JAGUARS HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER
August 17, 2021
(On the release of TE Tim Tebow) “It’s tough. We cut five players. [There were] two receivers that I think have a future in the NFL, Daniel Ross has played a lot of football and the player, DJ Daniel, from Georgia. So, it was tough. We knew that was an uphill battle for Tim [Tebow]. Players loved him, locker room loved him, but it was the right thing.”
(On what he wants to see from QB Trevor Lawrence) “Just probably consistency is the word that you’re looking for right now. He has a bunch of good plays, just can’t have a bad play at that position.”
(On TE Tim Tebow’s future in the NFL) “I would guess it is [the end]. You know, we didn’t get that deep with it. Obviously, he’s his own man. [He’s] an elite warrior, an elite competitor, but he’s also 34 years old.”
(On TE Tim Tebow’s reaction to being released) “Great. Great. We talked last night, and we talked again this morning, as I did with the other guys.”
(On what held TE Tim Tebow back from making the roster) “It was special teams. This whole roster management is really critical as we journey here into the next two weeks. Two of the special teams phases are tackling and he had never tackled. That’s what I found myself and I still find myself, all of us. Every off day we’ll have a two-to-three-hour meeting about roster management, and it comes down [to that] because we expect to be very good on special teams. The tight end position is one of those [positions], and tailback, if you can’t contribute on special teams, that’s a tough go.”
(On the stripes added to the quarterbacks’ helmets) “I just want to see their eyes, looking off safeties and all. From the video camera as you’re watching film, you can’t tell where they’re looking and I don’t know how good we are at moving people yet, so I want them to see. I’ve done that really everywhere I’ve been. First of all, they love it because they can see the reaction of the defense where they look. When you don’t have a stripe, it’s hard to see where their eyes are.”
(On the value of having a good locker room presence on the practice squad) “We’re going to have a meeting not this week, next week about practice squad at 16. We’ve not gone there yet. There’s certainly value at high-end, elite competitors, great people, [someone] people really respect, but we haven’t had that conversation yet.”
(On players not showing up in the right pads yesterday) “[It was a] communication error, but we got them in before we started, at least the thigh pads. All I’m worried about it is thigh pads really.”
(On releasing a large number of players to make a final NFL roster) “It’s an adjustment to this day for [everyone]. Go ask [Defensive Coordinator] Joe Cullen how it feels. He’s not a college coach, he’s an NFL guy. Go ask [Offensive Coordinator Darrell] Bevell. Go ask Schotty [Passing Game Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer]. They’re all, they’re good people. If the guy doesn’t go hard and it’s self-inflicted, that doesn’t bother you, same in college. A guy does stupid things, get out. But a great person that works his tail off? Yeah, it’s awful. Awful.”
(On OL Brandon Linder) “He’s got patella tendonitis, so they gave him a little rehab day today. He should be back out. We’re going to sit him for a little bit, but he’s fine. He’s fine.”
(On CB Tre Herndon’s injury) “Tre Herndon has an MCL sprain and that’s week to week right now.”
(On having a balanced offense with Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell) “[In] free agency I think you see we hit that really hard with Carlos [Hyde] and [Chris] Manhertz and in the draft with Luke Farrell. We thought he was the best blocker in college. That’s one way to extend [the] run, extend the formation. I’m a big believer, I’ve always been a big believer in that, and so is Bev [Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell]. We’ve had that conversation, not recently but when I hired him, and I saw his history of balanced offense and he believes in that as well.”
(On if Coach Steve Spurrier, who attended practice today, will speak to the team) “No. I’d love him to, but I think just speaking to me and Schotty [Passing Game Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer] is enough. I love Spurrier and he’s going to come to a game as our guest, him and Jerri [his wife]. He’s the best.”
RUNNING BACK CARLOS HYDE
TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2021
(On how training camp is going) “I feel like things are going smooth. Coming out each day, just trying to get better. Just trying to improve, just trying to stack the days, but I feel like it is going smooth.”
(On working with RB James Robinson and Travis Etienne Jr.) “It’s good — you know even though I am a vet, I am learning from those guys. We all bring something different to the table, so it’s good for a vet like me to learn something and pick up little things from those guys. It’s been good. We’ve got a good group though.”
(On the difference of being with Head Coach Urban Meyer now versus a few years ago) “It’s way different — what I mean by that is just the energy is different. The culture of the team is different, all the coaches, you know everything is different except for the building but everything is just different about it — it feels good.”
(On how this camp compares to others he has gone through) “It is up there — definitely top two in there. Every day is a grind, but I already expect that — I’ve been with Coach [Urban] Meyer in college so I expect the grind.”
(On how Urban Meyer is running camp versus how he did in college) “You know in college he has a little more room to get away with some things, but it is kind of different in the NFL. He is still learning the game too in the NFL, but it is nowhere near like college. College is another level — it is a lot more intense with Coach [Urban] Meyer, but he is still the same Coach Meyer but just not as intense as college.”
(On how Head Coach Urban Meyer is interacting with players and handling practice) “Yeah, how he handles practice, meetings but he’s still got the same energy though. He’s still Coach [Urban] Meyer but the way he carries himself more in a professional way, more in a pro level.”
(On being surprised about the differences between Coach Urban Meyer in the pros and college) “I am not surprised at all — we at a different level of football. You know we are at the highest level you can get. I don’t think you can have the same approach as college. Like I said, you can get away with some things in college that you probably can’t get away with in the NFL, so I am not surprised at all.”
(On how QB Trevor Lawrence is handling the offense) “Trevor is getting better every day. He is coming into himself, still learning the plays. We’re all still learning the playbook, but you know he is coming out every day and getting better. He throws a pretty deep ball — I don’t know if you guys have seen it, but he throws a pretty deep ball.”
(On the advantages of running back by committee) “The only advantage, I think, to that is keeping everyone healthy. It’s a long season and you want to keep your running backs fresh and keep everybody ready to play and to be able to wear defenses down, you keep your running backs fresh.”
JAGUARS CORNERBACK TYSON CAMPBELL
TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2021
(On his biggest adjustment from college to the NFL) “ I would just say the time management. Learning that no one is telling you what to do at this time and this time. You have to be responsible and grow up and do things on your own and do things that you feel will help your body and help your team win games.”
(On the coaches’ critique on his performance from Saturday’s preseason game) “Oh yeah, when I looked back, make sure I continue to lean—when I look up, making sure I’m not creating my own separation, make sure I lean into the guy. So, you know, at my position, things are like that, they’re going to happen, but I want to make sure they don’t happen on a consistent basis. So, I went over the film, did reps at practice this week, so I’m getting better for that.”
(On what it is about opponents making good catches over him in that corner of the endzone) “Yeah, you know, it’s part of the game. You live and you learn, so I’ll keep getting better each and every week. [I’m] taking it to the chin and keep pushing and making sure I’m making plays as well.”
(On his comfort working on a nickel defense) “Oh I’m getting more comfortable each and every week. Trusting my coaches, Coach [Tim] Walton and Coach [Joe] Danna, who have helped me learn more about this defense. So, I’m getting more comfortable as the weeks go by.”
(On how CB Shaquill Griffin has helped with this adjustment) “Oh yeah, Shaq has been a great help for me. I’m always asking questions, trying to learn from him and trying to take the tools that he’s telling me and help use it to my game. So, he’s been a huge part of my progress here.”
(On what he attributes the extra energy from the defense in the red zone today) “I feel like the defense is always like that; being competitive, not wanting to lose, just coming on the field with some grit. That’s the mindset we carry and the culture Coach [Urban] Meyer is bringing to this ball club.”
(On being one of the fastest guys on the field and whether he still notices his speed at this level) “Oh yeah, I do. I still notice it, but I do feel like my speed is up there with a lot of guys.”
(On what he wants to accomplish in the second preseason game) “Like always just continue to get better at technique and get more comfortable out there, getting used to the tempo of the game.”
