Jaguars Head Coach Urban Meyer – Media Availability – December 5, 2021
Jaguars Head Coach Urban Meyer – Media Availability – December 5, 2021
(On the frustrations on offense)
“Yeah. It kind of felt like our guys – you know, obviously, you’ve got a lot of talent they were playing against there and on the road. And all of a sudden we drive the ball. It’s 10 to seven. Your defense is playing excellent pass defense. We’re playing excellent field position, complimentary football there. I’ll find out what it was but the average starting field position was we had them pinned down most there of the first half. You felt pretty good about it. Holding a good field goal, it was 13 or whatever it was, 16 – 7, 13 – 7 at halftime, and we’re getting the ball. That’s kind of where you want to be on the road against a good team. ‘Let’s go and move the ball and we didn’t do it. We didn’t do it. “
(On the lack of production)
“I’m not going to give you guys a lot. I wish I had all the answers and I’d give them to you. I don’t know any answers other than – I know this – that you’re going to keep swinging and keep working together. Is there a confidence issue? Any time you’re not successful at something, that’s something we’ve got to fight through. Confidence is a result of success and right now we’re struggling with that.”
(On Jaguars RB James Robinson’s fumbles)
“He’s still not a hundred percent. He’s not practicing during the week. (Jaguars RB) James (Robinson) is as good a guy, tough a guy, team player as you got that I’ve ever been around. Your heart bleeds for the guy because he’s not able to do what he does well. He hasn’t been that way since Seattle (Week 8) and he’s not able to practice, but he wants to play. He’s still a very good player. Just got to take care of the ball.”
(On if the team is better off benching Robinson)
“We had that conversation as a staff and everybody felt that he was the best option right now – even not a hundred percent.”
(On if Robinson would have been back in right after if he wasn’t hurt during the fumble)
“Oh, sure. We were just giving (Jaguars RB) Carlos (Hyde) an opportunity. And then, obviously, we failed there as well. But the ball went off the ground.”
(On Hyde staying on the field after fumbling the ball late in the game and how it was supposed to help Robinson)
“You’d have to ask (Jaguars Running Backs) Coach (Bernie) Parmalee. I don’t get too involved. Like I said, I don’t micromanage that and I know he’s been dinged up. So, I don’t know if he’s back with a tent or what’s going on, but I know there’s injury involved.”
(On whose call it is to still decide to put an injured player in based on the severity of it)
“James is unique because he is fighting injury. If someone’s not producing and you sit them down, that’s a whole different conversation. But this is really injury-based.”
(On if it’s baffling not being able to close out the game, despite being in a good spot before the starting the second half)
“I don’t want to go into ‘baffle.’ It’s just – I mean, we were searching for answers right now. And how do you find answers? You go to work. We’re going to go back to work. I don’t mean to be redundant and ‘coach speak,’ but there’s nothing else I can tell you. Is it frustrating for everybody involved? Absolutely. Are we better than that? Absolutely. We are better than that. Do we have better players than that? Yes. Do we have better coaches than that? Yes. So, now it’s time to go produce. And like you said, we’re right there. It says 13 to seven, I believe. You’re right. And then we have the ball, and then we get it also in the second half. That’s when a team that knows how to win right there, you take a lead, and you play field position football with them.”
(On potential concern about the development of Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and the offense)
“I’m always concerned about young players growing, He’s a 22-year old player, first year in the NFL. He got hit too many times tonight. A couple of times I want them to look at what happened to – I saw a couple videos, but I’m anxious to hear the results on that. But, the question was am I concerned about his development. I’d like to see everyone else around him and you know, everyone else just play a little better. I wish I could give you something more than that.”
(On if he was talking about Rams CB Jalen Ramsey play)
“Yeah. I just saw real quickly in the locker room. I saw that one and I saw the other one.”
(On how he keeps Lawrence on track and helping him not lose confidence)
“That’s part of the position of being a coach, quarterback coach, with (Passing Game Coordinator) Coach (Brian) ‘Schott’ (Schottenheimer) and myself – to make sure that all of us – and once again if it was a simple answer, we’d do it. Simple answer is give them confidence. Okay. How do you get confidence? Have some success or putting together game plans. And a lot of it is through the lens of the quarterback. How do we get this guy some success early on. After that nice drive and he did a heck of a job on that drive he scrambled. He made some nice plays, and we’d go down and score, and you’re feeling pretty good about life, and then all of a sudden it goes in reverse again. First down was the biggest problem today – first down, 2nd & 10, 2nd & 11, 2nd & 9, against that defense. That’s not what you want to be in. And that’s where I felt like that was – especially in the second half – that’s when things went in a different direction for us.”
(On the highs and lows of the season for)
“Well, I told the players just after the game when you lose it plays with your mind. You start searching for what’s the answer. What can you do better? What can we do better? And I think that’s where everybody’s minds, that’s my mindset right now. What can we do better? We got five more opportunities and some opportunities I think to win some games. There’s no simple answer. Everybody would do it.”
(On what he saw from the emphasis on up-tempo pass option this week)
“I know we did it, some of it – I’m sorry. I can’t remember exactly how it went and I’ll have more for you on tomorrow. I guess on Monday when we meet.”