Notable comments from the Jacksonville Jaguars in the lead up to the Week 2 match vs. the San Diego Chargers.
On Travis Benjamin….
"Different style that (Benjamin) brings (compared to Keenan Allen), but the speed, the ability to turn a small play, your short catch into a big play; he has the ability to do that. He can take the top-end off, a lot of double moves using his speed, so just very active. It's not like they use him for one thing, but (we) anticipate seeing him as more of a primary threat." – Head Coach Gus Bradley
On Jason Verrett….
"Jason Verrett's a guy you need to be aware of wherever he's at. He is a little bit undersized but he has extremely good ball skills and can get up and go make plays. I think we're going to have to be sharp and prepared and crisp in our passing game." – QB Blake Bortles
"At the end of last season we went through and evaluated our wide receivers, in particular the young wide receivers. We felt like Verrett played Allen Robinson about as good as any corner in the league. We watched him against other receivers in the league and we thought he is an elite player there and he has showed a good week last week. His skills are still on the rise. We look forward to that matchup. We will see how they play him this year. Last year he followed A-Rob. I would expect to maybe see the same, but we will see how it unfolds on Sunday. Very quality talented player. He has great feet. He has great speed and good ball skills. He has good instincts. He is a good football player." – Offensive Coordinator Greg Olson
On Philip Rivers….
"He goes to the line and makes all these checks. He pretty much calls the play at the line of scrimmage. He knows how to get the ball to his receivers quick. He throws as quickly as possible, which makes him less susceptible to taking sacks." – SS Johnathan Cyprien
* "I think (Rivers) gives a lot of teams problems. He's very talented. He operates the whole system at the line of scrimmage (with) his ability to check in and out of bad plays to get into a good play. He's seen every look imaginable. It's very difficult to fool him. When the ball snaps, he knows where he's going and what he wants to do. I think that's what makes him so special. We haven't had a lot of success as far as consistency against him or the Chargers." – Head Coach Gus Bradley*
"I think we are coming up with a good game plan and trying to do the best we can to slow him down. He has the ability to put some big numbers up, regardless of who is playing for him. It is a big-time challenge for us this week. Just like last week. We sit in there and Gus and I talk and I said, 'This one is just as big as last week's.' They are a heck of an offense and it is going to be a challenge….(Rivers) is another guy that you might as well order his yellow jacket. He is a heck of a player. We are going to have our hands full."– Defensive Coordinator Todd Wash
"We're going to have to find a way to make him uncomfortable in the pocket, get him off his spot, make him move and make things difficult for him because he's an elite quarterback." – MLB Paul Poslusnzy
* "I mean, he's one of the top guys in the league every single year. What he's able to do, all the stuff he does at the line of scrimmage, the chemistry him and Antonio Gates have and [Danny] Woodhead as well. It's pretty special and he's definitely fun to watch. I think mentally he's definitely up there and he's been for a really long time. So he's able to do it, kind of runs everything from the line of scrimmage, getting them in and out of plays. So I think he's definitely someone you want to imitate and be like for sure as a young quarterback." – QB Blake Bortles*
On Danny Woodhead….
"It is like, it was a Rocky movie where they are trying to catch a chicken. That is the thing. He is slippery. He is tough to get a hold of. He creates mismatches. Do you want to put a corner on him? Do you want to put a safety on him? Do you want to put a linebacker on him? He matches up well versus corners. He has the speed like a wide receiver and with his elusiveness. We can't have eight corners on the field. It is a situation where we have to be able to have good, smart matchups and be able to mix our man and our zone." – Defensive Coordinator Todd Wash
"He is very challenging (to plan for) and last year you saw it more in just the passing game, where now they are getting him more involved in the run game. So he's definitely, everyone is aware of him, he can take a short gain and make it into a big gain. Coming out of the backfield as a pass receiver, (he's) very very talented. But now to see him run, inside the box, that is where he has showed up now and he's done a really nice job running north and south, making people miss and really has the ability to accelerate. They use him quite a bit, they rotate him based on personnel groupings and things like that at times, but at the same time they had 150 yards rushing, so I think they will use the same plan to utilize him because whenever you can get closer to a balance, it puts more strain (on the defense). " – Head Coach Gus Bradley
On Brandon Mebane….
"We know a lot about him and his toughness. I saw he got a sack on tape, so he can bring that as well. He's very, very stout, a very good run defender and showed some rush there as well. Their inside guys are very impressive on tape." – Head Coach Gus Bradley
On San Diego's Pass Rush….
"Good. Good on the perimeter, very good inside pass rushers as well. I think they come at you with a different style of pass rush, they have speed, the ability to spin, they're very active, similar to our size. You know how they come in the rush, they have good speed on the edges" – Head Coach Gus Bradley
"Very solid inside. They have the two veteran guys inside, which presents a challenge for us. Outside, (Melvin) Ingram, he is a good pass rusher. He was a very good player last year. He showed up last week on the film as well. They are a big, four or five man rush team because they feel comfortable with those guys inside and being able to get pressure with a four-man rush. Very talented there. The two inside guys I think are the key to it because they make it difficult for the quarterback to step up. They get pressure inside. Good speed off the outside edges and that is where the strength is there."– Offensive Coordinator Greg Olson
On Antonio Gates….
"He is such a wise vet. He does a nice job of stemming you or pushing you a little bit to get open. He has done it for so many years. It is a situation where it is the same thing – where is our best matchup? That is the thing. We have to put our guys on guys that have the ability to cover their strengths." – Defensive Coordinator Todd Wash
On Whisenhunt Running the Offense…
"Yeah, you do (see Whisenhunt's stamp). I think some of the things he did well in Tennessee, in the run game, but I think what he really did, what you see on tape, is he adjusted to their personnel. Like with the backs, what they do well and some of the things you see them do." – Head Coach Gus Bradley
"I think we have a good idea with Whisenhunt when he was at Tennessee, we are not just watching the San Diego stuff, we are watching everything that Whiz has done and he is a heck of a coordinator." – Defensive Coordinator Todd Wash
