps us match coverages, match our
offensive players a little bit. We’re just taking the space out of it. The majority of the time
we’re closing on them, closing the ground on them right now, which we really appreciate.”
(On the weight he’s put on this offseason) “Yeah, I put on around 12 to 15, sitting around,
like, 250 now. It’s just to play dominant, to play strong throughout the season. Obviously, it
helps for injury prevention. Really just to play physically stout. That’s what the linebacker
position is for. If I can carry it, I’m going to put on a little bit extra weight for sure.
(On if he likes having the extra weight) “Yeah, I do. I’m excited to continue moving on
forward with this and going through a season and see how my body feels. I think I’m going
to feel a lot better and stronger towards Week 18 and plus. That’s really what it’s for.”
(On how Ryan Nielsen’s scheme will help him) “I think it’s just going to allow me to—you
bring up match coverages. You just basically take your guy right now. It’s kind of no waiting
for them, we’re dictating it, we’re not letting them dictate us. I really appreciate that and
really just playing downhill.”
(On what having attention to detail means to him) “I think it’s just making sure there’s no
gray area on any level and each call. Every call has so many intricate details and making
sure that there’s no gray or making sure we don’t see it one way and the safeties see it
another way. Everybody’s on the same page, communication is at a high level. It’s complex
but simple. It’s relatively simple, and so it’s easy for everybody to just be decisive.”
(On similarities between his role at Utah and now with the Jaguars) “I would say me playing
in the middle and then us running a lot of nickel coverages. Outside of that, it’s not too
much. Honestly, there’s really not a lot of similarities other than playing in the middle
really.”
(On if he’ll have the opportunity to blitz the quarterback) “We’ll see. I know he [Nielsen]
believes in my skill set. We’ve talked about that. We have most of the defense in. There’s
still some stuff. There’s still a lot of third-down stuff which is where it’ll show up that we
need to go over. But I know he believes in my skill set and I believe in my skill set so we’ll
see.”
(On frustrating the offense during training camp) “I think we’re all just looking to get better.
Everybody has areas of improvement, and so they’ll make some plays, we’ll make some
plays. That’s what it’s about though. Iron sharpens iron. We just continue to help each
other, one another, get to where we want to be so we can be in the Super Bowl, which is
where we all want to be.”
(On how playing MIKE fits his skillset) “Yeah, really just being in the middle, being in the box.
I think, obviously, me putting on weight helps engage linemen. I think that’s really where I
do most of my damage: in the middle.”
