Jaguars Signal-Caller previews Elite NFC opponent

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones spoke to the media on Wednesday and we were there.

Watch his interview above.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson also spoke Monday. Below is a transcript of what he said.

Q: On injury updates for QB Trevor Lawrence?

Pederson: “It’s hard to say right now. We still have a few days. I don’t have any ready answers at the moment.”

Q: On injury updates for OL Ezra Cleveland?

Pederson: “Yes, he’s going to rest again – starting Monday, today, tomorrow – and he should be there at practice and maybe take some shots. We’ll see where he is.’

Q: Are there any other injuries after Sunday’s game against Minnesota?

Pederson: “No. We came out pretty well. Just bumps and bruises. You saw Tank (RB Tank Bigsby), he got hampered a little bit on a play, but nothing major.

Q: If Lawrence needs surgery?

Pederson: “There hasn’t been any talk about surgery, so I don’t know where the talk about surgery is coming from. None of that.”

Q: Could he increase QB CJ Beathard’s workload this week?

Pederson: “I mean, it’s possible. CJ prepares as if he’s going to play. I can’t commit to that right now until I know if Trevor is going to play or not. But we will certainly prepare him for departure.”

Question: Whether it won’t be so difficult to get Beathard ready to play because he’s familiar with the playbook?

Pederson: “But he hasn’t been here since camp. So if that’s the case, we should get him some shots here during the week.”

Q: On his evaluation of QB Mac Jones’ starting performance?

Pederson: “I thought the way the game started was right in his wheelhouse. Sometimes we can do better by putting our players in better situations. I also thought a glitch in protection might have knocked it out of place a bit. He missed a few things. There are some things he wants back, obviously: the two interceptions, the fumbles. I mean, those are things we can’t do, right? Especially at the end of the game. If he gets a chance this week, I know he will be better. Another chance, another week of work. He will of course learn from it. He takes it hard, takes it personally, which he should. We all do that. But we still have a lot of confidence in him.”

Q: On Minnesota’s pass protection effort vs. pass rush?

Pederson: “Honestly, it was a little bit of everything. Watched it again today, just a little bit of everything. I also thought that the way Minnesota shows a lot of six guys, seven guys is definitely there – and that’s their style. That will create edges, and they have done a good job there too.”

Question: How does he maintain confidence within the team?

Pederson: “You show them where we are. You show them our divisions, you show them what’s next, and you try to stay positive. I still feel like this is a great opportunity for us as a team. We have to figure out how to win a game. I’ll tell you this: the boys don’t give up. You saw it again yesterday. They fought to the end. Even Travon’s (DE Travon Walker) penalty at the end, he’s trying to knock the ball out and get the ball back for the offense, and that’s after over 80 snaps. Boys keep fighting.”

Question: If he thinks the team should perform perfectly?

Pederson: “There are times when it feels like that, when you have to be perfect. I think that’s what our season has been like. We have failed to create anything. I mean, we created some early in the season and obviously it was hard to get going with that yesterday. Listen, mistakes will happen. Guys fight off their tails and stuff. I think you just can’t make too many mistakes and try to overcome them. Especially if there is a fine or turnover or the like. Those things are sometimes hard to overcome.”

Question: If it is frustrating to play at a high level in the second half of the season, but not be able to see the same success as in the 2022 season?

Pederson: “Yes, there is some of that. I think it’s interesting that you look at the body of work during the week and it’s not fully included in the game. A lot of it is, and there are parts of it that aren’t, and the parts that aren’t are clearly the ones holding us back. That’s the frustrating part. The boys would say they understand that, and they see it. We keep showing it to them. Even as coaches we are struggling. We create game plans and coach them during the week, so we take it personally as well.”

Question: Which parts of the weekly preparation are not specifically taken to the competitions?

Pederson: “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just things like staying in your hole if you’re a defensive lineman or the protection issues we had yesterday, it could be a QB read, a decision he makes. Things you’d think the boys would know. The game goes fast. It could be a young defensive back whose eyes are in the wrong place. That kind of thing.”

Question: If there was contact with QB Mac Jones on his second interception and whether that affected the throw?

Pederson: “It looks like he’s taking a hit. If he did, yes, because of where the ball landed. Because we had a postal route and a bend route, kind of a combination there. It looked like it could have easily happened (even on tape it was hard to see) that you had to go back and watch the TV copy, but it certainly had an impact, I think, on the court where the ball landed. ”

Q: On the cornerbacks’ performance over Vikings wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison?

Pederson: “I thought the corners played really well. Really good. It was good not to really hold that group back much offensively. They played physically. They came forward and made tackles. I thought Buster (CB Montaric Brown), Darby (CB Ronald Darby), you see Tyson (CB Tyson Campbell)… I mean, these guys fight and play really well. To me, and actually to the entire secondary school, they looked like they played their best football yesterday.”

Q: About what he’s seen from DE Josh Hines-Allen recently?

Pederson: “I think one of the things you see, and this is the improvement, I think, of our entire defense, is how they’ve continued to work all week. They have bought into the program and what the boys are teaching and coaching, and you see that gradual improvement. Boys understand that. Josh is one of them and Travon is one of them. It’s clear that these guys are at the forefront. But yeah, I think the technique, that confidence and trusting himself, obviously what he sees and what he sees with the attitude of the tackles. If he plays tight end or whatever it may be. So yeah, he’s playing well.”

Q: How to stay optimistic for the rest of the season?

Pederson: “Yes. 100 percent. I think our goals and everything is right in front of us. Despite the mistakes and losses, of course. It’s a crazy business and it can quickly turn around for us and become positive quickly. But the boys didn’t check out at all. They put time into it during the week. It’s hard. You hurt for the boys because you see how much they put into it. And then they are not rewarded for it. To have six losses by one score, six games. It’s hard. That’s difficult. Sometimes we make things difficult. But still the boys see it, like I said. They understand. We’re all in it together and we’re trying to solve them and move on.

Q: What can Lawrence gain from being on the sidelines?

Pederson: “Yeah, I’ll tell you what, he actually got engaged yesterday. Helped Mac all day. We had great conversations on the sidelines, things he saw. So yeah, that’s something where he can definitely get a different perspective and calmer eyes and see how the game is going.

Q: How do his observations from the sideline translate to the field?

Pederson: “Definitely. Certainly. It’s a kind of memory, right? It’s what you see and just being able to trust certain things, trust yourself, and then defensively trust what you see to make decisions about throwing the ball. Yes, that can all be transferred.’

Q: How have OL Walker Little and OL Anton Harrison played lately?

Pederson: “Yeah, I mean, I think both guys played well. Obviously there were some plays yesterday that they would like to have back. But I think they did a good job for most of the season. Walker has settled in that spot. But both guys play physical, they play tough. They’re both smart guys, athletic. Did a nice job.”

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