10 Commanders Quotes That Define Washington Entering Week 4 vs. Colts

The Washington Commanders finally got a win last week, but now the challenge shifts overseas. With Marcus Mariota getting another start, Jayden Daniels getting closer to a return, and the Colts waiting in London, here are 10 quotes that help define where Washington stands entering Week 4.

10. Daronte Jones — Jonathan Taylor has “game-breaking speed”

Question: “Daronte, how encouraged have you been with the rush through three games, and what kind of challenge does Jonathan Taylor specifically present?”

"Well, Jonathan is unique in his own way. He also has game-breaking speed. He’s physical, he comes downhill in a hurry, and so we’ll love the challenge this week. To answer your first question in terms of how we’ve been so far, been pleased with our ability to be dialed in as much as we can, and having some awareness of the run-gap integrity and setting edges. And so we want to continue to try to improve on that as best as we can and not give any creases or any daylight opportunities best we can."

9. Daronte Jones — “Keeping the chunks off the tape”

Question: “You mentioned a couple of times overall with the secondary that you want to see that improvement. What do you think are some of the specific areas that you need to get better at?”

“Keeping the chunks off the tape.”

8. Marcus Mariota — Terry McLaurin’s 50/50 balls are “80/90 for us”

Question: On his tight-window throws to Terry McLaurin and giving a receiver an opportunity.

"Well, with Terry, those 50/50 contested are more, 80/90 for us. And he's done it constantly through his career. I think he's arguably one of the best contested receivers in the NFL. And I know if I just give him a chance, he's gonna come down with it more times than not. But a lot of credit is due to him. To create separation, he has to find different edges, create advantages, and he constantly finds that little bit of separation. And so, there's a lot of trust that goes into it. Terry's the ultimate pro. He's always asking questions about how I'm seeing things, where he can be better in his routes. And for a quarterback, that just makes you feel very, very comfortable when you throw him ball. And the more that we can continue to build that, he's always gonna be there for us."

7. Dan Quinn — “That is who we are, feeding off one another”

Question: “Beyond the results on Sunday, what identity do you want to establish in London?”

"Our identity is important for us in terms of our play style and how we want to play. In last week’s game for us, we thought it was the best complementary football, meaning all three phases set one another up. A defensive interception and takeaway resulted in offensive points. A punt that could pin somebody back created field position. And so for us, that is who we are, feeding off one another. And that way all three phases are a part of the success, and that shared success is what we’re looking for."

6. David Blough — “Calm is contagious”

Question: “DQ shared with us yesterday that he believes being clutch is something that can be conditioned and trained and learned. What’s something that you can do from your experiences to help, whether it’s a quarterback or just another player on the offense, turn on that clutch ability when the game is on the line?”

"From my lens at least, we talk a lot about calm is contagious, right? So if I can be calm in those moments for those guys and just walk out and give Marcus an opportunity to talk through an old play or something, he’ll just go and take it and run with it, man. It’s just like we talked about — those guys bring it to life. And we’ve repped all these situations out on the practice field, and that’s where the confidence comes from, where, hey, when you get it, whether it’s a two-minute at the end of the half or a four-minute, go execute. They’re ready to roll."

5. Daronte Jones — Sonny Styles is “ahead of schedule”

Question: “Coach, one more on Sonny. I know you talked about not wanting to have to speed up his growth if you don’t have to. Where is his growth now compared to where you hoped it would be before you got to see him in a regular-season game?”

He’s probably a little ahead of schedule, if I’m being honest with you. He’s ahead of schedule, which is not really surprising said you don't want based off of if you got to know him in the offseason in terms of just the draft process, and you kind of see how cerebral he is and how serious he is, how mature he is in terms of how he takes the craft. A lot of young guys, they don’t honor the craft until three years in, which he came in, again, his professionalism or working to be a professional is why you see the learning curve shortening a little bit. And so you just have to stay the course. Don’t read the news clippings and just keep pressing forward.

4. Jayden Daniels — “That’s what the brace is for”

Question: “Is anything in the back of your head in terms of falling awkwardly, getting hit on the elbow, concerns about getting reinjured?”

"No, that’s what the brace is for. So if I had those concerns, then I would have got surgery."

3. Marcus Mariota — “This is his team”

Question: On conversations he’s had with Jayden Daniels about the return-to-play process.

"Well, I think we have a great team. Whether it's the medical staff, whether it's his own staff as well. Like they're gonna make a collective decision that is best for Jayden and we are gonna support that. And at the end of the day, I think if he's out there and he can play, he should play. This is his team. And the more that we can help support that and give him all the tools that he needs to be successful, that's what our roles are. So, for what it's worth, I think at the end of the day, he's gonna make a decision that best fit for the entire organization and we're gonna support that."

2. Marcus Mariota — “I’m not here to prove anything”

Question: On proving to the world he can still play at a high level.

"I think at the end of the day, like I've always had a belief in myself. So that prove it has never really crossed my mind. I just wanna be able to help these guys out and find ways to win. And if that means me playing well, great. If that means me managing the game and making sure that we're eating up clock, I'm taking care of the football, like I'll do whatever it takes to win. And I'm at that point in my career where that really is all that matters. So, I'm not here to prove anything. I really have just believed in myself all this time and the more that I can just help these guys out and win games, that's what's most important."

1. Dan Quinn — Jayden Daniels is out, but “more ready than you expect”

Opening statement:

"As far as Jayden, he had a great week. It was awesome to have him back on the field in a limited fashion. He’ll be out Sunday. Marcus will start. That’s a huge positive step for us and for him. We’ll assess where we are next week when he gets a full week of practice all the way through. But it’s typical of him working incredibly hard to get back, doing everything that he can behind the scenes to go do that as fast as he can. So he is a true competitor on and off the field."

Question: “How close was Jayden to possibly being an option for this week?”

"Certainly anytime you can practice, that’s a big deal. And so for him to get back, that was a big step for us, John, to see what it looked like and where it would go. Typical for him, he’s more ready than you expect. So that’s just kind of how he is. But we’ll get the whole week for him and get back at it. Get his elbow, his body, everything back right. But it was really impressive to see it."

Washington showed against Seattle what can happen when all three phases work together. Now the Commanders get another chance to build on it, this time in London against a Colts team that presents a different set of problems.

Get your Commanders updates delivered instantly to your phone by subscribing to our Facebook Messenger News Channel.

Add us as a preferred source on Google