JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
(On the work the guys put in yesterday and what he wants to see out of them today) “Yesterday was really good. I think both teams got what they wanted out of the practice, which is good work. You want the same thing today. The pads are off, but that doesn’t mean you can’t practice fast and still get some good work in, so that’s the goal these two days. I think, too, for the guys, get them out of our place and get them somewhere else, somewhere new and practice against some different looks offensively and defensively, and our guys have handled it well.”
(On LB Devin Lloyd’s first training camp practice) “It was good to see him out there. As we’ve talked, we’ve tried to increase his reps each day, and hopefully he’ll get a few more today. I’ll say this, you can see the nerves and the jitterbugs floating around in him a little bit out there, but he settled in and had a nice practice. Good to see him back out there.”
(On what he saw from the right tackles yesterday) “I think another big day for them today. Jawaan (OL Jawaan Taylor), he’s played consistent, played well. Walker (Little) is right there with him. It’s still a little bit of a competition. I think both of them have done some really good things. This game, we’ll see how much time each of them plays, but we’ve got to make a decision soon because we’re getting ready for Week 1.”
(On if LB Devin Lloyd will play Saturday) “He should. Barring any setbacks, we should see him possibly the first quarter.”
(On the left guard competition between OL Ben Bartch and OL Tyler Shatley and who will play Saturday) “Haven’t made that decision yet as far as playing time, but Bartch has done well there. He settled in over at left guard. Shatley has done a nice job as well, but one thing with Shat is he can move back to center if we need to, gives us a little versatility there.”
(On if he liked what he saw from RB James Robinson) “He was impressive from the standpoint of hitting his landmarks in the backfield. I get to stand behind the offense, so I get to see the vision of the running backs a little bit, and I thought he did a good job of being patient. When the hole opened up, he was able to burst through it and accelerate, and it really looks like he’s been out there several weeks now, quite honestly. He’s another one that’s been excited to get back out on the field himself, so hopefully the yellow jersey will come off soon.”
(On his impression of OLB Travon Walker so far in camp and dealing with pressures of being the number one overall pick of the 2022 draft) “As far as the pressure goes, I just tell him to be himself. It’s going to come with the territory. He understands it, just embrace it. It’s part of being the overall pick, right? He’s just—other than a quarterback. He’s handled that extremely well, but the thing is, he just loves ball. He
wants to be on the field, he wants to practice, he loves practicing, he loves being around his teammates. I love his athleticism, who he is as a person, hard worker. Those are the things we felt like in the pre-
draft process that we were kind of spot on with him with the people we talked to, and we’ve just been excited with him and looking forward to the regular season with him this whole training camp.”
(On the red zone offense) “Again with Atlanta, you see a different style of defense than our own down there, so that was good to see and good to make corrections. In fact, in our seven-on-seven portion of practice, we were inside the 5 yard line, and they had nine guys on defense over there, so it just tells you it’s a different style. There’s a lot of guys on coverage, and it’s good looks for us. It’s going to be that way. We’re going to get some, they’re going to get some. It’s good work. Get our stuff on film so we can make corrections.”
(On his experience being in a final preseason game that meant a lot for him as a player) “It meant a lot for me when I played because I was the guy playing. That’s my message to the guys that are going to play, honestly, the guys that get opportunities. I don’t want to say it’s the end of the road because there are 31 teams looking at these rosters, and it can be put your best foot forward. It may not be with the Jaguars, it may be somewhere else. That’s the encouraging part for me, the motivating factor I guess, is just allowing them to go out and play and relax and have fun and do their job, and they’re trying to make our team, but other teams are looking as well.”
(On how hard it is as a coach making those cuts) “It’s hard. It’s the hardest part of our business. Trying to get down from 80 to 53, it’s a lot of guys. You’re affecting a lot of lives. I was one of those guys, six different times released in this league, but again, it’s not that their hopes and dreams are over, it’s just maybe they have to go somewhere else. Then you’ve got practice squad. With the increased practice squad rosters now and the ability to keep some veteran players there really helps keep more athletes, more football players.”
(On how the increased practice squad factors into their decisions) “It’s hard to put them over there because you’ve got to release them for a period of time. You just got to hope they clear the waivers even bring them back. That’s the nature of the beast. Every team is going to go, ‘Man, we’ve got these last five to eight guys that we definitely like and want to keep, but there are a bunch of teams looking at them, too.’ It’s tough. Listen, I hope they get picked up, honestly. We’d love to keep them, but I hope they get to an active roster somewhere or even to a practice squad somewhere. That means they did enough to warrant a job.”
(On LB Foye Oluokun) “I’ll tell you this, his leadership, number one. By the way he handles his business on and off the field. He’s a tremendous leader off the field in the locker room with the guys. He fit in right away, hard worker. Those are the things the guys see and they want out of your middle linebacker, the guy that’s making all the calls, and he’s been a great addition to us.”
(On his cuts from playing in the NFL) “There were a few up there (Green Bay) and a few at South Florida, so I’ve been around a while.”
(On the joint practices now that they are in the middle of it compared to looking ahead) “This is our first. We only did one. Yeah, we’ve done one. I’ll tell you this, I’ve done them before in my past, I really like them. I really like them. It’s a matter of just, I think, the head coaches getting together, communicating a little bit of philosophy, what we’re trying to get done, and that’s what Coach Smith and I did, and how we communicate with our football team, and what we’re trying to get accomplished in a couple days. I think you saw it yesterday, there was some really good work being done, some collisions, all the things you want from a practice, just we didn’t have all the extracurricular. That’s credit to the players for
owning that. I’ve learned from the first two that I’ve been a part of, and you learn from that. I think the Falcons learned from last week with the Jets, and they’ve been really good for us.”
(On how much they specifically plan versus just letting each team do what they’re going to do) “One of the things, I stay away from blitz, team blitz periods. It tends to get ramped up a little bit, and it’s non—I don’t want to say it’s not realistic, but if 10 plays are all blitz, everybody kind of knows what’s happening, right? I would rather them blitz during the course of a team period, 11-on-11 drills. We know we’ve got to stay off the quarterbacks, there’s no cutting. We’re protecting both teams, but at the same time, we’re trying to get that work done. I want to see a running back pick up a linebacker coming up the middle in the A gap. Luke Fortner drive back on a looping end or something like that. You want to see that kind of stuff on tape and still get that good work in.”
(On how much of a climb LB Devin Lloyd has to make for his starter position) “That’s why these practices here and next week are going to be important to him. There was a lot of lost time, reps on the field that Chad (Muma) got, and Chad’s better for it, which is good for us, too, but listen, we’re fortunate to have both of those guys here with us, and we’ve just got to do our job as coaches to make sure that Devin is caught up to speed and he’s prepared mentally and physically for what he’s about to face.”
(On what he has seen from LB Chad Muma that gives him confidence if he had to go into Week 1 as the starter) “The game has kind of slowed down for Chad. He’s starting to see things quicker, make more of those instinctive linebacker-type moves, and that’s what you’ve got to see, and that just comes from playing and being out there, and that’s what he’s done, and that’s what we now have to get Devin caught up and doing.”
(On OL Cole Van Lanen in the left guard battle) “Yeah, he’s done some nice things. We got him here, when did we fly up here? Tuesday. He got here late Tuesday night, physical yesterday morning, got a cram session with the offense, and we throw him out there. Here you go, good luck, welcome to Jacksonville. I tell you what, he’s handled it extremely well, smart guy, he’s sharp, he was able to pick up a lot of things. When Tyler Shatley is playing next to him at center, there’s great communication. Tyler’s a veteran, he’s a pro, he understands what’s going on. That’s what you need out of those guys. They just help each other, and I think he’ll be able to compete possibly for a spot, and we’ll see today and next week where it unfolds.”
(On what he looks for when he makes a position switch for a player such as WR Jamal Agnew) “I think you have to look at the best interest of the player, number one. The position that he might be currently in, and is his skillset, his ability to do certain things. I think about Jamal (WR Jamal Agnew) as a former defensive back and transferring over to being a receiver, kind of a hybrid-type runner, and the player obviously has to embrace any kind of switch. You’ve got to have great conversation with him, be open with him and have that dialogue I think, but there’s a skillset that somebody possesses that you go, ‘Hey, I think this will be a better spot for you. This is how you can help our football team. For him, too, it’s special teams, right, returning. It’s a bit of a process. If you’re going to do those moves, you don’t do them Week 2 or 3 of the regular season, you do them in the offseason to give these guys a chance to make that switch. I’ve thought, especially in Jamal’s case, that he’s handled that really well, he’s embraced it, he’s having fun with it.”
JAGUARS OLB TRAVON WALKER
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
(On going up against someone that was not his own team) “It’s definitely helpful. Every day at practice you don’t get to go full speed, full throttle every day against them, but once we put the pads on against another team, it’s all go.”
(On if there is anything he struggled with or needs to improve on) “I’ll definitely say I learned some things about myself, just some things with like my hands, Bill [Shuey] was just telling me once I get to the top of my rush I beat him one time he just replaces his hand, keep using my size on the get off, just a few more things I took note of on myself.”
(On what is different now that he is an NFL player) “I definitely have to say my mind has grown a lot, just mature. I’ve learned a lot of different moves from a lot of different players, just taking a lot like from my other interviews, I take little small things from other players that I know and try to insert it into my game and see if it can help me as well.”
(On what is different about the lifestyle) “For me, it’s not a different lifestyle. It’s all football. My life revolves around the game of football, so it’s all the same lifestyle.”
(On how the talent at Georgia helped prepare him for the NFL) “Coming from Georgia to the NFL made it a lot easier going against a lot of good guys from Georgia in practice and once I got to the NFL, practice started to slow down a little more, you learn how to practice with whatever the coach has going for the day.”
(On how good he and OLB Josh Allen can be together) “We can be as great as we want to be. The sky is the limit for us. We’re going to continue to work, and we’re striving to be the best in the league.”
(On if joint practices turned out to be as good as he hoped they would be) “It definitely was. A lot of excitement coming into it, like I said not going against my teammates every day and getting to go against another opponent.”
(On if he feels like he has something to prove as the number one NFL draft pick) “I know I’m going to get everybody’s best shot, but I don’t feel like I have a target on my back because everybody’s out here trying to make a living for themselves and their family, and so am I. Just got to keep going, get to work.”
(On if practices are harder at Georgia than they are in Jacksonville) “I have to say it’s different. It’s college ball and NFL ball. You have a lot of teams. You try to preserve your body. It’s a longer season, so you have to take things like that into account. Just coming from college to the NFL it’s a big difference in the practice structure.”
(On the adjustments with the speed of the game) “The speed of the game was definitely the number one transition between college and the NFL.”
(On how it’s been to see LB Devin Lloyd in practice this week) “Just to see Devin out there yesterday in full pads for the first time, he was flying around, looking good, filling gaps, doing what he’s supposed to do. It wasn’t a surprise because I’ve watched film on him, seen him do it on film, but to actually have him out there on the field with me flying around like he was, I’m excited to see how he’s going to be.”
(On differences LB Devin Lloyd can make for the defense) “Devin, he’s one of those guys, he’s very energetic, he has a very high motor, like once Devin gets going, it’s going to be hard to slow him down. He’s one of those type guys that just stay on it. He pushes himself.”
(On if he and QB Trevor Lawrence ever talk about how they were both drafted number one) “Not really. We have mentioned it just because you guys may say something about it, but we really don’t dwell on that. It’s in the past, and now we’re all on the same boat. Everybody’s in the NFL still trying to prove a point.”
(On if being the number one picks adds any pressure) “There’s no pressure at all. Like I say, it’s a game we’ve been playing ever since we were seven years old, so it’s no pressure to just continue what I’ve been doing my whole life.”
(On if it has sunk in that the next time he plays a game it will be in the regular season) “It really hasn’t just because I still have that feeling that I really don’t know if I’m going to play or not, whatever. I’m still just approaching it as if I am playing this weekend, so I’m just going to take it as it comes.”
(On what he thinks the emotions will be stepping onto the field in week one) “It will be the same, the same that you guys have seen in the preseason. Once I’m on that field I’m in go mode. I’m ready to play ball, try to get the win, get the job done.”
(On if he got to see anybody while he is near home in Georgia this week) “My family is still in Florida right now, so I really haven’t seen anybody other than my agent and a couple people from Georgia, so it was good to see the guys I saw from Georgia.”
(On what he has observed from OLB Josh Allen that may help him) “The thing about Josh, he’s one of those guys that if he’s doing something, trying to implement something into his game, it could be like watching extra film, working on a different move, just to throw offensive linemen off, keep them from being able to say, ‘Oh, he does this every time,’ but he’s trying to learn something new, he always calls me or shoots me a text like, ‘Oh, bro, I’m about to try to work on this. You can try to implement this into your game if you want to,’ but he’s one of those guys who’s giving me information, and it’s for me to take the information that he’s giving me and try to use it.”
(On what was the most important thing he crossed off his list from training camp) “I’m in the NFL. This is my first training camp, and like I said, going through this training camp is totally different from college. It’s a whole new level of achievement. I just want to keep striving to be the best person I can be.”
(On if he thinks they have what it takes to be an elite defense) “Most definitely. Like I say, one of the main things that I say between my college defense and now is just the chemistry. I can tell that the chemistry we have on the defense now is coming together from when I first came in. There’s a good mix
of new guys coming in—me, Arden Key—I’m not going to single anybody out but just new guys coming in. Once we get that connection, that’s what training camp is for. We built that connection through training camp. We’re going to see how it is during the season.”
(On what DL Arden Key brings to the table) “When I see Arden Key I look at him from a position like I was at Georgia. He’s one of those guys who plays down on the inside but he can also rush the edge as well, so when I talk to him it’s basically like talking to Josh but I can talk to him because he rushes on the inside a little more, so I can talk to him about things like that. He’s one of those guys that stays on me, as well, to help me implement little things into my game.
JAGUARS LB FOYE OLUOKUN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022
(On how it is being back at his former team’s facilities) “It was nostalgic, definitely felt weird coming and competing with everybody, people congratulating me and stuff, but it definitely is cool that they had a lot of love for me in the organization that they would congratulate me before a joint practice with a lot of my old teammates and old coaches. I was happy to be back, just excited to compete against my old friends.”
(On how it felt to get an interception in practice) “Oh, it was great! Coach Smith made a joke about return on investment. I might as well make one play if I left for that much. But, I enjoyed it. I like getting my hands on the football, trying to make plays. It was nice to do that against the Falcons.”
(On what he saw on that play that led to an interception) “It was really a play action panic there, and they had to sit down. They do that a lot. I saw the sit down. I ran, and the ball came, and I caught it. Pretty simple when you break it down.”
(On how the offense looks different after seeing it every day last year) “When I leave in the offseason, I really forget a lot, and I relearn it. They got the pistol now, they’ve got a running quarterback, that’s definitely different. Their boots, they have a triple-option look. A lot of it’s different with the moving pocket stuff. The run scheme I think is pretty similar, but it’s how they get open now, kind of off the, not a scramble but escaping the pocket and moving.”
(On what is different about Falcons TE Kyle Pitts) “He’s the same player. I definitely like his aggression. I always joke with him about his blocking, so he’s definitely improved on that. They’ll use him at the head point of blocks now. I always talk about young kids’ motor. I just talked about that earlier with Travon, he’s always improving and trying to get better. I saw him working on his release and his craft and that boy’s got down the field speed and I think he’s just becoming a better player.”
(On if he was curious to what TE Kyle Pitts would look like) “I’ve kind of kept up to speed. I’ve been watching. They show me stuff.”
(On LB Devin Lloyd being back out there practicing) “After this first day I thought he looked pretty good, getting back up to speed and stuff. A lot of it is just understanding the little details and calls he hasn’t seen all camp for real, but I think he looked pretty good, and I’m excited to see where he can go this year.”
(On how difficult it might be to jump back in) “Especially if this is the first time in the defense, you can’t just jump right in and expect to be perfect, but he’s done a pretty good job for his first practice.”
(On being considered the manager of the defense) “I don’t mind managing, that way I know where everybody is, and I feel like I have a lot of information to tell them so they can get up to speed so they
can become great linebackers themselves. If we’re all playing well, I think, we’re all doing our jobs, so that’s good for me.”
(On if that falls into his personality) “Growing up playing sports, every sports team I was on, when people kind of look at you as the leader, it happens naturally. When we’re all clicking, we’re clicking.”
(On if the defense is where he thought it would be at this time) “The defense can look good at times. I think we need to stay good when we’re going well. Obviously, I don’t want to be wavy; I want to stay high. I think we’ve shown two preseason games the we look pretty good. I think we have to have that be our expectation, that way we can always play that well no matter who we’re playing. Whether it be our own offense or come out here joint practice, we don’t want to go on any lows. We should expect, I would say, dominance, but that’s what we’re going for every day.”
(On how much credit he gives the Falcons for helping him get where he is now) “I was very thankful coming in. The first coaching staff I had really taught me a lot of the Xs and Os, gave me that chance to get on the field. Unfortunately, we had an injury early in my career, but that also gave me the confidence that I could really be a player in the league when they put me in after Dion got hurt, then that gave me the confidence to start my third year to be more than a special teams player. I used to write down my goals every year on my mirror and nothing was stats, just becoming the player I wanted to be, getting my hands on the football and stuff, but really it started from that kind of baseline. I hadn’t played linebacker before, but they took the time to teach me the Xs and Os and formations and where to take my shots and stuff. Then I kind of just built on that every year, and with Coach Smith coming in, he taught me a new way to play linebacker a little bit. Then I moved to MIKE, new details, new everything, just a new way to play. I took that in stride and now I just have the confidence that whatever a team needs from me, I can be.”
(On what is on his mirror this year) “Win. I want to win more games for sure. I want to be a respected linebacker across the league, and I want people to give me that respect at the end of the year.”
(On the change to linebacker coming into the league) “Yeah, they told me I should try to play linebacker. I started college as a boundary corner, a FCS All-American freshman team, then I kind of moved to safety. By junior year things were moving pretty well up there at Yale. I got hurt. Then I came back for my fifth year, and they said, ‘You have a shot at the league the way you run and stuff, but you have a better chance at linebacker.’ So, after my pro day, I did my testing at pro day and whatever team wanted to take a shot at me, they could.”
(On the change from safety to linebacker) “When it’s the first time playing linebacker, whatever you teach me I think is right, so I’m just going to do whatever you teach me.”
(On if it was a possibility to come back to Atlanta) “Whenever the deal was made, that morning, honestly I thought I was coming back to Atlanta, but it was either Atlanta or Jacksonville, and my agent did agent stuff, and I guess I was going to Jacksonville. I told them what the parameters would be, and I said I would be very happy going to Jacksonville and starting there. They said they had a lot of room to work with and people to build on, so after I signed, I was attached to my phone trying to see who we might bring in next, because we have a good opportunity in Jacksonville.”
(On if the money was a big factor) “Money is cool and stuff, but I’m trying to win games. I’m trying to get my respect at the end of the year. I appreciate the money, obviously, but I don’t really need a lot to live, so it’s nice.”
(On how impressed he has been with LB Devin Lloyd) “He’s going to be like a lab rat. He’s a worker, a very hard worker. I think he tweaked his hamstring working a little too hard. I told him to chill out. He just wants to be the best he can, but he wants to be the best now. I like that about him. He just has to listen to learn, and I think the sky is the limit for him.”
(On how they get to that point of getting and staying on) “A lot of it is, like we talked about earlier, just believing in ourselves. The Jaguars got a narrative that we’re trying to erase. And it’s my first year being here, I don’t really care what they said about them earlier, we’re the Jaguars now. We’re the defense now. So, if we go out there and dominate every day, when we feel like we’re in a lull, we feel like that’s not normal. Expect to be out there playing well. Like I keep on saying, we should expect to dominate. Go out there with the expectation, and anything less, you’re not happy with.”
(On the expectations when most of the starters won’t be playing) “We’ll talk about week one. It’s coming. Right now we’re just trying to get the best out of training camp, get the calls in, see what they look like against a different offense. As week one comes and our team formulates, we’ll be ready to go.” (On how impressed he has been with QB Trevor Lawrence) “It’s been cool to see what Doug is doing with him. He moves very well. He gets balls to receivers in space. I’m very excited to see the player that he can be. He’s still young, so he’s got a lot of room to grow, but I think he’s going to be a good player.
