JAGUARS HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER
ROOKIE MINICAMP AVAILABILITY
May 15, 2021
(On how Trevor Lawrence has looked the past two days and is he on a pitch count) “Yeah, he’s looked great, been great in meetings. No-huddle quarterbacks have a tendency to struggle a little bit with verbiage, calling plays and getting used to a coordinator calling it in your helmet — he’s really adapted well to that. He’s on a 30-40 [throw] pitch count right now and that’s just our physical therapist — we’re being very cautious, could probably go a little bit more, but we just want to be very smart about everything.”
(On why Jay Tufele wasn’t there today) “He is a guy that’s got one positive, one negative COVID [test], so we decided to hold him out until — I think he’ll be good to go tomorrow.”
(On what he saw from Jalen Camp, Travis Etienne and the other rookie receivers) “Yeah, we’re trying — if you saw Travis was getting most of his reps today at wide receiver. He’s the leading rusher in ACC history, so for him to run inside zone, power and zone right now, we thought at the worst case scenario you have a running back with the skillset of a wide receiver and best case scenario you have a hybrid player that can do both, and that’s what we’re hoping to develop with Travis. Jalen is a nice guy. You’re right, I didn’t know him. He’s a big, strong, fast guy that works his tail off. We just had two days, but so far really good.”
(On his emotions during his first two days on the field as an NFL coach) “It was great, great to be out there. I did take a minute like I normally do, took a deep breath and looked around at the stadium behind us and all of a sudden you see the Jaguar emblem and then it’s get to work. Yeah, I had a moment and moved on.”
(On if there was anything different that he had to change or if he followed the same script that he’s always followed) “Well it’s different because you have 18 players and actually less than that because you have some guys recovering from injuries. Tyson Campbell [injured] his hamstring yesterday, so we just wanted to slow it down. I explained to our players that that is not a Jaguar practice, that’s a rookie practice. The Jaguar practice starts next week. That’s much higher tempo, much more energy. I remember when I was in college, I would sometimes bring the freshman early just to acclimate them. That’s the biggest difference. Other than that, it’s all the same.”
(On what made him comfortable giving Travis the No. 1 jersey before playing an NFL snap) “That’s a great question. I really didn’t even think about it. I probably should start thinking about that stuff because I was hoping they didn’t change numbers because that’s a pain for a coach — ‘I want this, I want that.’ I got to sit down and think that thing through. I haven’t had a chance yet.”
(On what type of tone he was hoping to set with the rookies and if his expectations this year are any different than any of his previous coaching stops in the first year) “I’ve always tried to work what’s the objective and then work backwards and make sure they’re aware of the culture and expectation and our whole sports performance model, training and what we expect of them, and then our practice habits. The final piece is to introduce offense and defense to them, or new offense, new defense, new kicking game. It was hard, like yesterday — I don’t believe you guys were here yesterday — but the tempo was much greater. We had some guys who had to pull up a little bit, so we went much slower today, teach tempo. I don’t think it’s going to be any different from the first years at the other places. We’ve always taken the approach that we’re going to try to win. Every decision, everything associated with the organization is going to try to win and that includes training, practice, draft, free agency, etcetera.”
(On if the plan for Trevor is to limit him through OTAs or will he be full go before camp) “I think you’ll get him pretty close to full go by the end of Phase 3: OTAs and mandatory minicamps. Pitch count, throwing the ball I don’t see is the issue. The number one issue is falling. He can’t hand off right now, he can’t take a direct snap from under center. We’re just worried about any chance of that arm getting jammed right now. They’ve told me the labrum is healed after three months, which it’s been three months, but we can’t have a guy on the ground. That’s the biggest thing is we’ve got to keep people away from him. The pitch count is not as big as the fact as keeping him upright.”
(On if he’s any closer to bringing in Tim Tebow and if he brings him in what is his plan on how to use him) “I’ve leaned on my staff for that, and I imagine a decision is going to be soon. We wanted to have them, because I have a new tight end coach as well, watch a guy like Luke [Farrell] and just get a feel for it because they’re the ones who put him through a tryout a couple times and see if he can help us win. We have not had that — I imagine Sunday, we’ll come in — all our focus is on the guys right now, and then we’ll have a chat Sunday.”
(On what he saw out of Walker Little during minicamp) “He’s 20 percent body fat, 6-foot-whatever he is, 329 pounds, heavy hands and great footwork. Without putting the cart before the horse, which I normally do, I’m just really excited about him. He’s a really intelligent guy, and you just wonder if he would’ve played the last two years — he had an injury and obviously the Pac-12 canceled football and put the players in a tough position and he didn’t play — but he’s been outstanding.”
(On if he was surprised Walker Little was still available when they drafted him) “We did so much homework on him and obviously their coach is a friend of mine — David Shaw. So much respect for Stanford and when they say something, the people I’ve talked to — we just believe he would’ve been a first rounder had he never had that knee injury. At one point he was one of the top tackles in the country, and that was really hard because you never saw them until they got there. You just don’t know what their legs look like, etcetera. Then when he got there you’re like, 20 percent body fat is pretty good for a 330-pound man.”
(On if he’s splitting Travis Etienne’s reps at wide receiver and running back because he only has 18 players at minicamp) “We actually made the decision rookie camp — the majority, I don’t know if it was 100 percent — all his individual training was at wide receiver. That’s the reason we drafted him is the opportunity to be a dual threat guy and our history as long as we’ve had a guy like that and we saw him as a guy like that in the draft this year. Right now we’re focusing on the fundamentals of wide receiver play, learning the offense from wide receiver. Like I said, worst case scenario is you have a running back that’s elite with receiver skills and best case scenario he’s a legitimate dual threat guy.”
(On how much offense does Trevor Lawrence know right now) “You’d have to ask [Passing Game Coordinator] Brian [Schottenheimer] that. I don’t know that, I don’t get too involved. He’s been working at it for, I’ll give those guys credit, Brian Schottenheimer and him have been, I want to say four to five days a week, couple hours a day. I check with Coach Schottenheimer every day and say, ‘How is he?’ and he says, ‘Coach, he’s really, really smart and he works his tail off.’ There’s a good chunk of it, but I can’t give you a percentage though.”
| JAGUARS QUARTERBACK TREVOR LAWRENCE ROOKIE MINICAMP MEDIA AVAILABILITY SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2021 (On how it felt to finally throw passes as a Jaguar) “Yeah man, it was great. Yesterday was our first day. I had a good day with all the rookies and just getting out there, putting things together physically. You know, we’ve been working the past few days, mentally, and just getting ready. All of the guys kind of—you know, we’re going on install, so [we’re] kind of thinking a lot. But it feels really good to get out there and get some reps all together. So, I know the guys are excited about that. We’ve had two good days, I mean, there’s only so much you can do with only 15 guys or so, but I think we’ve made the most of it. Everyone has the right mentality and it’s been a very productive two days. I know for me, I feel like I’m in a way better spot than I was before that first practice. So, I feel like I’m getting ready and [I’m] just really excited—not only for tomorrow, but then to get all the vets in here and just get to know them and get to work with them.” (On getting the call in his helmet during rookie minicamp) “Yeah, it’s different. It’s definitely a lot different than what I’m used to. I mean, we signaled in college, so [the] NFL is completely different. But I think I’m making good progress and I’m getting more used to hearing the calls, and repeating them, and breaking them up to where everyone is understanding it. And really being able to direct guys, because some of the guys are just trying to learn everything still. So, I think that’s helping a lot—me being able to take charge and lead a little bit there. And it’s just getting more and more comfortable with that, which I am, but that just takes a bunch of reps. To get good at something, you’ve got to practice it a lot. So, [I’m] going to try to keep working it.” (On what’s been different or difficult about being on a pitch count) “Yeah, I mean, I really appreciate the staff here. [They’re] just looking out for my best interest, trying to slowly get me back in game shape and throwing shape for practice, so I can go out there full-go whenever the whole team is back together. So, that’s been good for me. I want to get out there and just throw and go. But I think it’s better for me in the long run, just to take it slow and get acclimated—just because I’m still recovering from my left shoulder. It’s feeling great, no complaints here. I’m making great progress. But I’ve still got to just be smart and take it easy. But yeah, I’m wanting to go out there and throw a lot, but we’re keeping it at around 30 to 40 balls, not including the warm-up. So, [we’re] keeping it light just to make sure I’m feeling good.” (On what it’s like seeing RB Travis Etienne Jr. lined up as an outside receiver) “Yeah, it’s different, it’s awesome. I’m glad he’s getting to work that and getting those reps right now. He’s just a dynamic player, he can do a lot of different things, but that’s something that he’s not very used to. And at Clemson, he was pretty much in the back field all the time. He ran a lot of routes out of the back field, but splitting out wide is something he hasn’t done a lot. So, it’s cool seeing him out there, working, learning something new and just [seeing] the improvements he makes every day is really cool. So, [I’m] excited for that and we’ve just got a bunch of good players out there that are flying around and it’s been fun to watch.” (On whether his shoulder still bothers him with daily tasks in any way) “No, not at all. I’m still being careful when I’m lifting, I think that’s probably the only limitation as of right now—it’s just not putting too much weight on it. But as far as the repair, I mean, it’s healed. I’m a little over three months out from surgery, so the repair is healed. It’s doing great, I’ve got full range of motion, pretty much. I need to work on it a little bit, but I’m feeling great. So, we’re taking steps in the right direction for sure, just trying to make sure I’m good come game one.” (On whether there will be a point where he will become impatient and just want to go 100 percent) “Yeah, I mean, obviously that’s what I want to do right now. But I know there’s a right way to do things and to be careful and put myself in the best position for this team. So, I’m trusting that. That’s—the medical staff, the coaches, everyone is on the same page. So, we’ve got a good plan, we know what we’re doing and I’m just trusting that. It won’t be long before I’m full-go, so I’m ready.” (On whether his expectations are any different than with his past teams due to the lack of success recently in Jacksonville) “No, I mean, they—all of the staff, management and everyone here brought me here to win and that’s the main goal. So, I’m keeping the same mindset and obviously, there’s different challenges as you move on to the next level, things change a little bit, you’ve got to adapt. But never—that mindset never changes, you’re always expecting to win and you prepare to win. So, I think that’s why they brought me here. They didn’t bring me here to expect to lose. I know we’ve got a lot of guys here that are ready to win and want to win. So, we’re on the right track for sure.” (On whether there is anything he does this early on to establish himself as a leader) “Yeah, there’s a lot of things you can do. I mean, it just depends. We’re here with the rookies, just getting all the guys together, making sure we’re on the same page, reviewing install, walking through stuff. That’s something we’ve done the last few days. Just trying to do those things and—it’s sort of not even about leadership. Yeah, one, it is [about] establishing leadership, but it’s more so just making sure everyone’s ready so we can be as good as we can be and get as much work done as possible when we’re out on the field. That’s the main thing and as far as when we’re back with the vets, I think leadership is earned, it’s not just given, you don’t just walk in and have it. So, I’m just going to put my head down, go to work and, like I said, do everything I can to put us in position to win. I think, through that, the team grows together and that just kind of happens on its own.” |
| JAGUARS RUNNING BACK TRAVIS ETIENNE JR. ROOKIE MINICAMP AVAILABILITY May 15, 2021 (On when he was informed he would work out at wide receiver and how he felt about it) “Coach informed me that the very next day after I got drafted. When I came out here, he brought me into a room, asked me how I felt about it, and I feel great about it. I feel like it’s going to help me maximize my opportunity, maximize my skillset, so I feel like Coach knows what he’s doing. He’s doing what’s best for the team and I feel like it’s going to work out really well.” (On what it’s meant to have Trevor Lawrence with him on and off the field in Jacksonville) “It feels like I’m right at home. It doesn’t feel much different. There’s a new coach, but there’s the same goals that we have at hand. I feel like having Trevor here makes everything easier, and we’re both rookies, both going through it, so we have each other to lean on when times get hard. I feel he’s making this transition much easier.” (On the most difficult part of route running) “I feel like it’s just my confidence, getting my confidence, building repetition. I feel like I’m a great athlete, so I’m able to naturally do things, but it’s getting that repetition, getting that work in with the receiver coach and really working on my technique. Once I get that down, I feel like I can be as good of a route runner as anyone.” (On if he still has to work on his pass catching) “It’s a daily thing. We’re here to get better, we’re here to work on our craft. I feel like it’s natural, not just catching the ball, but you always want to sharpen your tools, so I feel like if I keep doing that, I’ll be an expert at it. It’s been working this long, so why would I stop working on it.” (On if his coaches at Clemson told him they wanted him to be a bigger part of the passing game or if it happened more organically) “A little bit of both, but it really kind of happened organically, just getting used to the playbook and really just honing in on my skills and being comfortable, building my confidence coming out of the backfield. Me and Trevor have been building that trust, I just feel we had a really good connection and it’s kind of translated onto the field.” (On if playing out wide helps him get in space and use his athleticism and speed) “Football is a game of matchups. I feel like I create a problem outside for a linebacker, so I feel like football is a game of matchups. We’re just trying to get the best matchups for us to go out there and make plays and do what’s best for the team. I feel like if I really hone in on my skills and just keep working at it, work on my route running ability and really focus in on what the plan is and buy into that, we’ll make plays, we’re playmakers. I feel like, like I said, football is a game of matchups, and this creates the best matchups for us.” |
