IRVING, Texas – Head coach Jason Garrett addressed the media at the rookie minicamps Saturday afternoon after the first of two practices that day.
Here are some notes from that conference:
- Once again, the topic of play-calling came up. And once again, the answer was the same: "We haven't made any decisions on that," Garrett said.
- Nick Stephens is the lone veteran quarterback attending the rookie minicamps, and he's getting a lot of work and making progress, according to Garrett, who said he has the physical tools. Now he's watching Stephens grow within the offense as the quarterback figures out what the coaches expect. Garrett said this is as valuable a time for Stephens as anyone else, and the same goes for Aaron Corp, the former USC and Richmond quarterback who's splitting reps among the group.
- It's a wait and see game for running back Joseph Randle. He'll continue to add more to his plate as the year progresses. "We don't really want him catching the ball or in a competitive situation right now," Garrett said.
- The coaches are aggressive with their installation, but they also want to be reasonable with how the players will respond to all the new information. They're focusing now on seeing how the players can take what they learn from meetings onto the practice field.
- Garrett said sometimes players can play slower than normal as they attempt to learn the offense. He said Terrance Williams had a better day Saturday than Friday, which is usually the case for rookies, since they play faster the more they know what's expected of them.
- Another receiver, Jared Green, the song of Redskins' Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green, is in attendance at the workouts as one of seven veterans. Garrett said he has a feel for the position, and his quickness allows separation. He said he can tell Green's a veteran by the way he practices. [embedded_ad]
- Garrett emphasizes keeping the best players, regardless of background. Some teams pride themselves on keeping all their draft picks, but he wants the best players to stick around based solely off competition.
- There will be a few players who need to go back to school after the rookie minicamp because of the trimester school system. That's what Matt Johnson had to do last year. Garrett said he understands the importance of academics, but the more players are around, the better. "It hurt Matt just because he was away for a month or so and when he did come back he wasn't healthy."
