JAGUARS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIKE CALDWELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
(On the first day of practice yesterday) “Glad to be back. Everybody is moving around good so happy to be back.”
(On why if he likes Travon Walker more now after seeing him in rookie minicamp and OTA’s) “ We like him more now because we know the person now. We know the player, we see the player on film. The person, his work ethic, what he talks about off the field, that’s what we like about him. We just can’t wait to get him going more, get him in the pads and see him progress.
(On if he has an update on the severity of Devin Lloyd’s hamstring injury) “No, we’re just going to let that take care of itself. There’s no timetable on it. We’ll just let him go. He’s really getting a bunch of good mental reps now. That’s important for a young player – getting mental reps. He’s standing beside Coach Gilbert and Coach Sutton and myself, and he’s getting mental reps. That’s good for him.”
(On his impressions of LB Chad Muma) “This spring, we saw him come in. We saw his production in college and then just the mental part of the game. He’s playing real fast for a young guy, just can’t wait to see once the pads get on to see him go out there and do what he’s supposed to do.”
(On the importance of the NFL diversity programs) “I think it’s important. It’s good steps. Going up there this spring was a great opportunity for me. I played on five or six different teams – can’t remember how many. I know some of the owners but meeting them in a different setting was really good for me, to be able to sit down and talk to them. And then talking about the (Bill Walsh) minority internships, that’s how I started. I was there with the Eagles. Coach Andy Reid brought me on and I was able to do that. It’s a time where, as a former player or young coach, find out what you don’t know, find out if you really want to do it. And show people. The guys we have here are working extremely hard so far and we’re happy to have them.”
(On what excited him about Foye Oluokun when the team signed him) “One, production. Two, just when you talk to people around the league – his former coaches – how smart and how detailed he was. We always want a guy that stands in front of the huddle that’s a natural leader. You can put anybody in front of the huddle, but if they’re not that leader, guys aren’t really going to follow them. He’s a guy that
throughout his career, he’s been that one you look to or teams have looked to, and once he got here, you just saw it. He stepped in front of the huddle, he commanded it, he communicates well. We’re happy.”
(On if it’s nice to have a guy like that here as a first-time coordinator) “Well, I’m kind of biased. I’m a former inside linebacker. I’ve been an inside linebacker coach. I like those guys because I understand what that means to a team. I put a lot of pressure on him. He has broad shoulders, so he’s going to stand up to it.”
(On the importance of Foye Oluokun and Josh Allen as leaders on the defense) “It’s always good to have experience, but we have a coaching staff that has a bunch of guys that have played. But when you see guys on the field with you that have been through it and understand what we want from them. The young guys can turn and go ask a question that they may not want to ask a coach. Once we have so many leaders at different positions, we’re comfortable like that.”
(On if he has an idea of who the leaders on the defense are yet) “Really, I don’t like to say who the leaders are. In my mind, a leader is somebody that’s out there making plays. When you’re a young guy and you see someone out there that’s doing it the right way and making plays, those are the guys you follow. As coaches, we steer you that way. If you see a guy that’s doing it the right way, go get in his back pocket because he’s doing it the right way and that’s what you ought to model yourself behind.”
(On when he will know the defense will be better against the run) “We’ll probably (know that we’re) better against the run once we get to the end of the season and find out. But that’s the plan. We want to go out there and be the best we can be. That’s the goal right now. Get better every day. Continue to work. We have certain things we want to focus on, and our focus is what we’re trying to be better at and be good at.”
(On if this year’s defense will look a lot like Tampa Bay’s last year) “When you think about a coach growing up, you’re influenced by so many different people. I was with Coach Bowles, he’s like a brother to me. But there are certain things I’ve learned in the past before Coach Bowles that I may want to implement. Right now, we’re trying to mold it and we’re going to let our players play and perform in the best way that they can. We’ll put them in position to go out there and make plays through our scheme,
whatever our scheme ends up being.”
(On if any player has a leg up on earning green dot responsibilities) “The green dot is just my way to communicate to someone on the field. Typically, you want somebody that’s on the field three downs, and we anticipate our inside linebacker or safety being on the field three downs, so we can put that on anybody. Normally, it’s a guy that’s standing in front of the huddle, makes the calls. He can be the communicator on the field.”
(On having Darious Williams back on the field) “It’s really good. You sit back and you watch him. Great acquisition for us this offseason. With his injury, he was able to walk through but not be able to get on the field. Now, getting him on the field, seeing his movement. It’s really good for us, and for the other guys to be able to see him and see what he brings to the team.”
(On if this team has the personnel to become an elite defense) “That’s the goal. That’s what everyone works towards. You want to be elite. Whatever team you’re on, you want to be elite. You come out here every day of training camp and our message to them is that you have to build and it’s a process. You get there and you work and put the work in everyday, and then at the end of the day, what happens happens. You never know. You have great players, injuries happen. We’re constructed to go out there and get better every day, and we set goals for ourselves and our goal is to be a great team.”
(On the challenges of not putting on pads until this weekend) “I don’t see it as a challenge. We have to get the guys acclimated, because the thing about it is, you want them to come back – we talked about it, it’s a process. We play a game in four days (after we put on pads), but the ultimate goal is opening day. So we’re trying to build for that. Putting ourselves in pads, we’ll get enough work in pads. Coach Pederson understands he has a plan for what we’re going to do, and we’re going to follow the plan and hit it full speed.”
(On Josh Allen’s leadership with every member of the defense) “It’s a sign of him being a leader, a good teammate and also being the man that he is. However you got here, you’re here, now you’re in Jacksonville. You can help us. We’re going to try to get everything we can out of you, so he’s a guy that’s been through it. He understands it. He’s able to spill his knowledge onto the young guys, and they’re gravitating towards him.”
(On Foley Fatukasi) “He’s good. In that defensive line room, there’s characters and you have a bunch of leaders and he’s one of the guys. Again, you can never have enough leaders. We’re lucky enough to have a group of guys that have played in the league, understand what it takes to play in the league and they’re able to talk to the young guys and help us out in that aspect.”
(On if Andre Cisco is a starter) “We’ll find out on game day.”
(On if he’s pleased with Andre Cisco) “Really, the entire defense right now is learning and they’re getting better every day. I’m pleased with where they’re at, and they’re just continuing to get better. That’s what we look for. We look for guys – you’re going to make a mistake. Two or three days down the line, you don’t make the same mistake. We’re seeing that, so we’re pleased.
(On if Andre Cisco is coachable) “Yeah, coachable guy. You like his athleticism. He’s here, he’s buying in. He’s ready to work.”
(On his expectations for Shaquill Griffin) “Again, talking about leadership. He’s a guy that’s been here. He understands he’s been at other places. He’s a guy that the young guys can look to – how’d you do this? What’d you see here? He’s happy to instill his knowledge and share his knowledge with the young guys, so we’re pleased with that.
JAGUARS OLB JOSH ALLEN
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022
(On consistency and doing the little things) “I start that preparation right now. Attack each day and every day and get better each day. I’ve got to rely on my technique every day and really hone in on all those little small details, and that’s what’s going to get me [there]. My physical attributes I feel like can get me to where I need to be; it’s the mental part that’s going to take me to where I am going to be on the next level. So it’s just honing in on those little things, the details, and being consistent on those, and
that will eventually get me to Sundays and get better and better. The team around me is just phenomenal. We’re all going to be making plays, we’ll all be flying around, but it’s one play at a time, and I’m excited to get going.”
(On helping the younger players) “I live by example, man. I led when nobody was here, and they saw it, so it made it so much easier when we did all get together that I was going to be working, and everybody was going to come along. I didn’t force nobody. Everybody chose to work. All of us getting in that extra work. We lead by example, work hard, and the good is going to follow.”
(On what Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell has brought in) “I mean, he played the game. Nothing is really different in the NFL; you just change terminology and you do it different, but with him, he’s played the game. If we see something and we don’t feel like we can do, I can go over and have a conversation, and learn, and grow, understand what he’s talking about, understand the play call, why he’s calling it.
That makes it a lot different and a lot better this year.”
(On his bond with OLB Travon Walker) “Like I said, I try to lead by example. I try to do what I can do. I want to be the best player in the National Football League this year, and I prepare like that, and I’m going to continue to prepare like that. If he wants to be the best player, the best rookie in his draft class, which I think he is—or Devin, or Chad, or Luke—come follow me. We can all get better, we can all work, we can all learn, we can all grow from each other, and that’s why I’m really excited about him and this
whole draft class. I really do think that this rookie class can be something special.”
(On professionalism and how Coach Pederson leads the team) “It feels good to be a part of a professional locker room, not only in the locker room but also when you talk to the coaches. It’s a professional setting. You have to hone in to the details. If you’re not listening to the details, it’s not getting onto you, it’s telling you what’s right and what’s wrong. As guys, as grown men, we’ve got to understand that, and he puts it in a way we can understand it and grow. He’s not getting on us, he’s letting us know what’s real, and he’s talking to us like grown men. With that, nothing but respect. We want to grow. We want to be great, and plus, he has the respect in his resume. We want to be an
organization where we can get to that point someday. If we do things right and we listen, I feel like we can get to that point.”
(On the pieces the coaches have put around him) “Not even just the additions that we just got, but it’s the depth that we have at each position that I am most excited about. When you go to the ones, we’re going to be out there flying, and when you go to the twos, there’s no drop off. Everybody out there wants to start, and everybody can start on this defense, so now when you have the competition in each group, and you have people competing for that one spot, it’s going to bring the best out of everybody.
That’s what we got better in this year. We got better depth at each level. Only two can play, and all of them could start, so that’s competition. That’s going to bring out the best in each one of them. Then up front, oh my goodness, we got some big boys ready to play.”
