JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile spoke with the local media on Wednesday about Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride and the recent roughing the passer flags.
For a partial transcript of his comments, read below.
Q: On if Cardinals TE Trey McBride is used similarly to Raiders TE Brock Bowers?
Campanile: “Yeah, very similar. He’s got all the skill sets of a great receiver and much like Bowers can accelerate after the catch so we have to do a great job against him. That is a point of emphasis. You’ve got to know what their plan is and how they’re using him and we’ve got to have a good feel for where he is every snap because he’s really done a tremendous job this year and last year. He’s one of the better players at that position in the entire league.”
Q: On how to coach the team to be aggressive but not get penalized in the game?
Campanile: “Yeah, I think you’ve just got to coach—somebody asked something similar recently, but you’ve just got to coach the fundamentals of that. Running through the strike zone, trying to get your head to the side, not slamming the quarterback through the ground, all that. I don’t think any of that stuff is easy for a defensive player.
September 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The game was different when I was playing, so that stuff that you’re constantly looking at and talking to other people about, like how you can do a great job of that and not be penalized because when you do make a great play like B.J. did the other day and Tra [DE Travon Walker] made a great one the other day against Houston. That’s hard. We’ve got to do a great job of that as coaches trying to put them in a situation where we don’t want to take the aggressiveness away from our guys. That’s the bottom line, we want them to go a thousand miles an hour and get right up to the point of contact and making sure you’re doing it within the rules. That’s really my best answer for you.”
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile walks off the field to be interviewed by media members after an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Q: On if the roughing the passer penalties are frustrating?
Campanile: “I think it’s all part of it. That’s tough, but we’ve just got to do a good job coaching it. Smoot [DE Dawuane Smoot] did a great job on the rush right there and did a really good job with his feet and upper body, got in on one and those are two right there that we feel like we could have came away with in the game also. So, it’s a tough deal, but we’ve just got to keep them going the way they’re going, the way we were going on Sunday. We’ve got to keep that mentality and effort to the quarterback and do a good job getting them down on the ground.”
A fan shows that she has a crush on Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little (39) during the first quarter in an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, November 16, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] / Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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