QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2024
(On RB Travis Etienne Jr.’s ability to have a bounce-back game) “I mean he’s just the same
guy every day. He doesn’t get too high or too low. That’s something I love about him. I think
he’s going to respond great. He always has. Like you said, shoot, we’ve played together for,
this is year seven, I guess? Year seven together. So, of course, with both of us, we’ve seen
each other both have some plays that we want back. I think we both have a lot of
confidence in one another to bounce back and you know what you’re going to get out of
him. So, yeah, I’m excited for him.”
(On his thoughts about the Browns defense and how much he revisits last year’s game vs.
Cleveland in preparation for Sunday) “Yeah, really good defense. They present a lot of
challenges, obviously just a physical group. Look at obviously the two edge guys they have,
[Browns DE] Myles Garrett, [Browns DE] Za’Darius Smith, both those guys are great players.
So, obviously, everybody knows Myles and what he can do, but it’s more than just him. It’s
the whole defense, the scheme, they play fast, they know what they’re doing. It’s fairly
simple. They have some good pressure stuff that’s really good, but beyond that, it’s pretty
simple. They just have really good players. They’re well-coached. They know where to be,
when to be there. They’re physical. They’re good at diagnosing plays, kind of beating you to
spots. So, there are a bunch of challenges they present. Some of the stuff obviously that
last year we had the tape against them that we struggled with, we want to improve on. We
had our opportunities as well though and didn’t hit a lot of those plays, whether it’s run-
game or pass-game. So, we know there are some opportunities. Obviously, they’re really
good defense though, so there’s going to be some challenges.”
(On what it says about WR Brian Thomas Jr. that the Miami Dolphins showed him respect in
his NFL debut) “Yeah, I mean, just the type of player he is. I mean, obviously, I have no idea
what Miami was thinking going in, because he’s rookie, and not a ton of tape out there from
the preseason. He made some splash plays here and there, but you don’t have much to go
off of. But just to see how they would cover him, and Jalen [Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey]
followed him around a little bit and all that deal. It wasn’t all the time, but obviously they
have a lot of respect for him. Then, especially after that play early in the game, when he ran
the post over the top, did a great job at the line against Jalen. I think they really had even
more respect for him after that. Moving forward, it kind of changes how you cover a guy like
that the rest of the game when that happens early. So, I think that’s only going to help us,
his ability. The cool thing about him is no moment’s too big for him. He’s a gamer and just
shows up ready to play every time he goes out there. That’s exciting to see as a
quarterback, just some of the plays he made. Doesn’t seem like a rookie at all, has that
quiet confidence about him. Not always quiet – I saw him talking to Jalen after that play in
the end zone was pretty cool. That got us all juiced and amped up just to see that
competitive fire come out. I think that’s awesome to see out of anybody, but especially a
young guy like that with the confidence he has.”
(On if Thomas Jr. has opened up more recently) “I mean, now that I’ve been around him a
lot, he’s opened up a little bit, but definitely on the field. You haven’t seen as much of that
and that came out when the lights came on. I love seeing that. I mean, that’s half the battle
of the sport, but especially receiver-DB, that confidence piece and having that fire. That’s
important, so it was cool to see it come out.”
(On if he felt there was anything more he could have done on the last drive of the game vs.
Miami) “I think honestly, there’s a couple of plays I want back from the game. I thought
overall I did the right thing with the ball. I was accurate. There were some things I liked that I
did and that we did as an offense, but there are probably two plays that stick out to me.
Early in the game, it was like a third-and-23 or something. I should have just checked it
down. Probably don’t get the first down, but taking care of the ball, doing the right thing. I
tried to kind of force one, fit one in early to Evan [TE Evan Engram] that hit off the safety’s
hands. That’s one I want back. And then the second down that last drive, we’re in empty
again, I just tried to accelerate my read a little bit too much and should have just stuck to
my rules and took an easy completion and kept it in third-and-manageable. I tried to
scramble and went right into a game with the D-end. That sack’s on me. I kind of ran right
into the game that they did up front. So those are the two main plays, honestly, that I feel
like I want back and that I could have done something better with. There are a few other
plays too I could be a little bit more accurate, do some other things, but those are the ones
that really stick out to me. That was really more what I meant is, especially on that second
down on the last drive, I felt like I could have definitely gotten a completion and kept us in
third-and-manageable instead of getting us into third-and I don’t know what it was, 11, 12, I
forget what it was, but something like that.”
(On playing his first game with OL Mitch Morse) “It was great. The communication was
awesome. I thought the whole group up front did a great job. Protection was really good. I
thought that was a bright spot for us for sure, and obviously, Mitch is leading the group up
there. I thought he did an awesome job. It was physical, communicated really well. Clearly,
on the road it was loud at times and there was a couple, I think, one or two delay of games
and those were on me. I’ve got to move a little bit faster and communicate faster, but as far
as him, I thought he did a great job and was very decisive on what he wanted to do.”
(On if having success with Thomas Jr. and WR Gabe Davis as new receivers gave him more
confidence) “Definitely. You look at, obviously, I’ve played a lot of football with Christian
[WR Christian Kirk], Evan, Travis, Parker [WR Parker Washington] came along strong last
year at the end of the year. But you look at Gabe and Brian, those are the two new guys that
weren’t here. So that’s something you want to see is just that chemistry and all that. It was
great in Week 1, and we’ve got to continue to build off of it. It doesn’t surprise me at all just
because we put a lot of work in and I’ve seen them in practice and those guys are just
gamers, both of them, honestly. They’ll go out and make the play. So, it doesn’t surprise me
at all and it’s great having those guys and them impacting the game and contributing this
early in the system and getting comfortable. I think it’s awesome. It’s just going to keep
growing.”
(On if the Week 1 loss to Miami will be relatively easier to come back from) “Yeah, I mean,
that’s kind of the whole—that’s this league. It happens. It sucks, and you want to do
everything you can to not let it happen and 100 percent, we should have won the game.
Self-inflicted things, that’s why we lost, and we gave it away in our opinion, but we know
that and you can’t do that in this league. That’s where credit Miami, they made the plays.
So, you can’t ever take anything away from another team because we’ve been in that same
position where we’ve won games like that. We know where we’re at. You know, it’s Week 1.
Of course, every game is important, so we don’t take it lightly, but we also understand it is a
long season and we have a lot of confidence in our team and the group we have, and we do
need to improve and not make those mistakes and not continue to make those mistakes.
There were some things in the game where we have to get better, but I also think if you
watch the game and you really look at it play-for-play, there were a lot of bright spots. We
did a lot of good things and moving forward, that gives us a lot of confidence. So that’s stuff
that we’re going to correct. We’re going to fix, and we have to. You can’t take it lightly. You
have to be really intentional this week to improve and learn from those things. But at the
end of the day, it is the NFL, and you’ve got to move on. If you’re still thinking about how the
game went on Sunday on Wednesday, we’re trying to get ready for the Browns. We can’t be
thinking about the Dolphins anymore.”
(On the importance of moving on and staying level-headed) “100 percent. It’s the same
thing, don’t get too high or too low. You can’t be down in the dumps too much and beat
yourself up and let it affect your confidence. But you also can’t try to do too much and try to
make every—of course, you try to make every play—but go out of your responsibility and
your job to make every play and do too much. Just play your game, trust your coaching,
trust our system—talking offensively—and it will come to you. I feel like we have a great
plan, a great process, and you just have to keep trusting it. We were in a position to win this
game because of a great week of prep, and obviously, we didn’t make a couple of plays
down the stretch, that’s what happened. It’s as simple as that. You move on to the next
week.”
(On why Thomas Jr. was not targeted in the second half) “I mean, obviously there’s a full
range of stuff. There are some plays where, yeah, you might be trying to take a shot at a
certain guy and you’re hoping that that’s the guy that’s open because that’s what you want,
but you’ve got to progress through and it doesn’t work out that way. That happened plenty
in the game and every week that happens. So, then there’s a lot of just drop-back stuff or
it’s a quick game or whatever. If it’s zone, I’m getting it to whoever’s open and it’s not always
going to be—you never know who it’s going to be. So those happen and then there’s
definitely plays where, like I said, you’re trying to get it to either him or Gabe or Christian or
Evan or whatever, and it just doesn’t work out for whatever reason. Maybe it’s a different
coverage, maybe you get to a run play. So many factors go into it, so it’s a lot harder to
just—it’s not like we’re not trying to get guys the ball. I also think in the second half, we had
so many three-and-outs because we couldn’t stay on the field. So, we didn’t get many plays
in general. I think we ran 50-ish plays in the game. So, it’s tough. That’s not the goal for us.
We want to run a lot more plays than that, keep our defense off the field and when you have
all those three-and-outs, you can’t ever settle in and really get in a rhythm like we did on the
long drive. When we were backed up in the second half, we got a great drive going, got in a
rhythm and that was really the only one. We’ve got to stay on the field, is the main thing.”
(On the team’s relationship with Thomas Jr.) “I mean, it’s obviously, we have an older—not
really old, but an older group of some veteran guys. I mean, you look at Evan’s been in the
league for a while, Christian, Gabe, myself—I’m getting there now, played a lot of football at
this point in my career. A young guy comes in, and I think the biggest thing too is you know
the type of player he is, and we’ve seen it on the field, and we know what he can be and
what he’s becoming already. So, you want to see him make all those plays and then also his
personality to go with it. He’s a quieter guy, kind of unassuming. and then he goes out there
and just balls out and he’ll talk a little trash. Some of that stuff’s a little unexpected. So, you
get excited seeing that. I think it’s awesome. I like the way he carries himself. He’s always
like this. He just never flinches. I think he’s awesome.”
(On how important it is to win at home) “Super important. You’ve got to win at home. Not
just because you’ve got to win the games to give yourself a shot at the end of the season to
get to where you want to go, but also for our fans and our fan base. We want the stadium to
be packed. We want to have a home-field advantage and when we’re winning, we get that.
Towards the middle and end of the season, and when we’re struggling a little bit, we’ve
noticed that we don’t necessarily get that. So, we’ve got to put a good product out there
and we’ve got to play well at home for our fans. Obviously, that’s huge for us and we want to
win here, and we want this to be a really difficult place to play. Obviously, it is, it has been in
the past at times, but we want it every week to be a tough environment to come into and to
beat us, it’s going to be really hard.”
HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2024
(On his initial scouting of the Browns) “One, they’ve got great personnel, really great
personnel. Obviously, 95, we know about Myles [Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett]. He’s
an excellent, excellent football player and one of the best we’ve seen. Got our hands full
there. This is a typical [Browns defensive coordinator] Jim Schwartz, get up the field, jet
rush, linebackers are downhill, physical, good tackling football team. Offensively, we know
what they’re capable of doing, obviously. Just go back, I know it was a different quarterback
last year, but chances of hitting some big plays, and the ability to do that, and special
teams. It’s a solid unit. So, good football team.”
(On the challenge of playing against Myles Garrett) “It’s hard to just block him one-on-one,
even with offensive tackles. I mean, it’s a challenge. Particularly on third-down or second-
and-long when they think you’re going to pass. You’ve got to spend the resources to slow
him down. Give him a lot of respect. That’s what teams do, right? You see it on film all the
time. It’s just the respect of who the player is. He can certainly wreck a game.”
(On how much he reviews last year’s game vs. Cleveland) “You’ve got to look at it.
Personnel, what we did offensively, defensively. Offensively we didn’t take care of the ball
very well in that football game. We turned it over too many times and obviously, it still came
down to a one-score game. There’s some positives to take away from it, but I think the
biggest takeaway too for us is just we had to protect the football, which again we didn’t do
on Sunday.”
(On what he’s seen from the Browns’ new additions to their receiver core) “I think, like with
anything, you’ve got talent there. I think they’re still working through some things, getting on
the same page with the quarterback and all that. But listen, it’s the NFL and these guys can
light it up at any time. We have to be prepared this week and stay focused on us.”
(On carrying over the defense’s man-coverage scheme to this week against the Browns)
“Yeah, it’s interesting how people view man coverage nowadays instead of match coverage,
which is a zone defense. But anyway, it’s week-to-week. I’ll tell you this, it’s week-to-week.
Game plans are going to change. Techniques are going to change. How Ryan [Defensive
Coordinator Ryan Nielsen] presents our defense will change from last week. It’s just the
way the league is and that’s what you have to do. It’s sort of a week-to-week game plan
deal. I really thought for the most part, other than the big, the three plays for 182 yards in
the game Sunday, our guys really did a nice job of corralling their receivers and playing
physical when we were in space, tackling in space and things like that. So, it’s going to take
that same type of effort again this week.”
(On if he could explain match coverage) “It would take too long. We’d have to watch tape in
order to do that.”
(On evaluating Browns QB Deshaun Watson’s play in Cleveland compared to when he was
in Houston) “It’s hard for me to speculate and I don’t want to do that. I just know that he’s a
good football player and they went after him and wanted him to be the quarterback there
and he’s still a dangerous guy throwing and running the football. John [Senior Vice
President and Chief Communications Officer John Dever] alluded to the fact that when we
played him years ago back when he was in Houston, he had a heck of a football game, and
he’s got that in him and very capable of doing that. So, can’t fall asleep on it, can’t lose
focus on it. Another good player in this league that you’ve got to give a lot of respect to.”
(On if Cleveland’s offensive identity is still about power, even amid Browns RB Nick
Chubb’s injury status) “Offensively, I do. I do. I see that. I see that they want to establish the
run, obviously, and be physical. I think that was part of their mindset last year going after us
a little bit there. We made some mistakes defensively and some communication errors last
year. Obviously, ultimately some big plays, but they definitely want to do that. I think each
week, I think that’s something you have to look at and understand that you’ve got to kind of
match physicality with physicality, and be prepared for that.”
(On S Daniel Thomas is progressing through injury) “He’s good. He’s getting better,
obviously. We’ll see where he’s at again today. We’ll get him back out there running around.”
(On if CB Tyson Campbell will be placed on injured reserve) “Potentially. Haven’t made a
decision there. We’ll see what the length of time it’ll be, but haven’t made that decision
yet.”
(On when his message to the team becomes “turn the page”) “We did that on Monday. We
did that on Monday and then we kind of turned the page then. Guys come in on Tuesday
and really start focusing on this week’s opponent.”
(On what improvements he expects from the team this week to ensure nothing lingers from
Sunday’s loss) “Again, the mistakes that we made, the subtle things, the communication
issues offensively, even some of the communication things defensively. Have we corrected
those, right? We won’t know again until we get out on the practice field on Sunday. Then,
ball security. We’ve got to create takeaways and we’ve got to take care of the football. I
think if we do that, it definitely helps your chances.”
(On who expects to fill Tyson Campbell’s starting spot at cornerback) “We have options. Let
me put it that way. We have options back there. I thought Buster [CB Montaric Brown] did a
nice job filling in last week, obviously, and really like where he’s at and what he’s done. So
obviously, that’s a good option for us.”
(On DT Mason Smith’s development thus far) “Good. He’s learning. I think playing Sunday in
a real game like that really can be eye-opening experience for him, and how to approach it,
continues to work and get better. He’s a sponge on defense, meaning he wants to learn and
understand technique and gap control and pass rush. There’s a lot for young player like
that, but he’s done a nice job.”
(On what kind of challenges Browns WR Amari Cooper and WR Jerry Jeudy present to
defenses) “Explosive. I was in Philly when Amari was in Dallas, and he can get behind you,
he’s good in space, he’s smart. I mean, it’s just a good tandem. Again, two guys that—we
got our hands full again this week.”
(On LB Foye Oluokun’s on-field effort and what message that sends to the rest of the team)
“Well, he was really out-of-position and he’s hauling tail, or he’s hustling. I would say that
he’s hustling and making those plays. But it’s good, I mean, it’s great. I think our defense
really played fast on Sunday, despite some of the mistakes. I saw that on film. Of course, I
saw it live, just how the intensity and the speed in which he plays.”
(On what he’s saying to RB Travis Etienne Jr. to regain confidence or if he’s more self-
motivated) “One, he’s self-motivated. Two, he and I spoke even during the game Sunday
and then afterwards, and I just reassured him that we’re going to continue to give him the
football. I think that’s the next-best thing is to get him right back on that horse, as they say.
Keep feeding him the ball. I don’t want him to be tentative, cautious. I still want him to
attack, be aggressive and just learn from it.”
(On if the defensive mistakes in Sunday’s game vs. Miami were brought on by the Dolphins
or were self-inflicted) “No, just mistakes. Just communication errors, just things like that,
that this first time everybody playing together, game speed, it was warm. You tend to lose a
little focus, and it happened on offense the same way. We had some breakdowns because
of communication. Those are just in-game—loud stadium, loud environment—that we
internally have to fix, have to correct because there is a lot of communication that takes
place every snap with all the different adjustments that offenses present.”
(On if Sunday exhibited the verticality the offense is capable of with WR Gabe Davis and
WR Brian Thomas Jr.) “Hopefully, you guys saw it in training camp, Brian’s speed and how
real that is, and then Gabe can—for a bigger guy—can still get down the field. Then, he’s
physical at the top of the route. It was good to see both those guys make some plays down
the field Sunday. Something we can continue to use in our offense.”
(On if last year’s home record is a talking point among the team as they prepare for their
home-opener) “No. We just understand you want to win at home, you want to win in front of
your fans. I think it’s great for your players and your organization, obviously, to do that. I
don’t necessarily spend a lot of time focusing on that as much as just continuing to do our
jobs. No matter where we play, you try to win the game. But ultimately, yeah, at home, it
matters. It matters in front of your fans and your city. We just hope that this Sunday will be a
great crowd out here at The Bank [EverBank Stadium].
(On what he’s seen from LB Devin Lloyd] “A player that really has, I think, embraced a new
role, a new position. Another one that played fast on Sunday, which meaning, he’s not
necessarily thinking, he’s just reacting to what he’s been taught and coached. Coach
House [Inside Linebackers Coach Matt House] has done a great job with those linebackers
and just a guy that’s playing with confidence. Where he is right now schematically, I think it
really fits him and his style and more comfortable obviously playing off the ball and things
of that nature.”
(On if the rest of the team is good injury wise) “Yes.”
JAGUARS SIGN CB ZECHARIAH MCPHEARSON TO PRACTICE SQUAD
JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed CB Zechariah McPhearson to the practice squad, the team announced.
McPhearson was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round (123rd overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. In 2022, he played in 17 games and recorded five tackles, one tackle for loss, 1.0 sack, one quarterback hit and one pass defensed. He spent the 2023 season on injured reserve.
A native of Columbia, Md., McPhearson played two seasons at Penn State (2017-18) before transferring to Texas Tech (2019-20). He finished his senior season ranked third in the Big 12 and tied for eighth in the FBS with four interceptions, and fifth in the conference with 10 passes defensed. In 2020, McPhearson was also one of four players nationally with at least four interceptions and two fumble recoveries and earned an AP All-Big 12 First Team selection.
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