Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III talks with reporters on Wednesday. Washington opens its 2014 NFL home schedule on Sunday against Jacksonville.
Quarterback Robert Griffin III
On avoiding an 0-2 start and if he can think about the big picture like that:
“No, our focus is on Jacksonville. We have got to get to 1-1. They’re trying to get to 1-1, and it’s a home game and we want to make sure we take care of our home games, win those bad boys not only for our season, but for our fans. We want to go out there and put on a show and we have got to do that by scoring points and winning the football game. That’s the only way to do it.”
On what he told Head Coach Jay Gruden about his preferences for running the ball:
“Jay runs the offense. Whatever he calls, him and Sean [McVay] and Coach [Chris] Foerster and those guys get together and they put together a great game plan and we’re supposed to go out there and execute it. That’s my job, my job is to master the game plan and go out there and run the offense. So, me running, when the opportunity presents itself, it happens and it happened in this last game, just didn’t get very many opportunities with that. But we’re not going to sit here and talk about trying to find different ways for me to run.”
On what he learned from film of the Houston game:
“It’s not always as bad as you think. We went out there and we did execute well, we just hurt ourselves in the red zone with the turnovers and we can’t do that. Aside from that, we moved the ball extremely well, we did execute well at times. We just have got to be more consistent and put it all together.”
On his decisions to run against Houston:
“I just don’t think that the opportunity presented itself for me to gash the defense in that way. It’s always a threat, it’s always there. I’m not trying to stay in the pocket just to play quarterback. I’m trying to play the game at an efficient level, a high level and be what my team needs me to be to win. And, if that calls on Coach calling more run plays, then I’m all for it, and if it doesn’t and we continue to run the offense that we have, then I’ll do that too and we’ll execute it to a T and go win football games. It’s really just up to what Coach wants us to do and we’ll go execute it. ”
On how important it is to take shots downfield and what he sees from Jacksonville’s defense:
“When you have weapons like Pierre [Garçon] and DeSean [Jackson] and Andre [Roberts], these guys can really go deep down the field. You want to get them opportunities and we had a couple in the game, we just didn’t come down with them. Yeah, we have got to find ways to open those guys up more down the field. I don’t think that’s any secret. You want to be able to be efficient and hit the underneath stuff but you also have to get those home run shots in every now and then. We’ll work on getting that. And then, as far as the Jags defense, they’re a really good defense. They did get to [Nick] Foles early and often in that game. We’re going to have to go out and it’s the name of the game every single week, you have got to go out and execute your game plan and just dictate to the defense what they’re going to do and they’re going to try to dictate to us. It’s all a play on words and word games, but, you know, we just want to go play. Just go play football. ”
On Gruden saying the team should probably have run the ball more against Houston with Alfred Morris:
“Yeah, if that’s how Coach feels, then dial him up. We can give it to Alfred 40-50 times a game. You know, none of us are really worried about numbers, we just want to win football games and that’s what it takes, whatever it takes to win games, that’s our mindset. We didn’t do what it took to win that game and like I said after the game, it starts with me, I’ll be better. They go as I go, that’s not just something that you say, it’s something you believe and I believe it. As long as I play better and get us in better situations, we’ll go out and win football games and it starts this week.”
On if he has enough time to process threats in the pocket:
“Yeah, you do have time to process it. You want to be able to step up in the pocket, kick back in the pocket when there’s no room to step up. All those things come with managing the game. I thought with the pressure that they were applying, whether it was through blitzes or through J.J. Watt and some of those guys, we did a good job maneuvering in the pocket, but they made some plays on us that we can’t allow them to make.”
On not having wide receiver Santana Moss or tight end Jordan Reed available for most of the game:
“Yeah, it hurts you obviously. No one expects Jordan to go down as quick as he did, but the guys stepped in. Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen did a great job coming in, filling that void, running the plays and executing the game plan. Yeah, it’s going to hurt that Jordan’s not out there. We have to continue to try to go out there and continue to execute our offense, and I think those guys can do it.”
On if Jacksonville’s defense under Head Coach Gus Bradley is similar to Bradley’s defense in Seattle:
“Oh, without a doubt. They have got very similar techniques to what Seattle does. They throw in a little bit of different things. Seattle has the personnel and the players to whatever they want. Jacksonville has those players too. I’m sure we’ll see a little bit everything, but you can kind of look at Seattle’s defense and know what to expect from them, and I’m sure they’ll throw a wrinkle in here or there because that’s why you play football, that’s why you game plan.”
On what the team needs to do to escape defensive pressure and make plays downfield:
“Game plan and find ways to make it happen. At the end of the day, we run the plays that Coach calls, and we have to execute those plays. It’s not on him, it’s not on anybody else. It’s on us. So, if we get a chance to get one of those shots, we have got to come down with it. We’ll get those, we’ll get those for sure.”
On if it will be a point of emphasis this week to avoid sacks:
“Oh, it’s always a point of emphasis. The sack in the two-minute drill on the screen, trying to throw the ball away, you can’t take that sack. I think it was J.J. Watt that got me on that one. You can’t take that sack. I looked at the film. We all looked at the film, and that’s something you go to your offensive line and say, ‘Hey, sorry about that one, guys. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.’ And earlier in the game, D.J. Swearinger sacked me on a keeper and that can’t happen either. So, I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again but it’s not something that is never not an emphasis. It’s always an emphasis and I will continue to emphasize it.”
On NFL players’ response to news surrounding former Baltimore running back Ray Rice:
“I think for me personally and a lot of guys in that locker room, it’s not about us. I personally am praying for Ray Rice and his family, and I hope they can get through this. But, it’s not about us and ‘the shield,’ and I know everyone wants to say it makes the NFL look bad, but it’s more about them right now. So I don’t want us to feel like we’re being selfish and making this about us. It’s about Ray Rice, his family and what they’re having to go through and having to deal with on TV every single day. Once again, praying for Ray Rice and his family.”
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