HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2023
(On WR Calvin Ridley not fully participating in practice yesterday) “…It was sort of cautionary with him
yesterday, he’ll be back out there today. We’ll just monitor him and limit the amount of running that
he’ll do today.”
(On WR Calvin Ridley having any heat issues yesterday) “No, there were some guys that did get warm at
the end of practice but nobody was in danger or anything like that.”
(On health status of OL Anton Harrison and DT Roy Robertson-Harris) “Roy is fine, his was just heat and
exhaustion there at the end. It was a tough practice that got warm at the end. Like I said, a couple of
guys did feel the heat. I felt the heat. Anton, right shoulder, just working through that. Had a good day
yesterday with the trainers, he’ll have another one today. We’ll just limit his contact, but he’ll go
through all the individual stuff today.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence running more) “There was a scramble I think one time, are you talking about
design runs or scrambles?
(On if he is telling QB Trevor Lawrence to use his legs if the play breaks down) I mean that’s a natural
progression, right? If it’s not there, use your legs. We’ve always encouraged him to use that. He’s a
gifted athlete that can run well. There will be times when we have designed-called runs, reads, things
like that where he can also run the football. Yeah, he’s a good runner and we encourage him to do that.”
(On S Andre Cisco’s health status) “Hammy, tightness, sore. He’ll be a little bit limited today.”
(On how to monitor QB Trevor Lawrence’s number of throws) “We don’t necessarily, right now, we
don’t put him on a pitch count. It’s one practice a day, it’s not like when I practiced and we threw a
thousand balls a day. These guys are getting their throws in, and we do monitor if there’s any kind of
soreness at all with him or C.J. [QB C.J. Beathard] or Nathan [QB Nathan Rourke], we will monitor that.
There hasn’t been anything and he’s getting his normal amount of throws.”
(On if more NFL teams are rostering three quarterbacks instead of four) “I think so. There’s just not
enough reps to go around. There’s not enough throws. The way practices are structured and the amount
of time you can spend on the field, you just have to maximize what you can. Yeah, I think it is part of
that, you’re seeing three instead of four. Just not enough reps to go around.”
(On how quickly he can tell how good the team can be) “I mean, I think we’re still a ways away, honestly.
We’re still working through a lot of different things. There’s combinations of with Anton [OL Anton
Harrison] and with Walker Little [OL Walker Little] and working through scenarios there. On paper, you
think, ‘Okay, you can probably be a decent football team and compete and be there in the end. But a lot
of things factor into that. You don’t just go out on a limb and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to be this.’ I like
where the guys are, I like how they’re working in practice, even in pads yesterday the first day, guys
practice fast. There’s potential there. Again, it’s hard for me to just say, ‘We’re going to be this’ because
we take it one day at a time.”
(On how one-on-ones went in practice for the first time yesterday) “Yeah, and again, it’s like one-on-
ones with DBs and receivers, too. It’s a tough situation. Defensively, when a period like that comes up,
we talk to our guys a lot. You want to establish as camp progresses, you want to establish an identity.
You want to have some sort of physicality about you, especially with the pass rush. Yesterday, it was just
trying to do that. Trying to establish that physicality, trying to establish that persona of who can we be.
What you saw yesterday too with that, is you didn’t see a lot of different pass rush moves. It was pretty
much let’s go right into the offense linemen. A little bit easier for the O-linemen. Where I get excited is
when we’re in team drills and they’re working their games, their combinations, their stunts, their
pressures. That’s where I get to see the pass rush. It’s good to see athleticism, it’s good to see
movement skills, get off, it’s good to see all of that in one-on-ones. Sometimes it’s a little bit unfair one
way or the other.”
(On who has impressed him in terms of pass rushing) “I still like where Roy [DL Roy Robertson-Harris] is
and where he’s picked up from last year. He’s done a nice job of getting on an edge in the team drills.
Travon [OLB Travon Walker] has had some really good rushes against Walker [OL Walker Little] and
against Anton [OL Anton Harrison], and obviously against Josh Wells [OL Josh Wells] yesterday. I like
where he’s at and how he’s progressing. Josh [OLB Josh Allen] has that speed and athleticism and length
as well. He has showed up a little bit, and it’s good to get DaVon Hamilton [DT DaVon Hamilton] back
out there in practice a little bit to see his push and I’ll tell you this, Foley [DL Folorunso Fatukasi] has
really shown up in the first few days of camp here. I think that’s the progression of being in our system
second year, just understanding what our expectations are for him.”
(On if there’s enough on the outside for pass rushing) “I think it’s still early. Today’s day two of pads, we
got to see these preseason games and these practices. Joint practice with Detroit in a couple of weeks
and we’ll see a little bit more there. It’s still a little bit early, but they are progressing in the right way.”
(On progression of tight ends in the NFL over the last 20 years) “It’s completely evolved to the point
where you just don’t see what we call the wide tight end, that big end blocker anymore. These guys are
more athletic, they’re skilled, can they block? Yes. You’re having to redesign some run plays where
you’re not asking them to block d-ends and holding up. That position is a versatile position. Dalton’s
[Bills TE Dalton Kincaid] one of those guys, when we looked at him in the draft this year, he’s just an
athletic guy. He can run really good routes, and I think he’s another guy that can hold up the line of
scrimmage. They got themselves a good player, it’s a good mix of guys and we’re excited with our guys.
We like where Luke Farrell is [TE Luke Farrell], the mix of him and Evan [TE Evan Engram]. We drafted
Brenton Strange [TE Brenton Strange], he’s progressed really well. But that position has changed over
the last few years.”
(On the selflessness of OL Cam Robinson and OL Walker Little) “Yeah, and I appreciate that with the
players because they understand that this is not about one guy, it’s about us as a football team. Guys
are very unselfish that way. They just want to win no matter what combination of guys are on the field. I
appreciate hearing it from those guys and I talk a lot about that, it’s a team. It’s us. When we get it down
to the 53, those are the guys you go to Sundays with. For a coach to hear that, that right there can take
your team a long way. It doesn’t matter how much adversity comes your way. If I got a lot of guys
speaking that type of language, that’s a positive that can carry us through a lot of situations.”
(On if there was a concern of discontent between OL Walker Little and OL Cam Robinson) “No, and I’ll
tell you why, because we communicated with both guys quite honestly. Cam did a great job this
offseason of communicating with us when we found out the news and everything. He was upfront with
everything and we were honest back with him and said, ‘Listen, this is the plan.’ We spoke with Walker
the same way. You nip a lot of things by being open and honest and having those conversations. Even
though they might be difficult for a player to listen to, it’s reality and that’s where we are. I think that’s
the biggest thing, just having that open communication.”
(On S Antonio Johnson’s performance so far) “He’s improving, he’s learning the defense. He’s been in
the right spots and a lot of times interceptions are just being in the right spot at the right time. He’s
done that and the defense the last couple of days has had some hands on footballs and created some
takeaways which we talk a lot about. It’s good to see that our young guys are stepping up that way.”
(On what the next step is for RB Travis Etienne Jr.) “It’s one of the things that when we looked at his
game this offseason back in February and March before the players came back, one of the things that
we noticed was just him attacking the hole downhill. Shoulders squared, attack the line of scrimmage,
finding that crease where a lot of times you’ll see him try to bounce. We were able to show him and
really emphasize shoulders-squared, anticipating where the hole could be, and just trusting that. He’s
done an outstanding job, he’s bought into that. He sees it, we’ve been able to show it to him, he’s
working on that in training camp right now. That’s the next step for him, I mean it was his rookie year.
You don’t just hand a guy a ball and let him go run, sometimes that happens but there’s that skill and
ability to anticipate a hole. We always talk about speed through the hole not to the hole type of thing.
He’s really embraced that this training camp. That, to me, is the next step for him and that 11-12-13,
now the yards start creeping up and maybe he’s pushing 1600-1700 yards as a rusher.”
(On how encouraging last week has been for LB Devin Lloyd) “It has. Things have slowed down, second
year. He played last year, we sat him on the bench a couple of weeks, and he went back out there. Now,
the positive reinforcement of watching yourself this offseason, going back and watching last year to just
see, ‘Man, I did that?’ We’re like, ‘Yeah, you did that.’ It just resonates with the players, when you can
show him, you can correct him, this is what you should’ve done, this is what you did type of thing. Then,
the game slows down. That’s where he is right now. You’re seeing that out there. We really like where
he’s at mentally, and again, in college he was more of an on-the-ball outside type of backer and rusher,
all that kind of stuff. He’s been off the ball, a stack backer and whatnot. It’s a new position a little bit for
him. He’s really done a nice job.”
(On LB Devin Lloyd’s hamstring last camp hindering his performance) “I think it’s part of it. A big part of
it, really. He missed a lot of reps and time with the defense. Yeah, he’s healthy and feels good.”
(On how to practice tackling more without creating injuries in camp) “It’s a fine line, right? I don’t do a
lot of live tackling stuff. At the same time, we make sure the defense is rallying and at least the thud
bumping up to the offense. You put them through individual drills, and you try to work on it. You get
into these preseason games, and you preach it and you talk it, now it’s just a matter of doing it. There
will be a couple of days coming up where I’ll let the defense tackle the offense. It’s important that
tackling, especially in space, to be able to get guys on the ground.”
(On what else needs to be seen out of WR Calvin Ridley) “He’s done an outstanding job, you guys have
watched him practice. He practices hard, he practices fast. We just got to keep him and Trevor [QB
Trevor Lawrence] on the same page. We’ve got a little bit of time here before the season starts. He’s
doing good, he’s picking up the offense, he’s learning it, he’s studying it. I guess the biggest test will be
the opportunities coming up in some of these preseason games if he gets a chance to play and make a
play. Then, in practice, we’ve got to put him in situations where those two guys are continuing to get
reps together.”
(On how much we should expect starters to play in preseason games) “I’ll let you know.”
(On considering playing WR Calvin Ridley more than normal during the preseason games) “I don’t know
that yet, I’m not there. I don’t know.”
(On the importance of players spending time with their families after practice) “Yeah, I think it’s great to
see the families after practice to come hang out on the field and sons and daughters running around.
These guys go through a lot, and we’ve got a stretch of practices coming up, really today, but starting
Saturday with the stadium practice and then Sunday and Monday. Those three padded days, those are
going to be the dog days. That’s the grind of training camp right there, and it’s designed. I lay it out a
certain way that way. Any time after practice you see the families or a day off when they can spend time
and rest with their families, it just makes everything else we do, it’s important, but a little less important
because we get to see the smile on their faces when they’re out there after practice.”
CORNERBACK TYSON CAMPBELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2023
(On what it’s been like covering WR Calvin Ridley) “It’s been great, man. I love every bit of it. He’s going to make Sundays so much easier for me and I’m going to do the same for him. I’m just competitive, I love competing with anybody. He’s a great player and I just love competing at the end of the day. That’s just how we are, we love competing and I love it.”
(On having an Alabama-Georgia rivalry with WR Calvin Ridley) “No, it’s just Calvin Ridley and Tyson Campbell.”
(On what’s different about WR Calvin Ridley’s talent) “We’ve got a receiver that can run every route in the route tree. He’s fast, quick, and has good hands. As a DB, I got to bring my A-game each and every rep.”
(On the growth he has seen from CB Gregory Junior) “Me and Greg [CB Gregory Junior] and the other young guys in the group talk a lot just about coming into your second year and being fortunate enough to have the same defense you did your rookie year allows the game to slow down for you tremendously. He’s [CB Gregory Junior] has been telling me it’s slowing down for him and he’s learning, he’s able to communicate with us better. You can just see how the game slowed down for him. I’m proud of him.”
(On WR Calvin Ridley giving cornerbacks a challenge due to making routes look the same) “Yeah, that just makes you play everything honest and trust your technique and ability. At the end of the day, that’s going to make you better.”
(On how to go against a receiver that’ll make everything look the same) “Just being patient, trusting your feet and your technique, and staying low while having right eyes.”
(On what he wants to show this season) “I just want to show that I’m a great football player. That’s it. I want to prove to myself that I could be the best corner in the NFL. That’s the mindset you have to have at DB and I just want to win, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. That’s the mindset, to be relentless.”
(On improvements now versus coming into last season as a rookie) “I’m definitely better as far as my IQ is smarter, the game is slowing down, it’s my second year in this defense so knowing the defense like the back of my hand. I’m able to disguise stuff, play stuff how I really want to.”
(On expecting to shadow and follow the number one receivers throughout the season) “Yeah, but I’m just going with the game plan. Whatever coach needs me to do, I’ll be able to do it.”
(On if he embraces being the cornerback for the Jaguars that goes against top receivers) “Yeah, I embrace that. As a corner, you live for moments like that to be able to shut down number one receivers on teams and take a guy out of a game.”
(On how many receivers he will play against that are better than WR Calvin Ridley) “Not many.”
(On if he did anything different this offseason to make himself better) “When the season’s over, you look back on how the season went, what you could’ve done better, and you try to improve on that. Learn not to make the same mistakes twice and work on different techniques. Then physical wise, get your technique better, get in better shape, get your speed and strength up, and work on your body so you can play in late January and February.”
(On what he needs to improve on this season) “I would say just keeping a clean technique throughout the game. Sometimes, I may have bad eyes one play or bad feet one play. Maybe it’s from being tired or whatever the case may be, but just honing in on my technique and being technically sound each and every play.”
(On having if he has a chip on his shoulder with the offense getting the most attention at camp) “At the end of the day, people are going to think whatever they want to think. We know what our goal is, we are where our feet are, let bygones be bygones and just focus on us.”
(On how helpful it is that the majority of the secondary has played a season together) “It helps a lot. You know the guys you’re playing with, you’re comfortable with playing them, they know you, you know them. So, it’s just a great chemistry. I think that allows teams to play better when they’re close.”
