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Skins Quotes 11/19: Jay Gruden

Boone

The Commissioner
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Virginia
November 19, 2014
Redskins Park

Head Coach Jay Gruden

On the injury report:
“Did not participate today was Chris Baker; Shawn Lauvao, concussion; Jordan Reed, hamstring; and Trent Williams. And then limited was Trent Murphy.”

On the status of tackle Trent Williams:
“Like I said, it was not good enough for him to practice today, so we will see how he’s doing tomorrow, but he’s pretty sore. It’ll be a long road for him. But we’ll see. He’s a tough guy.”

On quarterback Robert Griffin III’s media session:
“I didn’t hear what he said, but … yeah, what the team needs is to focus on the team and focus on who we’re playing and not focus on this other stuff. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to put everything behind us. Early on in the season when I first got the job, I knew there was going to be a lot of questions about Robert, but I wanted to try to make this thing about the Redskins and not about him, and somehow we’ve made it more about him than about the team. That’s my fault. So the big thing moving forward is let’s correct everybody, not single anybody out and move on and do what we can do to beat San Francisco.”

On why he made his comments public on Monday:
“I think it was a mistake on my part. After a loss like that, we were very disappointed in the way we played and the question came up about how he played and all that stuff and I just answered it first thing that came to my mind. And sometimes the first thing that comes to your mind isn’t the smartest thing. It wasn’t the right thing to do on my part. Corrections should be made in-house with everybody involved. The play speaks for itself. The production on the field spoke for itself. I didn’t have to really elaborate on any individual fundamental things other than the team was not good enough, was not prepared enough, was not coached well – good enough – to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lovie [Smith] had their team ready to play more than I had my team ready to play and that’s a direct reflection on me. The whole production of the game – offense, defense, special teams, the blown assignments, the false starts, lining up wrong – that is a direct reflection on myself and the coaching staff and I’ve got to take responsibility for that.”

On Griffin III’s performance:
“It wasn’t great by any stretch by anybody, like I said. There were some things that I know Robert wished he could have done better. I wish I would have coached him up better, and there’s some things that we just have to figure out why he’s struggling with certain things and then figure it out and coach him up and get him ready because offensively, to score seven points any week with the offensive talent that we have is not good by any stretch. The first guy that gets looked at is the quarterback and the second guy is the offensive coordinator and of course the head coach. Both of us should be questioned equally. It takes everybody on a team to lay that goose egg and play as poorly as we did. And there are some things he can clean up and will clean up, but we have to get it done. We don’t have a lot of time and he’s at a stage right now in his career where we need to see improvements.”

On if tight end Jordan Reed injured the same hamstring as earlier in the season:
“No, it’s a different one.”

On long term planning at quarterback:
“I’ve said it before and it’s not just coach speak, but honestly we are planning on San Francisco right now. Once the season is over, we’ll take a long look at where we are as a football team at every position, not just the quarterback. And then we’ll make our decisions in-house and talk about them, but right now our only focal point can be on Coach [Jim] Harbaugh’s very tough San Francisco football team because [if] you start looking past anybody and thinking about 2016… The coaches have been let go after one year, two years, four years, you know? I’m not worried about that. I’m just trying to put a product on the field that this city, this team can be proud of and something that we feel like we can build off of for future years if I am here.”

On if he addresses his concerns with Griffin III and if Griffin III was recepetive:
“He’s receptive. Everything I say up here I’ve said to them before. I don’t drop any bombs, you know what I mean? I try to make sure that I communicate with the players before I come up here, and if I’m not happy with something and I say it up here, then the player will know about it before I come up here and speak to the media. We had just had our meeting and we went through everything, every little detail and got them corrected. So moving forward, you know we had a pretty good day of practice today and we have the future to worry about and the past is the past now. He has to be receptive of coaching. That’s what every quarterback does, every position player does. You know, our left tackle Trent Williams has to be coached. Our center has to be coached. Our outside linebackers have got to be coached on every minor detail and right now we’re not getting the results that we’re putting in for some reason. As a staff, we’ve got to make sure we give these players every bit of ammunition they need to perform on Sunday.”

On correcting mistakes as coaches:
“You talk about accountability all the time and the players have to have a sense of accountability also. They have to listen to the snap count. We have to change the snap count offensively. Gerald McCoy and Michael Johnson and those guys, if they get a bead on your snap count - and this week it’s Justin Smith and Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks - if they get a bead on your snap count, you have no chance to block them. So if we don’t change up the snap count, we’re asking our linemen to do the impossible. There is some sense of accountability we have to demand from our players and they have to demand it from themselves. Moving forward we’ve got to make sure we nip that in the bud and do the best we can to listen to the plays and listen to the snap count and avoid those silly mistakes.”

On wide receiver DeSean Jackson saying he had discussed visiting the San Francisco 49ers in free agency last offseason:
“Well, there’s a reason why we didn’t let him go. We wanted to make sure we get the deal done. Bruce Allen really had everything to do with that. The agent for DeSean [Jackson] and Bruce [Allen], they worked out the details. I had very little to do with it. The only thing I said was 'Let’s not let him out of here because if we let him go there’s a good chance we won’t get him back.’ So Bruce did a great job of not letting him out of the restaurant or wherever they were and all the other guys that were involved did a good job.”

On the changes in Griffin III since 2012:
“Yeah, I mean back then is back then, and obviously having injuries for the type of quarterback he was might have had some impact. He had eight- or nine-hundred yards rushing in 2012. But quite frankly we haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1991 and that’s where we’re trying to get. We’re not trying to go 10-6 and get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. I don’t like to use a first round exit as a benchmark for where we need to be and where we need to get back to. So there’s still a lot of improvement we could’ve done from that season there from the film that I watched and a lot moving forward. But Robert has to continue to evolve as a quarterback. As a young quarterback, all these quarterbacks are going through it. We have such high expectations for these kids coming out of college that they should be at the same level as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady and Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers. It’s not fair. They’re going to have some growing pains, they’re going to have some struggles from time to time against good defenses, good pass rushers, and they’re just going to have to learn with the position. But it is a results-oriented league and if you don’t get the results, you’re going to be subject to criticism and subject to not playing a whole lot longer.”

On advice he has received from the front office:
“Well, we’re on the same page… Like I said, we just want what’s best for our football team moving forward, and we want to try to squash all the Twitter and all the media and all the things that got twisted around. Whatever happened, happened. I handled it the way I handled it. There’s nothing I can do about it. But we’re all together on this moving forward that we want to stay together as a team. And, like I said, I’ve made this too much about one guy, and it’s not about one guy. It’s about this team and this franchise, this organization, and that’s unfortunate. And moving forward, we’ve got to make sure we talk about us as a group – offense, defense, special teams, organization – and not make it so much about one person. But we’re on the same page right now.”

On if he is concerned his remarks could affect his relationship with Griffin III:
“You have to be coached, No. 1, and we’re going to coach them. And if you make a mistake, we’re going to coach you. We’re going to tell you about it and correct it. And, as far as the confidence is concerned, if you have a problem with being corrected and being coached, then you’re not going to gain a lot of confidence because you’re not going to be very good. The whole thing about what we do here – we want it done the right way, and we’re going to coach it the right way, and if you do it the wrong way, you’re going to be told about it. And if you can’t handle that, then you can’t handle being a pro. But he’s a pro, and he can handle the criticism. He can handle getting coached. He knows when he makes a mistake, he sees it. We communicate and we move forward. The big thing is for a quarterback is to make sure you don’t make the same ones again and put them behind you and move on.”

On if he is comfortable with the work Griffin III does to learn the position:
“He does what he’s supposed to do. He could do more probably, but, you know, with this day and age with the iPads that you have and the ability to take things home, I feel like he does a lot at home. He’s got every blitz, everything on his iPad and all the practices on his iPad, and he studies and watches himself and he comes back with some ideas the following day. Whether he’s here or not, there’s a lot of work you can do, and [offensive coordinator] Sean [McVay] sends him e-mails, and there’s a lot different ways to communicate now than it was back in the 80s when Steve [Young] played… So I really think that he works hard at it – that was not a jab at Steve [laughter] – but he puts his work in, in my opinion.”

Quarterback Robert Griffin III

On evaluating his preparation and performance 32 games into his career:
“Jay [Gruden] wants me to play better. I want to play better. We’re focused on San Francisco and making that happen. So, that’s all I’ve got to say about that.”

On if he has considered not being in the spotlight as prominently:
“Yeah, man. Like I said, we’re focused on San Francisco. So, that’s all we’ve got.”

On areas for improvement:
“Everything, man. Like I said, Jay wants me to play better. I want to play better. We want to win. That’s all we’re focused on – getting a win. We’ve got San Francisco coming up, and they’re not going to make it easy.”

On how a quarterback can improve:
“Yeah, man, like I said, [I’m] just focused on San Francisco now.”

On if this year has set back his development:
“Oh, man, I’ve only been able to play a couple games, but we’ve got another one coming up and that’s all we’re promised. So, I’m just focused on San Francisco and doing what I can to help this team win.”

On if he has a response to criticism about his work ethic:
“[I’m] focused on San Francisco, man. I’m not letting anything on the outside distract us from that, and we’ve got to take care of what we’ve got to take care of. We have got enough to worry about here in these doors.”

On if he tries to do too much at times:
“Like I said, I’m going to trust the guys around me, trust that we’re all going to go out there and execute the game plan, and that’s all we’ve got this week.”

On what has changed since 2012:
“Like I said, man, I’m focused on San Francisco. I’m in my second offense in the league. You know, [I’m] just trying to hammer everything down and get better at my craft like Coach wants me to.”

On where he has improved:
“Yeah, like I said, [I’m] focused on San Francisco, man. That’s all I can do.”

On where he has found relief the past few weeks:
“You always lean on God, you always lean on your family, your teammates. That’s what I’ve done. We’re all pointing toward the same thing. We want to get a win against San Francisco.”

On the state of his relationship with Head Coach Jay Gruden:
“Great.”

On if he is doing anything different to prepare for Sunday’s game:
“Just preparing for San Francisco, man. That’s all I can do.”

On talking to the media:
“It is what it is. You get what you ask for. So, I am focused on San Francisco. Jay [Gruden] wants me to be focused on San Francisco and that’s what I am going to do.”

On if his teammates reached out to him during the last few days:
“Yeah, I mean, you’ve got to talk to them, but a large majority of the locker room has come to me and talked to me and that’s great. We are all focused on the same thing – winning, staying together and beating San Francisco.”

On 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick:
“They have a great team and we are trying to build towards that and that’s our only focus.”

On the challenge of facing the 49ers’ defense:
“Yeah, very tough defense. They make you earn every single thing you get. They don’t give up a lot of big plays and they play with passion. So we are going to have to match that going into their house and they are not going to make it easy for us.”

On if Gruden discussed his critiques with him personally:
“Yeah, like I said, we both want to win. He wants me to play better, I want to play better. That’s what we are focused on.”

On public criticism:
“Yeah, my job is to focus on what I can focus on and what I can control. Like I said, Jay [Gruden] wants me to play better and I am just focused on getting better at my craft, not worrying about anything else.”

On if there is anything he would like to clear up:
“No, I mean I already said it via the power of social media. So there is no point in me saying it again here and bringing the topic back up. I said what I had to say and addressed it with the team and we are all on the same page.”

On if he addressed the team:
“Yeah, I did.”

On he addressed the team this morning:
“No, it was Monday.”

On his level of confidence that he will play better and the team will stay united:
“Yeah, I mean I have extreme confidence that that’s going to happen. That’s our only focus. Like I said, we are not going to act like a 3-7 football team. We are going to go out there and push forward and push towards the future.”

On if Gruden made any requests for his time with the media:
“No, he just wanted me to focus on me and I’m going to do that the best of my ability. I’m a quarterback, man, I have got to help this team win.”

San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh

On if quarterback Robert Griffin III looks like a different quarterback now than in 2012:
“No, no. I’ve always had great admiration for Robert’s talent, his execution, his effort – tough guy. He’s good in so many areas. I continue to see those things on the tapes that I’m watching now.”

On the similarities between Griffin III and 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick:
“I never like to compare two players or two teams or really two anything. Whenever you start comparing, somebody or something always gets diminished.”

On teaching athletically gifted quarterbacks to become better pocket passers:
“Colin’s extremely gifted, extremely talented throwing from the pocket and throwing on the run out of the pocket, as is Robert Griffin – extremely talented throwing from the pocket, extremely talented throwing when he’s outside the pocket. Those are very good attributes.”

On the difficulty in training a quarterback with legs to pass instead of run in certain situations:
“I don’t have the entire quarterback coaching list in front of me. Right now we’re focused on today’s practice and our expectations are very high for that – to have a great day of work today.”

On what he believes he can take advantage of in the Redskins’ defense:
“We’re still looking there in that area very closely and it’s difficult. It’s a Top 10 defense and we will do our best to try to find out what plays will work.”

On the return of linebacker Aldon Smith:
“It’s good. Aldon has been with the team. He’s been working out, practice, lifting weights – err, not practice – meetings, workouts, etc., so he’s been around the facility but the joy of being out at practice with the teammates playing football, that’s recognizable. I can see that on his face and his eyes. He’s having fun doing that. That’s been great.”

On calling plays that keep the quarterback safe:
“We really don’t want to go into [that] in terms of what we do schematically, how much we attempt to run the quarterback or the running back or what intentions we would have with receivers, etc. That would be terrific information if we could get that from our opponent. Hopefully you understand and have patience with understanding with why we wouldn’t talk about those kinds of things.”

On how much more cognizant he has become of the beating a mobile quarterback can take after watching Kaepernick play over the last four seasons:
“I don’t know how cognizant.”

On linebacker Chris Borland and, historically, what linebacker he embodies:
“I don’t know. That’s a great question. What I do know is that anybody who’s watching football right now – whether they’re other football players or coaches or just fans – anybody that’s watching the game of football and has watched Chris play, they’ve got to be saying, 'Who the heck is that guy?’ He’s doing a fabulous job. He’s playing at a very high level.”

On what he remembers from last year’s matchup with the Redskins:
“A lot of things.”

San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick

On how well his transition to becoming more of a pocket passer has been:
“I think it’s something I can constantly improve on. It’s always a work in progress.”

On why it’s a work in progress and on what he can improve:
“Everything, there is never – I don’t think there’s ever been a quarterback to play a perfect game so you can always improve.”

On if it is tough because you game reps can’t be simulated in practice:
“No, it’s just you’re always working, always trying to get better.”

On comparisons between him and Robert Griffin III:
“I haven’t really watched him too much.”

On why the read option is important to him:
“I mean, all that is up to the coaches. I just run the plays that are called.”

On much it helps to be in the same system for four years:
“Very.”

On what the biggest challenge is to being a consistently dynamic quarterback:
“I mean, once again, it’s always a work in progress. Just try and constantly get better.”

On speaking to the media:
“To me, I answer the questions that are asked. Everything else isn’t my job.”

On how much he needs to protect himself as a quarterback:
“It’s very important. You’re not much good to you team if you’re on the sidelines.”

On the challenges in becoming more comfortable playing from the pocket:
“Once again it’s a constant work in progress, something you just have to do.”

On the Redskins’ defense:
“They are a very good defense, very multiple defense. We’re going to have to be able to attack them a lot of different ways.
 
Man...lost in the the hoopla was our best football player's injury. I would just assume see Trent rest a game or 3.


Willams that is. Trent Murphy is not our best football player. :movefast:
 

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