Skins Quotes 11/11/19: Bill Callahan

November 11, 2019

Interim Head Coach Bill Callahan

Opening Statement:
“First off, at the quarterback position [QB] Dwayne Haskins [Jr.] will be the starter for the remainder of the year. We've got a lot of confidence in Dwayne. He's worked hard, he's smart, he studies, he prepares, so this will be a great opportunity for him going forward. Secondly, [QB] Case Keenum will be the backup and [QB] Colt [McCoy] will be the three going into this week.”

On when he made the decision to make QB Dwayne Haskins Jr. the starter:
“Last week. That was pretty much the decision in my own mind. The rationale behind not announcing it early on Monday is we were just coming off the Buffalo game and I wanted to take time to sit down with our veteran quarterbacks and I wanted to share that information with them. I wanted to let them know where they stand within the program and the change that we were making going forward. I really wanted to spend time with them and visit with them because I have a lot of respect for those guys. As a veteran quarterback in this league, I think it's really important to visit, communicate and just have a discussion and a dialogue to know where they stand – I think anybody in life wants to know where they stand, especially in our league. It's important because of the respect I have for the players on our team to give that due respect, so they were good visits for Case and for Colt. They were both disappointed as they naturally are because that's their competitive nature and I get that, I understand that. Going forward, they understand that they will support Dwayne in his efforts. I think it's a good room, and I know [Offensive Coordinator] Kevin O'Connell will do a good job keeping it all together.”

On what he's hoping to see out of Haskins over the next seven weeks:
“Number one, progress. We want to see a consistent progression in his play. We want to expand the playbook, I think we'll do that going forward – how much, we'll see. We face an opponent this week in [Jets Defensive Coordinator] Gregg Williams that has a pretty big inventory of pressures, looks and disguises that he's going to have to deal with. I think it's a great challenge for him. It's a huge test and it's as great a test for Dwayne as it is for all of us. First things first, let's get him protected up. Let's try to run the ball and just feature the complimentary play around him.”

On whether there was anything he saw from Haskins in the Buffalo game that influenced his decision:
“We thought the consistency of his play. I thought outside, when he was working the ball outside, I thought his progressions were clean. He was decisive, he had the arm talent to cut the air in bad weather and we're getting into that phase of the year, November and December, where the elements are playing a factor now. I think it's really important to have the arm strength and also he needs the experience. Let's face it, let's give Dwayne an opportunity. We're at a juncture where we don't want to be record-wise, so this is a good opportunity for him to take advantage of every rep, practice-wise and game-wise, so we can see growth in his play.”

On whether the change in Haskins' approach and preparation helped make the decision easier:
“Whenever he gets under center in practice and has the full repertoire of repetitions during the course of a practice, he's going to get better just like any quarterback is going to get better or any player is going to get better. I don't think you can duplicate those reps on scout team. Getting in the heat of the preparation and really intensifying the preparation is a huge part of quarterback play in the NFL – not only that, but the ability to execute under pressure. Those factors are huge as we prepare for any team and that's something I thought he did pretty well getting ready for Buffalo. We're looking forward to improve that and improve upon that as we go into the Jets game.”

On the plan for RB Derrius Guice and whether the running back reps will be split:
“We haven't exactly sat down and divided the reps up or anything of that nature. I think [Running Backs] Coach [Randy] Jordan does a good job managing the backs and rolling the backs by series or by plays or by feature concepts for that matter, so there's a lot of dynamics involved here, a lot of balls that we're juggling in the air when it comes to the role of the running back and who's in and who's not. It could be protection oriented, it could be run oriented, it could be inside-outside, there's a lot of factors that go into the distribution of repetitions for the running backs.”

On whether Guice is fully cleared:
“Oh yeah, he's getting ready for this game.”

On simplifying the offensive concepts for Haskins:
“There's an initial core concept that we feature week in and week out and then we branch off situationally. I mentioned to you guys the other day, the focus that we put in practice Wednesday predicated on self-scout was all third-down and red zone oriented, so we felt like we got a day better in those areas. We implemented some new things, some new protections, some new routes, some new formations to take advantage of coverage. We've got some extensive work not only against the things that are problematic for us, but we also had two bonus days in a sense, a day against the Jets in the red zone on Wednesday and another day today working against the Jets defense. I feel good where we're at, we've got to do better as we move through the week and as we intensify our preparation, but I thought we had two really good practices in the middle of last week and the start of this week.”

On what he likes about the jumbo personnel that was used against Buffalo:
“It's really 13 personnel, so it's really the extra lineman coming in for the tight end. So it's really 13 personnel. It is a big, heavy group no doubt. We've also done it on the field in goal line and short yardage situations. We have had the opportunity to get big and play what we call ‘big ball.' We had a couple of hits in the running game that were effective and efficient and then we had one that wasn't so effective, so I think it's a way to get into those groupings. At times, you can neutralize the call sequence of a coordinator, at times you can limit their package and also have the flexibility to spread out and do different things with that personnel. A lot of people feature it across the league. It gives you good angles, gives you good leverage at times and also allows you to distribute the ball through some run-action protections as well., It's been a pretty effective personnel grouping for us early on not only in the field, but possibly backed up situations, when you're obviously coming out, and also going in in the red zone, third-down, short yardage, as well as four-minute. So, it's a pretty all-inclusive personnel grouping that gets carried over from situation to situation.”

On whether he's seen anything from Jets QB Sam Darnold's game that Haskins can model:
“I haven't really studied him totally yet, I'm still just getting into [New York Jets QB Sam] Darnold. He was here a couple years ago as a rookie – we worked against him down in Richmond. I thought he was ahead of the game, I thought he was mature, he understood the game, he knew where to go with the ball, his decision making was good and it's only getting better. I thought he had a good game yesterday – I had a chance to watch it on the tube, I saw him do a lot of really good things and that's a part of it. I think his growth will only get better and better with more experience.”

On how the young players on the roster have developed and gelled:
“Well, it's a young group. We're fortunate to have a young group of players in Dwayne, [WR] Terry [McLaurin] and Derrius. I think the sky's the limit for these guys, but the consistency factor is huge when you're a young player. It's just the growth development, the experiences that they're learning from, the ability to take it from the classroom to the grass more effectively and efficiently without repetitive errors. I think that's a big part of their play. What I really like about Terry is you don't see those consistent errors on the practice field – we call them ‘repeats,' where you have to repeat a play or a sequence. We don't have that with Terry, he's the type of player that you give it to him one time and if he does error, he fixes it and you don't see it again repetitively. For Guice, it's great to have him back. He hasn't had much action since the Philadelphia game. I know he's itching to get back on the field and work and play. He's worked well the last two weeks and you can see his maturity and his maturation process only get better. I think the rehabilitation process takes you through that, puts you inward a little bit mentally and really take inventory about where you're at and how important the game is so that when those opportunities come back up again you take full advantage of those [opportunities].”

On why T Trent Williams was placed on the Non-Football Injury List:
“First off, [T] Trent [Williams] played for me for four years. I have nothing, but the utmost respect for Trent and the situation he went through. A health scare like that – I've got great compassion and empathy for him and any person, any human for that matter, but everything else I can't really comment on. I really have nothing else to say. The decision was made to put him on NFI and to move forward. I've always loved the guy, I loved coaching him, he meant a lot to me and my career, and I wish him well and hopefully something will all work out in the end.”

On the significance of Veterans Day:
“For all of our military, I think it's a great honor that's bestowed upon them on this day and appreciation for their service to our country and what they do, and their families and what they go through as well. I'm thankful for everything that they do for our country. I'm speechless, I don't have enough positive things to say about what they mean to me as a person or what our country means to us as well.”

On whether RB Adrian Peterson could be inactive now that Guice is back:
“No.”




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Just one time I wanna see a fan storm the presser and ask the tough questions.

Has Dan contacted any other organizations for Bruce's replacement?
What do you think about Trent's holdout and should the team even try to pursue a trade in the offseason?
What have you and the rest of the offensive staff done this week to fix the 3rd down woes?
Does Bruce have a soul?
Can you confirm that Dan and Bezos are in preliminary sale of the team talks?
Does Manusky have a dossier on Dan? If no why is he still here?

Now I see.

We had to drag out the announcement on Haskins because Bill had to go around and hold Case and Colt's hands and tell them of the change to the rookie.

It was a traumatic time for the two and we needed to tip toe around their feelings.

Maybe the Redskins can buy them both a support animal.