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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Joe Gibbs Monday Press Conference

On the Dec. 10 game against the Eagles, in general:

"I thought we had a great effort and that it was very physical. Those are key for us. We set a game plan for the last six games of the season and in this game in particular we played very physical. We limited them to less then 100 yards rushing and we rushed for over 200. We did some very good things. Most of it came from great effort and being very physical."

On how they played on special teams against the Eagles:

"On special teams, we both averaged putting the ball in play at the 26 yard line. The difference was that they had four inside the 20 punts and we didn't. We could have broken the very first kick off. Rock (Cartwright, RB, #31) has been great there. (Antwaan) Randle El (WR, #82) is not getting many chances. Shaun (Suisham, K, #6) stepped up and kicked field goals for us which was great. I felt like on special teams we match up with everyone extremely well there."

On how they played on offense and defense against the Eagles:

"Offensively and defensively I felt like it was a physical effort. We went after things hard and I think our guys played extremely hard and I think it shows up in the stats."

On some of the things that led them to losing the football game:

"We always talk about being very physical and there is a physical side of it. There is also a smart side of it. You have to play smart. It carries across to us on offense and defense. Part of being smart is you can't turn the ball over. We turned it over twice. One of those was unfortunate, got batted up in the air and they scored with it. The other thing that concerns us is the 11 penalties. We had five procedural penalties on offense which is hard to explain when you are playing at home. The penalties and the turnovers really hurt us. The third thing is that we marched the ball on five long drives of 10 plays or more and we didn't get touchdowns on a number of those. Scoring in the red area really hurt us also."

On how the defense performed in the game:

"Defensively, we felt like we gave up four big plays. The explosion play that really hurt us was the big pass. Obviously the defense got put in a bad position with the turnovers. We felt like we played very physical. The other thing that concerned us from a defensive stand point was not getting the ball back in the fourth quarter when we had a chance only down by two points. The other thing about this game, which we talk about a lot, is playing in the second half. We were down in the first half, although I thought we did some good things in the first half. We went into the half down and came out in the second half and played extremely hard. We are pleased with our guys from that standpoint."

On Jason Campbell (QB. #17):

"The one interception was one where you had two reads. What he saw was a chance to get it in a crack. That was one where the better part of wisdom would have been to get it in the flat. The second one was one where you are working with the right guy and doing the right thing and the ball gets batted up in the air on us. He did a really good job of moving up in the pocket. He made some good throws downfield from there. He did a good job of getting out of the pocket and making some plays with his legs which we kind of count on. It was a learning experience for him and obviously none of us want to turn the ball over and he knows that. He did some good things in the game."

On the lack of turnovers this season:

"Any time you have a lack of takeaways and you give the ball away you are going to struggle. We went on a run last year and we were getting a bunch of takeaways and we were on the plus side. That hasn't been the case this year. We have to find a way to make that happen."

On the play of the special teams this season:

"I am proud of our special teams and some of the things that has happened for us over there. In 13 games 12 of them they have had a big play of some kind. They get a turnover, a touchdown or a big play. I have never been around a special teams group that has been able to do that. You look at that and you say it is a real plus."

On the guys who are on the roster now:

"We have a smart group of guys that are highly motivated. We have a group for us to go forward in the future. I think we have the right kind of guys. I think we have a core group that we can win football games with. We will have to play better in certain areas and turnovers is one of them."

On Jason Campbell's (QB, #17) progression this season:

"You see a guy start playing and there are a lot of things that you learn. Each week is a learning experience for him. Mentally, he is ahead of where I thought he was going to be. Jason would probably say the same thing. There are plays that he would like to have back in there. What he has showed is that he can step up in the pocket, he can make plays that are off schedule, he can see things and he can be strong and big in the pocket. I don't think he has any fear. Certainly being a competitor, stepping up in the pocket and making things happen has been a real plus for us. You keep adding the pages to it. In this game we made some mistakes. That is a part of his learning process and that is where he will come along."

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