The Washington Redskins lost a heart breaker to the Dallas Cowboys this past Sunday at FedEx Field 27-23. Washington Redskins Notes & Quotes Week 2.
REDSKINS QB KIRK COUSINS
On how he played during the game:
“Yeah, it wasn’t good enough, obviously. I need to play better. I can play better, and I believe going forward I will play better.”
On losing to the Cowboys:
“It’s hard to answer just because, like you said, I do want to credit the Cowboys. They did a great job. They played hard, made plays and they made more plays than we did and that’s the bottom line.”
On comparing the start of last season to now:
“I think we just need to be mentally and emotionally tough right now. When you make it all the way to the NFL, this is not the first time you face adversity on the football field. We’re going to have to regroup and just come back as a stronger group together. Adversity is a part of playing this game and we’re certainly facing a little bit. We have to rise to that challenge moving forward.”
On the red zone:
“Without watching the film, I may be speaking incorrectly, but there were a couple of times potentially where we were expecting, or I was expecting, a different look than what they played. Again, I don’t know that I fully [correct] the same evidence that I felt on the field, and you know, obviously anytime you don’t go in and get a touchdown, you feel like you did something that wasn’t good enough. We feel like we can be better in the red zone. It’s the same thing in any game when you come up short or when you win. You can go back and point to red zone offense or converting third downs or protecting the football. It’s reasons for a win or a loss. Right now in those areas, I don’t know if we’re good enough or if we’ve been good enough. I think what’s disappointing is we feel like there is the talent, there is the capability to be very good in those areas and we’ve shown that. So, we just have to do it more consistently than what we are right now.”
On the interception:
“I felt like I needed to work not off-schedule, but just needed to let the play develop a little longer. Backside safety made a good play coming over. He was the one who made the play. I thought that once Pierre [Garçon] got around the near safety that I had a space in the back of the end zone between the two safeties and I could throw that ball. When you wait that long and look at it that long, that’s when the backside safety is able to make their way over and that’s what happened.”
On the frustration of an 0-2 start:
“Yeah, I think no matter what we face, we always have to focus on what are the positives, what do we have to look forward to, what do we have to get done going forward, and I think to just dwell on frustration or dwell on ‘would’ve, could’ve, should’ve’ isn’t going to get us anywhere. That wouldn’t be a mentally tough team. So we’re going to focus on the fact that we do have 14 weeks to go, the fact that we can identify where we are coming up short, and the fact that we know we can be better and have a glass-half- full approach, and I think that’s our best chance to play better in the future.”
On overthrowing wide receivers:
“I have to watch the film to go back and say what exactly took place, but the one to DeSean [Jackson], I felt like I needed to let it go pretty deep and just misjudged it. I mean, you’re talking about throwing the ball 60 yards and the difference of three or four yards is small comparably, but it’s the difference between making a catch or a punt and in hindsight, I would’ve taken a little off that one. The other one to Jamison [Crowder], I think I just led him up the field more than his route was initially taking him. Again, I need to go back and watch the film and see it, but part of me thinks he breaks at a certain angle. I threw it at a slightly different angle and that margin of error is so small and we’ll go back and look at it and maybe I hold onto the ball a tick longer to see the angle he’s coming out at. Those are the types of things we’ll go back and try to go over.”
On Head Coach Jay Gruden saying he needs to step up:
“Yeah, I think this is a quarterback-driven league. I think on our team, I need to play at a high level week-in and week-out and I don’t think that is any mystery. You mention that quote as if it’s surprising or determines something and I would say that’s common sense.”
On the fourth-and- 1 play:
“They played man coverage and we talked about if they go to man coverage to get to a certain route and combination. I didn’t like my initial option, so I had to get off of that and went to where I threw the football and taking a little longer to get there that allowed the inside linebacker a chance to make a play on the ball, so this is where you say, ‘Good play by them.’ They made plays too.”
On WR DeSean Jackson’s limited touches:
“It’s a mixture of things. On the play we hit Josh Doctson deep, and again I don’t have film to go off of, but I think DeSean [Jackson] was wide open. So there are times when I could’ve thrown to DeSean [Jackson] and when I could’ve thrown to Josh [Doctson]. If we’re getting a 50-yard gain on either one, I don’t know if I would say they took him away on that play. Sometimes it’s just where the football goes, but I think when you hit a 30-yard route to a guy, I think it’s smart by Dallas to say we’re not going to let him have a big day and they were able to do some things in coverage that do make it harder to get him the ball. Again, there were other opportunities where maybe the ball just went somewhere else and could’ve gone to him.”
On losing to Dallas:
“This game, this rivalry means so much to this fan base and we want to do everything in our power to give those fans something to cheer about and I’ve said for a long time, those fans are dying to cheer for us and looking for any reason to get behind us and support us and that’s why we want to work so hard to provide a good product they can get behind. All we can do now is look forward to the 14 games ahead and hopefully we deliver. We knew it was an important game. I think everybody played hard and the effort is there, but it is a small margin for error and we weren’t on the right side of it today.”
On the feeling of back-to- back losses:
“It’s a bad taste in our mouth. Going down 0-2, and definitely losing to the Cowboys, it was a big game and we just came up short.”
On his performance and how it changed his mindset of going inside:
“Oh, man, it was just getting into a rhythm and just getting downhill, getting ready for contact. It was a big game and just getting better every week. I just want to keep running like that and hopefully we come out with some victories later on.”
On what will get the team through this rough stretch:
“Like I said, we’ve got a bad taste in our mouth and we’re going to come to practice ready to go next week. We’re just going to hit it hard. Like I said, I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth, so I’m going to really get around the guys and try to pick them up and try to get it done. We can’t dwell on the past, we have to put it past us and get ready for next week.”
On his touchdown run:
“Yeah, I knew I was in. But it doesn’t mean anything without a ‘W.’”
On the offense’s red zone struggles:
“Obviously that’s what’s causing us to lose right now. We’re 0-2 at home. We’re just sticking ourselves in the foot with a knife. We had some great opportunities driving the ball down the field and just came up short.”
On the difference in the offense now compared to the end of last season:
“It’s not my job to pinpoint. I’m here to make plays, do the best I can and come out and be successful. We’ll watch film and see what’s going on and fix it. That’s all I can say.”
On building on the opportunities they had:
“I think everyone’s doing a good job of at least getting the ball down there. Once we get in there in that red area, we have to figure out how to come out on top of something. Instead of field goals, six points. It’s frustrating, 0-2. It’s not a good feeling.”
On the game:
“We just made it tough on ourselves. Division opponent came in today, we weren’t able to come away with a victory, but we get another opportunity.”
On the frustration of not being able to get into the end zone:
“I just can’t put my finger on it at the moment. I think it’s hard to analyze what’s going on, but it’s not my business or my right to analyze. I leave that up to the coaches and the upper management. That’s their job. For an organization like this that has so many terrific people and specialists, they’re going to do their best to make it right. So we’re all counting on one another and I look forward to the next match. I look forward to it.”
On his first Redskins-Cowboys game:
“To be out there playing against Dallas, it was great. It was great to being out there. I’m having a lot of fun. These guys are awesome, just being in the locker room. A lot of good talent. The energy that we were able to blend together has been unparalleled. Like I said, I’m having a wonderful time.”
On what causes the pre-snap penalties:
“That’s another area we have to get better at. My teammates, myself, we all have to get better at being more disciplined. As you know, it’s not just about the red zone. It’s about being onside and not getting those penalties that could hurt us and put us in bad situations. So we have to correct that as well and get ready for the next opponent.”
On the red zone struggles:
“We’ve got to be better. You can’t be coming away with three in the red zone.”
On the poor play so far:
“It’s frustrating, man, it’s frustrating, especially when you know you can play better. I’d say we were out- manned and we just didn’t have the people to compete, but that’s just not the case. Self-inflicting wounds. We just have to be better. We can’t blame it on rust anymore, we just have to put our best foot forward.”
On if rust was a factor in the Pittsburgh game:
“I’m not saying rust is a factor for anything. That tends to be what everyone blames it on at the beginning of the season, but I don’t believe that that’s the case with us. We just have to focus, man. We’ve got the talent, I just think that we thought the talent would overtake at times, but we really have to focus.”
On rebounding from the slow start:
“We just have to show up to work on Tuesday with a mindset that we aren’t going to pout, we aren’t going tofeel sorry for ourselves. We are 0-2, we know the season isn’t over, but we do have to pick it up. We have to get some tempo. We can’t just sit around and expect the light to just turn on. We have to kind of force the issue.”
On the Cowboys’ rushing attack:
“Their run is such a point of emphasis, they’ve got so many good backs, with their offensive line you are really trying to hunker down on the run game, so it was a good job by them to prep for that.”
On falling to 0-2:
“It’s still a long season. We have 14 games left, two disappointing games so far. We dropped two at home, which is really not good, but we’ve still got a long way to go and we’ve got to come back and prepare well this week for New York.”
On getting the team ready after two disappointing losses:
“It starts with Tuesday when we get back in the building. You know, injured guys have to get treatment tomorrow, just got to come back ready to play. It’s a long season and we got a long way to go so, no one is going in the tank yet. It’s two disappointing home losses, but we’ve got a long season to go.”
On the opportunities to win this game:
“Yeah, it’s disappointing. We didn’t close them out defensively. We couldn’t get off the field when we needed to and have got to do better on that touchdown run by Alfred [Morris]. Got to be more gap sound.”
On if the Redskins did anything better in Week 2:
“Yeah, I feel like we got after the quarterback a little better but it’s also part of the scheme. Pittsburgh was getting the ball out so quick, they weren’t going to let us have an impact on the game, but I thought we rushed the passer a little better today. We’ve still got to be better against the run.”
On staying positive this week:
“Knowing it’s a long season. We’ve still got 14 opportunities, so you can’t go in the tank yet. That’s it.”
On success of LB Trent Murphy:
“Yeah, he did really well. He had a great week of practice, so I’m not really surprised he did so well. He’s really improved his craft over the years. He did well today.”
On the offense:
“We just have to execute. We just have to keep Kirk [Cousins] safe and give him time back there to allow him to do his job.”
On the running game today:
“Yeah, you know, we’re just trying to improve every day, take what Coach [Bill] Callahan gives us on the field during practice and take it out during gameplay. We just need to keep improving.”
On the frustration of being 0-2:
“Oh, it’s very frustrating. I said before, we have to take advantage of the home crowd. We’re 0-2 at home right now, but we just have to watch film and improve on that.”
On staying positive with 14 games to go:
“We have 14 games left. We still have plenty of time to turn things around and that’s what we’re going to do. We have a day off tomorrow and we’ll come in Tuesday and turn things around.”
On adjusting the coverage in the second half:
“They chose to match up at the end of the fourth quarter, and that’s what we did.”
On if the adjustment affected his assignment:
“No, not really. Just go to the opposite side and do the same thing. I mean, I used to play on that side. It wasn’t hard to adjust.”
On how he feels about his performance:
“Yeah, I feel like I played pretty good. I made some mistakes out there. I could have been more aggressive, but I felt like I played pretty good.”
On the amount of attention he got last week:
“Man, I don’t follow that. That don’t bother me. I come to play ball every day, you know what I mean? Do my job every week. They can go to hell, all I care.”
On the sense of urgency being down 0-2:
“The urgency is immediate. We got to come out here and win. We can’t go 0-3. Season is shot if you go 0-3; our goals aren’t going to be able to be accomplished.”
On the level of frustration in the locker room:
“I mean, it’s frustrating, but I mean, we can’t be mad at nobody but ourselves. We have to go out there and play better.”
On if he is still processing the loss:
“Yeah, I mean, we lost. Got to tip your caps off to the guys, you know. Gave it our all, put our best foot forward, guess it wasn’t good enough so you’ve got to get back on the practice field and go a little bit harder, a little bit extra, continue to fight hard and not be down on ourselves. That is all I think. The thing is you’ve just got to execute when our number is called and do the things we’re supposed to do—do things our coaches ask us to do. Execute better, I think that’s the biggest thing. Win these games that come down to one or two plays.”
On what led to the strategy change in the fourth quarter:
“I don’t know, ask Coach [Jay Gruden] that. Don’t ask me. I’m one of the soldiers on the field so you’ve got to ask the field generals on the sidelines.”
On what he thought about the strategy change:
“Like I said, I’m asked to do what I am asked to do. All this and the coaches ask me to do something, I’m going to do it to the full extent of it of my abilities, and I’m going to get the job done and execute flawlessly and that’s what I did. Sucks that we came up a little short, but at the end of the day, you take solace in understanding that God gave us these challenges to see if we can overcome and be stronger from it, so of course we are going to get back out there and start on Tuesday and get to work.”
On when the strategic change was made:
“I don’t know, I mean, he’s in one time, out one time, I was just doing what I was asked to do, giving it my all no matter what the situation is, who I am facing, who I am not facing. I just want to win so, it really don’t matter to me.”
On if miscommunications were the causes of the offensive miscues:
“No, there was no miscommunication. We just need to execute better. I guess it just goes back to we need to practice harder. We just have to execute better. I have to execute better.”
On what helped the first drive of the second half:
“I guess we just changed the play calling a little bit. We went out there in the second half and just went a little bit faster. I guess that’s what happened.”
On playing against his hometown team:
“It probably didn’t really mean a lot. It’s just a different logo. I just wanted to win, man, I just wanted to win, that’s all.”
On his play today:
“I feel like I played OK. I wouldn’t say it was a great game for me. I just try to do what I can. Anytime I’m there, I’m just trying to get open. If Kirk [Cousins] decides to throw it my way, I just try to take advantage of the opportunity and do something for the team and put us in the best position to score.”
On what he did not like about the game today:
“I feel like that was a game that we gave away. Credit to the Cowboys, they fought. They played hard. We were in position to increase our lead, but we didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. But we still had a chance to win. We have to execute on the small things – the small details, the little details. But I feel like we’ll get back on track.”
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