Jaguars Transcripts: Minicamp Availability

JAGUARS HEAD STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH ANTHONY SCHLEGEL

June 16, 2021

(On making the team faster) “You have to train that way, right? You train like you fight and you fight like you train. It’s training acceleration. I’ll give you a snapshot. Talking with Sanjay [Lal], our wide receivers coach, he wanted every wide receiver to run 5 yards in three steps, so we train that. What we also did was we’ve videoed every single guy’s acceleration and then put that in a cut-up of only him in his individual sports performance folder because guess what? Guys don’t want to watch other guys; they want to watch themselves to get better. So, it’s, ‘Hey, here’s your technique, here’s how you’re floating your heel, here’s how you’re driving off that leg both right and left to perfect your craft so you can go be a great wide receiver.’ There’s other things that we do in working on acceleration and speed work, but it is definitely an emphasis that we do. You have to have it. You have to train fast.”

(On the training mottos) “If you want the fastest, strongest, most powerful, violent, tough, rugged dudes, guess what? You train like you fight, you fight like you train. I mean it’s not rocket [science]. The training game is not rocket science. There’s a lot of stuff out there, but it’s being really good at the fundamentals. I think that’s the one thing that we’ve been able to bring in to the guys and then creating an environment in which they want to train, but also creating an environment to where they can also rejuvenate. Everything that we do in the sports performance team and that model is to have a plus two mentality in serving our athletes. I think when they feel that, because again, they never care about how much you know until they know how much you care and guess what? Our GSF, give a shit factor, for our dudes is like, I don’t know. You can’t comprehend it because you have to feel it, you have to feel me and everybody in the sports performance team as to how we care about these guys. But you put that together and guess what? They’ll come in and they’ll spill it and that’s how they’re seeing the gains. Then you have that friction in the weight room where they want to serve each other and they want to push each other and they start competing. The speed work that I was talking about before, they start competing against themselves and they start competing against how fast they move weight. That is fun. When you get done playing, as a former player, when you get done, the one thing that you miss is training with your boys. So, you have to create the environment to where I like to come in and work out with my dudes and our staff to increase my value so we can go win games. That’s what it’s about.”

(On his role model, Ohio State Assistant AD for Football Sports Performance, Mickey Marotti) “Mick is my guy. I went to Ohio State in 2011 with Coach [Jim] Tressel and then Urban [Meyer] came in in 2012 and Urban and Mickey retained me, and I was very privileged to have that. I never worked with him, didn’t know a lot of staff, they only retained four guys that were previously there, and we happened to be all Buckeyes. I learned so much from Mick and the one thing in training, it’s the attitude and intensity of what you train never changes. Just the mentality of how I grew up in this old school, power lifting gym, that mindset kind of shifted when I saw Mick. But then Mick pushed me to be better, not just in the strength game, but he was like, ‘Schlegs, you need to go get a Master’s.’ He saw how the game was changing to where the strength coach in college is really the chief operating officer. So, I went back and did an MBA because that’s what it is; it’s culture, it’s leadership, it’s operations of everything, taking what coach says and being able to apply it in the weight room throughout the entire culture of the organization. That’s a different mindset than other people have. He kept pushing me to do that while developing a relationship with the guys because that’s the one thing of why we all become strength coaches and not just position coaches. I want to be able to touch every single player and get in the weeds of life with them and you can do that as a strength coach. I talk to Mick all the time. I just visited him on the weekends because I still fly back and forth every single weekend to Columbus, Ohio to see my family. I got here January 17th and I’ve only missed one weekend. I fly back every weekend. Mick has had a tremendous influence on my career and life.”

(On the gap in coaching career) “To fill in the gap, part of that pushing was in ’14 when we won the National Championship, Coach Meyer wanted to work on the difference drill, attack, strike, finish, elbows in, thumbs up. So, I created this device and in ’15, it was time to go be a head guy. I had this idea, and I just finished my MBA, you know what, I want to go start a business and create this because everything I’ve done in my entire life has always been to maximize people through authentic service. When it comes to players in the game of football, how can I help them do the one fundamental that we all have to do in the game which is strike people? You have to do it. Simultaneously I did that, I still helped out at Ohio State, I worked with the West Virginia National Guard. I’ve always been into training and how I could utilize technology to increase that, increase our guys’ value through different modalities that rejuvenate and train, so I’ve always been in the weeds. But I started that business, I have two patents. Again, doesn’t matter, it’s all about increasing the value of athletes and coaches so they can help their players. That’s what that gap was. I’ve always been in the game. Again, when you look at this game, and I’ve always evaluated coaches, does a coach share your values, number one? Number two is do they know ball and number three, can they recruit? If you look at a guy like Urban Meyer, and I was fortunate enough to work with him: faith and family, absolutely knows ball, loves his players and loves what we do. That language, that relationship is so paramount to me in our profession is to why I’m here in Jacksonville. Hopefully that fills in the gap.”

(On if it was his dream to work in the NFL) “If you look at Anthony Schlegel just as the dude, it’s being authentic, service, excellence and integrity. Those are my core values. They’re not yours, they’re mine. But then it’s always to maximize people through authentic service, so the dream of where you do that, it doesn’t matter as long as I’m doing that. But then when you put that into being able to work with somebody like Urban Meyer and I’ve seen it and I saw his relationship with Mickey Marotti and the conversations and dialogue that they had and how he literally just pops into your room with an idea. I saw Mick take that and execute it to heights I’ve never seen. I’m like that is fun, that is what I like because that creative mindset that he has is something I truly appreciate because I share that. It’s why I got the patents. It’s the ability to go execute upon that, but for what reason? Increasing the value of the athlete because that’s the only thing that matters. When you have that opportunity to work with a man like that who trusts what you do and has your back and promotes that, I mean it’s a home run. That’s where you don’t want to chase the dragon of being a head guy, you want to go fulfill your purpose with like-minded people. Our coaching staff, our strength staff, and our athletic training staff and nutrition, it’s beautiful and it’s fun. It’s not a job for me. It’s a purpose and I’m just having a blast doing it”

(On if he gets asked about tackling a fan on the field) “It never dies. It never goes away. There’s some guys that still do. I never bring it up because I don’t care. You respond to a level which you have trained, and I was a state champion wrestler,  I played in the National Football League. It’s not like I can’t do that. It’s a funny story. A side nugget: I blame Mick[ey Marotti] for all of it because I had the worst job in America in college football which is the strength coach has the responsibility for special teams substitution. Why they give a strength coach that job is beyond me. I’m not in the meetings, they just hit you with five pages of stuff and you’re responsible for making sure they’re out there and I just don’t want my face getting melted off by Urban Meyer. So, I’m counting up the dudes and then all of a sudden, I see this person running over and I look over at Mick, he looks at me, I look back, and I swear, PA, western PA, Pittsburgh guy gives me the eyebrows like what are you going to do? Boom, that’s all you need. You flip the switch, you go out there, shoulders over knees, knees over toes, speed to gather and you lateral drop somebody and you get them off the field and you just go about your business. I didn’t think anything of it until my wife called me like, ‘What did you do?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what I did. I blacked out.’ I’m just kidding, but yeah, I still get asked about that. It’s funny.”

(On WR DJ Chark Jr. and him meeting Coach Meyer’s challenge to elevate his training) “I saw him just put in work. The one thing is you have to be accessible, you have to be open and one of our things is we are open. We’re open in the training room, we’re open in the weight room, we’re open in the nutrition room, so you have to give them everything in your toolbox to increase his value and maximize him. We need him to put on some weight, let’s get bumpy. It was him and Terry [Godwin] and Laviska [Shenault Jr.] and then all the other wide receivers started coming in and they just started having competition in the weight room. You create that atmosphere to where they want to be, they want to train. I mean like take your shirt off, look in the mirror, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I like this. Man, this looks good’. I’m running faster and they’re competing and we’re posting it. I want to be that top guy. I want to keep working on this. Guess what? You just had a great day of training. Let’s start to build that pro routine not in camp, not during the season. Let’s build that pro routine in February and in March so you go train, you get rejuvenated, you handle your nutrition, we repeat. You do it again, you have a day off, you come in, you get rejuvenated. I started seeing the real gains on a Wednesday when we weren’t training and we were having DJ [Chark Jr.] and Laviska and other guys on the team, James O’Shaughnessy, Ben Ellefson and Tyler Davis, Chris Manhertz when they were in early as groups and units going in and getting rejuvenated together. Like alright, it’s starting to work. They guys are buying in to what we’re selling, but they only do that if everybody in the sports performance team has a plus two mentality in serving the athlete. That’s what they really care about. [Former Ohio State Head Coach] Jim Tressel always said this, ‘They never care about how much you know until they know how much you care.’ I said it earlier, but that’s really what’s happening and then they start seeing the gains and then they want it a little bit more. I can handle this, but guess what? There’s still more that he has to do. There’s still more that a lot of guys have to do, and the cool thing is we have five weeks, and we all know what it is, so guess what? Let’s get to work. It doesn’t stop. It’s part of it. We get paid to do a job that we love and I’m here to help you do that, so that’s what’s fun and they’re all buying into it.”

(On bringing a competitive mindset to training) “I just think that you always have to creative of how you move the needle for the athlete. That’s it. You can never stop being creative. How can we get wide receivers to work on their releases and get 10,000 reps or how can I work on striking or how can I work on footwork? Whatever the case may be, the beauty of the NFL is that they’re 90 guys that are all different. You have time to be able to go through and screen every single guy and say, ‘Here’s the enhancements that you need, Andrew Norwell.’ That is different than a Ben Bartch who’s only a second-year guy. You have that time and autonomy to be able to go give them that because they’re all different, but you still have to have the same mindset that it doesn’t matter if you’re a first round pick, eight-year vet, or a first-year, second-year guy trying to make a roster, I’m going to give you everything I got to allow you to either make a roster, add value, start, be an All-Pro, it doesn’t matter. When you start doing that for them and being creative that way, they really buy in and that’s just what we’ve seen. It’s nothing about regimes. It’s just for us and again my staff, I’ve never worked with anybody on it. I didn’t want that. In our staff, I didn’t want another Schlegel, I don’t need anybody else that I worked with before. I wanted different thought, different insight, different relationships, skillsets, because that’s the most important thing to me in the NFL. You have 90 that comes down to 53 plus ten and they are all different. Do I have a staff made up of men that can get in the weeds of life with them and have that conversation that resonates with that individual player to move that player one step closer to their max capacity? That, to me, is what it’s all about in the strength and conditioning game is the relationship factor.”

(On thinking about new training techniques) “I think of stuff all the time. Really, [Ohio State Associate Head Coach and Defensive Line Coach] Larry Johnson is the one coach that I’ve worked with and really admired and respect as to how fanatical he is about the craft of his d-line. When I’m out at practice and I’m watching guys do their work, I’m literally thinking of things. How could I do that in the weight room or give them a drill that they can do on their own outside when I can’t watch them to increase their value and work on their craft? That goes back to the sports performance team and what we’re all about. It’s ownership, transparency, accountability, and creativity and I think that’s the one thing that you have to have. You have to be creative in how you’re moving the needle. I think guys appreciate that. But also, you have to have some collaboration because they’re pros. You have been in the league for eight years, you know your body way better than I know your body. Let’s talk about here’s what our workout is but what are the things that you can do that you have no pain? Here’s your areas of weaknesses that we need to enhance, here’s how I think we can do that. How’s that feel on you? Great, that’s your plan. That gives them some love and ownership too in their workout. I think that’s really the one thing that all of our staff have really done well is giving the players love and ownership, but us, as a staff, love and ownership in power, big speed, and speed groups to increase their value.”

JAGUARS PASSING GAME COORDINATOR BRIAN SCHOTTENHEIMER

(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s progress) “He’s learning and he’s learning quickly. He’s a terrific student of the game, he loves the mental preparation, he’s getting a feel for how we do things here, he’s just a true pleasure to coach because he loves it. He sits on every word, every phrase and every sound bite that you give him in meetings. And although he has played so much football, there [are] a lot of things that he continues to learn and be like, ‘Oh okay, that’s a good way to say that, I like that.’ So, you see growth from him every day and as a coach, you get excited about that because you see he’s getting better, he’s stacking good days on top of one another.”

(On the competitive spirit on the field and in the meeting rooms) “Yeah, I mean, our guys are—number one, it’s a great room. I mean, we’ve got four great guys. They all are hungry, they’re all competitive, they push each other. But I also love how they share, they share information, they share knowledge, when they’re not in there, you see them talking to each other about different things that they’ve seen. I couldn’t be more excited about the room of guys we have. But they are competing at the highest level and it’s fun to watch. They push each other and that’s not just in the competitive periods against the defense, that’s throwing routes on air to the receivers, to the tight ends, individual drills that we do. There’s a competitive spirit that we believe is going to make this quarterback room really one of the best in the NFL.”

(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s fundamentals) “Well, you know, I think he’s very clean for sure. There’s a lot of things that they all need to work on. There [are] some different philosophical things that we do. Last year, he was kind of a right foot back guy, we’ve moved him to more of a left foot stagger, things like that. But any time that you’ve played that much football that he has and been well-coached from the time that he was in high school—I actually met him when I was at the University of Georgia and his high school coach, Joey King, was a terrific coach and then certainly going up through Clemson [University]. So yes, to say for young quarterbacks, his fundamentals are a very strong foundation. But the things that we’re having him try, he’s picked up very quickly, so that’s exciting as well.”

(On whether QB Trevor Lawrence’s clean fundamentals make it easier for them) “No doubt. What you love with the players, when you make a correction, whether it’s a fundamental, a scheme, a read or whatever it is, and he’s able to almost instantaneously turn it around and improve it. You see that not just from Trevor, but really from all the quarterbacks—but as a coach, that helps you say, ‘Okay, we can go from A-to-B pretty quick and so, let’s get down the row to our D’s, E’s and F’s and all these things you’re trying to get covered in a period of the offseason.”

(On why QB Trevor Lawrence won’t be impacted by the immense pressure or the expectations) “Well, I think when you learn his personality and you see him, he’s used to being in the spotlight, he’s used to being on a big stage, it didn’t affect him in high school, it didn’t affect him in college, it hasn’t affected him here. He’s just true to who he is and the type of person he is and the young man and the worker [he is]. He’s just the type of guy that has a ton of self-confidence, belief in what we’re doing, and there’s a calming influence when you’re around a guy like that. Again, I’ve been blessed to be around a number of great players. He reminds me a lot of Philip Rivers. Philip came into San Diego in the old days and Philip had some of that same self-awareness, that same calm demeanor where he’s like, ‘Look, I’ve played a lot of football, this is just a different level, but it’s still x’s and o’s moving around.”

(On the competition for the starting quarterback position and QB Gardner Minshew II’s reaction) “Well, again I don’t agree 100 percent. We certainly haven’t named a starter, Garry [Smits]. Our objective from day one was to build the best quarterback room that we could. We knew what we had in Gardner [Minshew], C.J. [Beathard] was a guy that we really looked at on film and we saw him make a lot of plays and have some of the athleticism that we really like from our quarterbacks. Jake Luton was a guy that was highly sought-after last year. I know we really liked him in Seattle when he came out and then of course, [when] you get a chance to add a Trevor Lawrence to the mix, you’re going to do that. But you know, we’re not in a position where we’re saying 1, 2, 3, 4. We’re letting them all roll, everybody is getting reps, we want this thing to be really competitive. Ultimately, when we name a starter, we’ll name a starter. Urban will do that when he’s ready, but I’ve just enjoyed watching these guys compete. Like I said, from Gardner’s standpoint, he’s an alpha, he’s got leadership ability; we love that. C.J. has come in here, he’s had to catch up with some of the system stuff because some of the verbiage here stayed the same with Coach [George] Warhop staying. And then, of course, Jake has just been a guy that [has had] probably the least amount of reps, but every time he’s been out there, he’s moved the team and he’s done things that we’re like, ‘Wow, that’s really great.’ So, I’m thrilled with where we are right now as a quarterback room and it’s still too early to say how this thing is going to play out.”

(On whether QB Gardner Minshew has a future in the NFL as a coach) “Well, it’s funny you say that because actually, we were talking yesterday during his exit meeting and I was telling him that with his instincts and understanding of the game of football—the x’s and o’s, the schemes—he’d be a terrific coach. You guys know his personality, I think he was like, ‘Yeah Coach, that sounds good. Maybe at the high school level.’ But again, he’s got an uncanny ability and instinctive understanding of how the game should be played. And he makes plays out there every day that you’re like, ‘Wow, how did he see that?’ You know, there was a play a couple weeks ago in practice where the defense was disguised in the coverage and he saw something that when I looked up, I didn’t even see it. So, I don’t know if he’ll ever go into coaching, but if he does, he’d be a [heck] of a coach.”

(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s ability to retain information and learn the offense) “Well, I would say, John, that we’re pretty much through 95 percent of the offense, the most of it. The good thing is as we come back and we get started in training camp, we’ll hit it again. So, what they learned in the first OTA, they’ll learn in training camp one, what we did in the second OTA, they’ll learn in training camp two. But his ability to come in and learn this system has been very impressive. It’s been a lot of long hours. He works his butt off when he leaves the building, he studies, he texts me all the time with questions—which I love. I mean, it’ll be 9:45 [p.m.] or ten o’clock at night and he’ll be like, ‘Hey Schotty, on the back side of this are we alerting that?  How are we handling this in this protection look?’ So, he loves the mental chess match of football. When you talk to him, he loves that part of it and it’s not just throwing the football, it’s the protection, it’s the run checks. He truly is a guy that that’s fun for him. So, when you get a guy like that, that leaves the building and he’s spending hours on his own, as a coach, it gets you excited because you know you better be prepared for your next morning meeting because he’s going to be ready to go.”

(On whether it was difficult to get equal share of reps for each of the quarterbacks) “I mean, I wouldn’t say difficulty. It’s not perfect, the numbers will never match up, [but] we do our best. I would say, I mentioned this earlier, Jake [Luton] probably has gotten the least amount of reps of anybody. But I know one thing, if you look at the film, or next time you’re out there practicing, you’ll see him standing right behind the quarterback getting a mental rep and we believe that’s almost as important—it’s not quite as good—but it’s almost as important. And he has not missed one of those. So, again, four quarterbacks are an awesome luxury. We’re thrilled to have four—not only good players that we have, but great young men. The room is awesome. I would say they’re all pretty balanced, each day has been a little bit different, and they’re all maximizing their opportunities.”

(On whether having a lot of transfer from Seattle has helped the transition and whether he sees similarities between Coach Meyer and Pete Carroll) “Well, I think what you notice is Urban certainly respects Pete [Carroll]. Pete is a terrific coach; we’ve seen that with his track record. I know I really enjoyed my three years there with him, I learned a lot. But I think you noticed that Urban saw something coming from Pete’s staff and guys that have been developed and understand the game. And there’s certainly a culture blueprint that both guys have. They’re not exactly the same, but it’s very clear [in both]. You understand, ‘Hey, here’s what we believe in.’ You know, you’ve got your four-to-six, A-to-B, plus-two, you’ve got culture of excellence—you’ve got all those things that really, they’re not sound bites, they’re things that we believe. So, in terms of their coaching style, that’s very similar. And they know where they want to go, they know what they want their team to look like and as a coach, certainly an assistant, that makes it easier for you to go do your job. Because you know what’s expected of you and you can go out there and train and teach and develop your guys the right way. And so, I really like the similarities between those guys in that regard.”

(On the luxury of having RB Travis Etienne and WR Laviska Shenault Jr.) “It’s terrific and it’s been fun to watch them both grow, just the strides. I’ll speak to Laviska, I mean, when we first got here, I liked him coming out of Colorado. I remember looking at him in Seattle and saying, ‘Wow, what a tremendous athlete.’ But the gains that he’s made and some of the strides that he’s made in the spots that we’re putting him in has been really amazing. And he’s been a guy that’s almost showed up every day with a couple big plays you get excited about. Along with Marvin Jones and DJ Chark and some of the other guys. And then Travis [Etienne], of course, is a big play waiting to happen. He’s got the electric speed, he’s got the finishing speed, we know what he is as a runner, he’s amazing in space. And now it’s been kind of fun to try to take him and teach him some of the nuisances that go into the passing game because all we’re doing by doing that is adding value for him. And again, there’s been growth, we just had a great session outside, he was unbelievable with some of the things we were asking him to do in the passing game. As a coach, that gets you excited. Like I said earlier, you show them things, they retain it, they do it—and as a coach, you feel like, ‘Wow it’s sinking in.’”

(On how different it is for him as a coach since the loss of his father) “Well, first of all, I appreciate you asking, I really do. Yeah, you know, my dad was one of my mentors, one of my idols. I bounced things off of him all the time. In reality, Mark [Long], the last two or three years have been harder just to kind of hold some of those longer conversations. But he has always been my rock. I remember when I left the [New York] Jets whenever that was in 2011, I was trying to decide what I wanted to do and I had a number of options, he was the guy I went to. It wasn’t my agent, it was him, because I knew he would give me the best advice, the most sound advice and cared about me the most, of anybody. I miss him every day. Father’s Day this weekend will be tough, but I know he’s looking down on me. And if you guys ever get a chance, once things get back to normal—when he was in the memory care center, he wore a hat, a red ball cap, that had ‘Coach’ on it and it sits in my office and so, he’s with me every day.”

(On whether the visor he’s wearing is a nod to Steve Spurrier) “Yeah, I think I should actually say that. It’s my locks are getting a little bit smaller on top, so I’ve got to cover a couple bald spots. But I’m really used to picking it up when Steve used to throw it on the ground, that was my job, I was the designated visor picker-upper guy.”

(On Steve Spurrier’s statue of him throwing his visor down) “Very fitting. I haven’t talked to him in a couple of months, I need to connect with him. [He was] a huge influence on me, a great man.”

(On the whirlwind of personal changes in the past 6 months or so) “Well, again that’s a great question. When things played out like they did in Seattle, I had a lot of time to reflect on my career and just different directions and places I wanted to go. And in the meantime, we were thrown a pretty big curveball when my father was put into hospice. But I truly believe this, that allowed me the freedom—because I was without a job—that allowed me the freedom to really go and spend, I would say, a grand total of about three weeks by his side; some of which was by his bed side. And those are days and nights and long conversations, mostly me talking, that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. And to be able to be there with my mom, and my wife and my kids, and my sister and her kids, it really showed me the importance of family. You know, we’re all so completive in this business, and we’re all driven and we all want to get to the top of the ladder, if you will. But you’re reminded of how fragile the world is. And like I said, my father was kind of taken away from us a while ago from a mental standpoint, but I know when I walked in to see him the very first time in hospice, he wasn’t able to speak, but his eyes lit up and to me, that was pretty awesome.” 

JAGUARS DEFENSIVE LINE COACH TOSH LUPOI

(On his evaluations of players during minicamp) “This is an awesome opportunity to really evaluate capability of certain individuals regardless of much team [drills] we get or not being in pads. You have a lot of various ways to do that with the individual drills, just their movements, their change of direction, and then we are able to assess somewhat with some power with strike and sleds. There’s no doubt we’re really excited about, by committee, a lot of individuals inside we think can help us raise our level of play.”

(On DT Doug Costin) “Doug [Costin]’s been training really well. I think he’s done a great job applying that training so you can see the benefits of his strength gains and where he’s working to get his body, his body fat composition, and getting in the right shape to play ball. I thought he ended really well. He was a guy that was consistent with operating to the standard, running to the ball, finishing plays down the field. Numerous times you’ll see him 20, 25 yards down the field finishing on plays, and I think that’s a testament to the work he’s put in throughout the entire offseason, going back to when he reported here voluntarily in early April before we even had organized things going on.”

(On DE/OLB Josh Allen’s progress this offseason) “Josh [Allen] has a completely dominated his training. He’s attacked it, done everything we asked of him. It’s been really neat to have him, see another guy that’s really brought the strength gains and what he did [in the offseason]. Again, another guy, when you step in the building and we’re learning where our office is, one of the first guys I meet is Josh Allen. He’s in there lifting, training, getting ready for the goals he has to attack with the season ahead. I think he’s a really versatile athlete. He’s somebody that can play on the edge, operate out of two-point, a three-point. We’re going to ask him to rush the passer, set edges, drop in coverage and up to this point, he’s done a nice job attacking all three of those phases.”

(On DL Taven Bryan’s offseason) “I hope Taven [Bryan] actually gets a sense of urgency from myself and us every day when he wakes up. Again, another individual, just like almost this whole group, of being here before report date, voluntarily attacking the training. He was an individual here weeks before our starting date. Taven is a dangerous combination of speed and power. He has [an] elite skillset and talent, we just have to channel that and focus that where we need to help us most. If we do that, he can make a major impact. The guy’s got extreme explosive attributes to him from an athletic standpoint. That’s what we need to do is get him focused, confident of where he needs to align, assign, and execute. If we can put that together, he can be a great contributor this season.”

(On what position fits Taven Bryan best) “He’s got a versatile skillset, so I think he has the ability to play on the edge, he’s demonstrated that already, and certainly has the power to play inside as well. So, we’ll ask some multiple assignments of him, but it’s our job to not overcomplicate that and make sure we’re not putting him in a whole bunch of roles and asking too much of him. As he proves what he can handle and do best to help us win, that’s where he’ll be placed.”

(On working with Defensive Coordinator Joe Cullen, a coach with a defensive line background) “It’s awesome. I think Joe [Cullen] has done a phenomenal job of clearly expressing who we’re going to be as a defense schematically as well as mentality. Joe’s been roaming all around from the nickels, safeties, corners, [line]backers, to us and we love when Joe comes over. There’s times where I want Joe to be highly involved as much as possible. He’s someone that’s been an expert at coaching d-line and front seven play, he’s been a coordinator on multiple occasions, and he’s someone that’s been a part of this specific system for the last five seasons as well. When a coach knows and understands the why behind what we’re coaching, then ultimately, I think it’s going to be as clear as possible as far as getting that information to the players. It’s great to know we all come from different foundations and, over the years, put together our own packages and what we’re most confident in coaching. When you know that, the why behind all of the specifics within the system, then I think it can be most successful. [I] love what Joe’s doing, it’s been awesome working with him, and [I’m] excited about the direction we’re going.”

(On players buying into a rotational system) “They need to. I think ultimately when a player understands that and it’s not just lip service and you actually live that, at the end of the day, we’re going to be judged by our results on film and our resume is that film, coach and players together. If we can function at a high effort level and we get the results from that, then that’s something you can’t deny and it’s [an] easy buy in, so that’s exactly what we’re going to do. The guys that are going to be up for gameday are going to be treated, each one of them, as starters. We’re going to roll those guys in and ask of them, whosever at that specific role, there will be no accepting a lesser standard for individual of the assignment we ask them to execute.”

(On rookie DT Jay Tufele) “Jay [Tufele], we’re fired up to have him. He brings great energy. He got dinged up early, had an awesome rookie minicamp, and then early on, just had a real minor leg issue that he treated and fixed up and responded really well to that. He’s a guy that attacks everything, the weight room, the treatment, the field, the same way. I think as he gets more comfortable in the system and he continues to get his body to where it needs to be, he could be a dangerous addition for us.”

(On DE/OLB K’Lavon Chaisson) “With K’Lavon [Chaisson], just because of the medical mandate, that’s the only reason that he missed these last few days. I think he’s done a great job. He’s had really good intent of recognizing where he needs to improve and attacking those tasks. For example, how we’re rushing the passer, manipulating that in some ways. He applies that information in every drill we do together and then again to team [drills]. Setting edges, what we’re going to ask of him, some coverage opportunities for him, he’s had a strong showing in that. Yet again, [he’s] another guy that was here well before the report date working, training, so [he] got ahead of the game as far as all the voluntary workouts and was here working out. [I’m] bummed out we didn’t get that opportunity because of medical reasons for him to finish out the minicamp here, but at least we were excited to see the strength gains that he got throughout this whole time and the fundamental improvement leading up to this point.”

JAGUARS OFFENSIVE LINE COACH GEORGE WARHOP

(On the progress OL Cam Robinson and OL Jawaan Taylor) “I think they both have done a nice job. You come back, first thing I look at was weight, body weight. They’ve been working it up, both those guys, what we want from the body weight. Both of those guys’ strength from our offseason program has gone up. When we’ve been out at practice, no issues in terms of conditioning. So, that part of it, it’s evident that they’ve been working. In terms of on the field stuff, the stuff we have to get better at, I think both those guys have made strides this offseason. We still have to make more strides coming back into the season.”

(On OL Cam Robinson wearing his jersey backwards) “I’ve got a question for you, ‘How many times have you been out to practice? Well, he does that all the time. So, since I’ve been here, he’s done that and frankly, I [do not care]. It really doesn’t matter to me if it’s on frontwards or backwards. As long as he shows up and he practices hard and he tries to get done what we need to get done. [It’s a] non-issue.”

(On how Coach Urban Meyer’s approach has been different to his past experiences) “It’s very different. I’m going to say this, it’s different. His energy is different. His approach, in terms of big picture view, has some similarities to Eric Mangini in terms of how he wants the program to run. The biggest difference, I think, is his ‘players first’ mentality. He’ll do whatever is necessary for the players. They have the best in the building, that they’re taken care of by the best. And if we’re going to require them to play at a high level, [we] as an organization have to provide for them at a high level. That’s the biggest thing that he brings to the table. He has energy and it’s players first and those guys understand that it’s players first.”

(On his impressions of OL Walker Little) “I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’ve had multiple tackles drafted in the first or second round and [Walker Little] came in as prepared or more prepared than any of those guys; in terms of movement skills, in terms of intellect, in terms of communication. We ask guys to do things differently than they do in college, so there’s a learning curve there. But in terms of how he came in, the fact that he didn’t play for two years, you really couldn’t notice that.”

(On OL Jawaan Taylor’s performance in 2020 and expectations from him for 2021) “My biggest issue with Jawaan is just consistency and pass protection. In the run game, he’s physical, same with Cam [Robinson]. From a run standpoint, I really can’t [complain] about any of our guys and how we approach it. I’m of the belief that there [are] very few teams, if we decide that we want to hand a ball off, are going to stop us from running the ball. But where we struggled last year at times was in pass protection. And that’s a technique issue and a consistency issue. And that’s been addressed and will continue to be addressed, those guys know it. It’s something that we’re not shying away from, so it’ll get better.”

(On what made him confident in OL Walker Little’s transition to the NFL) “Well, first of all, Walker, he’s a really good athlete. And of all those guys out there, if you watch him play, he has unbelievable flexibility, he can really bend. He’s a smooth pass blocker, so when you watch his tape, even from his sophomore year and then going into his junior year right before he got hurt, it’s his fluidity of movement. You knew he could come in and that he was going to be an efficient pass blocker. What you didn’t know is how physical he was going to be in the run game because you saw it when he was young, what they were doing at Stanford [University], but you missed his junior year. And they played Northwestern [University], I believe the only game he played that year, and he was pretty physical in that game, you just didn’t know where that was when he came in. And then once we got him, the thing that’s impressive was the dude is 325 [pounds]. At Stanford, I thought he was one of those 315 guys, 312 guys, he’s 325, that’s a big freaking man; and he can move and he can slide his feet. And as long as he continues to grow in pass protection and understands his angles and positions, if he develops, he could bring some competition to those guys. But you won’t ever know that until we get to training camp, we put the pads on and we’re hitting people, [whether he’ll] be consistent day-in and day-out at a high level, to really put pressure on the guys that we have.”

(On how the energy is different and how the players’ reactions are different to this new coaching staff) “Well, if you really want to get into it, into the depth of what’s going on, unlike in years past, Urban [Meyer] has all the power. He has all the control, so he can dictate everything from the top down. That’s huge. That’s huge in the building, that’s huge for the players because they know now exactly who they’ve got to please and who they’ve got to answer to. So, that’s the first thing. And that’s clear and everybody understands that. And then he’s very clear on what he has expectations on. If you’ve been around the building, you’ve heard him talk about plus-two, four-to-six, A-to-B. You’ve heard him talk about that. That’s how we want to play, that’s our DNA, that’s what we want to get done, that’s number one. So, if I’m a player in this building, the first thing I better know and I better understand is anything I’m doing [needs to] be high energy and high effort. That’s non-negotiable. So, as long as you understand what the expectations are, it’s a little easier to get what you want. So, that’s the number one difference. He sets the tone, he controls what’s going on here, these players understand that and they’re going to bust their [butts] to please him.”

(On how the starting five players on the offensive line have embraced the plus-two mentality) “That’s always been our mindset anyway. I mean, for me, that’s how we want to play, that’s how I like to coach my guys. We want to be down the field, finishing and pass protecting. We want to be physical in the run game, we want to try and diminish the defense over time. So, what Urban is talking about and his philosophy really goes hand-in-hand in how I believe we have to play as an offensive line. We don’t want to be a soft group. When we go play a team, we want them concerned about having to deal with us from a physical standpoint, and that’s his whole mantra.”