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Press Pass | Doug Pederson: "It’s about how we handle the week..." · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: I've looked into the history of it and and everything.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: But you know, quite honestly, this uh, you don't need
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: to really show a lot of videos to to get
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: motivated for this one. You know, this will be an
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: exciting football game obviously, uh from a fan standpoint from
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: players and coaches. So, um, nothing special for this one.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: People totally banged. You're running two people in the building
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: about how bad. And I've heard all of this stuff.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: You know, No, I'm not really not really did it hurt?
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: So apparently really bad? It's not really really okay. Question,
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: how have you seen the team sort of respond to
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: this week? I mean, you guys have kind of been
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: anticipating this, you know, being the week to get in
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: or get out. Yeah, we understand. I mean that's just
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: the nature of this game, right It's uh, it's win
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: and you're in. You know, both teams are in the
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: same situation. Guys have been been great this week. They've
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: handled it well. You know. The biggest thing for us
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: obviously a little bit of a shorter week. It's just
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: the recovery aspect of it, you know, and and and
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: being as healthy as possible, um, you know for Saturday night.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: But yeah, guys have done a nice job of you know,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: the practices that we've had and the mental mental side
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: of it there, they're obviously, you know, gearing up and
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: getting excited and they'll be ready to go. Did you
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: really stand it for a TEMs day? The ball and
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: no balls? I think he was just using that. A's
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: like in a you know, an analogy, but no, it's
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: a didn't he didn't have one. I mean listen, and
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: we were two and six at one point, we were
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: three and seven at one point, and you know, there's
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: a there's a time and a place where I felt like,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: you know, as you message message the football team, it's
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: you know, our our goals were still in front of us,
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: even even back then, you know, and look we were
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: everybody in the division was chasing Tennessee. I mean they
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: were three or four games ahead of everybody, you know
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: there for a long time. And and I just had
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: to make sure that our guys understood that everything is
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: still in front of us. We just gotta play one
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: game at a time and just just focus on that
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: one week. And you know, if we did that, it
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: would give us an opportunity to to be in Week
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: eight team. For you know, for all the for all
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: the marble you've talked about this being a young team
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: that needed these kinds of experiences. Can you learn as
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: much about your team through the week, how they prepare
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: for this game as you can on Saturday night? Yes
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: you can. Um, you know, these are you know, these
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: are games that um, I mean they're playoff games, right,
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: I mean that's just what exactly what they do is
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: call it what it is, a playoff football game. And
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: you win, you keep going, and you know, with a
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: young football team, it's about how we handle the week,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: you know, because the emotions are going to run high
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: and and you just gotta you just gotta just kind
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: of pace yourself throughout the course of the week and
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: and just turn it loose, you know, Saturday night. But um,
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: you know, I think I think the guys have have
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: really and felt that they've done a really good job
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: the last couple of days, you know, handling all that.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: This time of year, teams are beat up. Everybody kind
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: of knows who each other is as a football team.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: How much does I mean, being hot momentum this time
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: of year and confidence really be the difference in a
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: football game. I mean it it's good to talk about,
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: but you still gotta go play, and you gotta play
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: against a good football team and momentum streaks, wins, losses, whatever,
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: it doesn't matter. I mean, you just look at Tennessee
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: right there there in this game for a reason, and
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: they're they're playing for the same things we're playing for
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: and and it's a little bit different. But you know,
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: it doesn't really matter, you know you, Uh, you come out,
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: you come out Saturday night. You gotta be ready to
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: go and and you gotta play, and you gotta play
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: with energy. You gotta play um, you know, excitable, You
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: just gotta you gotta do your job and and focus
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: in on on each play day regardless of the circumstances.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Five game, losing Street, four game, moving street, that you
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: were the same every day. Uh, did you take solace
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: back even to was the end of October in the
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: way the team was handling the losing street, because it
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: did seem that there wasn't any sense of panic. While
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: there was some frustration over not winning those close games
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: they there was there seemed to be a maturity about
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: the team in handling the adverse circumstances. Yeah, you know,
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: you credit the leadership of the locker room, right, the
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: veteran guys and and and some of those guys are young,
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: but their their veteran players. And I think that and
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: just you know, coming to work every day and again,
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: creating an environment where guys enjoy coming to work, Um,
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: you know, means a lot. And you just kind of
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: stay the course and you never get too high, you
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: never get too low. You just you just be you
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: and and you know, be consistent. And you know, you
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: worked through a lot of the situations that that caused
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: us to lose some of those close games earlier in
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: the season, and you you learn from them. You know,
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: we've talked a lot about that this season. You learn
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: from him and and um, you know, you get two
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: moments like this and and you just lean on each
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: other and lean on lean on those moments and remember
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: how you know, difficult it was back then, but um,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: kind of how exciting it is, you know, this time
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: of year, and how it can flip that easy. Generally speaking,
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: how much do you feel like the your game plan
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: on defense changes with Joshua Dobbs as a quarterback as
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: opposed to TANNAHI you want me to just lay it
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: out there, just throw it out there. Yeah, what's the
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: game plan? No, I mean, listen, it's you know, I
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: would say, you know, you know, and Ryan too at
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: the time was coming off an injury, you know, And
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: and so he didn't move around quite as quite as
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: well I think, or as good as he he would
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: like to. Um. And and and Ryan's dangerous that way.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: He can he can beat you, you know, and in
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: crease some explosive plays with his legs, and and and
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: Josh can do the same thing, you know, he he
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: can he can uh, he can run, he can escape
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: the pocket. I mean, so there's some similarities there, Um
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: that you have to if you're gonna you know, let's
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: say you're gonna gang up and try to stop the run,
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: well you know, you're gonna give something up as well,
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: you know. And and some of that sometimes could be
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: the quarterback. And so you know, it's what are you
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: gonna try to take away or what do you at least,
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: you know, be consistent in as you play this football game.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: And that's why each game is a different game. There's
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: a different set of circumstances each week. And and um,
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: you know, our guys, uh, you know, our guys have
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: got to be prepared for for anything. You've been runs
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: a long time, uniquecause as we've been emotionally for everybody
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: in the building. Locker room coaches included in how had
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: you guys handled that emotional roller coaster at this point?
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: You know, it's a it's a it's a difficult week, um,
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: just knowing what what has happened this week, you know,
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: with Tamar and and you know, we're encouraged and and uh,
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: you know some of the news it's lately with his
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: health and he's getting better and he's improving, and so
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: we're encouraged there and we're excited about that, and we
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: continue to pray and you know, lift him up in
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: our thoughts and you know, but I think I think
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: for us to we have a job to do, you know,
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: and I think sometimes the the best thing you can
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: do is kind of play for guys like tamor you know,
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: and and really gained some strength from that and kind
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: of help him in a way, you know, Um that
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: he can't right now because he's he's battling for his
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: for his life. Obviously we're playing a game, but he's
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: fighting for a different reason. So I think I think
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: around the league you know there's gonna be some you
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: know joining of arms, you know, um, team to team,
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: you know, teams coming together whatever it might be. UM
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: this weekend, Um to honor that you know, and to
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: support that you have any at this time. No, but
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: it's you know, we still have a couple of days
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: you know, to to to have something to you know plan.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: But um, I just know that the feeling is going
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: to be mutual around the league thinking of damar and
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: and uh you know even thinking you know, if the
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: if the bills are you know, in a position to play,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: who knows, you know, what's going to happen there. But um,
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: you know, and our guys have really handled it well
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: this week. Um, you know, we we did a nice job.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: I think the organization here did a nice job of
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: providing resources for the guys if they needed it, you know,
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: to talk and just uh you know, don't don't keep
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: things inside, you know, get them out of it if
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: it if it affected you somehow some way. And um,
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: but our our organization did a nice nice job handling
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: that this week. When gets right down to it, the
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: issue short, we it's set earlier and you don't have
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: to travel so in the end, you think it really
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: is gonna matter all that much out com I mean,
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: it's not traveling. Yeah, you're not traveling, and you know
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: you're you know, you still have it's a long day,
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: you know. Um, it is a long day, you know.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: But still it is nice that you're you're playing at home,
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: you know. And and again it's your your crowd and everything.
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: Probably at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter,
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: you know, once you tee it up. It doesn't matter
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: if you're on a ten day break or you know,
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: four or five day breaks. So you know, you still
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: gotta go play and create energy and play with great
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: passion and and um, do your job and try to
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: win the game about you know, especially with Travis letting
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: you kind of play through those funebles showing you and
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: you've got a confidence getting them out there. And when
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: you get to the playoffs, every one always says those
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: turning the man line. So is that more of a
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: downt the balance for you? You know it is there
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: are magnified. But listen, you know, I'm not gonna change
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: who we are. I'm not going to change the way
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: we coach. I'm not gonna change the way Travis approaches
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: the game, because if you start doing that, then you're
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: you're hurting the player, you know, and you're not you're
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: not showing confidence in the player. Uh. I'll never do that,
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: you know. I'll make sure that everybody that players can
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: play and you know we'll make obviously we'll make an
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: emphasis of it. You know, we got to protect the football.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: And you know, just like each week you try to
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: you know, create takeaways, but you gotta you know, you
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: gotta keep the football as well. So, um, but you know,
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: we all understand the magnitude of what what turnovers can do,
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: you know in games like this, and um, you know
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: you do the best you can to to not give
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: up the ball. How do you keep in your daily
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: preparation leading up to the game, how do you keep
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: the pressure of the night to this game from seeping
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: into the players heads? Because usually a coach can sort
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: of tell on something like that. So I'm just wondering
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: what what I mean. You know, you just you just
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: try to keep it as about the about the you know, um,
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: business as usual, you know, mentality, and you know we
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: understand it's still it's you know, it's a regular season week,
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: a team game, it's the last game of the regular season,
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: and you know, obviously a lot of steak um. But
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: at the same time, you know, you just you say, hey, listen,
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: you know what got us here, and you just got
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: to lean on that right and lean on the positive
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: there and and um, you know again it goes back
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: to the you know, the turnover battle. You know, you
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: just can't you can't give the ball up and you
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: try to take the ball the way the best you
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: can and but you know, really you just you just
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: stay stay with what got you here. You know, trust that,
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: trust the players, um, put a great game plan together
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: and and then go play. You know, we'll uh, we'll
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: get together as a team, you know during the day,
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: just kind of get the guys up and moving around.
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: You know, I'm usually over here early and just kind
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: of buzzing through some more tape and you know, looking
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: at the game plan to call sheet and you know,
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: making sure everything's everything's buttoned up and ready to go.
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: Like gains taking too much, I don't really I don't
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: tinker much, um if any you know, um A lot
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: of times too you're looking at your game plan and
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: maybe maybe there's something on there that maybe catches your eye,
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: you know, and you make an emphasis of that, you know,
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: as you're as as a play caller. But um, for
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: the most part, you're just kind of going through the
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: situations you know of the game, rehearsing those decisions that
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: might come up, and you know, prepare yourself that way
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: and all Saturday always in a year with kind of
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: helping the term and thing around here we are. Yeah,
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: I mean, I know what it was like in my
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: previous life, you know, uh in in up north there,
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: and I know what it was like. And it's been
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: a while since we've had a game like this here
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: in Jacksonville, and um, it's gonna be great for the
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: fans really, Um, I think it's gonna be it's great
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: for them to to be here, to experience this with
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: the team, you know. Um, and it's it's again, it's
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: it's more more about them as well. You know, it's
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: just like it is the team. But you know, to
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: be able to stand there right before kick off and
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: just kind of kind of look around the stadium and
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: just see how how full it is and the excitement
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: and knowing that you're playing on you know, a national
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: stage will be uh be pretty special for everybody. Oh yeah,
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: he's on pace to lead the NFL and tackles for
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: the second year in a row. How big has he
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: been for the defense this year? He's been He's been great,
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: He's been solid. You know, he's a rock in there,
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: and and um, you know, I think I think he
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: again one of the guys we targeted, you know, in
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: free agency in the spring, and he's he's lived up
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: to that, you know, just like the guys on offense.
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: So he's he's valuable piece. Um. You know, I think
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: to having Devon improving next to him and Chad in there,
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: those young guys in there improving as the as the
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: season has gone along, has really helped Foyer as well, uh,
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: to to play, um, you know, like he's capable of doing.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: And he's been been a great leader for us to
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: Dren kind of helping him out a little bit. How
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: travel to you a little bit an on Wednesday? It
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: was not exactly taking all of us. Yeah, you know,
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: I think this time, this time of the year, this
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: late in the year, Um, you know, it's about the
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: health of the team more more so than the physicality
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: of the team. You're trying to get the guys healthy,
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: and a guy like Trevor, you know, and he handles
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: it the right way too. Right when he when he
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: doesn't practice, you know, on a Wednesday type day, um,
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: he's still out there engaged, getting mental reps, talking through
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: with the coordinator or myself or if CJ is you know,
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: the one taking the plays that day, just gaining all
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: that valuable information. Right. And so when he when he
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: goes back out on the field on Thursday, um, you know,
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: he he's he's prepared, he's ready to go. And then again,
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: you know on a Friday and all of that. So, um,
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: earlier in the year you probably would like, hey, you
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: need you need to practice. You need to practice, you
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: need to practice. But this late in the year, you know,
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: especially you know we know what we're doing. He knows
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: what he's doing. And you know, um, any time you
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: can give a guy some rest, you know, it's good
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: this time of year,