Mack Hollins – October 18, 2021
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Monday, October 18, 2021
WR Mack Hollins
(I got to ask you about this play because you had the best view of it out of everybody in the stadium. Did you feel that the punt the touched the finger of WR Jamal Agnew, the returner of the Jaguars? You reacted it did.) – “Yeah. I thought it touched but at the end of the day, if the ref didn’t call something, it didn’t happen. You play this game long enough you realize that guys get held every play and if it doesn’t get called it’s not holding. I thought the ball got touched and it didn’t get called, so it didn’t happen.”
(I got to admit that I admire your energy, and effort on not just special teams, but when you play offensively. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like everybody is out there playing with your level of effort, not that it’s the standard. As a leader, what can you do to get this team to give more?) – “Well, first I appreciate the compliment. I think as a leader, you learn that it’s hard to motivate people. You’ve got to learn from each individual person what each individual person needs. There are guys that need to get mother f’d, there are guys who need to be brought over to the side, there are guys that you need to tell their best friend that you need to talk to them. Being able to maneuver that is something all leaders – you never complete that job. It’s never I know how to work with everybody because especially in this league there are all always people changing, there are always new teammates, there are always new players. My job, and Jesse (Davis), and ‘E-Rob’ (Elandon Roberts), ‘Fej’ (Clayton Fejedelem) and ‘J-Mac’ (Jason McCourty) is to learn our teammates the best we can and know how to get the most out of each individual guy.”
(Obviously the receiving corps is depleted and you’re getting the opportunity. This is year five for you now. What’s it like to finally be in the mix offensively?) – “I think throughout my career I’ve had the opportunity to get some offensive stuff going. That’s what coaches have always told me is ‘Mack, be prepared, and know all the positions you can. Know tight end, know the slot, know the outside because you never know.’ This is a 100 percent injury game. Guys are going to go down and the game is going to go on no matter what. The more you know, the more you’ll be able to do, the more opportunities you’ll have to play. I’ve been lucky to have a few opportunities and if they come in the future, so be it. If they don’t, as long as we’re winning, I’ll be happy.”
(You were here last year when you guys turned the slow start around. What is missing, or what can you put your finger on as one of the core leaders that’s missing that will help you guys get over this hump?) – “I think it’s hard to pinpoint anything in the game of football as the reason something is not going one way or the other. The margin is so slim with wins and losses in this league. Between a team that’s 8-8 and a team that’s 13-3, it’s probably 10 points a lot of the time. For me to put my finger on it, I’m not really sure. I think you just have to continue to practice at a high level. You have to continue to find ways to outplay your opponent just like any business. You’re not always going to the most successful quarter, but what you have to do is how can I make the next quarter more successful? What do we need to do as a business, as a team, as an organization to make our plays out on the field and during the practice week.”
(Going off the question about being a team captain, and how to communicate with the different guys. How can you work with Head Coach Brian Flores to communicate his message to the guys, and how much is he leaning on you guys as the team leaders in this rut?) – “I don’t know your sports past, but if you’ve played sports, you know that a player coming to talk to you is much more influential than a coach. Even an active player talking to you over somebody who got injured. Because when you’re taking off the field, or court, or whatever it may be, you don’t have that influence over the locker room like you may have once had. Yes, ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) is the head coach, but this is a player’s game at the end of the day. It will always be a player’s game, it always has been a player’s game. Our job as captains and leaders of this team – and this goes for really everybody, we just happen to be the guys that meet with him more often than the rest of the team –our job is to convey what he’s speaking onto the team and try to push that message on. If there is a disconnect, that’s when you have more problems than solutions. Our job is how can we convey his message to the team because it’s going to be more influential coming from us than from him.”
(Do you feel like there is a disconnect at all?) – “No. I think there are games where we lost by a lot of points. You guys heard my frustration after the Bills game. Then you make improvements, then the next week is a little better, then the next week is little better, but it’s tough in this league. There is no week that’s easy. I think outside of the locker room, everybody probably thought, ‘Oh, the Jaguars haven’t won in a while. They are a sorry team.’ There are 22 guys that start on their team that are in the National Football League that are the best of the best. There are no easy games. It’s really hard to win in this league. I don’t think there is a disconnect. You just have to keep pushing, practicing hard and preparing well in order to win games.”
(Do you sense any frustration on the part of the players? It is five losses in a row. What is the mindset?) – “I can only speak for myself. I think as a competitor, as a player, I’m always frustrated or disappointed when we don’t win. The goal of the game is to win. Your little league coach can tell you whatever he wants about it’s all about having fun, but no one has ever had fun losing. For me personally, yeah there is frustration that we’re losing, but all of that is is fuel to continue to work hard and continue to prepare well, and that’s all you can do. You can’t dwell on the past and boohoo about we’re this record and we have this many losses. All you can do is focus on the next opponent and get ready to bring your best game to the table.”
