JAGUARS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIKE CALDWELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
(On how his first game as a defensive coordinator felt) “It was fun. It was exciting for me. I got out there
and made some calls, and the outcome wasn’t what we expected and what we wanted, but it was a
good time. Now we’re back to work.”
(On if the defense had to settle in) “I think it was a lot of anxiety. Guys were really excited, ready to play,
and I think we went out there and had some mistakes, but we settled down. We’ll learn from it and
continue to grow.”
(On seeing turnovers and interceptions in practice carry over into the game) “We always talk about they
come in bunches, and we’ve been stressing to the guys to focus on them. They went out there and we
had two great plays that were made and the fumble. We were focused on it, and hopefully that will
continue.”
(On his view of OLB Travon Walker’s interception) “It was a special play. Athletic. It was something that
you see guys jumping for the ball, but the way he snatched it out of the air, we might want to let him
run a couple routes.”
(On a play in practice in Atlanta where OLB Travon Walker dropped an interception) “I think he’s just a
guy who has the right work ethic. I do remember the play. He was in coverage, and there was a crossing
route, and he didn’t catch it, so he came back and worked on it and saw the film to understand what he
can do a little bit better and went out there and did it.”
(On if his frustrated reaction to the dropped interception in practice shows how much he wants it)
“That’s the thing about him. He is a competitor, and he wants to help the team win. The sack, the
interception, those are plays that help us win, and he wants to make those, and he’ll continue to do
that.”
(On the upcoming test for the rushing defense against RB Jonathan Taylor) “It’s a big test. That’s a good
group coming in here. You don’t label running backs of who’s the best, but I go out there and each week
is a different opponent. We’ve got one coming in here that can run the ball. He really can, and it’s a big
challenge for us to put our hard hats on and be ready to go.”
(On what make RB Jonathan Taylor so good) “There are so many things he does well. He’s patient. He
has explosion to get through the gap, and he runs with power, and they feed it to him, so that helps.”
(On having coached against QB Matt Ryan, what makes him such a great quarterback) “Playing against
him the last few years, you see that you really don’t fool him on anything, and he’s a veteran that’s seen
a bunch. The arm talent is still there. He can throw the ball on any part of the field. He’s a guy that has
been around and played at a high level, and he continues to play at a high level.”
(On if you have to remind the players to not assume that it will only take one guy to bring RB Jonathan
Taylor down) “Exactly. That was our message. In the first game, we didn’t tackle well, and with this guy
coming in, we all are accountable for that. We have to be there ready to get him down. That’s been
stressed that we have to gang tackle him and get multiple guys to the ball.”
(On if he expects a jump in tackling from game one to game two) “You can look at it that way (several
missed some training camp and practices), but we really look at it as, we’ve got 11 guys out there; all 11
of them are responsible for getting him on the ground, getting anybody on the ground. It’s not just one
guys missing it. If one guy misses it, there should be someone else there to make it. We’re trying to get
multiple guys to the ball, and that will help with the tackling.”
(On what happened in a few defensive plays) “Really, the things that stood out the most to me were the
opportunities that we had that we didn’t come away with. We’d been doing really well on third down in
camp and preseason, so we wanted to have that carry over, and it didn’t, so we’re that’s something
we’re going to go back to work and get that fixed.”
(On if communication is something they are really working on and will be really important in this game)
“I don’t think it was lacking. I think when you’re on the road, it should be easier. At home, I expect us to
be hearing “Duval” a bunch. The crowd will really be enthusiastic, and it should be hard for a defense to
communicate at home. That’s the thing. We’ve just got to make sure we’ve got our hand signals down
and just get used to playing with each other back there. Know when I’m in a certain technique, where
my help is and lean to that.”
(On if some players missing practice time in preseason and camp led to some of the miscommunication)
“I don’t think so because the starters that did miss time were in the walkthroughs, in the meetings, so
we’re communicating all the time. When you watch film, you communicate together. That’s just
something that we didn’t get the job done last week, and we’re working to get it done this week.”
(On how LB Devin Lloyd played in his first game) “He started off—I was excited to see him out there–
and he started off, had some great moments and had a couple that he can learn from. I think, again, he
was excited. He was really trying to make every play. He’ll settle down, and the plays will come to him,
and he’ll continue to do it.”
(On if he ever has to coach against the excitement) “I think you just have to know the person. First game
of the season, everybody’s going to be amped up, and everybody’s ready to go. You just have to take a
deep breath, calm down, and do what you’ve done in practice. The plays don’t change. Your technique
won’t change. Just go out there and relax and play the game you’ve always played.”
SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR HEATH FARWELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
(On if a pep talk was given at halftime to K Riley Patterson) “I did not. He’s a guy that you just trust, we
talk through it throughout the week and we talk through what his plan was. Because you know at some
point, he’s going to miss a kick. He’s a guy that just wants to be on his own. His understanding of when
he does miss a kick is fantastic. So, he knows right away to make the adjustment. So no, I’d love to say I
was a big part of that, he can make three in a row down the stretch at the end of the game but I had
zero to do with it.”
(On if WR Jamal Agnew should be more aggressive in the kick returns) “No, well first off, Logan (P Logan
Cooke) did have a great game. Great directional, great hang times, we were able to cover down the
field, covering the field for our guys is going to be super important but it has a big start with what Logan
is doing. As far as Jamal, I think he made great decisions back there. That short punt to our left, for him
to get on that thing not knowing if it went off one of our guys or not, just a good veteran decision to get
on that thing, let’s cover it up, make sure it’s our ball. That’s our number one goal every week: to make
sure we give the ball back to the offense. So, that was a big deal. Those plays will come. I never want to
tell, especially a good returner like we have, he’s a guy kind of running free. Do I think he could’ve made
that guy miss? Absolutely. But I don’t ever question what he does. He’s done it at a high level. Those
plays will come. We got to be better outside, make sure we cover that guy up and give him more time
would be my coaching point. We got to give him more time so he feels comfortable back there so we
can hit the return. But, those plays will come.”
(On if it’s more important for special teams to not make a bad play or to make a good play) “I mean,
that’s not necessarily our philosophy. We want to play clean ball. We want to play very clean ball; that’s
no penalties, good situational football. But we also want to be involved in making big plays. That’s a big
deal, how can we do those? But we have to wait for them to come. Those plays will come, we will get
opportunities that we’re talking about, is Agnew loose. That’s part of it. Maybe it’s a block in our punt,
those things will come. But you have to play good, clean, sound football to start.”
(On the difficulty of having people kick away from WR Jamal Agnew) “Yeah, I got pretty used to this. I
had Andre Roberts for a few years in Buffalo and it’s the same concept. Every team is trying to avoid
him, they’re going to try to kick touchbacks anyway they can. They were fortunate to have a guy that
can do that. But, the reality is, as legs get tired, they won’t be able to kick those deep. So, we may only
get one opportunity, and that’s what we talked to our guys about, is that you may only get one
opportunity because they’re trying to kick touchbacks. We got to be ready at any point. So, those plays
will come and I think as the year goes on, it gets colder, the legs get more tired, the ball is shorter, now
all the sudden they can’t kick those touchbacks. Those plays will come.”
(On if it’s a challenge not knowing the person kicking off this week) “We have a good plan for both of
those guys they have on the practice squad. Chase McLaughlin was a guy I had with the Buffalo Bills for
an offseason so I’m very familiar and we scouted Lucas (Colts K Lucas Havrisik) in college. So, we have a
good plan for both those guys, but that’s the nature of all positions though. With this practice squad
elevation thing, we have to prepare for any guy to come up off that practice squad on Saturday
afternoon. So, anybody we think could potentially come up, we got to be ready for them.”
(On thoughts of kicks missed across the league last week) “Yeah, I mean I would say that’s normal.
There’s long kicks, those extra points aren’t a ‘gimme’ anymore. Those things come up all the time, I
think that’s football. It’s a missed kick here, a kick out of bounds, there’s all those little details and that’s
part of playing clean ball. You’d love to have great kicks, you’d love to have a kick in the back. All those
little details, no penalties, there’s a million penalties. So those are the types of things we’re trying to get
in our game of just being really clean football and then make a play when it comes to us. But don’t press
it; if you try to push that, that’s when bad stuff happens. Agnew says, ‘Oh, I can make this guy miss, even
though he’s in my face and he gets hit.’ Then, the ball goes flying. That’s not what we want. That’s not it.
Those plays will come, we’ll get that opportunity. You’re hoping in this game, it didn’t. Maybe it’s this
game, maybe it’s two weeks. Those plays will come.”
(On how quickly K Riley Patterson’s tendencies can be picked up on) “Well, I see him warmup, I see him
practice everyday. So, I have a good feel on where his range is, where he feels comfortable, and so we
talk through that. Not only on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, but even pregame. Where does he feel
comfortable, of course as a player he wants to extend that line as much as he can – what you want. I can
say, ‘How about this?’ and we negotiate a little bit. That’s what you want, though. You want those guys
to challenge themselves and believe in themselves more, ‘Okay, I’ll take that kick. I want that kick.’
Those are setting the lines and that’s something between him, myself, my assistant Luke (Assistant
Special Teams Coach Luke Thompson), and Coach Pederson. We come up with the best plan for our
team because the reality is, we have to put the best position out there as far as making those kicks.”
(On where the maximum line will fall for a kicker) “I think it’s the weather. Is the wind at his back? Is it in
the dome? Those are all factors. How’s he hitting them in warmups? That factors in. What’s the
direction like? All those are certain factors that change every game and you may have this side we’re
going the 35-yard line, well we’re at the 30-yard on this side. Depending on the wind, depending on is it
left or right. All those things play into it. Is it right before the end of the game? That’s a little more
desperation. So all those play factors, there’s not one. A dome helps it because that’s a natural clean
ball, but it’s still with the wind at your back, that changes it, of course as well.”
(On if he watched the Monday Night Football game this week where the Broncos went for a 64-yard
field goal) “I did. Russell (QB Russell Wilson) was a former teammate of mine, love Russell, love what he
does, but McManus (Brandon McManus) is as talented a kicker as there is in this league, especially with
leg strength, so it didn’t surprise me that they sent him out there. I’m well aware that he can make
those kicks and even further, so that did not surprise me that they sent him out there. He’s a talented
kicker. That’s one of the top kickers in the league year in and year out, so that didn’t shock me at all.”
(On if he researches kicks made in different venues, conditions, distances, etc. as they prepare for an
upcoming game) “Yeah, and I think depending on where you’re at. In Buffalo that was a big issue of
certain endzones and especially in those weather games, what does that look like? So yes, we study all
that stuff throughout the week, and is it a rain game, is it a windy game, what does that do? What does
that change? Those are all things that we put into account because we’re putting ourselves into the best
position to make that kick because the reality is, not only is it a miss, but it’s the spot going the other
way. Now they get a short field. If we have to punt those using Logan (P Logan Cooke) to punt those
things and pin them inside the 10, which is a valuable weapon for us, we’ll do that.”
(On when you and your kicker is comfortable at a certain spot, then you have to sell it to the head coach
in a short amount of time when he tends to go for it on fourth down) “I have no idea (what Head Coach
Doug Pederson would have done in the Broncos situation), but I think the biggest thing is having that
great communication. We talk about it in pregame. We go through it: Where did you make kicks? Where
did you feel comfortable? Then I bring that information to Coach Pederson, then we work through it and
see if he agrees, does he disagree with it, then it comes down to does he like his fourth down play. All
those things play into account. Do we like our situation? How’s defense playing? All those things play
into account. Are we going to punt this, are we going to go for a long field goal, or are we going to go for
it? Those three-way situations come up every weekend. That’s the head coach’s decision. I give him the
best information I have from my knowledge, but that’s a head coach’s decision.”
(On if K Riley Patterson becomes a consistent kicker, will it make it easier on coaches’ play-calling) “I
think potentially it would. If you’ve got a guy that we know, ‘Hey, we’re within range, we’ve already hit
range, okay, can we better that position, or can we take a shot at the endzone?’ I think that’s something
that you take into account for sure. The offensive coordinator, Press (Taylor), obviously knows what that
line is in pregame as well, so they know where they’re working for going into the game, and sometimes
that line changes throughout the game, but they’re well aware of where that line is through the headset
communication. They know where we’re headed, and if it’s not in that range, you’ve got to get there.
Then also, going for it if that’s what they still want to do even thought it’s in the range.”
(On who is the backup long snapper) “We’ve got two guys that can do it. [Tyler] Shatley has done it in
NFL games, then Dan Arnold (TE). Those are two guys that do it at a high level as far as emergency guys.
I’m fortunate to have two guys that can do it.”
(On WR Zay Jones practicing long snapping in practice on Wednesday) “Everybody wants to be a long
snapper. They’re all ripping them back there.”
(On how challenging the situation is if one of your core special teams players goes down) “We talked
about how many kicks are missed in the NFL. Those snaps are so valuable. The timing of them, 1.2, 1.3
(seconds) at the most, then here you go, you’ve got a brand new snapper, new holder, it’s all different.
Anytime you change one of those dynamics, it changes a whole lot.”
(On who is the backup holder) “C.J. (QB C.J. Beathard) would do it. C.J. has worked at it some. We
worked on it during training camp, so we’ve worked that process, and we have those guys in place, and
they’re aware if something ever happened—knock on wood, it wouldn’t—but those guys are ready to
go.”
(On keeping an eye on who needs a break during the heat) “I think we have to keep an eye on it, but I
think being able to practice in it every day and all training camp, I think that’s super valuable. I’ve been
part of other teams that came from Seattle or somewhere from the north, and you come down to the
south to start the season in September, it is an issue, so that’s something that is a factor at times, but
the fact that we’re here every day, I think it’s a big advantage for us. I trust our guys to be in shape. Part
of their training camp is getting in shape, knowing they’re going to play in September down here in
Florida, so I think they’re ready to go. I think that’s part of the deal. They’re ready to go.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR PRESS TAYLOR
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
(On if it’ll be weird to be on the other sideline against the Colts) “No, I don’t think so. I think all that’s
gone, yeah, I’m familiar with those guys, but that all kind of goes away when the game starts.”
(On the excitement of the first home game in Jacksonville) “Absolutely. We’re excited just to play in
front of our fans, see what the energy in the stadium is like, and go out and get another chance to put
our best foot forward.”
(On how the offense played last week) “Yeah, it kind of just felt like we missed opportunities. A little bit
of missed opportunities of things that were there that we didn’t execute at the highest level on. Even
some things that you just kind of shoot ourselves in the foot. Illegal formation, illegal shift, some things
that don’t need to happen that we’re in complete control of, and we understand that. We’re working to
rectify that situation.”
(On the pre-snap penalties called last game) “Yeah, there were certainly some issues that didn’t show
themselves during the week of practice that we didn’t anticipate. For whatever reason, they did happen,
whether it was a miscommunication or somebody just forgot something. But certainly, we do an
autopsy of ourselves each Monday, look at every single thing we do. Are we making sure we’re
executing in the most like a game situation in all aspects of walkthrough and practice as well. Just kind of
going back and making sure we’re doing everything that we do on game day so we can kind of eliminate
some of those situations that may have come up.”
(On if he wished the team would have run the ball a little more) “Yeah, it always kind of comes down to
that. You feel like the call you’re making at that time or the suggestions we’re having at that time are
the best situation for that particular moment. It’s unique, we had a two minute drive to end the half and
a two minute drive to end the game, so that’s always going to inflate your pass numbers in situations
like that. But certainly, you execute a little bit better early on on some of the things and then you get
more opportunities to run the ball. The situation kind of played itself out to where we ended up having
more passes than runs but again, we think every single time we call a play that we’re doing what’s best
in the right situation.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s performance last game) “Overall, he protected the football to the very end of
the game, that’s what we ask him to do. I think there’s throws he wants back, just like everybody.
There’s plays everybody wants back, there’s play designs I want back, there’s play calls coach may want
back. There’s certain things like that, you come in here, you learn from it, why did it happen, and how do
I get better moving forward. That was the first game of a long season right here. Everybody’s ready to
get back to work. The second we got back here on Monday everybody was ready to get back to work
and work towards putting ourselves in the best position this week.”
(On what stands out about Colts RB Jonathon Taylor) “That’s not surprising when you’re around him.
The kid is super mature, he’s professional in his approach and in his work. When the defense was on the
field practicing against the scout team offense, he’s over there catching footballs. He’s over there going
through blitz pickup. He’s very about his business in every single way, shape, or form. He’s just super
talented. So, it’s important to him, he’s a great teammate, he’s a great pro, and he’s talented as all get
out. It’s not surprising when you’re around him and you watch the kid work, watch him prepare and all
that for the success he’s had early in his career.”
(On RB Jonathon Taylor’s performance in the last Colts game) “I’m honestly not surprised. Coach Reich’s
(Indianapolis Colts Head Coach) mindset and the way he’s built that team and the culture there. I’m not
surprised that it’s what they kind of leaned on and had success doing. They have the capability of
watching firsthand of being explosive at any moment in the game with the run game, even. They can do
it in the pass, but I think sometimes there’s panic in this league of, ‘Alright, we’re down so many scores,
we got to start throwing the ball all over the place.’ Well, that’s not true. It really comes down to how
many possessions are left in the game. We have enough possessions, and again, it’s being efficient. If
you’re running a yard or two at a time, you’re going to run out of possessions eventually that way, but
they’re able to gain yards in chunks at times, so they’re able to stick with it, so that doesn’t shock me.”
(On the talent of the Colts defense) “Yeah, any time they’ve got a lot of impact players like they do at
every single level of the defense, you have to be aware of it in some way, shape, or form. It’s a different
scheme than they had last year, but I think the personnel that they have fits the scheme that they’re
installing and working through right now. There’s certainly playmakers at every single level whether it’s
the defensive line, the linebackers have as good of ball skills as anybody in the league, and they’re
linebackers. Then you got Kenny Moore, Stephon Gilmore, Julian Blackmon. You’ve got playmakers in
the back end as well that have a nose for the football, they do a great job. Obviously, they’re second in
the league in takeaways, and I think that’s a scheme thing but it’s also a personnel thing. That’s what
those guys hang their hat on, that’s what they pride themselves in. I watched it firsthand again in
practice, the way they attack the football. It’s something we’re aware of, but something they’re very
good at.”
(On what was made of the offensive line’s play last game) “Yeah, we faced a very talented front. We
know that. There were three premier pass rushers in those positions and it’s tough when it’s on the
interior. We certainly have young guys that, I think, everybody across the line, everybody across our
offense, have plays they want back and plays that we wish we all handled and executed a little bit
better. We got to do our job as well as an entire offense to keep them out of the situations where
everybody in the stadium knows it’s a drop back pass. Guys can tee off, run their pick stunts and their
games and that certainly makes it tough as an offensive line, when I’m blocking this guy and here comes
somebody else trying to earhole me. It’s continuing to work through that, and we expect to be better in
Week Two than we were in Week One.”
(On if the offensive needs more chemistry as a lot of players haven’t played together) “Certainly,
anytime you play, you get more time on task with the people you’re going to operate with in the game.
That’s going to increase your level of execution, that’s what we expect. Again, Week Two we expect it to
be a lot better than it was in Week One.”
(On WR Christian Kirk’s performance in the second half) “Yeah, I think it just kind of played itself out that
way. Again, we had a two minute drive at the end of the half and you’re kind of just executing calls that
are specific to that situation, but the cool thing was, we go into the locker room and there’s no panic out
of anybody. We felt like we moved the football, we felt like we were right there. Kind of knew we missed
opportunities ourselves, nothing that Washington had done to us at that point that surprised us. Then,
we came back and wanted to continue to stick with the game plan. I thought Christian (WR Christian
Kirk) and Trevor (QB Trevor Lawrence) took advantage of the matchups we had. We were able to get
Christian matched up on linebackers and safeties quite a bit in those situations and based on the way
they played their coverages, that’s what we were trying to get done, so the ball just kind of found
Christian. Christian ended up making plays with the opportunities that came his way, and we were able
to have success when that happened.”
(On the difference of attacking Colts defense with Colts LB Shaquille Leonard versus without him in)
“Yeah, you’re adding a Pro Bowl-level player to the defense that is already very talented. He has an
impact on the game obviously, his stats in terms of takeaways since he’s been in the league and
productive plays is pretty outstanding. Anytime you add a guy like that, we’re certainly conscious of
that, we understand that. Again, I think he’s a good fit for the scheme they’ve adjusted to.”
(On what makes Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. special) “That’s kind of his mindset as well, that he’s that
guy. He comes to play every single rep. Whether it’s in the run game, he blocks his tail off, he’s trying to
get after people throughout the game. That’s as important to him as it is when his number is called in
the pass game. That’s the expectation they have for him. That’s the expectation he has for himself. He
does a good job. He can run every route in the book. He can make plays with the football, but it’s kind of
that level of every single play to him is the most important play of the game. He has that mindset. He
goes after people in the run game and he does in the pass game, so it’s not surprising that he’s that guy,
just the way he works as well in plays.”
(On the number of points left on the field last week) “Way too many.”
(On if leaving points on the field is expected sometimes when you have a young team) “Well yeah, I
understand that thought, but around here we expect to execute everything that we’re asked to do and
the things we’ve seen them do in practice. That’s the thing. If we didn’t see it happen at practice, we’d
understand why we’d miss this play or miss that check or adjustment or blitz pickup, whatever it is, but
if we see it in practice, we expect it on game day. Our players expect it on game day, so that’s the
disappointing thing when that happens, but again, we learn from it, we move forward, we put it to bed,
and we’re on to the next week and we’re going to improve our play at any point in the season, we
hope.”
(On the importance of eliminating penalties, scoring execution, and third down execution) “I don’t know
if I have a hierarchy of it because I think it all plays together. If you eliminate the pre-snap penalty
things, then you’re a little more efficient, maybe have better situations in the third downs and not as
many third-and-longs as we got ourselves in. Then, you’re able to execute at a higher level, get yourself
in the redzone more, and be more efficient, so I think it all kind of goes hand-in-hand. I think every single
play of the game could be considered situational football. Whether it’s a P&10, it’s a drive starter, versus
right now what is it: are we second-and-three or second-and-ten? How do we handle it? Are we in a get-
back-on-track type mode? Are we playing football and the whole playbook is open? I think all of it goes
hand-in-hand in every single situation.”
(On what makes QB Matt Ryan a good quarterback and can he take the things he has done in the league
and apply it to QB Trevor Lawrence) “Yeah, you certainly want to study guys that played at the highest
level in this league for a long time. He certainly fits that category. He was a number one overall pick for a
reason. He’s talented, super mature from watching from afar. Again, I do not know him at all, but just
watching the poise he’s handled. He’s been the face of an organization for a long, long time, and got it
done. He had an MVP season not too long ago, so he’s still definitely impressive, fun to watch, just the
way he plays. The accuracy, just kind of understanding the quarterback position is something that
without knowing the guy, you feel like you can see in his game watching tape of him.”
