Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media after Sunday's game against the New England Patriots. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
Opening Statement:
"It's good to see you guys. Tonight at the end honestly was a lot of fun, and two guys that I was thinking about at the end of the game after it. I thought [QB] Trace [McSorley], for a hometown guy to be here in the DMV and just what a cool moment for him of finishing, and then the other player that I really was proud of was [WR] Martavis [Bryant] and he's had a long and winding road. And so for him and Trace, I was just looking at those two and how excited they were to meet about seven or eight days ago, complete a touchdown drive to go win a game. I was super pumped for those guys. That's who I was thinking about as the game was winding down for them and their journey and their story, really two guys that went for it. So I thought that was cool to end in that way. All that said, glad to open it up to you guys and get rocking."
On anything that stood out to him:
"What I had told the team at the half, I thought we were really tight, John. I thought, I might have even said it in the presser the other day, where over trying at this time of year is a real thing. And I felt some of that. It's so damn important, they want it so badly that at times you can be tight and drop a pass or foul up an assignment just because you want it so badly. And I felt that at the half – that's what I said at the half. I said, if we just play like we're capable of in the second half and finish and let it rip and have fun, good things will happen. But I did feel that, you know, how badly they wanted to be part of it. And I didn't feel that as much in the second half. I felt that the guys really responded. I loved the energy they had, but that's something that I saw and I saw a shift down. I liked the energy that I saw on special teams, the way we covered. Those are things that I was looking for to get a real look at it, and so those are the things that jumped out to me."
On what he saw from WR Martavis Bryant:
"Yeah, I think you feel his size, obviously, but I just felt his competitive nature in this one, John, to learn it. It's not easy to get jumped down and put in the middle of an offense or a defense and learning it. So for him to come in and spend the time with [Wide Receivers Coach] Bobby Engram who, if you were somebody to come learn from, he's the one you'd wanna pick. And so I was just really proud of him at the end. There was a [pass interference] that went his way, a touchdown at the end, so I was very excited for him."
On if those types of plays can earn a roster spot:
"I think as we're going through, as we're going through that, I think that's an important consideration. But [General Manager] Adam [Peters] and I, we'll go look at the tape and for Martavis and others and finding what unique things do they have and then how would we feature them."
On his process to figure out the final 53-man roster:
"Yeah, it's honestly one that's been ongoing for a long time. And Adam and I spent a lot of time together going through the roster, digging in and finding it. And in fact, he was watching a whole bunch of film today. And that's this time of year, what goes on for the initial 53, what does that look like? Who's there? It's a puzzle to put together, but we'll spend a bunch more time here over the next couple days and just make sure we can find the right fit for the team."
On factoring in other options down the road like waiver wire or players with injuries:
"Yeah, I think that's a really fair question, Nicki, and that's why I said the initial 53. As you know, there's probably a little bit of fluidness even past the opening game as roster decisions get done with veterans and those types of things. So, that's what you have to look at for the big picture. We certainly don't want to be in this position from a claiming order again, but if you have it and there's opportunities that you need to use, then that's Adam and his staff will dig in hard."
On if the decision to go for it on 4th-and-short in the second quarter was to get those plays on tape:
"Yeah, I think for a lot of them, there was some times where when it was fourth down, we were gonna kick it. We wanted to give [K] Cade [York] chances with [LS] Tyler [Ott] and [P] Tress [Way] and the guys. There's nothing like a game environment to go kick. So that particular one, I don't think it was in field goal range, so we were going into that space to go. So, different weeks we'll call for different things, but in this one we really wanted to make sure he had some chances to go hit his kicks if those moments were there. And so that's what we did."
On DT Phidarian Mathis:
"Yeah, I felt the same. I really felt his energy, the guys did too so it was really cool to see him. We had good conversations with he and some of the other guys about what specifically we were looking for, and I thought Phil in the game, I really felt his energy. Certainly, go and look at the tape, but it was cool to see. I thought [DT] John [Ridgeway III] had a couple big hits. Some of the big guys we've been really pushing inside, it was good to see them do that."
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On if all the players held out will make the 53-man roster:*
"I wouldn't say everyone was on the 53. There was a couple injured guys too, so I want to make sure I'm not missing that. But if the guys were healthy in there, I'd say you're probably barking up the right tree."
On LB Jamin Davis:
"Yeah, I've been super impressed by him. I think we had talked about him last week, just his willingness to try something new that he hadn't been doing a lot and I really thought he would be a good blitzer. So, early on in the spring we featured him some at linebacker there, and then when I really felt the speed we want as many fast and long athletes out on the edge as we can. And I thought he had that trait. So, we've been working hard with him at that space. At that position you need real gas to go and you need a lot of them. I thought this is a player that's really worth the time to put it in to get there. When you're [in] a new position, it takes some time to grow into it. But man, have I been impressed by his work ethic. He's covering kicks, doing everything the team's asked of him, so I thought he had a really good offseason. Even with some changing of positions, we'll flex him some at backer as well, but he's really starting to come on as a [defensive end]."
On what Bryant's success means for the team:
"Yeah, I think as a ball player and a teammate you really have appreciation for somebody's journey. Maybe even if you might not have been a part of that. But you recognize it when things don't always go the way you'd hoped it would. So, for someone like him to stay with it, that shows a lot of grit where it would've been real easy just to walk away and not be able to do it. I had a chance to coach him some last year and I was impressed. I didn't forget. So, would he make the most of that opportunity? I felt that energy from him. I think it's probably a combination of he's a good teammate as a new guy here, but there's also some appreciation for a story that shows some real resilience and some fight which these guys certainly appreciate."
On QB Jeff Driskel's performance:
"One of the things we know with Jeff, he's got great legs. He can really run, all these guys can that are part of the system. But looking into the game and we'll have to go back and watch some of the film but some of the third downs that we want to convert and go to, we'll have to see if from a decision-making process it was right. But Jeff's one of our very best competitors and has certainly even exceeded my expectations coming in. And because I've watched him from afar for a long time, I actually got to work with him for one season years back. I've always had my eye on him, even from him transferring and going to other teams. So, to see him really take advantage of this opportunity here has been really cool to see."
