BRIAN HOYER POST-PRACTICE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT 8-16-14

On if this game feels like it has the importance of a regular season game considering the QB competition:

“I play every game like it’s a regular season game. There’s no way to go about it other than that. I think the moment you think it’s just a preseason game is the moment you’re not prepared mentally, and all of the sudden something sneaks up on you and you’re losing 14-0 in the first quarter. I prepare every game, whether it’s preseason or regular season, like I’m going to play the whole game until that coach pulls me out. You’ve got to be prepared to play a football game. Those guys aren’t going to hold back on the other side. That’s for sure. You’ve just got to be prepared like you would in a normal situation. Obviously you don’t go into the game planning and things like that, but it’s still football. It’s like going against our defense every day. You never know what you’re going to get, but you go out there and react and play the best you can.”

On if the QB competition makes this preseason game against Washington crucial:

“Every game is crucial. For me, it doesn’t change the way I prepare. Like I said, the thing I try to do is come out and be the best quarterback I can every day. I’m going to do the same thing on Monday night.”

On if the way he played in Detroit gives him more confidence that everything is working right going into this game:

“I think if anything, the confidence part comes back from playing 10 months after surgery. That’s the way I look at it. I don’t feel any more confident because of how things – that game is in the past. We’re trying to build, learn from those mistakes and then improve and go against Washington this Monday.”

On Head Coach Mike Pettine saying that he’s going to continue to evaluate the QB position throughout the season instead of picking a QB to be the definite starter all year:

“I think the best quarterback should play regardless of the situation. It’s a situation I dealt with last year when I came in and we kind of said it was a week to week thing. For me, I just want to be the starting quarterback of this team whatever the situation is.”

On if he feels like he has been the best QB in this training camp:

“I think I’ve played well. I think I can play a lot better. There’s no doubt about that. I think we’re always trying to improve, and for us, I think things are coming up quick now. I talked a couple of weeks ago about how training camp, those days are long. Now, today is technically the last day of training camp. We play Monday, and then we come around and play Saturday. I think for me, I’m just trying to take big improvements every day to the point where you’re trying to play everything perfectly. Obviously, we’re going to try and go out and be perfect. Our team is pretty good too. You just try to go out and improve all the time. I think every day you come out, you either get better or you get worse. There’s no in between. Am I satisfied with how I play? I think I’ve played well, but I can play a lot better.”

On QB Johnny Manziel saying that he’s not ready to face the Pittsburgh Steelers yet and if he feels that he’s ready:

“Yeah, I think so far, I’m focused on Washington right now. I think for me, like I said, we’re moving along. We’re trying to get better. We’re improving every day. We had a good red zone period today, which is a good sign because that’s where we kind of fell off a little bit against Detroit. (Pittsburgh) is so far from what I’m thinking about right now. I’m just worried about improving. Hopefully we can take what we did in practice today into the game. Then you evaluate that game. Then you move on. There’s a lot of time in between now and then.”

On the fact that he’s the starting QB for the game against Washington, but ESPN is promoting this game as Redskins’ QB Robert Griffin III vs. Johnny Manziel and what that makes him think:

“I don’t watch ESPN so until you just told me that, I didn’t know. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because what matters is what Coach Pettine thinks and what (offensive coordinator) Kyle (Shanahan) thinks. The media can make any story they want. Like I said, I avoid all of that. When it comes down to it, they’re not the ones making the decisions.”

On if when he was a rookie, he imagined the possibility if Patriots’ QB Tom Brady got hurt, he would have to think about being a starting quarterback as a rookie:

“Well, that was my responsibility so yes. Looking back on it now, would I be the player I am today? It’s not even close, but I think I attribute my time in New England as learning football in light-years. I think I learned more in my first year there than I learned in my entire career about the game of football – not just offense and quarterback play, but defenses, how to attack, things like that. I can’t speak for other rookies. I know I was probably a little bit further behind than most rookies. I mean, I was undrafted, apparently for a reason, so I think I’m a much better pro player than I was in college. I can honestly say that. In college, I can understand why people maybe overlooked me.”

On if the new offense has been more challenging than he expected mentally:

“No, I don’t think so. Like anything, there are nuances to certain things. I think I mentioned this to you guys. I can’t remember when, but there are certain plays where it’s a similar play to what I’ve run before, but we’re teaching it differently or we’re reading it differently or we’re reading it different. Sometimes I’ve got to shut that out of my head and just listen to Kyle and (quarterbacks coach) Dowell (Loggains) and say, ‘This is how they want it done. Just do it that way. Don’t revert to old habits.’  I think things like that – we really talk about footwork here more so than any place I’ve been. For me, that’s something I’m always trying to improve on because I tend to get tall and stiff legged sometimes, so I try to keep a more athletic base. Like I said, there’s always room to improve. Any time you’re not coming out of the game with 100-percent completion and touchdowns right and left, there’s always room to improve.”

On if he thinks the decision on who starts Week 1 is going to come down to Monday night:

“You’d have to ask Coach Pettine about that.”

On if he’s already started to see the benefits of having QB Rex Grossman here:

“Yeah, for me, I think that it’s great. Learning it from a coach is great because they’re telling you, ‘OK, watch this film,’ but Rex has played in the system. Like even today, on a play I had back there I was like, ‘On that play, have you ever come off and worried about a back side corner?’ Then he’s like, ‘No, you know, it’s not…,’ so to have a guy that’s played the position in this system is huge for not just me, but the entire room because he can relate it from a playing level. I think there’s a big difference between someone who’s played in it and someone who’s coaching it.”

On if he ever wondered why they didn’t sign Grossman in May:

“When I first met him, I said, ‘I thought you’d be here a lot sooner.’ If anything, for me, it’s another guy to lean on. Like I said, it’s always good to talk to the coach about it, but sometimes when you’ve got a guy who’s actually played and been in there when the live bullets are firing, it’s always good to see his perspective on things.”

On if he got enough practice time in New England or if Brady wanted all the snaps:

“Yeah, there were times when I got thrown out of the huddle by Tom, but training camp is training camp for everyone so you’d always get a lot of reps. Then like any other place, once the season rolls around, the starter needs to take the reps. That really prepared me as a player to take a lot of mental reps.”

On if it’s been hard for him to deal with the fact that it seems like Manziel will be the starter for this team inevitably at some point:

“I haven’t heard that so no, not really.”

On if he’s doing things now to get his body ready to play 16 games if he is the starter:

“Yeah, there’s the maintenance of my knee. Obviously, it’s almost a daily process where it’s kind of a rotation. Sometimes you see me out there doing band drop-backs to build up my leg and core in the movements that I’ll be doing in the game. Other days it’s with the lifting. Other days with ART, massage, things like that. It’s kind of crazy for me. I was always a guy who never had to do anything because I’d never been hurt. Now, I’ve kind of done a complete 180 where I’m constantly doing something to maintain strength, flexibility, all those things because sometimes when you have an injury, it exposes some weaknesses you might have. We’ve really done a good job of trying to stay on top of that.”

On if playing Monday night on national TV adds excitement to the QB competition:

“For me, I don’t really look at it. This whole situation, I think, has brought a lot of attention to our team and to our city, which I think it’s always a good thing, but I’m so far removed from that, that it’s not even a concern of mine.”

On if he’s at all surprised that he’s starting the second game:

“No, I think it’s what I’ve expected all along. Really, it wouldn’t have changed my approach either way. I think I approach my job this year a little bit differently because I can be more vocal. I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes, but in the past, I’ve always prepared like I was a starter. Those decisions are out of my control and I just kind of do what I’m told.”

On if he had any reaction to the gossip about him potentially being traded after the Grossman signing:

“I didn’t. I was told about it later. I guess people are trying to connect the dots. That’s (the media’s) job to do that, but for me, I’m not concerned about anything like that. I’m looking forward to being the starting quarterback here.”