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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Quotes: Jay Gruden 6-13-2018

Head Coach Jay Gruden

On the skirmish between two players:

"I did not see it. I don't think until I see it on video, which I don't think anybody got it on video, I don't know what happened... He [Defensive Line Coach Jim Tomsula] just said they were messing around a little bit."

On how he feels about the team's progression during the last four weeks:

"I think it went great. Like I said the other day, the most important thing in my mind was to get these guys in great physical shape and I think Chad Englehart and his staff did a great job. And then Larry Hess and the trainers did a good job getting the guys back, trying to get them back to full health, the guys that were injured. And then I wanted them to learn the system, try to get as much as we could installed. We did a great job of that I think so that when they come to training camp they are ready to roll. And then of course just getting to know each other so they can learn to play together and work together as a team. I think we accomplished what I set out to accomplish."

On if the competitive nature of practices is a testament to the team's depth:

"I think so. I think you're talking about reps and reps are very, very important, and when people are trying to steal reps from one another, people take it personally and some things happen from time to time. But that's the way it is from competitive-type guys."

On if he purposefully involved the third-string more today:

"Yeah, we were back inside on the turf and I kind of haven't given the threes a lot of reps, especially with Kevin Hogan. I wanted to give him a big lion's share of the reps today and see what those guys can do so they felt confident coming into training camp with the knowledge that they have and be ready to perform."

On QB Kevin Hogan:

"He's done good. I like Kevin. He's a smart kid and he's got some deceiving escape ability to him. He can run a little bit. We saw one today, he popped out of there for about a 20-yard gain. I like where he's at. It's hard for those No. 3 guys to get the reps and for them to show what they really can do on a limited basis, but as far as being attentive and being a good quarterback in the meetings rooms and all that stuff, he's been very, very good."

On the progression of the undrafted rookies:

"Cam [Sims] has stood out at wide receiver. I think [Danny] Johnson stood out at corner. They have done some really good things. We have got a number of other guys that are trying to take advantage of a little bit of the reps the way they have. I think this progression for these guys, they came in a little bit late, obviously we had to wait for them after the draft, and then the limited amount of reps that they did have, some took more advantage than others but we're not discounting anybody. Once training camp starts, they're going to get more and more, especially when the Jets come. We'll have more and more opportunities for them to succeed. Preseason game one, two and three, they are going to get more and more reps to shine when the lights are on and it's live, but I have been impressed with a lot of the guys, mentally and physically."

On Passing Game Coordinator Kevin O'Connell working with such an experienced group of quarterbacks:

"Kevin's been great. I wanted a guy that would help coach quarterbacks that had a little bit of a different background. He was with New England as a player a little bit, he was with Chip Kelly, and now he's brought some of that knowledge here. So it's good to have a different set of ideas. He's done a good job of embracing ours but also adding some new concepts to our system that we already have, and quarterbacks all look up to him despite his age. Very smart, articulate, obviously. All his points are well-thought-out and make sense, which is important, and he does a good job in that room."

On his message to the team prior to training camp:

"Progress. Progress, progress, progress. We can't 'de-gress.' I think they've put themselves in a great situation to hit training camp in great shape. What we don't want to have happen is these guys to go to the beach and drink a bunch of iced teas, whatever they do, and Cokes, and eat popcorn, and doughnuts and gain 20 pounds. Then we have to start all over, strip them back down and start all over. I don't think that'll happen. Everybody understands. I think the beauty of this is everybody understands we have more depth here. We're not going to really have time for you to get in shape. You better come in shape and compete for your job and compete to make this roster. Otherwise, we have a lot of guys here that can play, and I think they see that."

On training camp practice times:

"10:00 in the morning, I wanted a consistent time in the morning, number one. Number two, after practice, I want to have time to really get the nutrients back in their body, get the water, drink plenty of water and hydrate, really, is the big thing. And if we can avoid a little bit of the heat, maybe, is good. But mainly, it's about hydration [and] getting off their feet for more time."

On when DL Stacy McGee sustained his groin injury:

"He had it a couple weeks ago. I don't know what happened. He just did something, so he had a procedure done and hopefully he will be ready for training camp. We'll see. I don't have the exact timetable on him, yet. He's in there now."

On hosting joint practices with New York Jets:

"It'll be good. It'll be good to evaluate the young kids, especially, and also get our veteran guys, see how we handle a different scheme, so to speak, different bodies. A lot of times, you're going against one another, sometimes when it gets that late in training camp, you start to see the buddy system going a little bit. 'I won't hurt you, you don't hurt me,' but now you're going against another group of guys trying to make their roster. I think the competitive nature will make practice a little bit better and challenge them a little bit more, so it'll be good. We've just got to tone it down, so nothing happens like it happened against Houston a couple years ago, but I think Coach [Todd] Bowles, myself, we have a good understanding of what we're looking for and how to deal with it."

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