Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn spoke to the media following his team’s preseason game against the New York Jets. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
Well, I thought, first of all, that was a really worthwhile trip here to New Jersey. Came to the first part, practice, and was excited to be able to play against the Jets. It was an excellent practice, both sides, I thought they did an excellent job. I got to see what they look like, two men, redzones, special teams work, all that stuff you want to have. Add to that elements like weather, wet ball and the fact that we got a chance to experience that, that was a good deal. And then, like most things, you can learn a lot from a game like that. Some good things I liked, taking care of the ball, that was one of the things that’s so important to us, the competition and the ball. That’s always going to be a top priority, scoring on those sides, being able to get turnovers. Changing field position. I thought it was excellent pieces and looks on kickoff and kickoff return. That’s obviously been a big topic that we’ve all been focusing on throughout the year, and on top of that, there’s been a lot of film to watch, people to evaluate and people to watch. With that said, let’s get it real for you guys, and a few questions about the other day’s practice or the game.
What he thought of QB Jayden Daniels’ performance…
I think Jayden just had a real sense of control over things. We knew it was going to be a pretty short time for him and Marcus (Mariota). We had planned for them both to do a series and then start transitioning after that, so a great first day.
On the status of T Brandon Coleman and his opinion on the performance of the three-tackle group…
Yeah, obviously not having those guys makes it tough to start, Nikki, but it also provides an opportunity to take a closer look at some guys, so we got (Chris) Paul out at tackle, we had more time with Trent (Scott), (Mason) Brooks slipped out at tackle and played a little bit out there. Obviously, we signed Mike D (Deiter) to put some work in that area. As we go through Brandon, I would say we’re probably day-to-day, week-to-week. He’s got a strain in his shoulder and rib cage, but we expect him to progress quickly. I don’t have an update for you today, but they’ll be able to give you more information when we get to Miami next week.
How much value he places on Daniels’ drive…
Not a lot, but I think any time you go to a competition, you go through a process to be ready and part of my discussion with Jayden and some of the other guys today is, “How did you like the whole process?” Warming up to get ready — that’s different than in college and that’s why I asked them on the flight home tonight to take some notes on what you would change, what you would tweak before Miami. So that’s your first go around, do that warm up, what did that do, what did that all look like before the game and I think that’s an important process for him (Daniels) and for all the guys that are coming in for the first time. I thought he had a really good first part of it.
Look at Jayden’s big game and how encouraging it is to see a guy with no fear…
Interesting question. It made me think of Top Gun: “Can I go to the tower? No Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.” I think in that case he was asking for forgiveness, not permission, and then throwing a ten to Dyami (Brown). That was a really cool play. I think that probably illustrates to him how conscious he is of the checks and the things that go with them. Yeah, he didn’t ask for permission, so he went to the tower anyway. That was a really cool play.
About the fun Daniels has in the game and whether this rubs off on the whole team…
That’s true, and I think you probably see how he and his teammates interact during the time here, and they all have real trust in him as well, so it’s cool to see. He smiled at us, he knew he went off script, and “Can I go back in?” And the answer was no.
When asked if he was satisfied with his performance in the touchdown game…
Yes, I agreed to that process. There was no full disclosure, there was no one there, you are allowed to do it.
To the question: Would Daniels have gone back for another series if he hadn’t scored a touchdown?
