Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun spoke in the locker room on Thursday, and we were there for it all.

To listen to his interview, see above.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson also spoke Monday. Below is a transcript of what he said.

Q: On the injury updates for quarterback Trevor Lawrence?

Pederson: “It’s hard to say at the moment. We still have a few days left. I don’t have any definitive answers at this time.

Q: On OL Ezra Cleveland injury updates?

Pederson: “Yeah, he’s going to – starting Monday, today, tomorrow – he’s going to rest again and he should be there at practice and maybe take some shots. We’ll see where he stands.

Q: On any other injuries following Sunday’s game against Minnesota?

Pederson: “No. We did pretty well. Just bumps and bruises. You saw Tank (RB Tank Bigsby), he kind of got hampered on a play, but nothing serious.

Q: What if Lawrence will need surgery?

Pederson: “There was no discussion of surgery, so I don’t know where this discussion of surgery came from. Nothing like that.

Q: If he could increase quarterback CJ Beathard’s workload this week?

Pederson: “I mean, it’s possible. CJ prepares as if he is going to play. I can’t commit to it at the moment, until I know if Trevor is going to play or not. But we will definitely get him ready to go.

Q: What if preparing Beathard to play won’t be as difficult since he knows the playbook?

Pederson: “But still, he hasn’t really been here since camp. So if that’s the case, we’ll have to give him a few shots here during the week.

Q: On his assessment of QB Mac Jones’ starting performance?

Pederson: “I thought the way the game started, it fit right into his wheelhouse. Sometimes we can do a better job putting our players in better situations. I also thought the protection failures confused him a bit. He missed a few things. There are some things he would like to get back, obviously, the two interceptions, the fumble. I mean, these are things we can’t do, right? Especially at the end of the match. If he gets the chance this week, I know he will be better. Another opportunity, another week of work. He will learn from it, obviously. He takes it badly, takes it personally, which he should. We all do it. But we still have great confidence in him.

Q: On pass protection effort against Minnesota’s pass rush?

Pederson: “It was a little bit of everything, honestly. I see him again today, just a little bit of everything. I also thought the way Minnesota shows a lot of six guys, seven guys, it shows up – and that’s their style. It’s going to create benefits, and they’ve done a good job of that as well.

Q: On how he maintains trust within the team?

Pederson: “You show them where we are. You show them our division, you show them what’s left on the schedule and you try to stay positive. I still feel like it’s a great opportunity for us as a team. We have to figure out how to win a game. I’ll tell you this: guys don’t give up. You saw him again yesterday. They fought until the end. Even Travon’s (DE Travon Walker) penalty at the end, he’s trying to get the ball out and get it back for the offense, and that’s after over 80 snaps. The guys continue to fight.

Q: If he believes the team must execute perfectly?

Pederson: “There are times when it’s like that, where you have to be perfect. I think our season went that way. We haven’t been able to create – I mean, we created some at the beginning of the season and obviously yesterday it was hard to get going. Listen, mistakes are going to happen. Guys are fighting to get wild and all that. I think you shouldn’t make too many mistakes and try to overcome them. Especially when there’s a penalty, a turnover or things of that nature. These things are sometimes difficult to overcome.

Q: What if it’s frustrating to play at a high level in the second half of the season but not be able to have the same success as in the 2022 season?

Pederson: “Yes, there is a little bit. I think what’s interesting is that you look at all of the work that’s been done over the course of the week and it doesn’t completely carry over into the game. A lot of it does, and there’s parts that are not, and these are obviously the ones that are holding us back. That’s what’s frustrating. Guys would say they understand that and they see it. We continue to show them. Even as coaches we take it hard. We develop game plans and coach them during the week, so we take that personally too.

Q: What parts of the weekly preparation don’t carry over to matches specifically?

Pederson: “I don’t know. Maybe things like staying in your gap if you’re a defensive lineman or the protection issues we had yesterday, that could be a read from the QB, a decision he’s making. Things you would think guys would know. The game goes quickly. It could be a young defensive back whose eyes aren’t in the right place. Things like that.

Q: Was there contact with QB Mac Jones on his second interception and did that impact the throw?

Pederson: “Looks like he was pushed around. If he did it, yes, because of where the ball landed. Because we had a post route and a corner route, kind of a combination. It seemed like it could have been easily achieved – even on tape it was hard to see – you would have had to go back and watch the TV copy obviously, but it definitely affected, I think, the trajectory of where the ball is finished. »

Q: On the performance of the cornerbacks covering Vikings receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison?

Pederson: “I thought the corners were played very well. Really good. Keeping this group to not much offensively was a good thing. They played physically. They came and made tackles. I thought Buster (CB Montaric Brown), Darby (CB Ronald Darby), you see Tyson (CB Tyson Campbell)… I mean, those guys fight and play really well. They looked, to me, and really to the entire secondary, like they were playing their best football yesterday.

Q: On what he’s seen recently from DE Josh Hines-Allen?

Pederson: “I think one of the things you see, and it’s the improvement, I think, in our entire defense, is the way they continued to work throughout the week. They’ve bought into the program and what the guys are teaching and coaching, and you see this gradual improvement. The guys understand that. Josh is one of them and Travon is one of them. Obviously these guys are in front. But yeah, I think technique, trusting that and trusting himself, obviously, what he sees and what he sees with the tackle position. If he plays tight end or whatever. So yes, he plays well.

Q: Remain optimistic for the rest of the season?

Pederson: “Yes. 100 percent. I think our goals and everything are right in front of us. Despite the mistakes and losses, obviously. It’s a crazy business and it can change quickly for us and turn positive quickly. But the guys didn’t check anything. They spent time on it during the week. It’s hard. You hurt guys because you see how much they put into it. And then they don’t get rewarded for it. Have six one-score losses, six games. It’s hard. It’s hard. Sometimes we make things difficult. But yet guys, like I said, they see it. They understand it. We are all in this together and we are trying to fix them and move on.

Q: What does Lawrence stand to gain from being on the sidelines?

Pederson: “Yeah, I tell you what, he was really engaged yesterday. I’ve been helping Mac all day. We had some great conversations on the sidelines, things he saw. So yeah, it’s something that allows him to have a little bit of a different perspective, calmer eyes and see how the game is going.

Q: How can his field observations be translated into the field?

Pederson: “Of course. Of course. It’s sort of the memory, right? It’s what you see and just being able to trust certain things, trust yourself, and then trust what you see defensively to make decisions throwing the ball. Yeah, this can all be perpetuated.

Q: On how OL Walker Little and OL Anton Harrison have been playing recently?

Pederson: “Yeah, I mean, I thought both guys played well. There are pieces from yesterday that they would obviously like to find. But I think for most of the season they did a good job. Walker sort of settled into that place. But both guys play physical, they play hard. They are both smart, athletic guys. I did a good job.

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