On Wednesday, September 11, 2013, Redskins HC Mike Shanahan addressed the media following afternoon practice from Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va.

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On Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers sitting his first several years in the league and if there was a generational shift at quarterback leading up to Robert Griffin III starting as a rookie:

"I spent a little time with Aaron when I was in Tahoe. Played a little golf with him, got a chance to know him a little bit and it was really a unique experience for him being behind somebody like [former Packers quarterback] Brett [Favre], waiting his turn. I thought he handled himself the way you would like your quarterback to handle themselves. He had a lot of class sitting back there, learning, getting a lot of mental reps, getting to feel very comfortable under the system, and when he did get a chance to play he took advantage of it."

On if he thinks we will ever see a quarterback drafted that high sit for three years again:

"Probably not. I think when you get a guy like that, very seldom do you have a guy like Brett Favre in front of him."

On status of safety Brandon Meriweather and if he will play Sunday:

"He practiced full today… If there's no setback, yeah."

On the difference in the defense with and without Meriweather:

"Hopefully it changes. He's been a big playmaker in the limited time he has played over the last year. I think everybody knows what he's done and hopefully he can keep playing at that level."

On the amount of time the Eagles blitzed on Monday:

"I really don't think they blitzed that much to be honest with you. We were kind of anticipating some of the things they did because they've done it in the past. Sometimes those blitzes are to help them stop the run, especially those inside zone blitzes and most defenses change it up pretty good."

On how running back Alfred Morris bounced back from mistakes:

"It's always tough anytime you have two turnovers. It's always tough. We were a little bit off the whole game. Our running game wasn't there. We weren't very consistent, and like I said following the game, it only takes one player here, one player there, and all of the sudden you go eight drives and you've got four turnovers, and I think our longest drive was five plays. Not a very good outing, and at the end of it we have three touchdowns out of four drives and we probably should have had four, so you can't stop yourself."

On why it was important to give the ball to Morris after the mistakes:

"He knows we believe in him, and anytime you have the success that he had last year there is a good reason why we believe in him."

On if he would consider using the hurry-up offense other than when the game situation calls for it:

"You are giving our game-plan away. We're putting it in this week [laughter]. No, I think everybody talks about the tempo, a lot of plays. Like we said, you have to be successful in running those plays. In the second half, we had a chance to win the football game. One of the reasons being is that it was a high-tempo. Three and outs put you behind the 8-ball pretty quick. Not very often do we get 21 first downs in a half."* *

On defensive backs E.J. Biggers and Bacarri Rambo playing at safety on Monday:

"I think it was a little different game plan against a team like the Eagles with the way the quarterback ran. Our free safety had the quarterback on a number of plays, so it was more of a game plan-type defense, even though Bacarri is a safety and we did some things with [cornerback] Josh [Wilson] that was a little bit different, with E.J. that was a little bit different, but after the half we adjusted a little bit and it helped us out."

On his confidence in the team:

"We feel good about our football team. Obviously we had a setback, and now we just kind of concentrate on practices day-by-day. We have got to get back our momentum, and it's a tough place to play in Green Bay, but our players are looking forward to it, and we are glad we have a short week so we can play a little bit quicker."

On how tough it is for a wide receiver like Leonard Hankerson to become an upper-echelon player in limited snaps:

"I think you do what he did during that game. When you get your opportunities you take advantage of it. You get a couple of touchdowns, no drops, and anytime you are switching off as a No. 1 receiver, one thing you are guaranteed is you should be able to go full-speed. A guy that's playing 70 or 80 snaps like [wide receiver] Pierre [Garçon] did, that's a little bit tougher. You have to be in great shape like Pierre is, but with as many passes as we threw Monday night in the second half, it's tough to go through a half like he did. Overall, I've been pleased with our wide receivers. We've made some strides, and hopefully we can keep getting better."

On Packers linebacker Clay Matthews:

"They've got the capabilities of moving him wherever they want the matchup. He's a great player. He's got instincts. He can play the run, play the pass. He's the type of player that you look for."

On the effect the cast had on nose tackle Barry Cofield:

"I thought he did a good job playing with that cast. You'd have to ask him, but it didn't look like it bothered him at all from my standpoint."

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