EXCLUSIVE: Jaguars Star Dishes On Fierce AFC South Battle

What did Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker have to say about the Houston Texans in Week 13?

Nov 27, 2022; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Travon Walker (44) looks on during time out against the Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker spoke to the media on Friday, and we were there for it all.

To watch Walker's interview, view above.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence spoke on Wednesday. Below is his transcript.

Q: On supporting Wolfson Children’s Hospital for ‘My Cause My Cleats’?

Lawrence: “These are sweet. These might be the coolest looking pair I’ve had so far doing this. Me and Marissa [Lawrence’s wife Marissa Lawrence], we're partnered with Wolfson Children's Hospital and we try to go over there and visit with the kids and staff whenever we get the opportunities to during the season, offseason, just to build that relationship and be a part of the community, obviously. They do amazing work over there and those kids are awesome. So, we just wanted to represent them. Kennedy [current patient at Wolfson], we met a few months ago, she designed these herself and then two brothers, Corbin and Kai [current patients at Wolfson], did these. So, they look pretty sweet. I'm excited about it. Excited to wear them and happy for the kids that got to design it. Hopefully they see them on TV or whatever it is. I'm sure they're going to be excited.”

Q: On how his shoulder is?

Lawrence: “I'm feeling better. It's been three, a little over three weeks. So, it's good for me to be able to rest and try to heal up as much as possible. I've definitely made some progress. I'm feeling better, been able to do a little bit more. It's taken longer than I wanted it to. Obviously, I want to be out there, and I want to be playing, and it honestly just sucks watching and then being there at the game, being on the sideline, not even dressed out the last two games. So that's been tough. I'm hoping I'm back out there this week. It'd be great. That's what I want. I want to be back on the field playing with my teammates and that's the plan.”

Q: On if today’s practice is a gauge for his availability on Sunday vs. Houston?

Lawrence: “Yeah, I mean, every day, honestly. Monday was a big day just coming off the break and obviously taking some time off before that for myself. Monday was a big day, and I was able to do some stuff on the field, which is the first time in a while that I was able to do really anything significant. So that was great. Today will be the same thing, kind of ramp it up a little bit more and just move around and try to simulate some game tempo speed stuff for me and just see how I move. I felt pretty good up to this point. It's kind of a balancing act. You don't want to push it too hard and set it back, but you also want to get yourself ready to play. So that's what we're doing today and tomorrow and just going to see how it responds and how I feel. I feel like we have a great plan and just take a day-by-day.”

Q: On which day he anticipates knowing if he’s ready to play on Sunday?

Lawrence: “I don't know the answer to that, to be honest. I think the sooner you can decide the better, just for everybody. I'm preparing to play and preparing like I normally would to play a full game and to go so that if that happens or when that happens, I'm ready to go. But also, if that's not going to happen, you want to make sure that if Mac’s [QB Mac Jones] going to play he gets some reps and is prepared as well. So, I think it's something you have to assess every day. Yeah, I think there are a lot of things to consider, but definitely I'm going to factor it everyday and kind of see how I feel and obviously talk to our staff and see how it's progressing. But I feel the best I’ve felt in the past few weeks. So, I'm excited about it.”

Q: On if he knew how serious the injury was during Week 9’s game vs. Philadelphia?

Lawrence: “No, not really. We knew what happened because I've done it similar on my right shoulder last year. This one's just worse. It felt a lot worse, but it was a similar type of deal. So, I was a little bit familiar and was able to finish that game. But overnight, and I guess in the second half, might have got a little worse. Then overnight, the next day, it's always kind of a rude awakening when you wake up with an injury the next day because it hurts a lot worse than when you get the adrenaline and everything flowing in the game. So that was obviously kind of took a step back and talked to our doctors, talked through everything and just all the scenarios and just kind of trying to make the best decisions for obviously our team, myself. There are so many factors into it. If I'm going to play too, I want to be able to play my best and be close to 100 percent and go out there and play well. So, there are a lot of factors that went into it. I'm glad that, like I said, I'm feeling better now and progressing, which is positive. But yeah, it was definitely a little bit more than we initially thought.”

Q: On how he can protect his shoulder?

Lawrence: “I think pad-wise, there's definitely some stuff you can do. You can add some padding in there and you can protect it a little bit more. But yeah, I mean, besides that, it's just kind of like, you just get hit a certain way. It's kind of funny how it happens. Usually, you land on this one, I just got hit from a different side, which is a little bit different. But you’ve got to get hit the right way, so I'm hoping that it's not an issue, just any hit, you know. Hopefully, that's not a problem. But obviously, if you hit the right way it's not going to feel great. But yeah, we'll just see how it goes the rest of the week.”

Q: On if the precaution is mostly due to pain?

Lawrence: “Yeah, I mean, it's a tough question. Yes and no. I think there are other effects in that area of having this injury of especially the severity of where it's at. It does affect other muscles, it affects kind of the whole, that side and that's why I haven't been able to do much until recently, which has been positive that I've been getting rid of some of the pain, which has been good and being able to move and do more in my strength is pretty good. So yeah, I mean, a lot of it is pain tolerance as far as the actual AC goes. I mean, that injury is fairly common in football, but they're all different. Like I said, I had this one, it kept me out a week because it was the throwing shoulder. I couldn't throw with it and then after the two weeks of rest, once we got to play Tennessee Week 18, I felt a good bit better enough to play. This one's just taking longer. They’re all different.”

Q: On if he’s gained anything from being out and on the sideline?

Lawrence: “Yeah, that's a good question. You hear things and you see things just from a different perspective. Obviously, the headset on, you hear the way the game's called and in a different light, all the conversations that go into it with the coaches and stuff. That's obviously stuff you don't hear when you're playing. You just hear the play call. So, some of that stuff, and it just gives you a different perspective. And that's how it is in the preseason game, so I've heard it, but obviously, it's different in the season. That, I think just seeing the way guys respond. Sometimes when you're playing, you don't always feel the momentum shifts or the energy. You're just so focused on trying to do your job and trying to execute and do our job of going and scoring points but being able to have a wider view or whatever, vantage point of everything. You see it all. I think it's just, if anything helps, I think leading the guys coming back and when there are those shifts in the games and whether we lose some momentum, we gain some momentum, just kind of keeping everybody even-keeled. I think you see a lot more of that stuff when you're not playing because you can just watch everything.”

Q: On if the injury will have to be dealt with in the offseason?

Lawrence: “That’s a good question too. It's been a pretty difficult thing to gauge, honestly, what's the best path forward. Definitely something that I'm considering and not off the table at all. So yeah, it's something that we're going to have to just truly day-by-day, week-by-week. Hopefully, I'm able to get back out there this week or as soon as possible. Then it's going to be just every week, kind of evaluating it and seeing where it's at. Obviously, up until this point, I've been doing everything I can to avoid that, and want to be back out there with my guys and finish the season. That's my goal. That's what I want to do. Then beyond that, I don't really—I wish I had a better answer for you, but I just don't right now.”

Q: On if he was referring to getting surgery in the offseason?

Lawrence: “Yeah, I figured that’s what he was asking. Yeah.”

Q: On his evaluation of the Texans’ defense?

Lawrence: “Yeah, their defense has been playing great. Obviously, the two guys on the edge, those guys have been big players for them. Obviously, we've played against Will [Texans DE Will Anderson Jr.] a few times, just him being there the last couple of years. And then Danielle [Texans DE Danielle Hunter] on the other side, he's having a great year. He's been a great player for a long time. So those guys, they make everything go. Not to take anything away from the other guys, they’ve got a good defense. But they just fly around. They're well-coached. It’s not the most complicated scheme, but it helps them play fast and be on the same page and really anticipate and react and kind of play ahead of some offense as you see on tape. They just play really fast. I think that helps them. Then obviously, Pitre [Texans S Jalen Pitre] is a big player for them. I heard he's out this week, but he's a guy that does a lot for them. He's a huge part of that defense and there's all the things you got to look at how they're going to adjust. Obviously, there's going to be some changes. But yeah, it's a good defense. They're really good up front. Good on the back end. Stingley [Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr.], he's been playing great the last couple of years. Every time we play against him, seems like he's making plays. Then the rookie Lassiter [Texans CB Kamari Lassiter] on the other side has been doing a good job, seems like he's getting better every week. So, all the way around, it's a good defense, challenging. It's going to be a challenge for us. They’re physical. They play with a certain attitude and we're going to have to bring it on Sunday.”

Q: On how important the four division games left on the schedule are?

Lawrence: “Super important. We’re looking at this, obviously, like you said, the season hasn't gone how we wanted it to. We got to regroup and kind of reflect a little bit over the bye week. We’ve got six weeks. That's what we're guaranteed. Beyond that, who knows what can happen. You see some crazy things. So, we don't feel like we're necessarily out of anything. It's definitely a challenge. It's an uphill battle, but that's what we’ve got in front of us. It's a situation we put ourselves in. Four division games, that also adds a wrinkle to a lot can happen at the end of the season. We just have to take it one week at a time though, and this is a big one. Houston, a team that we haven't beaten here at home in a long time. A team that beat us earlier in the season in a game that we felt like we had every opportunity to win and came out shorthanded on that one. So, there's a lot of motivation for us. We just want to go play our best football on Sunday and find a way to win, and then we'll move on after that. But 100 percent, four out of six division games. That's really big for our team. Regardless of how this thing shapes up in the end, we’ve got six games of football left. So, it doesn't really matter what the big picture is. You want to go out there and play your best and really play better than we have in the past, however many games.”

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