Skins Quotes 12/18/17: Jay Gruden

December 18, 2017

Head Coach Jay Gruden

On injuries:
“[Bashaud] Breeland has an AC joint sprain, he'll be day-to-day. Ryan Anderson has a knee issue, a patella tendon strain, he'll be day-to-day. And Montae Nicholson is still symptomatic and in concussion protocol.”

On areas in which he'd like to see improvement:
“I'd like to see our special teams improve quite a bit. I think I'd like to see some type of momentum swinging-type plays – a blocked kick or a return or something like that – to get them jumpstarted a little bit. Obviously offensively, third down has been an issue the last few weeks. That's something we really have to hone in on, especially against Denver, who has an excellent defense. And then defensively, just continue to fly to the ball and do well in the red zone and third down.”

On the third-down offense:
“We've had some opportunities, we just haven't finished plays like we'd like. And it's something different every time. Sometimes it's third-and-really-long and hard to get, sometimes we've missed the throw, sometimes the protection hasn't been good enough or what have you, and sometimes the defense made good plays. So, a little combination of everything on third down.”

On why they've struggled on special teams:
“I think a lot of turnover on special teams. You know, we talked about some of the changes we've made on offense and defense, but that's true for special teams also. You've got different wings, you've got different guards, you've got different tackles, you've got different flyers from time to time, so I think it's just a matter of trying to get some consistency in the guys who we're playing and making sure we coach them up a little better.”

On if there is still a chance DL Jonathan Allen could return this season:
“I don't think we're going to do anything with Jonathan. I think by the time he gets back out to practice and gets in shape, I think the season will be over. He's in good shape but I think in football shape is a little bit different. We'll probably just get him ready for the OTAs.”

On how he would evaluate Allen's rookie season:
“Well, it seems like it was so long ago that he played, I can't really remember. But I think he was off to a good start really. I think his strength at the point of attack was outstanding. His ability to play the run was good. And then we used him in nickel situations also, which he was pushing the pocket extremely well. Sack production didn't really tell the story about how productive he was. I think he played very well.”

On how important it is from an organizational standpoint to finish the season 8-8:
“I don't know what the perception is or will be – if it's 7-9 or 8-8 or whatever it is. I know the perception is [that] it probably wasn't a good enough year for anybody. But to finish strong and get to 8-8 says a lot about the character of these guys and their ability to continue to work hard through tough times. That's our goal right now is to finish strong. And we have a very good team coming in here in Denver, top defense in the league, then obviously closing out against the rival, the Giants. Will be tough.”

On midseason acquisitions like C Tony Bergstrom and RB Kapri Bibbs making an impact:
“Yeah, I've been very impressed with them. It's one thing to come in here and learn the system, but another to come in here and play and produce. Both of them did what they were asked of and they both played very well. Kapri made some plays yesterday on a screen play and in some protections did some decent things and had some other catches. So I was impressed the way Kapri carried himself, the way he handled himself both mentally and physically. It was a good add for us. He will get more and more opportunities next week. Same with Tony. Tony came in at a tough time. We were really, really light and he came in and picked up the system extremely easily and played well for us at center.”

On what DL Anthony Lanier II did better yesterday:
“He was using his hands a lot better on a couple of the rushes. He did a nice job. And then when he didn't get to the quarterback, he got his hands in the passing lane. He had three deflected passes. One of them saved a touchdown. The guy was wide open in the end zone and he batted it down on third-and-goal there at the end of the half. A combination of things really. I think he is getting more comfortable with what Coach [Jim] Tomsula is asking of him and he is starting to get off the ball, use his hands and become more of a presence inside there. He's still got to iron out and work on some things in the running game, but for the most part I've been happy with Anthony's progress.”

On if there was anything consistent in the offense's struggles on third down:
“Not really consistent, no. A couple of them were protection-related. We gave up a couple T-E stunts again. A couple of them we missed the throw – Josh [Doctson] there in the red zone and he got hit in the back on that one. A couple of them we had a route that was short of the sticks and we were hoping to get a run after the catch and didn't get it. The guy made a good tackle. So there was a combination of a lot of things but we just have got to keep plugging away and try to keep them in the third-and-four and third-and-fives and stay out of those eight, nine, ten, 12 and 23 ones.”

On if they will have a second player return from the Reserve/Injured list:
“No, we are not going to use anybody to bring back.”

On C Chase Roullier:
“Yeah, Chase did good. He did good. It was good to see him back in there. His snaps were outstanding and handled the calls and play well. I like Chase's progress right now. I think he is going to be a very good center for a long time here. It was a great pickup for us in the draft. love his demeanor. He's got great strength, great lower body strength and he gets off the ball. He missed on a couple cut-offs – one or two – but for the most part I think Chase played very well.”

On LB Zach Brown's status:
“We will see. He is in treatment right now and I think that will be a… I gave them off today and we will see them Wednesday again. He will get treatment again tomorrow. Hopefully we will get him out there at practice.”

On how CB Bashaud Breeland responded after last week:
“I think he responded well. The defensive backs played very well. They held Blaine [Gabbert] to a very low completion percentage. They disrupted timing quite a bit and enabled our pass rush to get home. They played well. There was a couple coverages that I'm sure he wishes he had back, but for the most part I was impressed with the way they tackled and held the receivers, too, without a lot of big plays. They had a couple big plays, but not many.”

On if a decision has been made on T Trent Williams for the remainder of the season:
“Not quite yet. Not quite yet.”

On the benefit of the continuity at quarterback with Kirk Cousins:
“Well, that's one position that you really don't want a lot of change during the season, that's for sure. We've been very fortunate to keep him healthy and for him to stay healthy and for him to be able to be in the lineup this entire season despite all the people that have changed around him. He's taken some shots, as he did yesterday, but he's been very durable for us and played very well.”

On how alternating quarterbacks can affect play calling:
“Well, it changes a lot. Depending on the player, it could have a different type of effect on what you call as far as… Some guys get out of the pocket a little bit easier than others, so it just changes your game plan considerably. Paxton [Lynch] is probably more of a better athlete. They might do more things on the move with him. The other two guys, [Brock] Osweiler is an entirely different athlete than Paxton, but we'll see how it works out.”

On how disruptive it was to alternate quarterbacks in his first year in Washington:
“It was pretty disruptive. We try to keep a core group of plays that guys are comfortable with and try to stick to those. When you have a lot of change, you don't add a lot of new things for each individual quarterback, but you try to keep the core concepts in there and let them all try to work with those.”

On Arizona's pooch kick and the leverage penalty against DL A.J. Francis:
“The pooch kick was an unbelievable kick. It was a Jordan Spieth sand wedge that backed up, which I think Niles [Paul] went after it and he was ready for the bounce and it just bounced and had back spin on it somehow. It was just a great kick – great execution by their kicker. Our guys knew to get on the ball. It's not like they didn't know. They just couldn't get there. The other one – A.J. – I think he did put his hands on the lineman and elevated a little bit. I don't think that's the spirit of the rule, but they called it and we just have to make sure we guard against that and don't use leverage as an advantage for us. Otherwise, they'll call it.”

On how QB Colt McCoy has handled his role given Cousins' durability:
“He's been great. He's been a great backup for Kirk and very helpful in the quarterback room. He's part of the reason why we have bad practices, so it seems, because he's throwing the ball extremely well on scout team. He is doing everything he can to get himself ready to play. I know he's frustrated a little bit, but he knows his role and he's the No. 2 quarterback. He's handling it with class and he's really helping out the quarterback room.”




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On C Chase Roullier:
“Yeah, Chase did good. He did good. It was good to see him back in there. His snaps were outstanding and handled the calls and play well. I like Chase's progress right now. I think he is going to be a very good center for a long time here.

Click to expand...

That last bit would seem that you can pencil him in as the starting Center going into next season.

I think that will be the case - they seem to be very happy with how Chase has handled those duties.