Doug Marrone, Jaguars Head Coach
DM: First and foremost, obviously, it was a really good week for our football team having the opportunity to work against New England, so again I appreciate Mr. [Robert] Kraft, Coach [Bill] Belichick and their coaches. You know, for giving us that opportunity. I really thought that we were able to get better. And I think that was the key in coming up here and I really thought the game, for the most part, obviously we have some big plays. I think that, you know, it was a clean game by both sides from a standpoint of penalties. And that's something we harped on our players about, putting yourself in position where you could lose the game. You know, so we had no turnovers, which is something that has hurt our football team in the past. So that's been a big concentration for us, something we've put a lot of emphasis on, but obviously we understand that it's the first preseason game. You know, we played a lot of players tonight obviously, you know. We're working our way to become a better football team, a winning football team, but we have a long way to go. I thought, early on, we missed tackles on defense. Obviously we've got to do a better job of lining up. Offensively we missed some plays. So, at the end of the day, you just know that, hey listen it's just the beginning. It's always good to win no matter what you do, but we still have a long way to go and we got to be ready to go back to work and keep building on these experiences from these two practices that we had and this first preseason game.
Q: Doug, from your vantage point on the sidelines, what was your first impression of your offensive line, particularly the first five guys you sent out there?
DM: I think there were some not 'mis-assignments', but obviously we are still looking for a little bit more push. I thought a decent job in the interior, meaning running the ball inside a little bit better than outside. I think credit to Matt Patricia, they did a nice job. Obviously, we would like to do that better. So, you know, that's something that's going to be a point of emphasis to work on. You know, we showed some good inside runs where we had some big breaks, but outside, we can't afford to take those zero gains and negative yards. And there were a couple of those, so that's some of the things that when I talk about 'We have a long way to go' or 'Things we need to work on'. Those are some of the things we need to work on.
Q: Did you put Leonard Fournette back in the game because of the situation or was that the plan?
DM: The plan was to play all three of those backs for the first half, because there was a lot of things I wanted to see out of all of three and I thought by rotating them in there I would get that done. I think I was able to see a couple of things that I was looking for out of all three backs because I really don't have good feel or didn't have a good feel for them in this type of situation, where it is live.
Q: It is the first game, do you have anything to say about the big gains, like Corey Grant?
DM: Corey [Grant] has shown in the past and last year Corey we were playing Indianapolis [Colts] in the last game and he had a big run. Corey has that ability and obviously you can see the speed that he has getting out there and he has caught the ball well, obviously the first kick-off return that he dropped obviously that is something we have to continue to work on. Corey has been an explosive player and is really a good change up to the more power type backs, people will label them that we have.
Q: How did Myles Jack look tonight, and why did the defensive starters come out except for Myles?
DM: Actually [Dante] Fowler played also. We had a plan going in, and again to keep playing him in that position and getting him more comfortable in the 21-12 and we wanted to evaluate that. I think that is one of the things we have seen in camp and we just trying to get him as many repetitions so we can evaluate his performance. Only with the base personnel not the nickel, he has done a very good job in the nickel.
Q: Going for it on fourth-and-1 with Leonard Fournette is that something you wanted to establish?
DM: It was the plan going in, and we talked about it when we were coming there, we talked about the scores
and things of that nature. That was the plan going in so we just wanted to stick with the plan.
Q: Is there anything to say on the special teams play?
DM: I thought there were some good things out there, except for the penalties, we had five penalties and I think two were on teams so that is something we have to stop because it negated some runs, I thought that the punt return early in the game was an outstanding punt return that put us in great position and when I say you have to work on some things we came away with three points there, and we missed some opportunities to come away with seven, I think that is what you have to do to start becoming the football team we want to be.
Q: What did you think of the play of Leonard Fournette?
DM: It was interesting to see him go in there, I have never seen him live, I have never been on the sidelines, and we haven't been in drills, where there is live tackling except for goal line. I was happy and I thought, one of them he was little high when he was running and I think he learned from that and then it was low. I think you can see he is a powerful kid, powerful running back and I just wanted to make sure about ball security, things like you don't see when you are at this level, you want to see, obviously it is a physical game, and you want to see how he reacts to it, and he had no issue with that at all.
Blake Bortles, Quarterback
*(What he thought of his performance) *
"It was good. It was good to get out there in a live game situation with the crowd and play real football. It's been a long time since we've been able to do that. I thought we did some good things in a short period of time. As a whole, the offense did some good stuff."
(On the running game)
"That's something that we are continuing to find and create that identity about who we want to be. I think that first run was a great way to start. That's something we're going to do a lot of and find different ways to run the ball."
(On what the win tonight does for the team's confidence)
Anytime they are keeping score you want to win, whether it's the preseason or the regular season. Obviously, we know the difference, but it's an opportunity and preparation for getting ourselves ready to go Week 1, so I think it's definitely a step in the right direction."
Calais Campbell, Defensive End
*(On the week) *
"One of the things about camp is you get used to going up against the same guys. It is hard to get better after a while because you know each other so well. You know what works but you can still work on some moves. It is especially helpful to go against a team that wins Super Bowls and is always competitive. You see how they practice, how they operate, how they get out of the huddle, just their style. You get to practice situational football. It is what we have been preaching and what we have been working on, but to see a team like that do it as well shows we are on the right track."
*(On the game) *
"It was fun. A lot of good plays and a lot of bad plays and definitely some things to correct. We set a goal to get a win and we came up here and we got that win. Some guys made some great plays, which is always nice. That [the Patriots] is a good football team."
*(On the play of Jimmy Garoppolo) *
"I like Jimmy. I played him last season in his first start. He played great and today you see the same stuff. He makes the throws and he led his team up and down the field. He made some plays. I have a lot of respect for him and I am excited to see when he becomes a starter some day and see how he does."
Leonard Fournette, Running Back
*(On his first NFL experience) *
"It was great. I want to thank God for giving me this opportunity. As a team we came together as a unit and got the win."
*(On his touchdown) *
"It was an honor. I didn't know I was getting the ball until the huddle. That's one of the best feelings knowing your team has confidence in you. When I scored, I just turned around and thanked my offensive line. They did a great job for me, without them I wouldn't have scored."
*(On the speed of the game) *
"It's a lot slower than I thought. A lot of people said it was going to be fast, but playing in the SEC, I think that really helped me out."
Chris Ivory, Running Back
*(On the game and the week of practice) *
"I felt like it went OK. It was good to go against another opponent and not just your own team. I think they were able to make us better and we were able to make them better. Then to come out here and get a win in the first preseason game, that was big for us. This team has put in a lot of hard work. We are going to continue to work and build chemistry. I guess we will see where it takes us."
*(On playing New England several times in his career) *
"That's just part of it, it is good. It is just another opponent and we are just coming out to see how we match up. I am ready."
Myles Jack, Linebacker
(On his performance)
"It was Ok. I missed way too many tackles. I still have a lot of work to do. I'm not satisfied; I still have a ways to go. I'm going to continue working. We have another game next week and I'm excited."
Dede Westbrook, Wide Receiver
*(On his touchdown) *
"I knew it was coming, the coaches told me before-hand. We weren't expecting the touchdown, but everything worked out perfectly."
*(On his first game) *
"It means a lot to me. Any game, whatever it is, it means a lot to get every opportunity to get better."
