JAGUARS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIKE CALDWELL MEDIA AVAILABILITY (12-15-22)

By: Jacksonville Jaguars PR Team

(On if he sees CB Tyson Campbell preparing differently off the field) “I really didn’t know how he prepared last year, but I see him spending extra time. He meets early in the morning, gets a little extra with his coach. Deshea (Cornerbacks Coach Deshea Townsend) is doing a great job of feeding him information and he’s taking it. On the field, you see the confidence, and you see the leadership starting to show up. He’ll speak to the DBs, and get guys in the right place, so it’s good to see his growth.”

(On his excitement after LB Shaq Quarterman’s hit on RB Derrick Henry) “That was big. That was big time. We talked all week about being able to impact the game. Shaq got a chance to come in and play a certain role, and he came in and did a great job of really being physical then igniting the team. You look at that, they had a couple other big hits in the game, but that one really stood out, and you could see the reaction on the sideline where, that’s a very good player in this league, and being able to get the ball off of him, that was big for us.”

(On if it was an emotional lift “to see the bully get bullied” when RB Derrick Henry got hit by LB Shaq Quarterman and fumbled) “I think it was good for us to be able to go out there and make a play. He had broken the yard, we had not gotten the right gap, he had broken and gained a bunch of yards early on, I think he had close to 100 in the first quarter. For us to be able to make that play. For Shaq to be able to make that hit, it was really a big boost for us.”

(On how this play not only was good defensively, but it also made a statement) “Really, anytime you can take the ball away from the offense and give it back to your offense is a big play, but just like you said, the way he was able to hit him and the ball came out, we were able to get the ball, and it was on our sideline, it really ignited our team.”

(On how much the linebacker rotation will change if LB Chad Muma is playing) “Really, it’s day to day. As a staff, we’re confident in both of those guys (LB Chad Muma and LB Devin Llyod), so whoever is out there, we feel good with him playing. Right now, he’s day to day. We’ll see how it shakes out, but both guys, we’re comfortable throwing them out there.”

(On facing a very challenging Cowboys running game) “It’s weekly when you play in our division. You have great running backs. We’re facing another one this week. It’s what we do, and we just have to understand that what we have to do on Sunday, we have to go out there and get it done.”

(On what will be the key to not getting beat on the back end with the Cowboys’ talented receivers) “They definitely have a bunch of weapons. Defensively, we have to have our priorities, go out there and execute our game plan. At the end of the day, when it’s time to make a play, you have to make a play. We did that this past Sunday, and we’re going to go out in practice today and work on it and hopefully get it done this Sunday.”

(On Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy comments on the Texans defense limiting the Cowboys) “Really, the thing about it is, they made plays at crucial situations through the fourth and one stop, the

interception. There’s a bunch of plays that helped them play defense, and we want to be the same way. When it’s time to make a play, whether it’s fourth down or first down, when it’s time to make a play, stand up and make a play, and we’ll trust our defense and go do it.”

(On the crowd noise) “We understand that the Cowboys travel well, and it’s going to be a little different at our stadium, but our fans will be there, and they’re going to be pulling for us,. We understand that we go out there, we play for our fans, but we play for ourselves also. We’re playing for those 53 guys that are out there. We’ll go out there, and we’ll be that tight-knit group, and go out there and cheer for each other.”

(On the Cowboys moving players around to play different positions on the offensive line) “The pass rush last week, they (Jaguars defense) really got after it, and you could see the difference in the game. It’s the same message this week. Same message every week. Pass rushers, it’s your job to get to the quarterback. It’s your job to make the quarterback feel pressure. This week is no different than any other. It’s time to get out there and put pressure on the quarterback.”

(On OLB Travon Walker playing with his hand on the ground) “As a coach, sometimes you sit back and look at different things, but we want to make a player feel comfortable. Whether he’s in a two-point or three-point, really it’s on if he chooses to get in three-point in certain situations, he can get in a three point all he wants. Being able to be comfortable out on the field. We don’t want robots. We want guys that are able to have a little flexibility in the defense, and whether it’s two-point or three-point, whatever he feels he can get the best take-off, let him do that, and we’ll coach him up whichever way he wants to do it.”

(On how difficult it will be to replace what OLB Travon Walker does if he cannot play Sunday) “You always want your guys. I come in here and I talk about other teams’ guys. You always want your guys with you. If you can’t have your guy, then we have to have a guy step up. The important part about being a guy is the guy behind you. When you aren’t able to play, what have you done to get that guy to come along? I think we have enough depth in that position where we have a few guys, and if Travon can’t play this week, then we have another guy ready to step up.”

(On if getting some guys to step up in bigger positions was a key to last week’s success) “That’s the thing, when you’re not a starter, and you’re a role player, you’re always itching for an opportunity, and once you get that opportunity, I tell them all the time, take it and run with it. You’ve seen it. Tre (CB Tre Herndon) had a great game last week. Wingard (S Andrew Wingard), he’s been doing it the last few weeks. Then Shaq (LB Shaq Quarterman) got his opportunity, he stepped up and made a big play. I think it’s always next man up mentality, but when it’s really not next man up, and you get an opportunity to play, you’re itching for it, you go out there and you show and you bring a little life to the team, and the guys are doing that.”

(On if he saw LB Shaq Quarterman slip and fall twice) “It’s funny. I made a point to the defense, Coach always talks about ‘Prepare yourself for the field and go out there and test it out,’ and I joked with the defense, like ‘Look here, we’ve got three linebackers out on the field, all three of them slip on the same play. Again, Shaq slipped, got up, got back, ran, made a big play, and we’ll get his shoes fixed.”

(On that being an example of not quitting on a play) “Oh yeah. He’s out there, he’s going to give it his all, and he did a great job for us.”