Kellen Moore

Q. On the interception that QB Jalen Hurts threw, when you evaluate that, it looked like Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs just made a great play, but then QB Jalen Hurts had mentioned that TE Grant Calcaterra was open on the wheel. How do you guys see that when you watch the film? (Jeff McLane)

KELLEN MOORE: I think we always try and evaluate it on our side of it. How can we improve, how can I help with the design, the decisions, all that sort of stuff. Certainly, it felt like [Cowboys CB Trevon] Diggs made a phenomenal play there. As you evaluate, there’s a progression to it, and those things happen fast. I thought there was a chance there, and Diggs ended up making an excellent play.

But something just for us to keep looking at because there are different plays that come up that are similar to those types of plays in different situations. So you’re always trying to learn from that to lead you moving forward.

Q. Did you derive any extra satisfaction out of going back to Dallas and winning a game? (Ed Kracz)

KELLEN MOORE: No, it certainly was fun. You know a lot of people there, so it was fun to see people that you spent a number of years with. So that aspect of it was fun, and it was a big win for us.

Q. As a former quarterback, when it comes to pass protection, what is the quarterback’s responsibility when things are not going the way you want early? (John McMullen)

KELLEN MOORE: Pass protection really is about everyone. Everyone is associated with it, from the guys protecting, to the quarterback, to the receiver timing, to the play calls. We’re constantly evaluating that and trying to put ourselves in the best position to be successful. Dallas did some really good stuff early and got us behind the sticks in some long yardage situations.

I think credit to [QB] Jalen [Hurts] and so many of our guys to hang in there and keep going, and we found our groove as it progressed. Now the focus is on how we can address that quicker and get ourselves in a more comfortable rhythm because those things will happen throughout the season. It’s happened a few other times before, and usually we bounce back. That’s the good thing about it.

Q. With some of the sacks, it seemed like there was a lot of time in the pocket. I don’t know if that had to do with vision, but what did you make of the length of some of those plays that led to sacks? (Brooks Kubena)

KELLEN MOORE: There are a lot of things that go into it. Some of them are really long yardage circumstances, so the routes are naturally going to be a little bit further if we’re trying to get it into potential conversion range. Everything goes into play, from the play call, to the design, to the routes. We had probably a few too many sacks than we anticipated and wanted, but we’ll continue to evaluate that.

Q. To follow up, it could extend beyond sacks, just to other plays. QB Jalen Hurts, the week before, talked about the vision that he didn’t have throwing to WR DeVonta Smith. I don’t want to make assumptions. it might go beyond height. But as a coach who’s six foot, how do you coach around vision, how it extends beyond what quarterbacks see? How do you play to that? (Brooks Kubena)

KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, vision is a big thing for all quarterbacks. I think just about everyone, unless you’re 6’6″ plus, these linemen are all taller than you. That’s just how it is. For every quarterback, there’s always a vision awareness. How can you navigate that because it’s for every single quarterback.

I don’t think it’s exclusive to just guys that are in the shorter range of starting quarterbacks. I think it’s for every single guy. Every guy I’ve been around, whether they’re 6’3″, 6’4″, they still have vision stuff. Sometimes they can’t see everything within the pocket, and that’s natural.

I think for guys, it’s always trying to navigate how can you find that vision, how can we help with the design of creating throwing lanes.

It’s a good question, but I think it goes to everyone, not just Jalen specifically, here or anywhere. It’s for every quarterback in this league.

Q. What has T Fred Johnson shown you these last four games? (Reuben Frank)

KELLEN MOORE: Just phenomenal consistency. For a guy to pop in there, handle that role change, and to really do it in a really smooth manner. I think he did an excellent job. Him and [G] Landon [Dickerson] communicating on that side of the ball, I think those things are huge.

Q. These last few weeks, you guys have had big leads and been able to rest a lot of guys. For guys like RB Will Shipley, WR Ainias Smith, WR Johnny Wilson, how valuable has it been for those guys to get into games? (Martin Frank)

KELLEN MOORE: Huge opportunities for those guys because like any NFL season, we’re going to need depth. We’re going to need guys to come up and play in critical games, no different than any other team. So for us to get that experience for those guys, I think it’s excellent.

Q. What have they shown? (Martin Frank)

KELLEN MOORE: They’ve done a really nice job. I think we’ve got a lot of depth on this team. We’ve got a lot of guys who play somewhat smaller roles at times, and they’re always ready to take on bigger roles. Similar to discussing [T] Fred [Johnson], Fred getting in there, and then when his opportunity presents itself, awesome, he’s ready to roll. [WR] Johnny [Wilson] goes out there and makes a big play on the scramble in the red zone. He’s ready to roll.

I thought [RB] Will [Shipley] had been in some challenging situations run game wise where he was in some ugly runs early, and for him to pop a few this past game, awesome for him. Gives him confidence, gives everyone confidence when he’s out there that at some point, he’ll play a critical role as well.

Q. Back to the vision, without delving into secrets, how in general, since it extends to a lot of quarterbacks, do you support vision? How do you play that into plays and routes and other things? (Brooks Kubena)

KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, like you said, so many factors go into quarterback play. It’s the protection, it’s the play design, it’s at times trying to move the pocket. We’re trying to create opportunities for him as much as we can.

There are a lot of different ways that we protect, whether there’s help from a tight end or a running back, there’s free release to try and get guys out of the throwing lanes. There are a lot of different ways you can do it. I think we’re constantly trying to mess with that and give them different tools and different circumstances to allow us to create those opportunities.

Q. Did you guys identify the sunlight as an issue for QB Jalen Hurts? (Jeff McLane)

KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, in general for everyone, yeah. For everyone. I’ve been there. I was there a long time, so… (laughing)

Q. How would you handle that when you were calling plays in Dallas during the game? (Jeff Kerr)

KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, like any, stadiums all have different circumstances. That one, the sun plays a decent role, so you just have to call plays according to it, knowing certain parts of the field at times can be a little bit challenging.

We had it in the first quarter, towards the end of the first quarter in the red zone. And then second quarter, we were going the other way.

Q. What has Commanders LB Bobby Wagner brought to the Commanders defense, would you say? (Ed Kracz)

KELLEN MOORE: You can just see he runs the show. It’s really, really impressive. You can see him, complete command of the defense, running and operating and playing really like a quarterback for that whole group. Allowing them to get in and out of different looks and different adjustments. He’s one of the best linebackers to ever play in this league, and he’s still playing at a really high level.

Q. The background you have with Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn and Commanders Defensive Coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., and they have with you, how does that factor into the chess match this week? (Zach Berman)

KELLEN MOORE: Similar to playing Dallas last week, there’s going to be a lot of familiarity. There’s overlap as you go through this coaching profession. So spent a lot of time around [Commanders Head Coach] Dan [Quinn] and [Commander Defensive Coordinator] Joe [Whitt Jr.]. They’re excellent coaches. They’re some of the best.

Obviously, we have familiarity with some of the stuff we did in Dallas structurally, and so it’ll be fun. Just like last week, there will be a lot of familiarity, and we’ll just go play.

Q. How much trust does that ball to WR Jahan Dotson take from QB Jalen Hurts? (Dave Zangaro)

KELLEN MOORE: Big-time trust, big-time execution. I think it shows [WR] Jahan [Dotson] – we all would love every guy to get a whole bunch of catches every game because we think the world of all these guys. And for him to hang in there and then make two big-time catches, each one the last two weeks, I think goes to his consistency and his willingness to keep putting in the work. And Jalen’s trust in letting it go. We’ll continue to have those opportunities for him.

Q. Outside of Commanders LB Bobby Wagner, what else is popping on the defensive tape for Washington? (Tim McManus)

KELLEN MOORE: Certainly the D-line. They’ve got excellent push, excellent effort. They get to the quarterback. I think on the back end, they’re really aggressive. They do an excellent job of playing aggressive on the receivers. I think they’ve done a nice job of diversifying their different coverage looks. They give you just enough flavor to make you work pre-snap and post-snap, so they’ll do an excellent job. They’ll make it hard on us.

Q. From the short week perspective, game planning, does it have to be more generic than specific in these types of weeks? (John McMullen)

KELLEN MOORE: Sometimes there are carryover opportunities from one week to the other. So sometimes you have a little bit more this past week or two that can roll over into this week, knowing and anticipating what this week is. Which is very fast, very short, a lot of walk-throughs. But you’re still going to have to game plan a specific opponent.

So there are going to have to be some plays in there that fell back from previous weeks or fell into a different game plan that just haven’t hit yet. Our guys are preparing in a very reduced way, but very similar to how they always do.