Why the Jaguars Still Have Confidence in Shaquill Griffin

Despite a rough start, Griffin remains integral to the secondary moving forward.

Last week’s matchup against the Indianapolis Colts was not kind to Shaq Griffin. The veteran corner was targeted 13 times, allowing nine receptions for 103 yards while being called for pass interference two times per Pro Football Focus.

It has been a rollercoaster of a season for Griffin, and the inconsistencies bring about doubts about his overall effectiveness and what he can provide to the secondary moving forward. Despite these concerns, defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell remains comfortable with Griffin playing a significant role.

“Really, corners have to have that frivolousness and forget things,” Caldwell said. “Because if you don’t, you’ll have it in your mind, and it causes you to play soft and causes you to play the way you’re not supposed to play. He’s a veteran corner, he understands the game, he’s had a bunch of success and we look forward to him doing it again.”

Finding a groove to break out of a slump requires players to have short-term memory and quickly shift their focus amidst a tough defeat. This mindset and constantly working toward improving overall performance is what head coach Doug Pederson has been preaching since he arrived in Jacksonville and what he expects from his guys every week.

“Just that – short-term memory, learn from it, go back and study the tape and just know that whatever you put on tape, the next week’s opponent may try some similar things,” Pederson said Monday. “You’ve just got to get back into practice and work on it and detail it and try to get better. I don’t care if it’s a rookie or a veteran player, that’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to have short-term memory in this business and just move on.”

To truly conquer the mental strain that bad performances have on a player, one has to have resilience and grit combined with the confidence to overcome a bump in the road. For Shaq Griffin, his unwavering confidence level is a primary reason why the Jaguars coaching staff continues to value him so highly.

“Oh, it’s still there,” Caldwell said. “It’s still there. They make plays, we make plays, but we just have to make more plays. We have confidence that Shaq can go back out there and do it, there’s no loss of confidence in him. We’re just ready for him to get another shot.”