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August 15, 2015
Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center – Richmond, Va.
Head Coach Jay Gruden
On injuries at the tight end position:
“Logan [Paulsen] is going to have surgery on Monday – his turf toe – and he will be out for the year. Obviously, Niles [Paul] is going to have surgery. He’s out for the year. Right now, we have Jordan Reed who is still recovering from a sore hamstring. He should be OK soon. Other than that, we have got [Je’Ron] Hamm, [Devin] Mahina and [Chase] Dixon, and we will have to make do with those guys and see what they have. We’ll work a couple guys out here shortly but we have got three players in-house that are capable right now and we have got to get them better.”
On the situation with tight end Jordan Reed:
“It’s a little bit of a concern but, you know, he is a young guy. We are hoping that with the strength program that he’s gone through in the offseason… He has done a good job of getting his body bigger and in better shape. He just had a little unfortunate twinge but I think he’ll be OK. He is going to get the rehab and get that thing right. Just because a guy has a couple injuries early in his career doesn’t mean they are going to happen all the time. We hope it’s just an occasional thing and it won’t happen much. We are going to rely heavily on Jordan obviously and whoever else can step up into that role with him.”
On if the change from pads to shells was planned or because of the heat:
“I thought it was a little bit of both. It was planned initially. We wanted to get a couple good sets in. We had some drills with the offensive and defensive lines where we wanted to leave them on and let them pop a little bit. It’ll probably be the last time we go in pads before the Detroit game. I wanted to get a little bit of pad work, but also with the heat and fans out here we wanted to cool them down a little bit.”
On if he anticipates bringing in more tight ends:
"We’re going to work some out, yes."
On if tackle Tom Compton could contribute at tight end:
"We had [Je'Ron] Hamm who got poked in the eye, we weren’t sure about his availability today so we just worked him [Compton] in a little bit in there today. We did that a little bit last year throughout the year, so that’s a possibility that he can do that. He’s a versatile guy; I doubt he’ll catch any passes down the middle of the seam but he can get in there and block, and he can run block and do all the things a tight end needs to do without running routes."
On the blocking of the young tight ends:
"They’re getting better at it. They’re not a finished product, either one of them. It’s something that they’re a work in progress and these weeks leading up to the first regular season game are going to be very important. You’ve got Detroit obviously; you have a very tough Baltimore front. We have some games that we can get a good look."
On how much Compton can be used in that role and how that affects game planning:
“I think there’s a lot of things you can do with him. We’re not the only team that has tinkered with this. There’s been other teams in the league that have tinkered with an extra lineman playing tight end. You still have all your good play-actions and if you want to load up the box, we still have great match ups on the outside one-on-one with DeSean [Jackson], Pierre [Garçon] and obviously Andre [Roberts] and Ryan Grant. There can be positives to that, your play-action protection is probably a little bit more sound with a bigger guy there, your running game obviously. So there’s positives, but obviously we would like to get a tight end to emerge in there; whether it’s Jordan Reed or [Chase] Dixon or [Je’Ron]Hamm or [Devin] Mahina or somebody. We would like to get some work in there but Compton is a good option."
On running back Silas Redd, Jr.:
“Yes, he is out for the year. ACL, MCL, he will have surgery.”
On the impact Redd’s injury has on rookie running backs Trey Williams and Mack Brown and if the team could add another back:
“We will see. We have some other positions we need to address. We’ll sit down with Scot [McCloughan] after practice and check our roster and where we can add players, what positions and where. Chris Thompson is doing a good job. Obviously Trey is doing a good job. It is very unfortunate for Silas. He was having a good camp and he was making very good progress. But surgery is in place for him and he will have to recover. "
On the growth in tackle Morgan Moses:
“I think I said it last week: just being comfortable on the right side. At Virginia, he was a left tackle his last two years. He’s much more comfortable on the left side with his pass sets and even coming out of his stance. We tried to move him to the right side early in camp last year. It was different, it was uncomfortable for him, but I think just his comfort level being on the right side, getting the calls, it has become second nature to him. You can see him, he has a lot of confidence now over there and he’s doing much better. As far as the game is concerned, I thought they did a good job. Their first time playing together in a game situation, I’m happy with the progress and I’m happy with the way they’ve produced. We’ve got a long way to go obviously, and I’ll keep saying that until the season is over, but those guys are working well together.”
On tackle Trent Williams, linebacker Perry Riley, Jr. and defensive end Frank Kearse:
“Perry Riley just aggravated his wrist. It’s a little swollen, but he’ll be OK. Kearse aggravated his shoulder; he’s day to day. He’ll be OK. Trent had a little knee issue. He probably could’ve gone today, but we kept him out.”
On the plan for linebacker Junior Galette:
“Probably Baltimore, but we’ll look at him tomorrow too. He’s an exciting player. He brings a different type of burst and energy to that defense. You can just see in one-on-one drills and the little bit he got out there. It’s a different tempo with him coming off the ball. We’ve got to get him ready. We’ve got to make sure he’s healthy, number one, knows the defense and then when he’s ready, he’ll be ready. He’s a good player.”
On the options at backup center beyond Josh LeRibeus:
"Well, we have [Tyler] Larsen, who has done it and we’ve got some other guys. Spencer [Long] is working in there a little bit and we’ve got some guys that are training to be a center. And that's what the last three games are for, to find out who can really take that backup center role and run with it. Right now Josh [LeRibeus] played pretty good. There's some things he needs to clean up – some of his snaps were a little off – but he did some good things."
On if he wants one of his active game day players to be able to play center:
"Ideally, yes. Absolutely."
On if having a veteran roster helps during injury adversity:
"It does, but this is a blow. It's a major blow, and like I said after the game, it's not him [Niles Paul] as player, it's him as a person and the energy that he brings to every practice. You watch him run and he runs every route full speed whether he's getting it or not, he blocks his tail off, he's in the weight room, he's the first one out, he's in the meetings and he's never been late. He's just a great teammate to have and losing a guy like that hurts you, but we have veteran leadership like you said and guys have to step up around him. That's a very tough position [tight end] nowadays in the NFL to find guys who can block in the core and lineup outside and be a mismatch in the secondary. That's what Niles was emerging to be – a true all-around tight end. He's going to get himself right, he'll have the surgery and we'll get him back next year obviously. But it is a blow, but we do have others guys that are going to have to step up."
On if he will limit the amount of contact prior to Thursday’s game against Detroit:
“We will a little bit, but we still have to get our work in. We have so many young players that we’re expecting to emerge and help us this year and they have to get the work. We can’t let a few fluke injuries alter or hinder their progress. So, we need to get to work. Offensive, defensive linemen, any time you get a chance to put pads on them, you get so much more work and better work as a result with the pad level. When you don’t have pads on, everybody plays high and it’s not quite the same thing. So, we’re going to try to figure out ways to get our pads on, but you just have got to stay healthy somehow.”
On if he will limit snaps for any players because of the injuries:
“No, we’ve got to play. This is football and in order to be a successful team you have got to practice. You have to play and not be worried about injuries. I’m not going to let a couple of horrific injuries alter our plans to get our team ready for the regular season. We have got to do what we think is right to get our team ready within reason obviously. We’ve had a few injuries but for the most part we’ve got a bunch of guys out here that are healthy and they need the work.”
On hosting camp in Richmond and today’s Fan Appreciation Day:
"It’s been great. Like I said, man, this whole training camp has been a very smooth process – from the hotel, to the meals, to the practice fields, to everything. It’s been great, and the fan support has been outstanding. To go out here at the end of practice and give away jerseys and balls and sign autographs to reward the people and thank them for coming is a great deal. We’re very appreciative of Richmond – the fans, Bon Secours [Training Center] – we’re very happy with the situation that we’re in."
On the play of the quarterbacks against Cleveland:
“I think you see progress. I see some negative articles here and there on our quarterbacks, but Robert was 3-for-6 with a 60-yard touchdown that was dropped. He had a big third down conversion. He missed the fade route to Pierre [Garçon]; he threw it out of bounds, was a little bit adrenaline rushed, and, of course, he missed the third down and five throw to [Evan] Spencer, whose route was a little bit short. But overall I think managing the game, the position, getting the plays out… we didn't have one penalty on offense, which was exciting. We ran the ball effectively and I think we moved the ball. I think, looking at the stats among the other teams that played already, I think we're fifth in offense and first in defense. So I think everybody played well. We do have improving to do, obviously. We did learn a lot from that game – quarterbacks, running backs, everybody.”
On the timetables for return for wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jamison Crowder:
“Yeah, I don't know. DeSean is questionable. I think we're going to shoot for, probably, the third preseason game. He's very close. I talked to him out there today. He's feeling a lot better. He's still able to run, which is good, and he's almost got his full range of motion back. But we want to make sure he's 100 percent. Jamison, same thing. Probably Week 3.”
On quarterback Robert Griffin III’s performance against Cleveland:
“I just think his comfort in the pocket looked a little bit better. The shallow cross that he hit to Ryan Grant on third down was nice. The deep ball he threw to Pierre, he’s expecting Pierre to sit down and Pierre took it up the field and then he reset his feet and launched it about 60 yards in the air and gave Pierre a chance to make a play. Pierre will make that play 99 times out of 100. He threw six balls, so we still have a long way to go to grade him but we’re happy with his progress. You watch him out here, he had a quarterback draw today for a touchdown. He had some conversions on third down today and progress is being made with him. We’ve just got to continue to work with him and be positive and go from there.”
On if it is “pretty safe to say” that the right guard position belongs to Brandon Scherff:
“Pretty safe, pretty safe. He’s really taken that role on. You can see him play with a lot more confidence, a lot more juice in there. He’s a lot more comfortable in there, and that’s fine. It’s not so much that he couldn’t play right tackle, it’s because Morgan Moses has done outstanding at right tackle. We have a great option at right tackle with Morgan and obviously, a great option at right guard in not only Scherff but Spencer Long, who’s also a good right guard. We have some good depth on the offensive line I’m happy about. I feel good about the positions that they’re in.”
On why Griffin didn’t play more last week and if Griffin will play more in the next preseason game:
“We’ll see. We’ll see with the ones and how we’re doing. I think the Niles Paul injury kind of just knocked the wind out of everybody. We just wanted to get the ones out of there and then see what the young guys were going to do. We have some youth on this football team and some free agents we wanted to get in there and see what they can do, and the same will be the case next week. Like I told Robert before the game, 'Whether you go 10-for-10 or 0-for-10, all we’re looking for is to learn from the experience, continue with our process of building you as a starting quarterback and go from there.’ Next week could be the same – first quarter, could be a little bit in the second quarter. We’ll see where we are health-wise come Thursday.”
On running back Matt Jones:
“He’s been doing good. He’s got to work on his stamina a little bit. He was running down there on special teams and he got a little bit gassed out there, but you can see the physicality that he runs with. He had a couple great runs there — physical runs and good cuts in the open field. We like where he is right now. He still has got a little bit of a ways to go in recognizing blitz pickups, which is very important. Chris Thompson did an outstanding job picking up blitzes in the game. Matt has a long way to go to get to that point, but we are happy with where he is.”
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Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center – Richmond, Va.
Head Coach Jay Gruden
On injuries at the tight end position:
“Logan [Paulsen] is going to have surgery on Monday – his turf toe – and he will be out for the year. Obviously, Niles [Paul] is going to have surgery. He’s out for the year. Right now, we have Jordan Reed who is still recovering from a sore hamstring. He should be OK soon. Other than that, we have got [Je’Ron] Hamm, [Devin] Mahina and [Chase] Dixon, and we will have to make do with those guys and see what they have. We’ll work a couple guys out here shortly but we have got three players in-house that are capable right now and we have got to get them better.”
On the situation with tight end Jordan Reed:
“It’s a little bit of a concern but, you know, he is a young guy. We are hoping that with the strength program that he’s gone through in the offseason… He has done a good job of getting his body bigger and in better shape. He just had a little unfortunate twinge but I think he’ll be OK. He is going to get the rehab and get that thing right. Just because a guy has a couple injuries early in his career doesn’t mean they are going to happen all the time. We hope it’s just an occasional thing and it won’t happen much. We are going to rely heavily on Jordan obviously and whoever else can step up into that role with him.”
On if the change from pads to shells was planned or because of the heat:
“I thought it was a little bit of both. It was planned initially. We wanted to get a couple good sets in. We had some drills with the offensive and defensive lines where we wanted to leave them on and let them pop a little bit. It’ll probably be the last time we go in pads before the Detroit game. I wanted to get a little bit of pad work, but also with the heat and fans out here we wanted to cool them down a little bit.”
On if he anticipates bringing in more tight ends:
"We’re going to work some out, yes."
On if tackle Tom Compton could contribute at tight end:
"We had [Je'Ron] Hamm who got poked in the eye, we weren’t sure about his availability today so we just worked him [Compton] in a little bit in there today. We did that a little bit last year throughout the year, so that’s a possibility that he can do that. He’s a versatile guy; I doubt he’ll catch any passes down the middle of the seam but he can get in there and block, and he can run block and do all the things a tight end needs to do without running routes."
On the blocking of the young tight ends:
"They’re getting better at it. They’re not a finished product, either one of them. It’s something that they’re a work in progress and these weeks leading up to the first regular season game are going to be very important. You’ve got Detroit obviously; you have a very tough Baltimore front. We have some games that we can get a good look."
On how much Compton can be used in that role and how that affects game planning:
“I think there’s a lot of things you can do with him. We’re not the only team that has tinkered with this. There’s been other teams in the league that have tinkered with an extra lineman playing tight end. You still have all your good play-actions and if you want to load up the box, we still have great match ups on the outside one-on-one with DeSean [Jackson], Pierre [Garçon] and obviously Andre [Roberts] and Ryan Grant. There can be positives to that, your play-action protection is probably a little bit more sound with a bigger guy there, your running game obviously. So there’s positives, but obviously we would like to get a tight end to emerge in there; whether it’s Jordan Reed or [Chase] Dixon or [Je’Ron]Hamm or [Devin] Mahina or somebody. We would like to get some work in there but Compton is a good option."
On running back Silas Redd, Jr.:
“Yes, he is out for the year. ACL, MCL, he will have surgery.”
On the impact Redd’s injury has on rookie running backs Trey Williams and Mack Brown and if the team could add another back:
“We will see. We have some other positions we need to address. We’ll sit down with Scot [McCloughan] after practice and check our roster and where we can add players, what positions and where. Chris Thompson is doing a good job. Obviously Trey is doing a good job. It is very unfortunate for Silas. He was having a good camp and he was making very good progress. But surgery is in place for him and he will have to recover. "
On the growth in tackle Morgan Moses:
“I think I said it last week: just being comfortable on the right side. At Virginia, he was a left tackle his last two years. He’s much more comfortable on the left side with his pass sets and even coming out of his stance. We tried to move him to the right side early in camp last year. It was different, it was uncomfortable for him, but I think just his comfort level being on the right side, getting the calls, it has become second nature to him. You can see him, he has a lot of confidence now over there and he’s doing much better. As far as the game is concerned, I thought they did a good job. Their first time playing together in a game situation, I’m happy with the progress and I’m happy with the way they’ve produced. We’ve got a long way to go obviously, and I’ll keep saying that until the season is over, but those guys are working well together.”
On tackle Trent Williams, linebacker Perry Riley, Jr. and defensive end Frank Kearse:
“Perry Riley just aggravated his wrist. It’s a little swollen, but he’ll be OK. Kearse aggravated his shoulder; he’s day to day. He’ll be OK. Trent had a little knee issue. He probably could’ve gone today, but we kept him out.”
On the plan for linebacker Junior Galette:
“Probably Baltimore, but we’ll look at him tomorrow too. He’s an exciting player. He brings a different type of burst and energy to that defense. You can just see in one-on-one drills and the little bit he got out there. It’s a different tempo with him coming off the ball. We’ve got to get him ready. We’ve got to make sure he’s healthy, number one, knows the defense and then when he’s ready, he’ll be ready. He’s a good player.”
On the options at backup center beyond Josh LeRibeus:
"Well, we have [Tyler] Larsen, who has done it and we’ve got some other guys. Spencer [Long] is working in there a little bit and we’ve got some guys that are training to be a center. And that's what the last three games are for, to find out who can really take that backup center role and run with it. Right now Josh [LeRibeus] played pretty good. There's some things he needs to clean up – some of his snaps were a little off – but he did some good things."
On if he wants one of his active game day players to be able to play center:
"Ideally, yes. Absolutely."
On if having a veteran roster helps during injury adversity:
"It does, but this is a blow. It's a major blow, and like I said after the game, it's not him [Niles Paul] as player, it's him as a person and the energy that he brings to every practice. You watch him run and he runs every route full speed whether he's getting it or not, he blocks his tail off, he's in the weight room, he's the first one out, he's in the meetings and he's never been late. He's just a great teammate to have and losing a guy like that hurts you, but we have veteran leadership like you said and guys have to step up around him. That's a very tough position [tight end] nowadays in the NFL to find guys who can block in the core and lineup outside and be a mismatch in the secondary. That's what Niles was emerging to be – a true all-around tight end. He's going to get himself right, he'll have the surgery and we'll get him back next year obviously. But it is a blow, but we do have others guys that are going to have to step up."
On if he will limit the amount of contact prior to Thursday’s game against Detroit:
“We will a little bit, but we still have to get our work in. We have so many young players that we’re expecting to emerge and help us this year and they have to get the work. We can’t let a few fluke injuries alter or hinder their progress. So, we need to get to work. Offensive, defensive linemen, any time you get a chance to put pads on them, you get so much more work and better work as a result with the pad level. When you don’t have pads on, everybody plays high and it’s not quite the same thing. So, we’re going to try to figure out ways to get our pads on, but you just have got to stay healthy somehow.”
On if he will limit snaps for any players because of the injuries:
“No, we’ve got to play. This is football and in order to be a successful team you have got to practice. You have to play and not be worried about injuries. I’m not going to let a couple of horrific injuries alter our plans to get our team ready for the regular season. We have got to do what we think is right to get our team ready within reason obviously. We’ve had a few injuries but for the most part we’ve got a bunch of guys out here that are healthy and they need the work.”
On hosting camp in Richmond and today’s Fan Appreciation Day:
"It’s been great. Like I said, man, this whole training camp has been a very smooth process – from the hotel, to the meals, to the practice fields, to everything. It’s been great, and the fan support has been outstanding. To go out here at the end of practice and give away jerseys and balls and sign autographs to reward the people and thank them for coming is a great deal. We’re very appreciative of Richmond – the fans, Bon Secours [Training Center] – we’re very happy with the situation that we’re in."
On the play of the quarterbacks against Cleveland:
“I think you see progress. I see some negative articles here and there on our quarterbacks, but Robert was 3-for-6 with a 60-yard touchdown that was dropped. He had a big third down conversion. He missed the fade route to Pierre [Garçon]; he threw it out of bounds, was a little bit adrenaline rushed, and, of course, he missed the third down and five throw to [Evan] Spencer, whose route was a little bit short. But overall I think managing the game, the position, getting the plays out… we didn't have one penalty on offense, which was exciting. We ran the ball effectively and I think we moved the ball. I think, looking at the stats among the other teams that played already, I think we're fifth in offense and first in defense. So I think everybody played well. We do have improving to do, obviously. We did learn a lot from that game – quarterbacks, running backs, everybody.”
On the timetables for return for wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jamison Crowder:
“Yeah, I don't know. DeSean is questionable. I think we're going to shoot for, probably, the third preseason game. He's very close. I talked to him out there today. He's feeling a lot better. He's still able to run, which is good, and he's almost got his full range of motion back. But we want to make sure he's 100 percent. Jamison, same thing. Probably Week 3.”
On quarterback Robert Griffin III’s performance against Cleveland:
“I just think his comfort in the pocket looked a little bit better. The shallow cross that he hit to Ryan Grant on third down was nice. The deep ball he threw to Pierre, he’s expecting Pierre to sit down and Pierre took it up the field and then he reset his feet and launched it about 60 yards in the air and gave Pierre a chance to make a play. Pierre will make that play 99 times out of 100. He threw six balls, so we still have a long way to go to grade him but we’re happy with his progress. You watch him out here, he had a quarterback draw today for a touchdown. He had some conversions on third down today and progress is being made with him. We’ve just got to continue to work with him and be positive and go from there.”
On if it is “pretty safe to say” that the right guard position belongs to Brandon Scherff:
“Pretty safe, pretty safe. He’s really taken that role on. You can see him play with a lot more confidence, a lot more juice in there. He’s a lot more comfortable in there, and that’s fine. It’s not so much that he couldn’t play right tackle, it’s because Morgan Moses has done outstanding at right tackle. We have a great option at right tackle with Morgan and obviously, a great option at right guard in not only Scherff but Spencer Long, who’s also a good right guard. We have some good depth on the offensive line I’m happy about. I feel good about the positions that they’re in.”
On why Griffin didn’t play more last week and if Griffin will play more in the next preseason game:
“We’ll see. We’ll see with the ones and how we’re doing. I think the Niles Paul injury kind of just knocked the wind out of everybody. We just wanted to get the ones out of there and then see what the young guys were going to do. We have some youth on this football team and some free agents we wanted to get in there and see what they can do, and the same will be the case next week. Like I told Robert before the game, 'Whether you go 10-for-10 or 0-for-10, all we’re looking for is to learn from the experience, continue with our process of building you as a starting quarterback and go from there.’ Next week could be the same – first quarter, could be a little bit in the second quarter. We’ll see where we are health-wise come Thursday.”
On running back Matt Jones:
“He’s been doing good. He’s got to work on his stamina a little bit. He was running down there on special teams and he got a little bit gassed out there, but you can see the physicality that he runs with. He had a couple great runs there — physical runs and good cuts in the open field. We like where he is right now. He still has got a little bit of a ways to go in recognizing blitz pickups, which is very important. Chris Thompson did an outstanding job picking up blitzes in the game. Matt has a long way to go to get to that point, but we are happy with where he is.”
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