WATCH: Jaguars Star Pass-Rusher Previews Houston Texans

What did Jacksonville Jaguars star Josh Hines-Allen have to say about Week 4?
Nov 26, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) scrambles from Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen (41) in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Nov 26, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) scrambles from Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen (41) in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
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Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen spoke in the locker room for Week 4 vs. the Houston Texans on Friday, and we were there for it all.

For all of Hines-Allen's comments, view above.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence also spoke on Wednesday. Below is a transcript of what he said.

Q: On drawing on past experiences to get back on track?

Lawrence: “Definitely use all the past experience. I think that's one thing that's good from having the experience in this league is you’ve seen a lot. Seasons are always different. How they unfold, how these games go early and down the stretch. So, I feel like, not just myself, this group, for the majority of us, we've played together for a few years now. We've been through a lot, and I think it will help us. But we’ve got to use it, and we’ve got to move forward and it's a long season. I don’t say that to say that we have time to waste because we surely don't anymore. But saying that is it is a long season and we've been in a worse spot than this before. We found a way out of it, and I’ve got full faith we're going to do the same. But we’ve got to go prove it. So, excited for that opportunity.”

Q: On the confidence level in the locker room?

Lawrence: “Yeah, I mean, obviously we're frustrated and the game the other night was just a disaster on pretty much every level. But we still have the confidence in our group, our coaches, our team. That's not going to change and that can't change. I think that's when you have problems, when you lose that confidence and start pointing fingers and there's been none of that. So, we're staying together and that's just the message: just stick together. Just remember to have fun too. Situations like this a lot of times make you get tight and tense and be on your details and be locked in and we’ve got to prepare the right way and put everything into it during the week. But also have fun, we're playing a game, and we have an opportunity to do things that not many people get to do. So, keeping that perspective and let that relax you, let you play better. Not to say that it doesn't matter because it does, and we take a lot of pride in it. But you also do have to have the perspective. I think that helps you play better and looser because you want to go out there and fly around and not be thinking about everything and be able to go play free.”

Q: On why passing throughout the NFL has been down?

Lawrence: “That's a good question. I don't know, I think defenses are smart too and they have game plans, and I think it's a lot easier defensively to make the offense earn it and to play shell-coverages and to have two safeties to defend the pass and if the team's running on you, you can adjust and make some changes. But I think you don't want to get beat over the top, these vertical passing attacks across the league. I think it's just a way to slow that down. So that’d probably be my guess, more shell defense is showing up across the league. The teams that have typically been single high teams are playing more shell, which just changes your passing attack a little bit. Not to say you can't attack that still, but definitely changes than if it's post safety.”

Q: On if he is trying to make big plays too often instead of making easier ones?

Lawrence: “No, I actually don’t think so. I think there's been times where I've been a little undisciplined with my eyes. I've maybe been a little sped up in some of my progressions. So maybe a little bit of that for sure. I think a few times my feet have gotten sloppy, have caused some of my passes to not go exactly where I wanted them to. Then there's times where the defense is going to win, and they have a better call than we do at times. So that happens every game, every year. I mean, that's just going to happen. Do the next best thing with the ball, whether that's throwing it away, finding the underneath guy and giving him a chance to run, maybe get it to him earlier so he can catch it with space. So, I don't think it's been an issue of me trying to force the issue. I think that there's been a couple throws I've missed throughout the year. There's been a couple times where progression wise, I've got a little too far ahead of myself or thought I saw something I didn't see, and I think those are majority of the mistakes. But just got to keep trusting it. I think that's the main thing is keep trusting it. Trust what I see, trust my progression and just get the ball to our playmakers. They're going to make plays. So, we’ve got to continue doing that and staying on schedule.”

Q: On how quickly the momentum of a game can shift?

Lawrence: “Yeah, I mean, it can turn quick. That's the thing, we just have to keep our head down and keep working. Like I said, but stay loose, have fun, keep flying around. Don't tighten up, don't try to force the issue on making that one play that turns it, just let it come to you. So, it's kind of a mixture of the sense of urgency has to be there, this position we're in. But you also have to do your job, and you can't get outside of what your job is and your responsibilities and try to do too much. I think it's a little bit of both and we have to stay level-headed through all this and keep trusting the work that we're putting in. It's going to pay off for us. Unfortunately, it hasn't yet, and we haven't had much success the first three weeks, but I really, really do believe that it will. This is a great opportunity this week to get on track.”

Q: On the benefit of working with Head Coach Doug Pederson, who is a former quarterback?

Lawrence: “Yeah, I think it's really nice to have a coach that played quarterback because he understands. Like I said after the game, I'm not happy with how I've played. I know that I have more to give, and I need to make more plays for this team. Your quarterback just has to play well to give you a shot to win every week. I understand that and that's my job. So, I own that. But in the situations where maybe I don't play my best or there's certain plays that didn't have a good result, Coach can understand what I'm seeing out there. He's been in that position. He's seen, he knows football, he knows offense, he knows what's going on. I think that helps at times when, if you have a coach that doesn't really understand, and they just see the result of the play and it's like what's going on here? He really understands what I'm saying, ‘Well, hey, this is what happened, this is what I saw.’ And maybe it's not right and I’ve still got to make the play. But he understands kind of what I'm seeing and what's happening. So, I think that helps when there are times of when we're struggling a little bit. Him having that perspective has helped me, and really our whole staff has been pretty good about just continuing to trust me even if we get in a little bit of a rut and I’m maybe not playing my best, just continuing to trust me, keep putting the ball in my hands. I know that we're going to come out of this for the better, but we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’ve got to put the work in this week.”

Q: On how Houston's defense looks compared to last year?

Lawrence: “Yeah, I mean, a lot of stuff's the same, but there's definitely some new wrinkles, some things that have changed. I'd say a little bit scheme-wise, nothing major, but some things have changed. Personnel changed a lot. They have a lot of new players, some really good players, some good additions to their team. So, they're flying around. It's the same thing that jumped out on tape last year, is this is a defense that plays really hard, flies around, makes a lot of plays where even if they're out-of-position, their effort and their motor to get to the ball really makes up for it. It's a tough defense to play against because they play hard every snap. They're very fundamentally sound, they're well-coached, but the effort there that each player brings to each position, that can overcome even when there are some mistakes or you get them, you scheme them up. That effort that they bring can cover up some of that stuff too.”

Q: On why there have still been execution mistakes and communication issues on the field?

Lawrence: “Yeah, it just comes down to us making the plays and we haven't made them, and we haven't been able to get the momentum early. I think each game we've had a three-and-out to start the game. So, just unacceptable for us. We’ve got to be able to start the game faster. There's a lot of things that we're looking at to fix that and get on track this week and start faster and get some momentum. That's our job as an offense to do that early in games and we’ve got to stay on the field to let our defense settle in too. When you go three-and-out, especially when you don't get the ball first and you go three-and-out, the defense was just on the field. Think about on Monday night, defense on the field, Buffalo scored. We get the ball, three-and-out, defense is right back on the field after a six-minute drive to start. So, it makes it hard on the defense to settle in and you want to play complementary, and we didn't do that on Monday. So just an example of why we need to play better, how we need to play better. I think it just comes down to, like I said, the details, knowing the plan, being confident in that, then playing fast. Then just making the plays that come to you, don't get tight, just go out there and make the plays that come to you.”

Q: On if he would want the ball to start the game?

Lawrence: “That's a good question, I hadn't really thought about that. No, I think you like getting it out of the second half, honestly. Because even we had some opportunities – we had an opportunity last week – you score before the half, you get it back, you double dip, that's what you want. I think I like the strategy there. Obviously, it’s smart and I think that's good football. But who knows?"

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John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.