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Press Pass | Doug Pederson: "We're on to Tennessee." · Press Pass

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: You know, we're ready to go. Guys are gonna be uh,
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: you know focused. It's you know, it kind of is
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: what it is. But um, look, I've always I've always
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: said that you want to be one of the teams
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: that is in the conversation at the end of the season,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: and obviously US and Tennessee you're in the conversation. So
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: great opportunity for our organization to play Saturday night primetime
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: game and uh, you know, showcase what we've got. How
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: do you petition the league for us to maybe give
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: you a little yesterday in a full week. You know,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: there's there's always opportunities to reach out and just kind
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: of express you know, um your concern you know, with
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: with that and especially with Tennessee playing a Thursday game.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: But look, at the end of the day, Um, you know,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: we're just excited to be here, to be in this
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: type of game. I think it's great for our players,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: great for our city to have it and to host
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: it here and obviously in in Jacksonville. This um this
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: Saturday night where you where. Yeah, you just you just adjust.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: You know, it's no different than if you were to
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: play on Thursday. You just adjust your schedule. And move
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: things up. And you know the biggest thing is to
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: make sure the guys are you know, rested and uh
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: and prepared. Doesn't help make up for that recovery difference
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: that you were able to arrest some guys in the
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: second half. Yes, oh yeah, yeah, you know, it takes
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: somewhere and tear off of their bodies. And we're fortunate
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: enough to do that, you know, in this last game.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: And and um, you know, today's a big day for
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: them to come in and recover and and uh, you know,
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: take care of their bodies. Will have more time tomorrow
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: to do that before we hit the field. Titans have
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: a little bit, I guess of a quarterback question. Now,
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: you don't really know if you're gonna get Josh Dobbs
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: or maliquill Is. How hard is it to prepare for
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: two guys, especially one that's only made one start in
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: the NFL. You know, Josh did some nice things, you know,
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: in that last game, and I would I would anticipate
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: that they would lean towards him being the starter, you
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: know in this game, and and um, you know, so
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: that's how you prepare. But obviously you've gotta be ready
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: for both guys. And you know, um again, you're gonna
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: have a You're gonna have arrest to Derrick Henry too,
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: you know, and and and uh we know what he
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: did in the first half of our game, you know,
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: the last time here about four weeks ago. So, um,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: great challenge for our defense, great challenge for our football team,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: and looking forward to it. Outside of the quarterback position,
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: how are they different from the last time you face
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: the last month? You know, they've got a couple of
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: different pieces on defense. You know, a couple of guys
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: went on I r UM, But for the most part,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: they're they're still you know, there's still the Tennessee Titans.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: They do what they do, they do it well on defense,
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: do the same thing on offense. You know, we know
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: it's going to run through the running back and and
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: then you know ultimately the play action pass and and
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: things of that nature. So um, look we're week eight teams,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: so there's there's not a lot of secrets, you know.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: Um with both teams. Uh, they kind of know us,
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: we know them, and uh, it's just gonna be a
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: really good football game. The injury situation, I mean, you know,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: I think somebody asks you this after the game about
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: the medical time never went up and you know, maybe
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: a couple of bunks of bruises and everything. So in
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: addition to taking gear of business, winning the game, getting
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: guys arrested, there were no additional injuries, injuries or so
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: would appeared. Uh do you look back, and I can't
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: believe how lucky fortunately you got on that regard, you know. Yeah,
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: I mean it's you know, all season, we've been really
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: really really fortunate. You know. Um, as far as the
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: injuries go, I mean, I know, we you know, we
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: you know, smooth Cam, you know, those guys been barts
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: earlier in the year. I mean, guys that that we've lost.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: But you know it's, um, we're just happy and kind
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: of pleased to where we are, you know, health wise
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: with our football team, and really to get out of
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: yesterday's game, um, you know, with no significant injuries, you know,
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: moving forward, you know, But that was listen, that was
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: you know, that was the plan. The plan was to
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: go in full steam ahead, you know, against Houston and
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: have our guys play, and if we were fortunate enough
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: to be in a position like we were, I was
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: gonna pull those guys out at some point later the
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: fourth quarter until the last possession. But Houston, do you
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: noticed that Josh Allen was still in there? Yeah, you know,
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: you gotta have a leven on defense. Um, and and
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: some guy he just you know, from nature of the
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: nature of the beast, guys are gonna have to play.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: You can't get them all out. But um, you know,
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: we got the guys that were probably the most injured,
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: I guess you know, were nicked up. Gave them a
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: chance to wrestle a bit and moved around a little bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: Trebon did well. Um, came out of it, came out
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: of a healthy felt good throughout the course of the game.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Had a conversation with him during the game to make
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: sure that he was feeling good and he wasn't putting
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: himself in harm's way, and came out, came out, well,
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: how do you look at that? Injurious situation? We're talking
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: about Huston Army Tennessee leads the league and guys on
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: I are you guys are at least probing the leaders?
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: If not, do you like that just pure a lot?
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Is there something you guys are doing? Definitely the part
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: of having a young team. Yes, I mean that's that's
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: a lot. It's a it's a lot there. I mean, look,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: we could spend all day talking about this, um, because
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: there's a lot goes into it. I mean obviously the
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: youth here football team, you know, can help out. I mean, yeah,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: there is some luck to staying away from the injury bug. Um.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: You know, and and you know player player history, players
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: health right, and the history of the player. And you know,
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: we're in a physical game, violent game, and and um,
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: a lot of a lot of contact and and that physicality.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: You know that that takes place. So um, we've just
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: been fortunate and um, you know, blessed to be where
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: we're at. What do you think? What do you think? Um?
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: Watching the film back, I know Trevor said post game
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: to the reporter on the field, he said, you know,
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: it wasn't a complete game, Um that it wasn't the
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: best game for the offense. Watching it back, where can
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: you use that perhaps as learning tool, something to build on?
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: But or also yeah, you know this is not this
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: is probably not the game to to really um study
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: and move on. You know, it's more or less move
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: on from you know, just from the look there were
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: there were a lot of distractions around the football team
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: last week, and my main focus was to keep them
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: focused right task task at hand. You know, you guys
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: are asking them questions about meaningless games and this one
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: doesn't matter, and why are you playing and all this
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: other stuff. So it's it's you're you're kind of fanning
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: the flame and you know, and I'm trying to go
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: the other way with it, and uh, you know, it's hard.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: It's hard. So there were a lot of distractions around
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: the game. But what I'm most proud of is how
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: the guys handled their business there. You know, it wasn't perfect,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: like like Trevor said, and and you know, obviously it just, um,
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: it's a it's a it's a coaching moment where you
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: have to understand that everything we do matters. And you know,
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: you know, whether you go back to preseason games or
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: you know, week seventeen games, you know, everything we do,
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: you know we're gonna we're gonna try to win the
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: game number one and so, um, there's some takeaways from it,
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: but but for the most part, you know, we're not
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: even gonna spend a ton of time watching this game,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: you know, with it with the players were onto Tennessee
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: can the home crowd be in a almost playoff that
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: game for you, well, it is a playoff game. It's
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: a win and you're in you know, Um, so it's
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: it's playoff atmosphere. Um, gosh, it'll be it'll be fun
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: to to be uh in a full stadium, you know,
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: allowed stadium, you know, a home crowd. You know, the
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: guys will get will get jazzed up and and you
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: have a lot of energy, you know, and and that's
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: what you want, you know. And that's what uh, that's
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: what we're trying to build here, and that's the culture
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: we want. We want full stadiums every uh, you know,
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: every Sunday. Did you have to worry more about getting
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: the guys ready for last week than you do have
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: to get them ready for this week? Because I mean
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: they kind of know what this game is, know what's
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: on the line. You you have have to have a
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: pretty good feeling that they're gonna show up ready to go. Yeah,
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: these these games, you know, Um, you shouldn't have to
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: check the pulse of anybody, you know, they should be
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: fired up and ready to go. And and um, you
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: know this is again this is these are games you
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: want to play in as a player, you want to
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: coach in as a coach, and and um, you know
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: again it's part of the culture that we're trying to establish,
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: and and uh again as we move forward, whether it's
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: the remainder of this season into twenty three next year
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: and beyond, you know, you want to be you want
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: to be here at the end with with an opportunity
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: to play in the postseason. Do you have some of
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: those guys that have more postseason experience, maybe a Darius
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: that talked to the team about the atmosphere Since a
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: lot of these guys haven't been there and done that,
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: I think there's enough guys that you can you can
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: lean on, you know, with there and share their experiences, um,
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: you know with the postseason kind of what what these
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: types of games mean. Um, you know. But at the
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: same time, I think I think everybody understands that, Hey,
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: it's it's about just just locking in doing your job,
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: you know, trusting our process. And you know, we talked
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: about it after the game. It's like, you know, we
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: don't have to do anything special, just keep keep preparing
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: and keep doing the things we're doing and and um,
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: you know, uh, just get yourself ready to go when
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: you look back at your super Bowl winning team in
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: Philly and even the team after that, which also could
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: have easily made another Super Bowl one, and you look
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: at this team, is there some comparisons from the unity
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: bond standpoint of the team and at this point of
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: the season, the confidence there are you know, I think
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: you know the teams that are you know, in the
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: in the postseason conversations, UM, this time of year, I
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: think I think everybody kind of feels that bond amongst
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: the team, and you know, and it's a it's a
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: genuine bond. It's uh, you know, it's something that it
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: kind of builds over the course of the year. Uh,
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: every team. I mean, you guys know, you go through adversity,
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: you got the highest loads of the season. We had
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: a you know, we had that stretch in October that
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: wasn't very good um for us. And but I think
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: that builds your character, your team and and and we stayed,
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: we stayed the course. We stayed you know, true to
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: what we were doing. UM. And and guys do become closer,
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: they understand each other a little bit better. And so
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: you kind of as you get into games like this,
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: you know that the player next to you has your
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: back just like you have his back. And and um,
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: you know that's where that's where we're at with this
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: football team. And and um you know that can that
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: can carry a good way. So did October tell you
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: really a lot more about your team than anything else?
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: Because even us asking questions in the locker room during
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: that period when you know it was, there was never
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: any kind of like wavering. There was no comments of
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: of frustration with somebody or anything like that. I mean,
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: obviously they regretted losing the game, but you never kind
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: of detected any kind of fracturing at all, you know. Um,
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: through that type of adversity, I think you see the
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: true colors of your team. You see the character of
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: the team. You know, winning winning can cover a lot
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: of things up, a lot of mistakes, a lot of
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: bad things, you know, that that pop up. Um. You know,
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: so during that stretch, yeah, I think you know, I
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: credit the coaches for for teaching right and making the
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: necessary corrections, the players handling the corrections and taking it,
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: you know, to the field the next week and trying
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: to you know, trying to fix them. But um, yeah,
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: that that stretch, you know, Uh, really kind of prepared us,
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: I think for where we're at. And and you kind
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: of build a callous around yourself, you know, and and
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: um you learn to rely on each other and trust
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: each other, and and um you know, just you know,
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: play play hard for the man next you each week.
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: This yeah, team seems so right in the locker room
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: yesterday and your postgame locker room video, you're so even keeled.
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: Is that just your personality or did you learn that
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: from Andy you or from my home ground coach? Where
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: does your coaching style and that even keeld come from?
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: You know, I think it's it's it's kind of who
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: I am a little bit. I do believe that, you know,
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: my my career as a player and a coach. I
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: you know, yeah, I look at what you know Mike
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: home Grand Andy and coach Sula and some of the
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: great quarterbacks I played with. I mean, you never get
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: too high, you never get too low, and um, you
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: just kind of stay the course. You know, this is
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: a long season. Emotions can run high. Um. But at
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: the same time, you know, I think you just gotta
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: you gotta just be you and stay stay steady. Your
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: team is gonna reflect you, right and the messaging has
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: to be consistent, The messaging has to be on point.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: And you know, what I'm hearing now from the players
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: is exactly what I thought and hoped would happen when
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: we started this journey back in the spring. Is that
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: they're they're beginning to talk a language here that you know,
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: is all part of the culture and and and so
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: for that is is is kind of staying. You know,
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: you listen to Trevor's you know, post game, and you
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: know he's he's level headed, and the guys are level headed,
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: and um, it's just you know, it's a business mentality,
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: and um, you know they can they can have fun
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: and and hoop and holler and all that too as well.
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: But but at the same time they know that there's, uh,
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: there's unfinished business. So following up on night, so you're
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: just be yourself message to the team. Is that more
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: about trying not to overdo too much or treat this
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: game any more importantlyans and then the others or is
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: it about like, you guys know who you are at
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: this point, Well, you know, we understand this is a
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: this is a huge game. We we understand Tennessee. Is
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: the same way I understand this is a huge football game,
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: and you know, so we don't have to preach that.
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: You know that that's the message that doesn't have to
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: be taught. The message is just continue to to build
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: upon what we've done for seventeen weeks and and that's
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: improving each week. That's just you know, staying the course,
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: trusting the process. You know. Um, my job is to
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: make sure the guys are as fresh and healthy and
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: all that, you know by the time we get to
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: to Saturday this week. And and it's their job to
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: study the game plan. So that's all part of the
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: that's all part of the process. And uh, you know again,
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: you don't have to you don't have to go you know,
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: too far overboard to to let them know that that
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: this is a this is a pretty big game. As
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: a coach, is more difficult trying to harness all the
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: energy surrounding this week or last week, knowing that the
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: meaningless game talk was floating around as well. Yeah, I mean,
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: you know, last week's got his challenges, um. From from
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: that standpoint, but I think I think this is a
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: week that you can't you can't get so riled up
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: early in the week that that that expels that that
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: takes a lot of energy out of you. Right, you
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: gotta just sort of bottle it up and again, just
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: just go about your business each day and and um,
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: you know, get ready for Saturday night and and so
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: you know, games like this is about kind of holding
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: back and and you know, again eventually let them, you know,
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: let them, you know, cut themselves loose on on Saturday night.
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: But you know, both have their challenges, you know the
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: types of weeks they are. Um, I was proud of
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: the guys for the way they handled last week. And um,
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: you know this will be the This will be the
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: same this week. Open feel practice. Are you guys all
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: practice on it? Feel tomorrow? Have you seen it? It's
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: beautiful grass. Its grass, it's all grass. Gotta be optimistic school,
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: and you'll be on. There will be no we should
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: The field will be great. Um be ready for us tomorrow, Yeah,
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: we'll be We'll be out there.