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Chase Roullier has been an important piece of Washington’s offense for the last 3 years. He is now entering the final year of his rookie contract and says his preparation and mindset are the same. This is obviously a huge year for his NFL future, but he is just focused on playing.
Roullier talked about Head Coach Ron Rivera calling the team out after today’s practice. The ultimate goal is to win a Super Bowl, and that’s what Rivera was emphasizing to the team, but they have to clean up their mistakes and go 100% for the entire practice.
He discussed rotating the offensive line, and knowing what the guy next to you is doing at all times. Communication and cohesion are keys to a successful OL. Roullier also talked about learning a new playbook/offense during a virtual offseason.
Training Camp Press Conference - Chase Roullier https://t.co/NXMaYTCcjw
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) August 22, 2020
Ron Rivera:
Chase Roullier is now addressing the media. He said Rivera was reiterating the importance of practicing hard today. Rivera mentioned the ultimate goal during his tenure is to make the Super Bowl, but they have to clean up their mistakes.
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) August 22, 2020
Roullier: "You never want to get chewed out on the field, but it shows the passion that Coach Rivera has."
— Kyle Stackpole (@kylefstackpole) August 22, 2020
Roullier: "I've noticed how much Coach Rivera has had to take on during all this. Coach Rivera always says he 'has broad shoulders and can take it.'" ... From a player's standpoint, it's great for us. It allows us to focus and make sure the team is headed in a right direction."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 22, 2020
Rivera’s cancer announcement:
Chase Roullier says the players appreciated finding out about Ron Rivera's cancer diagnosis from him and before the media did.
— Chris Russell AKA The Rooster (@Russellmania621) August 22, 2020
Says they are standing by him (obviously)...."He's still going to be leading our team & fully believe that."
Roullier said Rivera addressed the team following Thursday's with his cancer diagnosis. Began by telling the team he has some "tough news" and then just talked direct.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 22, 2020
Training in the COVID-19 offseason:
Roullier said everything is a little different with COVID, but the basics are still the same. They're practicing hard, they're learning a new offense and defense. The similarities allow them to continue that learning process. He feels they have made "a lot of progress."
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) August 22, 2020
OL rotation:
Roullier said there's always a little bit of a challenge when fellow offensive linemen are rotating, but the guys are used to it because most of the time the same five guys aren't always out there.
— Kyle Stackpole (@kylefstackpole) August 22, 2020
There has been a lot of rotation on the OLine during camp, but Roullier is used to that. He said it does bring it's challenges, but rotation is common on the line. He also said there are some great candidates on the left side of the line.
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) August 22, 2020
Learning the playbook/offense:
Roullier said it's important that everyone understand the playbook, especially for those who are not able to practice. He thinks the offense is doing a great job of learning the plays, and the next step is learning how to play fast and adjusting to the defense.
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) August 22, 2020
Roullier said that understanding the offense is the most important thing, and fortunately all of the offensive linemen were able to start learning the offense during the virtual offseason. Then it's about being comfortable within the scheme so you can play "100 miles per hour."
— Kyle Stackpole (@kylefstackpole) August 22, 2020
Dwayne Haskins Jr.:
Roullier said his relationship with Haskins has grown. He thinks Haskins is becoming a great veteran and has grown up "a lot" in terms of understanding offenses and defenses and being a leader. That allows the offense to function smoothly.
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) August 22, 2020
Roullier said his relationship with Dwayne Haskins has "definitely grown."
— Kyle Stackpole (@kylefstackpole) August 22, 2020
"He's becoming a great veteran out there." Said he's grown lot in terms of understanding the offense, reading defenses and showing leadership.
Alex Smith:
Roullier said it's "truly remarkable" that Alex Smith is out on the field. He said he thinks people were amazed when he first participated in 9v9 drills.
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) August 22, 2020
Roullier said he and his teammates were "pretty amazed" when Alex Smith was able to go through 9-on-9 drills for the first time Thursday. Said the team respects him so much for what he's been able to accomplish to get back out onto the field.
— Kyle Stackpole (@kylefstackpole) August 22, 2020
OL Communication:
Roullier said that in order to have cohesion between two adjacent offensive lineman, they need to know exactly where each other is and will be during each play. Said reps are the biggest things to build that.
— Kyle Stackpole (@kylefstackpole) August 22, 2020
Roullier said in order to have cohesion between two positions like LG and C, there needs to be communication between the two on where each player will be on each play. That can change with each person, which is why it's important for players to continue rotating.
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) August 22, 2020
Contract year:
Roullier said he looks at this year, which is the last of his contract, just like he's looked at every other year. His preparation and mindset will remain the same.
— Kyle Stackpole (@kylefstackpole) August 22, 2020
Since being drafted in 2017, he's started 37 of 48 games at center.