(On the pressure on the offense to score when the defense consistently gives up a lot of points) “I think some of the things that I know that I’m going to start to look at, just to tell you, so yesterday I got through the game, looking at that, and started creating a list of discussion points that we’re going to have starting today and then obviously going on throughout the week. So that’s where we are now, and I think there’s a couple things that I have some thoughts on. I haven’t shared them with the staff yet. I think we can, from a standpoint, you can look at ways to shorten the game, to do that and keep the other team’s opposing offense off [the field]. I think we can do things defensively to maybe avoid some of the explosive plays that we have, but I think there’s a lot that goes into that in what you’re doing, how you’re doing it. So we’re going to talk about different things and look at some [things]. Maybe it might be week-to-week game plan adjustments of what we do depending on our matchups, but I don’t look at it as [just pressure on the offense.] There’s pressure on all of us. When you’re sitting here at the record that we have, it’s not one thing or another, it’s really everything. I mean you see flashes of good play around, but gosh, you don’t see the consistency that you need to win football games.”
(On the bye week with the COVID-19 protocols) “The first thing is with the COVID protocol, we’re still in intensive protocol. So we’re not out of the intensive protocol which means that our meetings with the players during this week will be virtual meetings, so we’ll have that and the same limitations of how many people are in the building, in the weight room, in the training room, social distancing; all the things that we had to do last week are still in place. With the players, by the CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement], there’s mandatory time off for them on a bye week, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. They’ll be lifting and running, we’ll have meetings with them, but they’ll still have to test every day on a daily basis. The first thing that we’ll do today, like I said before, we got through the game, we’re gong to go out and look at the course of ourselves first as coaches and the play calls, what we’ve done, analyze that, can we put them in better position? The first thing we’re going to have to look at [is] what I can do, which I’ll look at myself as well as the players, what we can do better as coaches. If we had to go back and do things over, what we would’ve done differently type of situations. Then we’ll go back to performance, then we’ll look at the players and look at who’s preformed at this time, who do we think is getting better, who do we think might be trending the other way or staying the same and then see if we can make any adjustments personnel-wise as we move forward. After personnel, I think it goes to scheme to look to see is there anything we want to be able to do differently. But at the end of the day, the dramatic changes that maybe people might be looking at on the outside, you’re talking about basically you’re going to have one practice and you’re going to be getting ready for a game plan. If you’re sitting there and people are saying you want all these dramatic type changes going through and everything, that’s not possible. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make changes and adjustments and win football games and that’s what we’re going to do.”
(On his message to the team having free time this week) “I’m meeting with the team today at 2:30 p.m. I think I’ll reiterate what I said in the locker room after the game. I think that where we are obviously is disappointing, it’s not where we want to be, and that’s basically what I told them. I basically reiterated all the things I’ve been saying to everyone here about there’s flashes, there’s times, we haven’t been able to take advantage of situations, critical points, we haven’t been able to execute, or we haven’t put you in the best position possible. So it’s not one person, two people, it’s not a unit, it’s really on all of us. Now in saying that, I think, like a lot of you guys say, is how do you keep a team [motivated]? The one thing that’s going on right now is no one can question how hard these guys are playing and I know the coaches are working their ass of, so you have that. As long as you have that, you always have a chance and my deal with the team is we’re coming back, we’re going to have nine games left. I want to stop going back in the past, thinking about the record, where it is, and let’s go ahead and let’s get after this nine game season and break it up into three quarters and let’s get excited and let’s go play football. Let’s play at our best, let’s coach at our best, and let’s coach each game like it’s the most important game in the world. I know that’s cliché because every game is, but I also have a level of excitement too for me thinking [of] it that way because if I keep going back and going, ‘Oh shit, we should’ve done this or hey we’re 1-6 and we’re this,’ I mean that’s going to get you down. There’s no doubt about it. I’m not wired the same as a lot of people. I think you guys know me for a long time now, so I’m going to be able to block that out of my mind and go forward and be the best I can be for the coaches and the players.”
(On seeing improvement in the development of young players in the final nine games of the season) “I think you have to look at how to build on somethings; in other words, how do you take some of these young players [and build on them]. I think that you look at DaVon Hamilton, had an excellent game last game. He really did, he played really well. How do you build on that? Laviska [Shenault Jr.], all these young guys that are making plays at times, how do you get them to go to the next level? I think the challenge for us as coaches is that we know that we have the young players and we want to bring them from here to here, from this level to the top level right away and you can’t. It’s not going to happen as fast as you want at times, as far as a coach, but you don’t want to overcoach. You don’t want to go too far where now all of a sudden, you’re not going to get the consistent play. It’s a balance of keeping that ceiling high where you want it and making sure you can build on the things you need to build on quickly, whatever it may be. It may be a weakness, it may be something else, it may be the pass game compared to the run game, things of that nature. So I think with a lot of these young players, we have to look at what have they done well and what’s that next step, what’s the next progression for them that they can help us make a difference where we can win games.”
(On his communication with Jaguars Owner Shad Khan) “We’ve talked every week. We talk, we communicate each week and each week it’s always a lot of things that we go through: what’s going on, what are we doing moving forward. [It’s] a lot of those conversations, so it’s not like there’s no communication. We’ll talk this week just like we normally do. We communicated yesterday and we’ll talk again on Wednesday, but it’s natural. This is what’s been going on since I’ve been here.”
(On the relationship between QB Gardner Minshew II and WR DJ Chark Jr. with the decrease in efficiency between the two in recent games) “I don’t see a problem with the relationship, so it’s not that. I do acknowledge that we haven’t been doing as good of a job as we’ve done earlier in the year. I think that could cause, and I’ll use your word, for players, the frustration and I think for us as coaches, we’ve got to be challenged to upgrade ourselves there. I think that’s one thing we have to do a better job of is obviously our intermediate game and obviously our deep game. I think that’s the one thing I think we’re lacking. There’s many things obviously when you’re not winning, but it’s definitely something we can improve on from a coaching standpoint and player standpoint. We’ve got to go ahead and keep fighting. Like I said, it’s not the way we want to do it, either from where it’s Gardner [Minshew II] or whether it’s from DJ [Chark Jr.]. I’m sure both of them at times, as long [well] as everybody is else, is frustrated, but at the same time, what are we going to do moving forward? That’s the big question. What are we going to do moving forward? How can we get better? How can we do a better job of it? But as far as the relations, there hasn’t been any issues in the locker room.”
(On an injury update) “From the injuries from the game, Chris is back in the facility, Chris Thompson. He’s back in the facility. He has to go through some of the protocol workouts to get back, so that will be fine. Dede [Westbrook] obviously, he went on IR and that’s always tough to have an injury like that, noncontact injury, and you do that. He’s worked hard and he was getting ready coming back and being able to help, so I think that’s tough. That’s tough for anyone that gets hurt. We’ve had a lot of those players, just like Leon [Jacobs] and the guys that have been here for awhile and have worked hard, so that’s always tough. Myles [Jack] is still recovering. I think we should have him back. Next week, I’ll know more. Devine [Ozigbo] came back, he reinjured the same leg, same injury there just in a different spot so we’ll see how that is. I think Sidney Jones, we’ll see how he’s feeling so I’ll have a better idea in a couple days. I think [Tyler] Eifert, we expect him to be back. A.J. Cann, we expect to be back. Brandon [Linder] finished the game, so it was tough for him. He’s feeling sore so I think that will be week to week, we’ll see how he goes. Dakota [Allen], we’ll see how he progresses, basically he has the same ankle [injury] that he’s had before. That’s where we are with that.”
(On having a reliable, consistent quarterback) “It’s the most important thing. I think any one of us, when I say any one of us, I’m talking about 32, I think 32 head coaches are always going to want that. At the end of the day, you have to do the best job you can with the players that you have. I think even the best ones, there are some things that you’re limited to so I think you have to play to their strengths and when they have a lot of strengths then you can play more to it and they can make a lot of other people better. But at the same time, you’re not going to sit here, when you’re one out of 32 and be complaining, complaining, complaining. I think that we have to take a look at how can we get these guys playing to a level where we can win games? We’ve done it before, or I have done it before. [I’ve] done it at Syracuse, done it at Buffalo, and done it here. I think that we have to get improvement in a lot of different areas and that’s why I say it’s on everybody. It’s easy to place the blame on one player, one position, but it’s our job to go ahead and do that and never use that as an excuse. So we’ll see where we are. I think that we’ll take a good look at it. Like I said, I am, and I’m not going to bullshit anyone, I’m kind of fired up. And I know you guys are probably sitting like, ‘What the hell’s going on? How can this guy be fired up? They just lost six games in a row,’ and I understand that. I totally do but I’m going to bust my ass, I mean I’m telling you now. I’m going to look at some things, I want to go a little bit outside the box. I want to challenge these coaches and challenge these players and see [what they can do]. I’m going to do whatever can to get the best out of this team and best out of these players. I’m sure people are going to mock me for that or say whatever the hell they want, but I really don’t give a shit. I’m fired up. I’m going to go after it and however it falls, it falls, but it’s open for me. I’ve done crazy shit before. A lot of people don’t know, we changed an offense four or five days prior to the opening of our season in Syracuse my last year. We just went in a whole different direction and, shit, it worked out. We took chances on some guys. We took a chance on a guy named James Robinson and he’s playing his ass off. So, I’m kind of fired up, man. Let’s go.”
(On if he’s happy with the performance of LB Joe Schobert through the first seven games) “I mean you’re going to look at everyone. I’m not going to sit here and [just critique him]. And I understand, I think that there are things that he wants to do better. Sure. He’s coming off a game where he missed a couple tackles and then two weeks ago, he’s probably coming off his best game. So I think when you look at that and you look at where we are, it’s difficult. And this is what’s tough, I think you really have to take a good look at yourself and say, ‘Hey listen, I’ve got to be able to do a better job.’ I think one of the things that I’ve learned, unfortunately when I’ve been on teams that haven’t won football games, is the one thing people try to do is say, ‘I’m playing well’ or ‘I’m coaching well’ or ‘My group’s doing well’ and when you start getting that, that’s where you start getting the separation. That’s where you start [seeing] people trying to protect each other or themselves and it happens a lot not within the building, it probably happens more outside the building. I’m fortunate, when I go home, I get drilled worse from my family than I do in interviews. It’s tough, but the one thing that happens, it’s not a ‘Well, hey listen, you’re doing what you’re supposed to do, it’s everyone else that’s not,’ and that’s what we can’t have. So when you’re asking about total performances, that game two weeks ago, how do we get that game for the next nine weeks in a row? That’s how I look at it, more on that type of vision.”
(On the possibility of pursuing Jets DT Quinnen Williams) “I think that’s a question for [General Manager] Dave [Caldwell]. Maybe [Director of Public Relations] Tad [Dickman] can get Dave to talk to you guys about that. The only reason why I say it like that is because the 53 players I have on this team, that’s what I’m focused on. So, I’m not like a guy that is like, ‘Hey listen, let’s go sign this player or that player or that player or that player.’ When you do that, again that’s not in my responsibility, but I don’t want to take away from the coaches and the players. We as coaches don’t do that because it creates another step for, ‘This guy can’t play, go out and get me another guy.’ No, bullshit, you have to get this guy better, you have to get him to play as good as we can. So, that’s something that I apologize that I’m just not in that mode. Am I open to get our team better? Absolutely. But am I the person that’s out there looking to see how these guys are playing and what’s going on on other teams? I’m not afforded that time, so I can’t really answer that question.”
(On the ‘light going on’ for DT DaVon Hamilton last week and if he hopes to see a similar pattern in other young players on the team) “Yeah, I mean he really played well. I don’t know if the right phrase is ‘the light goes on.’ It was kind of like with Ben Bartch, and I haven’t talked to Ben and I haven’t even talked to [Offensive Line Coach] Coach Warhop. Just kind of watching him in these last two games where he’s been and it’s like he would have had 100 and something snaps in the preseason probably, so now he’s getting these snaps. Listen, I’m not saying he’s right now a Hall of Fame guard, but I know this, in my experience as an offensive line coach, there are some things that he’s done a really nice job of. He’s tough, he’s strong and there’s some things that he struggles with, some of the pass protection stuff with the one on one, which is natural. He’s has to get the reps, get that experience, and go. I think with DaVon Hamilton, I think those reps are at that time where you start to see it go and I think each person’s a little bit different on where it hits. I agree with the term when that light switch goes on, but what’s controlling that light switch is the amount of reps that he gets to all of a sudden now he can perform at that level. I know this, that is what we’re trying to get done with these young players and I think that’s why a player like James Robinson’s a little bit different because he was able to do that at this level right away. But when you look back at his college career, at his high school career, boy, he’s had a lot of damn snaps of being able to do it and do it at this level and I think that’s why the way he’s preforming is pretty special because, like you said, it’s not as easy for the success that you’ve had in college to just come to this league and expect the same type of success. You’ve got to get your way, play your way into that success and obviously have that ability.”
