Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(We’ve asked about the ever-evolving role for LB Raekwon McMillan. He’s done different things each and every week. Is there more consideration to putting him back as the inside linebacker?) – “I think when you look over the first four games of the season, he’s played inside linebacker. We’re moving him around, just like a lot of people on the defense; but I think he’s shown some value both on the edge, both off the ball and inside. We’re going to do what’s best for the team, but thankfully for us, he’s been doing a good job and he’s continually improving at the roles we’re giving him, if that makes sense.”
(With LB Jerome Baker, I guess based on what we saw during the preseason and training camp, there was a higher level of expectation for him, especially from a blitzing standpoint. Why do you think that that’s not hitting home yet?) – “I think we’ve got – obviously, we’ve got to do what’s best in terms of going against the opponent, in terms of whether it’s a blitz or not blitz. I think, again, everybody’s really just trying to get more and more comfortable, trying to – again, it’s the early part of the season. Guys will improve. The thing is, you get the bye week so you get a chance to work on some things and then you hope to see improvement moving forward, so that’s really what we’re focused on. That – improvement moving forward – and dealing with Washington because again, whether you blitz or don’t blitz or whether (Jerome) Baker’s coming or Raekwon (McMillan) or Sam (Eguavoen) – they’ve got a lot of good skill players, a lot of good offensive linemen, guys that do a good job of blocking. We’re going to have to prepare for those guys.”
(How do you prepare for a team where you have no idea who’s going to be playing quarterback?) – “I think – kind of similar to what (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores talked about, we prepare for all of them. That’s usually – if you take a look again – whether it’s your pass game coordinator, your coordinator, or whoever, just the whole defense and the head coach – you’re always looking at the other quarterbacks because you never know what can happen. You’ve got to have some familiarity, so if somebody went down during the game, it’s not like, ‘Oh, no! What does he do?’ and nobody knows he’s a scrambler or he’s left-handed. That would be bad on us in terms of preparation, so we always prepare for them all.”
(Is that requiring more work than a typical week when you have three guys that can start?) – “More work? (laughter) I don’t know. I try to maximize the work every week. You’ve got to throw effort at it. You’ve got to throw effort at it and it definitely is a challenge, but I don’t know if I would use the phrase ‘more work.’ You’ve definitely got to throw effort at it to get ready for those guys.”
(One guy who becomes available to you next week if the team decides to do so is CB Cordrea Tankersley. What has your interaction been with him and how does he look physically to you?) – “In terms of injured guys and stuff, you’ve got to go back to ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) on that; but just in terms of in meetings, he’s been diligent. He’s been a diligent worker. He’s been somebody that asks good questions and (I have) just been pleased with that.”
(How badly do you and do you want the staff and players to experience victory?) – “What I really want to do, I want to win today. Today means in terms of our preparation. Yesterday, the guys got back and we worked on fundamentals and things of that nature. Again, I’m the type of guy I don’t look too far ahead. I think you can kind of get lost doing that – looking too far ahead – so to me, I find the victories in the small victories. It can be today when we’re preparing for early-down run and pass. Do we win that today in terms of our preparation as a coaching staff? Tomorrow morning when we install and the guys understand what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to accomplish, can we win that? Then as you pile up the small wins, hopefully that leads to the bigger win in terms of on Sunday. That’s always the goal, but I really don’t look too far ahead in terms of that. That’s just not how I’ve been raised to coach. That’s not how I’m built. I’ve just got to try to find the victories where I can focus on today.”
(S Reshad Jones came back two weeks ago and has contributed to two of the scores in terms of the play where he went for Chargers QB Philip Rivers and he made that amazing pass and then a missed tackle on I believe another situation. Where would you assess Reshad in terms of understanding and comfort level for your defense?) – “I think just looking ahead to Washington this week whether it’s Reshad (Jones) or the other players on the defense, we’re going to try to – I think guys are growing more and more comfortable with the scheme and obviously, that’s our job as coaches to get them up to speed. We’re going to utilize their skillset the best that we can in terms of trying to stop Washington because again, going back to Washington, the skill level they’ve got at the backs. Obviously (Chris) Thompson, you’ve got Adrian Peterson – these guys are very skilled running backs. That includes (Wendell) Smallwood – another guy who’s a challenge. Then you’ve got the tight end situation. We’ll see how that plays out with – they’ve had some flux there over the last weeks, but – And then the quarterback situation, you guys already referenced to it but it’s three guys you’re getting ready for. (Case) Keenum, you’ve got (Colt) McCoy and then you’ve got (Dwayne) Haskins – the rookie. That’s where the challenge lies and then we’ve got to make our improvements on our fundamentals. We’ve got to – everybody across the board – we’ve got to improve our tackling. That starts with practice. In terms of us throwing effort at it there, trying to get it right, working to get it right and get it fixed.”
(If I could ask you one question that doesn’t involve Washington – who’s been your best defensive player through a quarter of the season?) – “Just in terms of evaluation, I think right now, the whole self-scout, that part of it, I’m really just focused on how we’re going to defend Washington really right now in terms of the group.”
(Right, but I’m not as focused on that. I’m focused on who has been the best, if you could please answer that question. It’s not asking much.) – “(laughter) All right. I would say this: there’s been a number of guys playing well in terms of guys playing well up front. There’s a number of guys. I can’t single anybody out, per se right now; but we’ve got some guys playing well and then the goal is for us collectively play well as a group of 11 out there on the field for a sustained period of time.”
(With CB Jomal Wiltz down and S Minkah Fitzpatrick gone, how do you find somebody to sort of replace that nickel spot and fill that void?) – “Again, in terms of who’s down, who’s up, what we do is we practice it, we evaluate it and we see what’s going to be best for the defense and for that week. Again, the matchups could be different based on who’s in the slot for them and who’s not in the slot, so it could vary from week-to-week. We’re very much dealing with week-to-week in terms of how we game plan, so that’s probably the best way to answer that.”
(What traits do you look for from a nickel?) – “In terms of the inside corner, what you’re looking for is the same traits you’re looking for in the outside corner. You’re looking for toughness, can they tackle and can they communicate. That’s really – if you were to ask me – that’s really what we’re looking for in terms of all of our defensive backs: can they tackle, toughness and can they communicate.
(Head Coach Brian Flores, Offensive Coordinator O’Shea, yourself – you’ve all talked about it – the need to be fundamentally better. The fan might say, “blocking or tackling – you’re either good at it or you’re not.” Can you speak on that and whether or not things for an NFL player – can they literally improve their blocking and tackling, or are they who they are?) – “To bring it to the fan level or maybe just someone that doesn’t know football, I’ve been married for 10 years and three months. I’m a better husband now than I was four years ago. I know that. I’m a better father now that my daughter is 7 years old and my son is 5, about to turn 6 – I’m a better father now than when I first started. I’m a better brother to my younger and older brothers now. I’m a better son to my parents right now. I appreciate them more. I think over time, you definitely can improve. Whether that’s – again, taking it from football (to the) everyday, walk in life, I would think they would be able to relate to that. So yes, if you throw effort at it, if you try to improve and you put work in, you’ll get improvement.”
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(So, I know you told us you were going to spend the bye – not you personally buy all of the coaches – sort of looking back at what went right and wrong in all of the games. What did you emerge thinking were areas that, as a coaching staff, you could get better? And also on the halftime adjustment issue, which gets band-aided around a lot, are there things you identified that you think as offensive coaches you could have done things better?) – “Yeah, we looked at a lot of areas and really took a lot of time and evaluated, I would say, every aspect offensively. And one of the things that really struck us is just the importance of playing fundamentally-sound football and that the difference between success and not having success really kind of lies in us just doing some of the little things really well from an execution standpoint. So, we evaluate things from a schematic standpoint certainly. That was definitely part of our exercise; but one of the things we really felt like was when you look at the success or lack of success on a certain play, one of the things that is so important is just the fundamental execution of the play. Certainly, there was evidence of us doing that, at times, well. For example, in the first half of the last couple of games where there were some positive things that we were doing offensively. That was true of those plays too. Really, the source of our success was us playing well fundamentally and doing just the simple things really well. So that is one of the things that we have emphasized to our players. We are going to continue to emphasize those fundamentals that we think are most important to having a successful offense and that was something that was a part of our bye week last week – just identifying what those are and doing those well.”
(As far as the halftime adjustment issue, how much have you looked at that and have you identified things – multiple things – that you think as a coaching staff you could have done differently?) – “Yeah, there is that. We spent a lot of time last week on the halftime part of it just because it was something that obviously we’ve played well at times in the first half and then you’d go to the second half, and we didn’t have the same success. We evaluated every aspect of coming back in the second half, our halftime adjustments, what we do in the locker room, our pre-planning of the second half – whether it is to spend more time on the first couple of series in planning of the second half – and I think that one of the things that came out on that, like I said before, was just the importance of our fundamentals and doing the simple things really well from an execution standpoint was the difference. There were times we repeated plays from the first half. There were times that we called plays that were new plays to the defense in the second half. So I think that there is a combination of play-calling that we looked at to see what works best; but I think in the end what was really important when we looked at it was to just see the importance of the fundamentals, regardless of the play that is called.”
(Just to wrap this up and to make sure I am understanding this – it was more a case of execution and fundamentals than we didn’t make adjustment as a staff, we didn’t do things we should have done. That was not the problem?) – “I think certainly there is all areas that we can improve in. One of the areas I can improve in is a play-caller is putting us in the best position possible on each play. And that is something we closely evaluated – what did we do schematically that was different in the first half relative to the second half? I think there is a combination of factors involved in those decisions and I also think those decisions are based off of the team you are playing. They change so much. But I certainly would not say it is only player-related. That is not the case. We are all in this together and I certainly carry the burden in trying to put us in the best play possible and those are things that we really evaluated. Moving forward, we are going to continue to try to do our best of coming out in the second half and playing more consistently, similarly to the way we did in the first half of the last two games.”
(When you mention fundamentals, do you mean more sub-par technique or are you more often seeing mental errors such as missed assignments?) – “Yeah, I think that when you have a lack of execution on any play, it is a combination of those things – whether it is a fundamental breakdown or maybe a lapse in mental assignment. But certainly my reference to the fundamentals is the basic fundamentals of blocking, throwing, catching and executing those things that we really stress daily in our preparation on the practice field. So those are areas that from a player perspective, they know that we have identified that we can improve on and be more consistent, and they certainly have embraced that last week in the practice that we had and really tried to do a better job in those areas. From a coaching standpoint, fundamentally, it is coaching fundamentals as well. It’s putting us in the best play possible, making sure we are prepared for all of the potential adjustments that the defense may or may not make and those things. Again, this just doesn’t fall solely on the players. It is the responsibility of all of us involved, including the coaching staff, to be better in the second half.”
(Obviously you were forced into making changes on the offensive line because of injuries, but did T J’Marcus Webb’s performance at left tackle make you sort of re-consider where does he fit best on this line?) – “Yeah, it is a good question because I think that we have had moving parts on the offensive line and it has been sort of pieces of the puzzle as I have described, and we are trying to find the best five that fit best together and give us the best chance to do what we need to do to be successful on offense. And certainly, Webb moving over to the left side gave us another look at maybe a potential combination that may work best for us. I think we are still uncertain. We are still looking for the best combination and how it all fits together. I think that is the goal: to find the five best guys that fit and play well with each other. Some of that is related to how they communicate with each other on certain sides. So, nothing set in stone still for us there. It’s still a work in progress and I think that it was encouraging to see Webb go over to the left and have some flexibility and be able to play on the left side for sure.”
(How would you assess the play that you got at guard from C/G Evan Boehm? How did he play?) – “He played kind of exactly the way we thought he was going to play. There were some really positive things. He is a really good communicator, so that was very helpful to have somebody in there that communicates well, especially when we have some moving parts at the tackle spot. He has a veteran presence about himself. He is always well prepared. He studies the game plan, knows what our plan is, knows the opponent. So from that standpoint I thought there were some real positives. I think he is a professional that really works hard at those things I mentioned as far as just overall communication and knowing his assignment. So that is very helpful when you have players that have not had as much experience at those other spots. It is very helpful to have somebody in there like himself.”
(How much consideration is being given to giving T Isaiah Prince another start?) – “I think that Isaiah, certainly there was some evidence in the game that he went out there and did well in his first game, and there were some areas that he certainly needs to improve in. I think that as we tell all of the players, it is kind of you are going to get what you deserve and that is you go out on a daily basis and you strive for consistency, which I think is something that Isaiah is trying to do. He showed us on certain plays that he could do it and he just needs to do it on a consistent basis, and he is going to prove that to us on a daily basis by just going out there to practice and really just trying to improve. There were certainly some positive things not only with Isaiah but kind of just with the combination of the o-line that we had in there. Again, it’s not set in stone but just trying to find the right fit for us.”
(You have three real options as a third down back, just from the limited amount that we were able to see in May and June, which is just a fraction of what you see every day. It looked like RB Mark Walton was the most polished receiver in the backfield. Do you agree with that and is having him on third down is something that is appealing?) – “I think that Mark (Walton) has really impressed me. He has impressed me in both running the football and in his pass receiving. I think he runs hard. I think he does a good job and takes pride in catching the football. He certainly has a skillset that is unique that he can do both. He has the ability to run the ball and he has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and do a nice job. So, we have been impressed with Mark. I know that he falls in the category of somebody that we are impressed with the way he works, the way he prepares and those things. Certainly, I think like any other player when you go out and you have some success and you are consistent in your performance, that is probably going to give you another opportunity to go back out there and do it again. So, I’ve been impressed with him, like him (and am) glad he is on our team. He is certainly somebody that I know will have opportunities if he continues to play at a consistent level.”
(I know you guys basically help out the coaching staff with the evaluation of the draft. Do you remember what your assessment of Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins was in that process?) – “I don’t necessarily want to comment on that right now. We go through a lot of different players and we see a lot of different positions. I know that – I would just say that the draft this year, I had a lot respect for the quarterbacks in the draft this year. I don’t want to go into the specifics, but there is a lot of respect I had for those guys and certainly it is an ongoing process for us. We look at a lot of players. I don’t want to comment specifically on it and that is not a negative, I’d just rather would kind of focus in on the Redskins defensive side of the ball more so than focusing in on what I thought of the quarterbacks in previous drafts.”
(Speaking of the Redskins – how good do you feel about your chance to win on Sunday?) – “We are approaching this week the same as we approach every week. That is we are going to – today is a huge game-planning day for us and last week was a great week for us as far as a team really reflecting and going back on how we can be better here in the next quarter of the season. We are not approaching this week any different than we have before and that is to put our team in the best position to win. The team has certainly worked hard and tried to really come in and do the things we have asked them to do, and we just have to continue, as I have said, on focusing on the process of improving and getting better. Certainly the reason we go to Sundays is to win the game. That is what we do and that is what we are going to continue to do and we are going to prepare that way. Our team is certainly – I think last week was a great week for us and showed a lot of evidence of the spirit of this team and the enthusiasm we have to go back out and compete on the next quarter of the season. We’re real excited. Today is a big day for us in game-planning. Tomorrow will be a big day for us in our first practice. I think we are really excited to go out there. The bye week was good for us to kind of again reflect and see what we need to do better – individually, collectively, and as a team. I am really, really looking forward to the next part of the season.”
(I think it was Herm Edwards that said you play to win the game. I wrote down how badly do you want the staff and players to experience victory?) – “I think it – it’s no – We don’t ever put (certain) wins weighted more or less (than other wins). Wins are wins. Wins are great. That is what we strive to do. So I think that is the goal every week. We are going to win, and we are going to try to win and go out there and we are going to prepare to do so. That is the approach that we have taken. I know that the players have definitely taken that approach, and we are excited for the opportunity to go compete, and that is what we are going to do.”
(I wouldn’t generally have the audacity to limit your response to two words, but I will in this once case. Who is the name that comes to mind when I ask you who has been open a lot that we need to get the ball to more in the passing game?) – “I think that I can’t answer that with your two (words). (laughter) That is a tough one because I think there is a lot of things that go into that question. There are the guys that sometimes have been open and maybe we didn’t have the protection or maybe they have been open but they haven’t been the primary read on the play and it looks as though to the fan that they are open and they may be not, or n the progression as early as the other guy. I think it is kind of a multi-layered answer to that and I think that we have some guys that I still believe have skill enough to get open and create space and do that; but we need to all work together to allow them to do that from a standpoint of all of us doing our job.”
