On Washington's offense

Yes, they have some really dynamic pieces. Obviously, Coach Fish and their offensive staff, we have a lot of respect for them in this building. He did a lot of really good things when he was here. Obviously, the quarterback is who stands out. The experience, got a chance to watch him in the other league. He's very accurate, like a coach on the field, Will Rogers is. We're going to have to do a great job in slowing him down. Then, obviously, their skill talent. I think the Coleman kid is one of the better running backs in the league that we've seen so far. Obviously, they're explosive at wide out with Boston. Obviously, Giles Jackson, who was here also. It's going to be a challenge, but we're going to be up to it.

On whether he saw Will Rogers while he was at Tennessee and whether they're using him the same at Washington

Saw a little bit of him in crossover tape. Not a lot of—we didn't get a chance to go against him. Obviously, with the system they had with Coach Leach, may he rest in peace, we always had a chance to watch how people defended them and saw the accuracy, saw the ball delivery as far as getting the ball out on time. Just the things that you see from experienced quarterbacks. I have a lot of respect for him, and I think that's carried over to Washington.

On how he would evaluate Jaishawn Barham and where he needs to improve

He's gotten better every week. I know it doesn't always show on the stat sheet or sometimes on the video, but he's getting more comfortable in the system. I think he's making a lot more tackles within the system. I think he gets frustrated. He's a dynamic guy when it comes to pressuring the quarterback, and people are IDing him, which I tell him is part of it. It helps free up some of the other guys on defense, and that's one of the things that happens when you're a good player, and especially as explosive as he is. He's been doing a better job of playing within the framework of the defense. There's things he can improve on. Obviously, it's going to be finishing plays a little better. I thought he was in position a couple times in some of those underneath passes, in particular the fourth down where if he knows where it's going and cheats a little bit toward there, the ball doesn't get completed. But those are things that as a young player, and I still call him a young player. I know he's a third-year guy that started in this league, but he's young in this system. That's going to keep getting better.

On the challenge of having a freakish athlete that needs to stay in the confines of the system

It is, but I think it's a challenge that he's embracing. I think he came here for a reason. He saw the success that we had and obviously the success that guys like Junior and Mike Barrett had in the past, and I think he understood it was going to be different, and he's getting better at it. He understands there's a lot of good players on that field with him, and he just wants to be a part of it. Anything he can do to help us win, I think he's all for it. It's always frustrating. You want guys that want to make tackles. You want guys that want to make the game-changing plays and are able to wreck offense's game plans. You want that. You don't want to take that away from them, but he's understanding how to do that within the framework of what we do.

On teams using a lot of screens against them and whether Washington does it as well

Yeah, they do it at a high level, too. They throw screens. They have some dynamic guys in space. Like I said, I talked about Giles Jackson. I talked about, obviously, Coleman, the running back. They try to get the ball in their hands in space. Screens are two-fold. Because of the pressure we can get on defense, whether it's a four-man rush or a blitz that gets the ball out of the quarterback's hands, and then it gets the ball, in their minds, in the athletic skill guy's hands to see what he can do with it. And then two-fold. That's why I said I thought our coverage was good at times where we were taking away some of the deeper throws, and good offense is going to counter that by getting the ball to their skill guys in space with shorter throws that are easy for the quarterback. Now all we have to do is be able to rally back and go tackle them. I thought we didn't do that at times or were out of position at times where we could have got the ball on the ground before it was an explosive play.

On the difficulties of preparing for a team with a lot of transfers like Washington has

For the guys that were there, it's not a lot, but you always want to watch just so you can kind of see how they've grown and developed compared to last year. But they do have a new outfit, but they have the uniform on and they still wear the helmet, and I know they're going to have the same pride as those guys. So I know it's going to be a big game for them. But as you can see a little bit like with us, with some of the new players that weren't here and the guys that were here last year and didn't play a lot, through September I think everybody is kind of feeling their way to kind of see how they fit in offense or defense or even special teams. And I think most teams' best football starts in October because now they're in a routine. They kind of know what's expected and what the fit is for what they need to do as teammates. So I've seen them get better. I thought there was a tough one at Rutgers. I thought they played well enough to win. They didn't come out with a victory, but I thought they did a lot of good things there, and you can see them starting to gel as an offense.

On how much he can appreciate a player like Brandyn Hillman and his physicality

Oh, I love it. I think that's what football is about, being able to play legally in between the whistles and play a physical brand of football. I think that's what we're about, and you want to get to that at all three levels. So anybody that brings that level of physicality, whether it be offense, defense, or special teams, is going to be a favorite in my book.

On how much discipline is getting tested when teams go tempo and how to combat it

We don't feel like the tempo has been as much of an issue. We feel like we've been able to get lined up most of the time, and we haven't been necessarily out of position because of the tempo. Now we have to get ourselves in better positions, sometimes recognizing formations and putting ourselves in the best position to be successful. But people are going to do a good job of trying to stretch you from sideline to sideline. I think that's the thing with the screens, because they can come from the receiver all the way to the sideline on a tunnel screen or from the tailback in the backfield or even the tight end as they delay. So they're going to stretch you from one sideline to the other, and we have to do a better job of rallying to it once you recognize it. Because you guys all know, the minute you start jumping the short stuff, what starts to happen. You know what I mean?

On the blitzing rate impacting the linebackers

It hasn't. At the end of the day, it's about winning. Obviously playing high-level football, but winning the games. I think we all have guys that want to have a free rush and go hit the quarterback or get TFLs. But within the system of what we've done, give the defensive line and the secondary all the credit in the world. We're making tackles, but they're taking on blocks to open up holes for us to make tackles. But we'll blitz when necessary. We feel like we have some talented guys that can do that, and we've been able to affect the run in the past. So there hasn't been any complaints. Like Coach Wink says, with the front that we have, sometimes it feels like a blitz when it's not. So we want to keep doing that.

On the traits that make linebackers good in coverage and what has Barham done in that regard

The traits that make a linebacker good in coverage, covering the guy you're supposed to by the defense. But no, it's still all instincts. We mix up coverages a lot. We're different than some other teams that they do one or two things. So the linebackers kind of know what they have. For us to be successful, we're multiple in what we do. So we ask them to do not a lot, but they have to be versatile in what they do. And it's really a feel. We ask them to recognize formations. They have to know personnel, who's where, and those things. And those kind of dictate their drops. But we run a pro-style defense. It's nothing that if guys want to play at the next level, they're not going to be expected to do at the next level. Obviously, we've been successful these last couple of years doing it. And like I said, he's getting better. I know sometimes the film says he's out of position, but there's a lot of film of him in position. That's why the ball isn't getting thrown. But you don't get credit for that. But we're working on him. He's got to keep improving. And I think we've got to affect the passer from a coverage aspect for that linebacker a little more also.

On Ernest Hausmann's tackling issues and how he's addressed them

I think he's gotten better. Still not perfect. When you're playing middle linebacker, you're going to be at the point of attack a lot. And, you know, obviously he missed a couple plays early. But I still think that's just, you know, football with not having preseason, not having real live tackle to the ground reps. And sometimes your first really full reps are during the game. It's going to be a struggle at times, you know, early. And maybe he was pressing a little bit, but I think he's really settled down and is playing really, really good football for us.

On whether he's surprised to see how much criticism blitzing gets working under both Wink Martindale and Don Brown

No. They're very, very, very different. Love and respect, you know, both. I think people criticize, one, what they don't understand, and, two, if it doesn't, in their mind, work. If there's a lot of teams that blitz a lot, and if they're successful in what they do, nobody has any criticism. That's just the way of the world, right? But if you watch throughout college football and professional football, there are teams that pressure a lot more than what we do. And, like I said, it's the success rate, and it's, you know, what the eyes deem as successful and not successful when you pressure. So, no, like I said, love and respect, both. They're kind of polar opposites in how they see things and how they live life, too. But, no, I think that's just one of the things that people see. Sometimes a simulated pressure to some looks like a blitz when it's still just four guys rushing. You know what I mean? So, I've been on both sides.

On how Martindale and Brown different personality wise

How can I put it? Like I said, love Coach Brown. I think he did some really, really good things. I think sometimes people forget how good some of the defenses he was. He was a part of and really led in the early parts of his career. I wasn't here for him, but, I mean, I know they were, you know, a couple times they were tops in the country. So, I have all the respect in the world for him. Just Wink comes from a professional background. You know, he's been around. Man, he's been around some of the greatest players to ever play the game. So, he has a different perspective. And then, you know, obviously off the field, Don was a head coach before, you know, and just, you know, Northeastern guy that, you know, did things his own special way, which, you know, like I said, I loved. And then, obviously, Coach, you know, Wink coming from the NFL and some of the places he had to, you know, live from being in Oakland and some of the experience from Denver and then coming to Baltimore and, you know, his stint at New York. He just has a different perspective, you know, not just on football, but, you know, on life. And I appreciate both of them. I'm the poster child for being able to, you know, have different sets of friends and coworkers that I love and respect just because of my experience. So, learned a lot from both. I'm still learning from Wink, but two, you know, great men and, you know, absolutely dynamic coaches.

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