HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
(On injury updates of the team) “Antonio [S Antonio Johnson] is still kind of a week or two away, he’s still
a little further away. I don’t anticipate him doing much in practice. Foley [DL Folorunso Fatukasi] is back,
he had a nice workout on Monday and feels good. We’ll get him incorporated back in practice. Tyler [DL
Tyler Lacy] is another one that we’re going to get him back out there and see where he’s at and just
monitor him through the first half of practice.”
(On how much of the college tape is reviewed when facing a rookie quarterback) “You definitely go back
and watch it, just to see who he is and how he operates. Then, you go back and watch his preseason
tape and you watch some of the Philly stuff and what they did with Jalen [Eagles QB Jalen Hurts]. Maybe
even go back and watch a little bit of Daniel Jones [Giants QB Daniel Jones] because some of their
coaches have worked with him. Just see how these different QB runs can affect the game.”
(On difficulty of preparing to go against Colts QB Anthony Richardson) “It’s tough, it’s tough. You think of
him, you think of Cam Newton. These are big, physical, strong quarterbacks that can also throw the
football. They’re athletic and it is a challenge. It’s a quarterback who, when you watch the tape, can
break arm tackles. He can run for 15, 20, 30 yards and beat you with his legs. We got to stay disciplined
defensively, we got to be a good tackling football team against guys like this.”
(On if OL Tyler Shatley is cleared for contact play) “Yes.”
(On challenge of going from the hunter to the hunted) “I think that’s more for you guys to talk about it.
We stay focused on the moment, we stay focused on ourselves, we prepare like we do every single week
and every single day. That’s what we have to do, we can’t worry about what’s going on outside of the
building and let the fans and media talk about that. We just got to prepare today, we got to go win today
on a Wednesday and that’s how you get your team ready to go.”
(On the captains being chosen yesterday) “My philosophy is I let the team speak. I stay out of it. I want to
see who they select as the leaders, the men on the football team that they trust and want to represent
the team as captains. Obviously, Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] gets a lot of votes every year. He and Foye
[LB Foyesade Oluokun] are two of the top vote-getters. Brandon [OL Brandon Scherff] is just a veteran
guy with a lot of experience, I believe this is his fifth year in his career to be captain. He’s just a great,
powerful voice on the team. Then, you add Roy [DL Roy Robertson-Harris] on defense, kind of new this
year which I’m excited for Roy. He’s taken a big, we’ve talked a lot about him and his leadership on the
team. This reflects that and I’m excited for him. Dewey [S Andrew Wingard] on special teams, it just goes
without saying. He’s a leader there, he’s a captain on special teams, he gets those guys lined up and it’s a
good group.”
(On character growth of S Andrew Wingard) “I think it speaks volumes for him personally, he’s been with
this team through the early days and not so good days. Now, to being a captain, it just shows his growth and his maturity and where he’s come as a player with this team. You see it every year, there’s always
those one or two guys that just emerge as leaders. Whether they’re voted captains or not, they’re still
great men and great leaders of your football team. Dewey has done some really good things to be in this
position, he’s worked hard, he’s excited for himself, he’s excited for our team and this season. I’m excited
for him as a captain of our team.”
(On emphasis of linebackers playing well against a young quarterback) “It takes a lot of discipline, your
eye discipline. It’s almost reactionary, but at the same time, you have to be patient. It just comes down
to the film study and understanding how your opponent is trying to attack you. I do believe that
linebackers in general who face RPO-type teams, it’s tough. It’s tough because they can’t be right. If they
go that way, we’re going to throw it right behind you. If you stay back there, we’re going to hand the ball.
It’s a tough duty, but it’s a great opportunity for them and we’re going to see it at all season from these
first few teams anyway.”
(On if there’s anything he doesn’t know or is concerned about for the team) “Well, I want to see we’re
on the road Week 1, division opponent, in a dome. It’s going to be a great atmosphere. It’s a one o’clock
game. We didn’t handle the road great last year, we didn’t handle this opponent great on the road last
year. Quite frankly, they’ve beaten us. I think nine out of the last ten. We’ve got our work cut out for us.
The unknown is just, ‘Hey, how are we going to respond to that?’ I look forward to this week of
preparation just seeing how the guys are from a headspace standpoint that way. Listen, you stay humble,
you stay in the moment, you stay focused on us and the hard work and preparation. You go play and
hopefully you come out on top.”
(On if the team met or exceeded training camp expectations) “I was pleased, they met my expectations. I
don’t think they exceeded them, but they met them. I think we have a lot of football ahead of us, so if
they do well, then maybe they exceed. There’s so much confidence right now in that locker room and
that’s the good thing. That part is really good, the team is in a good place, they had a really good training
camp. They’re coming out relatively healthy heading into Week 1. Again, the expectations for us are just
we just got to continue to prepare and focus, stay in the moment.”
(On if he was surprised on the team meeting his expectations based on youngness) “Sometimes, I think
you would say yeah, it does. A young football team, especially going into your first game of the regular
season and second year together. There’s a lot of maturity on this team, we have veteran players who
have played a lot of ball and there’s maturity there. I think that’s what puts this team at a little different
level when it comes to that. So many young players have played a lot of football, it’s interesting. There’s
not a lot that really phases this group. Adversity we know is going to strike at some point, but it’s always
been next-man-up mentality. This team doesn’t seem to waiver much at all with that.”
(On how to account for new players and coaches in Week 1 matchup) “I try to stay away from it. Again, if
you start talking about that, the emotions run too high anyway. Now, you’ve built something up that
sometimes isn’t there. We understand it is Week 1 and emotions are going to run high, we understand.
But I don’t put a lot of emphasis on that. I just keep these guys just in the moment, today, Wednesday.
Just focus on today, let’s get better today. Let’s talk about the first and second down game plan today.
Let’s not worry about Sunday just yet. As we go throughout the week, yes, with some of our new players
and starters, Anton Harrison [OL Anton Harrison], first time in the NFL starting at right tackle. His
emotions are going to run high, but he’s got a great guy sitting next to him at right guard that can help
handle that. You kind of lean on the team a little bit to help with some of the emotions and all that.”
(On if you can prepare to go against a new head coach) “You can prepare for that. It all comes down to
the film study, the history of their coaches, where they’ve been, who they’ve coached, and
understanding their personnel. It’s interesting, because we know Gus Bradley [Colts Defensive
Coordinator Gus Bradley] on defense, he’s been there, second year in that system with those guys and all
of that. Then, it’s the offensive side that might be a little different or look a little different. Obviously, a
young ascending quarterback, that can look a little different. I think you can prepare just by going back
and understanding the history of their coaches and where they’ve been and who they’ve coached.”
(On importance of starting fast this week) “We talk a lot about that. It starts with the opening kickoff,
whether it’s kickoff or kick return. Making a play, don’t go chasing the plays but making plays that come
to you and just coming down to execution and focusing on the gameplan. Staying within the moment,
but you strive on trying to get early scores if you can, early stops on defense if you can. You’d love to play
with a lead most of the game, but sometimes that doesn’t happen. We emphasize it a lot, and it’s just a
matter of execution.”
(On if starting fast is a mindset or an action) “It’s something we definitely address and talk about. 60-
minute game is a long game, there’s a lot of plays in a football game. Sometimes the way you start is not
the way you finish in a football game, but you definitely want to start fast and finish faster. Our guys do
understand that and those are things we continue to talk about all season long.”
(On what went wrong in matchup at Indianapolis last year) “I thought that you look at it defensively,
there was some third downs we just didn’t get off the field, especially late in the game. Those are things
that we try to focus on and definitely when you get in third-down situations, you try to get off the field
and force a punt. We didn’t do that well enough in that game last year. Offensively, I thought the first
half, looking back on it, we take the opening drive and I think Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] took a sack, it
knocked us out of field goal range early in that football game. There’s three points there. The way we
started the second half, there was some explosive plays, but there was a couple of drives in there we
didn’t execute very well. They did a nice job of just keeping everything in front and forcing tackles,
getting guys on the ground. We just got to execute better in all three phases.”
(On how to improve the gameplan for this week’s matchup compared to last years) “Obviously, it’s a
different offense, but that was something they did. Got the ball out of Matt Ryan’s hands, they got the
ball out quickly, sort of stymied the pass rush in that way. Again, this is a totally different team, totally
different game, different game plan, and we got to be prepared for all of that again. Especially with a
young quarterback I’m sure, trying to get some easy completions early and get in a rhythm, use his legs,
even possibly a gadget type of play early. Those are all things that we have to be ready for.”
QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
(On growth seen out of RB Travis Etienne Jr.) “I think a lot of things, obviously the talent has always been
there, and he’s always had a knack for the game and been a great runner. He’s done a lot of things to
create explosive plays, all that. All the way back to college and last year. I think he’s just getting more and
more football savvy and understanding defenses and protections, I think that’s just growing a lot right
now and I think that’s one thing he’s taken a huge step in from last year to this year is all of that. I think
he’s really sharp with protections. That was one thing I know he wanted to work on, and I think he’s done a great job. That’s one thing I’ve been impressed with and just making his game really well-
rounded. I think he’s doing a great job of that and the more he can do, the more he’s on the field, the more he helps us. That’s what we all want and him as well, so it’s been good to see him grow in all those
areas.”
(On what it means to have a successful season for Panthers QB Bryce Young, the number one overall
pick) “Oh man, you might be asking the wrong guy. Hopefully it goes a little better for him. I think it’s
hard to say, it’s a hard question. Every team is different, someone told me this before, and there’s some
truth to it no matter the situation, well it’s a little different with Carolina because they traded up for it.
But typically whoever has the number one pick, you’re going somewhere that’s struggled the year before
so the expectations are going to be what they are and it’s going to be some tough challenges. It’s a little
bit different in Carolina. I know they got a really good team; it seems like they have a great coaching staff.
I think just managing those expectations because what are our expectations anyways? It doesn’t really
matter what people think you should do or you’re going to do, it doesn’t really matter at the end of the
day. As long as the guys in the locker room trust and have faith in you and you keep getting better every
day, I think that’s what success looks like. Obviously, winning as many games as possible. It’s hard to say
how many that’s going to be and you don’t know the set of obstacles that are going to be in front of you.
You just have to go with that mindset everyday of getting better and not letting bad plays and bad games
get in your head. Just continuing to turn the page over, learn from the good, learn from the bad, and
continuing growing. I think that’s the biggest thing and the most success you can have is by doing that.
Yeah, I don’t know if you’re asking the best candidate for it, but no, it’s going to be a learning experience
definitely.”
(On if part of football is just trying to get through the season) “Yeah, that’s never the mindset of getting
through it. I think you want to thrive and find success win-wise and you want to play well to put your
team in a situation to win. There is part of it that you have to learn by experience. There are some things
you’re going to have to make mistakes on to learn. No matter who you are, maybe there’s fewer than
other guys with Bryce [Panthers QB Bryce Young], who knows what that’ll be. There’s going to be things
that you just have to experience it and learn it. The NFL in itself is different in the sense of schedule, the
season, it’s a really long season, he’s used to playing at a good school and they played a lot of games so
that’ll help him, but it’s just all different. I know Bryce a little bit, he seems great. I think he’s going to do
just fine. Yeah, it’s different for everybody but just a learning experience.”
(On if there’s a different level of confidence this year) “I think it’s a lot of things. I think it’s having
confidence a little bit from past success, but also preparation and knowing our system and feeling more
comfortable in what we’re doing. Just speaking from an offensive standpoint and I’m sure defensively the
same way, guys look great, I’m not in those meeting rooms but I would say they feel the same. Just being
in the system, you know more, you can react faster, you can play faster, you communicate better with
the guys around you. I think that gives you confidence too, just the way we finished the year. That gives
us confidence, but it’s a new season and that doesn’t carry over. Everyone starts the same in the same
spot at the end of the year. You can’t think that it’s going to be like that, you got to go out and earn it. I
think we also have confidence from the training camp we had, the OTAs, how we’ve worked, all that
plays into that. But now we get to go play for real and see what we got, see what type of team we are
and go prove it on the field.”
(On difference of team heading into Week 1 this year versus last) “It’s a lot different, the confidence
piece and you know there’s things that are going to be come up in the season. There’s going to be some
hiccups, it’s never going to go perfect. But I think just the confidence we have in our guys, in our system,
in our staff, and just overall the relationships and storms that we weathered last year gives us
confidence. We know everything is not going to go perfect this year, it’s never going to no matter how
good your team is. Understanding that and also realizing we’ve been through some of that adversity
before and we know how to handle it. When it comes, I think we’ll be able to bounce back even quicker
than we were able to last year. I think everyone has confidence in that.”
(On having offensive weapons that focus on the team and not individual stats) “That’s big, I think it takes
a lot of pressure off of me. That’s one less thing to worry about because that’s a real thing. Guys in
certain teams and positions, not that they don’t care about winning, but they also really care about
getting their touches, getting the ball, getting their stats. Of course we all want to have good stats and
we want to play well, it would be ideal if you do that and win the game, but when we’re talking about
guys, if you win the game, it doesn’t really matter what your stat line is. Even if you have one catch, no
catches, if I threw a pick or two picks and we win, obviously I’m not going to be happy with my
performance but I’m going to celebrate with the team and be happy that we won the game. That’s what
this league is about. It’s hard to win. When you find ways to win, that’s the cool thing about our team.
We enjoy it, we understand that it’s hard to win and we have that perspective. It’s not really about
personal stats or individual stats, it’s about the team. With that, guys take pride in their performance, so
I think there’s a fine line. You’re not happy with mediocrity, you want to play well and you want to put
your best stuff out there, but there’s a fine line for sure.”
(On wanting to be under the radar due to high attention towards the team) “I don’t really care, to be
honest. I think it’s more dangerous to have people praising you than to not have any expectations. With
the group we have, it doesn’t worry me at all. I think we come to work with the same mindset. That’s the
biggest thing, everyone always asks about expectations and how you deal with them. You don’t really
deal with them, you just don’t listen to them. What does it matter what this guy said over here? He’s not
in our locker room, he’s not apart of our team, and even if he said something good, we go out and lose
Sunday, everyone is going to be like, ‘Oh, I told you they weren’t going to be any good.’ It doesn’t really
matter what people say. We just have to keep our ship tight and I think that’s the biggest thing that
Coach [Head Coach Doug Pederson] has done a good job of, is making sure of that and managing all of
those expectations. They’re not real, it’s not a real thing. We have to go out there and go play every
Sunday and put our best foot forward. You can’t do that if you’re listening to what other people are
saying.”
(On challenge of facing new defensive players for the Colts) “Yeah, there’s definitely some challenges
facing these teams in the first two, three, four weeks of the season. There’s not much tape out there and
it’s more challenging when it’s a new coordinator and everything’s changed. That’s definitely more
challenging, but same here with this team. You got a lot of new players and there’s a little bit of
preseason film, but you never know if that’s what they’re going to do, are they going to do more, do they
show something they’re not going to do, who knows. You got to go play the game, but I think with this
coordinator, Coach Bradley [Colts Defensive Coordinator] has done a great job in all the places he’s been.
He does what he does, he has his system and of course he’s going to have some wrinkles in some new
stuff, being in a division opponent, especially playing them twice last year. They’re a really disciplined
group, they do what they do, and they do it well. That’s where he makes his money, is by doing that.
Guys are really well coached and they’re in the right spot. Even if you know what they’re doing, you still
have to beat them and vice versa. If they know what we’re doing, they still have to cover us and do all of
that. That’s how the game is played, sometimes there’s not as much trickery as you might think. You’re
going to have some plans and secrets and some stuff up your sleeve. At the end of the day, you coach
your guys to do something and play assignment football and they do a really good job of that so we got
to go beat them.”
(On importance of getting off to a fast start in season opener) “It’s big, it’s big every week. We’d love to
go out there and score first drive, that’s the plan. That’s what we’re going to try to do, that’s what we’ve
worked on a lot this offseason. No matter what series it is or what drive it is, just being efficient. I think
we’ve gotten a lot better in a lot of areas and we get a chance to prove it Sunday. This one counts, I’m
excited and I know all the guys are pumped to get out there.”
(On if it’s a mindset or an execution to start fast this season) “It’s both, I think it’s mindset, it’s execution. You got to execute and keep it in manageable situations. You don’t want to get in second- and third-and-
long early, I think that’s the biggest thing. You don’t want penalties, just all that. Play clean, especially to start the game, get a rhythm, then we can settle in and go after them. I think that’s the key so we’ll see.”
(On what he remembers from last year’s loss in Indianapolis) “I know I haven’t won there in the last two
years, we didn’t win either of those games so definitely have a bad taste in my mouth going there. We
want to right the ship there, that’s for sure. We just didn’t execute, I know that game was one of a
handful from last year where, ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda.’ We could have won the game, we should have
won the game, we had opportunities and didn’t so they end up winning. We all remember that and I
think it’s good not to forget that. Also, Coach [Head Coach Doug Pederson] sends us the message of we
got to move on as it’s a new year, but I want you to remember the history and what’s been there. We
haven’t played well there so I think it’s something to add a little motivation for us. At the end of the day,
it’s a new year and a new season and we can’t carry too much of that over. We definitely have the right
mindset going into this week.”
(On threat of Colts LB Shaquille Leonard) “He’s a great player. I didn’t play against him last year, but my
rookie year we did and he’s just a guy that you always have to know where he’s at. He’s got a knack for
one, getting takeaways and punching the ball out or in coverage. Reading quarterbacks eyes and making
plays on the ball, he’s just really athletic and moves sideline-to-sideline. He diagnoses plays really quickly,
he’s a great player and has great instinct. If he ends up playing, it’s a guy you know who is out there and
you always know where he’s at. We got to be prepared for whoever it is. He’s a great player.”
(On if there’s rivalries in professional football) “I think so. You have your division rivals, and you have
teams. Honestly, every division game feels that way. It’s almost like the division games are worth double because we all know how important it is to win your division. When you can start with one, it’s a big
opportunity to either get ahead or fall behind a little bit in your division. We understand how big this
game is and the history of us playing the Colts there and what we need to do. We understand all of that.
It is a big game and I’m just excited to get out there and play when I know we’ve been chomping at the
bit and the team is ready. But yeah, all of those games feel like rivals.”
(On getting to know opponents over the years) “Oh yeah, twice a year you get to know these guys, you
talk to them, you see them after games, all that stuff. You get familiar year-to-year, this is my fifth time
playing the Colts so I’ll be playing some of these guys for the fifth time. You get to know how they play
and things they like to do. They obviously have a different coordinator the last two years than they did
my rookie year. You remember players and you keep things saved, you back on notes and all that stuff so
you remember all of that.”
