BREAKING: Jaguars' Pederson Responds to DeMeco Ryan's Comments

After Houston Texans' DeMeco Ryans' comments about Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has fired back.

Sep 24, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Houston Texans head coach Demeco Ryans and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson shake hands after the game at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

After Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans shifted blame to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson has offered a response.

In the days following Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence sustaining a concussion after an illegal hit from Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, Ryans insinuated the Jaguars were at fault for the two physical altercations that followed.

"And the entire thing is, you know, Azeez is the guy, but their sideline overreacts, and it turns out and turns into a melee. It wasn't our guys, it's their team," Ryans said. "Overreacted, pushed our guy, dragging our guy to the sideline. So that's uncalled for on that side. We have to be better on the sidelines as well, with both teams."

On Monday, Pederson was asked about his response to Ryans stating that his squad overreacted. And it was clear the comments were not taken lightly by Pederson.

"I was a little surprised. And look, I have a ton of respect for DeMeco. He is a former player, I am a former player. Emotions run high. I would say if it happened to their quarterback, I think the reaction would have been the same, quite frankly," Pederson said on Monday.

Ryans' comments on the Jaguars came after Pederson's Monday press conference. On Monday, Pederson expressed pride in the way his team responded -- far from an overreaction, in his mind.

"I definitely appreciate how our team responded, protecting the quarterback and all of that, obviously," Pederson said on Monday.

"You hate to see it escalate to where it went, but the second half of the football game, the officials basically warned both teams it was no tolerance. It was zero tolerance in the second half. So, if there was anything that transpired, that player was going to be ejected as well. I thought both teams played the second half as they should. It was a tough, physical football game in the second half and there wasn’t anything that escalated from that hit in the first half.”

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