JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2023
(On the history of the Tennessee-Jacksonville rivalry) “I’ve looked into the history of it and everything,
but quite honestly, you don’t need to show a lot of videos to get motivated for this one. This will be an
exciting football game, obviously, from a fan standpoint, from players and coaches. Nothing special to
this one.”
(On if he has heard about how bad the loss in 1999 was) “No, not really. Did it hurt?”
(On how he has seen the team respond to this week) “We understand that’s the nature of this game. It’s
win and you’re in. Both teams are in the same situation. Guys have been great this week. They’ve
handled it well. Biggest thing for us, obviously, a little bit of a shorter week, is just the recovery aspect of
it and being as healthy as possible for Saturday night. Guys have done a nice job of the practices that
we’ve had and mental side of it. They’re obviously gearing up and getting excited and they’ll be ready to
go.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s comment yesterday that he said he had a crystal ball and saw this game
situation coming) “No, no crystal balls. I think he was just using that as an analogy. Didn’t have one.”
(On if he told them that it would come down to Week 18) “We were 2-6 at one point, 3-7 at one point,
and there’s a time and a place where I felt like the message to the football team, our goals are still in
front of us, even back then. Everybody in the division was chasing Tennessee. They were three, four
games ahead of everybody there for a long time, and I just had to make sure that our guys understood
that everything is still in front of us. We’ve got to play one game at a time and just focus on that one
week. If we did that, it would give us an opportunity to be in Week 18 for all the marbles.”
(On if he can learn as much about the team from how they prepare during the week as from how they
play on Saturday night) “Yes, you can. These are games that, they are playoff games. That’s exactly what
it is. Call it what it is. It’s a playoff football game. You win, you keep going. With a young football team,
it’s about how we handle the week because the emotions are going to run high, and you’ve got to just
pace yourself throughout the course of the week and just turn it loose Saturday night. I think the guys
have really, I’ve felt that they’ve done a good job the last couple days handling all that.”
(On how much momentum and confidence matter this late in the season) “It’s good to talk about, but
you’ve still got to go play, and you’ve got to play against a good football team. Momentum, streaks,
wins, losses, whatever, it doesn’t matter. You just look at Tennessee, right? They’re in this game for a
reason, and they’re playing for the same things we’re playing for, and it’s a little bit different. It doesn’t
really matter. You come out Saturday night, and you’ve got to be ready to go, and you’ve got to play,
and you’ve got to play with energy. You’ve got to play excitable. You’ve got to do your job and focus in
on each play.”
(On if he was comforted by how the team handled the losing streak in October) “Yeah, you credit the
leadership of the locker room, the veteran guys. Some of those guys are young, but they’re veteran
players. I think that and just coming to work every day and, again, creating an environment where guys
enjoy coming to work, it means a lot, and you’ve just got to stay the course. You never get too high; you
never get too low. You just be you and be consistent. You work through a lot of the situations that
caused us to lose some of those close games early in the season, and you learn from them. We’ve talked
a lot about that this season. You learn from them, and you get to moments like this, and you just lean on
each other and lean on those moments and remember how difficult it was back then, kind of how
exciting it is this time of year and how it can flip that easy.”
(On how much he thinks the defense changes going against QB Josh Dobbs instead of QB Ryan Tannehill)
“You want me to just lay it out there? I would say, Ryan, too, at the time was coming off of an injury, so
he didn’t move around quite as well I don’t think or as good as he would like to, and Ryan is dangerous
that way. He can beat you and make some explosive plays with his legs, and Josh can do the same thing.
He can run. He can escape the pocket, so there’s some similarities there. Let’s say you’re going to gang
up and stop the run, then you’re going to give something up as well. Some of that sometimes can be the
quarterback. It’s what are you going to try to take away or what are you at least be consistent in as you
play this football game, and that’s why each game if a different game. There’s a different set of
circumstances each week, and our guys have got to be prepared for anything.”
(On how unique this week has been emotionally for everybody)“It’s a difficult week just knowing what
has happened this week with Damar (Bills S Damar Hamlin). We’re encouraged with some of the news
lately with his health and that he’s getting better and he’s improving, so we’re encouraged there, and
we’re excited about that, and we continue to pray and lift him up in our thoughts. I think for us, too, we
have a job to do, and I think sometimes the best thing you can do is kind of play for guys like Damar and
really gain some strength from that. Kind of help him in a way that he can’t right now because he’s
battling for his life, obviously we’re playing a game, but he’s fighting for a different reason. I think
around the league there’s going to be some joining of arms team to team, teams coming together,
whatever it might be, this weekend to honor that and to support that.”
(On if the team has anything planned to show support) “At this time, no, but we still have a couple days
to have something to plan, but I just know that the feeling is going to be mutual around the league
thinking of Damar (Bills S Damar Hamlin) and even thinking if the Bills are in a position to play, who
knows what’s going to happen there. Our guys have really handled it well this week. We did a nice job. I
think the organization here did a nice job of providing resources for the guys if the needed it to talk, and
just don’t keep things inside. Get them out if it affected you somehow, someway, but our organization
did a nice job handling that this week.”
(On if not having to travel helps make up for the short week) “You’re not traveling. It’s still a long day. It
is a long day, but still, it is nice that you’re playing at home. It’s your crowd and everything. Probably at
the end of the day it doesn’t really matter. Once you tee it up, it doesn’t matter if you were on a 10-day
break or a four or five day break. You’ve still go to go play and create energy, play with great passion
and do your job and try to win the game.”
(On if letting RB Travis Etienne Jr. play through his fumbles will change in the postseason when it really
matters that they keep possession of the ball) “They are magnified, but I’m not going to change who we
are. I’m not going to change how we coach. I’m not going to change the way Travis approaches the
game because if you start doing that, then you’re hurting the player, and you’re not showing confidence
in the player. I’ll never do that. I’ll make sure that everybody that plays can play. Obviously, we’ll make
an emphasis of it. We’ve got to protect the football. Just like each week you try to create takeaways, but
you’ve got to keep the football as well. We all understand the magnitude of what turnovers can do in
games like this. You do the best you can to not give up the ball.”
(On how he keeps the pressure and magnitude of this game from getting into the players’ heads) “You
just try to keep it as about the business as usual mentality. We understand it’s a regular season Week 18
game. It’s the last game of the regular season, obviously a lot at stake, but at the same time, you just
say, ‘Hey, listen. What got us here?’ and you’ve just got to lean on that and lean on the positive there.
Again, it goes back to the turnover battle. You can’t give the ball up, and you try to take the ball away
the best you can. Really, you just stay with what got you here. Trust that, trust the players, put a great
game plan together and go play.”
(On what he does to kill time on Saturday) “We’ll get together as a team during the day, just kind of get
the guys up and moving around. I’m usually over here early and just kind of buzzing through some more
tape and looking at the game plan and the call sheet, making sure everything’s buttoned up and ready
to go.”
(On if he has to guard against tinkering too much with the game plan pregame) “I don’t really tinker
much, if any. A lot of times, too, you’re looking at your game plan, and maybe there’s something on
there that maybe catches your eye and you make an emphasis of that as a play caller, but for the most
part, you’re just going through the situations of the game, rehearsing those, decisions that might come
up, and prepare yourself that way.”
(On the feeling of being in this situation of a big Saturday night game after turning this team around) “I
know what it was like in my previous life up north there, and I know what it was like. It’s been a while
since we’ve had a game like this here in Jacksonville. It’s going to be great for the fans. It’s going to be
great for them to be here, to experience this with the team. It’s more about them as well just like it is
the team. To be able to stand there right before kickoff and look around the stadium and see how full it
is and the excitement and knowing that you’re playing on a national stage will be pretty special for
everybody.”
(On how big LB Foye Oluokun has been for the defense this year) “He’s been great. He’s been solid. He’s
a rock in there. I think, again, one of the guys that we targeted in free agency in the spring, and he’s
lived up to that, just like the guys on offense. He’s a valuable piece. I think, too, having Devin (LB Devin
Lloyd) improving next to him and Chad (LB Chad Muma) in there, those young guys in there, improving
as the season’s gone along has really helped Foye, as well, to play like he’s capable of doing and been a
great leader for us, too.”
(On if watching from the sidelines in practices on Wednesdays helps QB Trevor Lawrence see things
better) “Yeah, I think this time of the year, this late in the year, it’s about the health of the team moreso
than the physicality of the team. You’re trying to get the guys healthy, and a guy like Trevor, he handles
it the right way, too. When he doesn’t practice on a Wednesday-type day, he’s still out there engaged,
getting mental reps, talking through with the coordinator or myself. If C.J. (QB C.J. Beathard) is the one
out there taking plays that day, just gaining all that valuable information, so when he goes back out
there on the field on Thursday, he’s prepared. He’s ready to go then again on a Friday. Early in the year
you probably would like, hey, you need to practice, you need to practice, you need to practice, but this
late in the year, especially, we know what we’re doing. He knows what he’s doing. Anytime you can give
a guy some rest, it’s good this time of year.”
