Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell addressed the media before practice on Sept. 13. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
On what jumped out to him about his performance after watching the tape:
"Yeah, definitely a lot of things to clean up. I just think offensively we, there's a lot of things that we learned on film and things that we expect and hope to do a better job of this week. But now starting today, we've turned the page and we're starting to focus on Denver."
On if there were some examples of him getting off a guy too soon versus staying on him a little longer:
"Yeah, I mean, I think at the end of the day it just comes down to trusting my feet and my feet will always keep me on time and my progression and so I think I've done a really good job of that in practice. And I did a good job for most of the game. There were just some plays here and there where I just gotta continue to trust what I'm taught and trust my feet and trust my progression."
On if there was anything that Arizona did that surprise him or the offense at all:
"Honestly, not really. Obviously, we kind of went into the game expecting a lot of things just because we knew the history of the DC and we knew all the things that he's [Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon] done in his past. We didn't know exactly how they were gonna play us. But no, I mean, they didn't really show us anything that was different than what we saw. It was just a matter of we turned the ball over too many times and didn't execute at a level that we would like to."
On what his process is like getting ready for the next game:
"Yeah, definitely gotta take care of my body. You know, so just coming in on Monday and spending a couple hours on treatment and getting a good workout in and then meeting with the coaches and watching the film, going over the film. And then on Tuesday it's pretty much moving on to the next game and still trying to focus on recovery and get my body to a place where it feels really good. I mean, we have our first practice today, first practice of the week today and my body feels back ready to go, so I'm excited."
On if there was a collective takeaway with the sacks from the game:
"Yeah, I mean I'm always gonna air on it was my fault just because I think I could've done a better job. I mean, there were some of 'em where I just ran out of bounds at like a yard or two behind the line of scrimmage which is just dumb. You know, just throw the ball away. And you know, obviously the strip sack for the touchdown, that was on me. I was just trying to do too much, especially down there backed up. Don't try to reverse out and spin out of it. Just be smart. But for the most part, I think there was places to go with the ball. I just gotta do a better job getting the ball outta my hands. And the O-line did a good job throughout most of the game. Obviously, the stats don't show it but I gotta do a better job helping those guys out."
On why he hasn't pushed the ball down the field a lot in his first two starts:
"Yeah, I mean it's a combination of a lot of things. There were some chances in the game that I think, plays I'd like to have back where I could have had an opportunity to get the ball down the field. But you know, it's just a matter of those situations will come up and when they come up I just gotta do my best to see the look that we're looking for and take advantage of it but hopefully there'll be some more of those looks coming up."
On the balance of correcting and praising himself while working on the next game plan:
"At this point none of my thoughts are about the previous game. It's all about what's our new game plan and what's our mindset going into Denver this week and how can I attack that and get to know the plan and get to know the defense as best as I can going into Sunday. So, I'm really not focused on anything really that happened in the game. Obviously, there's some things throughout the week that we know that came up in the game that we'd like to do a better job of, but all my focus on the game plan for Denver."
On how his body feels after an NFL regular season game compared to a college game:
"Honestly, I ran the ball in college so much that it wasn't really anything crazy. Obviously, it was a physical game and it being the first game of the year, you know, the first time that not only me but all the guys played a whole game this year was a big factor in that as well. It was a physical game but I feel alright. I think I did a good job in recovering the past two days and getting two good workouts in so my body feels back to normal."
On if he had time to go over his misses with his receivers:
"Yeah, that's definitely something we do after the game is when we sit down and watch it and everyone kind of watches it with their position groups. So, we always talk and try to get on the same page and try to figure out why things didn't happen the way we wanted it to happen. But we definitely have an open line of communication."
On how QB Jacoby Brissett has helped him on gameday:
"He's been awesome to have here. Such a great guy, great teammate, but now obviously he's been around a lot of football and he's seen a lot of football and he has been in this league for a long time and he knows what to expect. He's done a really good job just throughout the week in helping me and telling me little things that he sees on film that would help him if he was playing. Then on game day, he's just always very supportive, very positive and just always kind of gives me confidence before I go back out there on the field. So, it's been awesome to have a guy like that here."
On how much he coordinated with QB Jacoby Brisset on the offseason workouts in Florida:
"Yeah, definitely a little bit of both. He's from down there in Florida, so he kind of knows the area a little bit. So he had some contacts down there as far as getting us on certain fields to work out in, but it was definitely a combination of all the quarterbacks coordinating that."
On things he can take from Las Vegas Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo's experience playing Denver in Week 1:
"Yeah, I mean, definitely watching the film and just seeing what their plan was going into Denver and obviously they had success and ultimately won the game. And that's hard to do, especially in a place like Denver. It's a great environment for them and it's a super exciting opportunity for us to play a road game and in a hostile environment. But yeah, I mean obviously just watching the film, there's a lot of things you can take from not only what Jimmy did, but from what the Raiders were doing on offense and things that worked, same things that didn't work, and just getting a feel for what the defense is doing."
On similarities between his first starts in the NFL and North Carolina:
"It's kind of a similar process. I feel like every single week I'll continue to improve. I think every single week that I have under my belt, I feel more comfortable and confident going into the next one. As the season goes on, I think I'll continue and try to improve every week."
On his first road start:
"Yeah, I'm excited. I love playing on the road. It's a lot of fun to go play at another team's home and try to give it your best shot. We feel like we can go in there and we have a good opportunity to go play against a really good football team in a really cool stadium, really cool environment. It's just a great opportunity for us as an offense. We got to have a really good week of practice and a really good week of preparation to go in there and give ourselves a chance."
On if he has played in high altitude:
"I have not. Not that I know of. That's definitely something we'll kind of be talking about all week long. I know [Assistant Strength & Conditioning/Nutritionist] Jake [Sankal], our nutritionist, he has some things that might help us for that. I'm excited for what people have talked about it a lot and I really never experienced anything like that. I'm excited for what it brings."
On if he measures himself against the best QB's in the NFL and who he models his game after:
"I wouldn't say I'm trying to measure my game. I'm just trying to do the best I can each and every week and try to give my team an opportunity to win football games. I'm going to try to be myself. I'm going to try to be the best player I can be each and every week for my teammates. Then to your question about who I watched a lot of [Former New Orleans Saints QB] Drew Brees. Drew Brees was my favorite growing up. Big fan of his and just the way he played the game and obviously we're playing [Denver Broncos QB] Russell Wilson this week. I've watched Russell Wilson a lot as well. I think we kind of have a similar game style. He was one of the guys I watched growing up that I liked the way he played the game. It'll be fun to go against him on Sunday."
