Redksins Park: Quotes - Mike Shanahan, Jim Haslett, Kyle Shanahan, Albert Haynesworth

October 28, 2010

Redskins Park

On which day of practice is more physical:

“We go pretty good on Thursday. We have a running period that’s almost live except for the tackling so, that’s where we get our major contact in on Thursday.”

On if he is still confident Jammal Brown and Stephon Heyer will be available:

“I think so. I don’t think there are any setbacks and hopefully tomorrow they just keep on getting a little bit better, but they were still sore. They were both limited, but they should be ready to go.”

On if he expects both Jammal Brown and Stephon Heyer to play together in a rotation:

“We just kind of judge them on how they were practicing during the week and try to make a decision and what’s best for us.”

On Kareem Moore’s knee being a long-term concern or if he’ll be fine after the bye week:

“You never know with those knees. Anytime you have an injury like he did, he probably came back a little bit too quick and played a little bit too much. You’re always worried about somebody playing too much when they’re not in football shape, but I think he did play a little bit too much. He got a little infection or whatever it is, but it’s swollen up pretty good. Hopefully, that bye will help and get him back to normal.”

On Jammal Brown’s hip soreness and if he is confident he’ll be healthy after the bye week:

“I’m not confident but hopefully it’s better. There is some improvement, but not as much as we’d like. I still think he’s a little bit sore. That’s a mobility issue, but hopefully it’s improving.”

On if he is surprised that Jammal Brown wasn’t able to get over his hip injury:

“I was expecting him to be a little bit further ahead than he is. You never know for sure. He’s been working extremely hard. He’s a worker and he’s very tough. I don’t think a lot of people would actually be playing or practicing with the pain that he’s had. But he’s working through it and hopefully it gets a little bit better over the bye-week.”

On practicing veteran players differently during the week:

“The guys that I’ve had that are a little bit older, like [Joe] Montana, [steve] Young, or John [Elway], if anything, they knew their bodies. If they were hurt, they couldn’t practice. Unless it was something that happened during the week, they were using the guys that wanted the reps.”

On if Donovan McNabb is similar to his previous veteran players:

“Yeah, he’s a little sore right now, but he wants to take those reps. As long as he’s willing to take them and he wants to take them, we’ll let him do them. Sometimes I like to give a guy a little time off. Usually when they’re a little bit older they want the reps.”

On the reps being important for Donovan McNabb because he’s still learning the new offense:

“Sure. Anytime you get into a new system, you want as many reps as you can possibly get. It was one of our concerns early relative to preseason games, missing a couple games there. He wanted as many reps, that’s why the OTAs were so important. It’s a constant maturation process relative to learning the new system.”

On if Donovan McNabb was limited because of the hamstring or his quad:

“I think both of his hamstrings are a little bit tight. I think he has a little bit of soreness in his groin area as well and a little contusion in one of his shin bones. What most quarterbacks go through during the season. The bye-week will help him.”

On Mike Lombardi saying Albert Haynesworth could be fined for a helmet-to-helmet on his block on Bears Tackle J’Marcus Webb:

“I liked the effort. I’m not sure what the NFL is going to do. I haven’t really seen the hit to be honest with you. I saw the block, but I didn’t see the TV copy to see if it was helmet-to-helmet. The angle I had did not show that so, if it is I’ve got to get the TV copy.”

On if he would characterize J’Marcus Webb as a defenseless player in that situation:

“No, what they do is they determine on how close they were. Did they have a chance to make they play? If a guy is 25 yards back and a guy kills somebody, it’s a cheap shot. If he’s got a chance to catch it if he’s within 10, maybe 12 yards, they determine if he had a legitimate chance to make a play.”

On it being an 11-yard play:

“It was 11 yards? Well now it’s their opinion. I loved the effort. If we get everybody working down field like that, you’ve got a chance for good things to happen.”

On if he would argue in defense of Albert Haynesworth:

“Yeah, a lot of times I’ve gone to bat for players in those situations. I take a look at the situation and determine what’s in the best interest, if you’ve got a chance to win it or if you don’t. I’ve got to look at it first. If it is, we’ll determine it. I’ve done that before. I’ve won and I’ve lost.”

On if he feels Albert Haynesworth can still be effective in the nose tackle role:

“Remember, regardless of if you’re in the Okie defense or if you’re in the nickel defense, you’ve got to be able to play the run and you’re just not rushing the passer. You’ve got to have a complete game regardless of if you’re in the 3-4 front, playing nose tackle defensive end or if you’re playing defensive tackle or defensive end in the four-man front. You’ve got to have a complete game and that’s what we’re looking for, players that have a complete game. That’s why I was so pleased with Albert from last game because he played the run, played the pass and a number of things that give you a chance to win.”

On if there is any sense of resignation when a coach can’t get a player to buy into playing a 3-4 defense:

“No, what you’re always trying to find the best people for different schemes. Who’s inside linebacker, who’s outside linebacker, guys at nose tackle and defensive end? You’re trying to get your best players out on the field. Like I said before, you’ve got to play in anywhere from 25 to 35 snaps regardless of who you are. So, if that’s rushing the quarterback, playing the nose tackle or defensive end, you want to make sure when they’re in there that they’re effective with whatever defense you’re playing.”

On what makes Lions WR Calvin Johnson so good:

“He’s 6”5 plus. He [runs] a 4.4 forty. He’s an extremely bright player, great leaping ability. They kind of throw it up there and he has the ability to make the play. He’s got the ability to run pretty fast. I really liked him coming out of college and he seems to be get better and better every year.”

On London Fletcher and his anticipated 200-straight game:

"That's a lot of games. I didn't even know that, 200 straight [games]. That's an amazing number for any linebacker. He and, I think Clay Matthews is the only other one that I know that has played as long and as productive as him. I didn't know it was that many and you add the total production and what he's done. To me that's big time. That's well fitting for him."

On what he can contribute Fletcher's longevity to:

"He's the hardest working guy I have ever been around, the smartest linebacker. He understands the game. He's hard working. He can put people in the right positions. He can make adjustments in the middle of the game. You can tell him something that you want done and he can go and do it right away where a lot of guys have to see it, a lot of guys have to write it down on a board, they have to visualize it. You can talk to him and he knows exactly what you're trying to do. He's about as good as it gets."

On Fletcher's ability to play the majority of plays despite being considered small for a middle linebacker:

"Well, he's not small. He's short, but he's a well built stocky guy. He can bring it. He's compact, but he uses it well. He understands leverage. He understands how to play the game. He's an unbelievable tackler. He uses his wingspan to bring people down. You can't say enough about the guy. He's got good coverage skills."

On if it seems like Fletcher has lost a step as compared to a couple of years ago:

"I don't think he's lost anything. I am amazed. You watch him in tape last year and even this year, he takes great care of himself and obviously nutrition, he takes good care of his body. I think he's got some years left in him."

On if players become more confident about generating turnovers after an effort like in Chicago:

"We've been getting them every game. It's hard to get them, six in a half. We've been getting two or three every game. The thing that's disappointing is we should have probably six, seven, eight, up to nine more because we've had the ball on the ground a number of times and we didn't come up with it and we've probably dropped five to six interceptions. If we come up with those, then we probably had a couple more wins. That's the disappointing [part]. The good thing is the guys are doing what we ask them to do and they understand it's the big thing they tried to address in the offseason. Obviously, it's paying off."

On deciding which formations to play Albert Haynesworth:

"Trying to get him to do the 3-4 stuff was trying to get a square peg into a round hole. We tried to force the issue and obviously it hasn't worked out the way we would like. I still think he can do it because he's a good athlete. He's athletic and smart and tough enough to do it. I think he just needs more time doing it. Obviously, we're trying to take advantage of - we're trying to win some games - of what he does best so we've been using him in certain situations. We come up with certain, I don't want to say certain packages for him, but certain things like short yardage, goal line and nickel and some other stuff. We got some other packages we use [him in] just to take advantage of what he does best."

On if removing defensive packages from a player's responsibilities is equivalent to admitting defeat for a coach:

"The good coaches in the league are smart enough to know if you try to get a guy to fit the system there is no reason why you can't change the system to fit the guy. If you got a good football player, you try to get him on the field and use him. Albert is obviously a good football player so we're going to try and get as much as we can out of him within the confines of the system. We had to change some things and obviously him being on and off and not playing, that kind of set us back a little bit, but I think he's on pace now and we'll just kind of grow from here."

On if he had reservations about Haynesworth fitting into a 3-4 defense based on his past performance:

"I didn't have any reservations. He can do anything he wants to do he's just got to want to do it. You guys have been around Albert, he's athletic and he's big enough, it's just more of a mindset than anything. Is it what he does best, the 3-4? Probably not, but it doesn't mean he can't do it."

On how important is it for the defense to have Haynesworth playing at a high level:

"Obviously, he's a guy that can disrupt people in the middle. He can put pressure on guys in the middle. We haven't had a lot of pressure up the gut this year, we got more outside and off the edges. He's a guy that can disrupt the middle along with Brian [Orakpo], Andre [Carter] and some of the other guys we have rushing. I think Rocky [McIntosh] is our second leading sacker but I think we have enough guys that can work the edges and do different things if him and Vonnie [Holliday] and Kedric [Golston] and those guys can man the middle."

On how much the defense plays a 3-4 front:

"I just did a self-scout the other day, and I would probably say right now because of the teams we're playing it's probably about 35 percent. I am guessing somewhere in that area. We are more of a nickel and dime just because we are playing wide open offenses like Indy and Green Bay and those type of teams so we've been in more of those situations. We've done a good job in our base 3-4. We have done an excellent job in the run like two or 3.1 [yards per] run. We got to clean up some things, but we've actually been pretty good at it. Teams are kind of spreading us out and doing different things. Obviously, having Albert [Haynesworth] available now on, a full-time basis that will help."

On the impact Haynesworth's presence has on the rest of the defense:

"I'm not a psychologist. I just see if he's running somebody over or doing what he's supposed to do. I don't do that. The guys like having him around here. The defensive line kind of feeds off each other. That's a good group we have. They all like one another. They work hard. They practice hard. I think Vonnie [Holliday] and those guys have rubbed off on him some and I think it's vice versa. I think it's a good matchup.

"I don't know. I don't get into that psychology stuff I just want to know if he can go in there and run somebody over and go get in a sack. That's what I worry about"

On Reed Doughty and Kareem Moore splitting snaps last week:

"I think we got four safeties. We were actually going to put Chris [Horton] in the game last week in the middle of the game. The issue I have a little bit with Chris is nothing major, I just haven't seen a lot of him because he was hurt in the offseason and training camp. He wasn't coming around a bit. I would feel comfortable playing Chris. We just felt Kareem's knee was bothering him. We wanted to rest him a little bit, let Reed start, get Kareem in the game. It was nothing to it. Kareem is the starter. I think Reed and Chris are good enough to go in and play and us to win games. That's not an issue it's no big deal. It's just we are trying to get him through the bye week and get him healthy."

On Phillip Buchanon:

"I think he has done really well. You don't hear his name a lot because you don't see people running by him. The corners that you talk about all the time something bad is happening to them. He's been steady. He's been more of a willing tackler than you would think because of his size. He's smart as heck. He studies. He works hard. He's a really good competitor. He's fast and I think he's done a heck of a job for us."

On if he gets the sense that Haynesworth feels like his reputation is on the line this season:

"I don't know. That's something you got to talk to Albert about. Obviously, players in the NFL have big egos. Everybody has an ego. If they didn't, they wouldn't be a very good player and they wouldn't be here at this level. I am sure it has been tarnished a little bit and he wants to prove to everybody. I am glad he's a good football player. I am all for it. Whatever he can do to help us win games and whatever we can do to put in him a position to help us win games that's what coaching is about. We'll do the best we can [to] try to get him in situations where he can be successful and he's going to go out and produce."

On Haynesworth playing nose tackle if Ma'ake Kemoeatu were injured:

"He could play it. I would probably go Kedric [Golston] right now. We have been working Kedric as the backup and we put in a game a couple of weeks ago, I can't remember who we played, Indy, he was the guy who was in the game at the end of the last couple of series."

On Calvin Johnson:

“He's a heck of a football player. He's a red zone nightmare. We're trying to figure out how to play him and putting a tape together and it's like a Calvin Johnson highlight tape and it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be a red zone tape. Obviously, he can go up and get it. He's a big guy. He can jump out of the roof. He builds speed. He's a heck of a football player. I think they are a good football team. I think Detroit has a heck of a football team with a lot of young players on the offensive side, a lot of good football players. I think when they stay together and they continue to grow it's going to be a heck of a team. They got a lot of weapons and obviously they have accumulated them over the last couple of years, but they got a good line. I like their line. I like their tight ends. I like their wide outs, their running backs, two of them, heck of a player(s), get the quarterback healthy, that team will be scary some time."

On turning a losing franchise around:

"It's hard. You don't just turn the football team around. You got to turn the whole organization around because there is a lot of people in that organization including secretaries, administrative people, people in the building that are negative because you have been losing so many years. You either got to get rid of the people that are negatives and, I'm talking about everybody, and you got to start over and bring people in that want to build a winner or you got to change people. It's not just the players. I'm not talking about players. I'm talking about everybody, the whole organization has to feel they are a part of winning. If they don't feel like they are part of winning, then you need to weed out those people that can't help you. I am talking about everybody, secretaries, and trainers, whoever is in that building and if they are somebody negative you need to get rid of them and start over."

On if that philosophy has been applied to this organization:

"I think Mike [shanahan] has done a heck of a job. I think he's done a great job. I think it's an ongoing battle that you're going to fight. I think this franchise is so great in history that it doesn't take much. I know the players believe in what we're doing. I think the people in the building believe. I think it's something that you got to get to the media, you got to get to the fans around you because it's not just the players. It's the organization. It's the media. It's the people in the city. Everybody in the city has got to believe that hey, this is a good football team, we are going to win some games because it kind of builds off of that because players walk down the street and they feel good about themselves. When I first got to New Orleans, players walking down the street, you didn't want to be out in public because you knew you weren't very good. You didn't want to be around people, you didn't know what they would say. When we left, I thought they had a great feeling about themselves, hey, this is a good football team. We're going to win a lot of games. They felt proud about being out in the community. I think they felt good, and I think the people in the building felt good about themselves. I kind of think that's the process we're in right now. I think Detroit is in the same deal. I think it takes a little bit of time. We did it fast. We did it in a year. It doesn't happen that way. We did with spending a lot of money and free agency, had some good draft picks but it takes some time. I don't think it's just the players. It's not just the players. It's everyone else that's involved. I think you got to convince the media that you're on the right path. I think the media convinces the fans that you're on the right path and I think it goes from there."

On the Detroit Lions:

“I think they are good. There are not many that are not good in this league. I have played against [Kyle] Vanden Bosch a bunch of times out there in Houston [when he was] playing at Tennessee. He goes as hard and as tough as any player I have ever seen. He is really talented inside also.”

On Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh:

“We all know how talented he was coming out. He was a big guy and is getting better each game. You know how talented he is. His upside is he is huge and he gets better each week. It will be a tough match.”

On if the Lions have used Suh rushing around the edge:

“Not from what I have seen – he is usually inside to keep the guys outside. They move around a lot.”

On quarterback Donovan McNabb’s progression in the offense:

“I think he has picked it up. He has picked it up a while ago. It is a matter of picking it up consistently. The longer you are in something the more consistent you can be. He hasn’t been as consistent as he wants to or we want to but we also kind of expected that. It takes time.”

On if he reminds himself that it takes time to develop the offense:

“You got to remind yourself of that but that never makes you satisfied. You always want it right away as a coach and you want it right away as a player. I don’t think McNabb or myself are feeling like we can be patient with it. We want it to happen and we want it to happen now. We have to understand that it is not like that and that is life. You have to keep working at stuff and some days are going to be better than others. You got to keep going forward.”

On if they scaled back the offense they originally installed during training camp:

“We scaled back every game plan. When you go into training camp or OTAs you are trying to put in your entire system. Each week is a whole new game plan. You build from that library that you put in. We come in here on Monday and Tuesday and by the time the players get here on Wednesday they have a game plan. It is not always just your mass libraries. It is narrowed down and isolated based on what the defense is doing.”

On if he is able to use as complex of a game plan as he would like from week to week:

“Yes, we use the game plan we want. We don’t ever do something that we don’t want to do.”

On McNabb’s experience learning a new system compared to Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub:

“I think it has been real similar. It is not as much learning the system as it is finding out what your guys do best and what they do best together. We had a different team out there [in Houston] than we do here. They are both different types of players and they both have different types of players around them. It is not really what one guy can do compared to the next as it is what all 11 guys can do together.”

On if his opinion on McNabb changed after he met him:

“Not that I can remember. I never met him until he got here. I can’t really remember my opinion on him before he got here now.”

On if it is a coincidence that the running game has improved since Ryan Torain has played:

“I think Ryan [Torain] is a good back, but I think other guys running didn’t have anything to do with our lack of success. I think we didn’t run the ball as well against some other teams and I think some had to do with those defenses we were playing. I think our game plans weren’t as good. As far as running the ball, I think we have gotten better in that aspect and our guys have gotten better at running together. It takes all 11 guys and Ryan has done a great job, but I expect other guys to do the same.”

On what it means for the offense to have Torain rush for 100 yards in three straight games:

“It really means a lot when you get a guy to run for 100 yards in each game. It really doesn’t mean anything with three games in a row because last week doesn’t really mean much to us. It is about this week. If he runs for 100 yards this week I know it will help us this week. I am excited for us.”

On why Torain ran a lot to the right against the Bears:

“It was the way we were calling plays and trying to set him up. It definitely didn’t have to do with the side. He just kept running and committed to it. Running the ball you have to get into a rhythm and the only way to get into a rhythm is to get first downs. We finally started picking up some first downs in the fourth quarter and we finally had a chance to start giving him the ball. Once we did, you kind of got it going and that is how you pick up 100 yards [rushing]. It is not just doing it in the first quarter, it is committing to the run, wearing them down and eventually start busting some long ones.”

On how his game plans have developed:

“I think it is not necessarily the game plan as it is isolating what we have practiced and getting our guys to work better together and moving together the same. You go into a game, defenses are moving on you, you get some stuff you don’t expect in practice and you have to remember that your guys haven’t been playing together that long. They can’t all adjust to it the same. One guy might adjust to it and two guys next to him don’t. When it is like that you need all 11 guys to adjust and move together. It is more working our guys, putting them through different stunts and different blitzes so we can always fall into the right guys and get the zone going.”

On the third wide receiver not being productive:

“I hear a lot about that, but our receivers have done a great job. I can’t remember any times that we have gone to either of those guys and they haven’t gotten open. Getting the ball to everybody is about reading coverage and going through a progression and getting it to them. We got to have more drives, longer drives and we have to be better on third down. We have to have more plays out there. Getting first downs also has to do with being better on the second down. If we can do that, I think those guys will make some plays. If you look at a guy’s catches that doesn’t always say how he is doing. It just means he is not getting the ball. If he is not getting the ball because he can’t separate we won’t have them out there.”

On the injuries to Jammal Brown and Stephon Heyer:

“It is always a concern. It seems like everybody is in this same situation every year. You are only allowed so many offensive linemen and it is a tough position. Guys are always banged up and it seems like that every week. But, I have never gone into a game where there is no left tackle and someone always ends up playing. Hopefully, we can keep up with that. We got to do what we got to do.”

On his progress this season:

“I have felt the same way I have always felt. I can play the game and there is no difference in my confidence or anything else.”

On if he is feeling more like his old self:

“I mean, a little bit. Last week we changed some of the things that I do and it has helped a lot. I don’t have to think too much on the field. I just can go out and play.”

On if his playing style is similar or different to prior seasons:

“It is a lot different because I have never played a 3-4 or a read – not even in high school, college or definitely not at the Titans. It was a lot different and it is something that I had to learn. It is similar to me asking reporters to write novels. It is still writing, but it is something that you are not used to doing.”

On what position he has been playing:

“I am playing a lot of three technique, a lot of pass rushing and it has been really good.”

On if he likes standing up and rushing:

“I don’t know. It is just something to just change it up and tell them two ways to get my stance.”

On when they came to the decision to strip his run game responsibilities:

“I think it was because we just kept working and I wasn’t coming along. I wasn’t going to be able to be the starter. I was like hey, let me just focus on the stuff that I know and you will see a lot more production out of me.”

On if he remembers when he spoke up and told coach how to get more production out of him:

“No, we talked about it. It was early in the season, probably like Week 2 or Week 3.”

On what the hardest part about getting used to a 3-4 defense is:

“If you look at my career as a pro and in college, all we did is attack straight ahead and in the run gap. In the 3-4, I have to wait first and see what the offensive lineman do. If they go a certain way I have to shuffle a whole lot to try and get in front of them. It is a completely different game for me.”

On if it is hard to change his mindset:

“It is not really just the mindset, but it is your reactions that are a whole lot slower. You want to attack, but if you try to attack in this defense and you run an okie, then you are going to look real bad and you are going to get gashed.”

On if he feels like he can achieve the goal of being one of the most dominant defensive lineman:

“Well, with what I am doing now, yes it is possible. It has been hard to come and play the 3-4 because I have never played it. It is like going from crawling to being an all-pro in 3-4. It is not impossible, but it is definitely extremely hard.”

On his relationship with Head Coach Mike Shanahan:

“Everything has been fine. I just kind of laugh and talk to him about it. We just laugh about all the stuff that you speculate because I don’t ever say anything and he never really says anything. It is just funny the stuff that has come up. Everything has been fine. We talk every other day or so.”

On starting in the 3-4 defense:

“No, because I am not good enough to play the 3-4. I got a guy in front of me who can play the 3-4 better then I can and whatever helps the team. I do get to play in the nickel and play well in that. That is when you will see me out there.”

On if he is satisfied with his role with the Redskins:

“I would like to start and start playing like I used to be playing – 35-40 plays. Right now I am fine with it because whatever helps the team. I go out there and make plays for them. It doesn’t really matter who starts that first play because all it is, is the first play.”

On the events that happened during training camp:

“I am not going to be embarrassed to sticking to what I believe in. I am not going to be embarrassed about that.”

On if it was encouraging that the coaches wanted to work with him to get the most out of him:

“I mean the whole goal is to win games and to put the best people on the field. At the okie, I don’t think I am one of the best players out there. But, in the nickel I think I am. We came to it because we all just want to win games, we want to go far in the season, we want to get a Super Bowl and we want to make plays.”

On his statement that 2010 has been a difficult year:

“You just take it one day at a time. You can’t dwell on the past as much. God only puts you through things you can handle. So, I guess it makes me a tough person.”

On what his individual goal is for the rest of the season:

“Just to keep playing, help my teammates, make plays and I guess get noticed. More so people say I am not a bust or whatever.”

On if he sees himself with the Redskins next season:

“I don’t know. I have no clue. Right now I just keep playing I am going to be somewhere.”

On if he ever thinks back to the Redskins loss at Detroit:

“Yes, I mean it definitely sucked losing to Detroit. They hadn’t won a game in 18 games so it was bad. I was embarrassed about that, but on the other hand I like [Detroit Head Coach Jim] Schwartz. He was the Defensive Coordinator for seven years at the Titans. For him to get his first win, I guess that was kind of big for him.”

On what it was like to play for Detroit Head Coach Jim Schwartz with the Titians:

“He was a good dude. He was a really good dude. [He is] really smart. I have always said if he got a chance to be a head coach he would be a great head coach. What he does is he doesn’t force his style of play or his defense or anything on the players. He adapts to his strengths of his team. Before he used to do a lot of blitzing in my younger career and once we developed a defensive line, we got really good, he stopped the blitzing and put it in our hands. That is why you saw the Titans in my later years just start dominating teams. He just put it in our hands and adapted to his players. That is one thing, a lot of coaches think very hard about their technique and their game plan and [with] him, he is going to use what he has got.”

On practicing the okie or the nickel:

“I still practice it during the week, but also they have seen me do best at nickel. We have another backup now that can probably play.”

Great read thanks MTH

Haynesworth is a trip.

Albert is a different dude...i dont know if I love him or hate him....(loved him last week!)

Uh, Haynesworth is just too much 'me'.

BTW, I think our defense may finally 'break' on Sunday...Forget Calvin Johnson...this is the guy to worry about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMORdRpg54Y