OTA No. 8 Transcripts: HC Urban Meyer, DE/OLB Josh Allen, LB Joe Schobert

JAGUARS HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

(On whether there’s an update on QB Trevor Lawrence’s hamstring) “Yeah, he just tightened up his hamstring and we don’t want to take any chances. He should be fine. Tomorrow is an off day and then we’re going to go Thursday, so he should be fine Thursday.”

(On the trade of WR Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans) “I know Julio back from the days coaching against him when he was at Alabama. I saw that and I’m not jacked to see him in our division. But yeah, that’s always been, you look at our history and that’s somewhere that if you go to games without some legit corners, you’re in trouble. And depth, because those are the positions that get banged up a little bit. So, Tyson [Campbell] and then also the free agency with Shaq [Griffin], you know CJ [Henderson] has got to get healthy and so, we’ve got a little bit more depth there than, certainly, we had a year ago.”

(On the defense and what stood out to him in the secondary) “Yeah, they had a very good day. I was talking about it on the way in. Offense looked good yesterday, today defense had the upper hand. But that happens and even when we’re not really live through the balls, it tells you they did a really good job. But who stood out? Josh Jones, I know [he] had a couple good plays, but I don’t know. I’ll watch the film, but I saw what you saw, the guys looked pretty good today.”

(On the status of CB Tyson Campbell and CB CJ Henderson) “Yeah, CJ is nothing live, he’s on the field individual and same with Tyson. Tyson, you know, first day of working minicamp tugged his hamstring and we’re being cautious once again. We’d like to get him some Thursday and then let him go next week, so we at least have an idea of what we’ve got.”

(On the new NFL protocols that restrict coaches if they’re not vaccinated and how that will affect his coaching staff) “Yeah, we have a couple that—many of them came out and got the vaccine, it just takes a while to get fully vaccinated. Whether it’s the one shot, I believe it’s a two-week [period] and the two shot takes a while.”

(On whether he expects any issues with his coaching staff ahead of the new vaccination NFL protocol) “I don’t know exactly where we’re at, I’ll find out shortly. But we’ll adapt with whatever we have to.”

(On his impressions of WR Laviska Shenault Jr.) “Yeah, he’s one of our best playmakers on offense. He’s a guy that’s right, in the right position, at that age gap. I love who he is, I love the way he practices, he’s been there every day. He’s a great puzzle piece for us to have on offense, plus his attitude every day is fantastic.”

(On how LB Joe Schobert and his skill set are fitting into the new scheme) “Yeah, Coach [Charlie] Strong has a real good relationship with him now and we’ve got Damien [Wilson], Myles Jack and Joe [Schobert] are the top three guys at the linebackers and hopefully we’ll get a little bit of rotation going for those three, Mike and Will. So, he’s been—he’s one of the strongest guys on the team, powerful, he had a great offseason with our strength staff and he’s all in. So, we’re anxious to see him have a good year.”

(On whether the messaging towards the offense changes at all when the defense has a good day like today) “Well, it’s steady as it goes. We don’t want to create the whole idea of—phase three, with what we’re in, should not be—we’ve got to really tone back and make sure the guys aren’t watching themselves after the ball and all that. So, no. It’s all about not losing the strength gains and speed gains they made in the offseason, installing an offense and then trying to actually—. This is not about winning or losing right now. At that time, it’s coming, but not now.”

(On status of TE Tim Tebow’s performance thus far) “Oh Tim has done a decent job. We all know this is a new position for him. You wish you could see and do [more]. In spring football, you have full pads and scrimmages, and you can really evaluate, but it’s kind of tough right now. But he’s a great teammate. In the locker room, I can see everybody getting along, we have a good chemistry on our team. But he’s picked it up decently.”

(On status of QB Gardner Minshew II’s potential) “Yeah, he’s done a nice job. He’s one of the leaders on offense, his greatest quality is competitive sport. Like I said, we’ve just not been in win-or-lose situations, so it’s hard to [evaluate]. The whole time you’ve probably heard us say, ‘Stay up, stay up.’ It’s not win-or-lose because you lose practices if all of a sudden the NFL sees you doing—and plus, my gosh, you don’t want to get someone hurt. So, we haven’t really gotten a chance to evaluate all that.”

(On status of LB Josh Allen’s health after today’s practice) “Josh is sitting right to my left, he’s a soft player that—oh I’m sorry, I didn’t even see him sitting there. No, his lower back is tight. He’s been fantastic, he’s one of our leaders and he’s been to everything, so we’re just being cautionary today. He’s fine.”

(On the team building that they’ve accomplished thus far) “Yeah, I think when you’re named head coach, you’re responsible for two things, the culture and the talent acquisition piece. So, we have good team meetings. I haven’t taken too much of their time because of the limitations that we have. Next week, we’re going to have longer days, but I really like where we’re at, I like our guys, zero resistance and we’ve just got to be a lot better in a lot of areas, but I love where we’re at as far as—I don’t necessarily like the term ‘buying-in’ but I hear it all the time. The guys have been great.”

(On how QB Trevor Lawrence handles adversity) “I’m learning like you are, you made a good point, he hasn’t experienced a whole lot of that, but he’s a very grown man the way he handles his business. He’s here, wide-eyed, ready to go all the time and I would imagine—we’re going to meet right now—but I would imagine that it’s just about execution and how to get better. Once again, I don’t want to under-value what you saw today, but there’s no winner or loser, it was just some execution misfires and we’ve got to get those fixed. But he’s fine and I think his development as a player is going to be interesting to watch, like what you just said, when you have 34-2 as a starting quarterback. That’s something that we’ve got to just watch and manage.”

JAGUARS DE/OLB JOSH ALLEN

(On how these OTAs are different being a leader on the defense) “My rookie year, like you said, I had Calais [Campbell], so I was in that development stage, and I was just being a sponge, just running around all those guys and being around them, just trying to get adjusted to the league. They definitely did their part. Going into this season, having guys like Roy [Robertson-Harris], who played in the league before, Malcom [Brown] as well, Jihad [Ward] and just being adjusted to the culture, it’s a pretty cool slate because now I get to translate. I get to know a little bit more about how everything works, how the NFL works, just how to get adjusted to the league. It’s been fun and hopefully we continue to grow as a group.”

(On learning a new defensive scheme under Defensive Coordinator Joe Cullen and new positions) “Just having two athletes that can change positions like K’Lavon [Chaisson] and myself, also [Dawuane] Smoot, I feel like we’re playing back to our old ball. We’re playing what got us here, so going back to those habits, going back to those traits, I feel like it’s a good sign for both of us, especially Smoot as well. I’m just excited to see us put pads on so we can really put that to use and make a lot of plays for us.”

(On who will be playing the same position as him and DE/OLB K’Lavon Chaisson) “I don’t know. We just have to see. I don’t really have an answer for you for that one. But I do see we all rotate; we’re all trying to play as many different positions as we can to be as versatile as we can. You never know what can happen. We’re all making plays so as long as we all continue to do that, no matter who we have out there, we’ll be straight.”

(On his impressions of the new coaching staff and energy in the building) “It’s win and win now. That’s one of the main things that he preaches every day. This is not a one year, this is not a two year, three, seven-year plan. This is a plan that we’re going to win today and to win a Super Bowl. We have a lot of guys that are motivated. We have a lot of guys that are willing to win, that’s willing to go out there and just lay it out there on the line. We have coaches that are doing the same, so as long as we have coaches that have our back, we just go out there and play. That’s what I’m most excited about and that’s what I’m most excited about with Coach Meyer and I can’t wait to see.”

(On being a re-energized team this year) “It’s just a different group. We have a lot of the same players as last year, so we have a lot of guys that went through that last year. We have a lot of new faces, a lot of new playmakers. So, you have us and then you have guys that are coming in that are trying to build this culture up. Once we get all guys that are on one plan, one goal, one mind, that’s what you’re going to have. You’re going to have guys that are out there having fun. You’re going to have guys out there if they make a mistake, you have guys picking them up. That’s just the culture that we’re trying to bring here. That’s the culture we’re going to play with.”

(On improving their sack total) “Last year was last year and we have a whole new different group, we have a whole new different scheme, we have a whole new different coaching staff that’s going to help us get to where we need. I can’t really speak on that, but I know game one, we’re going to get right and we’re going to apply a lot more pressure. I’m just looking forward to it. I know we’re all going to get better for that, and I can’t wait.”

(On if the new scheme will better suit DE/OLB K’Lavon Chaisson) “If we were back at the scheme last year, I feel like he was going to take a big jump. He knows what he had to do to correct what he did last year, and he only got better. I’ve seen a huge improvement from this year to last year and again, I can’t wait to see him go out there and compete and make a lot of plays for us.”

(On the energy of the front seven) “We just love playing for each other. Even off the field, we link up and we stay with that unit. It’s all one. It’s not a lot of separate goals. We all came together, we all figure out what we have to do, we all figure out how we’re going to do it, and that’s just how we bond and that’s how we’re going to communicate. That’s just how we’re going to be. It’s one big family and we’re just going to continue to get better week in and week out. I just love this group. I think we’re going to be shooting for the stars soon.”

(On if this group has bonded quicker than groups he’s been a part of in the past) “It’s just we have a lot of guys that want to win and that want to win now, like new guys like Malcom [Brown] who’s been a system that’s used to having a great defensive line, that’s used to winning. So, he’s bringing that culture. We have Roy [Robertson-Harris] who also came from a real top notch defensive lines, one of the best defensive lines, who is bringing the culture here. We also have Jihad [Ward] who’s bringing that here. We have guys that got better, such as [Dawuane] Smoot, myself, and K’Lavon [Chaisson]. So, [we’re] just bringing all that winning and just bring all of the competitive excellence, that competitive culture is just only going to push us to get better. So, I can say yeah, we definitely get to where we need to be, just trying to win.”

(On the Urban Meyer era) “It’s just an all-in mentality. If you’re not an all-in player, if you’re not somebody that wants to compete, who wants to get better not only for yourself but for your teammates, it’s a culture where we have to move on and we have to get the guys that are willing to sacrifice, that’s willing to win, and that’s willing to just give it their all not only for themselves but for their teammates. That’s just what he’s bringing out of people and that’s what the players expect. I just want to play for everybody. I want to play for all of the corners, I want to help them out and I know they want to help me out. We just have to play hand in hand and so far, so good.”

(On the difference in tempo between the team now and in the past) “I don’t know. Yeah, in a way it’s a little bit different. But like you said, it’s fresh. We don’t have any pads on. We can’t really make the play when the play needs to be called because we have to stop and let up. Once next week, I think, we’re in some type of pads, we can really start to get after it and see our guys really play out there. Other than that, no. I don’t know, that was a good question, Mark. You got me on that one.”

(On what he wants to improve on this offseason) “For me personally, it’s to stay healthy. It’s to be on the field as long as I can and help my teammates as much as I can. As long as I’m out there on the field, I feel like I can contribute. An improvement from last year is to just get off the ball and have the same mentality every snap. I’m looking forward to that, staying healthy, staying on the field.”

(On the new staff keeping the team healthy) “Yeah, definitely. With the training staff, it’s definitely a new energy. [Director of Athletic Training Jeff Ferguson] Ferg’s definitely bringing a lot of juice to the training room, like you want to be in there. It’s not a place where we don’t know what to expect. Guys want to be in there, guys want to laugh, guys want to get treatment. Guys want to be great, like I said, not only for themselves but for the whole team. That starts with taking care of yourself and they’re definitely doing a wonderful job in the training room and also in nutrition. The food’s getting a lot better, it’s getting a lot healthier. Once we have all those things linked in together to develop a culture, a development side of football, it makes it the best. The best of the best.”

(On what he reflected on this offseason) “Just to stay healthy. We had a lot of injuries last year, we had a lot of guys go down early, we had COVID situations, guys that just didn’t play, so it kind of set us back like that. [Our goal] is just to stay healthy. But [in regard to] conversations with other teammates, just work. We’re about this whole new regime coming in and we knew that, we knew what to expect from that. Now that we’re all here, we all just need to work.”

(On if this year feels like a fresh start) “It’s definitely just a start over. It’s a start from scratch. Not only do we have a fresh coaching staff, we have a fresh team. We still have a young team, and we still have a team that’s willing to go out there and compete every play. As long as we keep developing on that, I think we’re going to be fine.”

(On Defensive Coordinator Coach Cullen’s energy) “I’ll tell you what, I can’t explain Coach Cullen. He’s a different type of guy and I love it. As soon as you step on the field, you’re going to get a whole different type of side you didn’t expect because I know meeting him in person and talking to him outside of football, I knew he was a soft-spoken type of guy, cool, chill. As soon as he passes that red line, oh man, high energy, just screaming going to come out, that love, that passion. But like I said, it’s only going to show the passion and the love that he has for us, just the drive that he wants up to play with. I’m not going to lie, it makes me want to go harder just to hear him scream a little bit louder, say things, and then be like, ‘Hey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.’ It’s definitely really cool. I never played with a coach like that and I’m excited to get rolling with him.”

JAGUARS LB JOE SCHOBERT

(On how the offseason is going and how everyone is fitting into the defense) “I think as far as things have gone so far, it’s an exciting time to be on defense here. The new schematics are fun, especially for the linebackers to play, a lot of following the ball, getting to the ball, seems like a lot less responsibilities in certain calls and certain aspects. Then the guys in front, the guys behind are flying to the ball making plays all over the field and it just makes for a fun environment and it’s great learning so far in the spring. Now, we just can’t wait to get pads on and start playing real football.”

(On if he worried about how he would fit into the new defense) “No, I’ve played 3-4, 4-3 since college and [in] the NFL multiple different 4-3 schemes, multiple different 3-4 schemes, so I’ve always been in one of those defenses. Once you get to a certain point, all NFL defenses are the same, you just have to learn the verbiage and the language of the defense to be able to communicate effectively on the field. So that really wasn’t a concern of mine. It’s just learning the new language because this is the fifth new language I’ve had to learn in six years, so that’s the only thing you get a little worried about. But it’s been smooth, and that thought didn’t really cross my mind.”

(On learning his fifth defensive verbiage in six years) “It’s just tough to learn the verbiage at first. You’re always going to associate things you did in the past and there’s always going to be a way that you thought you liked the best. But once you get through OTA’s and mandatory mini-camp and training camp, that’s three times we’ll have installed the whole playbook and everything going forward. So, you’ll get enough repetitions and enough learning classroom time in it that it starts to become second nature once you get towards the end of preseason going into the season. From there, once you get the new defense set, it’s hard to remember anything about the old defenses until you look at a playbook. It’s not too much of a concern, but every year it’s kind of a grind because there’s no coming back to being [like], ‘Oh yeah, we have the same playbook again this year.’ That would be nice, but I haven’t had it happen really yet.”

(On playing with consistency) “I think the biggest thing, as you get more comfortable in the NFL environment, how to play games, how to do your role, know your role in the defense and learn when you’re going to have your opportunities. It doesn’t just happen right away, at least it didn’t for me. It took a couple of years to be able to start putting myself in those positions, then you have to take advantage of it when you get there. One of the biggest things is being on the field as much as possible, playing as many snaps as you can, staying healthy, and getting yourself into those positions. I think the last three, four years, I’ve been able to do that quite consistently. As a linebacker, I think the interceptions are the hardest thing to come by, just getting underneath routes, being able to take advantage of quarterbacks when they make mistakes because quarterbacks in the NFL don’t. But forced fumbles and sacks are a little bit easier for linebackers to attain and those are a lot more effort, a lot more hustle plays usually for a linebacker. So, [it’s] just being able to run to the ball, being able to pursue it with a lot of effort. You can push the quarterback one yard behind the line of scrimmage and that’s a sack. Things like that, you’re able to rack some of those up on a yearly basis, but interceptions you have to know what you’re doing. You have to get into the passing lanes and take advantage of it when it comes.”

(On the defense having a better practice than the offense today) “When you have a practice like we had today, you know the defense won the practice easily. Offensive guys get a little salty about it, but when you get three, four interceptions in a practice in only three or four periods, it’s a pretty clear-cut defensive win. Even though Coach Meyer says there’s no winners or losers right now, we’re all staying on our feet, we’re practicing smart, but deep down I know the offense is hurting a little after today. I can expect on Thursday they’ll be coming back with their best shots, so we have to get ourselves ready.”

(On who has stood out on the secondary) “I wouldn’t say I’ve been surprised by anybody because I think I hold a lot of the guys to high expectations when they’re coming in. I know Rayshawn [Jenkins]’s come in, he has some of the quickest, smoothest feet, acceleration, running around the field out there. Dewey [Andrew Wingard] keeps coming and making plays on the ball. Josh Jones has had three or four interceptions in the last week or so. A lot of guys are coming out and making a lot plays on the ball. We have a lot of guys that are new or coming back, like CJ [Henderson], who have practiced yet, a lot of proven play makers. I think it’s just the competition you see back there, you have a first string, second string, third string guys getting interceptions day in day out. It’s just going to create a great environment going through training camp, seeing how the chips fall. Going into the first game of the season, I know we’re going to have a lot of playmakers, a lot of guys getting their hands on the ball.”

(On the change in vibe of the team during this offseason) “When I came into the NFL, it was kind of a stigma, and you probably still hear it, ‘You don’t make a team in the training room.’ When you’re a rookie sometimes, especially in the past, it can come across as a threat that you don’t want the coaches to see you in the training room, you don’t want to be nicked up or injured or taken care of, like little things, because that will just be perceived as weakness or such. But when Urban [Meyer] and the new coaching staff came in, everything’s about maximizing your value, using every single resource you have at hand available, using it as much as possible and taking advantage of the things you can take advantage of. Like if your calf got kicked in practice, you can go in and get some ice on it, you can get guys working soft tissue work. Don’t be worried about being in the training room because the coaches are going to look down on it. They want you to take good care of your body. They want you to be better. Every moment that you’re in here, take advantage of every moment of it, use every resource you have at their command. They’re building new facilities; they’re building new things to be able to do that even better. But it’s been a great process getting to know the coaches and the coaching staff and their philosophies and being able to take advantage of stuff like that.”

(On what he worked on this offseason) “I was lifting weights a little bit. I was here with [Head Strength and Conditioning Coach] Coach Schlegel. The energy’s infectious in the weight room. Once you get in, it’s pretty hard not to work hard, so just coming in, working, lifting, and following numbers. I think it’s just been a successful offseason for pretty much anyone that’s been in there. I’m sure a lot of guys who were away during the offseason came back in great shape too, but when you have a guy like Coach Schlegs in the weight room, it’s hard not to get good work in.”

(On peaking towards the middle to end of last season) “I think it was a little bit of a slow start just learning a new scheme and a new defense with everyone who’s playing that scheme for quite a while. It kind of took a couple of weeks. With training camp, we didn’t tackle live ever as starters last year. The first time we were tackling was the first game. We didn’t get a lot of reps in training camp and there were no preseason games to kind of go through that. So, the first couple weeks of the season, that was kind of the vibe, trying to learn it, trying to get the experience in the defense. Once things kind of settled down and you knew your role and understood it completely, it was a little bit easier to be able to go out there and be more comfortable in what you’re supposed to do and make plays. I think this year, everybody’s on the same page. Training camp’s going to be a little bit different than last year, but we’re here in the offseason. We get to go through these reps. We get to go participate in OTA’s and practice these calls and these schemes. So, I anticipate it being a little bit easier this year going into the season.”

(On if there is an advantage having an in-person training camp this year) “For sure, especially for a first-year defense. Now, if we’re talking next year and we have the same defense, I might want to be sipping a lemonade somewhere with sand, working out on my own. But this year, with the new defensive scheme, the new coaches, getting everybody out on the field, being able to experience these plays against the offense is pretty key.”

(On how he has been learning the new defense) “I’m a big hard-copy play book guy, so I’ve been getting after the coaches to get me a hard-copy when I leave because I like to write notes in the playbook. I had an old coach that used to say just make a ‘same as’ sheet. You have calls where you have the same responsibilities on these calls. You kind of stack them all together and you can create this list and columns, so you know you have the same rules same as this, same as this, same as that. That’s kind of how I go through it. There’s obviously a lot of different ways to write stuff down, going through notes, writing notes down, and going through highlighting stuff that’s important in your notebook. For me, hard copy play book and getting lists and categorizing them in terms of what your responsibility is is something that helps me a lot. “

(On LB Damien Wilson) “Damien’s been great. He’s another guy that’s been around the league, I think this is his seventh year. He’s experienced some winning at some other stops and he just brings a lot of energy and comradery to the room. You kind of felt like he was already one of the guys the first day he came in there. He’s just a lot of jokes, a lot of laughter, having fun out there in spring football, which is really what you want. It’s a good brotherhood that we’re all developing and he’s adding to that, and I can’t wait to see how things progress through training camp and the season because I know we’re going to have a lot of playmakers at the linebacking room, a lot of guys that have proven that they can do it. It’s going to be fun.”

(On LB Damien Wilson being a part of two Super Bowl winning teams) “Not necessarily like that yet, I think because he’s coming in trying to learn the defense same as us, trying to get through things. But I’m sure once training camp goes through, Coach will have people who have been successful talk about things that they’ve done, thing that they’ve felt contributed to their success at past stops. He may be imparted some wisdom then, but for now, it’s just enjoy, learning the playbook, and getting out on the field and having a good time.”

(On the culture Head Coach Urban Meyer is creating in Jacksonville) “I think that if we’re winning games in the fall, it will be a positive culture impact and if we’re not winning any games, it won’t be. But you have to respect a guy who lives what he preaches, and you can tell Urban [Meyer] and the coaching staff bought in and live what they preach. We take that to practice and the energy and the enthusiasm at practice has been one of the highest I’ve ever seen in spring. It’s been a lot of fun to just get out there and compete and follow what these coaches are laying down. Once we get to Sundays in the fall, I expect us to be in a lot of games, winning a lot of games and being successful. I think culture is exactly what you think it is. You need a successful culture to be able to win any talent, to be able to win. If you don’t have some of those key blocks, you’re not going to [win]. If you have a lot of talent but you have a bad culture, you’re not going to win. If you have bad talent and a great culture, you’re not going to win a lot of games. If you can mesh the two right in the middle, you’re going to win a lot of games, you’re going to have a lot of success, and I think that’s what they are preaching upstairs, and I think it’s rubbing guys the right way.”

(On increasing pressure on the quarterback this season) “I’d say like 50 percent of the plays in spring we’ve been running blitzes, so I think there’s going to be a lot of pressure. [Defensive Coordinator] Coach Cullen’s not afraid to get after it and put some guys in man coverage, get pressure on the quarterback, try to force him to make mistakes, so it’s going to be fun to see what he has dialed up in games actually in the fall.”