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Skins Quotes 10/11/19: Callahan, O’Connell

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October 11, 2019
Interim Head Coach Bill Callahan

Opening statement:
“First off, congratulations to the [Washington] Nationals and [Manager] Dave Martinez, wow. Martinez has done a hell of a job and that's quite an accomplishment. I wish him and we wish him the best of luck tonight against the [St. Louis] Card[inal]s and that's just outstanding what they've done and what they've accomplished and all the best to those guys. I love baseball so that's super cool. In terms of our quarterback situation, [QB] Case [Keenum] will be the starter and [QB] Dwayne [Haskins Jr.] will back up for this game. So that's where we're at heading into the weekend. With that, questions?”

On why they chose Keenum as the starter:
“For a lot of reasons. Number one: He was the starter, he's a captain. It was a matter of his health throughout the week so we really, like I told you earlier [this week], we were going to make that assessment and make that evaluation and he's good, obviously clear to go. No brainer as far as we're concerned.”

On why they chose Haskins as the backup:
“I think for obvious reasons like I talked about [QB] Dwayne [Haskins] being the future of this franchise so I think it's always invaluable that a quarterback is ready and prepared. It heightens his awareness. We have a package of plays for him going into this game. That's just allowed us to focus on the ability to bring him along and groom him futuristically.”

On if QB Colt McCoy is fully healthy:
“Yeah I think so. I think he's O.K. I know that he just came off this injury and he's doing everything in his power to maximize his capabilities. He moved fine, he just hasn't played in a long time. So I think as he continues to get reps and prepare himself, I think he'll be a little bit stronger as we go forward.”

On what Keenum does to give the team the best chance to win against the Dolphins:
“There's so many reasons. He's well-prepared first off. He has the makeup of a solid starter. He prepares like no quarterback I've seen or comparable to the quarterbacks I've seen. Just his demeanor on the field and around the building. ‘First one in, last one out' type of guy. He's always watching film. He's always inquisitive, always curious, asking questions about the game plan. He wants to do well so he's really focused hard on his preparation going into this weekend so I just love everything about what he's done. How he's handled his adversity with his injury, how he's come back and how he's prepared himself for this [coming] game.”

On how the quarterback rotation affects the other position groups:
“Everybody is locked in. Everybody knows what to expect. There's no flinching by anybody. There's really complete buy in. Nothing that I've heard that speaks to the contrary. [QB Case Keenum] is solid in terms of where he's situated and obviously the belief that he's gotten from his teammates, the support he's gotten from his teammates. We're really excited to watch him on Sunday.”

On if he suggested the recent practice changes to former Head Coach Jay Gruden:
“No, no, not necessarily. Throughout the years, I've taken bits and pieces from everybody, just always made notes and in the back of my mind or in a notebook or something. So I've gotten a lot of exposure to a lot of different people around the league, I've talked to people around the league about their schedules and their practices and how they conduct them. Basically, it's like stealing. Ask them about what they're doing. I've just researched a lot about it over the years. I've just kinda put together, formulated a lot of things in my own mind as to what I would do. I never thought this opportunity would come again and strangely, it has. So with that, this was an opportunity to put those thoughts to paper and implement to the practice.”

On if he made suggestions to Gruden about practice in the past:
“Oh yeah, I have. And I definitely have helped him, [former Head Coach] Jay [Gruden], throughout the years when he's asked for help. I've certainly done so.”

On if the quarterback situation will be week-to-week:
“I think the NFL is a week-to-week thing. It's crazy. Things change so rapidly and every game is different. So you don't know what's going to happen so we'll play it by ear and see what happens after this game and we'll go from there.”

On setting a basic starting lineup:
“Yeah I think across the board we're looking to get a lot more continuity back on our offense with [G] Brandon [Scherff] [C] and Chase Roullier back in the lineup, that gives us a little more continuity up front. I think we're back to where we were when we got into the opener. The health of our team is getting there, so that's always promising. Just trying to figure out ways to maximize our execution with the personnel that we have, no matter who's in the game. We'll see what happens.”

On the newly added development periods in practice:
“Just twice a week on Wednesday and Thursdays are our post-practice opportunities for a player to improve a particular technique, fundamental skill, etc. Then for our younger players, whether they're practice squad or first-year players, it's the time to really work a little bit harder on their craft. And I've always done this throughout my career, especially as an [offensive] line coach, you have to develop younger linemen and you don't always have the time during the heart of the day, base of practice to get time in. So, there's no better time to do that than in the post-practice when you have some time, you can slow down your teaching, you time them through different progressions and you can challenge them in different ways. I just think it's invaluable to develop a player. It's invaluable in post-practice to use that time to groom a player and groom his skillset, help him mature, help him acclimate a little bit better.”

On how long the new practice periods are:
“They're the same, same practice [schedule]. Just 10 minutes. I think that's pretty standard across the league. Everybody has basically done this. It's a little bit new for some of our other guys. For the line, we've always stayed out [longer]. But across the league, there's always been an opportunity period, a developmental period where you try to work the bottom of your roster to improve it. Like I said, no better time than to do it when it's slowed down and the coach can get one-on-one with the player and really try to help him improve his craft.”

On if the post-practice opportunities affect other schedules:
“No, it's not longer. It's not taxing. No, it's a normal flow, it's normal so nothing is really changed in terms of a meeting being pushed up or pushed back. It hasn't altered the schedule one bit in that respect.”

Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell

On getting back to the run game this week and whether he thinks it will be effective:
“I think so. I think there are some examples all over the league of teams that do it a different way, maybe. A variety of run games, there's definitely not one way to do it, but I think you can establish the run. It helps, obviously, the quarterback position on first and second-down. Obviously, stay ahead of the chains, convert on some first and second-down run opportunities that can lead to some play-pass and some movement opportunities. Across the board, like every week we've had this season we have a run plan that we're pretty confident in. We've just got to go out and execute it and let the game come to us from a standpoint of trying to throw the football in the play-pass game, like I said. I'd like to get this receiving core and our group of skill players going as well.”

On what he's seen from QB Case Keenum and how to build upon his first four games:
“I think it's a process. He did a great job for us throughout training camp leading into the season and then obviously the way we started the game against the Eagles in the opener was kind of indicative of how we hoped Case would play. He's really had some great moments, he's had some throws that I'm sure he'd like to have back, but that's true for a lot of quarterbacks in this league right now. So, the biggest thing is just putting together a plan where he can feel confident that he has the ability to go out, be consistent, lead this group and continue to put people in position to have some success, and distribute the football and let our playmakers have a good day on Sunday.”

On whether jet sweeps, misdirection's, screens, etc. count as running plays:
“No, they definitely are. I mean, I come from the school of thought from some of the coaches that I've worked for that there are a lot of extensions of the run-game – those jet sweep plays, the misdirection plays, specials, screens to both the running backs and the receivers, RPOs, run plays with pass answers to how a defense wants to play. I think you need all of those tools at your disposal. Defenses are very, very good. They understand how to leverage certain formations. They understand how to take advantage of what you're trying to do on offense and kind of dictate to you as an offense. So all of those answers that we have in our system and then things we're building upon are answers for us to use on Sunday to help kind of kick the tires and get the run-game going in whatever facet we have to.”

On how to process the amount of change that's happened in a week:
“All I really know is to be consistent and show up to work every day for the betterment of the 53 guys on our team and the 10 guys on our practice squad. Both offensively and defensively, I think those guys look at me and want to see consistency in my approach every single day. There's been a lot of change, but at the same time throughout all that change my main goal is still being consistent, still having a lot of energy, still having a lot of positivity with that offense, which I think can bleed over to both the defense and the special teams as well. Like I've said many times, we have good leadership on our team, we've relied on those guys this week, as well as our coaching staff as a whole. We feel good about our plan, definitely feel confident that the guys have had three really good days of practice despite all the change. So I'm excited to just watch these guys go out and play on Sunday and hopefully watch that really good week of practice turn into a good performance on Sunday.”

On how different the offense will look now that he's calling the plays:
“I don't know. Our formations are still the same. There's not a lot you can do differently, nor really from a [schematic] standpoint. What I really want too at this point with the fact that these guys are trying to play fast, you don't want them having to think and learn on the fly too much. But I definitely want to try to put our guys in positions to have success and I want our guys to feel confident that the plays that I'm calling come from a school of thought of doing that and taking advantage of what we do well as an offense, what we do well from a personnel standpoint, relying on our big guys up front, letting Case be a distributor of the football, getting us in and out of bad plays into good plays and then the consistency of converting on third-down. We want to convert on third-down, we want to convert in the red zone, and first and second-down success has definitely a lot to do with that. But I'm challenging our guys – how many times can we, as 11 guys in the offensive huddle, break that huddle and have 11 guys do their job? I think if we do that play-in and play-out, drive-in and drive-out, we're going to like where we are at least from an execution standpoint on Sunday.”

On the adjustment of calling plays and how prepared he feels:
“I'm just going to rely on my preparation. It's not that much different for me from the situation before. Coach Gruden allowed me to have – we had a lot of dialogue, we had a lot of, not only throughout the week leading up to how we put the plan together, but over the last three years really on game day. I'll rely on some of the assistant coaches obviously who have certain roles in our preparation, but at the end of the day I feel pretty strongly about my experience level that I do have as well as my communication ability with not only the quarterback, but the rest of our offense and coaches. So, relying on that, preparation, communicate early and often, then be ready to make some adjustments and obviously, hopefully, play well not only in the first half, but be ready to play four quarters including the second half.”

On WR Steven Sims. Jr's growth:
“Steven, from day one – I was giving him a hard time this week. I can remember him at rookie minicamp immediately flashing in the first one-on-one period we had against the defense running routes. Steven was showing up. You know, you're checking your roster and you're looking at this number 15 and this number 15 keeps showing up. That consistently happened, you guys were here for a lot of that and obviously in Richmond getting to watch him down in training camp. His skill set is real, I've said that a lot. His skill set is real, his confidence in his ability, but also he's very hungry to make plays. He's very hungry to make an impact on the game. Really, in a way, the best thing about him is he just wants to win. He wants to have a positive impact, but he's also the first guy to support the teammates around him. AP, when he rips off a good run or Case makes a good throw, I always see number 15 in the huddle high-fiving his teammates and getting guys ready. And that's good to see for a rookie just because he's still trying to get acclimated in our system and his role, which is ever-evolving. Definitely have a lot plans for him both in the run-game and the pass game.”

On how hard it is to adjust scheme with different quarterbacks:
“It's definitely a challenge, but you rely on your system, you rely on your core philosophical beliefs in offense and the quarterback position. I'm a big believer in trying to do what guys do well and fit them into a scheme that makes them the most comfortable, whether that's Case and his experience and his ownership of the offense, it's Dwayne and his skillset – if he were going into the game my number one goal would be to try to get him comfortable in what we're asking him to do. There may be some plays on the call sheet that I love that might have to stay on the call sheet just from a sheer ability to go in and execute the entire volume of a system. And that's not any slight on anyone, that's just the reality of a young player trying to grow and become what we hope Dwayne can become. Going back to those other guys you mentioned, there's a long list there over three years, but the one characteristic is just always trying to do what those guys do well and constantly be trying to evolve and help them do the things that maybe they don't do well that I think maybe could help them play at a high level.”

On how Monday through Saturday changes after the coaching transition:
“Obviously, I was doing a lot of the scripting before for practices and the call periods I was doing some of those before. So from a standpoint of – throughout the week the preparation changed just because there was just a little bit more on my plate from the final decisions. But from a standpoint of my film study and my routine Monday through Wednesday before the players get in, that didn't change all that much. I'm sure the next 36 to 48 hours will just as I prepare for this opportunity obviously, and looking where we're at from a health standpoint and where Coach Callahan wants to be at from a team standpoint. I'll really lock in on that.”

On how to balance Callahan's run-first approach with his own game plan:
“I've been around Bill for a long time; it goes back to my time with him in New York, even as a player when I was a player on those teams of Coach Rex Ryan and Bill was the [offensive line coach]. We did a lot with our run game then, so I've learned a lot from Bill over the years and obviously our communication needs to be very, very strong and it is. But the identity of our offense, hopefully, is moving the football and scoring points and helping our team win. I think you do that by running the football and keeping the defense off-balance. We've got to be able to do both and it falls on my shoulders to do that now, and I do not take that responsibility lightly at all.”

On whether it's been difficult to find an offensive identity:
“It's been a challenge at times just because it's not only – if we were just playing a game on an unlimited clock with no scoreboard and you were just out running plays, of course you would continue to run the football and continue to establish some physicality. But over the course of a four-quarter game, with the situations of the game, the time management situations, sometimes trying to keep a lead, sometimes trying to go get a lead, or chase somebody down with a lead, your philosophy on what you're calling needs to change while still sticking with the identity of what you want to be. Sometimes you can do that in the pass-game as well. It doesn't necessarily just have to be good old-fashioned downhill runs, you can still run the football by attacking sub defense, by attacking base defense. I don't want to get all X's and O's on you guys, but there is an element of wanting to establish the run, maintain the run with consistency and our approach to it, while also being really, really balanced in how we attack people and try to dictate the tempo of the game.”

On how he defines offensive balance:
“I think balance is just the ability, however you're doing it, to stay ahead of the chains and have productive plays leading into third-and-manageable situations, leading into some explosives. I know I've talked about that in the past, but if explosive plays are showing up in the run and the pass-game, you're doing something right. If your third-down conversion rate is not where you want it, you probably need to go look at your first and second-down success, look at your first and second-down penalties, where are they coming and what kind of plays are they coming on that force you to be in those long-yardage situations. In the first five weeks of the season we played some good defenses, so when we got in those situations they're not just going to play with 10 and let you get an easy completion on third-and-fourteen or fifteen. They're going to rush the passer, they're going to try to force turnovers, try to flip the field. They're going to try to do all of those things that we're trying to do as a team and vice-versa. I think balance whatever we can do to stay ahead of the chains – we can have production on first and second-down and I think that can vary from basically any play in our playbook to the confidence we have on third-down and the red zone to score points.”





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I find it refreshing to see coaches quotes and not see the name Gruden attached.
 
Callahan is correct.

Teams like NE and Philly use the screen as a primary method of moving the football -an extension of the running game which is hard to stop if you are execute it well.

Quick passes on WR screens and hitches also get the 4-6 yards to set us up for manageable third down plays.

Under Gruden the the Redskins were poor at executing these plays when they were actually run.

Chris Thompson can do a lot of the things James White does for the Patriots.

Smallwood is a good receiver who can execute these plays as well.

In terms of personnel we need to find a TE that can block and catch.

Reed needs to go on IR and we need to keep auditioning guys until we find a contributor.

I would look to the 31 other practice squads in the NFL as well as the trade deadline to find some candidates.

Jeremy Sprinkle is in his third year and has failed to elevate himself as a receiver with any YAC capability or as a blocker.

We need to move on.
 
Sprinkle represents an issue with the Redskins approach that we don't talk about much. We love to draft players who have great physical measureables but who haven't had 'wow' production at the college level. For that matter - we love these guys in free agency too. Sprinkle is a prototypical NFL TE build. He's big, pretty fast, and looks like an NFL TE. But in 4 years at Arkansas, he caught only 71 passes with an average of 13 yds receiving per game. We thought that warranted a 5th round draft pick. We've done this over and over again. Troy Apke is another recent example. The guy had great straightline speed but even at Penn State he missed a lot of tackles, struggled in pass coverage, and showed some issues in ability to move sideline to sideline. Yet the Redskins drafted him in the 4th round. A free agent example is Paul Richardson. Yes - he's a downfield burner. But he wasn't a top 2 WR in Seattle and he won't be in DC. He just isn't a WR that imposes his will or puts fear in DBs who can get open at will. He's got the physical ability to do so, but it's just not who he is.

I long to have a front office that drafts guys, not based on all the measurables, but based on the ability to play the game in live action. One of the reasons I like the Haskins pick is the exact reason that many are already criticizing it. The kid showed he can flat out play. As for 'reading defenses' (you know, the thing guys like Colt McCoy and Case Keenum are so good at), playing under center, not turning the ball over - those are all things he can learn over time. But that intangible - being able to play the game at a high level - that cannot be taught and I'm glad we drafted him. Doesn't mean he is guaranteed to succeed, but that's the kind of talent we need more of. Terry McLaurin is a great example of this. All he did at OSU was make big plays over and over again. But his pre-draft profiles are only ho-hum.
 

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