Skins Quotes 8/20/19: Jay Gruden

August 20, 2019

Head Coach Jay Gruden

On RB Derrius Guice and TE Jordan Reed's status:
“I haven't made my decision on Jordan [Reed] nor Derrius [Guice]. We'll wait and see how they're doing on game day and make a decision then.”

On the challenge of evaluating the offense as a whole without Reed on the field:
“It's easy because guys will get more opportunities to make plays and guys behind Jordan [Reed] will get a chance to play a little more – [Jeremy] Sprinkle, [Matt] Flanagan, J.P. Holtz, Donald [Parham Jr]. So those guys will get some opportunities to play if he doesn't play.”

On DL Tim Settle and DL Caleb Brantley:
“Caleb [Brantley] did individual. [Tim] Settle did a little bit more. We'll have to wait and see on game day, see how they're doing too.”

On if there is an update on CB Fabian Moreau:
“I don't know exactly the play that he hurt it on, but he won't be available this week”

On what DL Daron Payne adds to the team:
“He's one of the strongest players on our team, he's very agile and he's very smart and plays with a great motor. So that's a hell of a combination for a defensive linemen. All three of those guys – those three guys up front, Jonathan [Allen] and Matt [Ioannidis], they all have the same work ethic, same desire to be great. It's a hell of a treat to have with that group and the rest of the people feed off that.”

On if he has seen the defensive line take a step forward this preseason:
“I have. I have. I continue to see them take their best step forward every week, every day at practice. That's what makes them special. They work very hard in the classroom, in the weight room, in the training room and then on the practice field. Our defense really starts there.”

On how exciting the defensive line is:
“It's a great rotation. Once we get Caleb [Brantley] healthy and [Tim] Settle back healthy and some other guys, defensive linemen have started to emerge a little bit – possibly a sixth or seventh guy. Those guys are fun to watch. They keep our linebackers clean where [Jon] Bostic, Shaun Dion [Hamilton] and Josh Harvey [-Clemons] and [Cole] Holcomb and of course Landon Collins frees up. It's a good group.”

On fixing the special teams errors:
“Special teams? Oh yeah for sure. Both of those [big plays] were in the fourth quarter. Not a lot of reps for those guys, some of them, especially on the interior. They've got a good look at them now and hopefully we'll get them cleaned up.”

On if he has an idea of who the starting quarterback will be Week 1:
“There's no rush to name a starter right now. I think it's important to let these guys go out and play and continue to compete. We'll continue to let them play and see what happens Thursday.”

On what he has seen from LB Ryan Anderson:
“He plays hard. He's very good against the run. He's continued to work on his craft as far as [being] a pass rusher is concerned. When you have him added with [Montez] Sweat and [Ryan] Kerrigan, that's a pretty good outside defensive end group. Then our fourth guy with Cassanova McKinzy, he's doing a pretty good job of rushing the passer. Marcus Smith [II] is doing a much better job. It's a good group to have. I think that rotation is going to be critical, especially in the hot games where teams are going no-huddle a little bit – to have a good, solid rotation of guys who can get after the passer and play the run. [I think] we're pretty solid.”

On WR Trey Quinn is still the starting slot receiver:
“We still have high hopes that he [Trey Quinn] will be fine for Philly. In the meantime, while he's been hurt with his thumb, we've got to look at some other guys. Steven Sims has done a good job, [Darvin] Kidsy has done a good job there when he has been asked. As far as the other guys I think it's important for them all to play and we'll just figure it out at the right time.”

On what Josh Doctson being on the first team means for other receivers:
“He's been running with the one's the whole camp. Paul [Richardson] being out has kind of put a wrench into the starting flanker spot. [Brian] Quick has been getting it a little bit. Obviously, [Kelvin] Harmon is coming on. Cam Sims is coming on. They've been pretty exciting for us. We've got a chance to look at all our receivers. Going to try and get them some touches in this game, it's going to be important. See how they block in the running game and how they do in the kickoff cover, punt cover will be very important for them.”

On how important it is for him to see Guice play in the preseason:
“I think it's important for him to get a couple carries. Just get a feel of getting tackled again, I'd love to see that happen. Coming off an injury, I don't want the first carry for him to be against Philadelphia, really. I'd like to get him a couple carries, get a little sweat going, feel the contact and get used to being taken to the ground, protecting the football.”

On if he will consider playing Guice in the final preseason game if Guice doesn't see action against Atlanta:
“Yeah I'd consider it, but I feel pretty confident that he's got a chance to go.”

On if he has a better sense of using the challenge flag on pass interference calls:
“Still trying to get a feel for it, the tricky part is what camera angles do they [the referees] have in certain games and what is going to be called blatant enough to overturn it, or put a flag on the field? You know that's the angles, you have to see if they have the angles possible and then they have to make the determination through New York and through the referee. It's not a perfect process, it's something we're all fighting through, but if the play is big enough and we feel like there's a chance for us to throw the flag, we can. But it's also important – especially in the second half to make sure we have a chance to challenge and to have our timeouts, so you can't just go flag happy. If you lose them, you lose your time outs. It could be a four-minute drill and you need those timeouts to get the ball back. It's going to be a tricky situation. If it is clear and obvious I think is the keyword for everybody coaches and referees for it to be overturned and it has to be clear and obvious for us to throw the flag. Slow motion replies might look clear and obvious, but it may not be to New York or the referee. So we just have to be careful about going crazy.”

On if Quinn will still be held out in the third preseason game:
"Yeah, he'll be out Thursday."

On Landon Collins' impact on the defense and becoming one of the leaders of the unit:
“Yeah, for sure and that's what we brought him in for. Another tone-setter, especially in the secondary, a guy that can create momentum changes for us and that doesn't have to be by getting interceptions or forcing turnovers, sometimes it's a big hit, sometimes it's critical communication to get people in the right spot. Maybe it's forcing them to run back into Daron Payne or Johnathan Allen so they can make a big play. So yes, he's been everything we've hoped for so far. Obviously, we've got to put him on the field against Philadelphia and Dallas and the Bears the first three weeks, but we feel very good about where he is.”

On if WR Paul Richardson Jr. will play in the third preseason game:
“Probably not, I don't know yet.

On how the offensive coaches have been working together in their new roles:
“It's been good, ya know? The first game, [offensive coordinator] Kevin [O'Connell] was upstairs, the second game he was downstairs. I let him call some of the plays and it's been good. It's been a smooth process. [Quarterbacks coach] Tim [Rattay] and [senior offensive assistant] Matt [Cavanaugh] are upstairs; they are helping with the replay and then ideas on what to get to on the next series for offense or what happened on defense on the last series. Obviously, Kevin's a big help as far as recommending plays along with [assistant head coach/offensive line] Bill Callahan, so we have a good system in place.”

On how much more comfortable he is in his role heading into his sixth season with the Redskins:
“I think you get more comfortable [with] better people you have surrounding you. I feel really good about the people we've surrounded myself with, coaches and players alike. Obviously, we have a new quarterback, whoever it is, it's going to be a new quarterback and that's going to be a key element. Offensive line we have to get shored up a little bit. Defensively, I feel very confident in what coach [defensive coordinator Greg] Manusky and the players are doing right now. Adding [inside linebackers] coach [Rob] Ryan and [defensive backs] coach [Ray] Horton helps out a lot. Obviously, offensive staff I feel good about. A lot of carryover there. Now it's just a matter of getting our quarterback ready and comfortable.”

Per Brian Mitchell the problem with the Redskins approach is that by not having a hard camp and holding almost all their key starters back in the preseason is that they will take several weeks during the season to get in game shape and that's when some of these guys seem to go down year after year.

I'll never understand why the league doesn't just dispense with the pre-season. It serves no purpose. As long as every team is starting cold, who the hell cares? If it's just about jacking up customers for an extra 4 games every year, raise ticket prices.

No one benefits from the pre-season anymore.


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