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May 9, 2014
Head Coach Jay Gruden
On drafting LB Trent Murphy:
“We saw in Trent Murphy another guy that can rush a passer. He’s a proven pass rusher – 14-and-a-half sacks this year. He led the country in sacks. He works his tail off. He’s first on the field every day and the last to leave. He studies the game. He’s big, he’s long. He may not have the explosion right now off the line of scrimmage, which might have knocked him down to the second round, but I look for production, I look for intensity, I look for toughness and accountability. He’s got all those traits and if he has all those traits, I know he is going to work hard in the weight room to get stronger and provide another pass rusher and some depth at the position. We felt like he was a very good fit for our team.”
On the trade with the Dallas Cowboys leading to the selection of Murphy:
“There were a lot of people we had targeted that went early, but when we had the ability to gain another pick and not move down so far, we felt like we had a good chance to get a very good player. We ended up getting Trent Murphy, obviously, and we gained another pick so it was a no-brainer for us. Any time you have the chance to add a player in the third round, it’s a heck of round to get a good player. We feel like we did that. We took the chance with hopes that Trent would drop and he did.”
On if these three picks will make an immediate impact:
“The beauty of what we’ve done in free agency I think is we don’t have to have somebody come in start right away and be a dynamic player. I think we’ve addressed a lot of positions in free agency and we have a lot of good players in-house. The draft is all about adding to your depth, adding to your roster, adding good character people, adding tough people to your roster. I think we’ve done that. We’ve added some tough offensive lineman with Morgan Moses, who can play both tackle spots, and of course Spencer Long who can play the guard spots and can also player center. Tough, high-character guys, high motor guy are what you want to add to your football team and we feel like we’ve done a good job.”
On if he was confident Moses would still be available at No. 66 and what he sees in Moses:
“We like Morgan. He’s long. He’s a big kid. He’s played a lot of football. He’s played both the left side and the right side in his career. He’s got a major upside. He’s young, he’s talented, like I said. A chance to get a guy with that type of length is very hard to pass up, so we’re fortunate to have Morgan and we feel like he has a bright future in pro football.”
On G Spencer Long’s recovery:
“We feel good about his recovery. We do a lot of work on medical research on all of these players, and he has passing marks, so we feel like he’s going to come in and be healthy and ready to go. Tough, tenacious offensive linemen are hard to find – big, physical guys that love football. That’s kind of the motto. All three of these guys that we drafted have football as one of their top priorities in life. We know that they are going to come in here and battle and compete every day. You have to love what you do. We feel that all three of these guys love what they do and will contribute sooner than later.”
On if his first draft as head coach was any different for him:
“No, not really. There is a lot of opinions out there. There is a lot of information that you have to go through – positions, who’s the best player in your rankings – and you have a lot of different opinions, like I said. You have to go through a lot of information and medicals. It’s a grind, and it’s been a grind for a long time and sometimes you get disappointed a guy is not there or somebody picks him right in from of you. But the main thing is when you do make that pick, everybody is on board and everybody is happy with what happened, and we feel good about the three picks we had. We are going to move forward with these three guys and they’re Washington Redskins now and moving forward we’re happy to have them.”
On if there was talk about taking Moses with the team’s first selection and if they were surprised he was available later:
“Definitely, there was talk about taking him in the first selection. We just thought that Trent Murphy’s resume was very impressive and the things he has done and accomplished in his career at Stanford and talking to Coach [David] Shaw at Stanford and the accountability he has, possesses, and the production he has provided for Stanford was too hard to pass up. Then we just crossed our fingers and hoped that Morgan would fall and he did.”
On if he remembers his conversation with Moses a couple weeks ago:
“He is a great kid and like I said, [we’re] very interested in guys that… there is a lot of people that are close, there are a lot of good football players in college football, and when you are making a decision, I think the overwriting factor has to be what kind of person he is, what kind of work ethic does he have, accountability and all that good stuff that I have been talking about. Is the game important to him? And it is important to Morgan. I think he has got a lot of room to develop, I really do. He can develop some foot quickness, but the one thing you can’t coach is his length and his size, and then you throw a little work ethic in there that he is going to get better every day and when he starts, when he plays will be to be determined, but we are excited to work with a young, big, athletic kid like Morgan.”
On competition along the offensive line:
“I think all great teams will have competition at every position and that’s what we are trying to build here. We are not discounting anybody. We are happy with the guys that we acquired in free agency. We are happy with the guys that have played here and done a lot and accomplished a lot for the Redskins. So we are not penciling anybody as starters, but we are trying to provide ourselves with great competition day one of training camp and may the best man win. And I think that’s the best way you get a better team is having great competition at every position so people come to work and the more competition you have on the offensive line… a defensive line is now competing, linebackers are competing, everybody is competing and that will make you a better football team.”
On if it will be easy to get Murphy on the field in a lot of situations:
"No question, and I think that's what drew us to him is his football smarts. He's predominately lined up outside but we feel like he can line up inside. He can move around a little bit, but for the most part his flexibility, his athleticism, I think is a little bit underrated. We feel like he can provide us with immediate pass rush on third down and we'll find a spot for him.”
On if he was reference Murphy’s role on first and second down or in nickel packages:
"More so the nickel packages. You know nickel packages get pretty extravagant now-a-days. Coach Haslett has a lot of plans for him, but coming in right now, he's going to line up obviously at outside linebacker, back up Ryan [Kerrigan] and Brian [Orakpo] and provide us with some depth at that position. Anybody knows about the 3-4 you need to have depth at linebacker because those guys are working their tail off. They're dropping the coverage, they're rushing the passer, so it's very important this day and age with the no huddle that you keep guys fresh and you're able to filter in guys in and out and make sure you can continue to get after the quarterback. We felt like anytime you can add a good pass rusher with the resume Trent has, it was a great opportunity and we couldn’t pass it up.”
On how hard it is to know the intangible elements of the players:
"You're right, we do have a lot of scouts that we have to trust with what they write down and the research that they do and provide, and then we have the opportunity at the combine. We have the opportunity to bring some people in. We brought Trent in for a visit. So we try to get as intimate as we can with these players, especially top two, three, four rounds to get to know them and make sure we're drafting the right kind of person that fits what we're trying to build here at Washington."
On if he was able to accomplish his goal of getting bigger up front:
"They're big. Yeah, and it's not necessarily bigger we're looking for. We're looking to have people come in and compete. Size is important. They've got some big defensive linemen nowadays now and we want to be able to protect our quarterback the best way we can, but also we want to be athletic and get up to the next level and be able to run the football. It's been a very successful zone running team here with athletic offensive lineman, but there's going to come a time when we're going to have to throw the ball a little bit. We need some size in there and these guys will compete. But, moving forward, when I got the job here, I wasn’t as disappointed with the offensive line as I read about. A lot of people had a lot of things to say about them, but anytime you have chance to add depth with some big kids like Morgan and Spencer, it can only help add to your depth, and down the road, young, good, big offensive lineman are hard to find. So when they play for us, it will be to determined, but you can never have too many big guys that can run and block in your room."
On if he expects Long to be ready for minicamp:
"Yeah… We'll see. We'll get him in here, but we feel good about his recovery. He's a smart kid too. He's a pre-med student I believe, and he'll let us know when he's ready. He's been working his tail off. He's strong, he's excited, but we're anxious to meet him and we'll see where he is and we'll go forward."
LB Trent Murphy (Round 2, No. 47 Overall)
On coming to Washington:
“It was pure joy, really, such a sigh of a relief just to be drafted and have this waiting game over. It’s definitely been building up and so it just hit my family abrupt and we just have joy and cheer inside. So we’re all pretty excited.”
On making a trip to Washington:
“I made a team visit about month and half ago up there and I just kind of remember the facility and how as I walked into the place and knew that was definitely a place I could work in and work hard every day and just kind of show up, and it was just kind of the place that I like to train in and so it definitely felt like home there, so I couldn’t be more excited that’s where I ended up.”
On what the team told him on the call:
“They just said they are going to pick me up in a minute and we’re going to do this and so I was pretty excited. I’m speechless right now.”
On the role he envisions having in Washington:
“I’m not exactly entirely sure what position and their kind of plans schematically, how they’re going to use me, but just as a rookie coming in, it’s basically to find a role for the team and a contributing role at that, and to find a way onto the field. That’s my goal.”
On with whom he was watching the draft:
“Just my immediate family, my brother and sisters are here in my home in Mesa, Arizona. They’ve all been kind of pacing in the living room waiting to find out and I walked out the door on the phone and so they were definitely all pretty curious as to who was on the phone and I let them kind of hear from the TV and they all just erupted with cheers, so I’m happy they’re outside or I probably wouldn’t be able to hear anything right now.”
On what he does well as a pass rusher:
“On the edge is basically, use length, get on the edge. I use my hands really well against offensive linemen. If you ever talk to any offensive linemen that I’ve pass rushed against, they’ll talk about how good my hands are and how they can never punch or get a strike on me. I bend really well for how long and tall I am.”
On the challenges of adapting to the NFL:
“I think the biggest challenge, especially from when I came out there, was basically I can play really hard and do something really good one play or two plays and then the biggest thing is consistency. They want to show that aggression, that relentless effort to the ball every play for 60 plays the entire game, and that’s kind of what needs to take my game to the next level is just to show that nonstop, relentless effort every second between the whistles, throughout the entire game, not just sporadically. Not sporadic great football, but consistent.”
On if there is a responsibility in being the Redskins’ first pick:
“Absolutely. It definitely shows, acknowledges, I was high on their board. They really, really wanted to take me and that kind of means a lot to be a team’s first pick even though it was not in the first round. I couldn’t be more excited to be that guy and to put that weight on my shoulders and to wake up every day and give it my best effort and pushing myself and the organization to new levels.”
On working with linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan:
“That is pretty exciting for me just to be able to learn from a couple of guys like that and to see two guys who have been successful at this position and how they do it and how they teach it, everything like that. I am pretty excited and hopefully I can find a role into that rotation.”
On his relentless attitude on the field:
“I think it comes from building good habits. Since high school, really, I really have just been focusing on the controlables, focusing on my attitude, my effort, and everything within my control, within the team’s control, trying to rub off on the guys around me and just kind of continue to push each other. I think when you do that day in and day out, it just kind of eventually becomes who you are and what you do. I think that’s kind of how I manifest that.”
On his position preference between outside linebacker and defensive end:
“Definitely as probably an outside linebacker. I guess it depends on the situational down or what scheme they’re in at the moment, but as like a stand up two-point outside backer, putting my hand down and sealing that edge, is where I’d like to be.”
On how he will celebrate his selection:
“Definitely with my family, probably make dinner here or barbeque or go out for dinner, but definitely with my immediate family and just kind of celebrate all of this hard work paying off. But there’s still a lot hard work to come to make it all worthwhile.”
On the style of barbecue:
“I might tweet it out to the community there and see what is barbecuing these days and then we will cook it up here in Mesa, Arizona.”
T Morgan Moses (Round 3, No. 66 Overall)
On his wait in the green room:
“It was a crazy wait, but I’m just happy to have the opportunity to have my named called, walk across that stage and put that hat on.”
On if he thought being drafted by the Redskins was a possibility:
“Definitely, knowing the needs that they needed, being able to sit down with head coach [Jay] Gruden a couple weeks ago and just having that talk with them. It’s obviously a great thing being alongside a Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams and being about to be able to block for RGIII [quarterback Robert Griffin III]. It’s a blessing to be able to have that.”
On his talk with Gruden:
“We had good conversations, just sitting there and talking about football, but really just connecting on a level outside of football. With the additions that the Redskins have, I feel like it’s going to be a great year. I just want to get in there and start working right now.”
On his nerves during the draft compared to nerves on gameday:
“It’s nerves you’ll never get again. Just being able to get that phone call and have that number go across the screen, it’s a blessing, man. Words can’t even speak.”
On his shoulder:
“It’s 100 percent.”
On the strengths of his game and room for improvement:
“I feel like I can get better at my overall game. That’s the thing, if you can get better at one thing every day then you’re moving in the right direction. Being able to get to the second level – in zone schemes –and being able to be athletic to be able to pull and get outside, that is one thing that I can do.”
On if he watched any Redskins games last year.
“Of course.”
On if he feels he can make a push to start at right tackle:
“I feel like I have all the abilities to play at the next level. I am just going to come in there and work hard – work hard to get on the field and let everything fall into place.”
On the origins of his beard:
“You know, I had to compensate for the hair I lost up top and have it on the bottom [instead]. I think it will definitely try to make it to Washington.”
On what he spent time doing while preparing for the draft today:
“Just relax[ing] with my friends and my family. You know, it has been a long day but God has his plan for everybody.”
On if he grew up a Redskins fan:
“I actually played… My little league team was actually the Redskins, so I played under that name for a while when I was younger.”
G Spencer Long (Round 3, No. 78 Overall)
On getting the call from the Redskins:
“It’s overwhelming. I was just sitting there watching the draft with my close friends and family and, you know, your heart is racing the whole time just watching the picks go by. I’m so thankful for this moment and so happy. You know, I’ve come a long way and I just couldn’t be happier to be a Washington Redskin right now.”
On his knee and the recovery:
“The knee feels great. I’ve had no problems with it. It feels amazing. I’ve been training at full go, not holding back and doing football work. I’m just ready to hit the ground running for rookie minicamp next week.”
On which knee was injured:
“Left… MCL, PCL.”
On what he brings to a team:
“I think I bring a mentally tough and physically tough guy on and off the field who takes care of his business and is a very consistent player. Well-rounded, can have very good potential to make a difference on the team here.”
On if he has more comfort as a left guard or right guard:
“It does not matter, really. I mean, I’ve played all three inside positions. I have had my most experience at right guard. You know, wherever I can help, I am happy to play.”
On his familiarity with zone blocking:
“We ran zone with both the offense coordinators I was under – Shawn Watson and Tim Beck. I am very familiar with it.”
Head Coach Jay Gruden
On drafting LB Trent Murphy:
“We saw in Trent Murphy another guy that can rush a passer. He’s a proven pass rusher – 14-and-a-half sacks this year. He led the country in sacks. He works his tail off. He’s first on the field every day and the last to leave. He studies the game. He’s big, he’s long. He may not have the explosion right now off the line of scrimmage, which might have knocked him down to the second round, but I look for production, I look for intensity, I look for toughness and accountability. He’s got all those traits and if he has all those traits, I know he is going to work hard in the weight room to get stronger and provide another pass rusher and some depth at the position. We felt like he was a very good fit for our team.”
On the trade with the Dallas Cowboys leading to the selection of Murphy:
“There were a lot of people we had targeted that went early, but when we had the ability to gain another pick and not move down so far, we felt like we had a good chance to get a very good player. We ended up getting Trent Murphy, obviously, and we gained another pick so it was a no-brainer for us. Any time you have the chance to add a player in the third round, it’s a heck of round to get a good player. We feel like we did that. We took the chance with hopes that Trent would drop and he did.”
On if these three picks will make an immediate impact:
“The beauty of what we’ve done in free agency I think is we don’t have to have somebody come in start right away and be a dynamic player. I think we’ve addressed a lot of positions in free agency and we have a lot of good players in-house. The draft is all about adding to your depth, adding to your roster, adding good character people, adding tough people to your roster. I think we’ve done that. We’ve added some tough offensive lineman with Morgan Moses, who can play both tackle spots, and of course Spencer Long who can play the guard spots and can also player center. Tough, high-character guys, high motor guy are what you want to add to your football team and we feel like we’ve done a good job.”
On if he was confident Moses would still be available at No. 66 and what he sees in Moses:
“We like Morgan. He’s long. He’s a big kid. He’s played a lot of football. He’s played both the left side and the right side in his career. He’s got a major upside. He’s young, he’s talented, like I said. A chance to get a guy with that type of length is very hard to pass up, so we’re fortunate to have Morgan and we feel like he has a bright future in pro football.”
On G Spencer Long’s recovery:
“We feel good about his recovery. We do a lot of work on medical research on all of these players, and he has passing marks, so we feel like he’s going to come in and be healthy and ready to go. Tough, tenacious offensive linemen are hard to find – big, physical guys that love football. That’s kind of the motto. All three of these guys that we drafted have football as one of their top priorities in life. We know that they are going to come in here and battle and compete every day. You have to love what you do. We feel that all three of these guys love what they do and will contribute sooner than later.”
On if his first draft as head coach was any different for him:
“No, not really. There is a lot of opinions out there. There is a lot of information that you have to go through – positions, who’s the best player in your rankings – and you have a lot of different opinions, like I said. You have to go through a lot of information and medicals. It’s a grind, and it’s been a grind for a long time and sometimes you get disappointed a guy is not there or somebody picks him right in from of you. But the main thing is when you do make that pick, everybody is on board and everybody is happy with what happened, and we feel good about the three picks we had. We are going to move forward with these three guys and they’re Washington Redskins now and moving forward we’re happy to have them.”
On if there was talk about taking Moses with the team’s first selection and if they were surprised he was available later:
“Definitely, there was talk about taking him in the first selection. We just thought that Trent Murphy’s resume was very impressive and the things he has done and accomplished in his career at Stanford and talking to Coach [David] Shaw at Stanford and the accountability he has, possesses, and the production he has provided for Stanford was too hard to pass up. Then we just crossed our fingers and hoped that Morgan would fall and he did.”
On if he remembers his conversation with Moses a couple weeks ago:
“He is a great kid and like I said, [we’re] very interested in guys that… there is a lot of people that are close, there are a lot of good football players in college football, and when you are making a decision, I think the overwriting factor has to be what kind of person he is, what kind of work ethic does he have, accountability and all that good stuff that I have been talking about. Is the game important to him? And it is important to Morgan. I think he has got a lot of room to develop, I really do. He can develop some foot quickness, but the one thing you can’t coach is his length and his size, and then you throw a little work ethic in there that he is going to get better every day and when he starts, when he plays will be to be determined, but we are excited to work with a young, big, athletic kid like Morgan.”
On competition along the offensive line:
“I think all great teams will have competition at every position and that’s what we are trying to build here. We are not discounting anybody. We are happy with the guys that we acquired in free agency. We are happy with the guys that have played here and done a lot and accomplished a lot for the Redskins. So we are not penciling anybody as starters, but we are trying to provide ourselves with great competition day one of training camp and may the best man win. And I think that’s the best way you get a better team is having great competition at every position so people come to work and the more competition you have on the offensive line… a defensive line is now competing, linebackers are competing, everybody is competing and that will make you a better football team.”
On if it will be easy to get Murphy on the field in a lot of situations:
"No question, and I think that's what drew us to him is his football smarts. He's predominately lined up outside but we feel like he can line up inside. He can move around a little bit, but for the most part his flexibility, his athleticism, I think is a little bit underrated. We feel like he can provide us with immediate pass rush on third down and we'll find a spot for him.”
On if he was reference Murphy’s role on first and second down or in nickel packages:
"More so the nickel packages. You know nickel packages get pretty extravagant now-a-days. Coach Haslett has a lot of plans for him, but coming in right now, he's going to line up obviously at outside linebacker, back up Ryan [Kerrigan] and Brian [Orakpo] and provide us with some depth at that position. Anybody knows about the 3-4 you need to have depth at linebacker because those guys are working their tail off. They're dropping the coverage, they're rushing the passer, so it's very important this day and age with the no huddle that you keep guys fresh and you're able to filter in guys in and out and make sure you can continue to get after the quarterback. We felt like anytime you can add a good pass rusher with the resume Trent has, it was a great opportunity and we couldn’t pass it up.”
On how hard it is to know the intangible elements of the players:
"You're right, we do have a lot of scouts that we have to trust with what they write down and the research that they do and provide, and then we have the opportunity at the combine. We have the opportunity to bring some people in. We brought Trent in for a visit. So we try to get as intimate as we can with these players, especially top two, three, four rounds to get to know them and make sure we're drafting the right kind of person that fits what we're trying to build here at Washington."
On if he was able to accomplish his goal of getting bigger up front:
"They're big. Yeah, and it's not necessarily bigger we're looking for. We're looking to have people come in and compete. Size is important. They've got some big defensive linemen nowadays now and we want to be able to protect our quarterback the best way we can, but also we want to be athletic and get up to the next level and be able to run the football. It's been a very successful zone running team here with athletic offensive lineman, but there's going to come a time when we're going to have to throw the ball a little bit. We need some size in there and these guys will compete. But, moving forward, when I got the job here, I wasn’t as disappointed with the offensive line as I read about. A lot of people had a lot of things to say about them, but anytime you have chance to add depth with some big kids like Morgan and Spencer, it can only help add to your depth, and down the road, young, good, big offensive lineman are hard to find. So when they play for us, it will be to determined, but you can never have too many big guys that can run and block in your room."
On if he expects Long to be ready for minicamp:
"Yeah… We'll see. We'll get him in here, but we feel good about his recovery. He's a smart kid too. He's a pre-med student I believe, and he'll let us know when he's ready. He's been working his tail off. He's strong, he's excited, but we're anxious to meet him and we'll see where he is and we'll go forward."
LB Trent Murphy (Round 2, No. 47 Overall)
On coming to Washington:
“It was pure joy, really, such a sigh of a relief just to be drafted and have this waiting game over. It’s definitely been building up and so it just hit my family abrupt and we just have joy and cheer inside. So we’re all pretty excited.”
On making a trip to Washington:
“I made a team visit about month and half ago up there and I just kind of remember the facility and how as I walked into the place and knew that was definitely a place I could work in and work hard every day and just kind of show up, and it was just kind of the place that I like to train in and so it definitely felt like home there, so I couldn’t be more excited that’s where I ended up.”
On what the team told him on the call:
“They just said they are going to pick me up in a minute and we’re going to do this and so I was pretty excited. I’m speechless right now.”
On the role he envisions having in Washington:
“I’m not exactly entirely sure what position and their kind of plans schematically, how they’re going to use me, but just as a rookie coming in, it’s basically to find a role for the team and a contributing role at that, and to find a way onto the field. That’s my goal.”
On with whom he was watching the draft:
“Just my immediate family, my brother and sisters are here in my home in Mesa, Arizona. They’ve all been kind of pacing in the living room waiting to find out and I walked out the door on the phone and so they were definitely all pretty curious as to who was on the phone and I let them kind of hear from the TV and they all just erupted with cheers, so I’m happy they’re outside or I probably wouldn’t be able to hear anything right now.”
On what he does well as a pass rusher:
“On the edge is basically, use length, get on the edge. I use my hands really well against offensive linemen. If you ever talk to any offensive linemen that I’ve pass rushed against, they’ll talk about how good my hands are and how they can never punch or get a strike on me. I bend really well for how long and tall I am.”
On the challenges of adapting to the NFL:
“I think the biggest challenge, especially from when I came out there, was basically I can play really hard and do something really good one play or two plays and then the biggest thing is consistency. They want to show that aggression, that relentless effort to the ball every play for 60 plays the entire game, and that’s kind of what needs to take my game to the next level is just to show that nonstop, relentless effort every second between the whistles, throughout the entire game, not just sporadically. Not sporadic great football, but consistent.”
On if there is a responsibility in being the Redskins’ first pick:
“Absolutely. It definitely shows, acknowledges, I was high on their board. They really, really wanted to take me and that kind of means a lot to be a team’s first pick even though it was not in the first round. I couldn’t be more excited to be that guy and to put that weight on my shoulders and to wake up every day and give it my best effort and pushing myself and the organization to new levels.”
On working with linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan:
“That is pretty exciting for me just to be able to learn from a couple of guys like that and to see two guys who have been successful at this position and how they do it and how they teach it, everything like that. I am pretty excited and hopefully I can find a role into that rotation.”
On his relentless attitude on the field:
“I think it comes from building good habits. Since high school, really, I really have just been focusing on the controlables, focusing on my attitude, my effort, and everything within my control, within the team’s control, trying to rub off on the guys around me and just kind of continue to push each other. I think when you do that day in and day out, it just kind of eventually becomes who you are and what you do. I think that’s kind of how I manifest that.”
On his position preference between outside linebacker and defensive end:
“Definitely as probably an outside linebacker. I guess it depends on the situational down or what scheme they’re in at the moment, but as like a stand up two-point outside backer, putting my hand down and sealing that edge, is where I’d like to be.”
On how he will celebrate his selection:
“Definitely with my family, probably make dinner here or barbeque or go out for dinner, but definitely with my immediate family and just kind of celebrate all of this hard work paying off. But there’s still a lot hard work to come to make it all worthwhile.”
On the style of barbecue:
“I might tweet it out to the community there and see what is barbecuing these days and then we will cook it up here in Mesa, Arizona.”
T Morgan Moses (Round 3, No. 66 Overall)
On his wait in the green room:
“It was a crazy wait, but I’m just happy to have the opportunity to have my named called, walk across that stage and put that hat on.”
On if he thought being drafted by the Redskins was a possibility:
“Definitely, knowing the needs that they needed, being able to sit down with head coach [Jay] Gruden a couple weeks ago and just having that talk with them. It’s obviously a great thing being alongside a Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams and being about to be able to block for RGIII [quarterback Robert Griffin III]. It’s a blessing to be able to have that.”
On his talk with Gruden:
“We had good conversations, just sitting there and talking about football, but really just connecting on a level outside of football. With the additions that the Redskins have, I feel like it’s going to be a great year. I just want to get in there and start working right now.”
On his nerves during the draft compared to nerves on gameday:
“It’s nerves you’ll never get again. Just being able to get that phone call and have that number go across the screen, it’s a blessing, man. Words can’t even speak.”
On his shoulder:
“It’s 100 percent.”
On the strengths of his game and room for improvement:
“I feel like I can get better at my overall game. That’s the thing, if you can get better at one thing every day then you’re moving in the right direction. Being able to get to the second level – in zone schemes –and being able to be athletic to be able to pull and get outside, that is one thing that I can do.”
On if he watched any Redskins games last year.
“Of course.”
On if he feels he can make a push to start at right tackle:
“I feel like I have all the abilities to play at the next level. I am just going to come in there and work hard – work hard to get on the field and let everything fall into place.”
On the origins of his beard:
“You know, I had to compensate for the hair I lost up top and have it on the bottom [instead]. I think it will definitely try to make it to Washington.”
On what he spent time doing while preparing for the draft today:
“Just relax[ing] with my friends and my family. You know, it has been a long day but God has his plan for everybody.”
On if he grew up a Redskins fan:
“I actually played… My little league team was actually the Redskins, so I played under that name for a while when I was younger.”
G Spencer Long (Round 3, No. 78 Overall)
On getting the call from the Redskins:
“It’s overwhelming. I was just sitting there watching the draft with my close friends and family and, you know, your heart is racing the whole time just watching the picks go by. I’m so thankful for this moment and so happy. You know, I’ve come a long way and I just couldn’t be happier to be a Washington Redskin right now.”
On his knee and the recovery:
“The knee feels great. I’ve had no problems with it. It feels amazing. I’ve been training at full go, not holding back and doing football work. I’m just ready to hit the ground running for rookie minicamp next week.”
On which knee was injured:
“Left… MCL, PCL.”
On what he brings to a team:
“I think I bring a mentally tough and physically tough guy on and off the field who takes care of his business and is a very consistent player. Well-rounded, can have very good potential to make a difference on the team here.”
On if he has more comfort as a left guard or right guard:
“It does not matter, really. I mean, I’ve played all three inside positions. I have had my most experience at right guard. You know, wherever I can help, I am happy to play.”
On his familiarity with zone blocking:
“We ran zone with both the offense coordinators I was under – Shawn Watson and Tim Beck. I am very familiar with it.”
