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Press Pass | Ryan Nielsen Reflects on Jaguars Defense in 2024 · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Is it better three or your last week or your
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: first season here?
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Very especially coming in here every week and seeing you guys,
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: and you're gonna missess the most.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Is that what I hear?
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah? I think so called it. Yeah, no, really, guys
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: have been awesome. It's been It's been great, and uh
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: appreciate everything.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Obviously a little bit of a different situation than what
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: you were in a year ago.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: How would you assess the approach, the mood around the building? Good? Good.
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: You have a lot of credit to our players like
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: they've they've continued to fight. Like the game last week,
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: they fought all the way through to the end, and uh,
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: all the credit goes to them. They're they were prepared,
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: ready to play, finished the game the way that we did.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: It was awesome to see, so expect that again. How
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: much have you learned maybe about yourself and and the
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: other defensive coaches this year and just because of the
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: challenges that that you guys have been through. Yeah, we
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: we've got a great staff and appreciate those guys, you know,
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: through the whole season and the ups and downs and everything,
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: and uh we've learned a lot for sure, and uh,
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: you know, you you learn you know so many things,
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: cause it's such a long season and and each week
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: presents its own challenges, but you try to take some
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: things from every week and so either we won't do
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: that again, or we do that again, or and things
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: like that, you know. And so we're getting into the
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: post seed after you know, this week, obviously we'll finish
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: strong and then you know what happens next is the postseason,
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: self scout y looking at ourselves really deep, taking a
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: deep dive into formations and what we're doing defensively and
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: trying to tweak it and making it better for you know,
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: for the future. So our our guys are staff wise,
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: if those guys are are studs, they've stayed the course
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: and continue to coach and teach, you know, throughout you know,
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: the season, and appreciate all of them. Really, do you
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: savage players through percussion protocol? What's your expect for the
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: rotation at safety at any he's gonna he'll get back
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: in there. Still expect those guys to play kind of
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: what you've been saying really very similar.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's amazing. Told us, I guess a couple week
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: or so ago that he didn't need have to learn
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: how to be a pro, how to take care of
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: his body, the right way to practice, being in a
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: building and watch and stuff on it. So why do
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: you think it takes some guys a little bit longer
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: than others to kind of get to that point, because
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: obviously the last couple of weeks he's started to show
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: that he can flash and play really really well.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: Yes, some guys just take a little longer, you know,
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: some guys pick it up a little quicker. Some guys
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: take a little longer. Think each it's each individual basis.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: Really do like, don't think that there's just a science
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: of you know. But really, when they when they all
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: come to that point of the all right, hey this
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: is what I have to get done, they all say, hey,
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: have to off the field things, take care of my body.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: It's all the same thing. It's just when they really
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: realize that, hey, those things really do matter. And you know,
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: maybe a guy not saying this for him, but he
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: you know, he's a really talented guy, and some some
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: really talented guys. Some guy get by on their athletical ability,
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: and everybody's talented here, and so maybe that realization of like, wait, man,
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: I gotta work a little bit harder, study a little
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: bit more like these things really matter in this league.
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: And I'm glad he did that because you're seeing what
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: he His future is very bright and the trajectory that
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: he's on is it's pretty cool to see and how
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: he's working at practice and Jeremy Garrett with it, like
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: those guys work really well together in that room. And
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: see a very bright future for Mason ahead as long
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: as he continues to do the things that he told
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: you about the other week. How part of our future
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: in that same I guess kind of way that's jar
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: and have do you think moving forward?
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Just what he's kind of shown since I started hearing.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: Not sure he could be as good as he wants
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: to be, Like that's where it's gonna That's where he's gonna,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: uh gonna go is is if he wants to be
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: the best, and then he'll he'll continue to trend and
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: work that way. You know, if he thinks that this
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: is it, then then this is what you'll see. He's
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: playing really good football right now, but there's another step
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: in his game, you know, And that's the thing there,
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: there is another step and another level for him to
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: achieve in this league. That to really become, you know,
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: one of the most dominant players at his position, and
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: that you know, he'll tell you that that's what he
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: wants to do. So we just got to continue to
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: stay down, you know, we got to be disciplined and
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: the things that we do going into the offseason and
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: come back even better, you know next year now that
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: he knows the season in the NFL and he can
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: do it, it's just we just got to take the
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: one day at a time approach. Is it kind of
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: a difficult to find that skill set, you know, to
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: be able to play nickels. Somebody's wanting to blitz, play
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: a run and be able to cover like It's a
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: tough position to find for sure, and and for a
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: player to play it a high level is there's not
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: a lot of guys out there that can. It's one
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: of the toughest positions to find. For a guy to
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: come in, especially a rookie, and have an immediate impact
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: like he has, it's been pretty impressive. So give him
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: all the credit in the world because he he really
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: did have the right mental approach coming into the season
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: and got thrown in there very early, and he's taken
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: it and made it his position and ran with it.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: You know. So it's it's been pretty cool to see
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: where he maybe improved the most throughout the season. The
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: thing is in his improvements has been his coverage. You know,
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: his coverage intensity throughout has been pretty impressive to see,
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: you know, all of the multiple coverages that we play
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: and the things that he has to do and the
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: different types of guys that he has to cover, because
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: that's a Sometimes he's on the tight end, sometimes he's
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: on a bigger receiver, you know, quicker receiver, things like that.
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: You know, he's not always on the outside guys. And
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: you know, it's been good to see him, you know,
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: be able to and his body control and his speed
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: and things like that allow him to be able to
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: match up well with everybody. So you know that that's
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: definitely a focal point in his game.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: Do you feel like we do you find some s
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: down has done it up or shutting up this season
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: during next year?
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so absolutely. You know, first of all,
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: we love this place, like we want to make this
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: into the best place that it can possibly be, and
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: and we're we're here for the long haul, that's for sure. Uh,
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: you know, we're in it, and no one ever said
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: it was going to be easy, and sometimes it takes
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: them longer than the year, you know. So yeah, we're
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: we're here, We're ready to take the next step, win
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: this game, and then you know, go into the off season,
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: and we have a plan already. You know, we've talked about,
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: you know, our off season, what we're going to do,
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: the things that we've really got to focus on, and
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: when we get into the self scout and some positions
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: of you know, how to you know, maybe tweak some
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: things to be better next year, you know. And so
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: it was a great learning experience. I wish we could
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: have won some more games, for sure, especially those close ones.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: There's so many close games that we had an opportunity
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: on the end, at the end of the end of
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: the game to pull one out here and there, and
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: I think it could have changed our season, really do.
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: But I definitely think that we have a bright future
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: with this football team here, and we've got the pieces
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: in place, and we've just got to focus on some
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: of the things to help us win those games next year.
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: If it really comes down to you know, you have
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: even the games that we've won, I mean, those are
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: one score games too, except one of them, you know.
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: So there's there's quite a few one score games and
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: you win a few early and it could change the
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: trajectory of the season. And that's kind of how we're
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: taking the approach. And we'll continue to be positive with
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: the guys and go into this offseason and being very positive,
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: but understand that we've got to do some things better
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: so we can change the alconymic games next year.
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: For sure.
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: I appreciate everybody very much, Okay,