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Coughlin:** Good morning. In the division against a very good Washington Redskins team. A team that's 3-3, coming off a huge win over Minnesota. They've played well the entire year. They've scored a lot of points. They're scoring almost 30 points a game. They're giving up some points, but they're playing the run very well. They're plus-nine with four defensive touchdowns, which says a lot about their team. Brandon Banks, their return man, is a very dangerous guy who can go all the way, and of course, Robert Griffin III has energized their offense. They've done a lot with creativity, he runs the option, but he's just as dangerous when, as he did the other day, for 76 yards, just pulls the ball down in drop-back fashion, and runs and gets outside, and no one can catch him. He's probably the fastest guy on the field. So, they're playing well, they're excited, they're 3-3, we're 4-2. It's in the division; they beat us twice last year. I'll answer some of your questions before you ask them. We're excited, and we're getting ourselves focused today, and hopefully, we'll have a good practice, and start to get ourselves in position where we can again play with all three phases combined and in harmony with one another, which is what we did last week.
Q: Bradshaw is listed with a foot injury. What's the nature of it? How serious?A: He's not going to practice today. He'll practice tomorrow.
Q: Is it a recurrence of some of the same stuff he's had in the past? The bone?A: A foot. It's a foot. It's the same type thing.
Q: When you have a quarterback like RGIII, what do your defensive linemen have to do?A: Discipline. They have to recognize, they have to be in position. If it's going to be the option, obviously, you've got to… They run it three ways, they read the defensive end. The dive has been a big play for them. They've made a lot of yards on the dive play. Of course, when he keeps the ball, they've done very well. You have to be disciplined, you have to use great recognition, but you have to understand that this is also a team that goes back to their fundamental basics and does a great job up-front. Their zone reach scheme, for example, which they've done extremely well all the years that Mike Shanahan has coached the running and that running style. They quickly jump to that, which forces you to play things in a little bit different way. They've demonstrated the ability, for example, to reach a whole man over, because they're so good at that scheme and moving laterally and gaining some ground north, and getting in position where they can create leverage on the defender. So, you've got a lot to have to defend.
Q: Having faced Michael Vick and Cam Newton, is this guy any different?A: In terms of the type of option that they run, his option is similar to the one with Cam Newton. Michael Vick is a whole different… Each individual brings to the table something very unique. So, yes, they are different.
Q: How much time do you have to spend nowadays with a quarterback like that and an offense like that? At one time, you never saw these offenses. Now there are a few. How much more do you have to emphasize that with your defense?A: Obviously, you didn't see it. You've got to defend what the other guy does. Now, fortunately, you do a little work in the off-season to get yourself started on it. It's not all a game-week type of decision, but yeah, you've got to defend what the opponent does, and that's what two or three teams in the league are doing now.
Q: Could you talk about the play of your offensive line on run blocking and pass blocking?A: Well, we've had some success the last couple of weeks running the ball. We've protected the passer well. The passer has…Eli's gotten rid of the ball when pressured. We challenged our offensive team to run the ball, and we've been able to do that, and under very difficult circumstances the last couple of weeks. We're striving, obviously, to get better. Consistency is an issue. Certainly, up front, the offensive line and defensive line the last week have prepared and performed well.
Q: How do you reproduce Griffin's speed in practice?A: How do you do it? You do the best you can. We have two or three guys that can hopefully do it. David Carr is slick enough to do it, and quick enough to do it, and give us that look. Jerrel Jernigan has given us a few plays over there last week, and the week before.
Q: How about the way that they limited your running game last year? Is that a key challenge this week?A: They're eighth in the league against the run. They defend the run very well. They play hard. They play very hard. So, there are lots of challenges. They're a difficult scheme to operate against. It becomes very physical, you've got to move them. I mean, that's all there is to it. If you're going to run the ball, you're going to have to block people, and move them.
Q: You mentioned the pass protection. Obviously, Eli has not been sacked much at all this year. What is it about him? Obviously, the line is doing something to block and pick up blitzes. What is it about his ability? He's not considered the fastest, most mobile quarterback.A: Recognition and get the ball out. That's what it is. It's recognition, it's understanding, it's knowledge, and it's delivering the ball, sometimes faster than you want it delivered, but it prevents. You don't want to go backwards, you're trying to avoid that.
Q: Andre Brown has been cleared?A: Yes.
Q: Do you expect to go back to more of a balanced, one-two punch in the backfield?A: We'll see. We'll see.
Q: Was almost 60 carries in two games too much for Bradshaw?A: No. No. Don't think so.
Q: Has the workload contributed to his foot issue?A: Well, he certainly wasn't sitting around Sunday afternoon with his foot up. He definitely has played well, played hard, gotten the ball a number of times, and we'd like to think he can keep on doing that. I don't want to go into that one-practice-a-week business that we've had. So, I'm hoping that this is something that he is able to overcome, and we see the end of it.
Q: Can you talk about Rolle, and the impact that he's had on the defense and on the younger players, like Prince?A: Well, the game that Antrel had the other day, you could sense it coming, as he was feeling better and practiced better and had his old bounce in his step again. The first interception was outstanding, obviously, and the run after the catch, giving us the ball where it was. That third quarter was field position unlike you normally ever have it. So, we had it after the good kickoff return, we had it after the two interceptions, and we came away with three points, when we naturally would have liked touchdowns. But, Antrel also made the very good defensive plays, he had seven tackles in the game, one assist, and made outstanding plays even when the quarterback kept the ball and ran it. He was there, which gave us real good scheme recognition on the part of the option, and being at the right place at the right time.
Q: Is there a possibility that Canty could play in this week's game?A: He's practicing. We'll see.
Q: Jacquian Williams came out of the game and they initially said calf.A: No, it's a knee.
Q: Will he not practice this week?A: No. He won't practice this week. It doesn't look like he will.
Q: How has Phillips felt in his progression?A: He's making progress, but he's not ready to go.
Q: How much do you stress the importance of this game?A: Every week is a new week. This one is the most important game of the year. It's in the division, it's the Redskins' first divisional game, it's our third. We haven't done very well in the division. So, if we're going to do something in the division, we've got to get going
Q: How did Hakeem come out of the game?A: Okay.
Q: Did he have any swelling in his knee afterwards?A: He came out okay.
Q: Jacquian would figure to have been a factor against RGIII with his speed at linebacker.A: They all would have been. Michael Boley, and you've got, we'll do the best we can with that. Certainly, we'll miss him. Rivers is going to have to get himself ready to go.
Q: How do you handle Diehl in this situation, which is a good problem to have?A: We'll see how he feels, and how much further along he's advanced and practicing better and longer this week, and see where we are. You're right, it's a good problem.
Q: Is Da'Rel Scott an IR candidate?A: We'll see.
Q: Mathias played mostly on the defensive line last week. I know Canty was out, but is there any possibility that we'll see him down there more?A: Depends on exactly what we're trying to defend and which personnel grouping we're trying to defend, and that was the reason that we utilized him that way, and according to how we prepare, we'll see whether or not he's playing more at end or more at linebacker.
Q: Rivers didn't play much. It seems like only a couple of plays at the end. Was it health?A: No. We had prepared and played with other linebackers and we needed him at the end of the game and that's when he entered.
Q: Do you have any words for coming back home and finding cars broken into?A: The best is going to be done about that. I don't have anything to comment about that. No news. Unfortunate, but the investigation is going forward, and that's all I know about it.
Q: You have an estimate on how many cars?A: No. No.
Q: Did they get any of your Sinatra tapes?A: That ought to be about the end of this meeting, isn't it?
