In his first training camp presser as the newly minted head coach of the Washington Redskins, Jay Gruden answered questions from the media at Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center in Richmond VA. He touched on a range of topics such as quarterback Robert Griffin, III, perfecting the schedule for the players’ workouts (getting this done was stressful according to the new head coach and he was glad to get it finished), learning from past coach’s mistakes and successes, the upcoming scrimmage against the New England Patriots and the PUP list.
There was a question early on of whether there was any question of who was calling the signals for the team. Gruden’s emphatic answer was that Griffin is the best quarterback there at training camp and that he is “THE quarterback for this football team… HANDS DOWN.” Gruden also said that Griffin looks good and is in great shape. He feels Griffin is progressing with his reads and progressions and that the biggest thing the third-year man will get from going through this entire training camp and preseason is “repetition, repetition, repetition.” He said that all quarterbacks, even the elite, veteran signal-callers work at this part of training.
Several times Gruden mentioned the tempo of practices in his answers. He wants this camp to be fast and energetic; and he stressed perfecting pursuit angles and drills. Simulating game conditions is important to him.
When I asked Gruden about his thoughts on the upcoming scrimmage between the Redskins and the New England Patriots, he said he liked it. The fact that his guys would be able to “blow their bad breath on someone else for a change” was important and that his guys would not be showing “any “brotherly love” that day.
“They will have to come out and get after it,” Gruden said about the scrimmage.
Another notable thing that Gruden said when asked about the successes and failures of other coaches that have been with the franchise was that last year was last year and “we’re not going to talk about that.”
Current PUP list: Jason Hatcher, Stephen Bowen, Leonard Hankerson, Mo Hurt
Note: Gruden said that Hatcher will likely be ready sooner rather than later, before some of the other players. Hurt is evidently on the PUP list because he arrived at camp out of shape as opposed to be injured.