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Skins Quotes 8/5/15: Gruden, Robinson

Boone

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August 5, 2015
Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center – Richmond, Va.

Head Coach Jay Gruden

On what he wants to get out of joint practices:
“Well, we just want to compete some more and look at our guys against different people – our ones against their ones, their twos against our twos and see how our guys are progressing and see who steps up as the competition will step up.”

On what he learned about the team from joint practices last season:
“Well, it helped us evaluate our players. That’s the number one objective is A) to continue to implement our system, obviously, and learn what we’re doing, but B) see how our players react to the competition and try to get a better gauge on our best 53 — our depth chart moving forward in the first, second, third preseason game. Really, there’s no final judgments that will be made out of these three practices but we will learn a lot about our guys and how far we have to go to get ready for Miami.”

On the challenge for cornerbacks who join the team in the middle of camp:
"They are behind the 8-ball a little bit from a mental standpoint. Hopefully we will get enough out of them and see them physically, see what they can do. We have a lot of drills where we see them play some man-to-man, some one-on-one drills and then just slowly get them acclimated to the position. A lot of them, they know basic coverages and they can fit in there pretty well. They are behind a little bit, but we can still see how they're progressing as far as a skills standpoint."

On what kind of things change for linebacker Keenan Robinson in Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry’s defense:
"What kind of things change? Well, there’s obviously the terminology things. We’re playing defense a little differently. Coverage is a little bit differently. There's a lot nuances that carry over, but there are a lot of things that change. He's a very bright guy and last year’s experiences as far as playing full-time really helped him seeing the game, seeing formations, recognizing formations, making the calls, making the checks . Now he's using different words. Some of it has carried over, but a lot of it has changed. He's doing a good job.”

On what he can do to get the ball to wide receiver Pierre Garçon more:
"All of our plays, Pierre is a viable option, some of them more so then others. It’s just a matter of what the coverage dictates. We'll try to move him around and get him the ball a little bit more because he's very good after the catch. Obviously, he is an excellent receiver, as is DeSean [Jackson], as is [Jamison] Crowder showing up, Andre [Roberts] done some good things, Ryan Grant… Obviously Jordan Reed, Niles Paul, they’re doing a great job. When you go back to pass, you don't have one guy in mind. This isn't Xbox. You don't hit the X button. You have to read the coverages and make your throw determined on what is there for you. He's always going to be an option for us. How many times he gets the ball is impossible to predict though."


On quarterback Robert Griffin III's two-minute drill in practice on Monday:
“He had a great day. That was a great drill for him. We've had trouble in the two-minute drill in the last year and a half, or so. That was an excellent drill for him. Early on, it was just taking what was given to him, making the completion, moving the chains, getting the team… to the line quickly, getting the calls out. He hit a big one to Niles Paul, finally that really got us down there in the red zone and then he sat on his back foot there and hit Ryan Grant for a touchdown. It was a great, great period for our offense from a protection standpoint to hurrying up, getting on the line and obviously punching it in. And Robert was obviously the key.”

On if Griffin was over the line of scrimmage on one of the throws:
“Uh, yes [laughter].”

On if cornerback David Amerson’s injury is day-to-day:
“Yeah, he probably won't go today. It's a little sore. It is a relief that it's nothing serious. I think, hopefully, tomorrow for the Texans he'll be able to do something, but we'll see. He's a tough guy. He's having a good camp. He's really improving.”

On the depth at cornerback:
“Pretty young. We were a little bit. [Bashaud] Breeland and then Amerson and D-Hall’s getting his time off also, so we’re a bit light back there. With Amerson, hopefully he’ll be back tomorrow. We’ve added a guy here and there so we’re working our depth there, but it’s always a challenge. It seems like every year in camp there’s one position that gets hit with the injury bug and it’s corner right now. But I think we’ll fight through it.”

On guard Arie Kouandjio, wide receiver Jamison Crowder and the rest of the rookie class:
“It’s early but I’m obviously excited. Every day they come out and they seem to get better and they all seem to be doing something a little bit better, and that’s what you’re looking for – steady progression from the young guys. We’re not looking for perfection. We’re not expecting perfection but we’re expecting them to come out and compete and get better every day and that’s what they’re doing, all the young guys so far. Kyshoen [Jarrett] is another one who’s doing an excellent job at safety. He’s playing nickel, he’s lined up at corner from time to time. All those guys, they just have got to keep doing it day in and day out and that’s the challenge for these young guys is not to have one good day followed up by a bad day. Continue to get better and follow up one day after another.”

On linebacker Junior Galette:
“He’s probably just going to do walkthoughs today. I don’t know if we’re going to see him against the Texans or not. I would probably [say] doubtful. We’re going to start him during the walkthroughs, get him acclimated and make sure when we do start him he’s 100 percent physically and mentally. We’re excited about his progress, where he is and where he’s going.”

On if he plans to carry three quarterbacks and where Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy stand:
“Both of them have had their good moments, great moments, man. They really have. They’ve done a great job, but we’re going to let the preseason games really be the factor in how many we keep and who’s No. 2 and who’s No. 3. Last year we kept three obviously. That’s not etched in stone, but a good possibility we’ll keep three. Right now they’re just going to continue to compete and take advantage of the reps they get. But really once the games start – the Texans we’ll be a good test for them also – and then we have four good preseason games to make that determination.”

On if he addresses the team about social media:
“We have addressed it. I don’t read – I read the things one time when I was trying to kill time for another meeting, but it got blown out of proportion that I read it every day. They’re well aware of it. That’s an important part of being a pro is how you handle social media nowadays. It’s something that has to be addressed and we’ve had our experts address it and hopefully they understand the importance of it.”

On potentially adding another cornerback:
“We worked a couple guys out, we’re not sure yet.”

On how the running backs are doing catching the ball out of the backfield:
“I think Chris Thompson is really starting to emerge as a third-down back, if we can obviously keep him healthy. He’s done an excellent both in the running game and the passing game and he’s done an excellent job in protection so far. Another competition for that spot is ongoing and will continue to go on throughout training camp and the preseason games.”

On if he can improve upon his play designs or just get better at what he has already designed:
“Yeah, that’s a great question and that's something that you battle with every day. You might have great ideas, but they're only good if everybody understands the same ideas that you have, and we have to coach them. I think the big thing we’re trying to do is make sure we have familiarity with what we’re doing, the good things that we like and are comfortable with. And then obviously each week – each game plan – we’ll branch off and add a few different things to our formations. But overall I think we’ve practiced enough in OTAs and the first couple days to last us a season, but we’re always looking for change and innovation, and something will come up.”

On how much of a litmus test the Texans will be for the offensive line:
“That’ll be great. J.J. Watt is the best and it will be a great challenge. I want to see who is going to line up first against him in one-on-ones. It’s going to be a fun one. But any time you go against another professional football team, they're going to have good players, obviously, and the Texans are no different. It’s going to be a great challenge for any young offensive line. And it’s very important for us to – whatever happens in these three practices – just continue to grow and get better and continue at the line of communication. It’s so important for offensive linemen to make sure we’re all on the same page. And they're going to get beat from time to time, but they just stay steady in their progression and continue to work hard and continue to communicate. Good things will work out.”


Linebacker Keenan Robinson

On the upcoming joint practices with the Houston Texans:
"The joint practices I think are pretty good, especially against a team like the Patriots [last year], who they ended up being Super Bowl champs. Going against that good of a talent really helps us kind of try and see how far we need to go and how far we've come from OTAs. So it really helps to see, coaches gauge the talent and see what things we need to improve upon before the regular season begins. But I think this year – us playing Houston last year – we kind of already know what they’re going to do and what they’re about, but like I said, it’s still an opportunity for the coaches to I guess develop talent and evaluate talent."

On if HBO’s Hard Knocks being in town will affect how he acts on the field:
"No, I haven’t really thought about that. When I come to work, it’s work as usual – business as usual for me. I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary, not trying to get any extra attention, just showing up to work and trying to improve myself."

On his impressions of Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry:
“He brings a new sort of energy to the team, especially to the defense. I mean, I like [Jim] Haslett – Haslett was a very energetic guy, but he did it from a different viewpoint and standpoint than Joe does. Joe’s a little bit younger and he’s able to, I guess, relate to us more just because he is younger. He really is able to relate to us more because he’s kind-of more hip to everything that’s going on now. You see Joe wearing pair of J’s [Jordan’s] or something like that. That tells you what kind of coach he is. He’s just more, I guess, personable as a player’s coach and just more down to earth, more laid back when he’s away from the game. That being said, he just brings a new energy that’s kind of really like lighting a fire around here. I think that it’s kind of much needed, especially with the new faces, but just trying to get back to the dominating defense that the Redskins are capable of doing.”

On what he has learned from participating in joint practices with other teams:
“I think for me, like you said, only knowing from one team, I can only tell stories with my teammates like Hatch [Jason Hatcher]. He’s been with the Cowboys. T-Knight [Terrance Knighton], he’s been with the Broncos. They tell stories about their experiences with other organizations. But for me, I only know the Redskins. I don’t really know much better other than I think I have it good here. Training camp isn’t too bad. It’s not a grind. The coaches don’t try to drag us in the dirt. I think they try to get the most out of us but they don’t do it by wearing and tearing the players. They do it in a smart way to get the most out of the players. They back off when they need to back off. That being said, going into joint practices, we kind of get to compare how our tempo is compared to other teams’ tempos. Last year, the [New England] Patriots, you see a lot of what they did differently than us, was offensively Tom Brady ran the show. That’s something I’ve never seen before. I’ve never seen one player run the show. The coaches stood back and let him do his thing. But on the defensive side of the ball, their defensive coaches were the ones making everything go, making sure everything was done properly. I just think that’s kind of cool to see how they operate differently than us in that standpoint. I think that eventually Robert [Griffin III] and the other quarterbacks will get to that point where they’re making things go, operating the show. But from a defensive standpoint, I think that the coaches have got to call the shots because I’m not going to be out there calling different kind of plays because I’m not sure what’s going to hit on third down compared to second down.”

On if he would like the Redskins to do some things like other teams:
“Not really, though, because like I said, Coach [Jay] Gruden and the coaches I’ve had since I’ve been here, Coach [Mike] Shanahan as well, they treat us really well. I’ve really had no complaints so far since I’ve been here. Coming from college, I had Will Muschamp and he’s a guy who – we didn’t have days off in college. We went 21 straight days in camp. Coming in the NFL, it was like a relief. Going through college training camp to NFL training camp, obviously the NFL, they had much more invested into the players so they have to give them a break. That being said, I think our organization has it pretty good compared to other organizations.”

On the challenges of working with a new defensive line:
“The challenges you have whenever you have new guys is just learning how to communicate with those guys and learning how get on one accord and get on one page. That’s with any defense and with any offense. So far it hasn’t been so much of a challenge just because those guys, they listen really well. They’re coachable, they’re able to pick up on my tendencies, and I’m able to pick up on their tendencies. So there will be plays where T-Knight [Terrance Knighton] may want to do something differently than what the play calls for, and he’s able to have that freedom because I know that whatever he does, I can just play off of him. That helps because it gives us freedom and it allows us free range of play for the linebackers as well as the safeties and the D-line. We’ll let the D-line get loose and then we’ll just fill the gaps in behind us. So it really helps to be free and to have those types of players who are versatile and can make impact plays at any given moment."

On the cohesiveness of the defense:
“I just think it's a whole bunch of guys who are hungry to win. I mean, we have a lot of new faces and the faces we've brought in have come from winning organizations for the most part. T-Knight, he came from the Broncos. They're obviously a winning organization. Chris Culliver came from the 49ers, a winning organization. So we have guys who we've brought in who know how to win and know how to get it done the right way. They've been on great teams and great defenses who have been, you know, top five defenses in the past. So they know what it takes in order to get to the top. So I think everybody has that same mindset that, 'OK, this is what we need to do to get to where we want to be and if we're not doing it then we're wrong and we’re going in the wrong direction.’ So every day, like I said, I bring my lunch pail to work every day. Those guys are bringing their A-game to practice every single day to get better. And because we all have the same goal, we all have the same mindset when it comes to practicing, we all have that goal of achieving being a top five defense, being a playoff-caliber team, being a Super Bowl-caliber team. With that being said, we just want to be the best we can be and every day we have to buy into that, buy into Joe B’s [Joe Barry’s] defenses for what it's going to take.”

On if nose tackle Terrance Knighton’s description of “11 maniacs running to the ball” is an accurate description of the identity of the defense:
“Yeah, I think it is. For me, that's how I play every day. After the injuries, my mindset of the game kind of changed. I was like, at any given moment it could be over, so I just play relentless and every play I give it my all. That's the kind of mindset and mentality that we have to have. From a defense stand point, if we have 11 guys doing that… At any given moment we could have one breakdown, but if someone else is going hard – 110 percent – that could make up for someone else's mistake. Coach said if you're going to make a mistake, make it at full speed because someone else is going to be covering your back and someone is going to be making up for your mental mistake. But effort will always outwork mental errors, so to speak.”

On if a contract extension enters his mind:
“For me it does, but not really right now. I haven't thought about it since camp has started. I just want to go out there and put my best film out there. I just want to be able to play my best and give it all I got because I’m a guy who I believe in the abilities and talents I have, so I know that no matter what I'm going to give it my all each and every play. I want the Redskins to be able to get the most out of me because this is why they drafted me in the fourth round four years ago – being able to fill in for a guy, London Fletcher, and eventually become one of those guys who can be a dominant player on this defense. That's what I'm trying to become. I'm not there yet, but one day I will become that dominant player. Bump the contracts, bump the salaries, all that; I'm just trying to become the best player I can be and let that take care of itself. On the field, I can control what I can control. Off the field? That's my agent. I can't really control that.”

On the consistency from last year among the linebacker corps:
“Well, we got it easy just because we’re still running 3-4. So Ryan [Kerrigan], Trent Murphy, me and Perry [Riley, Jr.], we still have pretty much the same jobs. Nothing has really changed because the scheme is the same – maybe how we operate within the scheme is different, but the scheme is the same. So the outside backers are going to be rushing, the outside backers are going to be called upon to drop every now and then in coverage. It’s all the same. The only thing that’s different this year from last year is the wording within our playbook. So the communication is different. Pretty much every technique that we do is pretty much the same, but like I said, it’s just the wording, the verbiage that we use to communicate. That’s the only thing that’s different, so that’s been the only thing that we’ve had to try to change and try to learn. Everything else has been pretty fluid from going from Haslett’s defense to Joe Barry’s defense.”
On if there have been any talks of a contract extension:
“Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t really spoken to my agent; I haven’t spoken to the guys in the front office so I really don’t know. Right now, like I said, I’m just doing what I can control which is play football. I mean everything else will take care of itself. I ain’t really worried about that just because I know eventually when that point comes, it’ll come. It’ll take care of itself.”
On if he changed anything this offseason to make sure he stays healthy:
“Not really. Last year, I did a pretty good job of making sure my body was in a great position to be able to play all throughout the year. Last year, when I had that freak injury last year, I got hit in the side of my leg. That’s something I really can’t avoid. No matter how much 'prehab’ I did, I wouldn’t have been able to avoid that. Pretty much the same things I did last offseason I did this offseason to make sure I came into training camp as healthy as possible and gave myself the best opportunity to stay healthy throughout the season. With that being said, there’s really not much that I did differently. I thought last year’s formula worked so I pretty much stuck to it this year. Depending on how this year goes, it will be a formula that I carry out for the rest of my career.”


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