On why Sunday's win over Jacksonville was such a big win:
"The reason why it was such a big deal for us is that I think that is one of the best football teams in the NFL this year. I think they will wind up that way. We have a lot of respect for them. They are a physical group. They are put together the right way. They have a quarterback that is very effective and a heck of a running back. For us to go out there and play the way we did against them was a big deal for us."
On how they played on special teams against Jacksonville:
"We had four different times that on punts and kickoffs we started them inside the 20, which is a big deal in field position. We were solid in every phase. Rock (Cartwright, RB, #31) continues to do a terrific job for us. He averaged 30-yards per return. Our award winners were Khary (Campbell, LB, #50) who did a heck of a job on a big hit that caused a turnover. He also had three tackles and two assists. Rock did a great job for us. John Hall (K, #10) hit three big field goals for us. He was really six-for-six counting the extra points. He hit a big one again from over 40 yards for us. Ade (Jimoh, CB, #32) got a special award. He had two tackles and an assist. Rocky McIntosh (LB, #52) played extremely well for us. Mike Rumph (CB, #29) also did a heck of a job for us on teams."
On how they played defensively against Jacksonville:
"Defensively we felt like we played physical. We had no defensive penalties which is a huge deal for us. They had 33 yards rushing for a 2.2 yards per carry average. They were 2-13 on third downs. We gave up 12 first downs and had four quarterback sacks. In the second half we started things off real crisp. We were three and out to start the game and five and out to start the second half. What I was really proud of was that we turned the ball over and put our defense in a real bad position twice. When you have that the normal tendency is to go out there and say, 'We got put in a bad situation' and kind of let down. Obviously the other team has a tremendous opportunity to score. Both times we held their offense to field goal attempts. That says a lot about our defense. Our negatives were that we gave up 30 points. We gave up some big plays in the passing game and the two-minute drive that tied up the game. The players that got special recognition this week were Marcus Washington (LB, #53), Phillip Daniels (DE, #93), Sean Taylor (S, #21), Andre Carter (DE, #99) who had his best game and played very physical, and Lemar Marshall (LB, #98)"
On how they played offensively against Jacksonville:
"I am really proud of our guys because 152 yards rushing against them is a big deal. It was 13 games ago the last time a back had 100 yards against them. Clinton (Portis, RB, #26) had 100 yards rushing. We gave up no sacks. We were 50 percent on third down. Time of possession was in our favor. We had six plays of over 20 yards, which is great for us because against a defense like that is extremely hard to do. We had long drives of 72 yards, 86 yards and 80 yards. Our negatives were that we had two turnovers which really hurts you in a game like this. Both times the defense bailed us out holding them to two field goals. We had three penalties on offense, one holding, one celebration and one out of bounds plays. We missed a short yardage opportunity which we never like. Special recognition goes to Santana (Moss, WR, #89), Jon Jansen (OT, #76), Randy Thomas (OG, #77) and Clinton Portis (RB, #26). I can't say enough about Clinton not only running with the ball the way he did, but he made three blocks on Santana's touchdown. That kind of effort out of a running back when he doesn't have the ball in his hands makes him special. Chris Cooley (TE, #47) made big plays for us and Mike Sellers (FB, #45) was awesome on the run game. He did a fantastic job of leading on some of those plays and got great blocks for us."
On if he feels that the team is more comfortable with the offense:
"You are never sure but it seems so. The last two weeks we have gained momentum which is a real plus for us. We are starting to get more plays downfield now which is a big deal. We have guys like Chris (Cooley, TE, #47) and Santana (Moss, WR, #89) and other playmakers there. Hopefully that is what is taking place."
On Santana Moss (WR, #89) and if he feels he should be talked about as one of the elite receivers in this league:
"I am always a little reluctant there. I can only brag on him as much as I can brag on him. I have not had anyone that made more plays then he has for us or meant so much to a team. He is a great runner with the ball. You see when he hits the ground, sometimes they are 10 yard catches and he is gone. He also has real courage as a receiver. We have all different types of courage. Certainly the quarterback has to have it. He has to be mentally tough to go back there with guys coming and knowing that you are going to throw a football and get hit in the mouth. In Santana's case he was in the seam there and he described it pretty good when he said, 'I looked back and saw the ball thrown and I glanced this way and said uh-oh because here comes the safety.' He was right. The safety had a b-line on him and he said the best thing he could do was get the ball aggressively and make somebody miss. He has phenomenal down field skills. He has great long ball reaction and is a real good runner with it. He makes play after play. He means a lot to us. He is probably one of the most humble guys I have ever been around. He never complains about anything. If he is not getting balls in the game you would think a guy like that would throw a fit. He is a consummate team guy and does what he can for the team. It is hard to brag about Santana enough."
On Mark Brunell (QB, #8):
"What Mark did was play better in the fourth quarter then he did to start the game off. I think he knows that and we all know that. We put ourselves in a bind with that first (interception). That is a credit to him and the kind of person he is. He continues to fight all the time. He doesn't seem to let criticism or anything else bother him, which is part of being a good quarterback. If you can't deal with that then the chances are you are going to have a tough time dealing with everything else in playing quarterback. The fact that he did play better there is a tribute to him."
On what is different about this team from the first two weeks to these last two weeks:
"I don't know. I don't know if you can really put your finger on it. I think it is a lot of hard work and character. You start off with two losses and if you combine that with the four preseason losses, it was a miserable six weeks for us. Our guys could have gotten down and a lot of teams would have gotten down but this team didn't. They kept fighting."
On T.J. Duckett (RB, #36) being inactive the last two games:
"I feel bad about that. I have had long talks with him the last two weeks in a row. I feel awful that we can't get him up. Our problem is at tight end right now. We are so thin and there are so many packages where the tight ends are involved. It is the last thing that I want to do because I think the world of him. I had a talk with him and if there is a guy that has a great Redskins' attitude it's him. He said, 'Hey I love it here and whenever you are ready to put me in there, I will be ready.' He was working out in the weight room at 6:30 PM the other night. I feel awful not getting him involved."
