Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn
On what things he can do to help reduce Jason Campbell’s hesitation when passing:
"He might have a completion, but I wanted him to make it sooner.
And it may not be that it made a difference on that particular play,
but it will down the road. I just need to continue to let him
know to throw sooner, and when he makes his initial move to let the
ball go. He sees it and is working towards it. The hard
part is to tell a guy that has made the right read, made the throw,
and completed it that it is not as good as I wanted it. It is
good, but I want it to be great."
On what he expects from the next preseason
game:
"We are going to see our starting group try to improve their
cohesiveness. I don’t want to see mental errors, but we want to
see execution and finish. I am looking for whichever group that
is in the game to extend themselves and strain for the win."
On LaRon Landry’s chances of playing in the
upcoming preseason game:
"I talked to him this morning and we may have to wait another week.
He has continued to work and if he can end up practicing at the end of
this week I would play him, but it looks more likely that he will have
to wait another week before he gets an opportunity to play. The
only thing that I am holding onto is that he is a veteran, he
understands the defense, and that he plays recklessly at full speed.
His leg has to be able to hold up in order to play within his frame of
reference."
On Malcolm Kelly’s recovery from his knee
injury:
"He is taking a step forward. He ran a deeper route today,
but we don’t have him running quicker breaking routes. He is
progressing just fine."
On whether Devin Thomas’s performance in
practice has improved after playing in his first game:
"He did a little better at practice, but he hasn’t had enough reps
to really feel comfortable with many routes. He has a long way
to go, but he has a good attitude about it."
Redskins Defensive Coordinator Greg
Blache
On defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin:
"He has done well. He has had a good camp. We have
tried not to beat him up too much. This week will be the real
story because he will get to play a whole half. We will see how
his endurance, strength and conditioning holds up."
On safety Justin Hamilton:
"He has had some bright spots. He is a young guy. The
big thing for him to show us is whether he can help us on special
teams. If you are not one of the starting safeties, you have to
be a special teams player. The big test for him the next two
weeks is going to be can he earn a spot on the special teams. If
he can, I think he has shown us that he can be a capable backup safety
that can develop over time. Right now the big challenge to him
is going to be on special teams."
On the play of safeties Chris Horton and
Kareem Moore:
"The young safeties have been up and down. They have done
some good things, they have done some poor things. I think they
have a lot a maturing to do before we get into the regular season.
Anybody can play every now and then, but it is consistency [that we
are looking for]. To consistently be able to do the correct
things at a very high pace and I have not seen that yet from any of
them. They have shown us that they can, but they have not done
it consistently enough for us to trust them. At the end of the
day trust is everything."
On whether Andre Carter and Jason Taylor
control where they are going to line up:
"We [the coaching staff] control playing time. If they do not
do our defense the way we want it done, then they can sit down and
watch. That is Jason [Taylor], that is Andre [Carter], that is
any of them. They do not have the ability to do whatever they
want."
On safeties Reed Doughty and Laron Landry not
being able to practice together:
"You always want guys to practice communicating with each other and
get a feel for each other, anticipating the hand signals and the vocal
signals. It is going to hurt us by not having it. How
much, we will have to wait and see. If it wasn’t necessary then
we would be wasting our time practicing."
On safety Laron Landry being injured:
"It hurts him a lot. When players miss practice, particularly
when younger players miss practice, it really does retard their
growth. Him not being on the field has definitely retarded his
growth."
Redskins Assistant Head Coach/ Running
Backs Stump Mitchell
On whether the team can carry four running
backs during the regular season:
"We have some quality running backs here and Marcus Mason is one of
them. Hopefully he will be around here, but if not, I think he
will make somebody’s team. I think he has a good shot right
here, and we’ll see after the next two games."
On Marcus Mason’s chances of making the team:
"I know he is talented enough to play in the NFL, and we still have
two more preseason games. His and my hopes and dreams are for
him to be on this team."
On the success of the running backs in the
preseason:
"I think that starts with Joe Bugel and Rennie Simmons. Their
players have done an exceptional job of blocking, and the guys I am
coaching are benefiting from it."
On what he has seen in Clinton Portis since he
came here:
"I have seen everything that I saw before I got here. He is a
hell of a football player that gives 100 percent no matter what it is
you ask him to do, and I am just pleased to be coaching him and the
other running backs."
Redskins Defensive End Jason Taylor
On whether he feels more at ease with his
transition to the Redskins after having been with the team for a few
weeks:
"I am still trying to fit in. I feel a little more
comfortable and am enjoying my teammates. I am glad camp is
over, and I am looking forward to seeing what this area has to offer."
On whether he is surprised by his popularity:
"It is great to be well received and people are excited and
optimistic about this team, which they should be. This can be a
very good football team if we do the right things and stay healthy.
The pressure is there to perform and it’s our job to do that."
On how his role will change on this team from
a leadership perspective:
"Your role will develop as time goes on. You can’t come into
a situation and try to force things. I think everyone knows what
is expected of me. When you are at one place your resume, to
some degree, speaks for you, but when you go somewhere else, you have
to prove yourself again."
On his impressions of Clinton Portis:
"He is a good running back and everyone respects him. I
didn’t realize how good of a guy he is and how down-to-earth he is.
Clinton has been great and has helped me out a lot here."
On whether he has begun to develop chemistry
with Andre Carter:
"I think there is the start to some chemistry, but it takes time to
develop that. The more you play together, the better the
chemistry. We are similar in a lot of ways, in that we can both
bring pressure off the edges. I am excited about not only
working with him, but the other guys inside because you really need
them to make it successful."
On what he thinks is expected of him:
"To pressure the quarterback, make plays, and help everyone else
play better. I have always taken pride in trying to help other
guys play better, whether it be by drawing attention, making a play,
or providing information."
On whether it takes time to feel your way into
a leadership position when joining a new team:
"A leader doesn’t just come in and start saying things, breaking
chalkboards, and throwing bottles around the locker room, but becoming
a leader starts with your play. I am not a big rah rah guy, and
I would rather go out there and play hard and show them the way to do
it. There are times when you have to grab someone by the
facemask and get things going, but that comes naturally. When
you talk too much, you lose credibility, but when you do the right
thing, your words carry a lot more weight."