Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn addressed the media after practice on Jan. 24. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
Opening Statement:
"As you guys know on Friday's, lots of game situations. And so that's what we hit on again today. My wife was talking to me last night about the game and she asked, does she need to be mentally and emotionally prepared for another heart stopping finish? And I laughed and I said, 'Yeah, honestly, that's what gets our team rocking the most.' And it wasn't funny to her [laughs], but you get it. We do live for these moments and we practice a lot of them. And so, we had some more today. We're working really hard and this has been for more than 20 weeks of every day of doing some from Wednesday's and Thursday's and Friday's and Saturday's and all the way through. And so, I know it seems crazy from the outside but it doesn't feel like that on the inside. And there's a lot of work that goes into that. And so, today we did some more just to stay in that pocket of getting ready. And a lot of cool stuff to get rolling on. Captains are the same, so these lead sled dogs have certainly done their thing. So, let's get rolling with you guys and get started."
On the origin story behind the phrase "Dog Ass Competitor":
"I feel like I'm like a spelling bee, origin [laughs]. Can I use it in a, can I use it in a sentence? [laughs]. Just I love the central theme here to be about competing and so that's really what it stands for. About just absolutely battling and going for it and that heightened awareness, that competing. That's so many of the players that are in that locker room and some of the very best competitors I know they live here and they're going for it hard. And so having that type of attitude amongst more creates a mindset of belief, but that is what we stand for."
On if QB Jayden Daniels embraces playing on the road and on what that says about him as a player:
"There's so many times we've talked about him [laughs], but I've seen so much of that through the season, whether it's home or road. And I think as important to say this, I've also seen him on when we win and when we lose. And so that demeanor of maybe just a fist bump or there's not a helmet being thrown on the ground, there's a poise about this person in those moments that really stands tall. And so, whether it's home or road, I think the lessons that have been learned are like, man, he's just been in them, been in them and been in these fights. And if you ask me, which one do you learn more from the loss or the win? I'd say equally, because you have to go through both sides of it to really go, but that part for him, he can just stay right in it. And you've seen many times where there's a big throw and then you just see one of those, but it's not going crazy. He has the ability to stay in it for a really long time and we'll need that again. This is an excellent team, and we'll need every bit of it playing."
On the importance for Daniels to stay poised on the road in the playoffs:
"Yeah, it's important both ways. It's the extra addition of the crowd and this is also a fantastic defense to go against, but in those spaces you do gain confidence when you've put the work in. And even when they're excellent competitors, I've put the work in, you know what you're going to do in that scenario and how to do it. So, I think that also carries a lot in whether you're at home or on the road, having that background of work, man, that gives you a lot of confidence."
On any players that have changed their work ethic or adopted his mindset throughout the season:
"You know what, I told the team this today or yesterday, I can't remember, and I think I had told them that we've gotten better in the last five weeks since we played them but I don't think it was all on the field. There's also a mindset, an attitude for that, that can go along with that improvement just from the neck up. And so, when you improve both ways, the on and off the field, you do get stronger. And it may not show up on the stat sheet, but it does show up in your play and in your readiness. So, I don't have one specific for you, but I have felt a shift that took place and we are improving, and we went after it again today in those spots."
On why there was a shift in the team over the last five weeks:
"I think the confidence came from being in a lot of these close games and, okay, and there's another one and there's another one. And so, you gained some belief and some confidence, but you do have to be in those fights that are back and forth and back and forth and you're being in those moments. As much as we practice them, there's still the element of being in the moment and being in that space and it is stressful and being able to handle that and be into it and look right at it and go for it, you do have to live that."
On the biggest challenge defending Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley:
"You're right, and twofold. And the first one is because he can test all the gaps, there could be a time, okay, I got mine, but I see him starting to go back and I'll go make the play and he can stick his foot in the ground and even come back again. So, the discipline to do it over and over is a big deal and it sounds easier to stay in your gap. They're also a really good offensive line. So, it's not just stationary things to say. And so doing it over and over is the really big piece. And so, he's got great change of direction. So, owning your leverage and tackling is a really big deal because if you miss it much like we're guarding each other in basketball and I lost my leverage and you go past me, that's no different in gap control. You keep your leverage because if you lose it on him, it could be a big play."
On why tackling has been a challenge around the league the last few years:
"Let's start even all the way back when, we wanted to do this safer. And so, I think that's an important piece that I don't want to leave out of this. And then I'll get back to like, why is it more challenging? Because I think you can be really tough and still use our shoulder and own our leverage. That definitely took some teaching to do that. And then offensively the amount of space that's being created by formations and routes is almost specifically designed. Can I get this player in space? Can I get this player in space? And then now with that space, that's the tough tackle. So, twofold. One, I think the schemes are difficult and there's oftentimes you'll see a team play their safety's high and have depth, I'm going to play from high to low. And then if that is the case, then there is some space in the down low to make sure if the catch happens you can go. Also, runners I think are attacking leverage more than we ever had. Where in the past, be your own blocker, run them over. And there's still a few like that and there's times for that. It's close to the goal line and to go. But there's also someone break his leverage, and so you've heard us talk running through the smoke, break somebody's leverage, it's a jab, it's a stiff arm. So, I think that's why I thought the reason is behind it, the space in the formations, the skill of the runners. And then in an effort to do more tackling safer, we just got to continue on that path because it's the right way to teach it. And we're not backing off of that. We can play tough and aggressive and also do it safely. And I think all three of those are really important to talk about encompassing tackling all the way around."
On the lessons the team learned during the three game losing streak:
"Yeah, it's probably that connection to stay together when there's things outside that are hard to deal with. And honestly, I can think back, we had a guest speaker, it's not exactly related to this but it just put a thought into my head, in training camp of [FOX NFL Insider] Jay Glazer was here and he was talking about mental health. And one thing that stood out to me in that talk on that day, he said, 'There's 90 therapists in here.' And he was referring to all the teammates. And when you're going, which leads me to this, when you're going through the tough spaces, who do you lean on? The guys you're right next to, the guys that are in the room, there's not an answer that's going to come from outside. It's about the group getting tighter and tighter. And you've also seen on those moments where it fractures and goes the other way. And so I think every once in a while, whether it's a situation like that or where it can go either way and you choose to bring it in tighter and talk to about it and have conversations about what are we going to do improve? What are the things we need to do? That to me is a really big deal and the team has gotten closer and tighter because of going through the hard stuff together."
On what he leans on from his time in Seattle with Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll:
"He [Carroll] was one of the first people that really influenced me on the mental part of the game and staying in the routine and staying through things together and not making things bigger than what they were. And he had an excellent primetime record and a lot of that was attributed to, they didn't make the next one, okay, and go high and low. So, that definitely affected me. There's lots of things that he had a big influence on me, so yeah, I'm very happy to hear that [he got the job]."
On players staying in the gaps and positions against Detroit:
*"Yeah, I would say, I probably said it this week about the team, but that would be one of the ones I'm referring to. Our floor on that has grown but we're not near the ceiling at that. There were still some spots, [Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr] Gibbs broke a leverage to get outside, and so those are the things that you just want to stay after over and over again and eliminate the big plays. But I was definitely impressed by what I saw. We knew we had to affect the quarterback against a really good offensive line and I thought Detroit's line was one of the better ones that we had faced this year. Philadelphia is certainly one, but those games, both ways, run fits and rushing the passer, you need to have both. And so that was exciting to see."
*
On how this week has been preparing for Sunday:
"Yeah, there's some good vibrations going on for sure, but the team also has a really cool routine that we stay into and so I try to stay really consistent with that. What do we do on Wednesday's and Thursday's and Friday's? So, all year long I've been talking about championship game preparation. So, when we got to this week, it wasn't going to feel different. It was going to feel normal. This is how we're going to function and I was really pleased to see today's practice. This was the best Friday we've had this season. And the speed, the energy, the execution. And so that's what you want to see from your team, that kind of, staying disciplined into it. Not looking ahead two days from now, but could we throw a hell of a Friday and get it executed like we wanted?"
On what he's seen from RB Brian Robinson Jr. throughout the season:
"Yeah, I think specifically to this game, I haven't looked back, we did have a great visit. And on that particular play I just, in my mind he was just getting going. And so, I was making sure he stayed connected to that. And he's had a really good week this week too, so as we're going through it, man, that's part of being a ball player. You hit high's and low's and being on a team and all of those things, but he does have a lot of resilience and so to see him really feeling his strongest as we're going right now, that's a big deal."
*On how the staff is staying even keeled throughout the week: *"We started right from one extra day and so, let's get the game graded, get it organized and then this is how we'll lay out the whole week. So, at the start of it, I kind of lay out this is how we're going to do everything and we're the ones that have to keep the standard and the process right, because they'll follow our lead on that. And so that's all there was, was this game. And so, the matchup, all the stuff to go and I just said, 'You don't have to rush this.' Take our time, go through every process. The easy thing is to say, 'Well you know them, you've played them twice.' And we didn't do that. We wanted to have fresh eyes to say, 'What's the same and what's different and how do we go for it in that way?' And so, they've done a really good job because you're right, the natural tendency is you get excited. And stay right with it, man. And so, that's a natural, normal emotion. You're so damn pumped to do right now, man. What are the things we do best? It's not about a new scheme, championship runs are about execution and finishing and fundamentals and so fundamentals for us. [Quarterbacks Coach] Tavita [Pritchard] had said it, 'It's not something that we restart, that's just how we get down.' And so, it's not stick to the fundamentals is what he had told us the other day. He said, 'It's literally what we do all the time. That is part of how we do things.' Because we talk about the ball and tackling on every Wednesday and Thursday, so it's not a return to those. It's literally a continuation of that. I thought that was a great message by him to remind the players, we're not sticking to it, this is how we get down."
On how important time of possession will be on Sunday:
"It's big for us every game and we think of it more so than just the time. We try to get, when we're in our best, the completions and the runs are in the mid-fifties and above. And that's difficult to do, so you have to play well on third down, you've got some fourth down [opportunities] that you can extend some drives. And so that for us, is usually the marker that we're hitting. And if you do those right and play well on third down and have some fourth downs that you get, then your drives can sustain. And for us that's a big part of how we play. And over the last two weeks in the postseason, both teams that we played as well as us, we're also good in that game. And so, it's definitely a really important part of what we're going to be doing on this Sunday."
