Best Quotes from Day 4 of Washington Commanders Training Camp

A look at what was said before and after what was done on Day 4 of Washington Commanders training camp.

Jul 25, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders quarterbacks Marcus Mariota (0) and Jayden Daniels (5) drop back to pass a ball during drills on day two of Commanders training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Day 4 of Washington Commanders training camp brought fans and a whole new level of excitement around the players that will eventually form the 2024 roster.

As usual, head coach Dan Quinn spoke to the media ahead of the Commanders' practice, kicking off our top quotes of the day.

WASHINGTON HEAD COACH DAN QUINN

Opening Statement: “Good morning everybody. It’s a cool day and I'm pumped to get started, because it is the first open practice with the fans. And so to see this connection, fan base and this team and how important that is, so to have this kind of turnout what we're expecting on day one of an open practice, I think that's really cool and appreciative [of the fans]. So, let's get the whole thing rocking.”

On how coaching against rookie quarterbacks can help mold QB Jayden Daniels:

“Yeah, because you're not going to give every look in terms of what they are going to see. But for any young player, quarterbacks, other positions, what's the same and then what's different? For a quarterback, the two minute timing rules are different than they are in college. So, getting on the ball and playing quickly. Yeah, it's two minute, it's the same but different. And so those are the examples of things of timing rules and field locations that are different. As far as the defensive coordinator goes, matchups and where it is as opposed to moving quickly in college. Sometimes you don't get into those, but knowing your own team, your own strengths and matchups, that's something that quarterbacks in the NFL start that trajectory quickly.”

On how he can help Daniels get there:

“Well, I think one, the system can too to make sure, what's the read, what's the look to find it. And then, non-scripted plays after we get through installs, those help. Where there's not an alert or something coming from the coach, but just truly non-scripted sessions, which we'll have quite a few of those as well.”

On what he’s seen from CB Mike Sainristil:

“Yeah, we still are exploring some more of that. What I have seen is excellent ability to stay connected man-to-man. He's a very good communicator, very intentional about that. We've put him back some on the return because he has excellent ball skills, so punt returning and kick returning. And so, I just want to keep exploring that and then make sure we're never adding so much that it takes away from learning at his primary position. But that'll include the special teams portion on the return side for sure. So, that would be one that added value that he could do.”

On if there is a change in energy with fans in attendance:

“Yes, there is. I felt it early this morning driving in and seeing people parking up on the grass to get here early. And it's such a cool reminder to know this historic fan base here and knowing finally a real part of that. And so to see that, it definitely brought up a good feeling of what is next here. As far as the energy that happens, it's good because what you want at practice is really getting ready to practice performing. And so the more people, energy, crowd noise of things that can go with that, that's all part of performing. It's a fun part of having that experience.”

On what he’s seen from WRs Luke McCaffrey, Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson:

“Yeah, Terry I had said this the other day, just there's so much about him of what does a pro look like. When he steps into that arena, it is all business all the time and so Luke has a lot of those traits. To see what it can look like from a professional at the same position to go, it's excellent. I also love seeing the connection with him and [wide receivers coach] Bobby [Engram], because Bobby Engram, if you were playing receiver, he's somebody you'd want to develop underneath. He's seen it, he's coached it, he knows what it looks like, he can see it from the lens of the helmet. And so that's a rare person that can do that. So yeah, I'm encouraged by what we've seen. Came in with high expectations just about the competitor, but the ability to learn and apply it has been excellent too.”

On what stage McCaffrey is in, in terms of his skills and development:

“I would say it's more refined than I expected. That's a great question, because I would say his work ethic is higher than most. And so I'm not sure at Rice [University] that transition, he applied it at a very high level. You can see he's curious about learning and finding new ways to do things. Perhaps playing quarterback had an impact on that, in terms of concepts and depth and the importance of that. But the individual skill part, he's really coming on. So, I would say it's further than I thought it would be, but I'm not surprised based on his makeup. I would say it's definitely going to be going up the more he is here. But he was further along than I had anticipated.”

On what he knew about the fanbase before becoming head coach:

“Yeah, I think probably it leads to me growing up on the East Coast. So, seeing the games of Washington and New York and Philadelphia and Dallas. Those were the ones that when John Madden and Pat Summerall were calling a game, that was the ones that were on. And then going to college locally here. So, growing up and where I fell in love with football, you recognized what that was here. And I can still remember even telling [Cowboys owner Jerry Jones] when I left Dallas, and he said, ‘That's such an important fan base Dan, that you're the right man for that.’ And so I appreciated that, this is from a competitor who knew the importance of this franchise, this city, and he had saw that connection firsthand. So yeah, it's really cool to be a part of.”

On his interactions with fans in everyday life:

“Yeah, it's been very cool to see support, ‘We're pumped you're here, we're glad, go get 'em,’ that kind of stuff. So, seeing that when you're part of the community, it feels good because usually when you're in the office and you're just here to home you don't feel it on a regular basis. So, being out and seeing some people and feeling that support, it's really a cool thing.”

On his message to players before playing in front of Commanders fans for the first time:

“What we're all starting to learn is the importance of practice here. The only way to become excellent at something is to practice. That is the way, and so adding the fanbase into that, the excitement, the performing that goes with that, that's really important because you don't want to ever assume, ‘Okay in the lights, how's it going to go?’ But seeing that type of support and enthusiasm with that, that's a really big piece. So yeah, we're really pumped about everybody being here.”

READ MORE: Washington Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes Getting Stronger, Says Dan Quinn

Jul 25, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders quarterbacks Marcus Mariota (0) and Jayden Daniels (5) drop back to pass a ball during drills on day two of Commanders training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

QUARTERBACK MARCUS MARIOTA

On how camp is going:
“Pretty good. I just think it's been very competitive on both sides of the ball, and that's what you want, that's what you want this time of the year. There’s going to be mistakes, there's going to be great plays, there's going to be good plays, there's also going to be some bad ones. But the end of the day you want the effort to be high, and I think our guys are doing that.” 

On what he’s specifically focused on right now:
“For me specifically, just cleaning up some of my mechanics. I feel like I can always get better at those types of things. And then just mastering the offense, trying to get our guys in the best play possible, and making sure we can create advantages that way.”

On how much QB Jayden Daniels picks his brain throughout the day:
“Plenty, and that's what's really been cool for me to have that dialogue. Because I think when you have a guy that's willing to learn that wants to absorb as much knowledge as he can, I think that really makes the whole room better. For Jayden, he's a young guy, but, you know, we got to do it as a part of our group. We have to kind of create these scenarios and these experiences for him that way when he gets into the game, it's not something that's brand new. I think he's done a great job asking questions and we can also always just kind of keep bringing him along.”

On if having former quarterbacks on the coaching staff help him in this stage of his career:
“Absolutely, because it just creates conversation. More times than not, when you're able to have a bunch of guys in a room that have played the position, you can have these problem-solving conversations. It's always going to be different day in and day out. Our defense does a great job of creating different looks, creating problems. So for us, I always believe we can be in the problem solving business and then when you have a bunch of quarterbacks that have played the position, that makes it a whole lot easier.”

On if the fan energy impacts his practice or not:
“I think it's a mixture of both. It's awesome to have the fans out here. It's awesome to feel that energy. And it's also kind of cool for me to see, you know, Hawaii flags. We're all the way here on the East Coast and you have people that are bringing Hawaii flags that are from Hawaii coming to practice. So, it's such a cool event. I think it's awesome for fans to be able to engage with the players and also for us to engage with the fans.”

On if he and Daniels ever compare their Heisman seasons:
“No, not at all. Not at all. It is pretty special to be able to share that. It’s a very unique fraternity to be a part of, and to have him as a teammate and also somebody that's been a part of that journey as well is pretty cool. And we can share a lot of those experiences together.”

On things he learned going through the same experience that Daniels is that can now help him:
“Yeah, I think, and I think we talk about it all the time in the quarterback room, when you're a young guy, you really want to try to come in and be perfect. And I that's hard, I really think that can be detrimental in some sense to your growth. I really think you have to come out here, you're going to fail, you're going to have mistakes, and what you have to be able to do is to learn from those things. And I think he's got such a great mindset in that sort of space where he's just like, you know what? Regardless of how this play results, I'm going to do my best to put our guys in situations that will be successful and just go out there and play. And when he is able to do that, I think that ultimately will kind of showcase his abilities and how good of a player he can be.”

On how Daniels has handled the pressure of being the second overall pick:

“Yeah, he's done a great job. It's not easy, and when you're coming in to be the guy to kind of revitalize a franchise it is tough. But, I think he's got a good head on his shoulders. He's done a great job of handling all that, and we can always kind of help him through that, right? We can be that shoulder he can lean on. We can be that guy that he can lean to in terms of experiences and ‘Hey, what happened here? How did you do that?’ And he's done a great job asking questions too, so just kind of altogether helping him through that. But I really believe he’s got a good head on his shoulders, he’s handled it well.”

On his opinion of immediately starting a rookie quarterback versus sitting and watching:

“Yeah, that's a great question. I think it ultimately comes down to each person individually. Some guys come out hot and play really well, and then there's also some guys that have really benefited from taking a couple years or taking a few months and watching and learning. So, I think it's really going to come down to the coaches and how they feel [Daniels] is progressing. I really believe it falls on the quarterback room. How can we help him feel most comfortable and confident? And then from there, it ultimately is him to make the plays and go out there and do his thing.”

On how comfortable he was after getting drafted:

“Yeah, I felt pretty comfortable right away. For me personally, probably my best two years of my career were my first couple, so I was lucky to have a good quarterback room. I had a vet in [QB] Charlie Whitehurst, and [QB] Zach Mettenberger who really took care of me. And then my second year with [QB] Matt Cassel and [QB] Alex Tanny. When you have a quarterback room that's really focused on helping the young guy, you can't take anything away from that. It's really special. So, I was very fortunate early on in my career to have that, and we're trying to create that type of atmosphere here for Jayden.”

DEFENSIVE TACKLE DARON PAYNE

On how the defense is coming together so far:

“We are really working on just flying around and getting to the ball, hunting. That's the main emphasis right now, just you want everybody hunting. Everybody should be around the ball, no matter how far the ball [is] down the field. So, this year we [are] going to try to be hunting and getting after it.”

On how he fits into the defensive scheme:

“Man, they [are] letting us just go. [Head] Coach [Dan] Quinn is letting us just be explosive. Be explosive guys, get after the quarterback, get after the run games. So [QB] Jayden Daniels has made plenty of plays already this camp just being explosive, getting off the ball, not worried about [anything]. So, it's going to be fun to see. I think we [are] going to make a bunch of plays.”

On how potential changes to the defense will help him:

“It definitely gives the offense something different to see. They won't be able to scheme us up and just focus on what we do. One-on-one, you can be able to scheme a guy up and look at what they do best and scheme them out of a game. So, with us being able to move and do games and just do all that work together, I feel like it is going to be a lot for offenses.”

On what it’s been like working for Defensive Line Coach Darryl Tapp:

“He has a lot of intent in what he does and the drills that we do. And the work that we put in, we just don't come out here and just do things to waste time. He thinks about it and preps ahead and does things to get us in good shape and have good technique.” 

On what he’s seen from LB Bobby Wagner and LB Frankie Luvu:

“Those are two veteran guys, man. Bobby Wag, he commands the huddle and we listen to him. He gets it out to us and I feel like they're going to be really good for our defense.”

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