Jay Gruden answered questions after today’s Redskins practice. He gave some injury updates. Chris Thompson and Jamison Crowder are practicing while Quinton Dunbar is still being examined by Dr Gruden. The Redskins are preparing for Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
WATCH LIVE: HC Jay Gruden and DC Greg Manusky speak to the media following practice Thursday. https://t.co/1t2a5Z2AdR
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) November 29, 2018
Injury updates:
Gruden to the podium.
— Craig Hoffman (@CraigHoffman) November 29, 2018
DNP: Ioannidis, Peterson (shoulder), Dunbar, Brown (knee/shin), Moses (Achilles)
Brown could be back at practice tomorrow. He’s day-to-day.
Gruden says Crowder did a lot more today but still has soreness. On Thompson, “when you watch him run there is no issue.”
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 29, 2018
Zach Brown:
“Yeah, it’s a knee-shin area. He did a lot with the trainers today and looked pretty good, so I think it’s just going to be a day-to-day basis. Hopefully we’ll see him more tomorrow. A lot of these guys… we’ve got to see some progression obviously in the next coming days, so hopefully we’ll see that with Moses and Matt and Zach Brown.”
Chris Thompson:
Jay Gruden says of Chris Thompson, “when you watch him run there is no issue. I think he’ll be fine.” Thompson has missed six games this season with multiple rib injuries.
— John Keim (@john_keim) November 29, 2018
Alex Smith:
“Yeah, I went and saw him and he’s going through the rehab or the process of trying to get better. It’s a tough road and anytime you have surgery on your leg, it’s not easy, but he’s got a great support system, great doctors, and hopefully he’ll recover fast.”
Tim Settle:
“You know Settle has been one of our most exciting prospects. Obviously, [Daron] Payne and the young guys, but Settle has come the furthest in my opinion. I think he’s gotten better, gotten stronger, played at a better pad level. He’s staying on his feet. When we first got him, he was falling down all the time and leaning on people, but now he’s showing some explosion and keeping his balance, which is pretty good. I’m excited about him as a prospect for this football team for many, many years and he’s going to get more and more reps, especially like you said; if Matt [Ioannidis] is struggling.”
How Settle fits into the rotation:
”Oh, without a doubt, without a doubt, Stacy McGee is starting to get his feet under him. He’s starting to do a little bit better job but I do see that rotation being pretty darn good.”
Quinton Dunbar:
Gruden says Dunbar’s injury is really hard to judge. They have to trust the player to tell them how he feels. They need him to run full speed, which he can’t do right now.
— Craig Hoffman (@CraigHoffman) November 29, 2018
“Yeah, I don’t know. This is a unique deal. When you’re talking about the nerve and you’re talking about that area for a guy who utilizes his speed, it’s tough. It’s only something that Quinton can help us along with. We’re trying to do everything we can as far as rehab is concerned, seeing the doctors and specialists for the nerve, but at the end of the day it’s all about what he feels comfortable with. Last week, he felt comfortable enough to play but, you could see he was struggling with it as the game went on. Maybe tomorrow we’ll see him out there running around out there a little bit but we’ll see.”
What doctors have said about Dunbar’s recovery and timetable:
”Yeah, I don’t know. They kind of have it narrowed down to what it is and where it is. It’s just a matter of when he feels comfortable, where he can actually push off and run fast. I think he can run a little bit but when he tries to put a lot weight on it and push and extend his speed, that’s where I think he has trouble. He loses function as far as power in his leg. It feels weak.”
If he will get the power back in his leg:
”Yeah, he’ll get it back eventually. I just don’t know when. I don’t think anybody can really tell when. He has just got to continue to do what he’s got to do in there and see as many people he can and stay off of it I guess. Kind of like a pulled muscle I guess.”
Trey Quinn/Jamison Crowder:
Gruden said the Redskins would use both Trey Quinn and Jamison Crowder if they can both get on the field. Team will figure it out if both are healthy
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 29, 2018
Eagles game on MNF:
“There’s still a lot of ball left, no matter what happens on Monday night.”
— Craig Hoffman (@CraigHoffman) November 29, 2018
Gruden says he doesn’t want to put anything extra on this game, but says winning a division game on the road is obviously huge. Self-explanatory.
What they can do to make Colt McCoy more comfortable:
”Yeah, I think you try to get with Colt. Now you have time to really put a game plan together. Then you go out and practice and look at it and sometimes the most important part of practicing is eliminating plays that he’s not comfortable with instead of just putting them because they look good on a chalkboard. If he doesn’t like them at the end of the day – we eliminate some – then focus in on ones he’s very comfortable with. I’ve never, ever, put a play in that a quarterback is uncomfortable with. You can believe that if you want but it’s true [Laughter]. We talk about every play and somebody might say something different but I try to do that and try to make him as comfortable as possible.”
Building trust with receivers on things like back-shoulder throws:
”I think we haven’t given a lot those guys a lot of opportunities, so it does take a little bit of time. It’s a natural thing. Unless you call a back shoulder, say this is going to be a back shoulder or you call a go ball or fade ball and a guys is playing over the top and the quarterback gives you a back shoulder opportunity, that takes precision, that takes work, that takes confidence in the quarterback, the receiver coming back to the ball and making those plays. So, you see it all the time on Sundays. We haven’t seen a lot of them. We saw one with Josh [Doctson] last week which was huge. If we can incorporate that as part of our game, those are big chunk plays we need to have.”
Have receivers been surprised with McCoy going deep?:
”Yeah, I think there was. I think that Vernon [Davis] was a little bit surprised on his down the right sideline. He wasn’t quite ready for it, he saw it late and then kind of juggled it and dropped it, but I think that’s important. When you’re working a guy and you don’t have a lot of time and you think he’s running down the sideline and you see the defensive back over the top, the natural instinct for a quarterback would be to back shoulder it. Now our receivers have got to make sure they get their heads around and then adjust to the ball.”
D.J. Swearinger’s comments on the defense:
Gruden said he wasn’t upset with DJ Swearingers comments because he has a unique way to motivate. He just wished he didn’t say it on the radio without addressing it in house first. #Redskins
— Lake Lewis Jr (@LakeLewis) November 29, 2018