Not much another year
back at it again.
Unbelieving, you miss it. The year you were out. Yeah,
I'll tell you this. I did Miss football. I miss being around
the guys, a locker room, as, you know, being in the locker
room for so many years as a player, that's what you miss
even as a coach. And,
and I needed the year, honestly,
to kind of clear my head. Sure, I'm recharged regroup,
put a plan together for my future. If I wanted to get back
into coaching and all that, but the year was great. I mean
I know You're not going to say this. So I'm going to say this,
all right. I mean, you took over like
maybe one of the craziest freaking situations ever. Okay.
That's just like, I was we see I expected worse. That was
good. We're live on Skies. You're
crazy. But but
how do you how do you delicately approach? Kind of
rebuilding, the
emotional state of your football team? After a year?
Like, I mean, that was, that was everything
that I thought of it while when I when I took over, like, how
I've got about two and a half months here. I'm with the team.
Yeah first of all I didn't know if I was going to have anybody
show up to the offseason program,
they're all going to be mad at every head coach out there and
you know, so I put a lot of thought into my messaging how
I was going to approach the offseason. And you know,
I talked a lot about communication, I talked a lot
about trust to talk a lot about surrounding yourself with
the right people and really
kind of infiltrating that through the
the web of the football team, you know, in the offseason and
we weren't even in 90 yet, right? We're just kind of our
guys coming off the, you know, the 21 seasons.
So, continuing to do that and just just seeing me for who
I am and just gaining their trust one day at a time
as we went through the offseason. Yeah. When did you
think it clicked and you won them over, what point?
Oh, when I gave him the mandatory three days off at
the end of the office,
but I really did feel like at the end of the offseason
program,
the end of OTAs right there in June before we broke for, you
know, the summer break that, that I had a good feel for
them. They had a good
For me and we were in a good place heading into Camp. Yeah,
you killed the draft. You guys killed free agency.
All right, so kind of piggyback and I saw you at the Hall of
Fame game on the field to start the year. Yeah. And Michael,
tell you when we got done and the next day we did the show.
I was like
I don't know what the Jaguars are going to be but damn they
look good. I just you'd like some impressive looking guys.
When did you feel like oh damn like we can actually maybe be
a little more competitive than I thought taking over this team
in the situation. You know it really wasn't until probably
about 34
weeks. Into Camp, right? That I felt like we had a pretty good
football team at least a nucleus of guys I thought our
quarterback was making strides each day
in training camp even though we didn't win a preseason game,
I still felt confident enough that we could.
We could probably win 78, possibly nine games and
everybody was kind of saying awesome, you're crazy having
a crazy, you're not there yet, maybe you're a year away
development of your quarterback,
and all that and
and and and probably so but
I just felt like his training camp progressed,
that, you know, we could really
Compete. You know, and we're going to be overmatched by
everybody, overmatched and really compete for the AFC
South right. You hit that rough stretch to because things
started well, too, and one
up 14-nothing, I think against the Eagles in Philadelphia kind
of control. It went the other way and Trevor points to that
fifth loss, the loss to the Broncos in. London is The
Epiphany for him? The Awakening
was that really the moment where things turn for the whole team?
I believe so I believe so. I know, I know it.
I know it changed for him.
You know, it changed for
for me as a coach I think in my leadership with the team
and how I wanted to keep I needed to keep the team
together because
we could have spiraled really spiraled at that point, which
the team previously
previous years. Yeah, did. And and it was, it was really
a credit to. I think the, the team the leadership,
I'm, you know, I do a Leadership Council, you know,
with my team. And and I just made an impact with them. And
I say, listen guys, you're the ones are going to carry this.
Ball team the rest of the season. How do you want this
thing to go? Right? And we made the we made the switch and
and the switch it a light came on and you know the rest is
history after that. Yeah. You empowered the locker room
a little bit further. Like you guys get at this, don't let it
fall off the rails here. Know they're the ones that play.
They gotta. You gotta have that guy who
players play. Yeah. You know, how about,
you know for him to
like that Denver game that he's bring it up. I was starting to
go, I don't know, maybe he's not going to turn the corner.
Maybe he's not going to
get to the point where I thought he might get.
All right, talk about him, his makeup. I mean his talent
level, just, you know, everything that kind of
impressed you what he fought through the year, you know,
after that game. He and I had a conversation and I wanted him
to understand that
that he's our guy,
we have full confidence in him. Go out there and be you cut it,
Loose have fun, don't hold back so you didn't get on them, you
gave them more coffee and power to me. Even my love them. More
of Donnie Moore and just said, dude, you're our guy? Yeah. And
and and I don't want you to look over your shoulder and and,
you know, go cut it loose.
Didn't we just kept working with and Mike McCoy did a great
job? Yeah you know sort of mentoring him as well in that
room and and
you know just the influences he had around him
I think gave him confidence and gave him more confidence and
stability and his own in his own performance. And he really
took off in the second half and you saw a difference from
I think the first Chiefs game we played them right to
the divisional. ROM, you sound more confident team or the first
Chargers game to the second Chargers game where he throws.
For eBay or bad. Yeah, right. And you know, you're down, 27,
nothing 27-7 halftime and, you know, he goes on, you know, on
a streak there in the second half. Did you think he was
gonna be capable there? Like like, you know, like
I was that there's another seven points we gave up, I know that.
Yeah, because I didn't feel like we were out of the
room, which was crazy. Well, one thing to piggyback off of
that, this is a pet peeve of mine. I think you'll give up.
Somewhat honest answer, don't get yourself fine, but
the league or anything, but
it does like that the interception where he threw
the curl route to the right?
I'd and Asante Samuel interfered, your guy that's
interference all regular season and also you get a wild-card
game and they don't call it
drives me absolutely crazy dumb. We're trying crazy
bouncing around on the carpet. Drives me crazy. I'll tell you
this, you had you had coached de Leon before
you know he did a great job, he mixed some things up.
Yeah. And really
kind of confused us a little bit offensively and Trevor and
right and a couple of those interceptions were based on
what they had. Not shown Us in week.
Yeah, three right now we're you know, week 19 curveball, some
curveball, so credit to him and his staff for making those
changes. As you get distance from the 2022 season what
stands out more,
the win in the Wild Card round under crazy circumstances or
the loss in Kansas City, the week after that.
Wow, that's tough.
I have to hate to Hate to say about losses. I do think
the Kansas City Chiefs loss is going to propel us even more.
I think this year the the Charger game
Kind of the what our season was about, right?
In order for us to be a great football team like the Chiefs
can't make mistakes. Yeah. Right. And which we did in that
football game, turnovers cost us some costly penalty. Big
post route too big. You know, post things that we fumble on
the inside, the five writing a game, right?
You can't do that against good football team. So for me,
I look at that game and go, you know what?
We fix those areas? Yeah. You know we're right there with
them. Yeah. And and have a chance to really compete. You
know, in the AFC. Yeah. You You think that gives your team?
They go like, wait, they won the Super Bowl and we played
with them. We were there. We were right there. Yeah, yeah,
that's a jump off spot
figure Super Bowl and this is something. We've been having
some fun with with some of the coaches. I'm not going to try
to conceal. I'm going to tell you why, I'm asking is because
you're one of the guys at the Forefront of going, for it on
fourth down
and the guy who now coaches the Eagles, Nick suriani, he had
a decision to make down a point 2827, 1033 to play fourth, and
three from his own 32,
just gone three and out. After the Chiefs, go down the
field and take the lead.
And see, Ronnie said, 32 out of 32 coaches pump there,
would you have punted there or I guess more broadly, what all
would you have thought of in that 40 seconds or so as you
make the decision, whether to punt or whether to go for it,
when you're down a point, when you've been up by 10
and you've got the ball, fourth, and three on your own 32.
You got to look at a couple things, you only got about 40
seconds or maybe a potential time out to think about stuff.
And, you know,
one, if I'm the Eagles, I haven't stopped the Chiefs yet
in the second half, right? They, they scored right every
time. They touch exact goal
to tie was in a Super Bowl against the Patriots, where
everybody was scouring every single time.
And and, you know, I guess that's why as head coaches,
they say, you get paid the big bucks to make these decisions
but
you know, you got to look at it go. Okay. Do I punt
the football and and I Haven't really stopped my opponent. So,
you know, I'm going to put my team back out there and let's
see what happens or you go for it and I, you
know, and listen and I applaud him. I mean, it's a, it's
a tough decision, but you're putting it again. You're like,
we talked about, you're putting it back on the team. You're
putting it back on your players to go out and execute. I have
confidence as
a head coach and my offense to make three yards right. And
whatever the plate call is and you know, you're on the biggest
stage and you're trying to win that game and that's why I can
And the decision that he made. Yeah. Okay. I
like I don't know if that's the answer you want to hear? Oh,
that's I we're just trying. I think we're trying to unpack
this off. I'm wondering how coaches think about eyes at
the stage. Like, if it's a game in week, 8,
maybe you go for it there,
but it's the Super Bowl
and maybe you just feel the size of that stage and
the spotlight and then hundred million people watching
the game and you decide to be conservative and a spot. We
would otherwise be aggressive.
This guy doesn't feel if their Philly Philly over here doesn't
know what he's talking about. Yeah, I mean that was, you
know, that was before 2:30. So that wasn't the end of the game
or in the fourth quarter. But yeah,
and it was at the one yard line, my situation, so they got
to go 99 that way. But
again, you know, you're making these decisions real time.
I do, I do know this, that, that, that that coaches do feel
that, that pressure, you do feel like the weight is on you
to make that, to make that decision.
That's why I can understand that, you know, I can
understand that. And you know, again,
that's something that We can coach our team
and our teams moving forward
in the in these in these areas.
I know in Jacksonville, we need to be better on fourth down. We
weren't very good fourth down team and so you know, learning
from all these scenarios are going to help us your Cube.
He's awesome. We know that he's heading the right direction,
you've been around some great Cube. He's like
and I want to go to like Mount Mahomes here, if you don't
mind. I just like, you got to see him twice this year. Break
him down. I know you're watching film and doing it.
Like,
what is it about my home's that jumps out to you? I mean, you
were with Brett, Favre. This guy is crazy. I just I'm amazed
I am too. Yeah, I am too. And I've had a chance to spend time
with Coach read here in the offseason now and really since
the Super Bowl and
he's even amazed
and he coaches the guy. Yeah. And
you know, this kid is just he's number one, he's wired
the right way.
He's he's your leader.
He knows how to Rally. He knows how to get guys together in
the offseason and take control of the team out. Out and he's
matured in the the 56 years. He's been in this league that
you know, that.
I hope our guy right? Sees it does it and we're in that
situation here in a couple of years but
I've just been so impressed with with Patrick and I know
when he was coming out of Texas Tech and there probably weren't
a lot of
suitors. There were a lot of
tough probably really high on him and I know Andy Reid having
played for him and worked for him, that he's going to exhaust
everything he can. An with the quarterback position
and I remember a conversation that we had
after he drafted him
and he basically said he reminded
him of Brett Favre. Yeah right.
Because he can he can make throws that nobody. Nobody else
can make right and and and obviously we're seeing it
firsthand now and especially on the biggest stages, you know,
in the NFL. So you're too with the Jaguars division. Seems to
be yours for the taking. I don't know
jinke there there are, there are tougher than we still gotta
play. Yeah, Big, you're not in the west, you could be dealing
with my homes and some other varieties. Other quarterbacks.
What, what, what do you hoping to do in the, your second year
with the program?
Well, that's just that, that's just it. We've got to get
better as a football team. We got to learn from our mistakes.
You know,
when we were three and seven, we easily could have been seven
and three. Some of these games we were in the fourth quarter,
we just lost it, whether it was a turnover or we didn't get
the defense to get off the field or a special teams. Those
are the things that in order for us, Us to take the next
step. We've got to fix those areas and we've got to be more
consistent in others. Like, like the third and ones, we
weren't a very good, third one football, team
fourth and one football team.
We got to get better in the red zone are Red Zone, efficiency
wasn't great this year third down. So there's enough areas
that we can focus on this offseason and training camp,
that'll put us in situations to be successful and we can do
that
then we're in the conversation at the end of the year
you're playing for the AFC South Championship. I think you
know each year and Again in that conversation
you got some like freaky talented, guys. Like it was
anyone when you got there they got on the field you're like oh
my gosh, he's better than I thought, right? I mean, guys
have to jumped on the scene like Andre Cisco and
I think people are running about Tyson comfortable
a little bit, right? But those guys, he was my second Team all
Provo, right? I people think I'm crazy but he was besides
the quarterback. He was the one that really stood out to me
like this
is a special player like Island corner, right? Build your
secondary and your team right around a guy like that. And
Andre, you know, Cisco. Like you said, he was another one
that came on. Yeah. You know, towards as the season
progressed, I know young guys. But yeah, Tyson. Was that guy
that really?
You were like was like, whoa. He's a good. He's a good Corner.
You've got a Super Bowl win on your resume, and I have become
aware over the years that coaches, who have won a Super
Bowl with one team in a now coaching another team. All want
to be that one because nobody's ever done it,
to be the guy to win a Super Bowl with two different teams,
and you were in the van away. That would And Mike McCarthy
was in the final Wade he's got. So mean is that something that
you're kind of?
It kind of pushes you and motive? I want to. I could be
the first one to ever do this when a Super Bowl with two
different teams you don't ever think about it.
But now that we're in the offseason and
you brought it up, it'd be kind of cool. Right. You know I hate
to be a part of NFL history that way
having played this game, obviously for so many years and
now coaching it. And, and
it would be, it would be great. And also, So for mr. Khan with
the struggles that they've had and you know, in his time as
owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and
and really even with I think about Trent baalke and how he,
you know, orchestrated a roster in San Francisco years ago,
that got them to a Super Bowl and things like that. So
I think I think the nucleus is there. Now we've got to do our
part and we've got a coach and play better and we got to do
all of that and
understand it but
but it's definitely something this year that we can build on
and hopefully again, being that position. Yeah, well fun to
watch.
It was a great first season we wish you all the best. Thank
you R2 and Beyond Doug Peterson. Head coach of
the Jacksonville Jaguars will be back with more PFT live from
the scouting combine right after this.
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