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Jacksonville Jaguars' Doug Pederson: Andre Cisco 'quit' comment wasn't 'finger-pointing'
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- Jacksonville Jaguars' Doug Pederson: Andre Cisco 'quit' comment wasn't 'finger-pointing'
Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said he didn't believe fourth-year safety Andre Cisco was intentionally calling out his teammates when he made comments after Sunday's 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears in London that he felt there was "a lot of quit" in their fifth loss of the season against only one victory.
"Obviously, it's his observation," Pederson said during a Zoom call with the media from London on Monday. "I don't think it was necessarily meant to harm anything or point your finger at anybody or anything like that. I think sometimes when you get in a game like [Sunday] that sometimes the feeling is we've been on the other side of that too ... we've had games where we've had that type of success and you feel that way with your opponent. But again, I don't think it was necessarily a finger-pointing."
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Cisco told Brent Martineau of Action News the way the Jaguars lost, with turnovers, dropped passes, penalties at crucial moments and mental mistakes such as getting flagged for 12 men ln the field was "extremely concerning and dangerous."
Oct 13, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson reacts during the first half against the Chicago Bears during an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
"In a situation like that, you can feel when we're playing as one and when we're not and it felt very early in the game, maybe out of halftime, we weren't playing as one."
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What did Doug Pederson say about the team's 'culture'
Pederson also had to explain another quote: one he made himself. During a post-game interview with 1010-XL sideline reporter Bucky Brooks, Pederson talked about "changing a culture."
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Pederson said the comment was meant to make sure the players don't feel "mentally defeated."
"We've lost some games here, right?" said Pederson, who is in his third season as the Jaguars coach, with an overall 19-21 record. "So we want to change that culture to a winning culture. That's why we coach and that's why we play. If you feel like you're going into a game where you don't have a chance, then you're not going to have a chance. You're not going to give yourself an opportunity to win that game. So that's what I meant about that culture there. We just got to make sure these guys stay mentally ... stay positive with each other. Just go out and have fun and play."
What did Doug Pederson have to say about the Jaguars free agents
The Jaguars have had a mixed bag at best with the free agents they signed during the offseason.
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Wide receiver/returner Devin Duvernay is on the four-week reserve/injured list, wide receiver Gabe Davis caught two touchdown passes against the Bears but has had several key drops this season, defensive tackle Arik Armstead has only 10 total tackles and hasn't been nearly the force he was in San Francisco and cornerback Ronald Darby has struggled in coverage and had two penalties against Chicago that converted third down plays in a touchdown drive.
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Pederson was quick to defend those players
"Those are things that we're going to have to take a look [at]," he said of the free agents. "I do believe that these guys are helping us. We all need to do better. I'm not here to point the finger at anybody but just make sure that we're getting the most out of everyone. We're putting the best 11 on the field. I know Gabe's a little banged up right now and Arik's been working through his off-season injury and working himself back in. [Darby] is still doing some good things. He's been in a good position. He had opportunities. It just hasn't necessarily translated on the field. But he's doing fine ... [we] like where he's at."
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Pederson has said the players practice well. Why hasn't it carried over to games?
I wish I had a crystal ball to answer that question. I'm not going to sit here and make excuses. That's the wrong thing to do but that's something we've got to figure out. We've got to figure that together, honestly, why that doesn't always translate."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Doug Pederson weighs in on Andre Cisco comments
