September 1: They Said What?

Here are quotes from Washington Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn, Defensive Coordinator Greg Blache, safety LaRon Landry, linebacker Marcus Washington and wide receiver Santana Moss.

Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn

On if there is a different feeling this week now that it is the regular season:
“Yes, very much so. I think even our players are coming out here with an intensity of trying to get the game plan down, trying to be in the right position and attack in the right way. They are really studying it. It is actually easier coaching, if you will and yet the intensity level is revved up.”

On linebacker/defensive end Jason Taylor, safety Kareem Moore and wide receiver Malcolm Kelly:
“Jason came out and worked in between practices and did a really good work out. He is getting better. He is improving and yet, not good enough really do to anything full speed yet. I would probably say the same is true for him. It is a game time situation. Kareem is not ready. We are going to hold Malcolm. Even if Malcolm felt great, I think I would hold him out a whole another week and right now it could be two [weeks]. At this time it is definitely another week. He is just getting better and better as we go along.”

On his reasoning for not keeping a sixth receiver:
“One of the reasons is just the way that we want to put the numbers together at the other positions. It is hard to keep the sixth one, especially when we have very good tight ends. The combination of positions, we did keep an extra defensive lineman and that has got to help us, especially inside with the rotation. We were hurt a little bit on that end of the spectrum as well. We did put a new player on the practice squad and he seems to be doing pretty well too. [He is] a former teammate of Jason Campbell’s- Devin Aromashodu.”

On if he can run enough of his offense with only three receivers ready to contribute:
“I think we can. If Chris Cooley wasn’t able to handle a lot on the offense, I would question that, but he can just take a step out and be that fourth wide receiver. It does give us some flexibility to handle the load with three wide if we need to.”

On the New York Giants:
“Watching them on offense, I think they are very flexible. I think [Eli] Manning does a very nice job on the line of scrimmage looking things over. He does a nice job at that. They play hard and they play fast. You can tell they are a veteran team and they have stayed together because they do things at a very high rate suddenly at the snap of the ball. On defense, it is relentless. They are very motivated. I think Antonio Pierce is a guy who motivates his teammates. [Justin] Tuck is doing a wonderful job at defensive end, just lunging and creating problems for us trying to prepare for him. They have a good team and they play hard. They are showing that they are a team to be dealt with. We are hoping to come out there and prove that we are worthy as well.”

On the New York Giants’ secondary:
“Their defensive backs, I don’t see trying to pick on one guy or the other. Sometimes you look at either side and say, ‘Let’s try to get this guy.’ They are both very athletic. They both can play man coverage. They are very good at playing disciplined defense and I try to look for that and try to look for a weakness of some sort. Who can you get out of position? Who is playing soft and non-attentive? They all play hard. The guys that they have there in their starting group, are very good players.”

Redskins Defensive Coordinator Greg Blache

On whether safety LaRon Landy is ready to play against the Giants:
“I think LaRon is ready to roll on Thursday night. He adds a great deal to our defense and personally I am excited to see him back us up and be our angel back there.”

On whether safety Kareem Moore or linebacker/defensive end Jason Taylor will play against the Giants:
“We won’t make those decisions until game time, probably. The doctors and those players will be involved in that.”

On safety LaRon Landry missing time due to injury:
“You want always want guys to get work because if it wasn’t important, we would have wasted our last five weeks practicing. Practice is important for all of us. Hopefully, he can come in and help us and knock the rust off without costing us anything. He is a great competitor. He has a year of experience. Hopefully he will be able to come to the ballgame and help us without rust being a factor.”

On the play of Giants quarterback Eli Manning during the playoffs last season:
“He got into a rhythm. He got into a zone. All great players, that happens to them – they get into a zone. I think he got into a zone going through the stretch. He made some throws, he made some plays and he led his team. He has matured. He has grown. Hopefully, he is going to continue to be that kind of quarterback. Hopefully, we can we can knock him up a little bit Thursday, but the rest of the time you hope to see him continue to grow, prosper and be a lot like his brother.”

On how the Giants offense is different without tight end Jeremy Shockey:
“They will probably use more four-wideout sets, if they don’t think [Kevin] Boss is a factor down the field. He is a big, good receiver. He came in and was a good fill for them at the end of last season. We are prepared. If they go with him or if they go with four wideouts, I think our guys are prepared to handle the matchup.”

On the competition between defensive tackles Kedric Golston and Anthony Montgomery:
“I think it is a week-to-week deal. I think it is a series-to-series deal, during the course of the ballgame. We feel like we have three starters in [Kedric Golston, Cornelius Griffin and Anthony Montgomery]. It will be a series-to-series, week-to-week kind of deal. Competition is the best thing in the world in football or in any business. I am glad we have that kind of depth and that type of competition.”

Redskins Safety LaRon Landry

On how he is recovering from his hamstring injury:
“I feel great. I hope to come out there and make up for all that I lost during those five weeks in training camp. I am ready to come out and give a big bang.”

On Giants quarterback Eli Manning:
“The guy is a great quarterback. He is a playmaker. I would definitely say he has improved.”

On the Giants running game:
“The have a big, physical back. We are going to have to get 11 hats on the ball, fly to the ball and gang tackle.”

On whether he will play against the Giants:
“Definitely. I am not thinking about anything negative. I am looking forward.”

On having to watch the Giants celebrate their Super Bowl victory before Thursday’s game:
“We are just going out to play. We just want to go out there and win a ballgame. That is what we focus on, winning.”

Redskins Linebacker Marcus Washington

On playing the Giants:
“We are really fired up around here. We are really pumped, not just about the Giants, but about the whole season.”

On starting the regular season:
“I am excited. I am ready to play football. I am ready to get into games that really count. [I am ready] to be out there with the guys, make a lot of plays and hopefully have fun doing it.”

On the importance of winning the first game of the regular season:
“You have to take every game for what it is because you don’t know what is going to happen in the future. Sometimes you look back and say if we could have won that game, then we could have had a playoff game at home instead of having to travel somewhere. You have to give your best each game.”

On the how different the Giants will be without tight end Jeremy Shockey and defensive end Michael Strahan:
“It will be different in the fact that those guys aren’t out there. As far as a tough Giants team, they are still going to come to play. It is going to be a tough game from the word go. Anytime you play in the NFC East it is always tough. I remember in 2005 when we went to Philadelphia. They didn’t have Donovan McNabb. They had a bunch of receivers we didn’t know and we had to fight for our lives to get out of there.”

Redskins Wide Receiver Santana Moss

On whether the team is excited to play the Giants:
“I would be lying to you if I said we are all calm and ready to play. We are all geeked. We are all excited. It is the first big test. It is the kickoff of the 2008 season. We are all geeked about it and are just looking forward to going out there and having a great game.”

On the importance in winning the first game of the regular season:
“When it comes to what you have done all offseason, during OTA’s and all of training camp, it is like you have done a million things to play this first game. You can’t get wrapped up into it being the end of the world, but we want to go out there and produce and look good doing it.”

On having to watch the Giants celebrate their Super Bowl championship:
“Somebody has to celebrate. We know we know we didn’t win it. All you can do is look at it. I think the emotion will be so high on our side because it is the first game, that we won’t even be watching it.”