Redskins Park: Quotes - Shanahan, McNabb, and Hall

[Mark the homer]

October 27, 2010

Redskins Park



Executive Vice President/Head Coach Mike Shanahan



On the injury status of Stephon Heyer and Jammal Brown:

"They were limited. I think both of them will be OK, but they were limited today."



On the status of Kareem Moore:

"He's limited as well, a little swelling on the knee."



On Mike Sellers:

"Mike felt a little bit better than he did after the game but still limited."



On Brian Orakpo:

"Limited. He was still quite sore. [He] got a few reps in there. Just a little bit sore all over."



On James Davis:

"It's a running back that we looked at. We think he's got a good upside. We were able to get him on our squad yesterday and he was out there doing a good job today."



On if he would prefer to go into Sunday's game with three active running backs:

"Chad [Simpson] was better than we thought. I thought it was a pull with Chad. It was more of a tweak. He was out there practicing today. I don't know if he was full speed but there were no setbacks so that was a good sign."



On if there is an advantage for a team that has had a bye to play a team that has not had one yet:

"I really don't know. You would have to look at some of these stats. Some of these stats sometimes it's good for a team other times it's not. I don't really worry about those things. You just get your football team ready. Usually, you're a little bit healthier. You get another week of preparation. So, in all situations it does help."



On if there is something he does to make sure the players are focused on the game and not the break:

“You talk about those things. You take a look at the teams that had bye weeks last week. You take a look at Baltimore - third ranked defense and Buffalo gets over 500 yards offense on them – that’s a scenario. You take a look at Philly - they get beat by 18 points going into their bye. You have two teams with distractions with a team like Denver going to London this week – concentration is on something else sometimes. Even a team like San Francisco at Carolina, they left after the game to go to London. There are distractions and you have to be able to handle those things and hopefully still play well.”



On how to prepare for Mathew Stafford who has been injured since Week 1:

“I think it works both ways. He is getting used to their system, coming back from an injury, trying to get ready to play – he hasn’t really had a lot of reps. Even though it is a bye week, they probably had a couple days of practice. I’m sure he is trying to get as many reps as he can this week to get ready to play. You will have to go back to last year or so to evaluate him.”









On the progress in the Lions that isn’t reflected by their overall record:

“You don’t have to look at some ones record and see the progress. All you have to look at is the Chicago game – having a fluke call they didn’t win that game. Then you look at Green Bay – Green Bay wins by two [points]. They hold them to 250 yards of total offense then they have a chance to win it at the end of the game. Philly, it’s 35-32, the game could’ve easily went either way. Giants, 28-20, you still have a chance to tie it with a minute left. So, you take a look at all those scenarios and they beat the Rams, 44-5. And you get [Ndamukong] Suh, you get [Jahvid] Best, you take a look at the direction a team is gong and how they’ve played. It’s one of the reason why we are an underdog going into the game.”



On being considered the underdog against the Lions:

“That’s the way it happens. People take records from around what has happened in the past and other people that do it for a living, they look at it in a different way.”



On his memories of watching the Redskins-Lions game from last year:

“This is professional football. Those things don’t surprise me at all. Some of those games are very, very tight that can go either way. All of a sudden a team, for one reason or another can’t find a way to win a game. It’s going to happen eventually. It should have happened a number of times this year already.”



On being the underdog as a motivation tool for his team:

“I think it’s reality. If you need that to motivate you then there is something wrong. But you do need to bring to some ones attention that we are underdogs going into the game. It’s not like we are 14-point favorites.”



On Donovan McNabb and the offense:

“I think Donovan is feeling more confident with the offense each and every game. It’s like learning a new language – even though sometimes you may not look at it I think being able to react to a defense, to play-call, to terminology, your supporting cast. It helps every time you’re out there on field getting reps. That goes with the territory. It’s not always a perfect game by any means but that’s why it takes some time.”



On if he has noticed any progression in the offensive line:

“Yeah I have. We have a number of people playing different positions. We have a couple of guys banged up. We’ve moved a few people around. I like what we got. I think we have made some strides especially with moving people around. I think we will get better each and every game.”



On giving himself a goal of what record he would like at the bye week:

“No, I really didn’t especially when you don’t know a football team until you start playing games. You think you know but you really don’t know until you get into the regular season, start playing each and every game. The first thing you want is your players to play hard. You’re always looking for that. To me, if you have that then you have a chance to win some football games.”



On Graham Gano’s importance:

“Well he has done a good job. He has a strong leg. He probably would like to be a little bit more consistent – like all kickers would. I like what I see in practice. I think he is going to be a good kicker for years to come. There are always growing pains that first year but I think he has handled the pressure very well.”



On his impression of the NFC East:

“I think everybody would probably agree that you don’t know at this time of year. You kind of get a feeling but you really don’t know who is going to play their best football in the second half. It’s still way too early. We’re just kind of getting a feel, not even at the midpoint right now. You see some teams getting a little bit better, other teams maybe not getting better and some teams are losing some key players and you have to be lucky and stay healthy.”





On it being hard to be patient with kickers:

“Well, first, second and third year field goal kickers, you better be patient because very few are successful right away. I think Graham [Gano] has done a good job considering his age really kicking the ball as he has. Hopefully he will just keep getting better.”



On London Fletcher:

“To me, it’s amazing that he has been able to play in 200 games, especially because the level he plays at. He comes every Sunday. He’s ready to play, he prepares. It’s really a complement to him and his conditioning and to know what he has done over the last 200 games to play at the level and be consistent.”



On what impact London Fletcher has had on the Redskins:

“If you have a London Fletcher on your team, you’re in pretty good shape as far as a football coach. He is a natural leader, he is a worker. [He] puts all the responsibility for performing on himself. He prepares better than anybody I’ve been around. If you have too many guys like that then you wouldn’t need coaches. I’m glad we don’t have too many of them.”



On what all the accomplishments DeAngelo Hall achieved this week means to him:

“Well if he didn’t get NFC Player of the Week with four interceptions then I would have been disappointed because that doesn’t happen all the time. It’s really amazing that a person can make that many plays in a game and be a difference maker. Like I told him today, I said, ‘My complements to you, making those type of plays in such a good game,’ and finding a way to make the big play at the end of the game when not only did he make the interception, he took it in for a touchdown. That’s what you’re looking for - guys to step up and make some big plays. That will be a game he will remember for the rest of his life.”



On being the coach of Denver when Delthea O’Neal had four interceptions in one game:

“Here’s another guy that had great hands too. Fortunately, you would always like to be on that side as a head coach – a guy getting those interceptions – that’s for sure.”



On Jay Cutler’s comments after the game towards DeAngelo Hall:

“I would always say for players, and coaches sometimes, probably at least give somebody 15-20 minutes to cool down after a game like that.”



On Clinton Portis:

“He does some jogging out here everyday. It is a part of his rehab program. It is still going to be for sure a couple of weeks. It takes some time. A third degree separation, you don’t want to push it too hard. We’ll just have to wait and see. To me, it will be a minimum of two weeks before he will be able to push it.”



On third down struggles:

“It doesn’t matter if it is third downs, red zone, first down, collectively we need to get it together. You just can’t pinpoint one person. Sometimes it’s a breakdown in protection, other times it’s a drop ball. I said it early in the game, Donovan [McNabb] gets on a roll, we catch the one ball, it’s in for a touchdown and the other one, third and 10, and we get 150 yards in that first quarter and we’re clicking still. It’s a play here, a play there and hopefully we can put it together.”



On Clinton Portis status in two weeks:

“That’s when I think he will be able to test it a little bit. He still has to get into football shape, but I don’t put anything past Clinton. He is working extremely hard right now. He might be ready for the Philly week, I really don’t know. With my past experience with that third degree tear, it takes awhile, it doesn’t happen over night.”



On Ryan Torain’s two fumbles:

“He got the hell knocked out of him on the one play. It’s just ball security. On one, the outside linebacker did a great job. Just before [Ryan Torain] hit the ground he got him right on his back and it was really a heck of a hit. On the other one, I think he was just trying to break out in the open. He just kind of lost a little focus on it. You have to hang onto that football. It is the difference between winning and losing.”



On any lingering affects after Ryan Torain took that big hit:

“I think he got hit pretty good because he went out of the game and then he came back and had that fumble. I’m sure that had something to do with it. A lot of these guys get licks like that all of the time. It has been happening forever. Did he have a concussion? I don’t think he did. Did he get dinged? I think he got dinged.”



On doing anything different in practice after fumbling six times against the Bears:

“Well you keep emphasizing on what we have been working on – ball security. Part of the reasons why you recover too is when you’re working on it all the time. People are stripping it, you fall back on the ball. We work on those things. You still have three turnovers, that’s way too many. Hopefully we can eliminate those.”




Quarterback Donovan McNabb


On how the offense has progressed and his assessment of it:

“Everything is progressive and a real work in progress. We have shown signs of big play capability and we have shown that we can sustain drives. We have shown we can run the ball and pass the ball. I think what we have to do is we just have to put it together and be consistent with it. When I say that, you have to be real methodical with what we have been doing and eliminate the mistakes or we wouldn’t be sitting here going through this each week. I think this is a great opportunity for us to get out against Detroit, show how much we have improved going into the bye week and come back to the last part of the season.”



On how his body is feeling:

“This is Week 7 soreness I guess. Everybody across the league is not feeling 100 percent, but you still have games and you just got to go out there and play ball. I think for all of us we kind of taken a little bit of a hit, but I think we are all fine.”



On if a toll was taken on his body from the active offseason:

“It has been a long offseason and it has been a long year. I didn’t have to go through 11 years [of this], as long as it has been, but still you have to be prepared for anything and everything. The bye week is next week and I think it will definitely help a lot of us out to recover. We have a tough Detroit team ahead of us and we are looking forward to this challenge and to possibly be at a better position in the NFC.”



On if he wasn’t traded to the Redskins what he would have done in the offseason:

“I would have been training and maybe not putting my body through as much as we did in the offseason. This is something that was a routine for me and every now and then you have to change up your routine, challenge yourself and challenge your body. This is what the cards are dealt with and I look forward to the challenges. I am excited about where I am at.”



On if he would have done it all over again the same way:

“Yes, without a doubt.”



On when a player gets traded how long it takes to sink in that you are going to have to learn a new offensive system:

“Once my name was called to be traded it was immediate. Everyone talks about West Coast Offense, but everybody’s West Coast Offense is different. If it is terminology, if it is concepts or if it is the way a coach may approach things, they are all just things you have to get adjusted to. [Head Coach Mike Shanahan] has to get a good feel for me and I have to get a good feel for him and then we have to build that chemistry with the team. There are a lot of things that play a major part in it. Immediately, I knew I would have to learn a new offense.”



On if he realizes that it is a learning process and if he has to remind himself of that through the season:

“I am aware of it. I have been in this game for a while and when you have played at a level for so long, that is the level you want to continue to compete to play in. I think that is what the guys who have seen me and competed against me all throughout the years have seen me play at the level. It is not just me, but all of us have got to get to the level that we are comfortable in and that we can play at.”





On his interceptions:

“As a quarterback you have to stay aggressive. Anytime that you begin to get hesitant that is when sacks, fumbles or things of that nature happen. You have to know what you are seeing, recognize it and go for it. Things will change back to my style. I am not a guy who throws interceptions like that, but still you have to watch what you did, learn from it and eliminate it next time.”



On if any of his problems are because of age:

“I mean Peyton [Manning] is going to be 34, Tom [Brady] should be about 33 or so. All of us are getting older and no one is getting younger. Brett [Favre] is probably about 50 at this point. Age is just something that people can talk about and that is really nothing for me. So, that is not an issue.”



On Chicago quarterback Jay Culter being quoted that he was continuing to go after DeAngelo Hall:

“You don’t want to shy away from anyone. Deion Sanders is a guy that, in my era, was probably the best to ever play, along with Darrell Green. Would you go after him? Yes. Would you continue to go after him? You have to be smart on what routes. I think what Jay [Culter] was saying was that you have to stay aggressive and you can’t shy away from any player. I don’t know if it was the right timing for him to say it, but as a quarterback he is pretty much right. You don’t want to sit there and play to one side of the field because a guy is on the other side. You have to go through your reads and give your guys an opportunity to make plays for you.”



On if he feels like his contract negotiations are on track:

“Things will happen. Whatever sources said at the end of the year, I heard that Petyon [Manning] and the Colts are going to wait until the end of the year, I guess I was pulled into that. I am just focusing on what we have to do here to just improve our record and get better.”



On if he was to guess, if his contract negotiations would take place during or after the season:

“I don’t know. That is really nothing that I am concerned with at this particular point. That is something that my agent, Bruce [Allen] and Daniel [Snyder] have been talking back and forth about. I am just focusing on what we have to do here.”



On his struggle on third downs:

“I take on all of it. If it is a run or a pass play I take on all of it because I think it is a point that we continue to sustain drives. We find ourselves at times, like last week, in a third and long situation. That is something we wanted to avoid because they are very successful in third and long and third in eight or whatever it maybe. We found ourselves in that situation at times. If it is a miscue, if it is a mistake, if it is a throw or whatever it maybe, I take it on because being a quarterback and captain of the team. I think it is important that I set the tone and get the guys in the right position.”



On if there is anything consistent that the Redskins have done to put themselves in third and long situations:

“We just made mistakes. We sustain drives and for a lot of it, we convert first downs on second downs or we convert first downs on third downs. We just have to be consistent when it is third down to be able to keep the ball moving.”



On playing a team like the Detroit Lions:

“I don’t even look at the record and I don’t think anyone else should as well. They have played the Giants and lost by three, I believe, and they lost by three to the Eagles or something to that effect. They played the Bears in that first game where there was that controversial call. The list goes on. They play teams tough and they find themselves in the game by the end of the fourth quarter. I think what we have to do is we can’t look at their record and we can only focus on what we are seeing as a unit. They play hard.”



On the Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh:

“He is a disruptive guy. You can see him settling in and getting comfortable in the scheme and trying to play the way he is capable of playing. He has made some big plays so far this season and that really has helped him out in certain situations, but you can definitely tell he is getting comfortable.”



On if he has a concept of what the Redskins offense is supposed to look like:

“There are a lot of keys to look at. Our running style we have shown so far we need to continue to stay consistent with that and last year I believe Houston was the number one passing team in the league, so that is kind of the bar for us, that is what we look at. We have shown we can be effective in the pass game and we have shown we can run the ball. Now we just got to put it together. If we put it together we will begin to see more and more things develop.”



On the Redskins prior experience against Detroit:

“They have always been tough. Last year I know [the Redskins] suffered a tough loss, one that they don’t want to happen again, and I don’t either. We know what we have to do and now we just have to go out and execute.”



On his politically correct answers:

“That is just me being me. I think there are times to get a little overly emotional and you just have to really be you. Whatever style guys have seen you in, who you are and that is what you do. I think what we have to do is just stay even keel and just understand what we are doing wrong and try to get it right.”



On how he keeps the same energy and approach for a team like Detroit verses a team like the Packers:

“I think what you have to do is you have to find something that motivates you. In this situation, especially on the offensive side, it is to put a better showing out than what we have done in the last two weeks or so. My motivation is to be 5-3 for the bye week. I think a lot of us have that same mentality and attitude so it really doesn’t matter who we play we just need to go outside and execute and make sure we win the game. I think in this game you play, there are highs, lows and the overall thing is doing whatever it takes to win. It doesn’t matter if you are playing the Colts, Patriots, Baltimore, St. Louis, Detroit or whoever. I wasn’t here the last couple of years when we were 4-12 and Redskins aren’t too far from being in that class either. We just want to pull ourselves out of that position so people won’t put us in that category.”



On if other teams struggle with the different mentalities going into games:

“I have been a part of teams where it is tough. Once the game gets going you have to be ready to go.”



On what he would do if he was Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and was out for 6-to-8 weeks:

“I have been in situation where I have been hurt at the beginning of the year and had the opportunity to come back at the end. Do you want to be on the injured reserve list? No. Do you want to have the opportunity to come back and play? Absolutely and I think his mindset, being that he does need surgery, is to get himself back out there and help his team.”






Cornerback DeAngelo Hall



On the coverages this year compared to last year:

“Not a whole lot different, like I said in training camp, man-to-man is going to be man-to-man, zone is going to be zone. There is going to be little different drops, as far as linebackers, depending on who blitzes and who doesn’t blitz. It’s really just the confusion. It’s the confusion of the quarterback not really knowing if the down safety, which is LaRon [Landry], if he is going to be in coverage or if he is going to blitz or if [Brian] Orakpo is going to blitz or drop into coverage. We are so versatile when we get into our nickel packages where we have one down lineman in Albert [Haynesworth] and we might have Lorenzo Alexander and Rak (Brian Orakpo) in there rushing. Anyone of them can drop because they are outside linebackers. That is kind of the formula for success for the 3-4 defense, when you can put your outside linebackers as down linemen and defensive ends, you can definitely do some things."



On if the defensive scheme allows him to take more chances:

"He (Jim Haslett) definitely preaches turnovers. You definitely got to take some educated guesses out there. Like I said, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I am not saying every single route or every single game you are going to try and jump something. It really doesn't work like that. You are going to try and execute your tools and kind of see what you have been working on in practice, reading three steps, reading quarterback's drops, receivers, the linemen’s, splits, the way they are coming off the line of scrimmage getting ready to run their routes. It's kind of a combination of all of those things that you kind of got to take into consideration when you are either attempting to either make a play or a play just kind of comes toward you."



On if he was comfortable with the coverages being called:

"Not so much not being comfortable with something just more so wanting something else called. Oddly enough, every interception I had came in man-to-man and we had been harping on 'Hey coach, put us in some zones man, so we can see this quarterback throw the ball, makes some breaks when we really don't have a whole lot of responsibility and we can kind of just freelance around.' Oddly enough, we get into man-to-man and get a whole bunch of turnovers. It's just about going out there and executing the call. That's kind of what we said as a defense, definitely as a secondary, just go out there and execute the call."



On if he was not as confident in man-to-man as compared to zone:

“Not at all, like I said before, when you are in zone, you really have no responsibilities. It's easy. It's easy to stop the hitch when you are playing the flat. It's easy to stop a fade when you are playing Cover-3 and you got deep pass and you got a linebacker buzzing in the flat. When you are man-to-man, you are man-to-man. You got to stop every single route. You’re protecting for the fade, they got a comeback. You’re protecting the comeback, they got the fade. They got the double move, they got the slant, they got every single route. Obviously, it's going to be a lot easier to cover somebody in zone than it is man-to-man, less responsibility."



On if it helped the secondary that Bears quarterback Jay Cutler went to more three step drops:

"It helped some, it helped some. You saw they still had some completions. That drive right before the half they were still completing a lot of hitch routes and things like that."



On if three step drops help in terms of reading the route:

"Not really, just because they [run] a three step drop doesn't mean it's going to be a hitch or a slant. Three step fade, three step back shoulder fade, you can still get a double move out of there. Not every blitz is a blitz that is called to get home, get home means to sack the quarterback, some blitzes can get picked up. A lot of them can get picked up because you are only really sending five guys. You’re’re hardly ever sending six, seven guys and making it an all out blitz. It's the luck of the draw. Sometimes you can pick them up, sometimes you can't. Knowing what an offense likes to do as far as protection wise, slide their protection, scat, things like that, we kind of key in on that. We knew this team liked to scat, which means they send everybody one way and let the [running] back take the guy on the end of the line of scrimmage. It gave Rak (Brian Orakpo) and a lot of outside rushers the chance one on one with the running back."



On if getting the interceptions in man-to-man defense gives him confidence in the plays being called:

"It helped Haz [Jim Haslett] feel like he could call a lot more man-to-man. It's cool. In some situations you want man-to-man. The game against the Colts we were running a lot of zones. We felt like, let’s run man. That last drive we finally got in his ear enough that last drive that we needed a stop before the two minute warning when we thought about kicking an onside kick, three snaps all man-to-man. We got up there. We challenged those guys. They punted the ball. Certain times you want it, certain times [you don't]. It's real finicky. You kind of got to go with the flow of the game, how you are feeling. It's something coordinators and players try to hone in on to try and find the best formula."



On winning the NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors and having his jersey sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

"It's definitely a huge honor. It's a huge honor. Definitely a whirl wind, I was thinking about taking my jersey and framing it, doing some things with it. They come in telling me they are taking your jersey. I am like 'Alright, cool.' Definitely just keeps getting better, keeps getting better. All of that is done. We got another game this week before the bye week. I think a lot of the guys are focused in on this. We got another great challenge. Calvin Johnson is a guy who can make every single catch, can run every single route out there. We'll definitely have our hands full with that guy."



On if he realizes the significance of his jersey being in the Hall of Fame:

"That's some pretty good company. It really hadn't hit me yet. I have never been to the Hall of Fame, never been up that way. I really don't know what to expect or how it's going to be displayed so it really hadn't really hit me the impact of that yet but obviously when you hear that, huge honor, huge honor. I keep harping on it. So many guys come before you and to be even mentioned in the same breath as some of those guys is definitely a huge honor."



On if he will take a trip to the Hall of Fame:

"I might need to go check it out."



On playing man-to-man defense on Calvin Johnson compared to zone defense against him:

"He's definitely a physical specimen. Like I said before, he's a guy who can run every route. You match him up down there one on one with somebody, he's probably going to out jump them. Man-to-man just allows us to get a guy closer to him. Instead of having him run wide open through zones, playing some man-to-man is going to allow some guys to be around him a little closer than they would normally be in zones. He's still going to cause some matchup problems. He's going to catch balls. The ultimate goal is to keep him out of the endzone."



On if he sees this trip to Detroit as an opportunity to make up for last year's performance:

"You definitely think about it. Obviously, I feel like this is a different team. It's a different team, a different group of guys, different leadership, [and] different mindset. From that standpoint, you think about it, what happened last year, we'll probably review some of that film just kind of see what they did to us. Just to look at their personnel. This is definitely a different team. This is a different team, different group of guys. We know what's on the line. We know what's at stake and they are definitely going to get our best shot."



On his impressions of Matthew Stafford from last season:

"I thought he was a good quarterback. I definitely left that game with a lot more respect for him than I did going into it. We'll definitely respect him a lot. We'll be ready for him. He hadn't played a lot this season but he'll probably throw the tape on from last year and try to do some of the same things that he did last year against us."



On why he left the game with more respect for Stafford:

"Because he got a win. At the end of the day, that's what this game is about. It ain't about throwing a whole bunch of touchdowns, getting a whole bunch of interceptions, it's about winning the game and that's what he did."



On if he still wants to play on both sides of the field:

"We are going to do some things. We are going to do some things depending on the matchups we feel like we can get. Indy (Indianapolis) threw a lot to the left so we didn't move. A couple other teams threw a lot to the left so we kind of felt like it was for the betterment of the defense to stay to the left. It's just depends. It's just depends on the week by week gameplan. Like I said, this week we'll do a couple different things, try to combat that big guy out there on the corner and just go at them."



On if he will ask Jim Haslett to cover Calvin Johnson:

"We still haven't really put the whole game plan in. I don't really know what kind of plans we got going on. There might be some times where he's doubled so there is no need for me to go over there. There might be some times where we're rolled up on him or some other things are going on. He's a guy who they'll probably go at first and second down but just watching some of the film and looking at the scouting reports, he's not a guy they are throwing the ball to excessively. He's made a couple great plays just them throwing it up and him making plays. He's not a guy that is getting the ball every single down like Andre Johnson who obviously had [101] catches last year. He's a guy they were throwing the ball to a ton. Calvin is not getting the ball a ton, but when he gets the opportunity he's making the plays."

[1niksder]

Can you provide a link to these press releases.

Thanks