JAGUARS HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024
(On WR Davante Adams second half performance) “He’s a great receiver. I mean, Aaron
[Rodgers] is a great quarterback. He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. So they made plays that
we didn’t make, and that part’s unfortunate. I thought we did some good things. But, again,
it comes down to just a couple plays that your season or your game or whatever could be a
little bit different. But give credit, I mean, those are two good players.”
(On QB Mac Jones performance) “I thought Mac played good. He played well. I thought the
offensive line protected well today again, did some good things. B.T. [Brian Thomas Jr.] had
a heck of a game. I just think we’ve got to keep learning and keep growing as a team and
keep working. Mac gets more comfortable with the things we’re doing and what he likes. He
played tough. He played physical, some scrambles in there, so it was a good performance,
good performance.”
(On the late interception by Mac Jones at the end of the game) “I think he just sailed the ball
too high. Look, he’s trying to make a play, obviously. I have to take a look at the film and
make a determination on the route. It was a double move route combination, so catching
them in their two-high shell defense and felt like it was just a little overthrown.”
(On if he let the Jets score at the 1-yard-line in the fourth quarter) “Yes.”
(On if he was surprised the Jets didn’t take a knee there and force the Jaguars to use their
timeouts) “It’s a different philosophy, but obviously, yeah, you can score the touchdown.
You kind of in those situations, you want them to score so you can save time for our
offense. Or, you know, the other way is you knee it a couple times and make me burn the
two timeouts. It’s either way. Either way. “
(On how nice it was to see Brian Thomas Jr. and Brenton Strange perform well) “I couldn’t
be more happy for both those guys. This is a great opportunity for Brenton, and he really
rose to the occasion. You talk about a great, humble kid that plays tough, plays physical,
the type of player that we know that he is. And, of course, B.T., you just see a top receiver in
this league. He’s a good, young receiver that’s going to continue to get better. And as we get
Trevor [Lawrence] back and all that kind of stuff, it’s a good combination to build around.
(On if he views Brian Thomas Jr. as a bright spot in the season) “I think so. Heck, he’s had a
heck of a season for a rookie receiver, and not only here in Jacksonville, but in the NFL. Like
I said, I think there’s more, as he continues to grow and learn. He can get better. But I’ll tell
you this. Gosh, he’s a good, humble kid that does work hard. And he has been a very, very
big, bright spot for our offense all season.”
(On his expectations of Brian Thomas Jr. coming out of camp and if he thought he might
deliver a 1,000-yard rookie season) “Some [rookies] do. And obviously we had high
expectations coming out of camp with him. Obviously Christian [Kirk], Gabe [Davis], Evan
[Engram], we had some pieces that we continued to run our offense out of, and really find a
niche for Brian and really see what he’s capable of doing. But as the season progressed,
you can see that he can handle more information. He can handle more responsibility. And
each week we keep finding ways to load him up and he answers. That’s what you want from
your top receiver. Like I said, he’s just been such a bright spot. He’s been a workhorse
offensively. There’s a lot of people we depend on and count on, but for a young player, he’s
someone that you can dial the ball up and chances are he’s going to find a completion. Just
been thoroughly impressed with Brian as the season’s gone on.”
(On what there is to like about Brenton Strange as a route runner and pass catcher) “I think
he’s bigger, he’s physical. Obviously he runs — he probably runs better than people think.
Really good, disciplined route runner. Plus he’s learning from Evan [Engram] too. He’s got a
good mentor there to learn from. Again, it’s what Brenton does during the week and how he
attacks the week and what he works on. He continues to work on his weaknesses, which
enhances his strengths. Again, he’s been a bright spot for us, a good, young player, and
excited for him.”
JAGUARS QUARTERBACK MAC JONES
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024
(On what happened on the last interception and if he saw that WR Brian Thomas Jr. was
open) “I’m going to have to watch the film. It’s definitely in the game play. At that point, I
think we had 44 seconds, and we were on the plus-50. Usually, it’s a second a yard. So,
you’ve kind of got to get a chunk play, if that makes sense. Sauce [Jets CB Sauce Gardner]
kind of baited me into it I guess. That’s what I saw, and peeled back on it and made a good
play. Definitely going to watch the film and see what I can do different.”
(On what Thomas Jr. does for the offense) “Yeah, for sure, I’ve been a rookie before. He’s a
professional. All the older guys obviously have been a rookie before too. They get what he’s
going through. It’s just impressive that he comes to work every day with a good attitude.
He’s going to be here for a long time. And I’m really looking forward to watching him play
here. He’s a great teammate, and I’m just going to keep building with him. I thought he had
a good rapport with Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] and has done a good job with me. Just got
to keep getting him the ball — they’re doing things now to take him away, clearly, as you saw
during the game. We have to figure out a way to watch other teams and see what they do
and how to get him open more.”
(On his expectations for Thomas Jr. in the future) “I think when you play well as a rookie,
you’ve got to just start over your next year and play well again and don’t let any success or
failure carry over to the next year. You just take every day one day at a time. I know he’s
going to do that. We’ve got some good games to finish here, three games left, and he’s
going to continue to fight like everybody else.”
(On if his chemistry is growing with the offense) “Yeah, you watch NFL football, and there’s
plays that are made and plays that aren’t. So, as a quarterback, you just want to get the
game to the fourth quarter, and we did. Last week we got down there and won it. This week
we didn’t. That’s on me. I know I’ve got to get it to the fourth. That was my plan all along.
And Aaron [Jets QB Aaron Rodgers] played a great game. The Jets defense did a great job.
It’s a Hall-of-Fame quarterback. You’ve got to go down there, score as much as you can and
turn those 3s into 7s”
(On the importance of getting Thomas Jr. involved early) “For sure. That’s every offense, you
want to feed your best player. Obviously, we’ve got other great playmakers too. I thought
Brenton [TE Brenton Strange] did a good job, the running backs and the wide receivers did a
good job. Obviously, the offensive line — it’s a really good defensive front — they did a good
job. And really it just comes down to me finishing and making some better decisions and
we’re in it at the end. So just finish better and see where it takes us.”
(On if he felt more comfortable playing today) “Yes.”
(On his performance today and if he was having fun) “Yeah, I appreciate you noticing that.
For me, it kind of ruins it because we didn’t win. I’m always about that. But at the same
time, I’ve been very hard on myself in the past. My goal is to finish this year strong and see
where it takes us. I’m bummed. I’m disappointed because we were in that game. I’m
looking at it from a professional standpoint and what can I do better? And I thought the
coaches called a good game and the players executed for the most part. I’ve just got to
make a couple more plays and we’ll be in a different spot.”
(On if he felt more comfortable going into this week) “For sure. It’s been an up-and-down
year. But that’s your job as a backup quarterback to be in there getting ready to play. We
had some guys injured this year. I feel like the young guys have stepped up and made plays.
And to hang with a good team like that, I mean, it was good, but I want to win. Everybody
wants to win. We’ll find ways to do that these next three.”
(On his connection with TE Brenton Strange) “I think when I first got here, just his
toughness. He’s always training hard, running hard, blocking very well. And then he’s really
improved in the pass game. But, yeah, he stepped up with Evan [TE Evan Engram] being
hurt. I fortunately got a lot of reps with him in OTAs and whatnot. We have a little bit of a
chemistry, and we’re just going to continue to build.”
(On if the offense took steps forward despite the loss) “Yeah. Like I said, you want to get to
the fourth and have a different result. At the end of the day, you’ve got to get there, and
you’ve got to put up points. I can turn some of those 3s into 7s and it’s a different game. I’ll
learn from it. I thought the guys played well and fought hard. I really enjoyed playing with
this group and we’ll figure it out.”
JAGUARS OFFENSIVE LINEMAN MITCH MORSE
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024
(On if this game was one of his better games offensively) “Well, I think what we’re able to
do is eat up some time of possession especially in the first half, and then being able to
score early was nice. Listen, we didn’t execute in certain areas and that’s why we’re in the
losers column. We’ll figure it out, loved the fight out of the guys and all we can do is
continue to fight for these next three weeks.”
(On if this game was his best performance in terms of rhythm and execute what he was
planning) “I thought we were able to keep a rhythm. We were able to convert third and
shorts, make it an opportunity to at least have the defense thinking a bit. You know,
sustaining drives, 15 play drives, so on and so forth. That’s a huge momentum boost for not
only the offense but for your team, so just continue to do those things and listen, keep
battling, keep competing, keep working and let the chips fall where they may. I mean,
that’s the nature of this thing.”
(On how the Jaguars keep giving themselves a chance to win and not seeing it go through)
“Yeah, I think it’s extremely frustrating, but we’ve got a good group of guys that win or lose
will stick with it and stick with each other. I think this locker room has done a fantastic job
through thick and thin here of rallying around each other. You know, they could be the
exact opposite and the guys haven’t let that happen, so I’m very appreciative of that and it
makes coming to work a lot easier.”
(On Jeremiah Ledbetter’s backflip) “No, I got to tell you, one of the more impressive things
I’ve ever seen on a football field. I’m sure if I had a sack, I’d try to do the same thing but my
knees and ankles would explode, break my neck probably. Yeah, it was a remarkable thing,
and he was very close, great sack.”
(On how the team has adjusted to recent roster changes) “I think this year has been,
whether it’s trade or injury, has been trying for this offense. But at the same time, I was
saying earlier we have a great group of dudes who rally around each other and no matter
who’s out there, we’re going to try and put our best foot forward. That’s all we can continue
to do these next few games and let the chips fall where they may.”
JAGUARS LINEBACKER FOYESADE OLUOKUN
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024
(On how he would describe the game today) “You’ve got to execute the little plays within
the game and then down the stretch, if you want to win those games—NFL, you never know
which play is the winning play. I mean, I could talk about it every time it happens, but it’s
basically the same stuff.”
(On how bothersome the busts have been this season) “Yeah, little plays and the big plays.
Just simple communication. Really it’s how you play. I think the communication was good,
it’s just how you go throughout the play. But you’ve got to understand, offenses might
understand what you’re communicating and understand your assignments and then do a
little variation. That changes responsibility a little bit, just how you’re reading the play. So,
keep learning, keep growing. We’ve got young guys and stuff, just keep learning, keep
growing, keep overcommunicating out there. I want to see it keep growing until the end of
the year because regardless of what happens, I think we can all become better football
players by the end of the year.”
(On how much credit goes to a guy like Jets QB Aaron Rodgers) “I mean, yeah, he knows a
lot of football, right. So, I think we were on him pretty well the first half and he can’t bust
really. We check, check, check. You’ve just got to own your job there and execute the
play.”
(On the third-and-10 between Jets QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Davante Adams) “Where he
caught it? He caught it? I’m going to watch it again. It was a great play then. Throw and
catch, that’s what they used to do back in the day. I’m sure he was trusting him and he
threw it in a good location. Tyson [Campbell] was right there. I guess we’ve got to fix that
and play better.”
(On letting them score at the end of the game) “That’s situational football. We needed the
ball back in order to win. Otherwise, they’re just going to knee, knee, knee or whatever, kick
the field foal to win. So, we wanted the ball back.”
(On whether they were surprised the Jets didn’t take a knee in that situation) “They [were in
a] better situation. Actually I played— the Falcons [game], we ran that thing and then tie
score and then we ended up not winning. So, I was happy they forgot that situation. But I
don’t know what they were thinking over there.”
(On the success that Jets WR Davante Adams had with QB Aaron Rodgers in the second
half) “I’ve got to go back and watch it. I mean, yeah, he’s a great player, Rodgers is a great
player. I would say so. I think communication was pretty good, so I’ve got to watch how he
was catching the ball and everything. But obviously, we need to get better and keep
growing as a defense.”
JAGUARS TIGHT END BRENTON STRANGE
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024
(On if he felt that was the best offensive performance of the year) “It felt pretty good, but it
wasn’t enough to win. So, at the end of the day, all we care about is winning around here. It
really doesn’t matter. It’s cool to go out there and execute a little bit better than we have in
the past weeks, but we didn’t do enough to win the game and that’s all that matters.”
(On why he had success today personally) “I think the opportunities just came my way.
Here, we say don’t chase plays and plays came my way, so I made the plays. I pride myself
in being a reliable player for this team and that is what I do.”
(On if he likes the TE Evan Engram role) “(Laughs). Hopefully, my dog gets back soon,
healthy.”
(On the fight they showed despite missing so many players) “Yeah, we showed fight, but at
the end of the day like I’m saying, all we want to do is win games. You can go out there and
fight your ass off all day long, but if you don’t win the game at the end of the day when you
go home, it doesn’t matter. That is all I focus on and that is all everybody on this team
focuses on is trying to win games.”
(On the impact that Brian Thomas Jr. continues to bring to the team) “He is a great player.
What did he break today, the franchise record? So, that speaks for itself. He is a great
player. He has been great since he stepped in the building. I noticed it a long time ago. BT
continues to do great things, and I’m proud of him. He is going to continue to keep growing
and keep getting better, so he is really impressive. Like I said, he is only going to keep
getting better.”
(On if he has seen a receiver as productive as Thomas Jr. be so humble) “I mean, I’m sure,
yeah, there are some. I am sure there are some. It’s a hard question, I guess. We don’t really
have divas on this team. None of our receivers are divas. Everybody goes out there and
works hard and handles their business. It’s a salute to the people they bring into this
building.”
(On if he feels one to two plays away from winning these games) “That’s exactly what it is.
It’s one or two plays every game. I mean, what, have we lost each game the last seven
games by seven points or something? So, it’s tough, but we’ll watch the film, figure out the
mistakes and get better.”
(On if it’s been difficult that they haven’t been able to finish out close games yet) “Man, I
love playing football. I can’t speak for anybody else, but this is what I love to do, and I have
done it my whole entire life. It sucks, it stings, it hurts and all of that. But I’m going to come
in on Monday or Tuesday or whatever it is and be ready to work and give my best effort
because I just love this.”
(On how important it is for him to build on today during this last stretch) “It really is
important, but I’m not going to do anything more than just be myself. I don’t try to be
anybody. I don’t try to do too much. If the ball comes my way, I’m going to make the play
and I’m going to try to score. That’s my mindset and mentality every time the ball is in my
hands. Just try to score.”
(On guys stepping up who didn’t get reps earlier in the year before all the injuries) “I mean, I
think it’s a salute to all the work we did all offseason and just the guys we have in this
building. We have depth. We know we have good players. It’s just about winning games.
That is all that it is. Winning games. That is all we have to figure out.”
JAGUARS WIDE RECEIVER BRIAN THOMAS JR.
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024
(On his two-touchdown performance) “The first one, it was in a three-by-one formation.
Had a little over-route, the safety ended up coming down, driving on the tight end, so I was
able to pop open. And the second one, I had a choice route and I was able to cross my
defender’s face and break his leverage. And I caught it and I just saw it was wide open so I
ran it to the end zone.”
(On his expectations coming into his rookie year) “As I came into the season, my
expectation was just to be the best player that I could be, go out there and put in the work
and just let that show for me. I came out wanting to just put my best foot forward each and
every day. Just be the best I could be as a teammate and be the best I could be as a player,
and see where that takes me.”
(On if he thought the ball was coming to him on the final play of the game) “I didn’t think it
was coming. I wasn’t able to see the coverage they were in or whatever. So, no.”
(On where his humility comes from) “I just try to be humble. Try to go about my day each
and every day just being the best person I can be. I really am just trying to be humble
because I know it can all, as it’s happening, be taken away from you in a second. I just try to
be humble about everything and just push forward and be the best I can be each and every
day.”
(On if breaking the franchise rookie receiving records in yards and touchdowns was
important to him) “I mean, it comes with it. I was just going out there playing. It comes with
it. Just being the best I can be. And it turned out good for me just being able to break those
records. But at the end of the day, we still wanted to go out there and win as a team.”
(On if he knew he could break the records) “Yeah, I knew.”
(On if he spoke to QB Mac Jones about wanting to break the records) “No, just went out
there and just played the game the right way. I let everything come to me. Everybody knew.
So, I didn’t really have to say anything, but I just go out there and play the game the right
way. If it comes to me, it comes to me.”
(On his emotions when he broke both the rookie franchise records in receiving yards and
touchdowns) “On the yards, I was super excited because I didn’t know if I had it or not. I
was super excited about both of them, really. I knew when I got the touchdown, I broke it.
So, it was just super exciting for me. It was a great moment. But at the end of the day still, it
would be better if we got the win.”
(On whom he gave the ball from his record-breaking touchdown to) “That was my momma.”
(On his relationship with his mother) “Me and my mom have a great relationship. My mom
and dad were both here today. I love both of them. Me and my mom have a great
relationship as the woman who raised me, took care of me my whole life. She means the
world to me.”
(On if he planned to give his mother the ball) “Yeah, we had a talk about it. She’s been
wanting me to give her one. But every time I score, I just go to the sideline. I had never really
thought about it. But I was like, ‘This time I’ll remember.’ I remembered and I went and gave
it to her.”
(On the wide receiver room encouraging his development) “They’ve been great. Just Gabe
[WR Gabe Davis] and Christian [WR Christian Kirk], they’ve been great to me, just teaching
me a lot. Me just being able to learn from them, them continuously helping me on the
sideline. Me and Christian were talking out certain coverages and how I should run certain
routes. And just them being there for me. They’ve been great teammates, great brothers for
me. They’re super supportive and they just hope for the best for me.”
(On if it’s difficult to enjoy his success due to how the season has gone for the team) “I
wouldn’t say it’s a hard time. But at the end of the day, you know what you want. You know
the goal is to be as good as a team. I mean, it’s not really about personal accomplishments.
You always want to be the best you can be as a team and the personal accomplishments
will come with it.”
JETS HEAD COACH JEFF ULBRICH
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024
(On QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Davante Adams connection) “Historic, magical, to get his
100th TD today was just, I feel honored to have seen it and to have been here for it. It was
an amazing moment for those two guys. Obviously, a lot of ball between them and a lot of
touchdowns. So, for them to get that was special.”
(On what the difference was between the first and second half for Davante Adams) “Just
some good adjustments. Todd [Pass game coordinator Todd Downing] did an excellent job
of really trying to figure out their coverage and took advantage of it in the second half. It was
really a tale of two halves on both sides of the ball as far as making adjustments. We had a
much better second half.”
(On if he considered taking a knee and kicking a field goal at the end of the game) “I did but
at the same time, I wanted to be aggressive, and I wanted the points. They were having
some success on offense so I wanted to put the nail in the coffin at the end.”
(On what it’s been like having Davante in the building) “It’s been incredible. For a guy to
come in when he did, without real time on task with this locker room and to have the
impact he’s had, I’ve never seen it ever. He’s a consummate pro. He’s a force multiplier. He
just elevates those around him. He’s an historical player in this league, and we’re fortunate
to have him. It’s not just the talent. It’s his process. It’s his professionalism. It’s all that. So
he’s had a tremendous impact on these young guys.”
(On what this win means to this team) “It means everything. Regardless of circumstance,
regardless of what may be said in the outside world, this locker room is right, and the
culture and the connection of these guys is right. I know the results have not been there,
but the process has been right, and that’s maybe the most frustrating thing about this
whole circumstance. For them to come through and have the game they had today, so
deserved, and I’m so happy for that locker room.”
(On the Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams connection) “In all honesty, I’m embracing this
moment right now with this team and this performance. It was unbelievable today, and
we’ll take it at that”
(On what it was like to finally win) “It felt amazing, as you can imagine.”
(On getting an interception late in the fourth quarter) “Yeah, and to get two of them, really
cool for the back end because they’ve been working their butts off and taking a lot of heat
for that. For them to finally get their interceptions was really cool. Especially to win the
game like that.”
(On CB Sauce Gardner getting an interception) “Yeah, so happy for him because he’s been
working his butt off and been frustrated with our results as a team, as a defense, and he
knows the standard at which he needs to play on a weekly basis. So happy for him to be
able to finish the game in that way.”
(On the flight issues this weekend) “Just another testament to that locker room. Countless
adversity this year. It was just another obstacle to overcome, and they did it.”
JETS QUARTERBACK AARON RODGERS
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024
(On if it felt like old times with WR Davante Adams) “Yeah, yeah, it did, except he dropped
one. And I missed him on the next play, or the next big third down. But, yeah, Tay [Davante
Adams] is a fantastic player. He dropped the one, said he got his dreads pulled. Whether
that’s true or not, seemed like an excuse. And then we had third down. I threw it to G [Garret
Wilson] and big [Arik] Armstead was kind of rushing. I couldn’t see where either of them
were. G was definitely open. I threw it too far inside. Tay, I guess, was wide open and came
back and said, ‘What, you don’t trust me anymore,’ with, like, a wry smile. So I was using
that line against him a bunch of times in the second half.”
(On the catch by Davante Adams over-the-shoulder in the two-minute) “Yeah. We had a
different route called. I kind of checked to something I liked better. I was really thinking
maybe Allen [Lazard] on the in-breaker there, but the safety stayed inside. And when I let it
go, I felt like it was a little too far outside and not down the field, but he made a ridiculous
catch. It was so good that it wasn’t even like a question, oh, they might review that. It was
like no, no. He caught it. We’re good.”
(On what flipped in the second half) “I don’t think anything especially flipped. I think the
line was outstanding. I mean, I had so much time all day long. And when I didn’t, I was
moving around pretty good. But, yeah, I think the line just really played well. We had the ball
for only a short amount of time in the first half. I think we had three possessions. We had a
touchdown. We drew them offsides. They called a phantom false start, and then Tay
[Davante Adams] dropped the ball. I missed him on the third down. That was our three
possessions. So the second half, we were pretty efficient throwing the football, and we
ended up having a couple drives in the fourth that made it happen.”
(On the 71-yard touchdown pass) “I thought it was a great call by [Passing Game
Coordinator] Todd [Downing]. It’s a play we’ve run for a long time in this style of offense
where it’s just four vertical from a kind of different alignment where we’re in our 21H
personnel. [Isaiah] Davis is back side in the slot. He comes in motion and becomes the guy
in the flat. And then we have Tay [Davante Adams] on a read route. I believe it was Kenny
[Yeboah] was running down the sideline. It was Braelon [Allen] who was running the seam
from the backfield and then G [Garrett Wilson] back side on the out. So, basically, that’s
kind of a pre-snap, if you have pressure, you might throw it over there. We have a line pull,
left guard pull action, try and hold the mike. A lot of coverages were two-mannish. They
played a lot more Tampa in some of the breakdowns. That play happened to be Tampa
where the mike has the middle third. The protection was so good. I was able to kind of hold
it just a little tick longer and peek outside to Kenny on the red line to be able to throw it to
Tay, and Tay made a great catch to finish it off.”
(On what this win, and the way you won, mean to the team) “They’re all special. That’s why
you play. You play for the love of the game and to have moments like this with your boys. To
be able to come up big. We haven’t had a lot of success. We put together a nice drive, went
down the field, scored a touchdown, got two points. Came back, got a field goal. It’s on us
to come down. Tay [Davante Adams] made a couple big plays. There’s a lot of pride in that
for sure. Listen, if you love this game, there’s nothing like dominating. If you’re a hyper-
competitive person, whether you’re growing up playing in the back yard, playing in the
playground at school or playing AU or playing flag football or making it up as you go and
playing capture the flag, whatever you’re doing, if you’re supremely competitive, you love
dominating. That’s what it’s all about. Today was one of those good feelings.”
(On if he wonders where the performance like today was the rest of the season with so
many close losses) “Yeah, for sure. Too little, too late, but it’s still special. Doesn’t taint it at
all. Doesn’t steal any of the joy of it. Doesn’t take away any of the fun that’s going to be on
the bus just now and then on the plane. Then we have another bus to get back to the
facility. But it’s still going to be special. They’re always special. But this was a year of things
that we were close, but we kind of let it get away from us in the middle of the season.”
(On if he’ll lobby for some designed runs after leading the team in rushing today) “You guys
probably know better, but it’s been a long time since I’ve led the team in rushing. I take a lot
of pride in my minimal athleticism, but this is what I trained so hard for during those nine
months, the three to try to get back early and the six to get all the way back was to be able
to move around. Obviously I’ve felt a lot better. You guys know it. You’ve seen it the last few
weeks.”
(On being nine yards short of Lamar Jackson’s rushing performance against the Giants
today) “Yeah. Well, he makes it look a lot more graceful.”
(On if he was surprised to see Davante Adams that open on the 41-yard pass) “It was a
good call. We brought Allen [Lazard] down. They were playing a lot of match man in certain
situations. I’d said it kind of jokingly to Tay [Davante Adams], but there actually might be a
little bit of validity to when I went off schedule, kind of moved up in the pocket. I’m glad I
kept my eyes downfield. I think whoever was matching him just took their eyes back at me
and saw me, started to scramble and left him. And whoever was guarding Breece [Hall]
down the sidelines was still guarding him 50 yards down the field. Breece did a nice job
blocking. That was a big play for sure. The biggest play was the over-the-shoulder catch.
That converted that third-and-10, I believe. And then we had a couple other important ones,
including we called a screen pass on second-and-10 when I ran to the sidelines, got the
positive gain. Obviously, if you throw it there, you got linemen downfield. But I was trying to
throw it to Isaiah [Davis], and he got absolutely drilled by the three technique so that was
good to get positive yardage there. And then, obviously, Tay did the rest.”
(On if he thought Head Coach Jeff Ulbrich would kneel a couple of times and just take the
field goal) “I was hoping not. You guys know what the magic number is. If we had kneeled it
twice and kicked the field goal at the 28, you know, there’s always the what-if game. T-Mo
[Thomas Morestead] brought the same thing up on the sidelines. He’s, like, tell me why we
didn’t. So I just saw him after I got out of shower. I said, if we’d kneeled it, Sauce [Gardner]
wouldn’t have got his pick. So shut up.”
(On the defense today and what they did to finish it in the fourth quarter) “Listen, if we were
10-3, we’d probably take two knees, kick a field goal. We’re 3-10. We were. So I’m glad we
went for it, put it back on the defense. Proud of them getting the stop there. They came up
big at certain times, especially end of the first half, holding them to a field goal instead of
going in 17-7. Even though they gave them a field goal to tie the game, it’s 25-22, and they
held up there, didn’t get the chance for them to take the lead and got the ball back for us to
win the game. Proud of our defense. I’m really proud. I want to say one more time, the
offensive line had an outstanding game, and I had all day to throw. Big shout out to the big
boys. I’m going to love them up on the bus.”
(On if he wanted to get Davante Adams the touchdown since it was his 100th) “Oh, that was
his 100th? We all knew it was his 100th. [Laughter]
(On if he tried on the next play to get him the touchdown knowing that) “Oh, yeah, of
course. And I’m going to apologize and get something nice for Braelon [Allen]. That probably
would have been a walk-in touchdown there. Braelon didn’t say anything about it because
he wouldn’t. He’s a great kid. We all knew that was the 100th for Tay. Appreciate it.”
JETS WR DAVANTE ADAMS
POSTGAME MEDIA AVAILABILITY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024
(On his 100th career touchdown) “Well, it was a lot going on with that. So I thought,
honestly, I can’t tell which play was better because the first one felt like I was about to get
stuffed in the backfield. To be able to get out of that and basically sniff the end zone, that
would have been cool. To come back with the fade, it was kind of like a little bit of, you
know, he and I versus just like a scheme play.”
(On if QB Aaron Rodgers told him he was getting the ball on his touchdown) “No, but I know.
You know certain plays just based off the look. Like last week at the end when he threw the
fade at the end to try to get into field goal range, that route that I had is not at all a route that
— typically, that’s a route that if he’s off coverage, I’m going to get the ball. In that situation,
I’m never supposed to get the ball. Probably four times in my career he’s thrown it. There
was no doubt in my mind in that moment he was coming there. It’s kind of that telepathy, I
guess you could say. But, yeah, it was good to be able to get in there. Teammates were
gassing me up all week about it so I think they were probably more excited than I was,
which is obviously a great thing. So it’s good to get it, and almost had 102 there, which
would have been cool.”
(On if he went down on purpose at the end of the game before the Jets go-ahead
touchdown) “I don’t know, honestly. I don’t know. Every step I took, I was thinking —
because we have presentations. One of our coaches does a presentation on situational
awareness, stuff like that. Last week, I caught the ball, got pushed out of bounds. I’m
thinking the whole time I’m running, there’s a lot of space right here. I don’t think the corner
was even paying attention. He was looking at whoever was out in front, I think it was G (WR
Garrett Wilson). And I’m just running, and I’m thinking, like, am I supposed to score right
now or am I supposed to go down? And it just opened up and I’m like, damn, I got a
decision to make. Once I went in, he kind of tackled me. I figured it would be good to get
another timeout off of them. But I don’t know, honestly, still if I was trying to go down or not.
I think I was trying to score, but there was some indecision there for sure.”
(On his 71-yard touchdown) “Well, we’ve run that play a lot, a lot. Like a lot since 2019 or
whenever Matt LaFleur’s first year was, ’18, one of those years. It’s been too long now. I’ve
never — based off the coverage, I run the route differently. Over the course of my career, I’ve
never caught the ball on that one based off that coverage. So today there was a few that
were a little bit backwards to what normally happens on the field. You kind of just got to just
keep playing. We got a coverage open, middle of the field open. The middle backer was
running. He was the Tampa player, and he was going basically to take away that. Once I saw
the safeties get real width like that, it was just a foot race. I look back and I see the ball up in
there, and I was just, like, wow, this is about to be a 70-yard touchdown. Lo and behold, we
got it.
(On his lack of catches in the first half and how he got going in the second half) “I did not. I
dropped one so that doesn’t help. They don’t usually give you a catch if you drop it. I think
we all had kind of a weird energy — it wasn’t really the energy. It wasn’t like we didn’t have
energy going on the field, but it was just things weren’t really clicking the way that we
intended them to. Came back in and just talked to one another and really it was just a
matter of just getting back out there. T.D. (Jets Passing Game Coordinator Todd Downing)
called some great plays for us to be aggressive. Aaron (QB Aaron Rodgers) gave me one of
those looks and said we’re going to need you this half. Came out and was able to make
some plays. I’m sure you guys could understand, you get in a groove sometimes, it’s like
that ball is kind of — like your hand’s like a magnet to the ball. That third down, he throws it
out here, see it for one quick second and catch it on the side of your head. That’s some of
the stuff you’ve got to be in a groove for. Thank God I made a few plays before that to be
able to pull that in. It was a good day. I wish we’d have been able to have more success in
the first half to not make it so close. It’s all about finishing it out, which we haven’t done
enough of this year.”
(On the team not being able to finish games this season) “Yeah. I mean, winning is hard in
this league. It’s tough. Like you say, we haven’t been getting blown out. I think the Cardinals
is the only game you can say we were out of it. And even then, I felt like we just were so
close, we were even driving that game. So it’s about being able to execute at the right
moments and we did that today. And in the past, whether it was offense, defense, special
teams, whatever, somebody didn’t. And, you know, you need all three phases.
(On being in synch with QB Aaron Rodgers) “Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Today was one of those
days in the second half. Definitely felt very, very similar to the way we used to get it rolling.
You can almost — I mean, y’all will never be able to feel this. But being in the huddle with
Aaron, it felt a lot different. Obviously, with him being mobile now and not having the
hammy nagging him the same way it was when I first got there, him being able to be on the
run like that, I think teams are starting to play us the way they were when he wasn’t. He’ll
make you pay. He not running a 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, maybe even a 4.6, but all you got to do is 10-
yard spurts. You’ll be all right. He’s still got that.”
(On having 135 yards receiving in the last four minutes) “Football is crazy, man. We were
just talking about it. It’s like the only sport where you can come out – up going in the half,
team scores right before half. Then come out, get the ball again, and literally the whole
game is different. It’s just about making plays at the right times. Sometimes it’s just this big
of a difference, the ball being here or your hands being there. So we’ve had opportunities to
maybe make teams pay the way we did today, but just being able to execute is the — that’s
the hard part. We did that and got some favorable coverages to the plays that we were
running. And sometimes it’s getting lucky or scheming it knowing what they’re going to be
in. Sometimes it’s getting lucky based off the coverage and just making it work with the
opportunity you have.”
