WP:Quote Sheet From Wednesday's Redskins Practice

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/redskins/longterm/2003/trainingcamp/quotes13.htm

Quote Sheet From Wednesday's Redskins Practice

Patrick Ramsey | Rock Cartwright | Matt Bowen

Lionel Dalton

Compiled by Gene Wang

washingtonpost.com Correspondent

Web Posted: Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2003; 4:49 p.m. EDT

Patrick Ramsey

Can you talk about the challenge of playing the Panthers?

Well, it's a big game as they all are going to be for the rest of the season. They're a good team. We just need to try to concentrate on ourselves and play our best game and give ourselves a chance to win the game.

Q: How much confidence does the win over Seattle give you?

A: I think we have a bit of confidence, but I don't think we ever really doubted ourselves, but it's just at the same time we don't want to get overconfident just because we beat a good team.

Q: Can you talk about your offensive line?

A: They did a great job. I had plenty of time to throw the football. I had plenty of time to make decisions. Everybody across the board did a really good job of helping to support me and kind of made me look good, but they played great. They deserve all the credit for the running game being consistent and making great plays. Those two touchdown passes, those guys made great catches. Just having the time to do that and to make that happen feels good for me and kind of gets you back into a rhythm.

Q: What did Stephen Davis mean to you when he was here?

A: He was always very encouraging to me, almost in a wise way. He was always a guy who would give you things that would help you and always encouraged me to be a leader out there. Him being out there with me, helping to encourage me to be a leader, he just helped bring me along. I'm just thankful the way he treated me while he was here.

Q: Is there any part of you that wonders why Davis isn't on the team anymore?

A: This is a business. I don't have any say-so in any of that. It's hard to even evaluate it. He's a great player. We'd love to have him, but he's showing in Carolina what he can do.

Q: How's your health?

A: Oh, I'm fine. No problems.

Q: Does the way Rock Cartwright ran last Sunday remind you at all of Stephen Davis?

A: The guy broke tackles, made big plays and made big runs when we really needed them, especially there at the end. He got the ball down inside the 10. I think he's going to be able to do some things that are going to help us down the stretch.

Rock Cartwright

Q: After your performance last Sunday, are you treating the running back position as your starting job?

A: If that's what the coaches want to do, that's what they're going to do. I'm just going to go out and try to continue to do what I do best, and that's run the ball, make plays, keep the chains moving and try to get this team a win.

Q: Is Rock a nickname?

A: By birth name is Roderick, but I go by Rock. That's the name I was given when I was yea high by my grandmother, so it's just a name that stuck with me. My size fits it, so I'm cool with it.

Q: Has it been some time since you've had the opportunity to carry the ball a lot?

A: Yeah, it's been a while. High school was the last time I really carried the ball consistently. But I pretty much did a lot on Sunday, and it worked out good for us. The line blocked good, and I was able to read their blocks and get to the holes and make a couple plays.

Q: When you blocked for Stephen Davis, what did you notice about him?

A: He's a downhill runner. He's a north and south runner. He's not an east and west runner. He likes to find the crease and get where he needs to get to in order to get a first down.

Q: Do you think Hue Jackson has a special regard for you considering when he was playing, he wasn't the biggest guy either?

A: I don't think he does. I just think Coach Hue sees that I'm a competitor, and I like to win, and the other guys here are competitors and like to win. I think that's what he sees in me, and he gave me an opportunity, and I'm just trying to make the best of it.

Matt Bowen

Q: Can you talk about playing a Carolina team that you more or less have to beat to remain in the playoff hunt?

A: Right, and they have to beat us to stay in the position they're in too, so there's a lot riding for both teams. It's going to be a tough task with the two running backs they have: Davis and Foster. They're receivers are good too. Muhammad, Smith and Ricky Proehl. I played with Ricky in St. Louis. He's a real professional guys. Runs great routes. They're playing well. Plus they have a good defense, so we'll have to play our best game to have a chance to win.

Q: Is Stephen Davis a guy who could give you another headache?

A: He could, yeah. Hopefully, I won't have another headache. He's a brusier. Breaks tackles. That's how he gets a lot of his yards, because he's so big and strong. You can't bring him down with an arm tackle. He gets through the line real quick. He's piling up a lot of yards this year.

Q: Was your head injury on Sunday scary?

A: The thing about it that's hard when you're out on the field is you don't know what's going on. It's happened to a lot of guys in this league, to a lot of guys playing high school football. I mean, you get dinged sometimes. We have good doctors. I'm going to take care of it this week, and I should be able to play.

Q: Are you familiar with post-concussion syndrome?

A: Yeah, I don't know much about that. I mean, I had a concussion before that was five years ago, and I played the next week, and I was fine. Maybe it's different for every person. I'm sure it is. I feel like I'll be okay.

Q: Does it concern you when you read about players before you who have suffered serious after-effects from post-concussion syndrome?

A: Well, sure it does. But I didn't really have any after-effects. I was fine. You're always concerned about your own health, and I wouldn't be out there if I didn't think I was all right.

Lionel Dalton

Q: Was it hard for you to adjust to the actual game when you played on Sunday after not playing for such a long time?

A: I don't think it was hard at all because I was still practicing with the guys, going through game plans. I pretty much did everything the guys did during the week. I just didn't play in the games. So it wasn't hard at all.

Q: Did you wonder at all why they brought you here if you weren't going to play?

A: At first, you know, it was a little frustrating, but my wife told me things happen for a reason, eventually your time will come. Georges Edwards told me eventually your time will come, and it's here, so it's up to me to take advantage of it and stay in this position.

Q: When you look at yourself and some of the other late-coming players like Darrell Russell, do you sense the team is building for next season as opposed to playing to win this year?

A: You feel like that sometimes, but you never know. In the NFL, you never know. A lot of guys have one-year contracts. You can have a team bidding for other guys, so you never know what's going to happen next year. You can say they're building, but Darrell has what, a nine-game contract? Everybody else has a one-year deal? You don't look at it like that.

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