Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media before practice on Nov. 20. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
Opening Statement:
"Start off by just acknowledging, man, I'm really excited to get our team back to a normal practice schedule and that's important for us. The individual skill work, the competition periods at practice, good-on-good and the execution. All three phases working at full speed, that's a big deal for us. So, all that said, get ready to get rocking with your guys."
On the areas affected by not having a full practice schedule last week:
"Timing, I would say whether it's matching a certain route to a coverage. Deep balls, deep overs, just the exact timing of some of the plays. So, and not to get it confused, we have practiced some, I meant just over and over the repetitions of it, the importance of that. And so that's what I'm looking forward to. And I am also looking forward to getting, we do some good-on-good work on days like today and tomorrow and you'll see that back ramped up as well."
On what CB Marshon Lattimore will be able to do this week:
"He'll work off to the side today, so had a speed day over the weekend, more strength and that today. So, work to the side and then we'll see what tomorrow looks like if we're able to work him into some of the practices. I'll have a better sense probably tomorrow afternoon and into Friday where we'll go, but he'll work off to the side today."
On K Austin Seibert and on if he will play this week:
"Yeah, we'll get him some work into practice today and we'll see what today and tomorrow looks like, but he'll get work both today and tomorrow. And I think we'll probably have a better assessment when we get into the kickoffs and all that into tomorrow, so today ramp it up and then tomorrow full on to see where we stand."
On why he wanted to bring C Tyler Biadasz, DE Dorance Armstrong, LB Dante Fowler Jr. here and on what they mean to him:
"Yeah, I think the line of scrimmage is a big deal and I saw firsthand with Tyler, and Dorance and Dante and what they could do and how they could affect the game. And so, I knew having some people along those lines to maybe look around the corners as I was just getting started. 'What Dan's trying to say here might be X, Y, or Z.' And then the addition of [WR] Noah [Brown] as well, was somebody that although we didn't spend years together, I did get a sense of what the worker was, the competitor was. And he really just wanted a chance to compete and that's something that he knew he would get the opportunity with us here saying that was going to be kinda the central theme of what we were going to do. So, that's kinda the backstory there."
On how much Dallas' defensive scheme is different compared to during his time there:
"That's a good question. I would say coverage wise, there's probably some differences. Mike's Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer] got a good blitz package that he's used and had been successful for a long time. Fronts and that, most everybody around the NFL has similar stuff to go and how they feature the players into those matchups. But it's been good to see guys [Dallas Cowboys LB DeMarvion] Overshown. I had a sense of where that would go when we selected him a couple years back. A safety that moved down to linebacker, the speed, the hitting ability. So, scheme wise, I would say there's definitely variances for sure."
On Dallas Cowboys CB Daron Bland's growth and on him as a player:
"It's a great question. I thought there's a confidence but also like a humility with Daron. And so, so much when he got there was around [Dallas Cowboys CB] Trey [Trevon Diggs], he had been one that had a lot of the interceptions and then Trey got injured during the next season. And Daron was actually going to be somebody that we were going to work inside and we moved him back outside. He was always comfortable in the moment. And so, I can remember a game during his rookie year in pregame [Dallas Cowboys CB] Jourdan Lewis got hurt and I say, 'Hey man, you're going to be up here at the nickel.' And 'Okay Q.' There wasn't like any like, 'Oh shit, what are you talking about? Like, what do you mean?' So, it was just this very cool confidence about him. One common thread for a lot of guys, it was the secondary coach Al Harris. Really skilled in that way. And so, the combination of [Defensive Coordinator] Joe [Whitt Jr.] and he together to see a guy like Daron take off it was really cool to see."
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On if he's seen anything this week that shows the benefit of a weekend off:
*"For sure. The energy today going in and even Monday to a certain extent. And the reason I say that is it was back to tell the truth, a full extent of it. We had a chance to go through what we liked, what we didn't, and kind of discuss it. And what's the individual skill work that we want to get better at. And so, we were able to kind of outline that and make a really strong declaration, 'This is what we want to improve upon.' And so yeah, there was definitely a difference in them knowing what we're looking for at practice over the next few days, ramped up speed part of that, that's a big deal for us."
On if he would change anything about the short week schedule moving forward:
"No, probably more for the shorter week to say when you don't execute like you want, you first look from a coaching standpoint to say was there too much? What is that, the space to go to? So that's more, I do an after action for every game and each week you go through different things and you're always kind of tweaking it. But I like the process of the week. I don't like the result of it, but I did love the fight, the energy of the guys going into it. So, that part was good but the execution part I got some notes on that for sure.
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On Philadelphia's game plan against WR Terry McLaurin and on how that impacts game planning moving forward:*
"Yeah, that's a great question on the copycat. Because it goes on all three phases, if something worked one space, what does it look like in the next one? In this instance, really, it's going to come back to us and the way that we execute and play. And so, we weren't pleased with our own style and execution of how we did it. But like I said, that's not to, I don't want to take away from their performance and how do we adjust? We get to do that again in a month or so, and so we will look forward to that, but in the meantime back to our own structure to go. And if we do see a team trying to employ something that was effective, we generally keep that alive in our practice reps over the next three or four weeks, even if they don't have it. Just to say, 'Okay, a team may try that.' To your point."
On if one opponent's success is enough to change a game plan:
"I would need more for sure to say like one's some, two's an occurrence, but three's a pattern to me. So, I would say you're always looking to say, why one moment or one play in that way but I have a sense that some of that math will change."
On balancing encouragement with letting players know they have to finish strong on defense:
"Yeah, you're exactly right. You don't want to negate 50 some minutes of good straining, good plays to go, but you also don't want to minimize the other part. And the thing that I'd said for the players is like being battle tested is really important and it doesn't happen during the easy moments. It happens during the hard moments and those are the ones that you do have to go through. It sucks when you're going through them, but you do have to go and know, okay, this is the finishing time, this is the finishing moment offensively, defensively, [special] teams, whatever that looks like. So, you have to stand up, talk the truth about it, and then how do you work on to go get that part right because it's more than just mindset of finishing, it's the execution of it all. And so, I love that our team is becoming battle tested. It, like I said, it's not easy to go through and you do not, it does not happen during the easy moments. It happens during the difficult ones."
On how the break helped the offensive line and on an update for Biadasz and T Andrew Wylie:
"All are on the offensive line are full practice. So, pool party time. That's good."
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On the chess match against Dallas from knowing the coaches well and working with them:*
"Yeah, and it happens around the league of guys that you keep up with at different spots along the way. And Mike's [Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy] a phenomenal coach. I learned so much from him in a lot of different ways, both on the field and off the field. So, I know that you know that. And he has that same thought about some of the things that we've done. So, there is a chess match, but at the end it's the guys executing and playing it out. And so that's a number one top of the pile, our execution, the speed that which we play. And so that's a number one at the top."
On what he wants to see from QB Jayden Daniels down this stretch:
"The back to playing the position with all the reps, with the guys. And so that's a big deal. Check to make sure the throws, the different types, the movements outta the pocket, the runs. All of the things that when he plays quarterback, it's unique and that's all the things that we have to practice outside the pocket, remaining a passer down the field. And so, you can script some of those work, some of those at the line, but I think just getting the timing really concise, that's a big deal for us."
On how veteran players help in the locker room through the ebbs and flows of the season:
"Yeah, I'll lean on players like that. These are the type of men that we'd all want to be led by. Talking about [LB Bobby] Wagner and [TE Zach] Ertz and others that just have incredibly high standards about their work and how they go about it. And so, leaning into them on the difficult times, that's what you should do because they're very steady, they're hard to get off course. They have just such conviction about how they do things, their standards. And so, I definitely lean in on guys like that a lot."
On S Jeremy Chinn's performance and on how effective he has been for the defense:
"And that's when you get a new player, you're trying to figure out all the best ways to feature him. One of the things I've been most impressed by him is his ability to tackle, and in our game, the importance of that. And sometimes you may see that going away as the season gets longer, but in fact we try to work it even stronger to know that the execution of tackling and that part to go. And so that's one of the things that, and the ability to play man-to-man on a tight end with his size and length. Those are two things. Him being down by the line of scrimmage has really shown up with us. But, yeah, he's been an excellent, excellent addition as a teammate too. And I think he also benefits from the Wagner's and the others that have these high standards that he wants to establish for himself as well. So, I'm incredibly proud of him. I love what he and [S] Quan [Martin] are doing together at safety, on the sideline, their communication, talking through things. It's very cool to see on the sideline."
On what he has applied the most here from his time with the Dallas Cowboys:
"Man, you're getting deep today. I love it. I learned a hell of a lot there. So, there's probably size, certainly a lot from Mike and coaching and running a program and practice schedules and he was very thoughtful about how he laid things out from an installation schedule of practice. So those were things I just watched. In fact, I kept a book [of] things that I liked in my desk drawer. That's a good deal and I would write that in. On the personnel side with [Vice President of Player Personnel] Will McClay and the Joneses [Dallas Cowboys Owner/General Manager/President Jerry Jones and Dallas Cowboys Director of Player Personnel Stephen Jones], there are certain ways about free agency and draft and a process that it goes through that when you see something done really well, you want to take note of it. And so, to see a guy like Will or the Joneses execute that part of things, another thing that goes into the book, that's a good process. And so, coming into here, for me, it was more applying some of the processes on the coaching side that I could with the staff. And then fortunately obviously with [General Manager] Adam [Peters] here, I got to be part of what he was building from the personnel side. So, it was incredibly valuable time for me."
On how the weekend break helped the coaches moving forward:
"Yeah, even in our seasons, you guys would know like a day is a good long one. And so, our times together are really intense as coaches and as ball players. And so, when you can just step away from that intensity just for a moment, breathe and clear to really come back to say this is what we have to put our attention towards to go, that's a big deal. And the bye will be a longer version of that, but in the meantime, there is good that comes from the other side of that short week that you do get to just clear your head and get right going again."
On tasking the coaches and coordinators with something specific to work on during the break:
"We do. I wouldn't say it's just during that time, we keep a self-scout on like a regular basis to go. So, it wasn't wait until this moment to do that, but going back through it, you are able to shine a light onto certain things to say, 'Going into this block of this games, what's the individual skill work that your group or your unit you want to focus on?' And so, we have done that."
On what this game means for players who have played for Dallas and on the message to them:
"I haven't talked to them much different about that. I, you probably know from now, I don't make one [game] too often bigger than another. I just think they're all really important and we absolutely go after it as hard as we can. So, for the players, you have to reach out to them, their teammates and their connection. And as they get further along in their career, they'll recognize that too. But, for me and for the guys man, it's like, Washington-Dallas Week, let's get down."
