JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2022
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence will play) “This week I’m going to let the starters play. Get their feet wet in
this football game, a couple series. Nothing too crazy, nothing too long, just want to get them a feel of
the game, get them working in game situations.”
(On the importance of getting in game reps for QB Trevor Lawrence and the offense) “For him, it’s
important, but also for the offense. He’s got new faces, new people he’s working with, a new center, so
just seeing all of it put together. You just want to have some crisp plays, good execution, try to score a
few points and get them out.”
(If anyone on the first-team offense will not play) “James Robinson is not playing. We are going to keep
Jamal Agnew out of this one as well, Laviska (Shenault) is still nursing an injury, so we’re going to give
him a break. Get them through this game and into next week.”
(On the offensive line) “Jawaan (Taylor) will play. He and Walker (Little) will rotate, and it will be good to
get him back out there.”
(On if he is eager to see RB Travis Etienne Jr. playing in games) “I am. We’ve seen a lot here in practice,
now get under the lights, the roar of the crowd, and that stuff, it’s a different feel. That’s why you do it,
right? You practice for all those scenarios, and he’s one of the guys we want to see.”
(On if the increased intensity at practice was a result of the Hall of Fame Game) “No, it’s just the way the
schedule and the way I set training camp up. We follow the plan, we follow the schedule, that’s just the
way it is. Next week will be the same thing. We’ll have a couple hard, long practices next week as well.
We don’t have pads on that much, and I want to make sure we maximize those days and that we’re
getting the most out of it. Again, the guys are doing an excellent job. Those two practices were great.
We got good work in. Not perfect, but we made the corrections, it was good.”
(On WR Jamal Agnew being in team drills) “I guess the biggest thing is just seeing where he is mentally
and with the system. He’s heard it a lot. He hasn’t had many reps with it. But it was good to get him back
out, get his feet wet, get popped a little bit, him and Travis both that one live day, and tackle them to
the ground. It was good to get him out there. Another player we have to keep slowly progressing and
get him on to the regular season.”
(On if he was holding his breath when RB Travis Etienne Jr. was taking hits Monday at practice) “No
because I talked to him during this time of the day, and he was ready for the contact. He wanted to be
hit because it’s been a while for him to be out there and be hit. He enjoyed it.”
(On the frequency of live days in practice) “My philosophy is have two live-type days in training camp.
This past week to do it, then I’ll do one more next week, and really that’s it from a live standpoint. The
pads are on, it’s all about fundamentals and working the details and being in position to make the
tackle. Let the ball carrier, receiver, whoever it is finish their runs even when tapped off by a defender.
Offensive guys need to feel the contact as well as the defensive guys.”
(On the status of DE/OLB Jamir Jones) “He’s fine. Ledbetter (DL Jeremiah Ledbetter) got nicked up in
practice the other day. He’s going to miss some time. He’s the only one. Let me add to that. BT, Badara
(Traore) is another one that’s going to miss a little time here with injury.”
(On if the defense is a little ahead of the offense right now) “Usually the defense is ahead. They should
be. Offense, there’s a lot more timing involved with the five offensive lineman, and the running backs,
and making sure pad levels are on the same angle that the offensive line is in, the quarterback’s eyes,
the timing, the details around, there’s just more timing with offense. So, this time of camp and probably
early in the season usually, defenses may have a little advantage.”
(On if QB C.J. Beathard will get much playing time Friday) “I don’t need to see a lot from C.J., but still the
first time for him to be under a live scenario other than the other day, but I just want to see him out
there and see how he executes the offense. I don’t need to see a ton, but I still want to see some time.”
(On CB Tyson Campbell) “I’ve seen someone growing into a leadership role, someone who’s really
developing his craft, honing his skill. He’s playing with confidence, and those are all things that we need
to continue to nurture in him as a young player. He’s had a really good camp. It was really good to see in
the Raider game, he got nicked earlier in the game and wanted to go back, so confidently put him back
in the football game where he could work through that, and those are kinds of things you’re starting to
see with him and how he’s developing himself and turning into a leader on that defense.”
(On a timeline for LB Devin Lloyd) “Not a timeline specifically, but a range. I’m hoping to get through this
week and hoping to get him on the grass next week, but he’s doing well. You’re seeing him in individual
drills now, which is a good sign that he’ll be back out there into full contact stuff maybe next week.”
(On team sleep specialists) “I don’t specifically deal with them, but we do get a lot of reports from sleep
doctors, and I leave a lot of that up to Ferg (Director of Player Health and Performance Jeff Ferguson)
and Ced (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Cedric Scott) and the guys and Mindy (Director of
Performance Nutrition Mindy Black), all the nutritionists, all the sports science people. I kind of push
them that way a little bit, but it is something I’m very aware of because I think it affects how you play.
Getting the proper rest in camp now, nights before games, and if we’re traveling, different time zones,
all that kind of stuff can impact how a player feels and how a player plays, and coaches as well. It’s
something we pay quite a bit of attention to.”
(On if sleep is a big priority especially while traveling to London) “It’s huge. The Jaguars have been over
there many years and know how to handle it, so I leave that up to the experts and let them tell me what
to do.”
(On how WR Zay Jones is playing) “He’s playing fast. He’s explosive. I think he and Trevor (Lawrence)
have built a good rapport, the connection there. They’re working through some details of some routes
and stuff, getting to know body language from a quarterback to a receiver. Zay’s done a great job in
understanding our system. He’s playing fast. Another one, as part of the offensive pieces, that I’m
looking forward to Friday night and playing.”
(On the difficulty of finding consistency with young players on the defense) “It just comes with reps,
time on the grass. That’s the only way you can build consistency, then just playing together. That’s why
these preseason games are so important, even for a series or two or three in a game just to start that
process. This is the time of camp for us to really find out who our 53 are going to be and start putting
those matchups together, start building defensive packages or offensive packages, where we’re going to
see guys in different situations. It just comes with time on the grass, and that’s the only way you can do
it.”
(On the depth that they have) “On paper we’ve definitely got the depth that we wanted and that we
need. That’s another thing. You’re not game planning right now, so you’re not game planning run
schemes and run fits and formations and all that kind of stuff, so you’re just lining up and playing, but at
the same time, in the next couple weeks, that’s something we’re going to have to figure out. We’ve got
to get better at stopping the run obviously. The Raiders rushed for almost 160 yards on us. That kind of
stuff can’t happen, but we’ve got to flip it. We’ve got to be the team that runs rushes for 160, but again,
that comes with time and development, new techniques, playing together for the first time. It just takes
a little bit of time.”
(On what about QB EJ Perry made him want to bring him back) “He was with us all spring. We had time
invested in him. I thank Kyle (Sloter) for the couple weeks that he was here. He did a nice job for us
while he was here, and we wish him the best. In EJ, we had a guy we liked coming out of the draft and
brought him in here, smart kid, sharp kid. He’s healthy now and ready to go.”
(On Arden Key’s leadership on the field) “He’s one of those guys we brought in as a free agent to really
help bolster our third down pass rush, maybe second down pass rush, getting after the quarterback, we
saw that the other night against the Raiders, and that’s what he can bring. He’s a passionate player. He’s
been on a team in his past that has been successful and seen how it’s done, and he wants to bring that
type of leadership here to this football team. I love it when guys like that take the reins in a leadership
role in that way. He’s doing it by example on the field and doing it by word. If he continues that path,
he’ll be fine, and we’ll be a better defensive line because of it.”
(On if this is a point in camp where leaders start to stand out) “It is. It’s still a little bit early in camp, but
we’re settled in now here, and you start seeing a little separation with the guys and the ones who really
take the reins and lead by example, lead by grabbing their position group, grabbing the whole offense or
defense, and you just need more of that. You need more guys that embrace it. It’s not about being
perfect because we’re not perfect out here. Guys are going to make mistakes, but at the same time
we’ve got to take ownership in it, learn from them, and this is that time.”
JAGUARS S ANDRE CISCO
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2022
(On hitting RB Travis Etienne) “Coach said ‘Live’ and ‘Don’t hit the knees,’ and that’s all I heard. It was
the first play. He was on the sideline tip-toeing, we made eye contact, so it wasn’t cheap, it was good
work, getting that live work. I was glad when coach said we’re going to go live. Me and Travis are good.
No beef. I really didn’t think I hit him that hard. It was the reaction from Rayshawn and all them like
‘Yeah!’ I said, ‘I hit him like that?’ ‘Yeah, you hit him like that.’ I saw it on film. It was decent. I don’t feel
too bad though.”
(On if he has gained confidence) “Absolutely. It comes with reps, comes with time. Just being around
professionals and letting my mentality grow and becoming a leader is what I’m striving for right now. My
confidence has been growing in that aspect, and I’m looking forward to more growth.”
(On the amount of contact he feels like he needs to be ready) “It’s probably what you get the least when
it comes to practicing football. When you get these practices, just to embrace that and everybody is on
the same type of time. I embrace that and I’m glad we get to do it because you need a few times before
the game to set your pads.”
(On if he feels like he is becoming the player he envisioned himself to be) “Absolutely. I think that’s a
good way to put it. Just becoming myself. The coaches allow you to be yourself. They embrace you being
yourself, your personality on the field, and the guys are starting to understand what kind of guy I am. I
like to have fun on the field, I like to joke on the sidelines, but I’m all about business at the end of the
day.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s previous statement that Cisco takes a lot of calculated risks, but he is usually
right) “So far, I’ve been fortunate that when I do take a risk that’s a little outside of what the coaches
are teaching, I’m able to put myself in a position to play off my teammates, it all fits together, and that’s
what it’s about. You don’t want to play outside the scheme so far that you put the team in a bad
position. So I’ve been working that, and it’s been good.”
(On the level of frustration with not getting on the field as much last year) Absolutely, mainly because
I’m coming off of ACL the season prior. You want to have your comeback season the season prior. So to
come back and not have the opportunity as I imagined was frustrating, but that’s all part of the
process.”
(In response to Syracuse Head Coach Dino Babers comments about his lack of playing time last year and
that he is mentally one of the fastest players he has ever seen when it came to understanding
responsibilities and trusting your instincts) “Shoutout to Coach. Appreciate him. When I got to Syracuse,
I came from a school that had really advanced me in football knowledge at IMG Academy, so I had the
opportunity to start as a freshman my first day of spring ball, I was a starter. They put a lot of pressure
on me, and I was able to handle it.”
(On if the team feels like they have a good chance to be a pretty good defense) “Absolutely. That’s the
mindset. The mindset is to be a top defense. That’s just how we’ve been carrying ourselves, how we’ve
been talking about, and that’s our standard. So when we have a day that’s not up to our standard, we
talk about it and say that’s not acceptable. Even this preseason game, we are looking to have a standard.
Wins and losses aren’t the biggest things when it comes to preseason sometimes, but we’re
approaching it like we got to look a certain way.”
(On if they talk about being a top five rushing defense) “We talk about being top of the league.
Whatever categories follow that. That’s what means something to us.”
(On what DL Arden Key does for the defense and means to the group) “What I see from our end is he’s a
pass rusher, and I’ve seen a lot of different types of moves and techniques from him. He seems like a
guy that that is his specialty. He has looked really good. A good dude. Me and him go back and forth and
joke a lot, so he’s a personality guy, I would say. Someone who’s been around the league, who’s been on
winning teams, and he’ll express it out here. He’ll bring it up sometimes and be vocal, and you
appreciate that because you know he comes from a winning background.”
(On the importance of the secondaries to get game reps during the preseason) “It’s crucial. I know for
me, I’ve still got things I’m working on. I’m focusing on that so when game one comes, it might not be
perfect yet, but I know I put my time into it in live situations because off-season and even practice you
can only do so much, so I appreciate these preseason games. I really do.”
(On if he has a number of passes he would like to breakup in mind) “I know what number gets you to the
Pro Bowl. Do I have a specific number that I’ll be mad about if I don’t hit? No. I’m focusing on attacking
the ball. When it’s in the air, make the plays.”
(On the team having seven interceptions last year) “You have to (shake your head) because that’s not
what you want. You want seven interceptions for yourself. That’s what every DB thinks and every DB
wants, so we got to do the right thing in the back end more than just making the plays when they come,
you want to be able to be in position to make a quarterback throw where he doesn’t want to go and do
those type of things. That’s what we’ve been working on.”
(On if people would label him as a good open-field tackler) “I don’t know what people would label me
as, but I know what I aim to be, and that’s a complete safety, so that’s something I have to do as a
complete safety I have to make those open-field tackles, and I’ve been working on it.”
(On OLB Josh Allen’s growth from last year to this year) “Me and Josh, man…last year we didn’t talk as
much. Josh likes me more now though. I appreciate Josh. Josh is a really good dude. Me and him been
going back and forth on what it got to look like. Josh has a lot of faith in me and I appreciate that. I
actually ran into him in Times Square on a random day in the offseason, and that’s how I knew it was
meant to be this year, that we were going to have a great tandem between us.”
(On his friendship with CB Tyson Campbell) “Tyson is just one of those guys that keeps his head down no
matter what the result is, so I’ve learned from him in that aspect. Me and him have been good friends
even from pre-draft until now. We pray together, we talk about a lot of stuff. We’re also locker buddies,
so we joke and that’s my guy. We come from the same draft class. There are a lot of things we have in
common naturally, so we’re able to go off that, and we’re good friends that way.”
