Game Thread: Week 5: Redskins @ Ravens

[Krusheasy]

 

[Caliskinsfan]

With Kenneth Dixon presumably soon to return, Ravens release Justin Forsett

 

[Sharkinva]

IM seeing a recurring theme here.

Our offense is technically more productive than their offense

Our Defense is abysmal where as theirs is serviceable.

Figure us to be around 5 point underdogs in this one.

 

[deanpet21]

its 3.5 right now.

 

[Krusheasy]

our crew this week

 

[skinsdad62]

this is a hard win to get

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Master Tes...

Week 5 opponent: The Baltimore Ravens
Record: 3-1
Last result: 28-27 loss to the Oakland Raiders at home

Overview: It’s the Battle of the Beltway. Baltimore was one of five remaining undefeated teams heading into Week 4 until it fell to Oakland on Sunday. The Ravens were already a difficult team to gauge at 3-0 with victories over the Buffalo Bills, the Cleveland Browns and the Jacksonville Jaguars – who have a combined 3-9 record. It’s even more difficult to tell how good they are following their most recent result. Baltimore is definitely a better team than it was last season, when it finished 5-11 as quarterback Joe Flacco missed the first six games of his career. And it has certainly played better football through the first quarter of the season than the Washington Redskins.


Biggest threat on offense: Is Flacco elite? Unlikely. But he has the weapons to thrive this season with the return of wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. and tight end Dennis Pitta and the addition of wide receiver Mike Wallace via free agency. They’ve been Flacco’s top three targets so far, as he’s thrown for 1,072 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Biggest threat on defense: He’s 33 years old, but outside linebacker Terrell Suggs can still get the job done. He’s tied for a team-high three sacks after coming off an Achilles’ injury he suffered during the season opener a year ago that forced him to go on injured reserve. Suggs’s presence creates opportunities for other defensive players to get to the quarterback. Baltimore has recorded nine sacks this season, and it has the top-ranked defense, allowing just 256 yards per game. The Ravens have given up just 18 points per game, seventh best in the NFL.

Key injuries: Sunday could mark the debut of rookie running back Kenneth Dixon, who has been sidelined through the first four games because of a knee injury he suffered during the preseason. The Ravens released Justin Forsett on Tuesday after he was benched in Sunday’s loss to the Raiders, a sign that Dixon should be ready to go against the Redskins. Outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil played in his first game of the season because a lingering offseason foot issue. Baltimore started the season without tight end Benjamin Watson and cornerback Kyle Arrington, who were both placed on injured reserve during the preseason.


Jay Gruden’s coach speak: “Coming from the AFC North, I know all about Baltimore. They’re a good football team, they’re well coached again. Suggs, Dumervil, those two guys are explosive guys off the edge and problems. And offensively, Flacco, we’ve already talked about him, quality quarterback. So, it’ll be a heck of a game.” – Gruden, who spent three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals (2011-2013) before joining the Redskins

 

[Caliskinsfan]

 

[Caliskinsfan]

 

[Krusheasy]

 

[Krusheasy]

Wednesday presser

gruden

October 5, 2016


Head Coach Jay Gruden


On the injury report:

“Did not participate today were [Bashaud] Breeland, ankle; [Su’a] Cravens, concussion; [Josh] Doctson, Achilles; and [Dashaun] Phillips, hamstring. Limited were [Ryan] Kerrigan, elbow; [Shawn] Lauvao, ankle; [Chris] Baker, toe and elbow; [Trent] Williams, knee. Full were [Josh] Norman, hand; [Trent] Murphy, shoulder; and Rob Kelley, finger.”



On placing S David Bruton Jr. on the Reserve/Injured list and signing two other safeties:

“Unfortunately, David had a concussion or is in the concussion protocol. We don’t have the luxury of having a lot of spots right now, and we had to make a decision. Not knowing how long he was going to be out, we had to make a decision to get another safety in here to play. We chose to bring two of them in here. Obviously we made a move with Kendall [Reyes] also to make room for those two safeties – Josh Evans and obviously Donte Whitner. Josh is a young, talented player. [He] got some starts at Jacksonville. Obviously Donte’s résumé speaks for itself. He brings some veteran leadership and knowledge of the position and we’re hoping that he can fill in quickly.”



On if there is a difference in the severity of the concussions for Bruton and S Su’a Cravens:

“No, I can’t even get into the severity of the concussion, we just had to make a decision. They’re in the protocol and one could be longer than the other. We have no way of knowing.”



On what did not work out for DE Kendall Reyes:

“I don’t know, we just had to make the decision, like I said, to get a couple safeties on board. We’re short at the safety position. We felt like the guys in-house at the defensive line position were adequate and playing good enough and it was a spot that was expendable, basically. It wasn’t anything that he did poorly. It was just a decision that had to be made upstairs. Unfortunately, this time of year when you have some guys like [Bashaud] Breeland and some of these guys – [Dashaun] Phillips and [Josh] Doctson – who are on your 53 [man roster] that are not on IR, they’re taking up spots and we don’t have a lot of spots to fill some voids. We have a void at safety right now with Bruton’s injury and obviously D-Hall [DeAngelo Hall] going down.”



On if there is a need to add players on the defensive line:

“I didn’t mean adequate in a bad way, I just meant they’re playing the way they’re playing. But, no, not right now. This is a team thing and obviously from a defensive rank standpoint, we want to be better, and we’re going to strive to be better. But we’re not blaming the defensive line, we’re not blaming the safety position or the linebacker position. I think everybody, in general, needs to be playing better and that’s a challenge for all of them.”



On if there is a chance Cravens could play this week:

“I have no idea. We’ve had bad experiences with the concussions. It’s up to the independent doctor, so we have no way of knowing. We’ll see how he does tomorrow and Thursday and we’ll go from there.”





On if he liked the play of CB Kendall Fuller and if he likes him in that role going forward:

“I do, I do. We will see when [Bashaud] Breeland comes back what we’re going to do with Breeland and we have some things we could work out as far as who’s playing where, but I like the way Kendall played and competed in his first game. It wasn’t too big for him. He made some plays and I think he’s going to get better and better.”



On if CB Bashaud Breeland could play on Sunday:

“Oh, yeah, there’s a chance. He’s close.”



On tackling:

“We have to do better, without a doubt. You know, if you’re going to look at a positive, we have held the last two opponents in our two victories to zero touchdowns in the second half in our last two games and got two victories. So, I saw some improvement in the second half, but obviously the holes are what they are. You know, we’ve given up some splash runs, some big runs that we need to shore up our tackling. I think as you get later in the season, if we’re continuing to give up these plays, it’ll be a tough year for us without a doubt. But, I have faith that the safeties and the linebackers and defensive line, we’re going to get better and do a much better job moving forward. That’s all we can do.”



On if there is a common thread that has led to struggles on the defensive line:

“Well, I don’t think you put it all on the defensive line, number one. I think it’s outside backers, inside backers, safeties. Everybody has had their hand on it. Defensive coordinator, head coach, we’ve all had our hand in it. You know, it’s a team game, it’s a team defense and when the defense is playing well, it’s not because of the corners, it’s because the entire team defense is playing well. Everybody is working in unison and playing together and right now for whatever reason, we have somebody either out of the gap or missing a tackle or what have you and we’re just not quite hitting on all cylinders. But, we can get there. I think if everybody has faith in the system and can work, we’ll get to where we want to be.”



On if the team’s routine will change with the game in Baltimore:

“We’re going to stay at the same hotel.”



On if there is extra motivation because of the proximity of the teams:

“I wouldn’t say extra. I think it’s a great challenge. You know, when you’re playing a franchise like the Baltimore Ravens that have been consistently good and competitive year-in and year-out and have good players, I think it’s always a great challenge. It’s where we want to get to be at their level of consistency. So it’s going to be a great challenge. I have a ton of respect for Coach [John] Harbaugh and what he’s done with that team for so many years in a row. So I think the players know they’re No. 1-ranked in defense, they’re very good on special teams. Offensively, Joe Flacco and Steve Smith and [Mike] Wallace, and a good young running back in [Terrance] West, and a good offensive line with [Marshal] Yanda. I mean, they have good players. So we understand it’s going to be a great challenge and they’re close proximity to us so I think everybody will have a little extra motivation.”



On if his exchange of words with Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh during last year’s preseason game will come up this Sunday:

“No, I don’t think so. It was a misunderstanding. It was, you know, a little chippy. I have a ton of respect for him as a football coach and what he’s done, without a doubt. And, you know, that happened. It’s over.”


On the atmosphere in M&T Bank Stadium:

“Well, I expect a tough, hard-fought game. The thing that they’ve done consistently over the years, is they’ve been a very tough, physical football team. They have a great fan base. Obviously it’s a great place to play. It can be intimidating at times, but if you match physicality with them, which we’re going to have to do, you have a chance. If you let them get in your head, you have no chance. And that’s what they’ve done for so many years with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and the consistency of that program. But I think I feel good about where we are and I feel like we can compete and we’ve done well on the road in the last few road trips that we’ve been on to Chicago and obviously to New York. So I feel like our team has grown a lot and we can play.”



On improvements by RB Matt Jones:

“I just think his decisiveness is key. You know, when he’s decisive in his runs, whether he’s right or not, he’s still hard to tackle. And when he’s trying to tip-toe in the hole and try to find the perfect cut, that’s when he becomes easier to tackle. When he is decisive and gets his pads down, he’s a tough guy to tackle, whatever decision he makes. I think that’s the big thing with him. If fe continues to be decisive and have confidence in his reads, he’s going to be a productive back for us for a while.”



On if he’s said anything to Jones about the decisiveness of his runs:

“We do some coaching around here, contrary to belief [laughter]. We coach them up. Randy [Jordan] does a great job with him. They watch every run in detail, man. They coach them up on every run, every blitz pickup. Everything that he does he’s getting coached on and talked to. So, yes, we do.”

 

[Krusheasy]

cousin

s


QB Kirk Cousins


On wearing an Indiana sweatshirt to his press conference:

“Nate Sudfeld obviously being an Indiana graduate, Michigan State played Indiana last weekend and [we] made a little friendly wager. Indiana got the better of the Spartans, but it was all good. We did something a little unique. I said if Michigan State wins, you’ve got to give a donation to my youth football camp back in Michigan for next summer. But if Indiana wins, I’ll give to the ministry that he supports which is Assist International that does a lot of work in developing countries. We based it on a percentage of salary, so Assist International is going to get a good check [laughter]. Happy to do it. It’s a good thing. So I’m rocking the sweatshirt with pride and going to make that donation.”


On how he is feeling about the season at 2-2:

“I guess as you’d expect. Like you said, some good, some bad. I think it’s good to be 2-2, better than 1-3 or 0-4. But certainly feel like we also could be better. We just keep chugging along. We don’t live in the past. We try to learn from the past and move forward and control what we can control going forward. Just keep working and stay at it.”



On his observations of Offensive Coordinator Sean McVay calling plays from the booth:

“I really just have one observation, I don’t want to make it more complicated than it is. It’s just that I noticed in the Giants’ game that it is a little more sterile – would be the word I would use – with Sean. When he’s in the box, he doesn’t have to yell over the crowd noise. I don’t hear the ancillary noise coming through his mic, so the play comes in in a very calm, sterile way. I thought that can’t hurt. The original intent was to have Coach [Wes] Phillips down with the tight ends on the sidelines to help them through all their adjustments and personnels and blocking assignments and routes throughout the game. We’ll probably just stay with it for now and just stay the course.”



On if it is tougher to get feedback with McVay in the booth:

“I just hop on Coach [Matt] Cavanaugh’s headset if I need to talk to Sean. Coach Cav does a good job and obviously Jay [Gruden] will help as well with what he sees. Whatever needs to get communicated, gets communicated – one way or another.”



On what he liked in the red zone:

“Each situation is different, each play is different. Obviously on the initial, the first touchdown, as we said after the game, Jordan [Reed] was one-on-one, he did a great job winning. There was a window there, made the throw. The second one, nothing was open in rhythm, but we were able off-schedule to find something. You don’t really draw that one up; you just have to play and react. We were able to pound one in running the football. Another one we were able to just catch them off-guard with a quick count. Each play has its own reason for why it was successful, but it’s great to see us get down in the red zone and then be able to finish those drives. It certainly does make a big difference in the final outcome of the game.”



On if he’s starting to play the way he wants in all facets:

“I just think it’s week to week, it’s day to day. I don’t know that you ever say, ‘I’m starting to play well now’ or ‘I wasn’t playing well then.’ I mean, it’s just, who knows. You can win two games in a row, if you lose this week, now it’s, ‘Cousins isn’t playing well and doesn’t know what he’s doing.’ So I just take it one game at a time and do the best I can one play at a time. The old adage, those three words: Do your job. I just try to do my job and I think that gives me the best chance to try to play successfully.”



On WR Pierre Garçon:

“He’s a phenomenal player, one of our best athletes. Hard worker, he’s very intelligent. He has those characteristics that lend themselves well to having a long, productive career, to having a consistent career, to being a winner. He deserves every accolade or accomplishment that he receives. He’s been a great teammate and he’s a great example for younger players as we bring in younger receivers. So we’re trying to look for players like him in all positions because of the way he approaches the game. I’d love to be able to play with him for a long time. He’s certainly helped me as a player and made me a much better quarterback being on the receiving end of my passes.”



On changes in the passing game when the running game is working well:

“First of all, that’s a great hat. I really like that [laughter]. Secondly, Matt Jones running the football helps. I mean, I think he went for like 117 yards and that does open up things and it keeps us in manageable down and distances. I think on the first drive we really didn’t have a third down that we had to convert. You just, first down, second down, oh, it’s first down again. We may have been in a third-and-one, but we don’t see that as a need to drop back and spread them out and throw the ball down the field to convert. Boy, it helps to be able to stay in those situations and then if we can just stay out of penalties, it gives you more and more opportunities to run the football. Anytime we can do that, good things happen for our offense. And I think we saw that in the first two drives of what we can be when we’re firing on all cylinders.”



On if he will continue to extend plays or look to get rid of the ball to avoid sacks:

“Anytime I get sacked I’m going to look at how could I have avoided it. So there’s no doubt on one of those plays the other day I could have avoided it by just throwing it away. And then one of the sacks I took was not so much a hanging on as it was pre-snap being able to just recognize a pressure and adjust the protection accordingly, so each play can be different as to what the reason is.”



On Ravens QB Joe Flacco:

“Well, he’s got a ring, so that’s about all you need to say. And obviously he’s done a lot more than that. But, when you’ve won a lot of playoff games against some very good teams and played at a high level in those games, I think that says everything you need to say. I think he’s got a great arm. I enjoy studying quarterbacks around the league and he would be one of them. I’ve said it to him after a preseason game, I think he’s got one of the best natural arms in the league. Talented player and a guy that I like to study along with a few other guys in the league.”

 

[Krusheasy]

 

[Krusheasy]

 

[Krusheasy]

thursday presser

gruden

October 6, 2016


Head Coach Jay Gruden


On the injury report:

“Did not participate: [Bashaud] Breeland, ankle; [Su’a] Cravens, concussion; [Josh] Doctson, Achilles; [Dashaun] Phillips, hamstring. Limited were [Ryan] Kerrigan, elbow; [Trent] Williams, knee. Full were [Chris] Baker, [Shawn] Lauvao, [Robert] Kelley, [Trent] Murphy and [Josh] Norman.”



On the prognosis for if CB Bashaud Breeland and G Shawn Lauvao will play against the Ravens:

“OK. Breeland did some work off the field, didn’t do any team drills today. [He] worked with the trainers exclusively; we’ll see how he does tomorrow. Question mark, pretty much. But, Lauvao actually did a lot today. He did everything. He did all the team periods so he looked pretty good. So it’s a good chance for Lauvao.”



On if Lauvao would go back into the left guard spot:

“Oh, yeah. Yeah.”



On S Su’a Cravens’ status:

“Su’a goes to the doctor again – what is today, Thursday? – he should go again today, or he already went. We just have to wait, get all results from the independent doctor. We’re waiting on those results.”



On the likelihood of Cravens being available to play this Sunday:

“I don’t know. We’re at the mercy of the results from the independent doctor, so I can’t even guess, to be honest with you.”



On if there is any added confidence this year knowing the success of replacements last year:

“I think so. I think we have strong veteran leadership here and they know what it takes to get it done. Then the guys that you have that are backups – you have to have faith in them filling the void, and we do. We have faith that they’re going to do it now. The guys we just brought in, they’re question marks, so we’ll see what kind of shape Donte [Whitner] is in and Josh [Evans] and how quickly they can pick up the system. But Donte’s played a lot of football, I don’t think he’ll have a problem. The other backups we feel good about, without a doubt.”



On if he has confidence in the backup players:

“Yeah, no question. We feel good about the coaches getting guys ready in a short amount of time. Pierre Thomas is another good example. Alex Smith came in late last year, he helped us out. So we’ve had success with guys coming in on short notice, making plays and doing what they’re supposed to do.”



On the difference in RB Matt Jones this season:

“I think I said it yesterday, I think his decisiveness, when he puts his foot in the ground and makes a decision. It’s good. Instead of tip-toeing through the hole, he’s making faster decisions, and getting his pads down, and being more decisive on his runs. That’s half the battle right there if you’re trying to see too much and trying to see a backdoor cut, a front cut, a bounce cut, you’re not moving your feet. But he’s keeping his pads down and making one cut and going. [He’s] not always 100 percent right on the cut. We might run it back and say, ‘You should have bounced it. You should have cut it backdoor,’ or what have you. But still, when he makes his decision, he’s a tough guy to tackle.”



On the performance of Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry:

“Well, we’ve won the last two games and statistically, we haven’t been as good as we would like to be obviously. But, like I said yesterday, we shut out the Giants in the second half, shut out the Browns in the second half as far as getting touchdowns. We got two big wins. There is improvements that need to happen, no question, coaching, playing, all across the board and we’re working to do that. But we have the guys in-house that we feel can get it done. I feel like the coaches will get it done. We just have to keep playing and keep preparing and good things will happen.”



On if Barry is getting the most out of his players:

“Yeah, I mean, I feel fine. I really do. That’s something that we address at the end of the season. Right now, we’re in good shape. We haven’t played up to our standard, without question. The good thing is, like I said, we played well in the second half in both games – both our victories – and we’re creating turnovers. That’s good. There’s positives to be had. Now our tackling hasn’t been on par for what we demand around here. That’s something we can improve on, and maybe there are some issues that we can work on fundamentally and there’s maybe some schematic things that we can work on. We’re working to do that and adding a few things, perfecting a few things, that we’re doing but I feel like the defense, the players know what we’re doing, know what we’re calling. It’s just we’re not making enough plays right now. And so they go hand-in-hand. Schematically I think we’ll be fine. We’ve just got to make some plays and get after it.”



On the injury Lauvao sustained in Week 3:

“Yeah, I was really afraid. I was afraid for the worst there. I thought it was a season-ender. I thought it was the same one he had, so it was really good news that it wasn’t that bad. You know, he’s back and practicing and did a good job today.”



On what Lauvao brings to the offensive line:

“Well, he’s a veteran guy that knows how to block and he’s a very strong individual. Arie [Kouandjio] did great in his place and he’s proven that he can play the position also, but Shawn was playing at a very high level before he got hurt. He’s great in pass protection, very strong in the running game, gets movement and a smart player.”

 

[Krusheasy]

barry

Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry


On S Donte Whitner:

“We’re taking it day-by-day, literally hour-by-hour. But it’s exciting when you get a player of his caliber in here. You know, [he has] been a great player in this league for a long time, but it’s a crash-course with information right now. We’ve had this conversation before, football is football. It really is. It’s terminology, it’s words. He can play a specific coverage his entire career but what we call that, what we refer to that as, it doesn’t mean anything to him when he hears that word yet. So, but he’s a pretty savvy guy, very detailed guy. You can tell why he’s been the type of player that he is in this league for the amount of years that he’s been. But yeah, we’ll see. Yesterday was the first day, today’s the second day, and we’re just taking it day-by-day and seeing where he’s at.”



On if takeaways are sustainable throughout the season:

“Well, I mean, we practice – we actually practice third downs also. We practice red zone, we practice first- and second-down run game. So, it’s a phase of the game that we do emphasize in addition to everything else that we emphasize. I think it’s maybe something that we talk about and preach, like my thing that I have the guys… before they walk onto the field every day, they’ve got to punch a ball out, they’ve got to hammer a ball out, they’ve got to rake a ball out. It’s just something that we kind of get our mindset before we walk onto the field for stretch. So it’s something that we emphasize in addition to all the other things that we emphasize, phases of the game. But, I do believe, again, taking the ball away is something that it’s a skill that has to be developed, it’s a skill that has to be talked about. We don’t call them turnovers. Offense turns the ball over; defense takes the ball away. That’s why we refer to them as takeaways because they don’t just happen, you physically have to do them. So, it’s something that we talk about every single day whether it’s April or October, and it will be continued to talk about every day because, you know, offensively turning the ball over, defensively taking the ball away, they win or lose games for you, bottom line.”



On if he speaks to CB Josh Norman about his matchup with Ravens WR Steve Smith Sr. and making sure the matchup does not overshadow the rest of the game:

“Yeah, especially this week because No. 89 [Smith] I have a ton of respect for. It guys back to, you know, my days in Tampa when he was in Carolina. And I think, fortunately for Josh, is that Josh has a history, has a background with him. Josh was there with him when he was a young player in this league and he knows what kind of player No. 89 is. I’ve encouraged all of our DBs, you know, talk to Josh because you’ve got to have your mind right when you go against 89, because he’s that type of player. He plays the game the way the game is supposed to be played. He’s physical. He tries to mess with you a little bit, get in your head at times. But, he is the ultimate competitor. So I think it’s nice that we have a guy like Josh that not only has played against him, but practiced against him, especially early on his career as a young player, so I think it’s a benefit for us.”



On if going 9-7 despite injuries last season gives them confidence they can overcome injury issues this season:

“Yeah, trust me… you don’t want to be in that situation once, let alone twice. But we’re back here again. But again, you know how I’m always going to answer that, and what we preach and what we talk about with our guys, it’s injuries are a part of the game in the National Football League. They happen. Every team has to deal with it. So we have the mentality we’re not going to cry over spilled milk. We’re going to get up, we’re going to work. Whoever it is, whether it be a current player that has to have more of a role or a player that we bring in that has to learn his role, has to learn the system in a quick fashion, there’s no time to wait. There’s no time feel sorry for yourself. Next man up, let’s get ready to roll. So that’s the mentality.”



On why the unit had so many missed tackles and third down conversions against Cleveland:

“Well, I wish I knew the exact… I wish I had the remedy to clean that up because it is frustrating. And the players are frustrated with it. They’re upset because it’s something that you can’t play defense – at any level –and not tackle. Football is a physical game. Football is a contact sport and the object to play defense is to get the man with the ball down – tackle him. So, Liz, I wish I had one specific thing, ‘Hey if we changed this we’re going to be [OK].’ Tackling is different, there’s all different kinds of tackles. There’s tackles on the line of scrimmage that we’ve missed. There’s tackles in space that we’ve missed. There’s angle tackles that we’ve missed – angle being when the runner and the tackler are going at an angle. There’s head-on tackles that we’ve missed. So it’s not one clear, clean, specific tackle that we say, ‘Hey, if we clean this up, we’re good.’ It’s really across the board and it’s been frustrating. Third downs, we lost eight third downs. There were three third downs that we were off the field, but we missed tackles also on third down. And third downs, to jump into that, that’s really talking about winning the one-on-one matchup. Whether it’s being a pass rusher winning a one-on-one pass block, whether it being a DB or a linebacker winning the one-on-one coverage on third down… Winning that one-on-one, me as a player making a play against another player, whether it’s an open field tackle, or, again, whether it’s the ball in the air in one-on-one coverage, or it’s a pass rusher simply rushing against an offensive lineman, whipping my man before the quarterback throws the ball, that’s what tackling is all about and that’s what third downs are all about – winning that matchup, winning that one-on-one matchup – and we have not consistently done that. They get paid, too. They practice also. There’s no doubt about that. But bottom line, when we have got an opportunity to get off the field, if the ball is thrown in front of us and we simply have to just drive up and make a routine tackle, that’s what we have got to stop doing. It’s happening too much – the missed tackles – which are missed opportunities, especially on third down to get off the field.”



On fitting the right gaps:

“You know, really the only… Now, Duke [Ihenacho] made an unbelievable tackle. It was a very similar run that [Isaiah] Crowell broke for 85 yards against Baltimore. That was really the only misfit that we had. We fit runs, meaning if I get blocked, I’m going to take on the ball with this shoulder knowing that I have got a player outside of me that’s going to make the tackle. That’s what we talk about when we ‘fit’ the run. Whether we’re fitting on an offensive lineman or we’re fitting on a lead blocker, knowing where your help is. A lot of times when you play the run poorly, it’s because you misfit. I take the guy on here and my player’s outside and the ball cuts back and there’s no one inside. That wasn’t the case. On the longest run of the day, which was 19 yards, that was a misfit. But the thing that’s frustrating – the 17-yarder, the 15-yarder, the 14-yarder, the two 13-yarders – they were missed tackles. That’s the thing that’s frustrating is, again, as Liz mentioned before, the tackling issue. It’s something that we address, we talk about, we show, we try to create things in practice every single day, but bottom line, the object of defensive football is to tackle the man with the ball and get him down. We’re not consistently doing that.”



On if the front seven is able to get off their blocks to stop the run:

“Oh, well, yeah. It’s 11 vs. 11. We’ve got 11 guys on the field. We have got plenty of able bodies to make the tackles, we just have got to do it.”



On releasing DE Kendall Reyes:

“You know, you guys have heard me say before with our front office with Scot [McCloughan] and Alex Santos and that whole group, whether it be on the pro personnel side or the college side, they do a phenomenal job. And, you know, I think the decisions they make to bring players in here, the decisions they make when we do get rid of players, I think Scot is unbelievable at what he does. So, it is a little bit unfortunate when you do have a prior relationship with a player from a previous place but unfortunately it’s the nature of the business and a decision was made and we had to move on.”



On how he believes he is doing at getting the most out of his players:

“Well, not good. You know, a job of a coach is no different as a teacher, and if a math student simply isn’t just getting the good grades on math tests, you could say ‘Oh, that that kid is just dumb.’ Well, I look at it as the teacher is not getting it out of him. And I put a lot of pride and a lot of input on myself to get it done and we’re not getting it done right now. I’m not getting it done. So, it’s a two-way street. You know, obviously, players have got to play and make plays on the field but as a coach I believe I’ve got to get them to play better. I’ve got to get us to tackle better. I’ve got to get us to win on third down better. And, you know, I’ll turn over every rock to get what the issue is solved because that’s my job as a coach. That’s my job as a teacher, and I promise you, it was worked on yesterday on Wednesday in practice, it’ll be worked on today Thursday at practice until we get it solved.”

 

[Krusheasy]

Wednesday presser

gruden

some of the nuances are lost without seeing the body language and such ...

take a listen to this clip starting around the 4 minute mark

Seg. 04- Hit the Skins, Funny Gruden audio

They're playing, they're playing ... the way they're playing

 

[Krusheasy]

 

[Krusheasy]

friday presser

gruden

October 7, 2016


Head Coach Jay Gruden


On the injury report:

“Out will be [Bashaud] Breeland, ankle; [Su’a] Cravens, concussion; [Josh] Doctson, Achilles; [Dashaun] Phillips, hamstring. Questionable will be [Ryan] Kerrigan, elbow; and [Shawn] Lauvao, ankle.”



On if S Donte Whitner Sr. will play:

“We’ve gotten him ready. We’ll still see. We still have a little bit of time to decide on our 46-man roster, but he’s learning fast. He’s a fast learner, has been playing the position his whole life. He’s picked it up quickly.”



On staying committed to the run against a tough Baltimore front seven:

“Yeah, we’ll see how it goes. You don’t want to be forcing the run and be stuck in a lot of third-and-eights, third-and-nines. We’ll see how it goes. We’ll mix it up like we always do. So it will be important to try to get Matt [Jones] some touches early so he can wear down the defense late, hopefully. If it’s not working, it’s not working. We’re not going to force it, but we intend on having good balance.”



On if WR Josh Doctson is visiting specialists:

“Yes, I think he has been to a few specialists. Maybe another one is in order, but we feel confident that the guys he’s seeing know what they’re doing. So I think now it’s just a matter of waiting and hoping this thing gets better. That’s all we can do.”



On if there is a possibility of placing Doctson on the Reserve/Injured list:

“Not right now just because the results on the MRIs and stuff haven’t been that bad. We’re just hoping that the pain subsides and he feels comfortable in pushing off. He’s just having a little pain from when he pushes off, so, you know, that might come up later on if the results change, but right now there’s no thought.”



On how much longer they will wait to determine Doctson’s status:

“That’s a good question. I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see if this thing gets any better the next week or so and go from there. But, I hate to put him on IR and then he’s bettertomorrow, you know what I mean, because he’s such a valuable, big play type guy so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and see what happens.”



On if this game is an opportunity to show the team is better than last year:

“A little bit, I think so. There’s some of that, especially playing at Baltimore which is obviously, I mentioned before, a very good franchise and a consistent franchise for a long time. They are very tough football team. They’ve been tough for a long time and very competitive so it’s a chance for us to get on a three-game win streak, which is important, and put a good word out for how much we’ve progressed over the last couple weeks.”

 

[Krusheasy]

McVay

Offensive Coordinator Sean McVay


On the challenges of running the ball against Baltimore’s defense:

“Yeah, I mean, this is an excellent defense. They’re No. 1 in the league for a reason. They’re excellent at defending the run and the pass. So it’s a great challenge for us. I think the key over the last couple of weeks, which is why we’ve been able to be a little bit more successful, a little bit more balanced on some of those early down and distances, is because we’ve been able to be efficient on first down, both running and throwing the football. And that’s obviously a key for success for us and we want to be able to continue to do that.”



On what he needs to do to ensure RB Matt Jones continues to run like he has in the past two games:

“Yeah, I think the key thing that we always talk about with the run game is it’s a collective effort. It takes all 11. Starting with Kirk being able to make sure that we’re in the right runs versus some looks that we want to be able to run the ball against, then the line being able to block it up – perimeter blocking, and then the back reading it out, and pressing it downhill. And I think that’s what you’ve seen Matt do over the last couple of weeks, specifically like you mentioned the second half of the Giants game and then the entirety of the last game. So that’s the key for him. I think being able to stay healthy, I think those other backs when we bring them in are a nice change of pace for him when he does have a bunch of work like that. So I’ve been really pleased with what he’s done over the last game and a half and we’re expecting the same from himon Sunday.”



On the run/pass balance:

“I think it’s a key for our players doing a great job, you know. I think they’ve done a nice job being able to be effective when we have run the football and anytime you do that you feel comfortable calling some consecutive runs and different things like that. But I think our players have done a great job executing the last couple weeks and we’ve been able to be more balanced, which has helped us.”



On if he speaks with QB Kirk Cousins about not telegraphing his throws, particularly against the Ravens’ defense:

“That’s a good question. I think the Ravens are an excellent defense, especially with their linebackers and their secondary. They do a great job of keying the quarterback’s eyes. I think it’s predicated on the type of play that you run. On certain plays where the ball is coming out a little bit quicker, you’ve got to be able to see that area and you’re hoping that you can kind of beat defenders to the spot, whereas some of those longer developing plays you want to be able to hold your eyes down the middle and then be able to get your focus and feel to where it is at the top of your drop. Each play kind of dictates a different eye progression for Kirk and that’s definitely something that we want to be aware of because of how instinctual they are in their back end and with their linebackers.”



On Spencer Long first start at center:

“I thought he did a great job. I think Coach [Bill] Callahan prepares those guys as well as anybody. There’s a lot of communication that takes place specifically from that center position. He handled the calls. I thought it was good that we were able to stay kind of out of a lot of those third down situations, which does alleviate some of the exotic looks that those defensive coordinators can present. Overall, very pleased with his first start at center and looking forward to seeing the improvement against Baltimoreon Sunday.”





On G Arie Kouandjio’s first start:

“Well, I thought he did an excellent job as well. I thought him being able to get his first start, get that live game experience was very beneficial for him where it is different than some of the things that you’re seeing in preseason games. You can’t always emulate those looks in practice, so I think for him, as a confidence builder, knowing ‘Hey, I can come in, play at a high level, I can fill in when Shawn [Lauvao] goes down or if I need to fill in for him based upon whatever happens around him,’ that was a very good confidence builder for him and for us to see that he is capable of doing it.”