Redskins wide receivers coach Stan Hixon spoke to Redskins.com about the team's newest acquisition, David Patten, and the Redskins' wide receivers corps:
Q: What are your thoughts on bringing in David Patten?
A: "We think he can stretch the field with what he did in New England. He can stretch the defense deep and catch a short ball or two. He can make the defenses miss in underneath coverage."
Q: Do you foresee using David as more of an outside receiver or in the slot?
A: "In the Patriots' offense, he was an outside guy, but sometimes in their motions, he can be outside and then motion across and be inside. He was mostly an outside receiver but he did play some inside. We see him as more of an outside guy."
Q: Can you classify him as to whether he's the team's No. 1 or No. 2 receiver?
A: "The first thing he said to me was, 'Don't give me anything. When I come in here and work out and work with you all, you'll see what I'm about. If I'm a starter, I'm a starter. I'm not one guy [on the wide receiver corps], I'm one of six guys.' We'll throw him out there and we'll see what happens. It's all about competition. Obviously, with his ability, we know what he can do."
Q: Should the team trade Rod Gardner, are you concerned about not having any big wide receivers on the roster?
A: "Remember the years when Dan Marino had Mark Clayton and Mark Duper? No one said, 'He's only 5-9 or 5-10.' When we look at a game film on Monday morning after a game, we evaluate a receiver on how many balls he caught, how many touchdowns he had, and how much of an impact he had in the game. No matter if a player is 5-10 or 6-3, the focus is, 'What are the results?'"
Q: Has the team pursued any of the big-name free agent wide receivers on the market?
A: "No. We're not looking for a big name, we're looking for somebody for this offense. It's not about name recognition, it's about productivity. David produced in New England, and perhaps he would have done even more if they concentrated on throwing to two or three guys. But they had Tom Brady really spread the ball around in that offense."
Q: What about adding a receiver in the draft? You wouldn't have any qualms about coaching a rookie like Mike Williams here, right?
A: "No. [Laughs.] This is free agency and then we'll have the draft to deal with. Those decisions about the draft are still being made as we go. We're still evaluating the kids in the draft."
