Dan Quinn’s “Tell the Truth Monday” isn’t fun after a blowout loss

Dan Quinn “tells the truth” about Washington’s first loss of the season

Opening statement:

Tell the Truth Monday, and I really wanted to kind of recapture that with everybody, just because I never wanted it to be coach speak with you guys, and it’ll be something that we’ll do every Monday. It really is one of the most important days for us, and the only way it works and that you guarantee the growth is to face the truth and really never to run away from it.

So, the ability to detach from the emotions after losses, after wins and learn the lessons, those are huge and that’ll be huge for us this week. So, I thought I’d just give you a little insight about what goes on during the week and how we do it.

So, on Tell the Truth Monday, I visit with the team and I talk about turnover margin and talk about the tackling margin, penalty margin, starting field position, and the explosive plays from the game. And those five big topics kind of round out our style and how we want to play and the things that we want to play like.

We watch video. Show the examples, plus and minus, and we have standards that we want to uphold to. So, we show those and it kind of supports the accountability. And then it, from there, it goes down to the unit offensively, defensively, your special teams, and then finally into your own position group and the individual technique.

So, I just thought I’d give you a little insight because it’ll be something that will hit on every Monday about how we go through the process. Then tonight you clear it and all the stuff that you move forward on is for the next game and the next opponent. But I wanted just to give you a little more insight about what it meant and why we do it. So, with all that said, I know we visited last night, but let’s get started with some of your questions.

Assessment of QB Jayden Daniels confirmed after watching the film?:

Yeah, I think it was confirmed. I think mostly, from the competitor side, I felt that. I think if you’d asked him, there’ll probably be a few throws that he would either like to rip or where the progression may have taken him. But by and large, I felt from the competitor side, that was it. Those were some of the things I saw even on some of the runs, we didn’t have a lot of design quarterback runs, but some of the ones that he did,

I think if he’d asked him again, he’d probably wanna let it rip to one of the guys on some ops. So missed opportunities. Those are the hard ones. I think the one to Terry to start the second half and those ones, but by and large, he really felt comfortable in those spaces.

Releasing K Cade York and the plan to find a kicker:

Yeah, and I think it just really goes to show we have really high standards. We’re still gonna keep competing to find that. Adam and his guys are kind of working through that and we’ll have some more answers for you on Wednesday as that gets started.

And, but that’s kind of where we’re at to say, ‘Hey, we’re knocking back off of this’, Nicki not one time to keep attacking and finding ways to go get better. And so that’s what Adam and I visited with last night and again today and decided that was the best thing for the team at this time, and so we’ll keep attacking.

Disappointment from going through another kicker search:

Yeah, it’s certainly not ideal, John. You’re right about that. But I think it does speak to, if it’s not right, you don’t sit pat. You keep attacking and you keep finding ways to go compete to do it, and we will get there, John. And yeah, I’m disappointed that it didn’t go like we had hoped it would, but at the same time, we owe it to everybody that’s part of the organization, man, to keep digging and keep finding the right answers and get to the truth that’s the best fit for us. And so that’s what we’ll do. But, yeah, there’s control the controllable and find the things you can and we’ll keep working from here.

What he can show Daniels he can improve with experience:

Yeah, I think when you’re going through, most of the time going through the progressions and probably with experience I would say like taking sacks like on some of the second down ones that went, John. One might have been around the plus 48 and one was in close to field goal range. I think those ones where they kind of set you back to not give you the chance to continue a drive or potentially give yourself a chance at points, those would be probably the two plays of not a sack onto those scenarios. So, good question and that would be the first thing that came to mind for me is field position in the loss of a sack.

Assessing the passing game and the performance of the receivers, including WR Luke McCaffrey:

Yeah, I thought it was a very competitive play from Luke down towards the goal line at the end of the game. And that was one, Ben, that stood out to me to go. And what I also thought is that Luke doesn’t wanna play quarterback. He certainly had a chance at the double pass down the field.

I think the shot to Terry would’ve looked a lot different with some completions there, Ben. And so those are the opportunities in the game that you know are so close. And when we don’t nail those or hit those for those big plays and the explosive plays, that’s the margin and that’s the difference.

I was very pleased with the running backs out of the backfield. I think if you know, saw Austin and Brian, and the catches and the big plays that came from them, it makes you defend the whole field, Ben. And if you’re gonna stay on top of a receiver to take somebody else away and you’re able to check it down to a running back, and in one instance with Austin, I believe there’s close to 30 yards.

That’s how you attack the entire field. And so I would say the running backs in the passing game were two of the people that I thought stood out on on a tough day.

Considering using RB Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. together:

Yeah, I think going into it, it’s always something you want to do. Each game will have a little different flavor. What you’re looking for sometimes too, Ben, is how do teams match up against that specific look, but in order to find those matchups, you gotta do them. And so yes, I would say that is certainly one of the packages that we really like.

How to improve pre-snap communication, particularly on offense going up tempo:

Yeah, and I think going in that it was actually one of the things that we talked about as a staff today of how we can improve upon that and the clarity that it goes with. Kliff does a good job in practice of doing that using the headsets to go because there’s an advantage when you can get on the ball and get going.

We had one instance where we had to use a timeout where we didn’t have the right personnel group and we wanted to go fast on a specific package. But by and large it’s mostly right here, right on the field, right outside going through the process together. There is a lot of newness, staff players, us. So that part I think will continue to grow stronger at as we go. I was pleased to see ball security, not a lot of communication errors to go. Can it get sharper? You bet.

Benjamin St-Juste’s performance:

You know, early on I thought he had a real chance at a big play to go switch it early. But with his size and length, this is the type of game for him to go match up and play on the outside. And so one of the things I really do admire about Ben, if you go to him and you ask him, ‘Hey, what’d you see on that play?’, he’s able to give you a recall and how would you fix that error.

For a ball player not to be able to tell you that can be troublesome. ‘I don’t know what happened’. And so he’s very much in control. I need to look back, I need to play through the hands. And so that’s one of the things that I really do admire about him, the ability to self-correct. For all of us, that’s important, but as a ball player, knowing what to do and how to fix something that’s critical.

Deep dive on the secondary at large after looking at the film and how much of that came from a great WR and accurate QB:

I would say first off, tip my hat to them to Mike and Chris and Baker, they played well. The thing that I would say I would certainly like to see better upon us, if you win a 50-50 contested ball and they go up and get it, that’s football.

What I do wanna see better from us is our pre- and post-snap communication and there were a few instances where that wasn’t as strong as it needs to be. And so, as a defensive coach, a lot of times I said, ‘Okay, this is gonna come out, this is gonna come out’, and we’re gonna establish that we can do this type of communication all the time correctly. And that’s where I’m at on that.

So, there was a couple instances in the ball game where pre- and post-snap, it just has to go down perfectly and when it doesn’t, you take a few things out to make sure that it goes correctly. I can certainly remember having that conversation with Tony Dungy years ago. ‘Nope, we’re not adding, we’re in fact we’re taking out’, and I think it was probably true back then and it’s still true today as you’re getting into the season. Let’s make sure you nail this every single time. The contested catches, the ones that are 50-50, I can go fight for those.

The thought process of going to one instead of two in the third quarter:

It’s a good question. I was thinking about it as we were going through it. More often, I thought we’d probably still get about three more drives offensively there, because we weren’t into the fourth yet. But it was kind of one of those either or to go. If you get it, you kind of put yourself right back in. The way the scoring was going, I didn’t feel like it was going to be done just yet.

But looking back, it’s a fair question. I was right there, right on the fence. If it had been later in the game, I would have, but looking back on it, I would’ve been fine making the ability to go for it too. So, I was right on the kind of the razor’s edge of it. Only from the time left in the ball game.

If Daniels’ 16 rushes were too many and on how he coaches that:

Certainly not all of those are designed quarterback runs. I think that’s important to say, but I think he’d be the first to say the same thing. To say, ‘I had a chance to go rip it to somebody else.’ Sometimes you can see a rush or a pattern break and there’s open space and you go. For him, create it when it’s there, when you can get outside the pocket.

We’d love to see him remain a passer first, and I think it’s going to come with more experience, honestly. When I can go extend it to throw it, when, ‘Hey, this plays over, I’ll get rid of it and move on to the next play.’ So, I think you’ll see that trajectory continue as we go.

Certainly 18 carries is not the model that we’re looking for, certainly with Brian and Austin and others here. But at the end of it, I do think we’ll continue togrow in that spot. But certainly not by design to have that many.

Message to fans after this game:

Yeah, what I can tell you is that these guys have really been putting in the work. So, for us to have a performance that did not go like we had planned and had wanted, it stings and I recognize that. I wish they could be here and see the energy and the spirit of this team, how hard they’re going to play for one another and for the fans.

So, I am excited that we get to have this next performance at home in front of them, because we were certainly not pleased with our performance and where we go. We’ll give Tampa the credit, but I see this team is going to improve significantly moving forward.

On his thoughts of the offensive and defensive line play:

First things first, I think when you talk about both positions, how do they affect the game? I usually think of it in both ways. Protection and pass rush, kind of on the same spot. Coming into it, I thought we were able to generate some pressure defensively, pass rush and some blitz. What I wasn’t pleased with, was our ability to finish on the quarterback. I thought we were able to let him outside the pocket where he could extend plays to go, much like Jayden did on some. So, those are things that we have to do and get him down.

Offensively, I thought protection wise, playing strong against this blitz package that Todd has and their group. I thought, that’s a good challenging matchup for a quarterback and a group coming right out of the gate. So, to have no takeaways, I was pleased with that. I thought our run game got going later, as we got more time, more spaces to go, so I was encouraged by that.

Conversely, defensively, I thought we started stronger against the run and faded more in the second half. I love the matchups that we have inside, especially with our big guys, both sides of the ball. I was pleased to see the protections going. Each team has a little bit of different stuff that you have to be ready for.It was good to get Coleman, from an offensive line standpoint, his work and we’ll continue that work forward. And hopefully we’ll get Newton back here soon too as one that we’re going to work back into the package. As we’re moving forward, I’m excited for some of these young guys also, to be a part of this. The rotations on the offense and the defensive lines.

Takeaways for himself after Week 1:

Going in, I wanted to make sure we stayed true to the process, and I’ve been consistent with that. To make sure I knew the work that the guys had put in leading into the game. So, because the performance didn’t go as we want, doesn’t mean you change your processes to go.

We did do a good job taking care of the ball. The things that I wasn’t as pleased with, our starting field position, the third down emphasis where quite honestly, that’s where a lot of the time of possession goes. If I had to look back at it and say the things that I learned and say, ‘Man, we we’ve got to perform better on third downs on both sides of the ball.’ And that really affects the field position, because I think our special teams, the cover group and the guys, have the ability to return and really affect the game.

So, that’s why when you miss some of those opportunities, it can really change field position and whether it’s an out of bounds or missed opportunity. Those are some things that I think we are really going to capitalize on moving forward. I love the fight and the attitude of the guys. We’re going to make sure we get the play style aligned exactly like we wanted. We didn’t meet the mark that we’ve set for ourselves in this game.

If communication issues can be attributed to new players getting used to playing together:

I would say there is some newness that goes with that, but now that we’ve been through somethings a while, we’re not the first day here either. So, I expect that communication to really ramp up, pre- and post-snap. It’s such an important part of what we do. So, when it doesn’t go like you want from a communication standpoint, you emphasize it more. And I think that’s maybe what I was referring to earlier when I said, ‘Hey, we may even trim some back some just to make sure this is how we play, this is how we communicate,’ and I’m certain that will get done.

How to fix the defensive issues moving forward:

Well, this is going to be a long answer, but I think when I talked about I like doing hard shit with good people, it didn’t mean in the spring and in the training camp, like it’s now. And those are the moments that you do have to be in and fight through it, because it’s when you’re in it in that moment and doesn’t go your way, you stand taller, you fight stronger. And so, I think sometimes you have to go through the other end of that fire to know that amen. No matter what, this is how we get down. And when you miss it, it stings like I said last night, and it should. But when I do see that identity come to life and we’re not there yet, but we will be.

And that’s when all the hard stuff that you’ve gone through, that you look back to see what you had to fight for. And this will be one of those games I would bet many months from now we’ll look back and weren’t pleased with how that performance went and learned a lot from it.

And that’s why a day like today, “Tell The Truth Monday” is essential because you have to talk about it openly and without emotion, when it’s goes good and when it doesn’t go good.

Balancing making a comeback and running plays to ensure the defense gets rest:

Yeah, and I think what we’re talking about here is complementary football. How does the one turn the other, not creating any takeaways, to give him an extra drive, to change some field position. That’s hard too, to get into the plus you have to create a few and knock a few out. By not creating any, by not changing field position and creating some opportunities for the offense, then it does make it a little longer to drive.

So, you’re kind of in that moment like, ‘Hey man, we’ve got to do something to help change the momentum of the game.’ And when you miss on those moments or you allow a big play or explosive play, man, that shift can really take place. And I felt that in the second half for sure. That’s why when these games, man, it’s like this close on the margins and I thought early on we’d made them kick some field goals in the first half, and did not do that in the second.