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Gruden Quotes - Jun. 18

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Published: June 18, 2008

HEAD COACH JON GRUDEN

(On if he is happy with the team's execution so far)
"I'm happy, really. Sometimes the defense executed, too. The two-minute drive on offense was good; we got a game-winning field goal. The second time around the defense stopped it. Some really good patterns and plays in the red zone on both sides. I don't expect it to be a lopsided butt-kicking ever. The defense will dominate here and there and I expect the offense to compete. We got a lot done today and you can be the judge of where we are."

(On practicing at the stadium)
"I think it's good. This is where we play; this is where it all happens. We've got a lot of new guys that are getting acclimated to their surroundings as we said earlier in our offseason program. This is a good way to kind of wind down right here at home."

(On BJ Askew getting involved in the passing game)
"We're going to try to do that. He's an integral part of our offense and he does have pass-receiving skills and running skills and we'd like to use all our backs. We've got a number of backs and he's certainly a guy we're going to use."

(On the offensive line)
"I don't have one word for these guys. They're a sophisticated bunch. The offensive line is very young. We've got a new center that we're breaking in, which is easier said than done. He's learning all the calls and he's a disciplined guy. We're talented, I'll say that. Whether we can get the production is another story, but we are talented."

(On Ike Hilliard)
"We've got a lot of guys coming off surgery – Galloway and I don't know how many other guys. [Hilliard] is not really 100 percent right now; he's just coming back to help and hopefully Joey and Ike will be ready to go as we hit training camp. They're our 1-2 punch in the receiving corps in terms of catches and it would be nice to have those guys out here. But Ike is valuable to us. He does a lot of things well."

(More on Hilliard)
"He played on a lot of division championship teams. He was a No. 1 draft choice. Steve Spurrier was just here the other day; he's known as his all-time favorite player, so he's got a lot going for him. For whatever reason some of the gurus don't think he's in the fantasy football team, but he's still a very good player."

(On if the team is where he'd like it to be at this stage)
"I don't know. We like certain aspects and there are other aspects where we have a long way to go. That's why we have training camp. So far the NFL hasn't called training camp off. We're going to have a good camp and try to be creative to get the reps where we get everybody acclimated. But we've got a long way to go in some areas and I think we respect that."

(On Jeff Faine)
"I love him. He's very quiet, which is a change. I'm not used to a center that's quiet, but he's very athletic. When you put the pads on, let's be honest, I think our offensive line is going to look better, I think. He's an athletic guy, a second-level guy, he's smart, a leader and tough as hell."

(On what he hopes the players do in the month before they arrive at camp)
"They know what to do. They have to take care of themselves, obviously, stay in shape, and they've got to get some rest and at the same time, they've got to get away from it some and get rejuvenated. They have to remember you're living in a glass house, so be smart. Enjoy the time, because they've really invested a lot. They've put a lot into this and don't blow it now. Come to training camp where you can showcase your best stuff, because that's what we're going to need to win."

(On the wide receiver battle)
"I'm still learning who we're playing with. Maurice Stovall hasn't taken many snaps here in the offseason, nor has Joey or Ike, and we've had a lot of injuries. So I'm still learning about Cortez Hankton and Antonio Bryant and Dexter Jackson. We have talent, we have some speed, we have some different kinds of receivers and it's going to be a grueling process. It's going to be very competitive, and we might add another receiver or two before camp, you never know."

(On getting more out of the receivers due to the competition at the spot)
"I hope so. Competition, at least in my eyes, has always been the best motivator. It's not salaries or whatever, it's competition."

(On Dre Moore)
"He still has a long way to go, I think, to master playing pro football in this area of the country. It's hot. He's going to have stamina issues until he gets himself in great shape. I think every defensive lineman, every 320-pound guy will tell you that, but he's working at it. He's a good kid and it means something to him and he's in good hands with Kurtis Shultz and Mike Morris."

(On the cannons going off)
"It scared me to death. We got down in a tight red zone and we were able to get four or five of them in there. It's hard to throw the ball down there against this defense. A lot of different zone combinations and we'd like to hear those cannons roar a little bit this year."

(On the red zone offense)
"We work at it hard as we always do. Looking back at it, we had some horrific things occur. We dropped touchdown passes, we fumbled the snap on the 1-yard line, and statistically speaking, those things, if you just read stats, catch up to you. But we did have some very good executions, sustained drives, and our goal-to-go offense was pretty good. But to be one of the top teams in football, you've got to score touchdowns there and it's getting harder and harder every year."

(On the roster limits)
"It's concerning. I don't know why we have 80 guys. I don't know why it can't be 180, but we've got 80 guys. I'm sure there are going to be a couple guys on every team that are going to be PUP. Probably going to have a few kickers and long snappers and three or four, five, six quarterbacks or however many we end up taking, who knows. But it limits the amount of guys that practice and therefore the number of reps you can get. When you're out there with a 100-plus heat index it's something you've got to keep your eye on. Still, repetition is the mother of learning. That's the way I've been brought up in this business. We have to get the work done, but we have to do it creatively. Some of the reps might not be full-speed reps, but we'll have to do the best we can."

(On if he has a good idea who the 80 guys will be or if he needs more time)
"We've got some tough calls. We don't have any more time. We're going to have to make some tough decisions. When the rookies sign, they obviously have to have room on the roster to come to camp, so there are some tough decisions. It's emotional for me, because you haven't seen these guys out here in April, May and June, but they've been out here working hard. You'd like to afford them an opportunity to benefit from the hard work."

(On the training camp schedule)
"We tweak it every year. Everybody remembers last year, seven or eight or 12 or 15 guys had individual schedules. That's just the way it is. Guys at certain stages of their careers will have a different schedule than a guy at another stage of his career. But we are tweaking and hopefully we have a training camp schedule that gets our football team ready for the regular season. But there have been some modifications."

(On if he's considered night practices)
"Yeah, we're going to have a night practice this year. I want to see our new punt returners and kick returners handle the ball in the lights. We're going to play a Monday Night game; we're going to play against Miami in the lights, so we'll go out there and let our returners and receivers handle the ball. It's part of our evaluation. Some guys can't find the ball in the nighttime as well as they can in the daytime. I was one of those receivers."

(On if Jeff Garcia has looked sharp so far)
"Yeah, he's been exceptional here the last two days. You saw him earlier in seven-on-sevens. He's had a great camp for us. He's leaps and bounds ahead of where he was this time last year."

(On how much stock he puts in minicamps before going to training camp)
"It's hard. Practicing against each other is hard. The offense knows the defense's calls, the defense knows the offense's calls and the audibles. After a while these guys need to get the hell out of here and get away from each other where they forget all the terms they learned, so we can come to training camp and have a legitimate practice again. It's been tough and very competitive. These guys have a lot of pride and that's one of the reasons that I'm very proud of this team."

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