August 3, 2009 Redskins Park
REDSKINS TIGHT END CHRIS COOLEY
On if he thinks the defense is ahead of the offense at this point in training camp:
"We just sat down and talked about it in the locker room, Jason Campbell [and I] about our offense and I think we are so far ahead of where we were last year. I don't think we can come in and say the defense is ahead of us in three days. I think you've got to compare it to where we've been previously. What we've installed in the first three or four meetings is three or four times as much as we did last year. We out went and installed our short yardage and goal line package which we didn't get to until one or two days before the Hall of Fame Game last year. We have 90 percent of offense in. Right now it's just a matter of fine tuning everything, correcting it. Guys know the plays though and I think that's a huge advantage right now. We're not going out saying, 'Are we going to be able to get our whole package in, are we going to be comfortable with installing and being able to call these plays?' We're able to call them, we just need to fine tune them."
On how he plans to improve the offense this season:
"I think the red zone is a huge emphasis for our whole team. Obviously I would like to have my number called every time we get inside the 10-yard line. Of course I want to catch 15 touchdowns this year, but I think more importantly we need to have three or four guys that have six, seven, eight touchdowns. In that fashion, with us spreading the ball around it will create opportunity. I would like to make a lot of plays and would definitely like to catch a lot more touchdowns this year. I think overall that was a huge negative last year, that ability to score points, and we're really trying to address that right now."
On tight end Fred Davis:
"I think Fred Davis has been outstanding. It was hard for Fred to come from USC and be a stand out player and be someone that was drafted very high and have coaches tell him he's not ready to play. Fred wanted to play from the minute he got here. He just wasn't quite ready to prepare. He's done an excellent job getting himself ready in the off season. He's worked very hard coming out to practice. I actually got a text message from Fred the other day that said, 'I'm not going to make any mistakes at practice today,' which I thought was very cool because he wants other guys on the team to hold him accountable. Fred will create a big threat for the offense and it will help us a lot, and we're trying very hard to have two tight ends on the field much more often."
On if he can get a feel on how good the defense is going to be this season:
"To be honest with you, it's hard to say our defense is going to be so great or anyone is going to be so great because we write scripts for practice and the defensive coaches know the offensive plays. So it's hard to say exactly what their doing. They're an extremely skilled defense, very fast and I think we're getting much smarter. London Fletcher operates that defense with the best of him. He's extremely smart, he does a lot of things for us. They're in their second year and they've grown a lot. I'm excited for the possibilities on that so far."
On his feelings about the rookies:
"I try to help the rookies as much as I can and I've really tried to help a lot of the younger guys, the second year guys and try to give them as much confidence as I can. I think it means a lot, and it meant a lot to me when older players came and said, 'hey you're doing things right here, just keep it up, maybe you can do a couple things different.' I've tried to help a lot of the guys. For example, Brian Orakpo doesn't need much help right now. He's a beast on the field. He's so strong, he's really quick off the edge and he's going to be a huge threat. And I was one of those guys that was a first-game starter, he's going to be a first-game starter."
On what he wants to see from wide receivers Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas:"I think the biggest thing we need to see out of Malcolm and Devin is production. We need to have them on the field making catches for us. They're both good enough players that they have the ability to create big plays."
On if he thinks of Jason Campbell's persona:
"I think it's great in terms of the media. The media does not bother Jason Campbell. He definitely can shrug off anything as far as that goes. Obviously, you can see him get upset and he's honest with the players and the guys that he trusts around here. But even when you see him a little bit upset, he's still a pretty cool guy and still pretty calm, and he'll talk to you about stuff. He doesn't seem to let anything bother him too much. I've heard a lot of people making a big deal about quarterback personas and they're temperaments and I think he's fine. He's a leader for us right now, he's a leader in our huddle, and he's done an excellent job the first three or four days of camp and even going back to mini-camp. I think Jason Campbell knows what he needs to do and I think that persona is just fine. He's a little more assertive when he's on the field and in the huddle and I'm okay with that."
