Head Coach Jay Gruden
On his assessment of the progress made by quarterback Robert Griffin III during camp:
"Well, there's been a lot of good, there's been some bad, as most quarterbacks go through in training camp. You've seen all the different looks he's getting, and overall I think he's making progress at a good rate. We just need to make sure it carries over into games. He'll get a few more reps Monday night, and he'll get more Game 3. Hopefully, by Houston he'll be ready to roll. But I think when you watch the tape every day, if he throws a ball 45 times, 35 of them are pretty good – good decisions. Then there's a couple of them we have to correct. But he's doing good."
On his takeaway from camp:
"I'm most happy with the way these guys have come together and played together and bought into how fast we practice and just the group in general – how well they are playing together and communicating with one another. They've all been on-time. We've had no disciplinary things we've had to go through, no extracurricular fights that we've had to discipline people, kick people out of practice. So, it's been really a pleasant surprise with how professional they've all been and how they're coming in here with the willingness to learn and get better every day and that's half the battle. If they're coming in here knowing that they have got to get better and work hard, then we have a chance."
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On if Griffin III is responding to getting the ball out quicker:
"Yeah, and it's frustrating I'm sure for him sometimes. Like I said before, he wants every play to be successful, and if somebody isn't open, he wants to buy time and try to find somebody, but sometimes the right play is to throw it away. And that's just going to come with the maturation process, and especially in two-minute. You don't want to hold the ball forever then throw a five-yard check-down and the clock's running. You want the ball out of your hands, stop the clock if you can. If nobody's there, we'll come play second down or third down. So, I think he's coming along, and we'll just continue to drill it in his head that every play is not a touchdown, that he's going to have to take what the defense gives him. Sometimes, they won't give him anything, and he has got to make the right decision. He's got the keys to the franchise in his hand, and he's going to take us a long way. So, he has got to make the right decisions and I'll count on him to do that."
On not being able to evaluate players who are injured:
"It's frustrating for us as coaches in the evaluating process, but it's also frustrating for the player, I'm sure. And it's not their fault they're getting dinged up or Jordan Reed has a stomach flu or what have you. It's just part of the game and it's a very physical game and there's guys rolling their ankles, pulling hamstrings every day across the league. It's just unfortunate when it happens to a guy who is in a critical evaluation state, you know? So the job is now to get into rehab and do their due diligence in there, let Larry [Hess] take care of them and make sure when they do come back, they come back 100 miles an hour because time is ticking. We have to make those tough decisions. So, yes, it is frustrating for the player and for the coaches."
On if wide receiver DeSean Jackson is on track to play against Cleveland:
"Yes. He practiced a lot today. I think he went all the way through until the last two-minute, which he probably should have gone through, but I think he just felt like he did enough and I think he's coming along at a good pace. He did some cutting today, scored a couple touchdowns, obviously, so he's in good shape. I think now it's just a matter of letting it go for a whole practice and, hopefully, we'll get that done tomorrow barring the rain. And, of course, we still have Thursday, Friday, Saturday to get him ready, so I think he'll be fine by Monday."
On if there is a particular area in which Griffin III improved most during camp:
"I just think the overall knowledge of each concept. He can spit them out pretty quickly and now it's just a matter of seeing each concept versus different looks and making the right decisions. It's just going to come with time. We have some time – we have another two, three, four weeks before we play Houston and get into the regular season and we'll trim the list down for him. But I think he's doing a good job. His accuracy has been pretty good for the most part. He's missed some throws here and there, as has every quarterback, but his knowledge of the system has been good. His protection ideas have been good… So I'm happy with his progress."
On evaluating players now that the system has been installed:
"[We've] played one preseason game. We have three preseason games left and we've tried to install most of our system right now so we're not killing them mentally and adding a bunch of new stuff. So now we're trying to let them go out and play and play fast and keep it nice and basic for them so they can go and they know what to do and they can perform at their highest levels. They really shouldn't have any excuses as far as 'I don't know where to line up, I don't know what to do on this play.' They should all know what to do and they should be able to play fast. So we'll give them the best opportunity they can to show what they have Game 2, 3 and 4 in 'the preseason and the rest of the practices. It's not just about the games. It's about what they do in practice on a consistent basis and the evaluation process is ongoing and we just have to make the best decision we can."
On if it is difficult to be patient with the development of Griffin III:
"Patience – I don't know what you mean, but I think with every young player, you have to have some patience, but you also have to understand that position. There's a lot more responsibility on his shoulders. He's got to make a great decision. Taking the ball from center, handing it off to the back, getting us in the right run, the right protection, throwing to the right guy in each pattern, so he's got a lot more responsibility than the average guy. So having patience with them is maybe just a little less than the normal position, but I think overall he's handling it well. How he handles it on game day will be how he handles it, so we just have to be patient with him, like you said, and take the good with the bad from time to time, but just really try to stay away from negative plays and the catastrophic decisions and make sure that he throws it away when he's supposed to throw it away, take a sack when he's supposed to take a sack, keep two hands on the ball when he's supposed to keep two hands on the ball. We've said it all along that punting is OK. The defense that we're going to play hopefully will be sound enough that punting is OK, field position is OK, and we've just got to move on."
On the specifics of tight end Jordan Reed's illness:
"We don't know – I don't know what it is. We're going to do some more checks on him, but we thought he was going to practice today and then on the way over here he threw up again. We'll just continue to do more tests, make sure he's OK. We thought it was just a little flu-symptom-type thing, but it's lasted a lot longer than we thought. So hopefully he'll be ready to go tomorrow, but they are going to do some more tests on him."
On if Reed's illness could be concussion-related:
"No, no. It has nothing to do with it. It's a stomach virus."
On running back Evan Royster and the competition at that position:
"He's in competition with the rest of them. Right now, we have obviously Alfred [Morris] as the slam dunk and then we have Roy who's had a good camp and then we're looking for the other two to step up. You have Silas [Redd] and you have Lache [Seastrunk] and obviously Evan's done a nice job and Chris Thompson, we're waiting for him to get healthy. So the last three weeks of the preseason are going to be crucial for these guys – Who handles the protection the best? Who knows how to run routes the best, can catch the ball the best? And obviously running the ball is going to be very important."
On his first training camp in Richmond:
"It was great. I thought it was great. From the hotel to the facility here, we have everything we need. It's been first class, the fans have been great, you guys have even been pretty good [smiling]. But overall, it's been a very smooth process and one thing that I wanted for our football team was the best situation for them to get better and there's really no excuse. We've had no excuses – weather-wise, facility-wise – that they can't get better. They've got their great rehab facility here, so very smooth and very happy with the whole stay in Richmond."
