Head Coach Jay Gruden
On the injury report:
"Limited today was Ryan Clark, ankle/shoulder, Robert Griffin [III], ankle, [tackle] Trent Williams, knee... [Chris] Baker was full today… [Tracy] Porter, hamstring [was limited]… Full was Alfred Morris and full was Perry Riley [Jr.]."
On if quarterback Robert Griffin III has received clearance for full contact:
"Robert really hasn't changed. You know, there's really not a whole lot to say. He's just steadily progressing in these drills this week and then we'll make a decision probably later on. I'm not going to announce whether he's active or inactive until,* *what, 7:30 Monday night, probably. The big thing for him is to just get back out on the field, get with the guys, break the huddle, do the team stuff, gradually get back in the flow, call the play in the huddle, make his throws. Today was a rough day because it was so windy, but overall just feeling the pocket converge on him and make the throws under duress. It was good for him today."
On if he is proceeding as if Colt McCoy is the starting quarterback this week:
"Oh, yeah. Yeah."
On linebacker Trent Murphy balancing his pass rush ability with avoiding penalties:
"Yeah, that's the case with a lot of defensive players. They get over-anxious and they work so hard to get to the quarterback and they get there a little late but they feel like it's necessary to go ahead and hit him anyway. You've just got to try to rein them in a little bit and coach them up and [help them] understand that they've got to play by the rules. He has a huge penalty Sunday against Tennessee on special teams. He jumped offsides on fourth-and-five, which we had coaches in line ready to yell at him coming off the field. But he plays hard. He plays with great effort, man. He's going to be a good player for a long time around here. He's just got to continue to grow and develop and just keep playing. He's going to be a good player."
On linebacker Will Compton's role on defense following the return of Perry Riley, Jr.:
"Yeah, they're both getting reps at the spot this week. You know, I can see them both playing, to be honest with you. Will does have a role on special teams, obviously. He did a great job in Perry's absence, but Perry is still working to get full-go. He was full participation today, but as far as full mobility and full movement, he's still coming along. I think there's going to be a place for both of them to play, but when Perry does come back at 100 percent, it's his job."
On how much of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's success can be attributed to the effectiveness of their run game:
"Well, it helps, that's for sure. It helps take the pressure off a quarterback. That's the intent here also is to really get our running game going so we can take the pressure off our quarterback, but Tony is a great player regardless. He's had a great career. He can throw it, he can scramble, he can do just about anything you want a quarterback to do so having a running game to help him along the way will make him all the more effective."
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On if he has decided whether Tom Compton or Tyler Polumbus will start at right tackle:
"Not really – not yet. You know, we're looking at both of them and obviously Morgan [Moses] is still in the mix also, but we feel good about all three of those guys. I think it's just a matter of who we decide to go with on Monday, but I would imagine it will be close."
On if a rotation at right tackle is an option:
"We rotated them last week in the second half, so it is an option, yeah."
On if guard Josh LeRibeus could earn more reps:
"Well, we feel that Shawn [Lauvao] has done pretty good at left guard. And when LeRibeus played, he did OK when Shawn as out, so we don't really anticipate moving Shawn out of the starting spot at left guard. We feel good about him. We feel good about [left tackle] Trent [Williams]. Obviously, [center] Kory [Lichtensteiger] has done a good job. [Right guard Chris] Chester has done a good job and then Polumbus has been battling a bit of soreness in his knee. He's been full-go and all that stuff, but we just thought Tom deserved an opportunity to play and we mixed him in there at right tackle also."
On Griffin III's mindset as he returns from injury:
"Yeah, he wants to play. There's no question. He's a great competitor. He wants to play, but he also knows he has to go through the process and he understand that. He's a great competitor, like I said, but he still has to feel… He's still got to get out there and throw these balls, like I said, in the team drills and to the wide receivers to get himself back in game form. It's not so much the injury now as it is more about getting himself ready from a mental, physical standpoint playing football."
On if Griffin III took one-on-one reps with the first team today:
"He got a few, yeah."
On if there is a timing issue with Griffin III:
"Yeah, a little bit. And plus, Colt needs those reps, too. We're really tinkering here on thin ice as far as who we're giving the reps to. Every time we take Colt out of the game getting ready for Monday night, we're taking away from his progression every time. We have to get Colt the reps right now, but we also have to make sure that we're bringing Robert along at a good rate so when he's ready to go, he's ready to go."
On covering Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant without cornerback DeAngelo Hall:
"Yeah, we'll find out. D-Hall has always done a very admirable job against Dez Bryant. Dez is a great receiver, no question about it, so [David] Amerson, [Bashaud] Breeland, they're going to have to step up and I don't know if they know what they're in for yet but we've covered some good receivers this year also. But Dez is a lot bigger, stronger, more physical than guys that we've faced so far and he's having a great year and we know that come crunch time, if they need a play, somebody's got to cover him. Hopefully, Breeland and Amerson will be up to the task."
On when he wants to see Griffin III back on the field as a starter:
"I don't know when it's going to happen yet. I'm not going to say it's not going to happen for Monday, but ideally I want him back when he's ready. That's all – when he's physically and mentally ready to go. I don't care about anything else. We'll get a good feel from him and the trainers and all that stuff and when it's time, it'll be time."
On who the starting quarterback will be against the Cowboys:
"We'll announce that on Monday night. But Colt's the starter. We're preparing for Colt to be the starter, you know what I mean? But we're trying to get Robert some reps, get him ready, but right now it looks like odds are Colt will be the starter, but we're trying to work Robert into the lineup and trying to get him reps to get him ready to go because I ultimately – when it's all said and done – when Robert's healthy, Robert's the starter. Do we understand that? Robert's the starter. Colt is not the starter. Colt could be the starter Monday night, but when Robert is healthy, he'll be the starter… We just don't know when that 'healthy' will be. Mental healthy, physical healthy, we've just got to get him ready."
On when Griffin III will meet with Head Athletic Trainer Larry Hess to evaluate his progress:
"It happens every day. They go through all the rehab process every day and it's a matter of going out, when you do more, how you feel… He's been cleared to do just about everything. It's just a matter of now that's he's doing everything, going back to Larry, continuing his rehab, how's he feeling? How's it holding up? All that good stuff."
On Monday Night Football production meetings with his brother, Jon:
"It's entertaining. They ought to film it. It's good, man. It's always good to see him. We don't get a chance to see each other very much this time of year, obviously, but it's always good to see him. He's a pro at what he does. He's good. He'll throw out a couple ideas for me every now and then but, you know, it's always fun to get together with him."
On showing a video of the history of the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry to the team:
"Well, I just think the history, a lot of guys haven't been in this organization – myself included. This is my first year. It's always good to see the history of this rivalry and how important it is to the fans, the ex-players – the alumni and the organization in general. This is a huge game for a lot of people and we're going to make sure it's known that this is a big rivalry for the new players and coaches."
