2019 Fall Camp Soundbites: Day 11
August 13, 2019 | Football
SEATTLE β Members of the Washington football team met with the media Tuesday afternoon following the Huskies' 11th practice of fall camp. Read some of what they had to say.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BUSH HAMDAN
(On the thought process behind choosing a starting quarterback) "From the standpoint of execution, who is not turning the ball over, who is making plays consistently. We're getting a lot of good work with these guys and I think they're playing well. It's going to be a tough decision."
(On putting an emphasis behind throwing the ball downfield) "I certainly think so. As camp goes, it's kind of the same routes over and over again against the defense which certainly poses some challenges with how good our [defensive backs] are, but we've definitely made an emphasis of pushing it down the field."
TIGHT ENDS COACH JORDAN PAOPAO
(On the reasoning behind the success of tight ends at Washington) "If there's a secret sauce, I wish I knew exactly what was going on to replicate that, but I think the nice thing is we have recruited unbelievable kids, really sharp kids who don't care about stats. They just care about winning football games, and I think that became contagious. It started with Will [Dissly] and seeing him develop for a lot of young guys like Cade, being able to see how to operate on a day-to-day basis exactly what professionalism looks like. [Will] ended up getting a great opportunity with the [Seahawks]β¦ These young guys have had a unique opportunity to see the progression of an NFL tight end and be able to emulate that has been a huge momentum swing, especially for guys like Hunter that are presented with that opportunity potentially."
(On the tight ends' role in the Huskies' passing game) "For us, at the end of the day it comes down to doing our job really, really well. I think the versatility of our room, we have a lot of guys who can get out and stretch the top of the defense and add a little bit of a deep threat to the passing game. What's never going to leave our room is our ability to go grind at the line of scrimmage and open up the run game. For us, it's about trying to be the best version of ourselves every single time we hit the field."
PLACEKICKER PEYTON HENRY
(On the team's mentality around getting better) "Oh yeah, always improving here. That's what Coach Petersen wants is taking that next step, whether it be in school, football, the weight room. Always wanting to get better and improve in every aspect of the game."
TIGHT END CADE OTTON
(On his relationship with fellow tight end Hunter Bryant) "It's all fun. We have a really good time inside the tight end room. [Hunter Bryant] is a great guy, a lot of fun. He's really loyal, that's what I've found from spending a lot of time with him. Right now, he just really wants to perform for the guys and he's doing a great job. I'm excited to play with him some more⦠I go to him for a lot of advice, especially on the football field. He's great, he's always locked in and taking mental reps all the time. That's what everyone has to do in the tight end room. We have to stay locked in."
(On what it will be like playing alongside Bryant in games) "I think we can do a lot of things. I don't know what the game plan will be, but we want to block really well and we want to make plays down the field. That's all part of the plan. Whatever we're called on to do, we want to do it really well."
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BUSH HAMDAN
(On the thought process behind choosing a starting quarterback) "From the standpoint of execution, who is not turning the ball over, who is making plays consistently. We're getting a lot of good work with these guys and I think they're playing well. It's going to be a tough decision."
(On putting an emphasis behind throwing the ball downfield) "I certainly think so. As camp goes, it's kind of the same routes over and over again against the defense which certainly poses some challenges with how good our [defensive backs] are, but we've definitely made an emphasis of pushing it down the field."
TIGHT ENDS COACH JORDAN PAOPAO
(On the reasoning behind the success of tight ends at Washington) "If there's a secret sauce, I wish I knew exactly what was going on to replicate that, but I think the nice thing is we have recruited unbelievable kids, really sharp kids who don't care about stats. They just care about winning football games, and I think that became contagious. It started with Will [Dissly] and seeing him develop for a lot of young guys like Cade, being able to see how to operate on a day-to-day basis exactly what professionalism looks like. [Will] ended up getting a great opportunity with the [Seahawks]β¦ These young guys have had a unique opportunity to see the progression of an NFL tight end and be able to emulate that has been a huge momentum swing, especially for guys like Hunter that are presented with that opportunity potentially."
(On the tight ends' role in the Huskies' passing game) "For us, at the end of the day it comes down to doing our job really, really well. I think the versatility of our room, we have a lot of guys who can get out and stretch the top of the defense and add a little bit of a deep threat to the passing game. What's never going to leave our room is our ability to go grind at the line of scrimmage and open up the run game. For us, it's about trying to be the best version of ourselves every single time we hit the field."
PLACEKICKER PEYTON HENRY
(On the team's mentality around getting better) "Oh yeah, always improving here. That's what Coach Petersen wants is taking that next step, whether it be in school, football, the weight room. Always wanting to get better and improve in every aspect of the game."
TIGHT END CADE OTTON
(On his relationship with fellow tight end Hunter Bryant) "It's all fun. We have a really good time inside the tight end room. [Hunter Bryant] is a great guy, a lot of fun. He's really loyal, that's what I've found from spending a lot of time with him. Right now, he just really wants to perform for the guys and he's doing a great job. I'm excited to play with him some more⦠I go to him for a lot of advice, especially on the football field. He's great, he's always locked in and taking mental reps all the time. That's what everyone has to do in the tight end room. We have to stay locked in."
(On what it will be like playing alongside Bryant in games) "I think we can do a lot of things. I don't know what the game plan will be, but we want to block really well and we want to make plays down the field. That's all part of the plan. Whatever we're called on to do, we want to do it really well."
Players Mentioned
TE
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