Redskins Misc News & Info

[Krusheasy]

cousins presser

QB Kirk Cousins



On the return of TE Jordan Reed:

“It means a great deal to have Jordan Reed in our offense. He’s one of our best players on the team and he’s a joy to play with, great to have him back. And, I think, just as importantly as having Jordan back, it was great to have our whole offense together for the first time because even with Josh Doctson and Jamison Crowder and some of the other guys who have at times taken days off here and there, we haven’t had many days where the whole group is together. So this felt like the first day, not only to have Jordan in place, but to really have what we’d like to think is our offense – at least to start the season. So, it felt good to have everybody working together and have all of our guys on the field.”


On what Reed does to make the offense complete:

“Jordan has unique movement skills, and then because he’s often lined up in a way where he’s being covered by safeties and linebackers and nickel corners, he creates matchup issues. If you want to put your best corner on Jordan Reed, that’s one option, but then now you’re opening a door for whoever else is out there – a Josh Doctson, a Terrelle Pryor, a Vernon Davis, so on and so forth. So, we’re always looking for those matchup advantages and they tend to be in Jordan’s favor, just because of how uniquely gifted he is. And then, usually a guy covering him is not necessarily the top cover guy on the team.”


On C Chase Roullier:

“Chase did a really good job today. We’ve had about three practices together total with him running with the ones – one back in training camp and then the last two days. I can only imagine all the changes that come with going from playing at Wyoming to playing here, and playing for Coach [Bill] Callahan and all the protection calls and all the fronts that you see. He’s handled it very well. He’s very intelligent. You can tell he’s a pro’s pro. He was a good draft pick. He can pass protect, I think that’s a strength of his, his ability to hold up in pass protection. There’s going to be growing pains. That’s understandable, but it’s exciting to see potential when it’s there, and it’s certainly there with Chase. He’s a good teammate, a class act, so I’m excited to work with him. We’re going to throw him in the fire against the Bengals and see what he can do. I’m going to do all I can do to help him, making protection calls and trying to be decisive so he doesn’t have to think too much. But I’m excited to get him out there and see what he’s got.”


On his post-practice work with WR Terrelle Pryor Sr.:

“I think we’ve said it all along that one of the benefits of working with Terrelle is that he just really loves football. And that’s evident with the fact that he wants to stay after practice, he wants to talk about the routes and the nuances of it. I think, again, what some of the stuff we’re working on goes back to the fact that, as good as he is, as talented as he is, there’s still a lot more there. We think that as he continues to fine tune and understand what we want to do here in our offense, he hopefully can just keep getting better and better. I enjoy playing with him and I take it upon myself to get him the football, give him opportunities. He’s so talented, and he has such a good heart and works so hard, I want to make sure he’s given a chance to be really successful and have a great year this year.”



On the touchdown drive against Green Bay:

“I do think we got in a rhythm in that two-minute, which helps. Plays were working and sometimes that can feed the next play. We’ve been pretty good when we get in a no-huddle and just have an up tempo to our offense, that’s been good for us. We didn’t get behind the chains. We were – I think for the most part – in second-and-medium or third-and-medium. We didn’t put ourselves in a lot of tough situations of third-and-12 or third-and-15. I think it was good to have that drive, but we’ve all acknowledged that so far this preseason we haven’t been good enough for what we want to do this regular season. We’re excited for the chance on Sunday to start trying to put our best foot forward and put a better product on the field.”



On why the faster pace works well:

“It comes and goes in the sense that there have been times where you’ll try to hurry it up and you’ll go three-and-out, so I don’t know exactly. Usually when you don’t huddle, you can regulate defenses, they can’t substitute, maybe they get a little fatigued I’d like to think. Sometimes you have the right play call for the right coverage or you just execute properly and sometimes you can slow the pass rush down by going no-huddle and forcing them to be a little winded but no one thing makes the difference.”



On if he feels “behind” now that today was his first day with all of his weapons available:

“I don’t know if I want to say I feel ‘behind.’ I think that would create a headline that I don’t want to put out there, but would I have liked for Jamison Crowder, Jordan Reed and Josh Doctson to practice every single day from OTA one to now? Yes. Is it a little bit frustrating that we didn’t have that? Sure. But, fortunately, some of these guys have played a lot of football and I’d like to think that any rust that would be there is going to be gone by Week 1. I’m optimistic but I think we still need to get the rust off between now and then. I don’t think it’s fully off yet.”



On that rust:

“I think it’s throwing and catching and reading coverages. You know, football’s a fast game and there’s split-second decisions that receivers are making on coverage adjustments and there’s decisions I’m making. There’s body language that I’m going to read to throw a ball a certain way with a little more touch or a little more anticipation or try to drive it a little more. All of that happens with just playing and getting a feel for someone. I think the longer we practice together, the more we hone in and fix all those errors.”



On if there is value in this tight end group’s versatility when going up-tempo:

“I think so. I think having tight ends and running backs who can be versatile does give you an advantage. You’d like to think it forces a defensive coordinator to not know what’s coming next – if you’re going to run the ball, if you’re going to play-action pass, if you’re going to drop back and throw it. When you have a running back on the field who can both pass protect and run the football well, he doesn’t know what you’re going to ask him to do, so it gives you your entire playbook and a defensive coordinator doesn’t necessarily know what’s coming next. There are other times when we’re going to put five wide receivers on the field, you know?”



On checking down to RB Chris Thompson instead of throwing to WR Josh Doctson in the red zone last week, and if that’s an example of getting used to different players:

“There were a couple plays that you’re referring to where Josh Doctson and Chris [Thompson] were on the same side. One, the ball should have probably gone to Josh if you’re talking about the preseason game. I believe it was a two-minute drill, I threw a flat route to Chris. Chris got out of bounds, but actually the ball should have gone to the slant to Josh. If Josh gets that ball, he may have a much bigger gain up the seam after catching that slant, so that’s where I’d say the read probably wasn’t as good as it should have been. Got a completion, got out of bounds, but there’s a better throw. Then just after that was when Chris caught the ball on a little snag route and then took it down towards the front pylon. Josh ran a double move, and he ran such a good initial move that the DB kind of recovered, and so as a result Josh I didn’t feel like was open and kind of had to reset to Chris. That one was more just well-defended, I guess you could say. They kind of played right, guessed right, and that one was a good thing to go to Chris. But, that route with Chris takes a while and that’s where I say it takes all 11. A lot of times protection hasn’t allowed me to wait on Chris to run that route because I feel the pocket collapsing and, fortunately, in that situation, I had enough time where I could sit there and let Chris run the entire route – and that’s a beautiful thing when your line is protecting that well and giving you the time to do that.”

 

[Krusheasy]

 

[skinsdad62]

great stuff krush

 

[Krusheasy]

gruden presser

August 24, 2017



Head Coach Jay Gruden



On encouraging TE Jordan Reed in a one-on-one drill against S D.J. Swearinger:

“It's a very competitive period down there – one-on-ones, receivers vs. D-backs. And it's a great route. You know, the whole thing about it is defensive backs have got to make it a perfect throw and a great catch. Fortunately it was a great throw and a great catch for Jordan and Kirk. D.J. was right there, had great coverage. But, yeah, it's great to have him back.”


On the health of Reed and LB Junior Galette:

“Jordan looks fine. He looks good. You know, I still want to see how he's doing tomorrow and then obviously Saturday and Sunday see how he does in pregame warmup, but he looks very good. Very crisp, very fast, very sudden, like he always is, which is good. Junior, he's been doing more and more each day and I think that'll be a game-time decision.”


On LB Ryan Anderson:

“Same thing. Same thing. He did a little less today but we're going to keep getting him checked out, and we're not going to push the issue unless he has full strength – full range of motion and full strength. Right now he doesn't have full strength. He’s close though, very close.”


On if C Chase Roullier is preparing to start at center in Week 1:

“We're preparing Chase like he needs to go. You know, I think getting Spencer [Long] back, we're hopeful, even if it could be in a backup role if he's not 100 percent ready. So there's a good chance there also. So we have a couple different options. But the big thing is to get Chase ready to go, and take advantage of the reps he's getting. And he's done that, he's done a nice job. We just brought another center in here for depth, you know, we need, for Sunday's game and for the game against Tampa. We'll take a good look at Lucas [Crowley] and see how he does.”


On the inside linebackers and the status of that position group:

“Where do we stand? Right now, we're starting with Mason [Foster] and Zach [Brown]. You know, that's a starting point. And then obviously [Martrell] Spaight and [Will] Compton will get plenty of reps and then you’ve got Nico [Marley] and [Zach] Vigil, and then obviously Josh Harvey-Clemons. So we have a good stable there. We kind of moved Pete [Robertson] to outside backer when all our outside backers got injured. So he's getting some reps as a pass rusher and he's doing a good job.”


On what he likes about Mason Foster at Mike linebacker:

“I think, you know, Mason played well last year. He really did. And he's a smart player and he's very physical. So we like his physicality. He's healthy, and he's playing well.”


On the nickel corners:

“I think right now, [Kendall] Fuller is probably our nickel corner if we had to start today. [Joshua] Holsey's doing an excellent job though, you know? For a rookie, a seventh-round pick, he's surpassed expectations by far. He's done a good job both outside and inside. So those two guys are really the ones we're counting on.”


On his level of concern potentially starting a rookie at center:

“Yeah, seems like we’ve had a little rollercoaster ride at center since I’ve been here. Kory [Lichtensteiger] was here and then he got hurt. We had to try [Josh] LeRibeus and last year we had some issues early on, so I think we just have to get Chase [Roullier] ready. We drafted him for a reason. He’s a true center from Wyoming and did a good job last year at Wyoming, but he is a rookie. But he’s a very smart guy and he’s learned a lot. Coach [Bill] Callahan has done an excellent job with him. If he has to play, I think he’ll be ready. He has a couple major obstacles at Philadelphia – Fletcher Cox and [Tim] Jernigan there inside – and they have some good pass rushers, so it’ll be a great test for him. You don’t ever like to thrust a guy into the fire, but we think he’s a mature guy and if he has to play, he’ll play. If Spencer [Long] is ready to go, it’ll be great, but Chase is mature and I think he can handle it.”



On the rotation at center during the past few seasons:

“It’s difficult because the center’s the one who makes all the calls pre-snap. He’s the one that communicates and you’ve got to have a smart center. You want an athletic center, you want a big center. At the end of the day, you’ve got to have a center that, number one, they’ve got to get the snaps back and they’ve got to be able to communicate. Then they’ve got to be able to finish blocks and be able to get up on the next level and pass protect and all that good stuff. There’s a lot on a center’s plate, especially for a rookie. But like I said, Chase can handle it. We’ve had to mix and match different centers since I’ve been here but we just have to deal with it.”



On if he has adjusted the reps for first-team offense in practice:

“Oh, yeah, we’re trying to get as many reps as we can without wearing them down. Yesterday, we had about a 17-play drive to end practice, which was good to get them out there and stay on the field and we’re trying to get more and more together. Very important, like you say, once you get everybody back. Still, it’s important for Kirk [Cousins] to get as many looks as he can get, so we’ll try to do the best we can without wearing them out, but get them a lot of reps.”



On how important QB Kirk Cousins’ ability to help Roullier at center is:

“A lot, a lot. I think earlier in Kirk’s career it might have been a little bit more of an issue, but I think now this stage, Kirk feels a lot more comfortable with the protection calls and he’ll help out a lot. The big thing is initially getting the calls right and I think Chase has done a good job so far out here. It’s going to be a great test for the Bengals. [Defensive Coordinator Paul] Guenther and the Bengals, they give you a lot of different looks; double A’s, they give you the odd looks, they give you spinner looks, three-down fronts, four-down fronts, all of them. So, it will be a great test for us.”

 

[Krusheasy]

manusky presser

Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky



On the combination of Mason Foster and Zach Brown at inside linebacker:

“I mean, we’re going back and forth all the time during practice with Mason and with Comp [Will Compton] and then with Zach and even [Martrell] Spaight. We are going through a process – that’s the preseason – right now. That’s why I like both of them right now. Mason and Zach inside, they are doing a good job from a coverage perspective. The communication has been well across the board and just making the calls. So right now just getting in that smooth progression with some players, just figuring them out and who is going to be our starter at the end of the preseason.”



On what Foster brings to the Mike linebacker position:

“I think he is just a physical cat in there. From a mental standpoint, he is starting to adjust to it. Over the course of training camp and then OTAs trying to learn it a little bit more in depth, but overall he has been doing a great job with communication, a great job stuffing the runs and hitting the holes that we are supposed to hit.”



On if he can make sense of Defensive Line Coach Jim Tomsula’s rotation along the defensive line:

“No, I’ve known Jimmy for a long time and I just let him do whatever he wants to do pretty much. From our aspect, we want to see players play at different positions because during the season, you never know, you might need a backup nose that has played end and vice versa. So, switching those guys inside and out has been a good scenario because they have got to learn left defensive end, they have got to learn right defensive end, they have got to learn a little bit of nose as well. We are just tinkering with it, figuring out what is going to happen. Here in the next couple weeks we will figure it out.”



On when he changes from evaluating the whole roster to focusing on preparing the starters:

“I think in this third preseason game, I think that’s kind of the avenue that we are sticking with, but across the board you never know. Some guys get injured or sometimes other guys do show up – from a previous game, they didn’t play as good. You know every game is different for every player because sometimes they have had great performances and other times they just didn’t, just for some reason. We are honing in on it, of course, with the players that we have got going into this third preseason game. Rotationally wise – Jimmy up front – I don’t know, maybe the second series is totally different. We do have a plan in place and we kind of know where we are going to try and alter it.”



On the value of having a nose tackle that can play in the nickel package as well:

“I think that is a big plus. That is what we are trying find out. I am just saying that sometimes during the preseason games at the end of the game, we want to see them against a little bit better competition, too. So switching those guys is a point that we are trying to figure out.”



On his philosophy on where CB Josh Norman will lineup in his defensive system:

“I think certain corners are sometimes really relaxed on the right side and some are on the left, and sometimes if you flip them at times, it actually messes with their head. It depends on the individual. If he feels comfortable switching sides, then that is fine. All of a sudden if he feels like we have a threat on the outside that we have to have Josh cover, then we will flip them. It depends on the personnel and it also depends on the player that you have.”



On what makes CB Kendall Fuller a good fit at nickel corner:

“He is smart. I think from a smart player inside that has good quickness and capabilities of reading the route combinations. And that guy, sometimes if you move that corner into that nickel spot, it is a lot of space, it’s a lot of room and sometimes they don’t have a great feel for it. Kendall has been doing a great job. We will be cross training of course. [Joshua] Holsey has been doing it and we will be training some other corners inside as well.”



On how Norman’s skill set fits into the defensive system:

“It is the things that you can’t coach. I think from that standpoint, he is just a savvy player that has a feel for the game. I think even when you draft players coming out of college, there is just certain guys that just have a feel for the game. It’s just uncanny. Even Jonathan Allen has a feel for the game, and you can’t say anything but that these guys have a feel for the game. That is what Josh has. From defensive calls, stick him in a one, always covering that same guy over and over and over, I am going to try to use his talents a little bit better, try to get him in quarters a little bit and get him in different coverages that we have. So we will get him to play the ball a little bit more.”



On how important it is to see LB Junior Galette in game action before the regular season:

“I think it is huge. We have got to see him that way because he hasn’t started, he hasn’t played in two years or whatever it has been. During practice he has been doing a great job. He is confident in his abilities. His abilities are very good right now. I think right now learning the defense, he has done a great job, but he has been banged up. I want to see him against good personnel and see what he can do. So it is majorly important that he plays in these preseason games.”



On how his relationship with players has changed since transitioning from a position coach to a coordinator:

“I don’t think it has been any different. They knew who I was and I talked to all the defensive players when I was here last year as an outside linebacker coach. I think the biggest thing is the acquisition of the coaches that we have brought in. With Jimmy and Torrian [Gray] and [James] Rowe and then with Chad Grimm and then [Kirk] Olivadotti, all those guys, it’s a tight group of coaches that are very specific. I always tell the coaches this when I was a position coach, I just facilitate the information from the guy that wants it to the players. I can’t sit in the room with 30 some guys and say, ‘OK, this is what the corner is doing.’ It is going to waste too much time. They do a great job of facilitating the information that I am trying to get to those players and we are having success with it.”



On how quickly S D.J. Swearinger was able to integrate himself into the team:

“I think it was the first week. Just like the physical gifts and talents that players have, some guys just have that aura about them and that is what he has. He has that power. I love the energy that he brings to the table and across the board he is trying to get it right. I don’t know exactly how many years he has been in the league, but he has been doing a couple jumps back a forth from different teams. He wants to see what he can do and see this defense, where it is going to go and it is going to a high place, I think.”



On his perception of Norman’s play last year and if it has changed:

“You know, last year he played fine. Sometimes it is just situational stuff. Splits, the receivers, which Torrian [Gray] does a great job of talking about with the players across the board, just honing their skills into the level of just breaking it down from a football knowledge. I think that is what Torrian is doing with him and actually D.J. helping him as well. Everybody is helping each other on the back end. From a calls perspective, they’re doing a great job and we are playing together. I don’t care what call it is as long as we are all on the same page, we will have success.”

 

[Krusheasy]

 

[Krusheasy]

gruden presser

August 25, 2017



Head Coach Jay Gruden



On TE Jordan Reed, LB Junior Galette and LB Ryan Anderson:

“They're going to suit up in pregame and we'll see where they are. Reed looks very good, Junior had another good day today, Anderson didn't do much.”



On if anyone has been ruled out yet:

“No.”



On if he will hold starters out for the fourth preseason game and if he has determined how much they will play on Sunday:

“Correct… How much am I going to play them Sunday? I don't know, play them probably be a half at least. At least a half. Maybe end of the third quarter, we'll see how we do.”



On the value of having a regularly scheduled week:

“It's been a good week, good preview of how it's going to be like in the regular season. You're right – from preparation, to days off, to Wednesday/Thursday/Friday practice, tomorrow we'll have a walk through at Andrews [Joint Base Andrews] and play Sunday. So it'll be good having an afternoon game on a Sunday. It's good work for us against a good team.”



On practicing at Joint Base Andrews tomorrow:

“It's great, man. It's just a small token of our appreciation. You know, it's great to do that. We've done that every year since I've been here, and they did it before I was here I guess. So, it's great to get over there, shake some hands, show the respect that we definitely have for the military.”



On who he hopes will dress for Sunday's game:

“You know what, I'm hoping that they all dress up and play, but at the end of the day, it's up to the trainers and that player. So I leave it up to them. I try not to get my hopes up on a certain guy or a group of guys. I just try to wait and see how they're doing. At the end of the day, their health is the most important thing. We all need the work – coaches included – on game day. But we have to make sure they're healthy also.”



On if there is a possibility Galette and/or Reed could play in the fourth preseason game:

“No.”



On if the value in playing Cincinnati is lessened given his familiarity with the team:

“It's still the same. You know, I'm familiar, doesn't mean they're familiar. So we have to get them schooled up on what they do and some tendencies and try to attack them that way, both offensively and defensively. Trying to give them a picture of what to expect and see how they execute.”



On if the receivers will have enough time to work with QB Kirk Cousins before Week 1:

“I hope so. I think there's a lot of teams going through that with new receivers on new teams. You know, we're going to utilize every second of the day we have outside and then inside the meeting rooms and I'm sure they'll do some extra on their own time. But I think, being together as long as they have, since OTAs and training camp, got four preseason games in – or three – I think they'll be in good shape.”



On if he scripts the first few plays of preseason games:

“Yeah, we give them a little first group of plays we're going to expect to call early in the game so they get familiar with them. And defense, we will go over the calls and just get used to the calls and all that stuff at nightly meetings.”

 

[Krusheasy]

cavanaugh presser

Offensive Coordinator Matt Cavanaugh



On the difference in QB Kirk Cousins’ approach this year:

“Even if he decides to grind a little less, he’s still grinding. He’s got a nice schedule. He’s got every minute accounted for. He’s got a routine of how he studies an opponent; everything starting from late Monday, starting to look at tape, looking at defensive scheme, their personnel. Tuesday, getting a little more in depth, whether he’s doing it here or at home on his iPad and then obviously Wednesday we start installing a plan. So, he’s still putting plenty of time in, but I think he is a little more relaxed, but he’s never going to be satisfied and that’s kind of what we want out of him. It’s a position that you can’t ever think you’ve got it all figured out.”



On how similar the preparation was this week to a regular season game:

“That’s a great question. We actually took this week as a mock regular season week, so our preparation was pretty scheduled. We simulated a typical Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and then obviously tomorrow, the last day before we play. So it was kind of a dry run because of a couple of changes on the staff just for guys to get used to how we do it and that was a good reminder what the season is going to be like because it becomes a grind for us too. I think we adapted really well. We got a lot of work done, we got the things installed on time that we needed to install. And then a reminder that it’s the preseason is, just, you know, it’s the third game of the preseason. Obviously you want to win, but you also just want to make sure you’re getting guys good, quality reps. We’d like to be obviously more efficient and more productive offensively, but we’re going out to try and score points and unfortunately the score really doesn’t matter.”



On if anything stuck out to him about being in a new position on staff:

“From a routine standpoint, no, because I’ve been here for two years and we didn’t change the routine much. It was just assigning some responsibilities that were someone else’s and now a new guy’s doing it – and me included. So my time was a little more busy being accountable for the whole plan but I don’t think there was major changes to what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.”



On questions he’d still like to have answered about the offense:

“Listen, we – as an organization and certainly as an offense – expect to be productive every time we go on the field and we weren’t. The first game we had two three-and-outs and that was pretty much it. Last week, it took us a little while to get started and then we had a nice two-minute drive and looked better, but we have high expectations. We want to be more efficient running the ball. We want to be more solid in protections. We want to be accurate throwing balls and guys getting open. So that’s a focus of ours every day we go out. You can always say, ‘Well, good thing it’s the preseason,’ because we haven’t been sharp for a couple of quarters until the second quarter of the last game we kind of picked it up a little bit. But we need to go out and start fast. That builds confidence that we’re going to do things the right way and we’re going to have it expected all the time. There’s still some time to fix things, and we’re excited about playing this weekend and we’ll see where it goes.”



On if this week’s preparation serves like a dress rehearsal for the regular season:

“It does. It’s very much mirrored what our normal week is like. Our meeting time was extended a little bit. Qe were more detailed in the preparation.;Wwe did segments so on Wednesday we put in our base first- and second-down plan with different personnel groups; Thursday we did our third downs, and then today we did our short yardage, goal line, and red zone and that’s pretty much our routine for the week. I think it gave the players a sense of the detail that has to be presented to them, the kind of studying they have to do, the note-taking they have to make, and then they go home at night and this is… we’re getting close. We’re getting close to the real thing, so you might as well get used to what the routine is going to be like. We’re still going to give them time off, we’re not going to beat them up, but there’s a routine that they have to get used to too as well as the staff.”



On how deep into the playbook he’s able to go in preparing players for preseason games:

“Another great question. Because it’s still the preseason, particularly the first two games, we really didn’t narrow down a lot. We kind of went in thinking everything we’ve practiced, all through OTAs and training camp, is still available to us. Now that we’re game planning a team, obviously that gets cut down so the number of plays we’d carry in certain situations would be fewer with a lot more detail. I think they’ve felt like this week they had a chance to really zone in on what was going to be expected, what plays to expect, when to expect to them, what their responsibilities were, and that should help with execution.”



On game plans being “vanilla” early in the preseason:

“I don’t know about know ‘vanilla.’ Quite honestly, the first preseason game when you know your starters are only going to play half a dozen plays, maybe 10 plays, you’re really more focused on the second and third groups and what can they handle. Your starters come out, they know the playbook, so you kind of take some of that stuff away and then you get a little more vanilla, if you will. Last week, we had a decent plan. It wasn’t a normal schedule, but we put in a decent plan and it took us awhile to get rolling, but we finally figured it out, and then this week a lot more detail.”


On Cousins’ growth with the up-tempo offense:

“He is probably a lot more prepared to do it now. The more you are in an offense and the more you understand all the verbiage and nuances, you run plays and you get different looks. You might run the same play five times in a game and get a completely different look, a different front, a different pressure, a different coverage and you’re adjusting on the fly. I think all that lends itself to him being more exposed to what might happen on a play. So if we do something that is up-tempo and the ball is snapped quickly, his recognition should be a lot quicker and I think he is getting to that point. We all as a group are going to put a game plan together we think will help us win the game, whether it’s slowing the game down, speeding it up, throwing it every down, running every down, it really doesn’t matter as long as we are all in agreement and we understand what our objectives are and what we have to do to win.”



On the benefit of going up-tempo:

“Well, the other thing it does is it makes the defense slow down a little bit too. They have less time to react. You’re going right to the line of scrimmage, calling the play, we are in a two-minute mentality so we are going right to the line of scrimmage. The quarterback is hand signaling, he is calling out protections. The defense has to get their call in, they can’t disguise coverages as well. They don’t want to get caught off-guard. It’s hard from the sideline I think defensively to get a pressure on, you know, signaling pressure. Some teams do it, most don’t. So I think from that standpoint you kind of slow them down a little bit just by getting to the line of scrimmage real quick.”



On the benefit of having the top four pass catchers on the field with Cousins on Sunday:

“Well, obviously they are all very talented guys, so we want them out there. We are also of the mindset that again, this is not for real yet. I mean we are playing a game, and we want to play well and get a win, but our opening game is almost two weeks away, so we want to be ready for that. We are not going to expose somebody in the preseason that we don’t think is ready. If they are ready to play and we get the OK from the medical people and the organization says let’s play him, we’ll play him. But I think most of those come down to game-time decisions. They are all progressing well. They have all been on the field, for the most part, the last few days and we are excited about that.”



On C Chase Roullier:

“I’m not doing a lot of work with him, but Bill Callahan is wearing him out. Bill is putting in all the time necessary to get him prepared. Now, he has been here, he is learning the offense. He was getting a lot of work with the second group. So he has just stepped up a notch. He has been in with the ones. I think his communication is getting much better. He and Kirk are starting to feel each other out, you know, understanding, ‘Here is couple of my cadences that we have to master. I want you to be real precise with your protection calls. Remember, I can always trump you and make a different call so listen what I am saying.’ So those are things that he was getting to a real comfort level with Spencer [Long] and now he has got a younger guy in there who we have to feel him out too. So from that standpoint, it could happen at any position. Any of the 11 positions, somebody could go down and somebody else has to go in and we expect guys to come in and perform. I am confident that Chase will do a fine job.”

 

[Krusheasy]

check out these sexy bastards that came out yesterday

Washington Redskins Nike Free Trainer

 

[skinsdad62]

my old ass needs sketchers

 

[Krusheasy]

gruden presser 1/2

August 29, 2017



Head Coach Jay Gruden


On injuries:

“The only injury that I’ll go over is Phil Taylor. He’s going to have surgery tomorrow. He tore his left quad tendon. He will be out for the year.”



On the depth at nose tackle with DL A.J. Francis and Joey Mbu:

“Yeah, Ziggy [Hood] can play there, Stacy [McGee] can play there some, too. Those guys have played well. It’s been a constant battle throughout OTAs and training camp, so those guys have gotten a lot of work. Coach [Jim] Tomsula’s rotated them in there, different people with different groups – part of the plan. I feel terrible for Phil [Taylor Sr.] because he did a great job at getting himself ready to play. He’s in excellent shape but it’s just an unfortunate injury. The rest of the guys have got to step up.”



On his impressions of the first-team offense from last Sunday:

“There’s obviously a lot of coaching that we have to do, clean up some things, but overall I like the way we bounced back and stayed in the game. Quite frankly, that’s the way a lot of our games are going to be in 2017. They’re going to be close, there’s going to be some adversity and we’re going to have to overcome it and make some plays to keep us in games and then win them late. There were some good things that we liked and obviously a lot of things that we need to clean up, as is the case every week in pro football.”



On what he hopes to see from the second- and third-string players on Thursday:

“I’m hoping they play well. Obviously we’re excited to see how these guys play. Last week, a lot of them didn’t get a lot of chances to play. This is a good week for them to show how much they’ve learned throughout the OTAs and training camp and now it’s their opportunity to play well against a good Tampa team. Not a lot of preparation time, obviously, which is a negative for them, but we hope that the fundamentals that we’ve taught and the plays that we have should be good versus everything and we’ll see how they react and adjust.”



On if he would be more comfortable shifting DL Ziggy Hood and Stacy McGee to nose tackle as compared to more traditional nose tackles like Mbu and Francis:

“We’ll see, we’ll see. A lot is going to determine that – how many defensive linemen are we going to dress on game day – that’s one – if we dress five or six on game day, how many we’re going to keep on the 53-man roster. There’s still some time for us to have those discussions and we will.”



On if he feels more confident potentially starting Chase Roullier at center in Week 1:

“Yeah, if I had to start him, I’d better feel OK because he’s starting, but he did some good things. He mistargeted a couple plays, which is natural, a lot of movement Cincinnati had on certain down and distances. But for the most part, he did well. He competed well and he stood his ground. I felt him getting up to the next level a few times and he blocked some good defensive lineman over there so I was impressed with his first outing. We’ve just got to clean up some of his communication, but overall I think he did well.”



On if QB Nate Sudfeld will play the entire game Thursday:

“That’s the intent, yes.”



On if Thursday is a chance for Sudfeld to prove he is worthy of a roster spot:

“The thing about Nate is that Colt [McCoy] and Kirk [Cousins] are very selfish when it comes to reps so he doesn’t get a lot. So this is a great opportunity for him to show what he can do. He’s had a few sprinkled in here – he played I think half against Baltimore Week 1, sparingly, he didn’t play last week, and he played sparingly Week 2, so we’ll see how he does. All those roster decisions, they are going to come up come Friday morning when we get back.”



On his level of concern with WR Josh Doctson’s injuries:

“Well, it’s been an issue. We’ve only had him a year, a little bit over a year now, and he hasn’t really done a lot with us unfortunately, but I think he’s going to overcome these. I think he could have played last week; he could play Thursday if we wanted him to. I think he’s going to be ready to go for Philadelphia and now it’s a matter of keeping him out there, and knock on wood, we hope we can do that.”



On if he views Doctson as a starting receiver:

“Well, we have some players there that have been performing in practice in his absence that have done well, obviously [Jamison] Crowder and depends how many receivers you play. If you play a two-receiver set, right now Crowder could be the starting Z, it could be Josh, it could be Ryan [Grant]. We have plenty of options there. The big thing is we want to keep them fresh. If Terrelle [Pryor Sr.] gets tired, I won’t hesitate at putting Josh at X or Ryan Grant at X or whatever, so we have a good group of wideouts that could play anywhere at any time.”



On if Doctson is having any trouble with confidence in his own health:

“I don’t know, you’d have to ask him that. I think he just had some unfortunate… he was running a lot in OTAs and training camp and he was doing some really good things. It wasn’t like he pulled it, it was just tight, I guess, so to speak. It hasn’t been a major pull, so I think he’s going to be okay.”

 

[Krusheasy]

gruden presser 2/2

On if there is concern about LB Ryan Anderson being ready for the start of the season:

“We’ll see. I think if you’ve missed this much time, there’s some concern because he needs the practice. It’s not like we can just throw him out there, ‘Hey!’ He’s a rookie, he needs a lot of work – the communication, where he’s supposed to be and how to get there. So there is a little level of concern there, but we feel like he’ll be ready eventually, we just don’t know when. It’s a unique injury. We’ve just got to get his strength back.”



On if Roullier will play on Thursday:

“That’s a good question. You know, we will wait and see come Thursday afternoon. We will go through pregame warmup and see where we stand. We will try to get Chase maybe a series or two and see how it goes, but Ronald Patrick will get the majority. We will go from there.”



On if there is temptation to play players who might have starting roles who haven’t had a lot of reps:

“Junior [Galette] is definitely not going to play. He played with his injury, very similar to Josh [Doctson], but he is not going to play Thursday. Josh wants to play Thursday, but that will be my decision here in about 24 hours.”



On LB Will Compton, RB Rob Kelley and CB Kendall Fuller:

“Will Compton, no, he just has a chest contusion a little bit. Kelley and Fuller? They’re OK, they just took the day off, a little sore.”



On if he likes the new cut-down rules:

“I do, I do, I do because — I mentioned this before — I just think that we have had these guys for so long that this is a great opportunity for a lot of them to play and show what they have, not just for our team and our practice squad, but for everybody else. If you make a mad cut after the Thursday game, or after our game against Cincinnati, you’re not going to be able to really pick anybody up. You don’t have the roster spots and then you don’t have enough guys to play against Tampa because you’re going to rest all your starters. So it is great to have all these guys available and it’s great to see them play. You give them an opportunity to see what they have in a pro stadium and a big game.”



On his memories of last year’s game against Tampa Bay, which was moved a day earlier because of Tropical Depression Nine:

“That was a grind. It was tough – a tough week. But we got through it and guys adjusted well. They actually played well. Mack Brown had a big game and did some good things. We were able to look at a lot of good players.”



On if he had previously played or coached in circumstances like that:

“In a hurricane? No. That would be the first.”



On if the team could look to add defensive linemen after roster cuts:

“Yeah, could be. I think our scouts upstairs are looking at everybody’s roster and projected cuts and seeing if there is somebody we could pick up that can help our football team; we’ll look at them. Also for practice squad purposes… But we feel good about the depth we have at the defensive line. I’ve said that from day one. I think with Joey [Mbu] and A.J. [Francis], they’re playing well. Obviously Matt [Ioannidis] is playing well and Stacy [McGee] and you’ve got Terrell [McClain] and Ziggy [Hood], so we’ve got a good group. Anthony Lanier is young and he’s still getting better. So we feel pretty good about our depth. But obviously if somebody they feel like is better, we’ll take a look.”



On if he expects there to be a lot of fluctuation on the roster once all teams have cut from 90 to 53:

“Could be. You know, I don’t anticipate a whole lot, but you don’t know. We’ve got to wait and see who’s out there. Like I said, the scouts know them all a lot better than I do right at this second, so we’ll get a look at who’s out there and if we feel like they can make our team better, we’ll look at them. But I feel good about the guys we’re going to keep. I don’t want to let any of these guys go right now, but we’re going to have to make those tough decisions. I like the guys that we have and I think we can compete with the ones that we have.”


On CB Joshua Holsey:

“I’ve been impressed with Josh. He’s played nickel, he’s played corner. He’s active. He’s a good tackler. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he makes up for it with his smarts. He knows where to go and where to be and has great coverage skills, in my opinion. I like his toughness, I like his attitude and he’s done well – both inside and outside.”


On which offensive coaches help in the booth:

“Coach [Matt] Cavanaugh is up there. He does good. And then we have Kevin [O’Connell] downstairs and obviously Wes [Phillips] downstairs and Coach [Bill] Callahan downstairs.”


On if calling plays detracts from his time with the defense:

“No. I didn’t spend a lot of time with them last year. Every once in a while I’d just pat them on the head and say good job or yell at them if they weren’t hustling. I stay out of the schematics part of it. They’ve already got all that stuff and the defensive coaches do an excellent job, so we’ll just let them do their job.”


On areas in which RB Chris Thompson has improved this offseason:

“Oh, wow, I think last year he was very good in his role. I think we can expand his role if we want to. It’s just he’s so good at the third-down role that I just want to keep him there. He’s a very valuable commodity to our football team, both in pass protection and getting out on the routes. I mean, the thought of him not being around scares the heck out of me. So he’s improved every part of his game, and a lot of these young players, they do that. You either get better or worse, and he’s just one of those guys that continues to work and he’s gotten better at everything. His vision on the running game and his pass protection has gotten better and better, and his routes, really, are the most improved, I think, coming out of the backfield. It takes some time for those guys to work their releases and work on the linebackers and run them at the right depth and come out at the right angles and all that stuff, and he’s darn-near perfected it.”

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Ha! When asked about His thoughts on Ryan Grant...

 

[Caliskinsfan]

'One word that best describes Bruce Allen'...Scot nails it

 

[Krusheasy]

roster moves

For Immediate Release

September 2, 2017



REDSKINS MAKE ROSTER MOVES


LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Redskins announced today that they have made the following roster moves:



The Redskins released the following players:

S Will Blackmon

DL A.J. Francis


The Redskins waived the following players:

DL Brandon Banks

TE E.J. Bibbs (designated as injured)

C Lucas Crowley

WR Robert Davis

TE Manasseh Garner

WR Maurice Harris

WR Matt Hazel

RB Kenny Hilliard

CB Tevin Homer

WR Levern Jacobs (designated as injured)

RB Matt Jones

G Kyle Kalis

T John Kling

G Arie Kouandjio

LB Nico Marley

DL Joey Mbu

CB Jeremiah McKinnon

OL Kendall Pace

T Vinston Painter

WR Zach Pascal

C Ronald Patrick (designated as injured)

DL Ondre Pipkins

WR James Quick

LB Pete Robertson

S Fish Smithson

WR Jamari Staples

QB Nate Sudfeld

LB Ron Thompson Jr. (designated as injured)

LB Lynden Trail (designated as injured)

LB Zach Vigil

G Isaiah Williams


The Redskins placed the following player on their Reserve/Injured list:

DL Phil Taylor Sr.


The Redskins placed the following player on their Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list:

S DeAngelo Hall


The Redskins also acquired the Los Angeles Rams’ 2018 seventh-round selection in exchange for TE Derek Carrier.


With the moves, the Redskins’ active roster now stands at 53 players.

 

[Caliskinsfan]

 

[Krusheasy]

roster moves

For Immediate Release

September 3, 2017



REDSKINS MAKE ROSTER MOVES


LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Redskins announced today that they have made the following roster moves:



The Redskins claimed the following player off waivers from Minnesota:

T T.J. Clemmings


The Redskins placed the following player on their Exempt/Left Squad list:

S Su’a Cravens


The Redskins signed the following players to their practice squad:

DL Brandon Banks

WR Robert Davis

TE Manasseh Garner

WR Maurice Harris

G Kyle Kalis

LB Pete Robertson

S Fish Smithson

 

[Krusheasy]

roster moves

For Immediate Release

September 4, 2017



REDSKINS MAKE ROSTER MOVES


LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Redskins announced today that they have made the following roster moves:


The Redskins signed the following players to their practice squad:

WR Dres Anderson

OL Anthony Fabiano

QB Alek Torgersen


The Redskins waived the following player from their Reserve/Injured list with an injury settlement:

C Ronald Patrick

 

[Krusheasy]

gruden presser

September 5, 2017



Head Coach Jay Gruden



On the latest news with S Su’a Cravens and his response to it:

“Well, it’s Su’a’s business, number one, and he is taking care of some personal issues and he has a lot to decide for a young man. If he wants to continue playing pro football, how he wants to go about it, number one, number two, things that he has to deal with. I think he has got four weeks really to try to get his life in order on and off the field and figure out where his priorities are and what he wants to do. You know, some people, football is not for them, but I know he has a strong passion for the game and wants to play, but there are some other things in his life that he needs to keep private – that we will keep private – that he has to take care of.”



On his disappointment level with losing Cravens:

“I think it’s disappointing. I think when you talk about something personal like this, this is something we have to deal with and he has to deal with. Luckily for us – not luckily – but he was injured and other guys got reps. [Deshazor] Everett got a lot of reps the last couple of weeks. [Stefan] McClure has stepped up and made some big time plays in his absence. Montae [Nicholson] has gotten some reps since he has been healthy. So we feel good about the four safeties that we have, obviously led by D.J. [Swearinger].”



On when he knew Cravens considering retirement was a possibility:

“I didn’t really know until it happened. He came in my office just the other day and had some personal issues he wanted to tend to and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue playing football until he got those resolved. We are going to let him get them resolved and see what happens in a month.”



On if Cravens ever brought up retirement before:

“No, not to this extent.”



On what gives him confidence in starting Deshazor Everett at safety:

“I think just his steady progression at the position. He is one of those guys – like I said before – moved from corner and that takes some time, but I think the more reps he gets with the first group, I think the more detailed oriented he is going to be in the film room and studying. He is a very passionate guy about the game. I think he will do a good job. It’s just a matter of lining up correctly, getting the calls, communicating with D.J. and making plays. I know the one thing he can do, he can tackle. He is not afraid. He has got good ball skills. So, that’s a good combination for a safety.”



On if he thinks Cravens “owes something” to the fan base or to his teammates:

“There is that side of it, but I think the way he handled it was in a professional way. From what I understand of his situation, I understand where he is coming from. You know, there are some issues there that he has to take care of and only he can take care of him the way he sees fit. But as far as owing things to us, he has given everything he has had since he has been here. We have taken some time to try to get him ready for this first game, but I think sometimes your personal life is more important and in this case for him it is.”



On if Cravens would need to restore faith with coaches and teammates if he returns to football:

“I think he wants to play. I’ve seen him at USC. I’ve watched him at practice. I’ve watched him play in games and I know that he loves the game of football, so I don’t think that is the issue. I just think that there are some things really weighing on his mind that he has to take care of. So if he gets those things cleared up, then sure, we will take another look at him. He is one of our guys.”



On RB Chris Thompson’s contract extension:

“Yeah, it’s big. I’m happy for Chris. I’m glad we came up to an agreement because – like I said – he is the security blanket that we have offensively, especially on third down in the red zone. So, he has done everything exactly right as far as work ethic, preparing, working hard, studying, being productive, dominating a situation that he is asked to play in. He has done an excellent job and he is going to continue to get better. That is a big time role for us. He is not a ‘lead down’ back like some of these other big time names, but his role in pro football is critical to the success of the football team.”


On his approach to talking to Cravens now:

“Well, I’m not talking to him now; he’s on [the] Left Squad

• 
  , so we have got to let that take care of itself. But as far as him understanding if we want him or not, obviously he knows that. We drafted him in the second round, for goodness’ sake. We’ve given [him] every opportunity to be a starting safety here and he’s taken advantage of that opportunity and played well in the time that he was playing it. He was growing with the position. This just kind of came out of nowhere. It’s hard to say what I would do in that same situation because I’m not in that situation. Only he is and he has to deal with it the way he sees fit. This is what he chose to do, so we’ll stand by him and hopefully he gets everything situated and maybe we’ll see him in a month.”
  
  
  On resources in place to help young players transition to the NFL:
  
  “They definitely have a lot of things in place that can help them out. I’m not going to go into every detail because that’s getting into his privacy. He’s got plenty of support system around him from what we’ve instilled for him and what the league instilled and NFLPA and all that stuff. Hopefully he just takes his time and tries to figure out what he wants to do in the future.”
  
  
  
  On if the decision to make one roster cut instead of two was positive:
  
  “I think so. I think it helped a lot of guys also. I think it helped a lot of guys around the league because that fourth preseason game, people got to play a lot of minutes that they normally would’ve been on the street at that time. Just more film that you can put out there for other teams helps, not only for the active roster but for our practice squad. We were able to pick up a couple of guys that were not on our team for the practice squad because of that fourth preseason game, so I think it helped everybody, personally.”
  
  
  
  On watching Thompson overcome adversity early in his career to develop into the player he is:
  “It’s great. It’s great that you see the hard work pay off for somebody like Chris. He’s such a great kid off the field. You want to see him succeed in the worst way because he does everything exactly right the way you ask him. In practice, he takes all the reps, he works hard, never takes a play off. He’s never been late one time to a meeting or a workout. He’s a coach’s dream, quite frankly, and you want those guys to succeed because it trickles down in the building. Guys like that, when you see them get rewarded, the younger guys see what it takes to get rewarded and it rubs off on the younger players. So it’s great to have a leader like Chris.”
  
  
  
  On the decision to keep five receivers:
  
  “There were some tough decisions – five receivers, two quarterbacks, only four tight ends. There was an issue, we could’ve kept five. Eight linemen. I think we had to keep five outside linebackers for sure, the six defensive linemen were important, and five inside linebackers. I think Josh Harvey[-Clemons] deserved a chance. We knew he’d get scooped up right away if we let him go, so we wanted to keep Josh Harvey. He played well. Then we had to keep the five safeties initially until Su’a was on Left Squad, and then six corners. I think Josh Holsey did a great job playing for us and we want to keep him in the loop. With Kendall [Fuller] there in nickel and obviously Fabian [Moreau] the way he came on… Based on the numbers, we thought we did a pretty good job. We would love to keep about 56 but we had to get down to 53 and that’s the best way we decided to do it.”
  
  
  
  On if the plan was to keep five safeties prior to the Cravens news:
  
  “Oh, yeah. He wasn’t 100 percent yet. He was close. He was going to practice the day that it happened or soon thereafter, but, yeah, we were going to keep [Stefan] McClure. McClure played very well.”
  
  
  
  On keeping five wide receivers and if he is worried about WR Josh Doctson’s health:
  
  “No, we have three on practice squad, and obviously Maurice Harris is here so we feel good about him at any time, any place, anywhere. He could be a top three for all I care. He’s a very good player. We’re fortunate to get him back. Obviously Robert Davis has been schooled now, so really we have seven. We have Dres Anderson in here to take a look at also, so we have eight, really. But with the three tight ends, the four tight ends that we have, we don’t have to be in three-receiver sets, we can be at two-receiver sets more often or maybe even one-receiver set. So we got it covered.”
  
  
  
  On his reaction to QB Nate Sudfeld signing with the Philadelphia Eagles:
  
  “Don’t have one. I’m happy that he signed. We wish him well.”
  
  
  
  On the players’ communication with Cravens and if he’d be welcomed back:
  
  “I think that wouldn’t be an issue. I think D-Hall [DeAngelo Hall] has kind of taken the lead on that. He’s done a great job of trying to communicate with him and help him. The rest of the guys have too. He’s made a lot of friends here since he’s been here a year and a half or two years, however long it’s been. He knows that we’re all here for him if he needs us, but I think he just needs some time for himself to figure out what he wants to do.”
  
  
  
  On if his role in making roster cuts changed following the offseason changes in the personnel department:
  
  “No, it’s always been the same. Always been the same. We work together.”
  

 

[Krusheasy]

roster moves

For Immediate Release

September 5, 2017



REDSKINS MAKE ROSTER MOVE


LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Redskins announced today that they have made the following roster move:


The Redskins waived the following player from their Reserve/Injured list with an injury settlement:

WR Levern Jacobs

chris thompson press release

For Immediate Release

September 5, 2017



REDSKINS SIGN RB CHRIS THOMPSON

TO MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION


LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Redskins announced today that they have signed running back Chris Thompson to a multi-year contract extension. Full terms of the deal were not disclosed.



Thompson (5-8, 191) was originally selected by the Redskins in the fifth round (154th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has appeared in 35 career regular season games in his first four seasons, rushing 106 times for 584 yards with three rushing touchdowns and catching 90 passes for 616 yards with five receiving touchdowns.



Last season, Thompson played in all 16 games for the Redskins, posting career highs in rushing attempts (68), rushing yards (356), rushing touchdowns (three), receptions (49) and receiving yards (349) while matching his career high with two receiving touchdowns. He was one of only two players in the NFL to record at least 60 carries, 40 receptions and 15 kickoff returns in 2016 (Green Bay's Ty Montgomery).



Thompson played collegiately at Florida State, where he appeared in 38 games. As a senior in 2012, the second-team All-ACC honoree rushed 91 times for 687 yards and five touchdowns in eight games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. That year, he was named the co-winner of the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award – given to the most courageous player in the conference – after returning from two broken vertebrae in his back.



Thompson, 26, attended Madison County H.S. in Madison, Fla., where he rushed for 2,300 yards and 33 touchdowns in helping lead his team to the state championship. He was born Oct. 20, 1990.