Head Coach Dan Quinn
Opening Statement:
"Alright, what's up everybody? It is good to see you guys. It's fun to be back on the field with the players. It really is. And so, got a chance to hit that yesterday and today and all of the things, you know, that we do, it's really developed at practice. And so that could be, you know, from the end of the game of clock today, prior to we did a umpire alert, you know, where it's a ten second runoff and starting on the referee's wind and the specifics that go to that. And so those winning time moments for us, like these are excellent teaching times for that. This is really where the coaches have to nail those and over again, so many new guys that are with us learning it and even for the ones that have done it before to the standard of what we want. It's a kind of a cool time for teaching and I enjoy this time of year to get to know the new guys and what they're about, so let's get rocking."
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On the defensive line group and if he's gotten a sense of where they are as a group:*
"No, not from the physical stints. I can from what I've seen meetings, drill work, the skill sets that part to go, any potential new wrinkles that we wanted to do, how would we feature guys? But as far as the physical part, you can't, what I can say is on both sides we've really made an emphasis for them on the strength and conditioning and really putting it into those spaces even so much in the early part of the off season they trained together. So, it was sometimes you'd see an offense will go at this time and defense will go at that time. We had some of the big guys training together to really push it together, so we enjoyed that too."
On if he values interior pressure on the defensive line more than exterior pressure:
"No, I would say some of it Nicki [Jhabvala] on defensively specifically is we will find some roles as it goes to early down run player to, you know, more of a pass rusher and who would do all the downs. Like somebody like [DT] Daron [Payne], you know, first down, second down third, all of them. But there will also be some specific spots for emphasis on the pass or emphasis onto the run. And so that's what I'll look forward to doing through the preseason. We'll get a couple practices against other teams and those practices help too because as coaches we can kind of, hey, let's really emphasize something and then we will do that and find some matchups and do that. So those are helpful too, which you don't get during the game."
On how much of a jump DT Daron Payne can make going into year 8:
"You know, it's funny that you brought him up, but I walked past him today. I said, man, you've had a remarkable off season. I felt that way through the drill work, through the skill and everyone you just see something that jumps out differently that's onto a new space. I felt that from him coming into this off season and I've certainly been impressed by what I've seen so far. In fact, like literally today that I said, man, I've really been impressed by the work that you've put in this off season and I see it, you know, happening out on the field."
On what it says to him as a coach when WR Deebo Samuel and CB Mike Sainristil are working together after practice:
"I think it probably speaks to like the environment that the players have created together. We all know like to be at our best, it's gonna take all of us improving. And if that's Mikey asking Deebo a certain technique or vice versa, that's really where it takes place. And so, we take these times on the field seriously cause it's not just the scheme, it's the individual skill work. If I can help isolate a specific route or a specific release or you know, Mike, in that instance of playing a certain coverage technique. It's one thing to know it on paper or another thing to be in the classroom if we're all here together watching it on video, like we'd have an understanding of what a press technique, what a press corner is, but until you do it and what can I do? Where's my hands? How do I have to be placed exactly? And be very specific. I think that's where the gold is and that's why I think like the teaching this time of year is like has to shine on the coaches and we've got some excellent ones because they'll get very specific on the certain techniques. Let's try that one again. Let's put the hand into this space. You're not in a rush to get to the next play or you know, you see you guys are all here in season, there's jersey numbers on people and okay, you know, what are we gonna do with this person here? There's none of that now and it's just on the skill and so they're teaching. If they have to do it four or five times, that's okay because like, let's try that one again. [Defensive Coordinator] Joe [Whitt Jr.] was working recently with just maybe three safeties or two safeties and one backer on like press technique against a tight end. How do you do it? He's in line. And I thought that's a great isolation of just a few people on a specific skill and if you magnify that by the whole group, then there's all these little pockets of things of skill development that's happening that's really important and this is that time. We learn a lot from the NBA of what that small group would look like of a specific two or three players getting better on something. And so, we work really hard at that specific thing, the work ons."
On how important he thinks this season is for Payne:
"Like you said, they're all big. I just sense there's like a space when you can feel it. It's not something that we spoke about to go, sometimes you just, a marker happens and there's an urgent space to go and you want to jump into that space. Maybe it was where we think we can get to. You don't know what's different for him. It might be different from yours to Sam [Fortier]'s to Nicki's, but once that fire's lit, man you want to, you want to hit it. I've really sensed that from him, the questions, the understanding of the defense, how good a shape he's in so, he's off to an excellent start."
On how a full offseason for DT Jer'zhan Newton has impacted him:
"Yeah, probably the strength I would say Ben [Standig] cause he wasn't probably able to do all the typical strength movements and that he had due to the foot injuries for, but I feel like his leg strength and that explosiveness, that's probably what I see the most, the twitch. He's always been a quick person, but now with all the power that goes with it. I do see an uptick in that."
On how WR Noah Brown has bounced back after his injury last season:
"Yeah, he's a really, really tough competitor and we really missed Noah in some spaces. I'm not, you don't quote me exactly, but there was a lot of PIs against Noah. He's got such a unique ability to go up and contested plays and catches and so there were two plays back-to-back of yesterday's practice of Noah and [CB] Noah [Igbinoghene] competing against you saw the length. And I loved seeing those small matchups on one catch of guys working their skills together, but the fact that we can put Noah in a lot of spots and he's really, really dependable. So probably the thing that most everybody doesn't know is like this is an elite competitor and so he is got a, you would think it's a quiet demeanor but it's a focused one."
On what he learned about S Quan Martin while playing through two shoulder injuries last season:
"Yeah, I knew obviously we were, you guys saw we limited some in practice but there was no chance that he was missing. He is that competitor in that way. So, going into the offseason after the procedures, we were just not going to miss one step of his healing of that all the way through. And so, he's making great progress on that, but I knew he was a pretty rare competitor. Then you find out like, man, this guy is even tougher than you think. To have them both done at the same time, they were a few weeks apart, but you can imagine some of the challenges that go along with that when you have two shoulders in the offseason and not able to use at the same time. So, I'll leave that absolutely space blank there and everybody can fill that in. [laughs]"
On Martin's potentially ceiling as a player:
"Yeah, the physical attributes we've always seen, he probably has if not the highest vertical, but that type of explosiveness, the speed, how he can burst. And so, I thought moving from nickel to safety allowed some of that natural playmaking ability to track, to come off the red line and to use some of that speed from the safety spot. He's certainly fast enough to play nickel, but I felt like that was the right call to move him into that spot. And so, I think he found his home there and all the unique skills that he has to go and so I think like, man, he's going like this, now he has a whole season under his belt of playing safety and now I think he's really going to take off. It's the speed and the hitting ability and you can win with that."
On getting veteran players to buy in right away:
"I think first, you give credit to [General Manager] Adam [Peters] and his staff. They have such a unique understanding of what the team needs too. And we had said way back, this isn't for everybody, but for the people that are so much about one another and getting better and doing those things, those are important things to us. One of the main things for the players starting off to be here, can you be an awesome teammate, top of the pile. Then it gets into your role, what that can mean, how good can you get at these specific things? And then we go from there but it has to be, man, being a great teammate first. And so, yeah, that's important for everybody, but how do you live that? And how do you demonstrate that? And how do you show that to one another because not everybody's outspoken or not giving each other greeting cards every day, but there's spaces that you fill in that you're helping one another see how good you can get. And that to me is all part of it. I never wanted to be having a good time and working your ass off to be in opposition of one another. I wanted those two things to happen simultaneously, having a great time and we are absolutely emptying it out to go work hard. And so, when I see practices like yesterday or like today you probably didn't see as much of the speed. We had so much more in the red zone, but yesterday it was speed man, it was the Ashburn relays. We wanted to see how fast we could go without the contact, without that, but how fast we could go and you push each other to do that. If you were running the route and I'm keeping up, we are pushing each other, not in a combative way, but definitely in a competitive way. And I do think the players here have created that, man, they do enjoy it. There's a good vibe that we have, but we also put it in and if you don't, you'll get exposed pretty quickly because the tempo of which we want to practice at is high. So, if you don't put in the work it'll look rough for you."
On the join practices with New England and Baltimore:
"Yeah, we're going to practice with New England with the game up there and we're going to practice with Baltimore with a game here.'
On how S Will Harris and CB Trey Amos can enhance the secondary:
"Well, I think number one, [Defensive Coordinator] Joe [Whitt Jr.] and [Defensive Pass Game Coordinator] Jason [Simmons] and [Defensive Backs Coach] Tommy [Donatell], [Assistant Defensive Backs Coach] William [Gay], of new players, what do they do, where we're at? And so, Will's got a unique background, because of his experience at corner. And so, what does that look like to leave him outside at corner where it's a safety spot and you can play some different techniques. Can he play over a slot? So, the fact that he's done those jobs in the NFL, that's a big deal. Think of in your mind like this offensive lineman has started at center and guard in the NFL. Okay, now I know that that has more value, it can do different things and so we're still working that through with Will, guarding this person, matching up on the receivers, where do we put him in the middle, what it'll look like in the space. So, it'll be ongoing through camp as well, but then we'll get into the roles but we're not there yet. I would say it's still the exploring of what somebody can do."
On how the group can do better when it comes to stopping the run:
"Well, I wouldn't say weren't happening, but I love the versatility of the different guys and how we're going to feature them this year in terms of sizes and strength and how we'll use some of the big guys and how we'll play them. And so, that's to me is the part that I'm looking forward to, putting those guys into those spots that they can really do their thing and we're going to work really hard to do that."
