Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q: How do you manage, I guess today might be light, but even tomorrow, just knowing guys aren't going to be here on Tuesday, how do you manage practice? Anything different?

DABOLL: Yeah, we'll continue to go O vs. D and do situational work, corrections from either preseason games or throughout preseason practices, making sure we're doing the things we need to do to continue to improve.

Q: Are you totally turning your attention now to week one and the week one opponent, or are you just still practicing and worrying about yourself?

DABOLL: Yeah, we're focused on the things we need to do to get better, and we'll do that throughout the week.

Q: When do you turn it then to Washington (Commanders), and how much have you done maybe already?

DABOLL: Well, our team is focused on us and trying to get better, doing the things we need to do. Coaches spend a lot of time in the offseason, spend time at night here, but for us right now, it's just focusing on the things we need to do.

Q: How do you continue the ascension of a rookie quarterback when you transition to that regular season mode?

DABOLL: He'll be practicing and doing the things he needs to do to keep improving. Backup quarterback, we'll have a number of them. We'll continue to work with all those guys.

Q: Will he be the number two?

DABOLL: We'll see.

Q: Will there be some special periods in the practice where you go around areas for him to...

DABOLL: Yeah, I'd say we're not there yet. Our focus right now is on us. Once we get to the regular season, we'll have a plan then.

Q: When you approached training camp, obviously you had a plan that we know about for (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart), but you also had veteran quarterbacks here. Was it different gauging the different players in terms of what you wanted to see out of them, what you needed to see out of the offense? In the case of (quarterback) Russ (Wilson), we asked you a lot about what you saw from Jaxson and the offense, but what markers have you had for Russ and maybe when (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) runs it, but mostly Russ?

DABOLL: Yeah, Russ had a lot of reps. He had, by far and away, the most reps of practice. You script practice for things you want to see, for all the quarterbacks, but for your team most importantly. I think (assistant head coach, offensive coordinator) Mike (Kafka) did a really good job with that.

Q: I know every cut is going to be difficult, but this year it seems like you have a lot better depth, a lot more depth, maybe some harder decisions. Do you find that to be the case?

DABOLL: This time of year is always tough for everyone. Personnel people, coaches, players. We have a lot of discussions. When you're sitting down with those players that you're releasing, those are always difficult conversations because, again, you know how much they put into it. Every year is a difficult year, this time of year, for guys that you're moving on from. Guys that have worked as hard as they could work.

Q: Why did you do a first wave? You let eight go, and then obviously the rest of them on Tuesday.

DABOLL: We just thought that was something we wanted to do for some of the guys. Maybe give them a chance to get out there, but those were some guys we knew we were going to move on from, so we did it. We didn't wait. We'll do the rest here in the upcoming days.

Q: (Tight end) Theo (Johnson) back today?

DABOLL: I'm not going to get into who's here, who's not here. People that are out at practice will be ready to go, and people that are rehabbing or doing something, they'll be doing that.

Q: What did you see from (wide receiver) Gunner (Olszewski)? Obviously, he had a pretty prolific...

DABOLL: Since he's been here, really. Since he got here, the short time he's been here, he's had, I would say, good. He remembered our plays. He's been able to play fast. He's consistent, catching the football, both in punt and on offense. He's done a nice job since he's been here.

Q: Did (cornerback) TJ Moore make it back into the building yet?

DABOLL: Yeah, I just talked to him. He was just here a little while ago. Good spirits, but tough injury for him.

Q: Just back with Gunner, it was just a matter of him getting physically ready, I guess, to come here? He came a little after camp started.

DABOLL: Yeah, we thought he'd be a good addition where we were at. He's done a nice job since he's been here.

Cornerback Dru Phillips

Q. When we talked to (cornerback Paulsen) Adebo, we talked about how the nickel is overlooked when people talk about the secondary. What would you say is the importance of it and what have you seen from the position and how has it taken on more than most observers realize?
PHILLIPS: I didn't realize the importance of it when I got in. In college, I played nickel but it's still college, and then I came here, and you have to be so vocal and communicative and you have to run parts of the defense and it's a lot more than what people think. I'm in the run-pass and as well as setting up the defense as well so it's a lot more complicated but it's a good job to have. It's fun.

Q. Are their players that stand out as the standard for the nickel role in history?
PHILLIPS: Yeah, especially when I was coming into the league, there was a lot of guys. The older guys like (Indianapolis Colts cornerback) Kenny Moore II's one of the guys I looked at a lot of tape of back coming out and (Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent) McDuffie – the year he played nickel, he got All-Pro. Those are a few guys that I looked at when I was coming in. There's not really the big-time ones. It's kind of like a – I wouldn't say newer, but there's not as many dominant ones throughout time so the newer guys, I kind of look up to them.

Q. It used to be kind of when you lost a step, they put you in that position.
PHILLIPS: Yeah, it's like when you're a slow safety, you're a nickel (laughs).

Q. Do you think that's changing?
PHILLIPS: Oh yeah, that's changing a lot. I think almost probably every team has a nickel, a kind of quick guy that can cover slot well as well as being a run fit so it's pretty cool. Like everyone has one.

Q. What's it been like going up against (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson)? Obviously, you guys go back to college but what's that been like?
PHILLIPS: It's good work. He's really good on his releases and what he can bring to the table as a slot receiver because he can stretch the field and work down low, so I've been going against him for a while but it's good work. Every day he brings it, too, so it's good work.

Q. What was it like when you guys first faced off in college? Like did you notice back then that he had great routes and things like that?
PHILLIPS: When I was in college, yeah. They didn't let me guard him that much. I was a backup when he was (laughs)… They didn't let me go against him, but he's always had that burst and that quickness to him. He's really taken his game up but he's still the same Wan'Dale.

Q. So has it been more fun now that you can cover him and be like 'All right, I got something for you now?'
PHILLIPS: Yeah, because coach would be like 'no, you can't go against him' (laughs).

Q. How does the mindset change now from the preseason to preparing for regular season games?
PHILLIPS: Now it's just really focusing on what we have to do every day and just getting ready for the season coming up, so like just getting ready, doing what we got to do. Today, it was different situations and whatnot but focus on us right now and just trying to get better for Week 1.

Q. Does the 3-0 preseason reinforce the optimism that you guys had when you reported to camp and can that carry over to the regular season?
PHILLIPS: Yeah, it's encouraging. It's encouraging but we still got 17 games so it's encouraging but you have to put it behind you and work for a new kind of goal I guess.

Q. How much is the takeaway chest motivating you guys so far?
PHILLIPS: That's just really cool. That's a cool little treat. You get a turnover; you can go slam it in the chest and it's a cool little thing. Coach (defensive coordinator) Shane (Bowen), he talks about being a pirate so it kind of adds a little something to it, kind of an identity.

Q. For you, what does that mean? Being a pirate?
PHILLIPS: Just try to get as many turnovers as possible, get in the chest. It's kind of a fun thing we have but like kind of bring a mindset to it. You want to be able to go out there and take the ball back, not just let them come to you but there's different things like punching at balls, or jumping routes, so you just go get the ball back. It kind of makes it more fun.

Q. Does it have more meaning after last year you guys didn't get as many takeovers as you wanted?
PHILLIPS: No, we always wanted to get takeaways, but we just hope to get more this year.

Q. How would you describe yourself as a player going into this season vs. where you were last year?
PHILLIPS: Like where I've grown from last year? I'd just say my knowledge on the field . Last year, it was just really fast. I was young but I feel like I've really learned the game and it's slowed down for me a lot so I can make adjustments and calls on the field that I wouldn't have made last year, I would've missed out on, see things that the offenses are doing so it's a lot of growth, especially just mentally. I bring a lot of what I do on the field but that mental parts is what I've grown in.

Q. You've mentioned the mental part before. How much does that translate when you play into the physical part? You know where need to be, you can communicate there…
PHILLIPS: Yeah, it helps me play faster, like I get a step on things and of course, I came with the physicality but now I can like I guess get another step faster to it. I kind of know what's coming instead of just like seeing ball and going and playing ball. I can kind of anticipate better.

Wide Receiver Wan'Dale Robinson

Q: Have you personally approached this week knowing that the game you might want to be focusing on is still a ways away, but as much as you put focus on yourselves, I've got to imagine that it starts kicking up a little bit.

ROBINSON: We're definitely excited to get going. I'm just trying to take it each day, one at a time and continue to get better. And then whenever game week comes and Sunday comes, we'll be ready to kick off, be ready to go.

Q: (Quarterback) Russ (Wilson) has obviously been doing this a long time. What have you learned from working with him in the last several weeks?

ROBINSON: Just the attention to detail. Everything, whenever it comes to routes, he wants to know exactly where you're going to be in certain spots, and he's just going to let you know exactly what he needs out of you, which is definitely something that I feel like we've needed as a whole team.

Q: How would you describe how you feel about the offense after seeing what you saw during the preseason?

ROBINSON: I feel confident. I think we worked really, really hard this summer, doing a lot of different things and getting a lot of people involved, moving a lot of different places. I think seeing it out there in these preseason games, you kind of saw, even if it wasn't the starters, that it was just the standard that was set just throughout camp.

Q: You've known (head coach Brian) Daboll a long time now, for a couple of years here. Do you feel like this team is closer to his personality than maybe some in the past have been?

ROBINSON: I guess you could say that it's definitely all of his guys now, I guess you could say. I definitely think we all have similar mindsets, and at the end of the day, just want to go out there and win.

Q: What has it been like going up against (cornerback) Dru (Phillips) now? What are those matchups like?

ROBINSON: Oh, I mean, they're fun. A little bit back to whenever we were at Kentucky, he was a younger guy at the time, but he's definitely come into his own, and I'm really, really excited to see how he plays this year. He gives me a handful of problems during camp. He's like a little pest, I like to say. But no, he's a really, really good football player, though.

Q: Well, was he that way in Kentucky? Because he told us that you guys didn't really match up against each other. But what was that like seeing him as a young pup at Kentucky?

ROBINSON: Exactly. It was like, okay, this kid is really athletic. Just really waiting to see what he can do once he actually gets his opportunities out there on the field. And then obviously made the most of him and got him here, so I'm happy he's here, too.

Q: So you didn't really go up against him, right?

ROBINSON: Not too much. He was on the scout team, doing those kinds of things, but obviously now he's definitely grown into one hell of a player.

Q: And then last year, when you saw him, did he kind of be like, 'I got something for you?' Did you kind of get that sense?

ROBINSON: I mean, yeah, a little bit. I mean, we were definitely going back and forth. He was like, 'I'm not the same kid I was at Kentucky,' that I saw at least, but it's been definitely great to go against him for the past two years.

Q: You talk about Russ and the attention to detail. Some of the guys have said he sends them individualized text messages. The idea of, I think at one point, (offensive lineman) Jermaine (Eluemunor) told the story about how he kind of snapped at him when he wasn't necessarily running on that 80-yard play. What have you seen? Is there something you can point to about the two of you together?

ROBINSON: I mean, anytime I run around, I'm always going to ask him, 'hey, was that good for you?' Just always making sure that we're on the same page. But we haven't had anything, I guess you could say, to that extent. I always try to make sure I'm doing the right thing, running to the ball. But yes, I mean, it's just like I said, the attention to detail, just the want to be great is exactly what you get out of him.

Q: It takes some getting used to, to be walking off the field this preseason with the 30s on the scoreboard?

ROBINSON: Yeah, I mean, it won't take some getting used to. We'll be happy for it, no doubt. But yeah, we came into the locker room after each game and said like, this is what we want after each game. We want to come in here happy, scoring 30 points with a win.

Q: Do you think you can do that? Is this offense capable of hitting that benchmark?

ROBINSON: Yeah, I think so. At the end of the day too, we still have to go out there and prove it and go out there and put points up on them.

Q: What has been your biggest takeaway out of (quarterback Jaxson) Dart in his first preseason?

ROBINSON: He's got some moxie to him. I mean, it's just really exciting out there watching him play. It looked like he was all in command and knowing exactly where he needed to go with the ball. A couple of the older receivers that we were talking, we were like, this is going to be a pretty good quarterback once he knows exactly all the checks and knows everything going on. It's going to be really, really exciting for him.

Q: You've been here with (quarterback) Tommy (DeVito) since the start. What do you see from him in terms of the growth as a quarterback? What do you see him as a quarterback now?

ROBINSON: I mean, he's just grown ever since he's gotten here. I remember whenever he first got here, it was like, this dude doesn't know anything going on with this offense. He's really quiet. But now, I mean, he's probably the most experienced one in that quarterback room with knowing the offense. He's just grown up a lot. I'm excited for Tommy with all the opportunities that he gets. I hope everything works out for him.

Q: He's obviously been the fourth guy here this summer, right, in regards to in line when he gets reps. Who knows what happens here in the next couple of weeks, but how much do you feel like he's shown that he can play in this league, that he's a good quality quarterback in this league?

ROBINSON: I think if you go back for the past couple of years, from whenever his rookie year, playing on that Monday night, and then even last year having to play a couple games, and even everything that he did through this preseason, I think there's plenty of tape out there that shows that he can play in this league.

Q: With Dart, how do you feel about his competitiveness? I know Daboll was talking about him not sliding and all that. But what do you feel about just him being that fiery guy where he's willing to take those hits?

ROBINSON: We love it. Obviously, you want your quarterback, you want to be able to run through a brick wall for your quarterback. When he's doing things like that, it's like, if he's going to do that for us, obviously, we'll go out there and do anything for him. So definitely want him to slide some more. He came over the sideline. We were all over that, like, 'Slide, you do not need to be taking these hits.'

I'm just ready to see him play.

Q: It wasn't too long ago you had that rookie head spin. So how impressive is it that he hasn't seemed to have that?

ROBINSON: Yeah, I mean, it's crazy. Like you just said, I remember whenever I was a rookie and everything's just going for a loop and everything's just in circles. But he's looked really, really great out there in those games and obviously I feel like he's making the right reads. I don't know the exact reads of all the quarterbacks, but he looks like he knows exactly where he has to go with the ball and put it in the right places.

Q: Fakes it pretty good if he's not.

ROBINSON: Hey, like I said, I think he's doing pretty well (laughs).

Q: This is obviously, you talk to guys every year, this is always a tough time for a locker room. You guys spend months together. What's your perspective? Has it changed over the last couple of years? I mean, you're a young guy. I can imagine you're not really sure what to expect. How do you approach the younger guys in the room?

ROBINSON: Yes, whenever guys are like, 'I don't know how I should feel' just kind of have to control what you can control. At the end of the day, our jobs aren't in the hands of us, they're in the hands of the guys upstairs. Just doing what you can to control whatever it is with your situation, just trying to make the most out of it.

Q: Is that always the weirdest practice of the year, that Wednesday after the cuts, you guys walk out here?

ROBINSON: Yeah, that Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday is whenever it feels like nobody is out here, it's just us. Obviously, just a way smaller team, it just feels really, really weird.