Notable comments from head coach Ron Rivera, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and others from the Washington Football Team in the lead up to the Week 1 game vs. the Los Angles Chargers.
Ryan Fitzpatrick on Justin Herbert's rookie year
"What he did last year was ridiculous. I mean, you're not supposed to come in as a rookie and look that polished and play that well, be that composed. When I met him, I met him at a golf tournament this year and he's enormous. He's a big dude. Shaking hands with him, you notice his size. I think he's kind of got all those tools physically and then all the intangibles as well. He did a great job last year and you know, for me watching some of these young guys come in and you know him last year, I marvel at how mature they are, how NFL-ready they are right away. What a great job that he did."
Chase Young on what he sees in Joey Bosa
"I mean Joey, you know dog, animal, relentless, great technician. You know a guy who's going to play every snap, so our offense is doing their best to be ready for him."
Chase Young on Rashawn Slater
"He has real good feet, strong hands, you know their whole O-line is looking pretty good. So, you know as a D-line we are excited to get after them."
What stands out to head coach Ron Rivera on Chargers' offense
"Well, it's got skilled players at every position. You feel good about who they are if you're them and last year they were very productive as an offense. A lot of it starts with the quarterback."
Rivera on Rashawn Slater
"We did watch him. We thought he was very athletic. We really did. I believe he took the year off last year, but he's a very athletic football player. He's got good strength, good quickness. His foot work is exceptional. He's got long arms. I think he's a guy that if he gets his hands on you, he can control you. And again, he did a nice job when he played."
Rivera's thoughts on the Chargers' defensive scheme
"Well, I think when you look at what they did last year at the Rams, they had an exceptional inside pass rusher, and so you can be very disruptive and at times you don't have to rush. You don't have to blitz all the time. You can only rush four and get a lot of things done. I think he has something similar here. He's got some good pass rushers and again, based on how they feel about it will dictate the coverages. If you can play some form of cover two, two-zone or two-man, and limit the quarterback's time, you can be very effective. The pass rush really is key to helping the secondary, but then it is vice versa. If the secondary is on and is doing the things it can, it'll help the pass rush."
On what Rivera sees from Joey Bosa
"I think he's got great first step quickness. He gets vertical very quickly and puts a lot of pressure on the tackles. That's part of his game, is to put pressure on the tackle. So again, I think that's the first thing that probably he does best. He gets you going and then he goes from there."
DC Jack Del Rio on Justin Herbert
"Talented, young quarterback. He's got all the tools that you look for. You know he's got mobility, he's got arm strength. He's clearly a good decision maker, all those things. He can really throw the football."
Del Rio on why Herbert was good on third down last season
"He's got some good receivers that get open, he's accurate. A guy like Keenan Allen, a tremendous football player, great route runner, very dependable, tough. I think having guys like that helps, but he's accurate, throws the ball well, makes good decisions."
Del Rio on the Chargers' offensive line upgrades
"They did a really remarkable job, if you look at it, of changing the whole complexion of their offensive line ... they've added some really good players. It was a credit to their moves in the offseason to attack an area of need. You got a talented, young quarterback and you just surrounded him with a lot better protection and you'll be able to move people and run the ball. So that's part of the challenge of what we've got to battle, but we recognize where they've significantly upgraded that offensive line."
OC Scott Turner on game planning for Chargers' defense
"It starts with Bosa, he's a dynamic guy he can get after the quarterback and we got to make sure we plan for him. Big Linval [Joseph] I was with him in Minnesota, he's a big man in there and I know he's gonna bring it, I've seen that firsthand."
Turner on Derwin James/Chris Harris Jr.
"They've got a dynamic player in Derwin James who's been out, I'm sure he's itching to get back on the field. He can make plays at all levels, so he's another guy you have to account for as well as the veteran in the secondary in Chris Harris Jr. They've got a good group of players."
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