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Top 10 Quotes: Redskins/Cowboys Practice Week

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With the team's practice prep for the Dallas Cowboys complete, here's a list of the best quotes of the week, as compiled by Redskins.com, presented by GEICO:

1. Interim head coach Bill Callahan on when Dwayne Haskins Jr. made the biggest jump this year:

"I think just in the last few weeks he's taken a great jump progressing through his reads a lot quicker and faster. His footwork and fundamentals have improved. I think anytime you're the starter, your attention to details rises to a certain level and it gets higher and it gets heightened and that's what I felt about his play in the last few weeks and you can see that across the field, on tape, see it in the building. Those are real positive traits going forward for him."

2. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky on how having defensive backs coach Ray Horton and linebackers coach Rob Ryan impacted the team this season:

"I just think it was good communication between all of them with [Defensive Line Coach] Jim Tomsula and everyone across the board. Communication was good, things that we picked up from each other across the board. Overall, those little things you get from coaches across the board kind of helps you guide your path and see where you're going to go. It was a great help from both of them being here and helping me out."

3. Quarterback Case Keenum on what it means to him to be the starter against the Cowboys:

"It means a lot. It's special. It's going to be a blast. Getting to go back home to Texas and play is special – anytime you get a chance to start in this league is special. One last hoorah with the guys in this locker room because it'll be a lot different next year for a lot of people. I know how it goes and it changes fast. I'm excited, it should be a special day on Sunday."

4. Receiver Terry McLaurin on what the young players have been able to do down the stretch:

"We have a young nucleus of guys just hungry for their opportunity to help this organization. There's a lot of us to count, but we've all had opportunities to make plays throughout this season – offensively and defensively. I feel like it's exciting. We have a young nucleus of guys to keep building on and it's just the beginning for us. We're going to continue to get better, try to help this team as much as possible and come back stronger after next week's game going into 2020."

5. Running back Chris Thompson on whether the offense has taken a step forward the last few games with offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell:

"I think so and I feel like Kevin has really gotten into his groove the last couple games and everything's been clicking. All the young guys, especially [QB] Dwayne [Haskins Jr.], he's super comfortable with the playbook now. Those three rookies, man – I can't say enough about those guys and just how much they've grown and how much they've carried our offense as well, and obviously with [RB] Adrian [Peterson]. They've all been doing a great job and then Kev has been doing his thing, getting us in all the right positions the last couple games. We've been able to make some plays and score some points."

6. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. on receiver Steven Sims:

"He's just somebody who is so electric. Any possible way to get him the ball, we were trying to give it to him. Him, [WR] Kelvin [Harmon] and [WR] Terry [McLaurin] are three hungry guys who want to get better. We work before practice, after practice and talking in meetings to realize what we're going to do in a play, where the timing is going to be, where we're going to lineup on the motion, the coverage we're going to get and how we're going to manipulate that. It's just really fun with those guys."

7. Interim head coach Bill Callahan on what stood out to him about the defense this season:

"I think what stood out was the interior three. I thought that [DT] Matt Ioannidis, [DT] Jonathan Allen, [DT] Daron Payne, [DT] Tim Settle, I thought they played consistently game-in and game-out. They're asked to two-gap, which means they have to take on the blocker in front and protect their inside gap and also their outside gap. That's a man's job, that's a man's day playing that position and I thought they played it extremely well under the conditions that we were in. Whether we were behind, whether we were up, I thought they were always consistent and that's what you expect out of your defensive line is consistency and consistent performances and I thought they did that."

8. Interim head coach Bill Callahan on what punter Tress Way offers to the team:

"Gosh, he's one of the best punters in the National Football League. To have that dynamic to shift and tilt the field and create field position for your team, it's unquestioned what he's done and what he's accomplished. He's done tremendous things for our team this year. It's attributed to him, also [LS] Nick Sundberg, the punt unit as a whole. [Special Teams Coach] Nate Kaczor did a great job with him in every aspect of special teams this year. I like the way our teams unit has performed overall. I think, again, a lot of that goes to Coach Kaczor and what he's done with the units. He's made a tremendous on them and of course just what [P] Tress [Way] has given us in terms of field position. I don't know how you even weigh that, it's really impressive. That's all I can tell you. It really helps you as an offensive coach, a defensive coach when you can pin an opponent back in the hole and create field position for your defense and set up your offense, as well."

9. Safety Landon Collins on Redskins running back Adrian Peterson passing Walter Payton for rushing touchdowns:

"Outstanding. I'll always remember my days playing with him, against him, trying to tackle him, my first tackle against him, all those things. It's amazing playing with this guy, future Hall of Famer. Hands down to him, and one of the best backs in the league."

10. Offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell on how disappointed he is for WR Terry McLaurin not being able to play in the final game:

From day one, I've talked to you guys a lot about how I personally feel about [WR] Terry [McLaurin], but also in a year when we have transitioned as an offense a little bit to a younger group of core of players. He's obviously led the pack and been in front since the very first game against Philly making big time plays for us. Then just the growth throughout the season of him kind of developing almost into a leadership role and the ability to be one of those guys, those young core players that we can really build around here. It was just unfortunate not only for him, but for [QB] Dwayne [Haskins Jr.]. It's just where they're at in their maturation process, I would have loved to see them get a chance to finish it off and go play Dallas. Obviously, for the personal records for him, not that he needs it, but the validation of the special things he did as a rookie in this league as obviously a third-round draft pick. I think he deserves all the credit and hopefully it's just the start for the great things to come."

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