Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media before practice on July 26. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
Opening Statement: "We have a good day filled with competition again. Towards the second half of practice you'll see a drill we'll call red zone lockout. It's a scoring system, offense against defense. It's a good, fun competition to do. Third day of some more installs, and then we'll finish with some game and clock management situations. So, it'll be a fun day to get rolling again with the guys. And this will be our third day in this block, take a break tomorrow with them, and then we'll come back and do another three-day block with them. So, doing these small segments, a lot of time, a lot of intensity together and then we'll reset and do it again. So, with all that said, we can get it rocking with you guys."
On if there are benchmarks for QB Jayden Daniels to chart his progress:
"I think one, we have an effective plan for him and Jayden's the type of guy that wants to go nail it, in terms of each day, each marker to go. But we're really going to stay true to this. We have a really good plan, and what's fun about it is he's the type of person that wants to nail this part. So, we're just not too far down the line of where we're headed and staying right in the moment with him, that helps. And he's really doing a good job. But, with the team, we're going into our third day and so I think we all remember that because you want to look down the line so much, but he's doing outstanding. And we're really pleased where we're at, but we're not changing the timelines or the guidelines of how we're going to approach things."
On what he thought of Daniels' work in the two-minute drill yesterday:
"I thought over the last two days, both sessions there's been some really good things. And so, it's been nice to have two-minute and red zone because those get highlighted and emphasized so quickly. So, we'll have a little bit more play pass in some early parts of practice today. But, like I said, he is off to a really good start."
On if it's intentional to not have Daniels moving outside the pocket in practice:
"Nope. Yeah, just early on I told you way back, the OTAs are more passing and we're not even in pads yet. The defense and offense only had two days of install, so there's not a lot of different coverages, there's not a lot of different blitzes. And then, today a little bit more, and then a little bit more. So, there's a process to how we do things. And so, we haven't even put in our quarterback movement plays yet. So, I'd caution you to look ahead too much at practice, on one part because it's a small segment of what we're doing. I don't want to minimize how pleased we are with him, but I also don't want you to look so far down the line at that one part of things."
On what he's looking for from the cornerback position:
"One, I think vertical control. When there's shots down the field, what takes place on those. We haven't had a lot of those because of our intentional work down in the red zone first. Then the ball skills, how many times are they getting the tough positions to get their hand on the football. And then when we get into the later piece, that'll be the tackling. But those three would be the markers that are constant separators."
On the big adjustments for rookie quarterbacks and on how Daniels is adjusting:
"Yeah, I would say the speed of everything is at the front of any rookie. It's just a jump that naturally happens. Some of the windows to throw to are tighter, maybe, than they have been accustomed to based on college or how fast things go. But by and large those are the things you just keep improving at because now it'll eventually slow down as well. And so, when that process happens, that's when you see a lot of the guys really take off."
On Daniels' performance in training camp so far:
"Outstanding."
On the plan at the kicker position:
"Yeah, I think maybe almost half the league have two into that space, but that and other positions are still part of the competition. With that specific one, getting into the games that'll be an important piece, to where the field goals, the extra points and the kickoff. So, seeing that, you guys will see some of the kickoff and kickoff return at practice today, but that'll be the third part of that."
On what he's seen from G Sam Cosmi:
"Yeah, I'm excited for Sam. He's somebody coaching against, you saw the ability, the talent, all of that to go. But now being on the same side, getting to know who he is off the field and the standards he wants to set for himself. But I thought he was off to a great start with us."
On his message during the off day and if it's possible to rest:
"Yes, you have to because our times together are really intense. They go all the way through. So, those little resets, they can help. 'What went well in my three days that I did? What was one or two things that I really nailed I've been working on? What's the one thing on this next three day block? By the time that's over, I wanna have addressed that as well.' So small margins to get better."
On if he's asking players to take time for themselves:
"Yes, absolutely. Yeah. They have to, to really recover not just physically, but mentally as well."
On what he's seen from QB Marcus Mariota:
"Well, I've gotten to know Marcus, coached against him a lot. You don't know when you coach against somebody, what the man's like. And so he has got just an absolute presence about him. Teammates, they're drawn to him. This quarterback room really has the makings of something very special, very unique and in different ways. Jayden's spoken about it, Marcus has spoken about it, [quarterbacks coach] Tavita [Pritchard] has, [offensive coordinator] Kliff [Kingsbury] has. So their connection together, you feel that, you hear that from them. But the fun part about coaching, or one of the fun parts is finding the specific things that people do well. And so when you're in a training camp setting, like now, you're installing plays not always specific to a player. And so if you were just to put a line in, these might be the 10 or 15 concepts that Marcus does best. This might be the 10 or 15 that Jayden does best. The same with [QB] Jeff [Driskel]. And so that's how you would do a game plan, that's different than a training camp install. And so learning what guys do as you're going through practices, 'Man, that's a good play for him.' That's what the fun of putting the big puzzle is together. But I didn't know the leader. You had heard so many things about him that he was good. I spent a lot of my offseason in Hawaii and I'd see people, 'Tell Marcus I said hello.' I said, 'Oh, I didn't know you know him.' He said, 'I don't,' but that's how they feel about him back home as well. And so, I thought what a great line that is. 'Hey, tell Marcus hello,' and 'Oh, I didn't know you know him.' 'I went to a camp one time. He was there.' And so, the connection that he has away from the game with his teammates is really strong too."
On what he's seen from assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough:
"Yeah, and all of these are new for him as well, as he's going through it. He's also really involved with [QB] Sam [Hartman] and that development plan too. So, knowing this is what we're going to do this month, and we laid out everything that looks like for Sam to go, much like you do with a player. We're not just developing players, we're developing coaches too and we're not going to miss one step with a guy like [David] or [assistant defensive backs coach] William Gay, or [assistant defensive line coach] Sharif [Floyd], or [assistant linebacker coach/pass rush specialist] Ryan Kerrigan that are ready to take these moves together, because the good part about something like that, or one of the good parts, is they've seen the game through the lens of the helmet. And so for a guy at quarterback who's done that and seen that, he also knows what development looks like. He knows what starting looks like, what being a backup looks like, the good and the hard with that. He's got this unique perspective that I want him to be able to share with those guys because it's not one size fits all. So, he's off to a great start with us."
On how he feels about players like DT Jonathan Allen feeling like they have something to prove:
"Well, I would say his coach has something to prove as well. So, I think that makes not just in the locker room, but that's a lot in the building. [General Manager] Adam [Peters] does, I do, a lot of us do. And so some of the best competitive moments in my life have been when you've had to prove it. And there's something really strong that comes from that, and I'm glad that he and his teammates feel that way because I think that'll bring out the best in us."
On the relationship between Mariota and Daniels:
"Not letting you hear comments, back and forth to another, good ball. Just encouragement I would say is the thing that you see. And so, 'What'd you see? How'd it go back?' So, I wouldn't say coaching one another, but giving support to one another and what could happen, 'What's next?' Seeing those two things take place is always good because whether you're a veteran or a rookie, having somebody look there and watch and just give you feedback peer to peer, that helps. And so when it comes from your teammate, that's a big deal."
On what the fans add to training camp:
"I'm really looking forward to it. I really am. And practices are getting ready to perform. I'm looking forward to having the fans here for all the open practices, knowing that, that's just another chance for the guys to perform. There's a ramp up in energy, a ramp up to that, and that's what performing is. So, all of these practices are so valuable. To add the extra element of energy and even more of that, that's a really cool thing. I'm looking forward to having everybody here."
On if the amount of attention on Daniels is concerning:
"It's funny, we don't talk about him [in the building] as much as we do here. So, he's part of the team there. And so, it happens out here, but it doesn't happen inside. And that's kind of the fun part about being on a team, where everybody's role and how do we all connect and we're an extension of each other. He is fully embraced in that as well. Not only is he an exceptional talent, he's an excellent teammate and in his short time here he's already proven that. And so people recognize that. He's got the humility and the hard work of the rookie, with a little bit of swag of an older guy. And so that's a pretty nice blend to have.
On what kind of personality this team is developing:
"I would say, you can't say what you're going to be. There's a big gap between that, who you say you want to be and who you actually are. And so the practices, the games, that will be it. But I would say this team is made up of a lot of hustlers and they really are putting in work to go. And so, I'm hopeful when you see the practice standards, when you see the effort, those are things that will carry us with some really high standards. I think this team will be a good tackling and physical team, but we haven't even been into that space yet. It's very hard to go to that space. That's what we want to aspire to be, but until we do that it's just out there and so we've got to live it together."
On what he's seen from CB Emmanuel Forbes:
"Well, I think you want to hit the markers along the way. So for him, adding more size and to be 15 or 18 pounds heavier than he was a year ago. That's a big step in the right direction. So, it's a matter of hitting all the spots to go. Tackling that part of things, that's a big piece of it, but until you go through some of the games and that you're not really able to demonstrate that but you can show markers. 'My body feels different, I'm stronger.' Those are things that lead up to that, but you still have to go do it."
On what he's seen from DB Quan Martin at safety:
"Two parts, [CB Mike] Sainristil as well, to say who's going to be nickel, who's going to be safety, how would we play Quan to go? He's got excellent tackling ability. So, at safety that's at the top of the pile along with ball skills. So, those were things that I saw from him and through the evaluation from a year ago, we saw that. So the two of those together are a nice, dangerous combination."
On who has stuck out on defense so far in camp:
"As we're getting started, I'll know more on the line of scrimmage guys. You can ask me that same question about a week from now and I'll give you a better evaluation, because so much of their time is on skill work to demonstrate that to go. So that part, I would say after two sessions it's harder to evaluate and give you an honest assessment. But what I can tell you is that I'm pleased with the progress of their communication and their speed to go. So, those are things that I'm happy with, but probably too early to say who's sticking out just yet, especially at the line of scrimmage."
On if Forbes is 15 pounds heavier than last year:
"Yes."
