Head Coach Jay Gruden
(on offense putting the points on the board) "I was happy with our offense. The beginning wasn't too good. We threw the interception to [Terrell] Suggs, but we bounced back, and we put together two good drives at the end of the half. A great two minute drive by Kirk [Cousins] and the offensive line did an outstanding job blocking and Ryan Grant made a big play. All together I think they played well."
(on who starts as quarterback against Miami) "This all happened abruptly with Robert [Griffin III] not being able to play. We were prepared to go with Robert this game, and within the last 24 hours we had to make a sudden change. We have to re-evaluate the tape. We have to find out how Robert is. He has to go through the protocol and get re-tested at the end of the week and see how he's doing then and make our decision."
(on what happened in the 24-hour span) "We had a verbal from the independent doctor that he [Robert Griffin III] was cleared. This has nothing to do with the Washington Redskins. We continued to prepare going through the walkthrough at the air force base, and our doctor got a call, and got the email and read the report and it was different. This has nothing to do with our doctors or our trainers. The league mandated an independent doctor. There was a lot of confusion there. I read the report as well, so we did what we thought was right, and that was not playing Robert."
(on concern that they rushed Robert Griffin III back too early in the week) "No, we did everything by the book. He was cleared for non-contact activity, so we didn't put him in harm's way in any way, shape, or form. He felt OK at the time, and we still wanted to make sure we went through the necessary steps. He took the test and got cleared verbally. I guess the report read something different, and we were forced to sit him."
(on quarterback for season opener) "I'm not going to announce anything right now. First of all, I need to read these reports. These reports are confusing. We need to sit down and talk to all the players involved, and make our decision as a staff and go from there. This was all put on us in the last minute. We had a great game. Kirk [Cousins] played great. Colt [McCoy] played great. And the offensive line played excellent. Defense got some turnovers. I was happy with the way we played, and the rest of this stuff will sort itself out."
(on if it was explained why he cleared verbally) "We're all as confused as you are. People have to understand this has nothing to do with the Washington Redskins. I know people want to make it out that we're incompetent, but this had nothing to do with us. It was totally an independent doctor. A verbal being said to our doctor, and then all of a sudden the written report is different. We followed proper course and did what we thought was right for Robert, and what the report said. We followed everything by the book."
(on if he has a quarterback controversy) "Right now, I want to evaluate the games and go from there and find out how Robert is doing. I made that perfectly clear. I'm not going to announce anything and there is no controversy. We came off a great victory today against a very good football team. The Baltimore Ravens are very physical. They took it to us early and we bounced back and made some plays, both sides of the ball, and I'm happy about that. As far as who's starting, at every position we're going to evaluate that as a staff and talk about it. I'm not going to make any announcements right now, that's for sure."
(on playing the backup quarterback) "I'm very pleased with the way that Colt [McCoy] and Kirk [Cousins] have played since OTAs, training camp, all of it. Very, very capable football players. Very capable NFL players. I've said all along, I believe we have three NFL caliber quarterbacks on our team, and we're fortunate. They've all taken their reps. Kirk and Colt have taken their reps, second and third team, and some first team throughout training camp, and they've made the most of it. They're competing, and you will see on the field that they've studied, they've prepared and got themselves ready to play."
(on seeing Harbaugh standing near him on the sideline yelling) "I don't even know. I was two feet on the field, and he was all the way on our sideline, and the referee told me to get back. As far as what he said to me and all that, it was just a heated deal. Steve Smith is a great player and [Chris] Culliver, they're both two good players, and they're both very competitive. We just wanted the situation to calm itself down, and of course it didn't, but we tried."
(on how QB Kirk Cousins responded today) "I thought it was awesome. I was really proud of him – no doubt. We've had issues in the past with that situation. He bounced back, didn't blink an eye and didn't bat an eye. He was fired up to get this opportunity. Nobody wants to start when your starter is unable to play, but he was excited about this opportunity. To see him have a slow start and throw the interception and bounce back and get those two drives going into the half was impressive."
(on Washington's running game against the Baltimore Ravens) "Personnel-wise, we had a couple runs, and they [Baltimore Ravens] played base personnel to some of our three-receiver sets, and it's almost impossible to run in that situation. That's why we had some success throwing it a little bit. They're a great run defense. Suggs [Terrell] has wrecked many of my game plans in the past, and wrecked many of all other offensive coordinators game plans, so it's a very tough defense to go against. I'm happy with the way we competed. I think we battled. I think our offensive line did an excellent job, which was very exciting. As many times as we threw the ball and the rushes that they have, I thought that was a great testament to our offensive line."
(on the tweets about the quarterback situation) "Tweets, I really don't respond to those. There's a lot of sources out there. I don't know where they're coming from. I've always been told that I have the final say of who plays quarterback, and I don't think that's changed. Scot [McCloughan] and I will have a long discussion. Obviously he's a part of our organization as is Bruce Allen and Daniel Snyder. We'll all talk about it. We're going to put the best 53 [players] on the field that we think are going to win against Miami, period. There's no hidden agendas whatsoever. This is a Washington Redskins' decision. I have faith that we'll make the right one."
QB Kirk Cousins
(on when he found out he was starting) "It was probably a couple of days ago, but it didn't matter to me. In this league, I've learned you have to be ready when you're called. So, I was ready to step in and play as well as I could."
(on the Suggs INT) "That was a great play by Terrell Suggs. That's why he is Terrell Suggs. He sniffed it out and made a great play. I wish I would have thrown it into the ground, but I didn't see him right away."
(on the reports that the Redskins now have an open competition at QB) "I haven't been told anything like that. In football, there are too many things you can't control, so I try not to pay attention to outside stuff. I just keep doing the best I can and see what happens."
(on his confidence) "It makes a huge difference being a fourth-year player than a third-year player. I understand the game much better, and I spent the offseason studying, and I feel much better about my performances."
(on the good bounce the Redskins got on his TD pass) "We were facing a Cover 0. [Andre] Roberts did a great job on that play. I didn't know what happened because I got knocked down. I heard the crowd cheering, but I couldn't tell if they were Ravens fans or Redskins fans. We kind of fell into that one, but we put ourselves in a good position to get that fortunate bounce."
(on the report that he'll start Week 1) "Nobody has told me anything like that. If I want to stay in this league, I've got to be ready all the time. If they want me to start, I'll do my best. But that's weeks away."
(on how he survives with the constant controversy surrounding the team) "I don't pay any attention to it. I don't feel there's controversy within our team, the locker room or anything like that. It all stays outside this team in the building, so we mostly ignore it."
QB Colt McCoy
(on the offense) "I feel comfortable on what we are doing. I didn't get a lot of throws, but I felt I executed what was called. So, I'm always happy with that. I felt the guys up front did a really nice job, and the young guys, the receivers coming off the bench, made some nice plays."
(on Robert Griffin III not playing) "I think it was a surprise. I ran the scout team all week and really didn't prepare much for Baltimore other than meetings and taking mental routes. That's part of being a backup. You've got to always be ready."
(on his role) "I really don't know. There's a lot of uncertainties. What I do know after playing six years in this league, it's that you always have to be prepared – whether that's studying or whether that's taking guys outside and getting some throws when you're not getting any routes, like it was this week. Whatever it may be, you just always have to be ready to answer the call, and I'll continue to do that."
LB Jackson Jeffcoat
(on the defense) "We've got to keep working. We have to thank the coaches. They helped us out with all the situations going on. I feel like, when I get out there with my teammates, I feel comfortable and make plays."
(on his pass-rushing ability) "It's big. To stay in the league, pass rushers are at a premium. So, I want to groom myself to become a better pass rusher."
(on his play) "Coaches always say, 'Put it on tape,' and that's one thing I've been trying to do every week."
RB Matt Jones
(on the offense) "We came out a little slow, but we wanted to run the ball and be more physical because we know [the Ravens] are a big, physical team. We started off a little slow, but we got it going."
(on Kirk Cousins' play) "I love the way Kirk played. He was very calm. He was very precise and patient. He played great."
(on Robert Griffin, III not playing) "It was definitely difficult not seeing Robert starting. Obviously, we didn't know. But we were prepared that Kirk [Cousins] and [Colt] McCoy would come in and play a lot, and they played great tonight."
(on his play) "I feel like I played good. I feel like I could have scored on a couple of them. I feel I'm just getting better during the week. I feel like I played good, but I could have played better."
(on the offense) "I'm feeling very comfortable, and the defense every week is just getting me better."
G Brandon Scherff
(on the game) "We just tried to come out and get a little bit better and improve from last week. We didn't give up any sacks this week, which is an improvement for us. We've just got things to clean up. And that's what we are working on – improvement."
(on his play) "It's the game of football, so you can't compare it to last week. This week, it's a whole new game, and it's a whole new system from Baltimore to Detroit. We've just got to come out and play football. I thought we did alright up front. We're just going to watch film and improve on the details."
S Duke Ihenacho
(on whether the Redskins played a complete game tonight) "We did all right tonight. There are still some things we need to clean up, and we'll take care of those after we watch film. We're moving forward and getting better."
(on the scuffle in the first half) "It was a physical game, and it was a physical tackle. I guess they didn't like that. When they started creating trouble, we all joined in because it's all about protecting our brothers."
(on the season) "I'm very confident about the season ahead. We just need to stay healthy. We keep playing our game and playing better. Tonight, we missed a few tackles early, but we got much better as the game went on."
TE Jordan Reed
(on playing with QB Kirk Cousins) "It felt good, even though I felt a little rusty out there. I've got to keep working and get better."
(on offensive improvements) "I think we showed a lot of improvement today, and we took advantage of opportunities."
T Trent Williams
(on the quarterback controversy) "We just have to control what we can control. We block for whoever they put back there. I didn't pay attention to him [QB Robert Griffin III] not being back there. He [QB Kirk Cousins] did great."
(on his new contract) "It's great. It feels great to get that out of the way. I wasn't worried about it at all. My agent was working on it night and day to get it done. I'm extremely happy."
RB Chris Thompson
(on his performance) "I thought it was OK. I'm a guy who's hard on myself. It could have been better, so I just need to look at the film and go from there."
(on catching passes out of the backfield) "I feel very comfortable about that as part of my game. I'm hoping, as coaches have seen in practice, they can depend on me when the quarterback throws the ball to me. All I want to be is an indispensible guy."
WR Jamison Crowder
(on his performance) "It felt good, but I feel like I could have played a lot better. I kind of charged into the game. I was a little anxious and nervous."
(on his touchdown) "It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. Definitely not how I expected my first touchdown to be, but I will take it."
(on his punt returns) "I definitely set high standards for myself, and I have high expectations. I was disappointed in my performance, but I slipped trying to make a break. It was different playing on artificial turf, when for most of camp we were on natural grass. I definitely plan to do better at my next opportunity."
(on playing when not expected to) "I went out and warmed up. When I was asked how I was feeling, I told them I was feeling pretty good. The main thing Coach [Jay] Gruden wanted to see was to field a few punts back there and also a few snaps in the game."
(on QB Kirk Cousins' play) "I think he looked really good. We started out kind of slow, but we were able to pick it up going into half, made a few plays and ended up getting a victory."
