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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Jim Zorn Monday Press Conference

On the injuries to Stephon Heyer and Todd Wade:

"Stephon Heyer has a strained knee, which is a minor injury, and hopefully we get him back shortly. Todd Wade has a sprained ankle."

On playing a clean game with few penalties:
"I was impressed with our guys and for the most part they did not create penalties. There were a couple times where we were close to committing penalties, but other than that I was excited about our sideline poise and play on the field."

On the play of Jason Campbell:
"He had plays in the pocket, he kept the tempo up, and he made a conscious effort to do those things for the entire time he was in the game. As we move along during the preseason, he will continue to get better. He made a good start last night."

On whether the team performed up to his expectations:
"The majority of the game was played the way we wanted. The quarterbacks were trying to throw on rhythm, the receivers were trying to get to their spots, but we had some risky throws and fortunate catches. Colt Brennan had a couple of plays that could have gone either way. Those are things he can learn from, and he has to become a more disciplined quarterback and not risk as much as he did in the game. This week those risks turned out great for us, but they could have easily turned out the other way."

On the performances of the rookies:
"We wanted to give Fred Davis the ball a couple times, and he not only caught it, but he turned up field and showed that he is a tough runner after the catch. He did very well sustaining blocks, and we were pleased with the way he handled things one-on-one. Rob Jackson and Chris Horton turned in some good performances, and Justin Tryon had a chance to make a play on a ball that was thrown up for grabs. Chad Rinehart played both tackle and guard, and he did an excellent job for a young guy. He really is aware of what is going on, and as he gets more reps, he will continue to improve. He will be a factor this year as a guy that can play two positions."

On whether he took time during the game to take in the moment:
"I was very excited about calling plays. I was wondering how it was going to be on the sideline. What last night showed was that our staff has a lot of experience and everybody did their job. We had a lot of veteran leadership on the sideline, and all of them stayed in the game and rooted on the younger players."

On the performances of running backs Marcus Mason and Rock Cartwright:
"Marcus Mason was outstanding. He was patient and he tried to keep his attention up the field. He made some great second efforts that led to additional yardage, which sustained drives. Rock Cartwright did the same thing. Once he got into the secondary, he did a nice job of making a move and escaping the safety instead of trying to run into him."

On how the performance of the defense:
"The one thing we look for is ?are you finishing your assignment with technique'. I saw some good technique early in the game and we tried to finish playing hard. There is a mixture of assignments both offensively and defensively that need to be improved. Technique is tough because as a football player you want to be free to play the way you think you can get it done, and the hard part is to do it with the technique we are trying to teach because you feel a little bit confined. We are trying to make that technique the freedom."

On the play of Durant Brooks:
"What we wanted to do is see if he could handle a whole game. There were no shanks which I was excited about. We got to see him hold one field goal, which we missed, but the hold was just right. Overall, I was pleased with his performance."

On the overwhelming crowd support at the game:
"It was like having a home game. There was a lot of burgundy in the crowd. It was incredible to see the fans lined up, so it was almost like having a home game. I am sure the crowd support will be 10 times what it was last night in our own stadium, so I am looking forward to it."


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