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Press Conference: Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden

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redskins_scriptrWashington Redskins coach Jay Gruden talks with reporters on Friday. The Redskins (3-7) play at the San Francisco 49ers (6-4) in NFL action on Sunday at 4:25 p.m.

 

On the injury report:

Chris Baker did not participate. He is out. Shawn Lauvao was limited. He’s questionable. Jordan Reed did not participate. He is also out. Trent Williams did not participate. He’s questionable. Trent Murphy was full today. He is probable.”

On if there is more optimism today regarding tackle Trent Williams:

“Yeah, he’s made some progress in the training room. Yes, there is a little bit more, but we’ll see how it goes. The five-hour flight and all that stuff, that will be a big deal, how he gets off the plane., [if it] swells back up. So, we’ll see.”

On if Barry Cofield, Jr. was eased in at defensive end because of the physical demand of playing nose tackle:

“Yes, and with Baker being out now, Cofield’s going to have to play more nose, and obviously [Kedric] Golston is going to play some more nose. It’s demanding in there, man. Those guys bump and grind all day long. They have got to hold up centers. They have got to work off double teams. They have got to stay in their gap, and it’s not easy with those big linemen pushing you down and double-teaming you. So, yes, it’s important to have a good rotation and to make sure the guy is 100 percent healthy and in good shape before you ask him to do a lot of snaps.”

On Cofield’s snap count:

“Well, he’s going to play more now, especially with Baker not going. But, we feel like he’s in good shape. He’s done good. Last week he did a good job for the reps he has, but we still have a real good rotation with Baker not going. We still have [Stephen] Bowen, we still have Golston, we still have obviously Barry. So, we have a good rotation. They can still get their rest when they need it.”

 

On if the players blocked out the early part of the week and had a good week of practice:

“I don’t think anybody really used it as a distraction. I think our guys came out, they met and they practiced hard like they always do. Practices weren’t prefect by any stretch. We got a lot of coaching done and a lot of plays in and I think the past is the past. I think the guys that have been here kind of have a pretty good understanding of what it is like to be a Washington Redskin with the media, so they understand it a little bit more than some of the young guys, but it wasn’t a distraction.”

 

On San Francisco’s pass rush with Aldon Smith and Justin Smith:

“Well, there’s a couple on the other side that are pretty good, too. They are very good at what they do and that’s rush the passer when they get you to third down. The whole thing about offensive football – no matter where you are, whether it’s here or anywhere you go – it’s about rhythm, it’s about precision, it’s about accuracy and making good, sound decisions. And if the pocket breaks down, that’s where you’ve got to use your athleticism, make good decisions or throw it away. So hopefully Robert [Griffin III] will make good decisions come Sundaybecause there will be some times where everything is not going to be perfect and he is going to have to make a decision, either abort ship or get the ball out of his hands, throw it away and not take a negative play.”

 

On if it helps to face a similar scheme in practice every day:

“Yeah, it does, schematically they are very similar. They do a little bit of different things on the back end and obviously the players are a lot different, but overall going against them in training camp has helped a little bit. We know how to go against this style of defense. Hopefully we use that to our advantage but we have to just let it go on Sunday.”

 

On if quarterback Robert Griffin III’s progress with his decision making is evident in practice:

“He makes progress in practice, no question. He doesn’t make every read perfect and sometimes you’ve got to rep something again to make sure everything is right but it’s just part of playing the position. And then come game day, you script a certain play against a certain coverage in practice but on game day you might get something totally different where you have to adjust. Every time you go into the game as a quarterback you are prepared for what you think you are going to see but you also have to react to some other things that could come up. Somebody might miss a block or a blitz that you haven’t seen or something. Some of it is a leap of faith where, hey, you’ve just got to adjust and know where to go with the ball versus certain things and the more he plays the better he will get at that.”

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