Washington Redskins' head coach Joe Gibbs and quarterback Mark Brunell quotes during a conference call with
Houston media Wednesday morning.
*Head coach Joe Gibbs *
(on starting the season 0-2) "I don't know how you can put that in words. This is what you spend your life doing and you are extremely disappointed by it. It's something that can happen to you in life, yes, particularly up here. I think that teams are very close and we've got great coaches in the league and certainly for six weeks, they've been doing a better job than I've been doing."
(on assistant head coach/defense Greg Williams) "I think our defense, you're judged most of the type by your performance, certainly our defense for the first two years that we're here, I felt were great performances. To see that staff come together the way they did, Greg will be the first to tell you that it's (defensive coordinator) Greg Blache, it's (linebackers) Dale Lindsey, (safeties) Steve Jackson, (defensive line) Kirk Olivadotti, (secondary/cornerbacks) Jerry Gray, all those guys that have done a great job with Greg's leadership. I think he's very knowledgeable and he's put together very good defenses for us in the first two years. Much better than what anybody thought could be done."
(on Williams being a head coach again) "Yes. I think probably last year. To be truthful, I think every head coaching job he would have been up for it had he not made the decision that he wasn't going to leave."
(on QB Mark Brunell) "I think we thought a lot of Mark. We got him, obviously, to come here, we think he's a proven guy. He's been to the championship game, he's won a bunch of games up here, he's a great person and a great competitor. Last year was one of his absolutely best years in the NFL. He took us for eleven wins I that process. We think a lot of him, we think he's a very, very good leader and he's meant a lot to us."
(on thinking about turning to QB Jason Campbell) "I think what you do as a coach you go off your instincts and what you feel. And lots of times the easiest person to blame is the quarterback, if the offense is struggling. I've always been much more looking at everything that the offense has, any problems that you might be having there because normally the quarterback mirrors the problems going on with the offense. Easiest thing in the world is to blame the quarterback, I kind of made a history, for me personally, of Mark and we think he's our guy."
(on assistant head coach/defense Al Saunders) "I felt that, in analyzing things in the off-season, you're always try to think of ways to get ahead. Every off-season is big up here because everybody is rapidly changing, moving ahead, there's new strategies and new ways to get things done. So what you're trying to do is do the best job you can of staying ahead of everybody else. Obviously I haven't done a very good job of that right now, but in the process I've known Al for a long time, watched him for a long time. Felt like he came from pretty much the same offensive tree as I did, and numbering systems and everything are exactly the same. He's uses* *Don Coryell's system and he's been with Ernie Zampese, who I was with a long time, had a big influence on me. They ran the ball extremely well, they were well balanced and they led the league in total offense over the last five years. So I felt that by us taking a big step up last year and I think we wound up like 11 th on the league in total offense all the way up from 28. I felt like by brining Al in, what we could do is add a lot of the things that he was doing in Kansas City with a lot of the things we do. We felt like we took a step up and so it remains to be seen how high it's going to go. You're always judged on the performance on the field and everything, so we need to get it going if we can."
(on Texans' fans being mad at 0-2) "I think, first of all, if you take a look at Gary and I think it always starts with past history for me. He's been in this league a long time, 21 years. I think he's had two losing seasons. I think you've got somebody, as a matter of fact, when we looked at a lot of the game plans of people that are in our division, or people that are playing people in our division, if Denver was in there, we'd want Denver game plans. Because we felt they were some of the most brilliant offensive plans that you could come up with. And I felt like last year, their game plan against Philadelphia in our division was probably the best that I'd seen and consistently doing that and I think he was a big part of that. So I think you've got to take past history, now you've stepped into being a head coach, yeah you're right we started at 0-5 , I thought I'd be the first guy to ever get fired and never win a game. What happens is with so many new changes and everything, I don't have that experience I wish I did this year, you have so many changes with being a head coach and getting all the personnel and getting to know the organization structure and getting a familiarity with your players is a big deal and so I think what Gary's done, they were 3-1 in preseason, we couldn't do that. We were trying hard and we went 0-4. I think what you've got there, if you take a look at it, is somebody (whose) team is playing hard, our special teams coach said he felt they were the best we'll play and have played this entire year. I think that offensively right now they've got a quarterback that is averaging well over 100 in his ratings. They've got two outstanding receivers, I think offensively they're on the move to doing what he wants and defensive they're hustling over the ball hard. And so I kind of take a look at it and say they could have, you can conceivably see them winning either one of those games if things go their way. I think for all of those reasons you kind of look at it and say this guys is one of the premiere head coaching prospects that's come along."
(on QB David Carr) "I think he's showing right now, first of all, I haven't spent a lot of time studying him or anything. I can only tell you what we kind of see, what the defensive coaches what they relate to me is he's playing at a high level, he's very accurate. I think that everybody in that organization, Charlie Casserly, felt like he was their guy to lead them. That says a lot. Because the people inside the organization know him well and they've kind of been there living it with him and everybody there thought he was the guy. Which I'd have to say, he sure looks like he is, and I think they've got a young guy that's got a very bright future. He's a guy that I know I'd say they've got themselves a heck of a quarterback, talent and you have to think that he's going to have a great future."
(on RB Clinton Portis absence affecting offense) "I'm not sure. Sometimes you have really good players that miss games and you have to have other players step up. We feel like we have good depth there with (Betts) Ladell and TJ (Duckett) and Rock (Cartwright). That can happen to you. As far as how much, it's hard for me to quantify. And as far as his status goes, he didn't practice last week. We're kind of taking it day to day this week. I think he's scheduled to practice today (Wednesday)."
(on S Sean Taylor's focus on football) "I would say that Sean's entire preseason and regular season and off-season has been exemplary, top-flight. Sean has made every practice, has made every play. We feel like he's a leader for us. I just had a conversation with him a little while ago telling him how much I respect how he plays and his leadership. He's done nothing this entire year, I think he's matured and I think he's certainly one of our absolute best, not only players but leaders on our football team. We're proud to have him back there. We think a lot about him."
(on feeling confident against the Texans' defense) "Our offense has struggled since day one. I think we scored two touchdowns. I think we've given up a ton of points with our defense in our first six games. I think that you have to say that everybody up here is extremely concerned. I think what you've got in Houston, we're going to their place, play at their place in front of their crowd, against a young football team. We talked about their special teams and some of their people they have. And I would say for us, now, we have not played good football. It's been six straight weeks, our offense has not been productive and so I would think that right now you have to look at it and say that there's nothing there that would say to us anything but that we're the underdog in it, as far as I'm concerned. We haven't played well this year and some of our performances have not been good this year and I think that's the way I see it."
QB Mark Brunell
(on starting the season 0-2) "Well, I can speak for us. I think we have struggled on offense, haven't scored enough points, we lack the consistency we had hoped for. Defensively, I think we have given up more points than we are accustomed to giving up, but we just haven't been playing very solid football, but hopefully we can turn that around."
(on two 0-2 teams facing) "Well, I think both teams, because they are hungry for a win, are going to come in and give it their all. We look at Houston on film, guys are flying around, they have a lot of speed, play real physical, and so we expect to see Houston's best. They have some good player. So we know coming into their place we're in for a tough challenge."
(on whether Coach Gibbs is too conservative to let WR Antwaan Randle El in a passing situation) "I don't know. I'm certain if we were going to do it I wouldn't tell you guys."
(on what S Adam Archuleta had added to the defense) "Well, Adam (Archuleta) is a smart guy, a veteran guy that is just very talented. He is a physical safety. He'll hit you. He's smart. He's just a good player. We're fortunate to have him."
