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Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

Doug Marrone - Saturday, August 25, 2018

(Opening statement) "Well obviously I thought it was a good effort tonight. We go out there and try to win, so we were able to accomplish that. I thought we did some good things early on, meaning that obviously defensively we continue to get off the field on third down. We've done that now with the first group two weeks in a row. I still think though, like I told the team afterward, I'm going to keep pushing and we can improve that way. Obviously, we have to cut down the turnovers. The first one we ran a crossing pattern and then really the guy dropped the coverage off and switched it and then the guy tipped it and we got a pick. The second one we had an uncovered receiver early on in the same type of set, but we came back with a different play call, had a guy uncovered and we try to get him the ball vertically and he falls off the go route, which is something we've got to do a better job of coaching, and we will. That's more on us. I thought that as far as when we did turn the ball over, I thought the defense came on the field and stopped them. I thought when we had the ball backed up that was an excellent drive. I look at time of possession as big for our football team and how we play. We were able to win that. I think we have to do a better job in the red zone, obviously, in scoring touchdowns. I believe we were one out of three, I'm not sure. We can't leave points out there with the field goal, the one we missed. Going into this there is a lot of room for improvement. We can get better, some things to build on. [We] had some new guys playing today. Taven [Bryan] played a lot. I thought he had good push. I wasn't happy with the penalty at the end. I thought Dante [Fowler, Jr.] had some good rushes in there, guys that haven't played in a while. It was good to see them in there. And then Marqise Lee, obviously, it looked bad. Doctors told me, 'Hey listen, we're not going to be able to know anything until tomorrow,' and we'll have more information tomorrow on it."

(On what he meant by "it looked bad" in reference to Marqise Lee's injury) "I'm just saying, did anyone think it didn't look bad? I'm just saying it looked bad. I'm just like you in that, you know what I'm saying; I'm waiting for the doctor to tell me so I can tell you guys, but I know what I see. I'm not going to sit there and say it didn't look bad. It looked bad." 

(On how he feels about his receivers beyond Marqise Lee) "For me, I see them every day. I mean we throw so much and do so much stuff. There's a great level of competition at that position, so you know, I feel fine. We know going in we were going to have to make some tough decisions, so we'll just say. I think that [Donte] Moncrief had some good plays today, hit the slant, showed he can run afterwards. [Jaydon] Mickens hit one down the sideline. Dede [Westbrook] has been playing well. [Keelan] Cole has been practicing really well. We haven't really featured him that much in the preseason. Rashad Green has done a nice job, Shane Wynn. I mean, we've got some players at that position." 

(On if his creative use of the running backs is an evolution from last year) "I think we're just trying to get playmakers on the field. Same thing with Leonard [Fournette] being out there on third down a little bit more, but T.J. [Yeldon] we know can carry a load on first or second down, Corey [Grant] is a guy that has some speed that is a really good changeup for those two. So we're just trying to continue to look at ways that can help us move the football." 

(On how D.J. Hayden has fit in at nickel) "D.J. has gotten a lot of snaps at nickel because we've had to play 'Pat' [Tyler Patmon] on the outside. I thought tonight 'Pat' competed, had some pass breakups. He had the one where the guy got by him. I think he's been playing real solid on the outside and we know what he can do at nickel." 

(On the performance of the offensive line) "I thought [Andrew] Norwell did well. Blake [Bortles] stepped up on the one [sack]. Norwell was in front of him. It wound up being a sack, but those things occur. The second sack, one of them with the first group, but he tripped over 'J.P.' [Jermey Parnell] as he was moving up in the pocket, but I feel good about 'Shat' [Tyler Shatley]. I feel good about [Chris] Reed. I feel good about those guys. Those guys have played for us, played in games and won games for us, so I have confidence in them. They're extremely hard workers. They are always available, they are really coachable and those are the two things – like always told you guys – so they do a heck of a job. [Brandon] Linder was on the sideline. We're just being cautious with him, but you guys saw him out there on the sideline. A.J. [Bouye] was sick during the week so we didn't want to take a chance putting him out there with the two guys that are starters that weren't in there." 

(On Blake Bortles' performance) "I thought he was good from a standpoint of completion percentage, and it's just those two plays. One of them is unfortunate. The guy dropped the coverage. They had an extra guy on the crossing route. He was running with them and he just dropped it to the next defender and the guy was able to get his hand on the ball. So that was the first one. The second one, I thought I explained it well the first time. We were in a formation, and they didn't cover Dede [Westbrook] on it so we come back down and change the play call, same formation, and he sees him uncovered so he tries to go to him, but we've got a go route and the guy drops a go route and picks the ball off. We've got to do a better job on that one. If we can do a better job on that one then we can be solid." 

(On if he's learning new things about Cody Kessler as the preseason goes along) "I think anytime we get a first-year player you're always finding out things. And to be honest with you, a lot of guys that have been here and you find out things about them because the relationship grows and the more you talk to them you have a better understanding." 

(On his thoughts on the the hit on Marqise Lee that drew the penalty and if it was a low hit) "You'd have to talk to the officials. I don't know." 

(On the team's depth at the safety position) "I feel good about it. I really do. I think all of those guys are playing well. I think you guys can see that." 

(On what has been the key to the third down defense success in the preseason) "I think you guys have been around here enough to know that we're able to put pressure on a quarterback. We're also able to cover in the back end, and like you said, we've got some guys that are doing a heck of a job back there. [Tyler] Patmon filling in has done a great job. Our safeties that have gone in there have done a really good job, and we're still getting pressure. Even in our fire zones we're getting guys coming free and they have to get rid of it quickly. I think overall, we were good at it last year and we got a lot of guys coming back. They take a lot of pride in every situation, and we've been really working hard on situations and they've been responding well. At the same time, there's still things that we're going to put in, or we have put in that we haven't shown yet, that will get us better hopefully." 

(On when the team began planning the combination of Leonard Fournette and Corey Grant on the field at the same time) "We did a little bit at the end of OTAs. We had it in. We had it in in training camp, so we put it in. We just wanted to, like I said before when I got the question, we're just looking to put playmakers on the field. We're trying to get Leonard [Fournette] in there on third. We feel good about T.J. [Yeldon] on third. We feel good about T.J. on first and second and then trying to see how do we fit Corey [Grant] in? We've worked on a lot of different things, but we haven't done them in a game, and we really haven't game planned that stuff. When I say we worked on that 20 percent game plan, out of that 20 percent about seven percent we were going to run something with Corey and those guys back there just to see how it looked. I didn't want to go into the season by not running it and then it stunk, and I'd get the question like, 'Did you guys just put that crap in?'" 

(On how much the team relishes the chance to approach the start of the season differently than last year) "I don't think this team has a different mindset. The stuff on the outside may be different, but I don't think the team's mindset is different. This team has an edge about them. They are really close. I think one of the things that I'm happy with as a head coach is we do play complementary football. I think the greatest example is when we turn the ball over we're able to get the ball back. We get the ball backed up and the offense moves it. Special teams does well. I think they understand that we play as one and they have each others' back, but they understand that it takes a long time in this league before people believe that we're a really good football team, in my opinion, where you are consistently good. I think our players understand that. They push each other. We push them as coaches. They push us as coaches. I think when you have that you have a chance. It just gives you an opportunity, it doesn't do anything, but if you talk individually to a lot of guys on the team I would say the majority of them have a chip on their shoulder and I don't think that's bad at all. I don't think they view it as the same way on the outside."

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