Latest / The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network / Press Pass | Jaguars Players Discuss Playoff Energy Ahead of Wild Card Matchup vs. Bills
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: You guys that were here at last go around in
- 0:02Speaker 1: twenty seventeen. Uh, any similarities between this year's team and
- 0:07Speaker 1: maybe the team you had back then.
- 0:08Speaker 2: I mean when it comes to similarities like the wins, No,
- 0:11Speaker 2: this team is I feel like we're so much more together,
- 0:14Speaker 2: We're so much more of a team, and I feel
- 0:16Speaker 2: like this this playoffs, we definitely had a big chance
- 0:19Speaker 2: to do something, especially in Jackson's for sure.
- 0:20Speaker 1: What do you remember about the environment when you guys
- 0:22Speaker 1: played Buffalo back then?
- 0:25Speaker 3: It was rowdy, it was tough.
- 0:27Speaker 2: You already know. Back in twenty seventeen we were like
- 0:29Speaker 2: one of the teams and just talk all the time.
- 0:32Speaker 2: But this teems a little bit different, for sure. And
- 0:34Speaker 2: then it's it's a lot of different people on the
- 0:36Speaker 2: other side as well too. With Buffalo. Now we gotta
- 0:37Speaker 2: play against Josh Island. We already he's a dynamic threat
- 0:40Speaker 2: and James Cook as well too, so we gott stop him.
- 0:42Speaker 4: You were on that Buffalo team too, yes, So what
- 0:45Speaker 4: do you remember about your experience in Buffalo?
- 0:48Speaker 2: It was cold, very cold. I mean, besides that, though,
- 0:52Speaker 2: I mean, those some good guys on the other side.
- 0:54Speaker 2: We left amicably, so no black blood or anything like that.
- 0:56Speaker 2: But definitely when it comes Sunday, were trying to do
- 0:58Speaker 2: anything and everything we can get that w.
- 1:00Speaker 4: What is priority with James Cook?
- 1:02Speaker 3: Like how do you slow him.
- 1:03Speaker 5: Down to the run.
- 1:04Speaker 2: It's really about stopping o'han. You know, they stay connected,
- 1:07Speaker 2: they really open up those holes and just not letting
- 1:09Speaker 2: him get to the second level. Once he gets to the
- 1:10Speaker 2: second level, he has enough speed, enough widow to be
- 1:12Speaker 2: able to make anybody miss. So we had to make
- 1:14Speaker 2: sure we're doing everything.
- 1:15Speaker 3: We can upfront.
- 1:17Speaker 2: Like a coach, mc dermott tough, he doesn't take any
- 1:22Speaker 2: like any slack or anything like that. He'll definitely step
- 1:25Speaker 2: in if he needs to and coach whatever position. So
- 1:27Speaker 2: I mean, I I know that he's definitely getting them
- 1:29Speaker 2: right for sure.
- 1:30Speaker 4: No running back if you got seventy five yards of morgan,
- 1:33Speaker 4: if you guys all year, what does it take it
- 1:34Speaker 4: just as.
- 1:34Speaker 2: A defense to do that weekend and week out, we
- 1:37Speaker 2: gotta be on one a court each and every week.
- 1:38Speaker 2: I mean we know a couple of weeks where like
- 1:40Speaker 2: Texans they got out on us, Uh, the Jets they
- 1:42Speaker 2: got out on us. It was a couple of teams
- 1:44Speaker 2: as well too, and they did a really good job.
- 1:45Speaker 2: But because of that, we were able to see what
- 1:47Speaker 2: we weren't able to do as good.
- 1:49Speaker 3: You know.
- 1:49Speaker 2: So we we're definitely butting those things up into every
- 1:51Speaker 2: week and we just gotta stay on one to forward.
- 1:53Speaker 3: That's it. I don't he's everything.
- 1:56Speaker 2: He's a he's a key piece. You know, without him
- 1:59Speaker 2: we have we have no puzzle, you know what I'm saying.
- 2:00Speaker 2: He's like that one missing piece. So he's everything for it.
- 2:03Speaker 6: You've played against him and and you've been around him,
- 2:05Speaker 6: just in terms of Josh Allen and what he's been
- 2:07Speaker 6: able to do, what did you see from him and
- 2:09Speaker 6: what sort of separates maybe him as a quarterback from.
- 2:12Speaker 3: The rest of the league.
- 2:13Speaker 2: He's a leader. I mean, at the end of the day,
- 2:15Speaker 2: he kind of he kind of views itself as like Superman.
- 2:17Speaker 2: You know, if if the team is down, he'll do anything,
- 2:19Speaker 2: you know, everything to make a play. If it's fourth
- 2:21Speaker 2: down and you know ten, he'll he'll run the ball
- 2:24Speaker 2: if you ask him, you know what I'm saying. So
- 2:25Speaker 2: he's just one of those game changing kind of quarterbacks
- 2:28Speaker 2: for sure.
- 2:29Speaker 1: Is it a normal week or did the playoffs add
- 2:31Speaker 1: a little extra juice?
- 2:34Speaker 3: It's juice, but it's an urgency.
- 2:36Speaker 7: I would say, uh, in terms of preparation, it feels
- 2:39Speaker 7: similar to two weeks where you know, we had a
- 2:41Speaker 7: guy to have a week Saw season. I think the
- 2:44Speaker 7: past really like eight weeks, so uh kind of feels
- 2:46Speaker 7: like that for just the urgency to get stuff right
- 2:48Speaker 7: and bring the right energy to practice.
- 2:50Speaker 3: It was good today.
- 2:50Speaker 1: Does haven't had that feeling for I guess like the
- 2:53Speaker 1: last eight weeks help going into this one cause you
- 2:55Speaker 1: kind of been living in that gotta have it mode already.
- 2:58Speaker 7: Yeah, just making sure stay the same. You know what
- 3:01Speaker 7: it looks like when we're playing well, So keeps our
- 3:03Speaker 7: routines and stuff. Obviously game plans are the game plans,
- 3:05Speaker 7: but just staying on our details in preparation, not making
- 3:09Speaker 7: the moment bigger than it is, because the moment that
- 3:10Speaker 7: we earn you know, Yeah, how you slow down a
- 3:13Speaker 7: guy like James could really eleven is one. It's been
- 3:16Speaker 7: the same kind of run defense for us all year.
- 3:18Speaker 7: Obviously he brings his own dynamic style of run game,
- 3:23Speaker 7: but you know, he's very fast, like the test Edges
- 3:26Speaker 7: can skinny up through holes in the middle, so he
- 3:28Speaker 7: can run any gap. So it's really like eleven people
- 3:31Speaker 7: are on task every play, understanding that when the ball
- 3:34Speaker 7: is in his hands, like, everybody gotta be active.
- 3:36Speaker 1: Do you look forward to a challenge like this, top
- 3:37Speaker 1: rushing offense versus top rushing defense.
- 3:39Speaker 3: Yeah.
- 3:40Speaker 7: I think in the playoffs, every team is dynamic and
- 3:42Speaker 7: every team has its strength. So you're gonna place a
- 3:44Speaker 7: good quality team, good quality opponent that does his things well.
- 3:47Speaker 7: It's gonna be a challenge any team that you would face.
- 3:50Speaker 7: Obviously they happen to be the number one ranked defense,
- 3:52Speaker 7: but run offense against our defense.
- 3:56Speaker 3: It's not really about the rankings, about getting that guy
- 3:58Speaker 3: down and coming out with the win. Yeah, tackle Josh Allen.
- 4:04Speaker 3: I was about to grinding on you.
- 4:08Speaker 7: I mean, not be sarcastic. You just run, run to him,
- 4:13Speaker 7: and then it's a gang tackling things. He'll try to
- 4:15Speaker 7: pump fake you, stay on the ground, get your hand
- 4:19Speaker 7: and it's throwing radius, I guess, But really stay on
- 4:22Speaker 7: his tip and run.
- 4:23Speaker 3: He's very fast human being as well, obviously with a
- 4:27Speaker 3: lot of power.
- 4:27Speaker 7: To just tackle him like he's a ball carrier and
- 4:29Speaker 7: then do the whole tackleing technique when you get there.
- 4:31Speaker 4: Yeah, when he's in the open field as a runner.
- 4:34Speaker 4: I mean, is he almost as elusive as running back,
- 4:36Speaker 4: like he can move like that?
- 4:38Speaker 7: Yeah, I mean when that ball in his hand, then
- 4:40Speaker 7: he gets to the open field. Of him being a
- 4:42Speaker 7: quarterback as well, he knows, you know, his advantages at
- 4:45Speaker 7: a quarterback in the open field.
- 4:46Speaker 3: So he knows the pump fake.
- 4:48Speaker 7: He knows to maybe use that little sideline cut back
- 4:50Speaker 7: when you're slowing down, almost look like he sliding.
- 4:53Speaker 3: Keep running.
- 4:55Speaker 7: Great ballcareer, a great football player, good athletes, So you
- 4:58Speaker 7: gotta be on your p's and q's while approach to him.
- 5:00Speaker 4: He's got a lot of playoff experience. He's played in
- 5:02Speaker 4: thirteen games. Does playoff experience matter in general or is
- 5:06Speaker 4: it just who handles the moment better that week?
- 5:10Speaker 3: Yeah? Who handles a moment better?
- 5:11Speaker 7: I would like to say, obviously, I've been to one playoff,
- 5:14Speaker 7: but we did get a playoff win against an opponent
- 5:16Speaker 7: at the time who had more playoff appearances. It's about
- 5:18Speaker 7: handling the moment. Everybody's gonna be putting in adversity through
- 5:21Speaker 7: a playoff game, sticking together and really sticking to what
- 5:24Speaker 7: got you there, and letting your standard of football keep
- 5:26Speaker 7: showing it's about xqting all the way through the game
- 5:29Speaker 7: and then that team usually comes out on top.
- 5:31Speaker 5: How important has Devon Handles have been for what you guys.
- 5:33Speaker 3: Have done on run?
- 5:34Speaker 7: He's great, you know, obviously a got plugger in the inside,
- 5:37Speaker 7: but his extra effort on screens and outside run and
- 5:40Speaker 7: stuff like, he's.
- 5:41Speaker 3: Dynamic in a run game.
- 5:42Speaker 7: And then I think you really have to double if
- 5:44Speaker 7: you want to stop what he does well, and then
- 5:46Speaker 7: that lets us flow over the top or get to
- 5:48Speaker 7: the ball a little bit better.
- 5:49Speaker 3: But you know, when he's playing at his best, it's
- 5:51Speaker 3: very very good for our defense.
- 5:52Speaker 1: Hey, one more for me, Antonio Johnson. How much progress
- 5:55Speaker 1: have you seen that guy make mean over the course
- 5:57Speaker 1: of his career to where he's playing at the high
- 5:59Speaker 1: level right now.
- 5:59Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a lot of confidence. We have confidence to him.
- 6:02Speaker 7: And then he's just growing as a player as a
- 6:05Speaker 7: football player and a professional in this league.
- 6:07Speaker 3: And then the trust factor as well.
- 6:09Speaker 7: He understands like his part in the roll in the defense,
- 6:12Speaker 7: whether it's dying, whether he's a.
- 6:13Speaker 3: Safety or nickel.
- 6:14Speaker 7: And then obviously he's a very good athlete able to
- 6:16Speaker 7: make players in the ball, having his eyes in the
- 6:18Speaker 7: right spot and having the communication right, So keep building
- 6:21Speaker 7: trust in that way, and then he is able to
- 6:22Speaker 7: trust where he's supposed to be on the field, he's
- 6:24Speaker 7: gonna flourish.
- 6:26Speaker 4: How different is playoff week?
- 6:28Speaker 8: For not any different at all. You know, it's just
- 6:30Speaker 8: the same thing. We're gonna go out there and play
- 6:32Speaker 8: our brand of football and do what we do.
- 6:35Speaker 4: This is an offense that's been just really rolling the
- 6:38Speaker 4: last two months, so you know what is obviously sixteen
- 6:43Speaker 4: is a big piece of that. But you getting back
- 6:45Speaker 4: as a piece of that. Everybody kind of doing their thing.
- 6:48Speaker 4: What stands out the most about when you came back
- 6:50Speaker 4: in how things changed offensively or do you look at.
- 6:53Speaker 3: It that way?
- 6:55Speaker 8: You know, I don't really look at it that way.
- 6:57Speaker 8: I just try to be the best version of myself
- 6:59Speaker 8: and whatever that is. You know, I hope that that
- 7:01Speaker 8: can help the team and help the team succeed. But definitely,
- 7:05Speaker 8: I mean, we had I think I believe I want
- 7:06Speaker 8: to say I came back and we beat the Chargers.
- 7:10Speaker 3: That was it.
- 7:10Speaker 8: I came back the game after so they played a
- 7:13Speaker 8: great game offensively that game, I believe we put up
- 7:15Speaker 8: thirty five points. So it's just about finding the momentum
- 7:18Speaker 8: and finding the things that you do well. And I
- 7:20Speaker 8: think that you know, coaches have been putting us in
- 7:22Speaker 8: great positions and.
- 7:23Speaker 4: It's a full team effort too. You're down when other
- 7:26Speaker 4: guys in this room step up and play big and
- 7:28Speaker 4: big moments offensive lines the same way defense has their
- 7:31Speaker 4: own way, it tells you about the depth of this
- 7:33Speaker 4: team and the ability for anybody to step in.
- 7:36Speaker 8: Yeah, there's a lot of great talent on this team,
- 7:37Speaker 8: and I think that's one thing that has helped us
- 7:40Speaker 8: be so good this year is that you know, not
- 7:42Speaker 8: only just playing in games, but when we're coming out
- 7:44Speaker 8: here in OTA's and we're coming out here in camp,
- 7:46Speaker 8: you know, we have good talent at all positions, and
- 7:49Speaker 8: we have good talent and depth to be able to
- 7:52Speaker 8: come out here and you're getting a good look or
- 7:54Speaker 8: you're competing the right way and how you should compete.
- 7:56Speaker 3: So that just speaks to our coaches.
- 7:59Speaker 8: And you knows and Tony and the things that they've done.
- 8:01Speaker 8: So it's it's been great. You know, you always feel
- 8:04Speaker 8: like you're coming out here getting better no.
- 8:05Speaker 4: Matter what what kind of fan support you need. On Sunday,
- 8:08Speaker 4: it's a big Wildcard playoff game.
- 8:10Speaker 3: Yeah, it's gonna it's gonna be great. I hope to
- 8:12Speaker 3: see the fans all there.
- 8:13Speaker 8: I hope you see them loud, you know, when the
- 8:14Speaker 8: defenses on the field, when the offense is on the field,
- 8:17Speaker 8: maybe a little bit more quiet, but just bring the energy.
- 8:19Speaker 8: You know, we want you guys to be there to
- 8:20Speaker 8: support us. Uh, we want you guys to be proud
- 8:23Speaker 8: of us and and what we do.
- 8:25Speaker 3: So just show up, be loud.
- 8:27Speaker 4: Last one about the Bill's defense. What's what stands out
- 8:30Speaker 4: when you turn on the tape immediately?
- 8:32Speaker 8: Yeah, you know, I think that they have a lot
- 8:33Speaker 8: of good veteran players who have played a lot of
- 8:35Speaker 8: good football and have played for a long time.
- 8:38Speaker 3: So that's that's. Uh.
- 8:39Speaker 8: The thing that stands out to me the most is
- 8:41Speaker 8: that their guys have you know, been there before, and
- 8:43Speaker 8: they've they've experienced it before, they've been in the type
- 8:45Speaker 8: of games and the magnitude of the game.
- 8:48Speaker 3: So that's that's that's what stands.
- 8:50Speaker 8: Out to me the most is that they're just a
- 8:51Speaker 8: they're a veteran team, and I feel like they're very
- 8:54Speaker 8: sound and what they do and you know, they they
- 8:57Speaker 8: they stick their rules and they're a good team.
- 8:59Speaker 4: This playoff exp or is it just one game of
- 9:02Speaker 4: a time?
- 9:03Speaker 3: Uh? I don't think it matters, you know.
- 9:06Speaker 8: I I think it's we're in the tournament now, It's
- 9:08Speaker 8: it's a game and if you win in the advance,
- 9:11Speaker 8: so uh we just wanna go out there and be
- 9:13Speaker 8: who we are and there's nothing else to it.
- 9:15Speaker 3: You know.
- 9:16Speaker 8: It's it's obviously, uh an amazing opportunity. It's what you
- 9:19Speaker 8: dream of, what you where you wanna be at the
- 9:21Speaker 8: end of the season. And I'm just happy to have
- 9:24Speaker 8: the opportunity. I'm gonna go be me.
- 9:25Speaker 9: You know, how have you guys been able to kind
- 9:27Speaker 9: of maintain that standard even with all the shuffling of
- 9:29Speaker 9: all you guys in and out.
- 9:30Speaker 3: Uh.
- 9:30Speaker 9: I just think having a close knit group, having people
- 9:33Speaker 9: who are willing to meet, you know, outside of football
- 9:35Speaker 9: and you know, still talk football. So I think that's
- 9:38Speaker 9: you know, where we've been able to, uh, you know,
- 9:41Speaker 9: gain some traction in that area.
- 9:44Speaker 5: Thank you for starting late.
- 9:45Speaker 3: Okay, What.
- 9:48Speaker 4: Does playoff experience matter to a player?
- 9:51Speaker 3: Uh?
- 9:52Speaker 9: I think yeah in a sense, but I mean every
- 9:54Speaker 9: game is different, so yeah, you gonna feel the same
- 9:57Speaker 9: emotions and you know it may be not be super
- 10:00Speaker 9: new to you. But every game is different. Everything's different.
- 10:03Speaker 9: So you just gotta play that game, and you know,
- 10:06Speaker 9: play that play. You can't you can't get caught up
- 10:07Speaker 9: in that type.
- 10:08Speaker 4: Of stuff with safety's perspective. If Josh Allen gets loose,
- 10:13Speaker 4: what's your approach when he's.
- 10:14Speaker 9: Losing the plaster to my coverage? Let the d line work.
- 10:18Speaker 9: I mean, that's all you can do. Once people start
- 10:21Speaker 9: coming up to coverage thinking they can sack them, and
- 10:23Speaker 9: then he dumped the ball over your head, that's what
- 10:24Speaker 9: he wants you to do. So he's real good at
- 10:26Speaker 9: pump faking and under and we understand that. So you
- 10:30Speaker 9: just gotta play discipline football and let people do their job.
- 10:33Speaker 4: I know you're on the safety spot, but this Jags
- 10:35Speaker 4: defense against the run has been fantastic. It takes all
- 10:38Speaker 4: eleven to do that. It's the number one rushing offense.
- 10:41Speaker 4: What what is the number one challenge against this rushing
- 10:45Speaker 4: offense for the Bills? What do they do?
- 10:47Speaker 3: Well?
- 10:48Speaker 9: They got big bodies up front, the back does a
- 10:51Speaker 9: really good job or stampatient and getting skinny through holes
- 10:54Speaker 9: and things like that. So just staying disciplined in our
- 10:56Speaker 9: approach playing with length, you know, playing with an back,
- 11:00Speaker 9: you know, all the things you hear on defense, and
- 11:03Speaker 9: we gotta you know, do that consistently play in and
- 11:05Speaker 9: play out.
- 11:07Speaker 4: Well, how would you describe this this team, this Jaguars defense,
- 11:11Speaker 4: especially what kind of what's the level of spice in
- 11:14Speaker 4: this room going into the playoffs or is there like
- 11:17Speaker 4: there's gotta be an edge?
- 11:18Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean for sure, we play with the edge
- 11:19Speaker 3: all year.
- 11:20Speaker 9: I think you know, we put that on tape, you know,
- 11:22Speaker 9: from the safeties, from the corners, from off, from the
- 11:25Speaker 9: linebackers in THEO D line, the way we come down
- 11:27Speaker 9: and hit people. So I mean we're done in all
- 11:29Speaker 9: phases and that's what we want to put on tape
- 11:31Speaker 9: every time we step out there.
- 11:33Speaker 6: My first impression Josh, when I first got here, I
- 11:35Speaker 6: was like he like an action figures, big dude.
- 11:39Speaker 5: But now he's a great guy, great leader. He just
- 11:42Speaker 5: come in.
- 11:42Speaker 6: He worked hard. He pushes everybody in his room, in
- 11:45Speaker 6: outside the room. He challenges everybody. And when you have
- 11:48Speaker 6: a leader that can challenge not only his position group
- 11:50Speaker 6: but the players behind him, we gonna get great results.
- 11:54Speaker 1: Now, the other jacksh Allen, you gotta find a way
- 11:56Speaker 1: to stop this week.
- 11:57Speaker 6: No, yeah, we all we're gonna do our thing. We're
- 11:59Speaker 6: gonna let our front eat and the back end. We're
- 12:01Speaker 6: gonna do our thing, and we just gotta we're gonna
- 12:04Speaker 6: make more players than they do. They just staying there
- 12:06Speaker 6: the game.
- 12:06Speaker 1: How do you box a guy like James cooking Man?
- 12:14Speaker 5: You know what I'm saying. Our front seven, they gonna
- 12:16Speaker 5: do their thing.
- 12:17Speaker 6: We were gonna play how we've been playing all year round,
- 12:20Speaker 6: playing aggressive up front. I'll have my I'll take my
- 12:25Speaker 6: guys each and every day. They gonna do their thing,
- 12:27Speaker 6: And like I said, we're gonna do ours.
- 12:29Speaker 3: You got another shirt in the works.
- 12:32Speaker 5: We'll see, We'll see you.
- 12:34Speaker 3: Haven't been bringing us, haven't been more requests for us?
- 12:37Speaker 6: Oh no, I mean we got something in the work
- 12:39Speaker 6: for the for the defense. Y'all should see comes Sunday
- 12:43Speaker 6: for sure.
- 12:45Speaker 4: Back to their Josh Allen, is it is it hard
- 12:49Speaker 4: play against a guy like that because the plays never over?
- 12:52Speaker 5: Does it feel like the play is never over?
- 12:54Speaker 6: I mean he does a great job of just you know,
- 12:56Speaker 6: extending the play, making plays with his legs. And like
- 13:00Speaker 6: we're kind of the same as like when we play
- 13:02Speaker 6: the Chiefs. So like we just know, like we got
- 13:04Speaker 6: a plaster that it's gonna be not the first play,
- 13:06Speaker 6: but the second third player that he make within the
- 13:08Speaker 6: first play, you know what I mean.
- 13:09Speaker 5: So just making sure that we plaster and.
- 13:11Speaker 6: Do a good job of just stay connected and land
- 13:14Speaker 6: just landing the you know, the front get enough time
- 13:16Speaker 6: to get to the quarterback.
- 13:17Speaker 5: I'm sure I've been ask us, but are you ready
- 13:19Speaker 5: for the vibe of of what this might feel like?
- 13:22Speaker 5: This atmosphere? Oh yeah, I'm excited.
- 13:24Speaker 6: You know, they went to the playoffs in twenty eight
- 13:26Speaker 6: two and U right before I got here, So coming in,
- 13:29Speaker 6: that's all I heard about the atmosphere, you know of
- 13:32Speaker 6: you know, duvall coming out and supporting us. So I'm
- 13:35Speaker 6: excited to see what that's like in the playoff atmosphere.
- 13:37Speaker 6: But we been they been doing a good, a great
- 13:39Speaker 6: job this season just coming to the games during the
- 13:41Speaker 6: regular season, so I'm seeing I'm excited to see how
- 13:44Speaker 6: they gonna top that.
- 13:45Speaker 5: Thanks, I got for sure, Joe