Take a look at top quotes from Head Coach Brandon Staley, RB Joshua Kelley and RB Larry Rountree III after Thursday's practice:
Head Coach Brandon Staley
On how quarterback rotation will play out on Saturday:
"You're going to see both quarterbacks [Chase Daniel and Easton Stick] in the preseason. It's going to be a real healthy competition between both of them. I like the way both of them are playing. I think it'll probably be similar to last season."
On if there will be which position groups he will be 'keeping his eye on':
"Every single position group I'm looking to see. I'm looking to see our players come together. That's the thing about training camp, you're going against each other all the time. Now, you get to take the field together as a team. I'm looking forward to seeing all three phases feed off of each other and play the game that we expect to play. Take the field the right way. Then, you're always going to be looking for those players who are going to perform. I think you see what's happening on a practice field or in a scrimmage, but now you get to see them play in a real football game. That's always exciting for a coach and as a team to see your team take shape for this year, and this is our first chance at it."
On determining which players will play on Saturday:
"I think we're going to take this injury report today and make our determinations from there. We're going to try and play the guys, in the preseason, that we feel like need to play. I feel like it can help them. Then, as a result, help our football team. We do that on a case-by-case basis and we do it on a game-by-game basis throughout the preseason. I think that you'll kind of see that in the first game, and it may be different than the Dallas game. We'll let you know before game time."
On the process behind determining which players will play in the preseason:
"That's a good question. I think that when you look at the preseason as kind of a marathon, in that it's a long journey to get to the first game, we really want to take the preseason from the game's perspective and try and evaluate people that we feel like are really establishing themselves for a certain role, or there's a part of a competition that we really need to see sort of express itself. That's really what we want out of the preseason. Last year, I think we'll be very similar to this year from that approach, but who's actually playing, it may be a little bit different than last season. We really want to make sure that we take advantage of these games to get the right evaluation of these guys, and then the units within our football team heading in towards the regular season."
On if T Trey Pipkins III and T Storm Norton will play on Saturday:
"Yeah, I think you'll definitely be able to see both of those guys."
Running Back Joshua Kelley
On the 'open competition' at the second running back spot:
"I love it. For us, as competitors, honesty and truthfully, this is how you get better and how you know where you stand. He made it clear Day 1. He was like, 'Look, this is a competition.' For me, as a competitor, I love it. I like to challenge myself. I like to try to prove myself. He's made it clear and I'm just trying to embrace it. I'm not worried, necessarily, about the end right now. I'm just worrying about how I get better. Preseason, attacking that, that stuff will take care of itself. You have to embrace it to be competitive, for sure."
On level of excitement heading into first preseason game:
"Huge. I'm really excited about that. We do tag-off, we do hitting against my teammates all the time, but we actually get to go against another team. You don't get to hold back, you get to actually let loose. It doesn't matter if it's three or four reps or 50 reps, I'm excited about it. It's an opportunity that you have to take advantage of"
Running Back Larry Rountree III
On the running back group's reaction to the team drafting another running back:
"I think the whole room, as a whole, we never — all of us — look at is as a pressure deal, it's more so you being the best version of yourself every day. We all know the qualities that we have within ourselves. All of us play different. Austin [Ekeler] doesn't play like J.K. [Joshua Kelley]. J.K. doesn't play like me. Isaiah [Spiller] doesn't play like us. We all don't play like each other. We all have different qualities that we bring to the room, so it's more so of, every day, we help each other out. We say, 'You be the best version of you and go out here and play ball.' But it's never, I would say, pressure because every day we come in, we go to work and we help each other. That's not what we do in the running back room, we don't cause a hostility, we don't do that. Everybody comes in, everybody helps each other, and when we get out on the field, that's up to you. But as far as coming in, it's no pressure."
On lower-body strength benefiting his game:
"When you put on the pads and go live, I can really express that in my game, like this Saturday. It's been something I've really been trying to get back to you in my game, as far as my senior year of college and all that. I'm in a different league now and you have to know how to make business decisions on when you're running against certain guys. Khalil Mack, you might want to juke that guy. You don't want to test him. As fast as my lower body, I've really been taking care of it this offseason, working on it, doing a whole bunch of different qualities of lifts that can get it right. I've always been a low body guy."
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