Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media on Monday following the team's 28-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers to offer some final thoughts before moving on to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football. Here are some of the highlights from his press conference.
No updates on injured players yet
Quinn said the Commanders have "a big, deep crew that we'll roll hard," but there's no denying that the team is beat up at multiple key positions. Aside from Brian Robinson, Cornelius Lucas and Andrew Wylie, none of which played a snap last weekend, Tyler Biadasz also left the game for a period with an ankle injury; Nick Bellore is dealing with a knee issue; Austin Seibert missed the game with a hip issue; and Marshon Lattimore is still nursing a hamstring.
The Commanders will release an injury report based on a walkthrough later today, but Quinn admitted he'll have a better idea of where players are at in their recovery later in the week.
"You do have to be selective in the way of how to touch the speed this week," Quinn said. "And that'll be closer to Wednesday for us as we get to do that Monday today."
Washington's prep schedule is going to be dramatically different this week, both in terms of length and structure, as they get ready for Thursday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Wednesday's work is now pushed up to Monday, and the team is traveling on Wednesday. So, that leaves Tuesday as the only real work day for the team.
With so many key players banged up, the Commanders will need to be cognizant of the workload they put on their players.
"You have to have the balance that not every player's exactly the same of what they can and can't do to get ready to play," Quinn said.
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium during their Week 10 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, #ShotonSony(Photos by Emilee Fails and Kourtney Carroll/Washington Commanders)
No changes at punt returner
Olamide Zaccheaus had two muffed punts on Sunday, one of which was recovered by the Steelers and directly led to a touchdown. Quinn said after the game that Zaccheaus "works really hard at this" and the team still has confidence in him even after the mistakes.
On Monday, Quinn reaffirmed that the Commanders would not be making a change at punt returner.
"I am confident in him," Quinn said. "And knowing that, to have one come out and on the possession and lose that one, that's a big deal. But the guy's working incredibly hard at it and yeah, don't have any change into that space as we're heading into this game."
Other than the two fumbles, Zaccheaus has been reliable as the Commanders' punt returner this season. He's averaging 12.3 yards per return, which ties him with Marvin Mims for third best in the NFL. It's also uncharacteristic of him to fumble the ball, as he hasn't committed such an error all season.
Washington has the eighth best special teams grade from Pro Football Focus, and Zaccheaus has played a role in that. Clearly, he's built up enough goodwill that the Commanders believe Sunday's fumbles were an aberration.
Johnny Newton will learn from his mistake
Johnny Newton's offsides penalty was far from the only mistake that the Commanders made against the Steelers, but it was the last one that ended up costing them the game. "It's definitely a teaching spot," Quinn said, and he believes Newton will learn from it.
"It's a hard lesson, but one that this is the type of player that's going to learn from this moment," Quinn added. "He cares a lot. He's into it and he's improving and developing, but it is a hard one."
Quinn wants Newton to remember a few factors the next time he finds himself in such a situation. First, Newton needs to determine whether or not the Steelers would actually try a play in that situation. With the ball at midfield and the Commanders needing just a few yards to get in field goal range, it would have been a risky move for the Steelers to try converting the fourth-and-1.
The good news for Newton is that the team supports him after making the penalty. Many of his teammates gathered around him on the sideline to let him know that Sunday's outcome was not solely on him. Austin Ekeler said that after the game that Newton is still a good player and that "I'm still happy for what he's been able to accomplish up to this moment."
"To see all the players respond to him after the play should tell you what they feel about him here," Quinn said.
