Bolts Notes: In Their Own Words
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS HEAD COACH JIM HARBAUGH
On RB Omarion Hampton:
“Just what we reported on the injuries.”
On the thoughts on today’s loss:
“It’s tough – [we] make no excuses. We have the license and the ability to a be a good football team and the things that we’re usually good at which is playing, just playing better. As opposed to penalties, the other team capitalized on them – [they] were able to capitalize on those. As I said, no excuse. We need to get better, and we’re a good football team. We’re not good enough in some of the areas that you need to win games and – back to work. Our work always pays off, and we have to strive to do that.”
On the self-inflicted wounds over the last two weeks:
“Yeah, [they’re] just being made in inopportune times. We’re good enough to overcome some, but you need to minimize them. That’s an area that we need to get better at.”
On what needs to happen to get better in the penalty area:
“Just knowing what to do – know what we’re doing, how we’re doing it and that’s where you practice.”
On what has changed between the first three games and the last two games regarding penalties:
“Without going through every single one of them, just knowing what to do, when to do [and] focus on one play at a time. The different ones that happened, I ended up going through them in my head. They’re correctable, but there’s been emphasis put on them, we just need to emphasize it more, practice it more, work on it more and get it to where it’s – we’re at our best when our best is needed most and that is one down at a time.”
On the areas needed to win football games:
“The big ones right now are penalties, turnovers – those are the two big ones. Mistakes that are taking points off the board, you know? It’s all those points today.”
On the feeling of having the right players to protect QB Justin Herbert:
“Yeah, I do. I thought that at those times we started well, and I thought we were efficient staying ahead of the sticks and then, some of those penalties got us behind the sticks and put us in position to not be bailed out and [QB] Justin [Herbert] did – I thought Justin had a heck of a game. Some of those long distance third downs, we picked them up and we were in an illegal formation – our tackle was too far back and what was the other one? Yeah, where we picked it up [after the false start].”
On the injury updates for G/T Trey Pipkins III and G Mekhi Becton Sr.:
“Just what we reported. That’s the reason they were coming out.”
On the offensive operational issues:
“The first one, we weren’t lined up in the right formation, [QB] Justin [Herbert] saw that and called the time out. On the fourth down, we did come out late, but we got the look we wanted and continued with the play. We didn’t use the timeout there because we had the look we wanted. The two in motion – I mean, that there weren’t two guys that were allowed to go in motion. Still, we’re not doing exactly what we’re supposed to be doing. That’s where we have to tighten up and get everybody functioning on the same page.”
On getting the team to reset after several penalties:
“Yeah, there’s the things you can do as a coach. The first thing that jumps to my mind is to just work at it [and] practice it to where it’s honed in, it’s dialed in, and you don’t lighten up, you tighten up. We have to tighten up the operation in every way.”
On mistakes compounding from last week’s loss onto today:
“I don’t know about compounding.”
On the team’s problems being fixable:
“I do; I do. Concentration and focus on our assignment, our alignment [and] our technique. All of the things that you do as a good football team and things that we have done that are in our DNA [and] in our character. When things are happening outside, outside the team’s character, we’ll focus in those areas.”
On not panicking after how the last few games have gone:
“Just have to get better. Just have to get better. [We have to] work, get back to work, that’s the message.”
On knowing the mental mistakes are out of the team’s character:
“I’d like it to not become a habit. Once could be a thing, another time. Definitely don’t want to have three in a row. We need to get the bleeding stopped on the penalties and the self-inflicted wounds and it takes – I know that we’re capable of doing that. We know we are a good football team in those areas and we’re not good at it right now, but we’ll get better.”
On why TE Tyler Conklin was so late getting onto the field on fourth down:
“We called for the personnel group, and I don’t know if he didn’t hear it. I don’t know why he didn’t go out there.”
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS QUARTERBACK JUSTIN HERBERT
On decreasing the number of penalties moving forward:
“Just by not doing it going forward. It’s on us to fix that. You can’t expect to win games like that when you’re having penalties like that.”
On penalties not being representative of the character of team:
“I think it is out of character. I think it is on us to focus in and dial in and every play is equally as important. We just have to live with those penalties.”
On the frustration surrounding the offensive procedural aspects beyond penalties:
“That’s just things that we have to be better at and stuff that we have to take a hard, long look at. We have to address that. The game is tough enough already. We’re making it tougher on ourselves when we do that, so it’s stuff that we have to fix and stuff, like we said earlier, is out of character so it’s on us to watch the film, get better from it and continue to harp on those little details.”
On why procedural errors might be happening:
“Not sure. I think that’s something we’ll talk about and communicate and address. It’s definitely not something that you want moving forward.”
On being on the same page with C Bradley Bozeman regarding protection:
“For sure. I thought those guys did a great job battling and Boze [C Bradley Bozeman] has done such a great job all year. They just got us and there are a couple plays that we’ll have to look back and watch the film to get better from.”
On the challenges of having so many moving pieces on the offensive line:
“It’s always tough. You’d love to have the same group of guys up there that go out and communicate and play as one, but I think they’ve done such a great job of shuffling around. Whether Foster [T Foster Sarell] is playing right guard [or] right tackle. He’s played all over the place. Jamaree’s [OL Jamaree Salyer] played left, right [tackle]. At the end of the day, I think it’s going to help us because we knew that adversity is going to happen. Injuries are a part of the game, unfortunately. I think having that group of guys that are able to step up for one another [and] fight for each other – I think it will help us in the long run.”
On what it means to be the one to throw WR Keenan Allen his 1000th reception:
“Really cool. Really fortunate to play with him [and] to have him on our team. I’m bummed that it wasn’t a better team outcome, but the guy is special. He makes a bunch of plays wherever he is, and we’re going to keep getting him the ball and he’s going to keep getting open”
On approaching the interceptions after a batted pass:
“It’s just bad luck. It’s one of those plays that [WR] Keenan [Allen] was open, and I felt like I had it in good timing and good rhythm. The guy just made a good play. He got his hand up. Down there in the red zone the windows are so tight that you can’t have any room for error like that. The ball got tipped, got offline and he made a good play. It’s one of those things that you go in as a quarterback and you wish that maybe I jumped up and raised my arm a little bit, but you just watch it and hopefully you avoid it the next time.”
On initiating contact at the end of a run:
“I think it’s just with every situation. I try to make a move and try to not get in too much contact and avoid taking any unnecessary hits. I felt like I was in a good position to be able to be secure with the ball and go get a couple more yards. I think whatever it is, whether it’s going to get the first down with your legs or through the air. I think that’s the most important thing for our offense.”
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS HEAD COACH DAN QUINN
Opening Statement:
“We can get rolling. Things that I saw from tonight: I was pleased to see the road energy throughout the game that didn’t change, didn’t change when we’re down 10 [to] nothing or ahead 20 to 10 and we thought that would be a big deal for us coming into it. My favorite part of the game was the last drive – to go six minutes and 30 seconds at the end. That’s a big deal for us to have four minutes to be able to run the ball and go finish. I thought some of the momentum-changing plays was [S] Quan [Martin] on the forced fumble on the hit and [CB] Marshon [Lattimore] on the recovery and then [CB Mike] Sainristil on the red zone interception. To finish [with a] plus one [turnover margin], we had one offensively that we gave up but to get the ball a few times, that was big. I thought that the complimentary football in the second half was what we were looking for – it wasn’t there at the very beginning. I thought we had some self-inflicted wounds. We had a penalty on special teams on a return, we had some ones that just didn’t quite nail it, so those were the things that I was pleased about in the game so glad to get rolling with you guys [the media].”
On the last drive:
“We worked hard on that space on the winning time spot but knowing that there were six minutes left [and] could we extend some drives? We actually had some fouls to get back into some bad spots, but I thought just staying consistent, using clock, when to stay in bounds, to go, and we made a decision at the end that we would go for it for four downs as opposed to if we didn’t get it, at least they’d have to go 94-95 yards, but to see us finish at the end, that’s a big deal.”
On [QB] Jayden [Daniels’] performance today:
“I think starting slow, I thought he really showed a lot of poise. I thought he really ripped the ball well – one to [WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.] specifically, I thought one ripped inside to [TE] Zach [Ertz] to go, but the best play I thought was the one deep ball on the seam post to [WR] Luke [McCaffrey] that was a big play to go. I thought he made good decisions tonight. There were some times where he threw the ball away or got down, and that was something that we talked about or worked on. Those are plays that won’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet, but to me and to him knowing that that’s a big deal for us to play at our best.”
On Jayden Daniels as a QB:
“I think he just has an X-factor about him on the third and fourth downs that he could go create and make some plays. The field post – honestly the last play, I thought he threw a fantastic pass to [WR] Deebo Samuel Sr., so he has those spaces in him. It was great to get him back out. It was going to be hard to keep him out tonight, coming back to this area where he grew up not too far from here and where his football career began. I was pleased to see us playing complimentary, especially the second half, although it started not how we wanted in terms from the score standpoint, I thought the guys never changed the energy throughout and came back. I thought the biggest difference was scoring at the end of the half and then going to get points again. So, when you can lap somebody scoring and then go back and start it again, that’s a really big deal.”
On the fumble recovery and change of momentum:
“I think it changed a lot, honestly. There was a nice tackle obviously by [S] Jeremy Reaves even prior to that and we just wanted to demonstrate our physicality to go, but I thought that was kind of the shift. That was the thing that would change it and you don’t know when that’s going to be, but it was certainly such a good play by [S] Quan [Martin] and [CB] Marshon [Lattimore] to get.”
On overcoming mistakes & missed tackles:
“I’d like to watch it. I wish I knew because going into it and I looked up 10 to nothing, I said, ‘Crap,’ but it felt different, our energy our speed, although it was down, I didn’t feel the same. I don’t know how to explain that exactly, but you just looked at the numbers and the score might say that, he had a nice scramble on the first third down pressure that we had to go create it, but [CB] Mike [Sainristil] got a foul on the field goal. I thought, ‘Alright, if we leave them to three there,’ so we dug ourselves a hole with some self-inflicted wounds. We had another foul on a kick off return. Those are the things I wanted to get corrected. I spoke to the team about it at halftime, but I liked the energy that they sustained, whether we were down or whether we were ahead, we just didn’t go too far off that.”
On the message at halftime:
“I don’t know if I’d repeat it in here, but it was about being the aggressor and going to play with that boldness that we like and that’s what I expected us to go do, and we’d be offensively to go start it off so I thought that was a good way to start.”
On working back up from being down 10-0:
“Yeah. We certainly weren’t pleased to be down. It’s ironic that we were in the same space and, so for us to be into that spot; I knew we would fight back. We did have a different vibe about us, of coming on the road, to have the energy we wanted to make our plays. It didn’t quite start like we wanted. We went down, they got a field goal and scored after the penalty and then three-and-out and it was like – then we kind of settled in. It felt like the turnover was the big shift in the game.”
On settling into the game today:
“I think it was intentional for us to make sure that we wanted to come out and play with the right attitude, the right boldness, about how we go through it. None of us were pleased with how we started last week and so we wanted to make sure that it was an attitude that we would demonstrate right off the bat.
On the team’s Friday practice:
“I thought it was good for us – shout out Josh [Harris] to allow us to bring the team out early. For us to come out and have a practice out here on Friday. You don’t know when you need it, but we needed our space together. So, we came out and practiced on Thursday in Ashburn. We flew out in the afternoon and got here late. We had a practice at the Coliseum with just us and that was important for us. I thought the guys played with speed, played with execution. It was the best Friday practice of the year so far. I thought that carried into the weekend of how we wanted to play. So, for us to get down 10 [to] nothing, I said, ‘Darn.’ You know here we are [and we] hit all those spaces, but it didn’t feel in the same spot, even though we were down. I thought we would come back and we just need to make our plays to go do that.”
On [QB] Jayden Daniels playing more like himself:
“Yeah, I thought he made some plays and I was pleased to see him make some decisions that may not show up on the stat sheet. You know, when to get down, when to go, when to throw it away, and knowing when there were chances for him to let it rip. He absolutely did that, none clearer than the one to [WR] Luke [McCaffrey] and then the pass to Deebo [Samuel Sr.] at the end. Every time I see him he is just such a relentless competitor. I love what he brings to the team.”
On [RB] Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s importance in today’s game:
“I was pleased to see him – Obviously, he wants the one play back that he put the ball on the ground. In the passing game, in the running game, I really felt him. He kinda heard us say that might happen when somebody is hot and they’ll take more reps to go. As it turns out, he had the most today and we will continue to build and see where we take it from here. The more effective you can run it, then the play-[action] passes come alive and it’s a big deal for us.”
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS QUARTERBACK JAYDEN DANIELS
On getting a win in his hometown:
“It means a lot. First game back after a couple weeks off and to be my hometown. I mean, you can’t write up a better story.”
On what changed for the offense:
“Just focused in on the little things. We ran the ball really well, o-line gave me some time to make some throws and we made some big plays.”
On the pass to WR Luke McCaffrey before the half:
“The corners were coming forward, the safety was squatting and I got to trust my guys to make a play and they did it.”
On coming out of a funk from the previous game:
“Just build on it. There’s nothing really more just got to hone in on the little things week in and week out because every week is a new week. We can use the momentum but at the end of the day we still got to focus on the little things.”
On waiting three weeks to be back:
“I feel great, I feel great. Happy we got the win.”
On how his knee felt:
“I mean y’all tell me, how the knee look?”
On how the energy felt after back-to-back explosive plays:
“I mean huge. We got points to tie it up at half time, that was huge. Huge play by Luke [McCaffrey].”
On having moments with Luke McCaffrey:
“Yeah, the work that he puts in day in and day out — he deserves all the plays that he made because he put in the work.”
On feeding off the defense:
“Yeah, I mean you kind of feed off those little things. The defense helped us out and obviously getting that turnover and allowing us to go down and score and it’s obviously better to be down 10 to seven instead of ten to nothing.”
On playing in front of family and friends:
“Like I said, it means a lot. I’ve dreamt of moments like this to play in front of my family back in my hometown. Whether that was here or wherever else I was blessed enough to get drafted to. For my first return game back to be at home, it means a lot.”
Overall feeling after the win:
“It’s a really good team. Overall it’s different to be 3-2 than to be 2-3, but it’s a long season.”
Impact of RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt:
“The kid runs hard and he makes plays. He runs hard. He’s smart and he’s going to do whatever it takes to win the football game.”
On standards for every game:
“Yeah, I mean we have a standard that’s set. Obviously it starts with DQ [Head Coach Dan Quinn] and Bobby [Wagner] is well-respected on this team and throughout this league and you know me being the quarterback, I’m respected too. Sometimes you can’t just be all cool and calm, sometimes you got to be a little fired up to make the team and get the guys going.”
On LB Bobby Wagner at the end of the game:
“I don’t know. I just seen him yelling on the field and I wasn’t nowhere close. I don’t know what he was yelling at — just went over, talked to him and that was it.”
