Head Coach Jay Gruden
On the plans for Thursday's game against Atlanta:
"We're going to get everybody some reps in the game that are traveling and making the trip. Once the game gets started… I'll put them through pregame warmup and once the game gets started, then I'll make my determination on who to take out and when to take them out. That'll be solely my decision, and we'll go from there."
On if he enters the game with a "pretty set plan" for playing time:
"I've got a pretty set plan. I've got to make sure obviously Coach [Ben] Kotwica knows about who's coming out because it'll affect special teams, and the coordinators know who's coming out. [That] might affect our play calling. But for the most part, I'll give them a heads up of what I anticipate happening, but sometimes on game day things change. Somebody gets nicked, somebody might have to play a little bit more than we anticipated. But, the plan is [to] make sure that everybody's ready to play a football game on Thursday night, and then I'll make the decision who comes out when."
On if any more players have been ruled out for Thursday:
"Yeah, we ruled out Jordan Reed today. We're going to keep him back, just get him some more rehab on his thumb. That's it."
On if T Trent Williams will play:
"I haven't ruled him out. I haven't done anything yet with him. He's going to come on the trip, get a good day of treatment Wednesday with us up there – Thursday morning in Atlanta – and then we'll see on Thursday evening whether he's going to dress or not."
On if plans for LB Preston Smith have been impacted:
"We'll see. He just strained his shoulder a little bit. It's a little weak right now but I don't anticipate it being a very significant injury. I think there's a good chance he'll play Thursday but let's see how he does tomorrow – Wednesday – and Thursday morning."
On if Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy are similar quarterbacks:
"They're different, but they're alike in the fact that they study the game and they're very smart quarterbacks and they take it very seriously. But they both have different personalities and they both have different skillsets, really. Both of them are accurate quarterbacks, which we like. They both make quick decisions, which we like, but there are nuances that they're a little bit different. But I could see how people think they're similar, but they have some differences."
On testing the use of video on the sideline tablets during the preseason:
"Yeah, we used it last year during the preseason, I think it was, and you don't really have a lot of time to look at the video and all that stuff, but some teams like it, some teams don't like it. I really don't mind it. I don't think it's an advantage for anybody. If everybody has it, then it's not an advantage. It's really not a big deal to me whether it's pictures or the video. It's not like you can put a whole new game plan together based on a video that you saw – 20 seconds. So it really has no bearing on how we coach or how we prepare a football game."
On if WR Maurice Harris will receive more reps with Jamison Crowder ruled out:
"Yeah, I think so. I think you'll see Maurice. You'll see [Valdez] Showers. You'll see Dez Stewart. So, we have some guys… [Jarvis] Turner, he'll get some reps in there. Ryan Grant, obviously, he'll pick up some slack. [Rashad] Ross will get a lot of reps, so we have some guys that have shown to be worthy of getting these reps. It'll be fun to watch these guys and then see how they do on special teams and that'll help make our decision moving forward."
On G Shawn Lauvao's status for Thursday:
"He's playing."
On what he is looking for from rookies:
"I just like to see them – pregame warmups, see how they look, the look in their eyes, see how excited they get and see how they play. With all the information we've given them through OTAs and training camp up to now, to get ready for the first game, I want to see how they process it and then see how they'll perform. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about. When the lights cut on, who is going to show up and play in a big way, protect the football, play assignment-sound football, fundamentally sound football and make plays? At the end of the day, it's about making plays and hopefully those guys will step up and do that."
On a single area in which RB Matt Jones has improved most this summer:
"I just think his decisiveness when he gets the ball in his hands. We run a lot of zone plays and a lot of times if you're indecisive, you're bouncing your feet. He's sticking his foot in the ground and making decisive cuts – whether it's cutting into the C gap, B gap, backside A gap or even bouncing it outside. You'll see him make decisive cuts. His cuts have been pretty darn good. He's making the reads properly and he's doing a good job with his vision. I think the vision aspect is the biggest improvement that I've seen."
On DE Ziggy Hood:
"I'll tell you what, Ziggy Hood has jumped out a lot. The one-on-ones, he does extremely well, and I think during the team periods, he's active. He shows up. What you're looking for in defensive linemen, you obviously want them to be sound in their run game, but you want to see guys show up. He's disruptive. He's a smart football player who has played a lot of football. Like I said, he just shows up and does a good job."
