| QUARTERBACK GARDNER MINSHEW II Wednesday, August 12, 2020 (On identifying the most progress fundamentally and offensively) “Yeah I think the big thing so far is cleaning up a few things technique wise with drill work with [Jaguars Quarterbacks] Coach [Ben] McAdoo, he’s bringing in a lot of experience, worked with a lot of really good guys. So, all of the quarterbacks were just eager to learn from him and then I think once getting into offense, it’s all about communication. You know, whether it’s at the line in the huddle, just making sure everybody knows their job and all the quarterbacks are doing a good job of getting everybody where they need to go.” (On his workout emphasis during the offseason in Naples) “Yeah working with [Sports Fitness] Coach Anthony Tumbarello down there, got a lot of good work in. Obviously, speed was a big area of emphasis down there. And then maintaining as much strength as I can, to put as much on the ball as possible, with my current weight. We had a lot of good work and now I’m glad to be back with Coach Mylo [Strength and Conditioning Coach Tom Myslinski] in our weight room here and continue that process here.” (On what is at the top of the list to accomplish this year) “Yeah, I think it’s hard to set goals like that far in advance, I think we set it every day. You know, we want to get better, I think we went out there today, we got better. We got better at some blitz pickup, a few different things. And I think if we get better at one thing every day through camp, through the year, by the end of the year, we’ll like where we’re at.” (On his relationship with RB Leonard Fournette) “Yeah you know, being from the south, Leonard’s a legend, dude. He’s been like the five-star No. 1 player in the country since he was in eighth or ninth grade, so everybody knew Leonard, basically forever. Being on his team is really cool. He comes in, he handles his business well, does his job and he’s been great this camp. [He’s] been a great teammate and [I’m] looking forward to have him doing the same this year.” (On how fun it is with RB Leonard Fournette in the locker room) “Yeah we got a lot of personalities in the locker room and he’s obviously a big one. I joke around at times, I guess, and then you’ve got guys like Myles Jack who’s always doing the same thing. So, really those two, that’s the stories you need to get, cause they’re at each other about every day. That’s who you need to check in on.” (On relationship with WR DJ Chark Jr. in the past year) “Yeah, it’s huge. I mean, this time last year we didn’t get to work together very much at all. We had a few reps in the preseason and then we were kind of throw in, in the regular season. This offseason, we got a lot of good work with DJ. Like I was talking about in the beginning, just communication. You know, really understanding what he’s thinking in certain things and me explaining to him what the goal of the play is, what I’m thinking. I think that’s going to allow us just to understand each other a lot better and hopefully be on the same page more this year.” (On having more reps with WR DJ Chark than anyone else on the team) “Yeah absolutely. You know, we’re trying to work towards that with all the guys that we’re going to have in there. But it absolutely helps. I think the more reps, the more communication, the better we’ll be. When he can kind of expect what’s coming and I can know what’s coming from him, I think it allows us to be a lot better and play a lot faster.” (On TE James O’Shaughnessy’s return to the practice field) “No, it’s huge man, I was so happy. I saw James today, came up and gave him a big hug. Just ready, so excited for him coming back. Through the part of the season before he got hurt last year, we really developed some chemistry. He caught some big balls for me. And I’m just so happy for him personally. You know, to be back out here, I know the fight that he’s had, just trying to get ready for this. And to have him out there, it’s a lot of fun.” (On PAC-12’s season cancellation and his message to his alma mater team, Washington State) “Yeah, I reached out to a couple guys and I’m probably going to reach out to a couple more to see how they’re doing. I know the amount of work that they put in. I know how bad this sucks, especially for those older guys that don’t know what the future holds right now, don’t know if they’re going to have their senior year at all, don’t know if they get the year back or what. So really, just feeling for those guys. Hope they come to resolution sooner rather than later. I just told them to keep their head up and if there’s anything I can help them with, I’d love to help.” (On the importance of having his final year at Washington State University) “It was huge for me. Without that year at Washington State, I wouldn’t have been drafted, I probably would’ve gone undrafted. So, it’s truly a blessing. I couldn’t have imagined having– if I wouldn’t have had that, don’t know, my life would’ve been way different. So, [I’m] definitely fortunate, blessed, whatever you want to call it. But I’m extremely grateful for where I am and I hate it, it makes me hate it that much more for those guys that are in that situation this year.” (On working on pocket presence and footwork in the pocket within strength conditioning during the offseason) “Absolutely, that was huge part of what I did. Basically, every time I was throwing, I had somebody either knocking at the ball or just around me trying to work the subtleties, the subtle moving in the pocket and still being able to throw, whether it’s off-balance or regaining balance quickly. So that was a big emphasis this year and obviously ball security is something I’m taking very seriously.” (On how this training is different knowing that he’s the starting quarterback) “Yeah, I actually haven’t had a camp like this going into it since, I guess, my senior year of high school, so it’s awesome. You know, just being with the guys and trying to figure out how we—what we want to be as a team because we get to define that right now. There’s a group of guys on this team, a group of leaders, that have a very real opportunity to change the culture here, to develop a winning culture and I think it’s already started. The guys are very excited to get on the field, whether it’s even just for practice right now. So, I’m glad to be here, super grateful for the opportunity and hoping to make the most of it.” (On times when he realizes he should be speaking up) “No, no, it’s something that I guess I’ve just always had the ability to do. Just glad to have the opportunity now.” |
JAGUARS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JAY GRUDEN
August 12, 2020
(On his preconceived notions of Leonard Fournette and if his opinion has changed since working with him) “I didn’t really have any preconceived notions of him as a person; I didn’t really know him. As a player, I know he’s a powerful guy with a lot of speed. I did a lot of work on him coming out of LSU and obviously his statistics, his durability, everything was status quo. He’s a great player and everything you’ve seen on tape with Jacksonville, his production last year was excellent, and so far so good. He’s been working hard. He’s learning our new system and I’m excited to work with him.”
(On Fournette’s personality) “I don’t know about the locker room, I’m not back there. But as far as interactions with coaches, it’s been positive with me so far. He’s willing to learn and we’re teaching him some new things, some new concepts, new techniques so to speak, and he’s bought in and he’s learning. We haven’t done any full speed stuff yet where I can see how hard he works in practice but so far from a mental standpoint, he’s been a treat to be around. He’s been learning, he’s been attentive, and I like him.”
(On Gardner Minshew’s progress) “We mainly, like I said, we’re starting to install the meat and potatoes of our offense and Gardner’s been great. He’s had a good offseason. We had the virtual offseason so we got a little jump-start on it and then it carried over until we came back and started meeting here recently. We’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got a lot of situational work, a lot of protections to tie down; we’ve got formations, red zone, a lot of things still to tie down. I’ve been impressed with Gardner. He’s a hard worker. He’s willing to learn. He knows he’s got a long way to go. He’s got a huge upside and we’re excited to tap into that.”
(On having the consistency on the offensive line with Brandon Linder) “I don’t think people understand the importance of a center, a good center, a smart center, a productive center, a durable center. It is a very important position in any offense. The communication he has to get through to the guards, to the quarterback, to the running back, the adjustments they have to make on the fly based on fronts or blitzes. He’s been outstanding so far and I’m very excited to get more and more in depth with him once we get to see more looks and more blitzes and more fronts. I know it’s something he can handle, something he has handled in his career. A veteran presence like that, especially at the center position, is critical to any offense and we’re happy to have him.”
(On getting the offense up to speed in a shortened training camp) “I think we’ll get it up to speed. The good thing about the start of training camp has been a phase two-type deal where we’ve had a lot of meetings; we’ve had a lot of walk-throughs before we actually practice full speed. So these last five or six days, we have a few more days leading up to our first practice, have been good. We still have a lot of time without the preseason games. What that gives us is more time to have walk-throughs and get the looks we need to see getting ready for Indianapolis, Houston, and the teams that we play, as opposed to getting ready for a team you’re going to play in the preseason that you’ll never see again. I think we’re going to have plenty of time to get what we need to get in. Understand that we have a lot of young guys. We have guys in this offense for the first time and we just have to be patient. We also have to demand a lot of these guys mentally. We can’t just go out in five formations and run twelve plays. We have to challenge the defense. We have to challenge our guys and make sure we get the necessary looks and variety of offense that we need.”
(On what players have excited him the most) “First of all, I always like to start with the line. I always feel like games are won on the offensive and defensive line. The offensive line with Jawaan [Taylor], we mentioned Brandon [Linder] already. Cam [Robinson] is a young player that’s going to develop into a great left tackle. Obviously Andrew [Norwell] at left guard, solid, A.J. [Cann]. We’ve got a good veteran offensive line, well coached by Coach Warhop so I’m excited about that. Everything else can function accordingly. The running game will be better, the passing game will be better. It starts with those five guys and the backups. Will’s [Richardson Jr.] a good solid player, played a couple of different positions. We’re excited about them so that’s number one. And now we have to develop our quarterbacks. Obviously Gardner [Minshew] played ten games last year. He’s a good player. He’s developing. He’s an exciting player but I like the way he plays. He’s a very highly competitive young man and hopefully we’ll get something going for him that he’s comfortable with and likes. The receiver standpoint, DJ [Chark]. Obviously his explosion and his ability to make plays down the field, in the short pass game, intermediate range. He’s going to be a heck of a wide receiver for years to come. Dede’s [Westbrook] an exciting guy. He played the slot only for his first year last year. He’s got some learning to do, but I’m excited about Dede and his skill level. And obviously the veteran leadership of Chris Conley. He’s an excellent player and we have some rookies, it’s an exciting group. Tight end-wise, James [O’Shaughnessy] got back to practice today for the first time, first time I got to see him. We got [Tyler] Eifert. I know Tyler from Cincinnati. Obviously Josh Oliver has a skill set that is very very intriguing and exciting. So I think we have the tools at every position that should make this team pretty exciting.”
(On his comparison of Minshew to other quarterbacks he’s worked with) “I really don’t compare quarterbacks. Really I think each quarterback has a different skill set that you try to work with, try to develop, and try to hone in on to make them comfortable in whatever offense you want to run, and that’s something that we have to get to know a little bit as we move forward. The quick passing game, dropbacks, play action, naked keeper, see what he’s good at, see what he’s comfortable with and then go from there. But I really wouldn’t compare him to anybody; Kirk Cousins, we had Colt McCoy, Case Keenum. There’s some similarities there. Both of them are tough, great, competitive, highly competitive players. Obviously I had Andy Dalton as a young player so he was able to pick it up in his first year as a rookie. So I like where his mind’s at, number one. We’re trying to attack his mental state of mind or challenge him with these concepts and protections and so far it’s been great. But he’s got a skill set that’s really unlike a lot of players at that quarterback position. He’s not real tall, doesn’t have a cannon, but he’s just a highly competitive guy. He has great anticipation and accuracy and he can make plays happen when the plays break down, so it’s going to be fun to work with him.”
(On Minshew’s ability to take concepts from meetings to the field) “I think it starts by being able to call the play in the huddle and he’s been great. You’ve got to be able to spit the play out in the huddle. There’s a lot of words, formations, motions, shifts possibly, and then the concept, the protection. He’s done a great job of spitting that out and then going back and executing. That’s something we’ve got to keep repping, keep repping. We haven’t seen a lot of defenses, not a lot of disguises right now. Indianapolis is going to give you a lot of looks. Our defense right now is pretty vanilla. As we get into camp we’ll see a lot more different fronts and blitzes and they’re going to challenge the heck out of us. Time will tell how we can adjust and how we adjust to those different looks, but so far so good. Like I said, I’ve been impressed with him especially above the shoulders.”
(On working with Quarterbacks Coach Ben McAdoo) “Ben’s been great. He came in and learned new terminology. A lot of the same concepts carry over from team to team, but he has to put them in his terminology and then obviously we do things a little bit differently from a protection standpoint. He’s picking that up. But the main thing I need him for is to really, really concentrate on the fundamentals of the quarterback. He was able to work with Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning obviously so he has a great understanding of the quarterback position. We have a lot of great examples to work from. The most important thing with those guys is footwork, fundamentals, and he’s doing a great job. And then obviously once we get started, helping me out with concepts and ideas. He’s been through it; he’s done it, another great person to lean on throughout the year.”
(On the tight end position) “I think we have a number of tight ends now, not just the three. We have a lot of guys to look at. We have your different type of tight ends in the NFL these days. You need your big guys who can handle the running game and base formations. They have to be able to block a defensive end from time to time. They have to be able to get up at the linebacker. They have to have the agility and ability to adjust. I think it’s one of toughest positions to play other than quarterback because you have to be firm and solid in the running game and then in the passing game, you have to know all the concepts. Got to be able to read man or zone, got to be able to come out of your breaks, get separation, and not many people can do both. Obviously Josh Oliver with his strength; he’s gotten a lot stronger from last year. He’s got the power. He’s got the speed. He’s an exciting young prospect. James [O’Shaughnessy] has played it a lot, Tyler’s [Eifert] played it a lot. We just have to figure out how to use them, two-tight end sets, possibly three-tight end sets, one-tight end set. All of them have a great skill set, we just have to figure out what their skill set is and how to best use them. Ideally the best type of guy is the guy who can handle the core and also get up in space and make some things happen or we can mix and match guys and utilize their skill set accordingly based on what they can do.”
(On the status of the offense on the first day of practice) “We’re still in diapers right now. We have a long way to go, but I’m excited about the guys, first of all. You have to have guys that are willing to learn and willing to work and I like the mentality of this football team. Coach Marrone does a great job of setting the tone for this team and these guys have come in and they don’t act like they know it all, they’re willing to learn and do things the way we want to do things now. Some things will be similar, some things will be a little bit different, but from a walk-through, from a mental standpoint, from the ability for them to pick up and learn has been impressive so far. But once we get the pads on and you go in day in and day out, hopefully they keep their effort level high and [are] able to learn new things on the fly and be able to adjust. We’ve got a long way to go but I’ve been impressed with every one of them so far in the walk-through phase that we’re in right now.”
GENERAL MANAGER DAVE CALDWELL
August 11, 2020
(On any optimism he may foresee with Yannick Ngakoue changing his agent and the difficulty of scouting and evaluating players if more conferences decide to not play college football next year) “As far as the Yannick situation goes, you would have to talk to him. I’m very cautious of speaking for him. I know he and I have been in contact the last couple of days, but that is for him to discuss. He’s earned the right to play his contract out, and he’s earned the right to do what’s best for him and his family. So I’m going to defer any of his future questions to him and try to keep our conversations between he and I. As far as the scouting goes, I’m anxious to see what the resolution of the college season is. I know some conferences have cancelled. There’s talk of other conferences cancelling. Obviously, we have done our homework on a lot of these guys already. The players with play history and a lot of video out there, we can make good, educated decisions on. It will probably hurt some of the smaller school players or guys like K’Lavon Chaisson, who missed his sophomore year and came out junior [year]. Maybe you will see less junior [year players] come out and then wait to play their senior year.”
(On Leonard Fournette saying he thinks comments about him having a negative attitude have been false) “I would agree with that. Leonard is in a good spot. We have had conversations, and I think he does not like losing, like the rest of our players on our team. They all handle it in their own way, and I would agree with what he said yesterday.”
(On whether he and Leonard Fournette had a conversation following trade rumors in the Spring) “We did. We talked about not exercising his fifth-year option. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for him, that he has to have a great year and put his best foot forward.”
(On how difficult it is for players in a similar contract situation to Leonard Fournette given the uncertainty of this year’s season) “Everyone is in their own individual situation. For us, as a team and an organization, we are in a good situation from a [salary] cap standpoint. I know we have some guys that have contracts expiring this year. We expect them to have great years, and we will be able to do whatever we need to do to keep the guys that we need to keep at the end of the year.”
(On the amount of young players currently on the roster and the challenge the team faces this year) “We did add some veterans, and obviously, some opted out in the last week or so. I like our youth, I like our guys. I have a lot of faith in our coaching staff and how they are going to develop our young guys and our players. I don’t think it’s necessarily a major issue being a young team this year. We did add some veterans, a guy like Tyler Eifert and Joe Schobert. On both sides of the ball, we have got guys that are smart, competitive, good team guys, good leaders. On top of that, we’re returning a lot of our starting offense from last year. Guys have really come in in shape, and they’re doing well.”
(On the progress he has seen from Gardner Minshew II) “He has had a great offseason, and he’s come in in shape. He’s really attacked the new offense under Jay [Gruden]. He’s done a hell of a job and just wait to see how this all unfolds. I know he has a good mindset, and his character and his work ethic have been really evident on how he has come in this offseason.”
(On the importance of flexibility with the practice squad) “Bringing the practice squad to sixteen is a great idea from the league and the [Player’s Association] in having those guys. It really puts the onus on us being able to develop our guys in-house and some of these rookies and young guys that we can put in the practice squad. Also, we’re going to be able to put some veterans on the practice squad too. The more players you have, especially at a time like this, is better and to have really good bench depth.”
(On whether he anticipated a large shift in the roster as last season came to a close) “To be honest with you, it was always planned, maybe even further back than that in the preceding year. We knew that we had to take a step back and have a little bit of a youth movement. Going into the [2019] season, I think that was always the plan. We felt like when we built the team going into [2017] that we would be able to keep the team together for a good two or three years and then this would be the year where we would possibly turn the team over, get the salary cap back in order, and acquire some draft capital to build this and hit the ground running. That was not necessarily the plan at the end of the year, but something that we planned previous to that.”
(On whether Yannick Ngakoue changing his agent will help him get back in the building) “I don’t have a feel for that one way or the other. Like I said earlier, I’m going to not speak for Yan, out of respect for him. He’s earned the right. He played his contract out. He played four years, and he’s earned the right to do what’s best for him and his family. Obviously, he’s a guy that we know what he brings to the table. His coaches love him, his teammates love him. We all love his energy, the fan base loves him. Ideally, we would love to have him here, but I will let him speak on his behalf of what is going on, and I know that he’s making some calculated decisions.”
(On whether he feels it is bad luck with forming such a young roster in a unique offseason) “No, I don’t consider it bad luck, and these young guys, this rookie class, and I give our coaching staff a lot of credit for how they have handled these first couple of weeks. We were one of the few teams that stuck with 90 players, and they were out on the practice fields doing walk throughs with the rookies. We had to do a split squad with the rookies and the veterans, and they are out doing double time. These rookies have gotten a lot of reps, and it’s been a really good class in terms of them being on point with their responsibilities and picking up the playbook. That’s been encouraging. I think they’re all going to be just fine, and they are on the same level as every other team’s rookies. I would take the fact that we didn’t just blow it up. We did make some moves that we can be an equal to, and if not, better team than we were last year.”
(On the general feeling he has on players opting out in the building and across the National Football League) “The way I felt about it is when a player started asking about it, and questioning about it, this is not a game that you can be 85% in to go through a season. You have to be 100% committed. When some of the players started questioning and I thought that they were going down that road, I had some good conversations with them. Everybody has their own reasons, and you have to respect their reasons. The last thing I wanted to do was to have a player come in and not be 100% in, and with what we are doing, get hurt or something else happens. So, the guys that opted out, I do not think it was a huge surprise knowing their situations. I respect that. The guys that we have here have done a tremendous job, not only from a player standpoint but from an organizational standpoint in terms of our ICO and our medical staff. We came in, and we had one of the larger number of players on the [COVID-19 Injury Report List]. Our medical staff and our players really did a good job of social distancing and reporting. The contact tracing has been really impeccable. Our players are starting to get a comfort level, like we all are and it’s a new normal. I’m excited about the progress we have made in all facets of that.”
(On if he’s nervous as colleges and universities talk about potentially postponing their football seasons) “Yeah it does, but not necessarily for our season. I think it’s two separate situations and protocols with the NFL and the resources that we have with the NFL and how we’re handling our business. You have to give a lot of credit to the league office and the plan they put together. You can really see it working on a day-to-day basis when you come in the building. I feel confident we’re going to have football and our building; we’d like to think everybody is taking care of their business and doing the right thing. Hopefully that continues throughout the league. As far as college goes, you feel bad for the athletes and guys that put so much work into it and they have to make their own decisions, obviously.”
(On how he feels about his defensive front) “Obviously when you lose some depth before you even start your first practice it’s a little bit of a concern, and guys like Al Woods and Rodney [Gunter] is out for a period of time. Our guys like [Dontavius] Russell are guys we’re counting on. I think those guys are hard to find as it is and it’s hard to find them at this point in time. We feel like the guys we brought in can come in and compete and do a good job. I have a lot of confidence in Coach Marrone and our coaching staff and Todd Wash and our D-Line coach. They’ll develop the guys we have and we do have some young guys that have a lot of good traits so I think our coaching staff is on top of it and we’ll get good production out of that defensive front.”
(On whether he was sold on Laviska [Shenault Jr.] from day one) “What really sold us was his 2018 college tape. Our scouts did a really great job evaluating him this time of year last year before his college season and he had tremendous tape; if he would’ve came out that year he may have been, if not the top receiver then one of the top two receivers. Then he goes through his season in 2019 and he wasn’t 100%. Got banged up in training camp and really didn’t have that good of a year, but when you do the research you realize that he’s a guy that wasn’t playing 100% throughout his 2019 season and still battled through it and you grew to like the kid because of his pain tolerance and his toughness and his competitiveness and how much he loves ball. Then you put that together with what he did in 2018 and you feel like you have a guy who is really going to come in and make a difference for you.”
(On his evaluation on how Taven Bryan handled being moved around a lot at the beginning of his career) “That’s the thing, just the development of rookies as we expect these guys to come in year one and just hit the ground running and they all develop at a different pace and different time. When Taven came in, we had some really good players at those positions, and we were just trying to get him some reps. I saw a difference when we put him in at our three technique, our defensive tackle position, and just let him play those. And around week 5 and week 6, you saw a different player and he continued to get better, and you look at the game grade and a lot of credit goes to our defensive line coach and Coach Wash on how they developed him. Going all the way to the end of the season he kept getting ahead if you looked at the grades. He got better every week. It was better, better, better to the last game of the season where he played his best game of football.”
(On his thoughts of Ronnie Harrison and Jarrod Wilson and if he expects Daniel Thomas to come in and earn a starting position over either of them) “I think those two guys are solid. Last year was their first year starting together as a tandem and I think we expect them with playing together for another year in the system we expect those two guys to get better. We like the depth behind them between Andrew Wingard and Daniel Thomas and Daniel will push. He’s a tough guy, he’s a smart guy and he’s been on point so far, so he’ll probably make a big impact on special teams and be in for some playing time as the season goes on.”
(On if he thinks the teams that handles the COVID-19 protocols properly can level the playing field) “Short answer? No. (laughter) In all seriousness, football is a game where you have to be able to handle all the distractions. Every team goes through distractions and part of our job is to try and limit those for our players. With protocols we put in place, Cassie [Ettel] our ICO [Infections Control Officer] and Scott Trulock have done a tremendous job trying to limit those distractions for our players so they can just come in and focus on football and doing their job. Ultimately you still have to have the ability to compete and talent. Guys still have to produce and complete the fundamentals and execute properly. So, it’s not different than waking up and having a personal distraction and coming to work on a daily basis. We all deal with it and adversity makes us stronger.”
(On anything about the change in procedures that he enjoyed and might keep) “Yeah, with our rookies practicing by themselves then coming in and gelling together as a group and our coaches doing a lot of one-on-one, individual stuff with those guys I think really helped. I think Coach Marrone and the coaching staff put together a really good plan for those rookies and we even talked about maybe keeping them separate for years to come.”
(On the biggest challenge for him outside of all the COVID-19 related changes) “This right here. (points to his social distanced tracking device) This tracking device. When I go outside to work out or take a shower, I feel like I’m about 60% about remembering to put it back on. Luckily when I have forgotten to put it on, I haven’t come into contact with anybody. Either people think I’ve been sitting in my office too long, but I have to find a way so I’m 100% with this. That’s been my biggest challenge, but outside of that there hasn’t been much. The coming in and having to get tested every day, it’s such a relief for me waking up every morning knowing I tested negative and I can go home to my family and my parents or my in-laws can come into town knowing that we still have to social distance but I’m not putting them in any additional risk.”
(On whether having four locker rooms has helped with being able to manage social distancing compared to other teams) “Other teams have multiple locker rooms too. Teams practice outside their stadium and may share their stadium with college teams, but I’d say it does help. Not only in our locker room, but our dining facility is very open air, it’s very spacious. We’ve been able to spread out for our players to eat without being close to each other and the staff. We have a lot of space here and it’s been very fortunate at this time.”
