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September 30, 2016
Head Coach Jay Gruden
On the injury report:
“Out will be [Bashaud] Breeland, ankle; [Josh] Doctson, Achilles; [Shawn] Lauvao, ankle; [Dashaun] Phillips hamstring. Questionable will be [Trent] Murphy, elbow, shoulder; [Kendall] Reyes, groin.”
On if G Arie Kouandjio will start at left guard:
“Yeah, I think he’s had a good week at practice, and I think that’ll probably be the starting point as of right this second.”
On the progress he saw in Kouandjio this summer:
“Well, he’s a big guy, number one. He’s strong and he’s physical. He’s played behind a couple of pretty good guards, you know, with [Shaun] Lauvao, [Spencer] Long, [Brandon] Scherff. He’s just been waiting his turn. Continued to get better working in practice and now he’s got an opportunity like a lot of guys get in the National Football League via injury or something else. This is a chance for him to show what he has and we feel comfortable with him in there. He’s been here, knows the system. Like I said, smart, big and physical.”
On if there is a level of excitement seeing players get new opportunities to play:
“There is, there is. You never want to see anybody hurt or play for injury-type reasons, but on the flip side of that, you are excited to see those guys play, really. Especially [Kendall] Fuller and Arie, those guys have worked extremely hard and they’ve shown some great prospects and they’ve shown the ability to be good players. So we’ll see how they do when the lights cut on, and I have total confidence in them. And that’s the important thing when you practice, and you have to make sure you understand that the guys who aren’t playing, they have to have themselves ready to play at all times. So, I think the good thing about our group is even the guys who haven’t got an opportunity yet, they’re continuing to work and when they’re opportunity comes, we’re hopeful they take advantage of it, like Fuller and Kouandjio and the rest of the gang.”
On if Spencer Long will start at center:
“Yes.”
On how Long has taken on the role at center:
“He’s done good. He’s done really well. He’s progressed nicely without a doubt. But, you know, he’s played a half a football center really. A little bit, I think he might’ve played a play last year. So, we’ll see how he does from a consistent standpoint, and that’s the big challenge for him – play-in and play-out with the snaps, the cadence, the calls. I have total faith that he can do it. It’ll be a challenge for him and I think he can do it and I know he’s confident in his ability to do it. So, just got to go out and execute.”
On if they have focused on Browns RB Isaiah Crowell and the Browns run game this week:
“No question, no question. That’s a power running game. They do a lot of good things in the running game, not just with Terrelle Pryor and the read option – that’s secondary – but the No. 1 guy is Crowell. He’s an excellent back. He’s averaging I think over six yards a clip. And, you know, you start worrying about all the stuff going on with the formations and then all of a sudden they bang you with Crowell right up the middle with a power play. It’s hard to stop. Like I said before, they’ve got an excellent scheme. They’re a field goal away from being 1-2, and then they had a 20-point lead against Baltimore, 2-1. And they played pretty well against Philly until the snap went over the quarterback’s head. So, they’ve been very competitive. They’ve got good skill, and they have a good power running game led by Crowell.”
On if Kouandjio will stay at left guard if he plays well against the Browns:
“Oh, we’ll see. I don’t like to really project. I’m just a one-game-at-a-time type guy. See how they do, we’ll grade them out. When [Shawn] Lauvao gets healthy – hopefully that’ll be next week – then we’ll make that determination later, but Lauvao was playing pretty darn good before he got injured.”
On if he is hopeful G Shawn Lauvao might be ready next week:
“Oh, absolutely. Lauvao and [Bashaud] Breeland and [Josh] Doctson and [Dashaun] Phillips. We’ll see.”
Offensive Coordinator Sean McVay
On what started clicking for the running game in the fourth quarter last week:
“I thought the offensive line did a great job coming off the ball, creating some 'knock-off’ off the line of scrimmage and then our backs running hard. I thought Matt [Jones] was putting his shoulder pads down, finishing falling forward. A big back like him being able to get that body lean, we felt good about that. It was encouraging to see, especially on that last drive.”
On how RB Matt Jones has improved:
“I think a lot of it has to do with opportunities. I had to do a better job of being able to mix in the runs in those first couple weeks. We got a few more opportunities and when they presented themselves in that crunch-time situation I thought he ran his best. A bigger, physical back – I thought that he got better as the game progressed and that’s what you want to see from him.”
On if having T Trent Williams at guard created any limitations for him as a play caller:
“Yeah, fortunately. talking with Coach [Bill] Callahan during the game, I asked if there were any limitations, anything that we can’t do with Trent at left guard. He said, 'No, he’s good to go.’ And it’s a credit to Trent and just what an aware and instinctual player he is to be able to adjust inside and Ty [Nsekhe] did a nice job at tackle. It was a credit to Trent and Coach Callahan having those guys ready to adjust and go.”
On how Williams performed at guard:
“I thought he looked excellent. He looked really comfortable in there. You can just see why he’s such a special player. He just has got a natural feel for the game and sliding to gap inside. It was very clear just what a great football player he is overall and he did an excellent job.”
On why WR Jamison Crowder is so effective on screens:
“I think it’s the same reason why he’s such a great punt returner. He’s got a great feel for tight windows and spaces and he can put his foot in the ground and get vertical and hit that top acceleration very quickly. You look at it, it takes all 11 on that specific play where he did go to the house, but I thought it was a great job by him. He’s always been a guy that’s so good at screens and I think it’s a very similar translation to what he does on punt returns.”
On getting TE Jordan Reed more involved in the red zone:
“I think you always want to be conscious of getting your best players the ball and Jordan is certainly one of them. In a lot of certain situations, you try to move him around and create some favorable matchups. Defenses are aware of how well he played at the end of last year, so he’s getting a little bit more attention. We’re not running away from the problems that we have had in the red zone. It’s something that we’re continuing to work on it and we’re looking forward to the challenge to respond to it and being better in that area this week.”
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Head Coach Jay Gruden
On the injury report:
“Out will be [Bashaud] Breeland, ankle; [Josh] Doctson, Achilles; [Shawn] Lauvao, ankle; [Dashaun] Phillips hamstring. Questionable will be [Trent] Murphy, elbow, shoulder; [Kendall] Reyes, groin.”
On if G Arie Kouandjio will start at left guard:
“Yeah, I think he’s had a good week at practice, and I think that’ll probably be the starting point as of right this second.”
On the progress he saw in Kouandjio this summer:
“Well, he’s a big guy, number one. He’s strong and he’s physical. He’s played behind a couple of pretty good guards, you know, with [Shaun] Lauvao, [Spencer] Long, [Brandon] Scherff. He’s just been waiting his turn. Continued to get better working in practice and now he’s got an opportunity like a lot of guys get in the National Football League via injury or something else. This is a chance for him to show what he has and we feel comfortable with him in there. He’s been here, knows the system. Like I said, smart, big and physical.”
On if there is a level of excitement seeing players get new opportunities to play:
“There is, there is. You never want to see anybody hurt or play for injury-type reasons, but on the flip side of that, you are excited to see those guys play, really. Especially [Kendall] Fuller and Arie, those guys have worked extremely hard and they’ve shown some great prospects and they’ve shown the ability to be good players. So we’ll see how they do when the lights cut on, and I have total confidence in them. And that’s the important thing when you practice, and you have to make sure you understand that the guys who aren’t playing, they have to have themselves ready to play at all times. So, I think the good thing about our group is even the guys who haven’t got an opportunity yet, they’re continuing to work and when they’re opportunity comes, we’re hopeful they take advantage of it, like Fuller and Kouandjio and the rest of the gang.”
On if Spencer Long will start at center:
“Yes.”
On how Long has taken on the role at center:
“He’s done good. He’s done really well. He’s progressed nicely without a doubt. But, you know, he’s played a half a football center really. A little bit, I think he might’ve played a play last year. So, we’ll see how he does from a consistent standpoint, and that’s the big challenge for him – play-in and play-out with the snaps, the cadence, the calls. I have total faith that he can do it. It’ll be a challenge for him and I think he can do it and I know he’s confident in his ability to do it. So, just got to go out and execute.”
On if they have focused on Browns RB Isaiah Crowell and the Browns run game this week:
“No question, no question. That’s a power running game. They do a lot of good things in the running game, not just with Terrelle Pryor and the read option – that’s secondary – but the No. 1 guy is Crowell. He’s an excellent back. He’s averaging I think over six yards a clip. And, you know, you start worrying about all the stuff going on with the formations and then all of a sudden they bang you with Crowell right up the middle with a power play. It’s hard to stop. Like I said before, they’ve got an excellent scheme. They’re a field goal away from being 1-2, and then they had a 20-point lead against Baltimore, 2-1. And they played pretty well against Philly until the snap went over the quarterback’s head. So, they’ve been very competitive. They’ve got good skill, and they have a good power running game led by Crowell.”
On if Kouandjio will stay at left guard if he plays well against the Browns:
“Oh, we’ll see. I don’t like to really project. I’m just a one-game-at-a-time type guy. See how they do, we’ll grade them out. When [Shawn] Lauvao gets healthy – hopefully that’ll be next week – then we’ll make that determination later, but Lauvao was playing pretty darn good before he got injured.”
On if he is hopeful G Shawn Lauvao might be ready next week:
“Oh, absolutely. Lauvao and [Bashaud] Breeland and [Josh] Doctson and [Dashaun] Phillips. We’ll see.”
Offensive Coordinator Sean McVay
On what started clicking for the running game in the fourth quarter last week:
“I thought the offensive line did a great job coming off the ball, creating some 'knock-off’ off the line of scrimmage and then our backs running hard. I thought Matt [Jones] was putting his shoulder pads down, finishing falling forward. A big back like him being able to get that body lean, we felt good about that. It was encouraging to see, especially on that last drive.”
On how RB Matt Jones has improved:
“I think a lot of it has to do with opportunities. I had to do a better job of being able to mix in the runs in those first couple weeks. We got a few more opportunities and when they presented themselves in that crunch-time situation I thought he ran his best. A bigger, physical back – I thought that he got better as the game progressed and that’s what you want to see from him.”
On if having T Trent Williams at guard created any limitations for him as a play caller:
“Yeah, fortunately. talking with Coach [Bill] Callahan during the game, I asked if there were any limitations, anything that we can’t do with Trent at left guard. He said, 'No, he’s good to go.’ And it’s a credit to Trent and just what an aware and instinctual player he is to be able to adjust inside and Ty [Nsekhe] did a nice job at tackle. It was a credit to Trent and Coach Callahan having those guys ready to adjust and go.”
On how Williams performed at guard:
“I thought he looked excellent. He looked really comfortable in there. You can just see why he’s such a special player. He just has got a natural feel for the game and sliding to gap inside. It was very clear just what a great football player he is overall and he did an excellent job.”
On why WR Jamison Crowder is so effective on screens:
“I think it’s the same reason why he’s such a great punt returner. He’s got a great feel for tight windows and spaces and he can put his foot in the ground and get vertical and hit that top acceleration very quickly. You look at it, it takes all 11 on that specific play where he did go to the house, but I thought it was a great job by him. He’s always been a guy that’s so good at screens and I think it’s a very similar translation to what he does on punt returns.”
On getting TE Jordan Reed more involved in the red zone:
“I think you always want to be conscious of getting your best players the ball and Jordan is certainly one of them. In a lot of certain situations, you try to move him around and create some favorable matchups. Defenses are aware of how well he played at the end of last year, so he’s getting a little bit more attention. We’re not running away from the problems that we have had in the red zone. It’s something that we’re continuing to work on it and we’re looking forward to the challenge to respond to it and being better in that area this week.”
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