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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Griffin III Glad To Be Focused Back On Football

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On practice:

"It was good. You know, getting out here and getting the chance to work with the guys, work through the offense, it was a lot of fun so I look forward coming back, in a week and doing it with the rest of the guys."

On questions about his mechanics in his first three days of practice:

"Nothing about mechanics, you know, just trying to get my feet correct. And, make sure my base is always right, whether I'm hitching to the first read, second read or third read, just paying attention to those types of things."

On being excited or anxious:

"That felt good. This is what we do. It's been a while since we've been able to do football things. We've been doing combines and beauty pageants on pro days so it's time to get to football. So it felt good to get out here, you know, really get a chance to do things that you study on page and on the paper and go out on the field and perform it.  So it was a lot of fun."

On knowing the playbook from meetings with Kyle Shanahan:

"I don't know the playbook very well, but I had a dose of it. So, nothing too groundbreaking. I've got a pretty good grasp of what they're trying to do with everything that they're doing so that's a start."

*On any particular highs from first NFL experience: *

"Coming out here was, like I said, to get out and play football so I guess one of the highs might be as a quarterback and receiver the one route you always want to throw is the go route, so we got a good throw, a pretty good touchdown on a go route the other day, so that was fun getting out here with these guys who are all great players in their own right and have us all out here grinding at the same time trying to figure out what we're doing on the fly. It was interesting to see who showed up and who showed out so I enjoy those types of things. I just enjoy every aspect of the game so whether it's guy everybody knows or a guy nobody knows, I try to figure out what he does best what he doesn't do well. So it's just its about playing that game when you're out here and that's what we do."

On what it has been like rooming with Kirk Cousins:

"Quiet.  But, we're good, we went over the playbook together. You know there's no issues there, It's just we;re both out here trying to get better. We're cool. We ate a burrito together- not the same burrito just to clear that up. Yeah, it's a good experience and I'm pretty sure they'll room us the rest of the time, having three rookie quarterbacks go together is a good thing."

On competing with Kirk Cousins:

"I would never want to come out and say something like that. Kirk's trying to make this team just like I'm trying to make the team. So they brought me in for a reason and I plan to go out and do what I'm supposed to do and that's help this team win."

On his reaction on drafting Kirk Cousins:

"I already knew. When I got here immediately after the draft, Coach [Mike Shanahan] brought me into his office and told me that he was thinking about drafting another quarterback kind of like what he did with Elway and Kubiak, just let us grow together, have that youth movement on the team. And it was good so I don't have a problem with it. Its just funny how things work-out they guy they want goes the pick before so you've got to take the best player on the board and Kirk is a really good player." 

On what he needs to work on the most:

"Just knowing the plays. It's a different when you what routes you have on a certain play but you've got to know where to go with the ball during certain coverage.  Uh so that's the biggest thing when it comes to playing quarterback in the NFL.  You have just got to know where to go with the ball when you see a certain coverage.  And that's the thing you've got to study at and you just don't get good at that right off the bat, but I thought everybody did really well out there." 

On the verbiage:

"Actually the verbiage is a lot easier than you think. I'm not saying anybody can go out and do it but it's different when you look at 14 words on a piece of paper and you have no idea what those 14 words mean. So when you get in the playbook and you get in the film room with the coaches once you actually know what that means, it comes to you a lot easier to where if you forget the back half of the play you know it in your head just because you've gone over it so many times in the film room. So that was actually pretty good for me and Kirk. We didn't struggle to much through the verbiage."

On how much film he has been able to watch:

"We watch a lot of film. We have long meetings but that's football for you. The same thing in college, so we have no film of ourselves yet. Of course we have practice film we can watch all the time but we have no game film so we have to watch everybody do it from Rex to Donovan to Matt Schaub to Sage Rosenfels to Drew Brees, everybody that kind of ran the same concepts, so it's good to see those guys the way they break it down, the way they read it, the way they progress through their progressions and theres' no better way to learn than from guys who already doing it." 

On when he will start looking for a place to live:

"I'll look for a place to live when I come back up. They're kind of flying everybody out, trying to kick us to the curb for now, and then, we'll be back next week. So, you know, when I come back up, I'll start looking for a place. That way I can, you know, go sleep somewhere other than a hotel."

On being energetic around the veterans:

"Yeah, you have to be the same. Of course it's easier with a bunch of rookies. No one, you know, the veterans are trying to tape you to goalposts and pour water on you, so, no, it's just about coming out and having fun, having a good attitude. The vets know that they brought certain guys in to do certain things so they're going to expect you to come out and do your job. So it will be the same way. I already got to talk to a bunch of the guys, not in person because they weren't allowed to be here, but, you know, just through text and Twitter. So it's been cool to get a chance to talk to those guys and they're excited for everybody that's coming in."

On rookie hazing:

"No threats of hazing, but we don't want to give them any ideas."

On walking into a pro locker room:

"I think it will be different once, we get back next week with everybody there. You know, you go from being top dog at your college to bottom of the barrel in the pros. Even if you are supposed to be the starting quarterback, you're still bottom of the barrel and have to prove yourself. I can't come in flamboyantly, and I don't plan to do that. Come in and earn the guys respect. Even if they say you've already got it, you've still got to go out and earn it."

On feeling like he has to earn respect:

"We know with vets, a lot of times, they'll shoot down anything you did in college because this is the pros. But when you come with a bunch of rookies, everybody wants to talk about the Heisman and everything like that. You know, they're not afraid of you, they're not intimidated by you. They definitely want to talk to you and be around you so that makes you feel good. But a lot of the guys out here are guys I've known, guys that I played against, so it's cool to get out here and all be Redskins for at least three days."     

On his relationship with Kyle Shanahan:

"Coach Kyle Shanahan is a great coach. You know, they say that they're the base kings for a reason, because they work your base so much, and like I said, it's just about knowing where to go and against what coverages and they help me out with that stuff. It's easy to identify a coverage, but to know while you're walking up to the line of scrimmage what the coverage is, where you need to go with the ball, and what's your outlet. Those are the things that you have to work on. And it doesn't matter if you are used to the pro system or not, you've still got to work at it because it is a new system, He's been great and so has Coach [Matt] LaFleur, two of the youngest, both 32, you know were all trying to complete this youth movement and it's going to be fun. "

On seeing a difference between Friday and today:

"You know, I'm just more comfortable with everything, Like I said, sometimes there is a seven-step drop and you have to cut it short to a five, and you've got to know when to do that and it's not like you just learn that overnight. It's not a test out here. It's actually going out and doing it on the field so, that's what I feel like I was the best at, you know, just getting comfortable out there with all the drops, making all the throws. It's football so it's supposed to be fun. It's not brain science. I like to have fun."

On managing being the face of the franchise while earning respect from veterans:

"You have to know what the expectations are. Whenever you're playing quarterback, you get all the praise and all the blame. You've got to be ready to handle that. You know, I experienced that at Baylor. It was just a part of the beast, and you have to know when to manage that. It's hard to say because you are a rookie, but you also have to demand that respect, but not come in the locker room, and like I said before, tell a guy, "Hey, give me 50 pushups." He's not going to give you 50 pushups. You've got to inspire him to give you 50 pushups. How do you do that? No one knows, but, you know that's what you have to learn how to do, to be able to manage people. That's your job as a quarterback, not only to go out and play well, but be able to manage different personalities. So, some vets will welcome you right in, and some others might not. They might be guarded, and it's my job to make them un-guarded."

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