On Patriots Wide Receiver Wes Welker (#83):

"Ironically, my best friend in life, went to the same high school where all of his kids go. So I've known about him through high school. I know what he did at the high school level, the great things he did at Texas Tech. I think he's probably playing for the perfect coach right now that understands that size really doesn't matter. I think Bill (Belichick, New England Head Coach) has done a great job utilizing him. Evidently he terrorized him a little bit being in the same division at Miami and he identified him as a person that could come in a play very well for him. In a short amount of time he has made him very potent."

On the Redskins defense not talking about the Patriots:

"They have been focused all week long in preparation. Our meetings have been very focused. We have a typical routine that we always maintain. We're pretty structured in our meetings. We're pretty structured in our practices and I have seen them be very focused. Obviously the Patriots have our attention. It's not really that we've said anything differently, they understand the task that we have at hand."

As a defensive coordinator, does he relish a chance like this:

"Every week we love playing, it's not just this week, but every week we love playing. This is a really good group of guys. They get along very well together. They have been very focused all year long. I have gone against them quite a bit. I have been in that division as a head coach. I have tremendous respect for Bill Belichick (New England Head Coach) and his coaching. Even back in the days when we had the battles when he was at Cleveland and I was with the Oilers back in the AFC Central. You always knew every single week that no matter what your personnel was, not matter what their personnel was you're going to have to earn every inch that you have. Every inch that you can gain, every inch that you can defend, you have to earn it. Those games are fun to be in because you appreciate that and you respect each other as coaches in those types of situations."

On the cornerbacks:

"Everything is good. Those guys are still limited. They're coming along. They took a big stride today and practiced better and looked better today. Tomorrow is usually a lesser day anyways because we don't have a long, lengthy run in. Anticipate them taking the next step again tomorrow, but everything seems to be progressing very well right now."

On if the Patriots are doing anything different from before:

"Execution is outstanding. People perceive that they have an awful lot of plays. They just execute the ones they have very well. Tom (Brady, QB, #12) is playing very well. Obviously the weapons that he has in the passing game have been very complimentary to his skills and to what they were doing. They are running the same play concepts, the same things they have done for a long time, similar to us. We're running the same play concepts we did last year, but we have better personnel. They have better personnel executing those things right now. It's going to be whoever executes the best. They're going to know what we do. We're going to know what they do. Can we win some of the match up battles? We'll see."

On if they are looking at film from last year's preseason game versus the Patriots:

"Yeah, we look at it. In fact, we've looked at every game they played last year. We happen to be one of them. We look at every game they have played this year. That is just part of our due diligence that we do every week. Every assistant coach has projects that they are responsible for every week in preparation for every single opponent. We don't ever leave any film unlooked at in the last two years, especially if the personnel seems to be the same. There are a few different guys this year, but we went back and took at look at it."

On the high level that Tom Brady (Patriots QB, #12) is playing at:

"The execution level has been outstanding. They are playing very well, not only him, but the other guys around him. You have to have guys catch the ball. You have to have people keep them off the quarterback. Their offensive line is executing very well. They are doing a very good job as a team. They're in sync."

On Anthony Montgomery (DL, #79):

"We identified him as a talented, young man. Obviously we thought he could blossom. We thought that if he made it a priority for himself to work harder than he has every worked before because he had talent. He had things we couldn't coach. The big question was, were we going to be better than some of the coaches that coached him before that let him get by as an underachiever. To his credit, and I have said this before, the young man worked so hard in the off-season to come in to this camp from a conditioning standpoint at such a higher level then when he first got here, really at a higher level than he has ever been at before. He can play harder for longer. We have always appreciated his talent, but we haven't appreciated his effort at times. His effort has been outstanding because he is in better shape. That gives him a chance. A guy that is that big, that long in length as far as his strength and his wing span, gives you a chance to be pretty good. He had a play at practice yesterday where he threw one of our defensive linemen to the ground like the guy was a little, bitty kid, but the guy happens to be a pretty good guy. I'm not going to spoil his name, but he threw him down and I ran that play back on the film over and over and over again and I just shook my head. I still think that he can be even better. I don't think that Anthony yet still understands how good he can be. He has come a long ways, but he still has room to improve."

On if he has noticed a change in the approach of the defense:

"I think that goes to Joe Gibbs (Head Coach), I think since we've been here. We don't introduce people before ball games. People have asked us about that. The character of the people that Joe Gibbs identifies that he wants to be a part of this team have been usually guys that are over-achievers, strong characters, guys that will sacrifice for the team. I've said this before; I think Joe Gibbs is the best person I've ever been around on building team relationship skills. It takes a special type of person that will forfeit your own individual glory as a coach, as a player, whatever, for the best of the team. You're talking about Bill Belichick (New England Head Coach), one of the best ever to do that. Joe Gibbs has obviously done it before too. He is in the Hall of Fame doing it that way. I guess to answer your question; coaches identify those kinds of guys and brought those kinds of guys in. I've learned a lot from him in that respect. The most important thing we have to do as a coaching staff is pick the right 53 and when those right kind of guys are here to start with those are the ones you choose to have around. Our guys are pretty selfless in that fashion. It's a pleasure to be around them, it really is. I have kids in athletics and I don't mind having my own children around the team as much as possible because they are good examples. They are good models for my own kids."

On as pleased as he is with Randall Godfrey (LB, #57), if he is happy to have Marcus Washington (LB, #53) back:

"Yeah, we are. Again, I just have a deep inner smile that the reason that Randall is here is to be able for us to withstand a loss of a Marcus. Maybe we haven't been that deep before or have that kind of depth before. It sure is pretty nice on my part to be able to say, okay one is down, and 1-A goes in. When 1-A can go in and knock your head back and play as strong as he does in the run game it has been pretty good for us to do that. We're better deep wise when you play somebody with as much energy and the intangibles that Marcus can bring to the team on game day. You like his play making skills out there, too."