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June 6, 2019
Head Coach Jay Gruden
On WR Trey Quinn:
"Yeah, he just tweaked his hammy. He will be all right. We just kept him out today. He's been running a lot."
On his evaluation of veteran minicamp:
"Yeah, there are a lot of good things to like. There are always things to clean up, but I've been most impressed with the young guys coming in here and picking up the system. We've thrown a lot at them – coverages, fronts, blitzes, play concepts, formations, run concepts, RPOs. They did a great job, hats off to the coaching staff for getting them out there and ready to play. I was also equally impressed with the veterans. Those guys came out and set the tone, Jonathan [Allen] and [Daron] Payne on our defense, and Kerrigan as always. Secondary-wise they did a nice job. Landon [Collins], for the amount of time he came in here, bought in and they communicated well. Offensively, obviously we have some shuffling on the offensive line. It's been an issue, but we expected that, but overall, I'd say we've made steady progress."
On Defensive Back Coach Ray Horton:
"I think Ray brings a wealth of experience to the room, both as a coordinator and a position coach. He's seen just about everything, he's coached just about everybody. He's coached great players and he's developed players. His ability to communicate is what makes him a great football coach. I think he and Josh [Norman], in the short time they've had together, you can see the mutual respect they have for one another. That's important from a player to coach and this can help Josh in the long run and Josh is going to help us."
On RB Adrian Peterson:
"No doubt he is comfortable and he's in great shape again. I think the big thing is that he looks even healthier, which is important. Last year, towards the end, he was playing with quite a few different nagging-type injuries and he fought through, which he always will. I think anytime you're a football player and you're in a second year in a system, you'll be more comfortable. Things will happen more naturally to you, the paths, the footwork in the backfield, whether you're from the dot, which he's really comfortable, right behind the quarterback or in the offset gun where he had to really work last year to get better. He's more comfortable. He's in great shape and we're excited to have him back."
On if less carries will affect Peterson:
"I don't think so. I don't know why that would hurt him, but he is a guy that gets better with more attempts. I think assuming what we saw from Derrius [Guice] in college, he'd probably be the same way and I think Samaje [Perine] really has been the guy that has been most impressive. He's been out here taking all the reps. He's really improved in not only the running game, but also in the passing game. That's three pretty good backs right there. Then we have Byron [Marshall], Chris Thompson and Craig Reynolds that have done an excellent job. So that's a loaded backfield and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out."
On the run game:
"Hopefully we have balance, that's always the key. Whenever we were effective on offense, back when we went to the playoffs and all that stuff, we had great balance, that's key. We stayed out of the second and longs and third and logs. We were able to convert drives. When we were effective last year with Alex [Smith] early in the season it's because we were moving the football, making our third downs, mixing in the run, pass, and play action. That's when most offenses are at their best. When we struggled at the end of the year, it's because we were in a lot of second and thirteens and third and tens, had a young quarterback and had a lot of turnover on the offensive line. It's hard to function in the NFL that way. Obviously, running the football is the first and foremost priority here, but sometimes mixing in a quick pass on first down to get a positive gain is also a great option with the weapons that we have."
On Special Teams Coordinator Nate Kaczor:
"I'm very impressed with Nate, he's very detailed and he brings great energy. He's a great coach to each individual player, as well as the group, and that's important. I think guys buy into his energy, it's legitimate and they understand the importance of special teams. I've made that point many times in our team meetings. They understand that if it's close between a position; we're going to go to Nate's room to find out who he likes better on special teams. The guys have bought in. We have some excellent special teams players and special teams leaders like Deshazor Everett. Those guys are doing a good job, but Nate has been excellent."
On the changes to the special teams system:
"A lot of it is carry over from team to team, but there is a lot of fundamental footwork that can change, some terminology that can change, and some basically philosophy that can change, quite honestly. Nate's got his own spin on everything. Special team wise, it might be a set by a guard on a punt, it might be a way we block somebody on a kickoff return. The big thing is that he is a great teacher and guys have bought in. You can see the drills are fast and crisp, and guys are doing what they're supposed to do and being where they're supposed to be."
On the media's perception of the wide receivers:
"[To Chris Russell, 106.7 The Fan] You said something positive about our team [laughter]? Wow, I've got to see that. I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding. You know, obviously out here people don't have the luxury of watching us out here, a lot of the naysayers to speak. The people that are critical of our team or what have you, they don't see these guys work every day like we do. The way Josh Doctson continues to come on, what Terry [McLaurin] has done as a rookie already the amount of plays he's made, Trey Quinn with his ability to play in the slot and play outside, even Cam Sims coming back from his injury. Kelvin Harmon, his size and ability to pick up this offense pretty good. Paul [Richardson Jr.] is not even out here, just on a limited basis, but we know what he bring to this team when he's healthy. So, I think it's a great group, I really do. It's a great group because they're different and they can do different things. They've got the speed with Paul and Terry, bust you down the field. We have the size and the strength. Terry is also big and Kelvin and obviously Josh with underneath routes and Trey working the underneath stuff. We haven't even talked about Jordan Reed part of that group and Vernon Davis. I think it's a great group to have, a great group to work with."
On his relationship with CB Josh Norman:
"I'm great with Josh. You know, Josh is an excellent football player. He makes our football team better. That's all I care about, really. When he's here in the secondary, we're better. He's a physical corner, he created turnovers last year for us and he's a good player. We're going to have some issues from time to time where we don't see eye-to-eye, but he's got to understand I am the head coach and what I say goes. Not everybody believes that all the time but that's usually the case [laughter]. Especially him, but I like Josh. I like where he's at. Wish he was here for OTAs but those are voluntary. But, he was here the last couple days and we see what type of difference he makes. [He] had two picks in two days. We need Josh, we like Josh a lot."
On Norman as a competitor:
"He's a great competitor. That's what makes him great. You know, he may not have the speed that you might want to see at corner. He may not have certain things, but the one thing that sets him apart from everybody else is competitiveness. He's a great competitor whether it's in the running game or when he's on the best receivers. He tends to have better games when he's on better people and he feels challenged. So, he's got to understand every player is a challenge in the NFL, no matter what the name is on the back of the jersey. He's just got to step up his game at all times, but he's an excellent football player, I think very underrated in people's eyes."
On the linebackers:
"Yeah, I think those guys are interchangeable, but I like where they're at. I think Shaun Dion [Hamilton], I mentioned Samaje [Perine], but when I look at the tape on Shaun Dion, he has showed up more so than any time I've seen Shaun Dion. He's healthy. He's running faster, way faster now than he was this time last year. I mean he looks fast. He looks instinctive. He's what we thought we could get when we drafted him from Alabama. He's set. Obviously Mason [Foster]'s doing a good job, but I've been impressed with [Jon] Bostic. He came in here for a couple days. He picked up the system quickly. He's running around. He's playing fast, smart. You know he's a physical player, we can't tell that without pads on, but that's his MO as a player. I've been impressed with him. I've been very impressed with Cole Holcomb, the way he's running around there. He's fast, athletic. So, all those guys are doing good. Obviously, we've got the other guys that are doing good as well."
On what will determine the starter at inside linebacker:
"We just got to continue to work. Whoever plays best most consistently, you know, there are different roles for them. Josh Harvey-Clemons, I didn't mention, but he's a guy who can come in and cover people. So, it's going to be who the top two are then the next two are going to have to fill a role. Special teams as well. There's still a lot of ball to be played before we start making those determinations."
On the status of the quarterback competition:
"It's in the same spot. You know this is just part of the process really. For me to make a determination on the starting quarterback after mini-camp or mandatory camp is just kind of foolish. We'll let these guys continue to play and see which one continues to improve, which one is most consistent throughout the training camp and preseason and we'll go from there. I promise you I feel good about any of the three playing. They're all great players and great competitors, they picking it up well. They have qualities you want in a starting quarterback, so hopefully we make the right decision."
On which player is leading the quarterback competition:
"We're not even thinking about that right now to be honest with you. We're giving them equal reps. We don't really have a one's or a two's right now. We're switching in the receivers, subbing them in. Doesn't matter who's out there for tight ends. You know, I think we'll start to get some true first-team reps when we have a first team on offense. Right now we really don't. We'll start to do that once training camp hits."
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