'See something, say something': Jaguars notes & quotes ahead of matchup with Colts

In Cartersville, Ga., a city roughly 45 miles north of downtown Atlanta, a young Trevor Lawrence grew up rooting for the Falcons. He admittedly wasn’t as into NFL football as much as he was college football — he drew fandom for Tennessee for family reasons —but did root for the team and quarterback Matt Ryan who played less than an hour from his hometown.

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Lawrence said during his Wednesday media availability he didn’t have many interactions with Ryan prior to the Jaguars taking on the Falcons last season.

In that game the Falcons defeated the Jaguars, extending the personal winning streak Ryan holds against the Jaguars to four. He’s thrown for 1,044 yards and six touchdowns while completing 68.1 percent of his passes in his career against Jacksonville.

During his rookie year Lawrence split games with the Colts, losing in Indianapolis before having a standout performance in the last game of the season in 2021. He passed for 223 yards and two touchdowns in the Jaguars’ win in January.

It was a game that was largely regarded as the No. 1 overall pick’s best from his rookie campaign and extended the home win streak the Jaguars have built up against the Colts since 2014. When the two players meet on Sunday it’ll be the first time they face off as division rivals.

'See something, say something'

Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell faced Ryan frequently as a member of Tampa Bay’s coaching staff prior to coming to Jacksonville. He understands the type of challenge the veteran quarterback will present for his defense.

“Playing against him the last few years, you see that you really don’t fool him on anything, and he’s a veteran that’s seen a bunch,” Caldwell said Thursday. “The arm talent is still there. He can throw the ball on any part of the field. He’s a guy that has been around and played at a high level, and he continues to play at a high level.”

Jacksonville’s defense had three takeaways in the season opener against the Commanders. They finished plus-two in the turnover battle and were able to come up with key interceptions against Carson Wentz as the Jaguars tried to battle back.

They also gave up two backbreaking passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The first, a 49-yard bomb to Terry Mclaughlin—one of his two catches during the game. The other, Jahan Dotson’s second receiving touchdown of the day and eventual game-winner with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

Earlier this week, Cornerback Shaq Griffin talked about being a leader on the defense and gave his perspective of what the Jaguars’ defense needs to work on going into the second week of the season.

According to Griffin, Caldwell’s defensive scheme allows players to make checks and changes based on what the opposing offense presents. But with that comes the challenge of getting all 11 defensive players on the same accord based on whatever changes are signaled in.

“The main thing is when it comes to making checks, everybody has to be on the same page,” Griffin said Wednesday. “That’s something that we a want to continue to get better with. We all spoke about it today after practice. There shouldn’t be no formation or no shift where it ain’t everybody talking. That’s the main thing we need to get better at. Leaving Week 1, main thing to take from that is we’ve got to keep talking. If you see something, say something.”

Griffin mentioned the challenge with stopping Colts’ running back Jonathan Taylor, but also acknowledge receiver Michael Pittman Jr., saying he’d look forward to the matchup with the third-year receiver.

Last week against the Texans, Pittman Jr. had nine receptions for 121 yards and one touchdown. He quickly emerged as a favorite receiver for Matt Ryan, seeing 13 targets from the veteran quarterback, as the Colts stormed back to tie with Houston last week.

Press Taylor, who worked on the Colts’ staff prior to becoming the offensive coordinator for Jacksonville, gave insight to what makes Pittman a standout player.

“He comes to play every single rep,” Taylor said on Thursday. “Whether it’s in the run game, he blocks his tail off, he’s trying to get after people throughout the game. That’s as important to him as it is when his number is called in the pass game. That’s the expectation they have for him. That's the expectation he has for himself. He does a good job.”

While slowing the Colts' rushing attack is a key for the defense, don’t overlook the role Pittman Jr. may play against the Jaguars’ secondary.

Head coaching frienemies

There’s history between head coaches Doug Pederson and Frank Reich. The two were teammates with the Panthers as players and more-recently won a Super Bowl together in Philadelphia with the Eagles. Reich was Pederson’s offensive coordinator and the first-year Jaguars coach said this week he knew Reich would end up as a head man in the NFL.

“Frank just has that demeanor. He’s got a head coach demeanor,” Pederson said during his Wednesday availability. “He’s kind of got the quiet strength. He’s a patient guy. He kind of leads more by example. He’s been around this league a long time, played in this league a long time. He knew back then how to lead our offense to a championship, and now he’s trying to do that in Indy.”

During the week, Reich did a teleconference with members of Jacksonville’s media. When asked about facing Pederson on Sunday, he said: “Oh, of course. Doug, he and I are super close. I have ultimate respect for him as a coach, Super Bowl-winning coach, then a class act and a class person … I know how good he is.

"But also happy for the personal friendship and professional relationship we have. He’s the absolute best. I learned a lot from Doug. I think he’s one of the better play-callers in the league. He’s super aggressive, he’s fearless, he really trusts his players to be aggressive in those moments. I think in the long haul, that pays dividends.”

The two are fond of each other but Pederson made sure to make it known. For the three-plus hours of game action on Sunday, the two are going to be rivals.

“It’ll be good to see him, but as we know, when it tees off, kick it off, we’re on the other side, and we’re trying to beat each other,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun. A lot of respect for him.”

Sparking the competition

The front office used the offseason to renovate the Jaguars’ receiving room. Already anchored by 11-year veteran Marvin Jones Jr., they brought in Zay Jones and Christian Kirk to improve pass-catching options for Lawrence.

Kirk proved how important he is to the offense by logging a six catch, 177 yards performance with Jones adding six catches for 65 yards to the tally against Washington.

On Wednesday, Lawrence said he thought Jones Jr. did a great job, though he didn’t get as much love in the post-game stats. It’s a role he’s embraced and looked forward to.

“That’s what I want to do at all times, make that impact and make big plays,” he said on Thursday. “That’s what I do. I run everything to win and do anything I can to help win. I’ll continue to do that. I’ve been doing that my whole career and it’s business as usual.”

During Wednesday’s practice, Jones Jr. and Jones were seen juggling tennis balls while trotting through obstacles. It’s normal for the pair to compete with each other during the early stages of practice as the rest of the team works on special teams drills. Along with Kirk, the pair of receivers work with receivers’ coach Chris Jackson and get extra reps in.

“We’re all vets so it’s always important for us to find something that’s fun and engaging and is going to get us ready to work,” Jones Jr. said. “When you’re in the game for so long, things can get redundant. So, you try to think of things that’s going to spark some competition or something that’s fun that’s going to get everything going. Those guys are funny and it’s never a dull moment with them. We’ll keep our thinking hats on and do what we can to get ready for practice.”

Pro Bowlers Kenny Moore II and Stephon Gilmore highlight an opportunistic Colts secondary and the Jaguars’ receiving core will need to stay sharp against them.

Injury Report

As of Thursday’s injury report:

Jaguars did not list any players on their injury report through Thursday.

The Colts listed DT Deforest Buckner for a hip (DNP), WR Alec Pierce for a concussion (Limited), CB Kenny Moore II for a hip (DNP), WR Michael Pittman Jr. for a quad (DNP), Shaquille Leonard for a back (Full)

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars Week 2 notes featuring Trevor Lawrence, Doug Pederson, Frank Reich