Quotes from:

Zac Taylor

Head coach

Initial comments ...

"All right. I thought it was a good game. I thought our guys played well. Just told them I thought we tackled well on defense and special teams. And, I thought on offense we pass-protected well — gave the quarterbacks a great chance to make good decisions and make plays for the passing game. Now on special teams, we really stepped up in all phases. I thought there were some good things. Evan (McPherson) ... got an opportunity to keep one of those missile kicks on the kickoff. I thought (Ryan) Rehkow had a great punt. We got Cam Grandy in there for a snap as the long snapper. So, I just thought we got a chance to work on some stuff and the guys really stepped up. It was good to see."

Is Cashius Howell healthy?

"Yes. He got a ton of reps over the last couple of weeks and he is healthy."

What did you like about your receivers today?

"They made plays. I thought they (had) some great one-on-one opportunities. Did a good job. I just (thought), all around, they did a good job. They made plays for us, and I thought the quarterbacks were really decisive, made really good decisions, (were) really good at the operation — getting out of the huddle, utilizing the play clock, utilizing the different teams that we had, getting to our second plays. They blitzed us some. I thought our quarterbacks handled it really well, giving to our checks and executing. Had some good third-and-long conversions, particularly on the first drive. I think overall they did really well."

What do you like about the defense, Zac? Obviously, there's been a lot of focus on quality, depth, and going up against Caleb Williams ...

"I thought it was really clean. I think in the first half we gave up two naked's, but they just got us with two explosive plays on the backside of the naked. Aside from that, I thought our guys played really clean. We got guys on the ground. We've got to watch the tape and see how we missed tackles, but I thought our guys did a great job leveraging the ball, and getting the ball to the ground. (We) did a good job taking away some downfield throws and making them check it down underneath. So, I just thought overall that they played very quick."

It was a little moment maybe, but it seemed like the defense took advantage of that holding penalty and then didn't give up any ground ...

"Yeah, that's how it goes sometimes. I think two times they had holding penalties on drives that set them back, and you get them in a long-yardage situation, and you hold on."

After two games, what kind of impression has Dohnte Meyers made on you?

"He's done a good job. (With) the opportunities that come to him, he has been doing a good job catching the ball, returning the ball, had some sweeps. I think he's just trying to make the most of these opportunities."

How important was it to get Sean Clifford some extended time?

"The way Josh (Johnson) played the first half — Josh, I thought, played excellent and finished with a nice touchdown drive at halftime. So, it's just a good opportunity to get him out. Probably would have played him in the third quarter, but just thought he played real clean.

"And so I got Sean (Clifford) in there, and that was great. Sean had great command. Sean gets, mind you, probably two reps in training camp, maybe. Less than 10, I would say. So, he then goes out there and plays a game real clean, and that just shows you the work behind the scenes that he's doing to make sure he gets himself ready, and the job Brad Kragthorpe does with him. And so I'm really impressed by Sean to be able to go out there and execute."

With the snaps that you saw tonight and during training camp, how would you evaluate what you're seeing at backup tackle behind Amarius Mims and Orlando Brown Jr.?

"I think that's still pretty open. I think that there are guys we're still looking at. I wouldn't say there have been any decisions that have been made."

Connor Lew and Eric Gentry both played. Was this just for you to get their feet wet and get them game reps, or was there more to it?

"No. (With) Connor (Lew), this is part of his progression. He came off the ACL. He's done all the practice things he needed to do. Check the box. We got him out in the game. Check the box. I think he got 16 plays in the first drive. He played the second drive as well. And then Eric (Gentry), it was just more about Eric — just letting him get into a game environment. I know he was excited for that. So, I don't know how many snaps he got out of the six, but it was good to get on that."

The play-calling apparatus tonight — was it temporary or permanent? Did Dan Pitcher call plays tonight?

"Yeah. Pitch did an excellent job. Before the game tonight, he did an excellent job. Great prep all week, preparing for this practice, (then) calling the game. I know he had a great feel for it. So, I thought he did an excellent job."

Is he going to call the game next week as well?

"I don't know yet. We'll figure it out."

You see the splash plays from Colbie Young. How are you seeing him round out his game and do all those things?

"Yeah, I think for Colbie (Young), there's seven years of experience he has to make up. We've got a really veteran receiving group that's just played a lot of ball for us. So, there's no fault of his own. There's just a lot of things he's going to catch up on, and he's working hard to do it. He's making plays that come to him. That's the job to learn for the receiver. He's willing to be physical. He has shown that in practice over and over again. And so now, it's just all the nuances that he's just got to catch up on with guys that have been doing it for four, five, six, seven years."

Going back to backup tackle, what do you want to see from whoever earns that spot?

"Consistency. Just trust that the backup tackle is going to go in and win the game, and we want to keep playing the way that we play. You've just got to be able to trust through the game. And so, I think there's probably a competition there."

Landon Robinson had a sack and a half tonight. Where have you seen him grow since day one?

"I've seen cleaner tackles in my life, but he did a good job coming clean, looping around, and kind of not wasting any space there, and closing down on the quarterback before you could really see him coming. So, again, just like I say, with any guys competing for some of these backup jobs — just the consistency. It doesn't always happen. His flash play — it's great to see his flash play. That was a big, big play, but we really want to see the consistency that if people in the game have to play five to 20 snaps, that you're going to do your job and allow those around you to do their jobs as well."

The way you guys held up physically with the joint practice and with how the roster held up against an NFC North champion, you've got to be pleased with how it matched up ...

"Yeah, a lot of respect for them. That's a great opportunity for us this week to practice with them. They're well prepared, really veteran play callers in all three phases. I mean, it's about as veteran as you get. Ben (Johnson) has called plays for a long time. Richard Hightower's been there for a long time. DA (Dennis Allen) has done it forever. So, that was just good for our coaching staff, for our players to go against that. It was a good test for us all week."

What stood out the most to you about the joint practice and the way you guys finished, especially on Thursday?

"I thought situationally, we got really good work. We got a chance to hit every field zone there was. So, you get a chance to rep your concepts against a defense and offense they don't face. They've got great scheme in both sides. That really stresses you. I thought the situational stuff — we did a three-and-a-half-minute drill at the end. We did twice, and so I just thought there's a lot of situations that arise there. We've done it to ourselves as well. We'll do it again. I just think there's a lot for us to continue to think about as those situations come up. So, I thought that was really valuable. I'm happy with how it ended, obviously, but I think it's just valuable to go against a different team and have to think through a lot of situations and how you'd manage it."

We haven't had a chance to ask you since Joe Burrow spoke on Thursday. He was asked, "Is it now or never?" And his attitude is, that's absolutely how he's approaching the season. Your reaction, your thoughts when you heard Joe's comments?

"I just take it one game at a time. We're just going to keep working. Try to be undefeated in the preseason and get better every single day we've got."

How do you feel about Brian Parker II's growth?

"Yeah, I think we've made him do a lot. We made him play center. We made him play guard. Obviously, he finished at tackle in college, so he's got a lot of versatility which is critical. I've been pleased that Brian has picked it up and never batted an eye at where we're putting him. We'll assess obviously how he played at the different spots tonight, but we've been pleased with the training camp he's had."

Is playing at tackle in Brian Parker II's future?

"It's in his background, so right now we're having him at guard primarily. He's proven that he can be an emergency center for us, which is good if you're in a game, but really pleased with his development."

What do you need to see that you haven't maybe seen yet?

"We just need to continue to practice, and I think just as many situations as we can put ourselves in, get our players comfortable with that. But we've gotten good work at this point. Now, we're going to do some three-day stretches. We're getting some good work this week, leading into Philly, and then three days leading into a bye, so we're really looking at nine practices there. Ten practices, really, to get to Tampa Bay. So, that's the way I think of it. We've got 10 real practices to get ourselves ready to go, and that's really where our focus department turns to."

Obviously, for a rookie like Connor Lew, you'd want him to be able to take advantage of the full offseason. But does it make you feel that much better that now he's got at least two games of reps and the next 10 practices you're talking about, so that if anything were to happen to Ted Karras, you'd be able to feel comfortable putting a rookie in there to snap it to Joe Burrow?

"I feel good about his progression. You don't always put these guys in a position to work with the guys that they'll probably be playing with, if God forbid, something ever happens. But I think Connor did a great job managing it and doing the best he can. He's done as well as we can hope with the least time he's got so far."

JOSH JOHNSON

Quarterback

The zero blitz where you got the ball to Dohnte Meyers — can you run us through that play?

"For him, I think what he's doing is — you see all the quarterbacks have confidence in him. You don't need to say a lot when you've got Joe (Burrow) speaking out about him, (Joe) Flacco always throwing the ball to him and when I get out there, we throw the ball to him, there's a reason. I think what he's doing is he's continuing to stack days of being consistent and showing, to me anyway, that there's no limitations to his game."

You probably had your best throw of the night to Colbie Young ...

"(It's the) same thing. Making plays every day. We're throwing the ball to him and he's making plays in the right spots. When that happens and you show up on film as a guy who continues to get open, quarterbacks are going to throw you the ball. He should have caught the slant, but I didn't throw him a great ball."

On the touchdown to Colbie Young, it looked like he gave the defender an inside move ...

"He's patient. His patience is awesome. We talk a lot about patience versus press (coverage), and a lot of young guys typically struggle with that. They want to go now. Colbie did, he worked it, he stuck his feet and to me, it was a nice throw to judge where he's going and lead him and let him go make the play."

As a third-string quarterback, you don't get a lot of reps. How do you come out and perform so well?

"For me, personally, myself — it's all God, man. I'm grateful because my whole career has kind of gone like this. If you are a man of faith or have any relationship with God, you know the things he puts us through is for a reason. Now, I'm 40 and I can look back at things I was going through at 22 that are helping me now in how I prepare and understand the reps might not be there for me, but what are other ways I can still have opportunities to bring a calm to yourself to go out there and play confidently. For me, that's all just gratitude to God because he just kept nudging on me to say, 'You know, this might be what it is for you,' but (where) there's a will, there's a way. My whole career has kind of been like, 'You've got to get out the mud,' and it kind of just is what it is. Now I'm just kind of used to it."

Did you do anything tonight that impressed you yourself at age 40?

"I think it's always good to go out there and show you can still make plays. In this business, people want to put labels on you and tags on you — everybody thinks they have the right answers. To me, like I said earlier, the one person I know who has the answers is the man above. For me, when I wake up with an opportunity, that means it's purposeful. The purpose for me is to go out there and do whatever my God-given ability will allow me to do. I might not be able to take it to the house anymore, but I can still make plays, move the chains, win with my mind and allow these guys to be great at what they do — make plays."

DOHNTE MEYERS

Wide Receiver

How long have you been taking a picture of your jersey after the game?

"Since Canada."

Why?

"It just reminds me of — it's a collective memory of all the jerseys I've worn, all the plays and I reminisce a little bit."

Tonight is a good memory, certainly. How do you think you performed tonight?

"I feel like today went well. I can't remember the final score, but I know we did what Zac (Taylor) asked of us."

You did more in the return game tonight. How do you think you did in that area?

"I think I did well. One of my main priorities is at the end of every play, just getting the ball back to the official. I feel like that was something I was able to do today. That was a priority — make smart decisions and put our offense in a good position to make plays."

Do you feel more comfortable with kick or punt returns, or do you have no preference between the two?

"I don't want to necessarily say I have a preference or there's one I feel more comfortable with. They kind of feel the same. They both have their own nuances, but I'm comfortable back there with returns, punts and kicks."

Do you feel like you were being tested to see how much you know the playbook tonight with the positions you were put into on the offense?

"I just felt like it was an opportunity to showcase multiple things I can do. Being an athlete, whether it's in jet sweep, outside out wide — just being able to show multiple skills sets that I have."

What's the hardest part of NFL training camp at the wide receiver position?

"Just the mental game. You might not have your best day and with job security and stuff like that, so just staying mentally ready is probably the hardest thing."

How much are you able to be a sponge to the guys you have in the wide receiver corps and still contribute?

"Absolutely. I have to be the biggest sponge. Those two guys (Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins) are legendary receivers. Even with Andrei (Iosivas) and Mitch (Tinsley), we have so much talent in that room even when Tee and Ja'Marr are not playing, I can learn from Andrei and Mitch."

How important is to watch and study what to correct in the film room to a rookie coming into the league?

"You've got to win the day, and that starts with tomorrow and learning how to get better. There are some things I can clean up so I've got to do that."

What's the most important thing to focus on between now and Philadelphia?

"Honestly, just keep making plays."

Sean Clifford

Quarterback

To play an entire half after only playing a couple snaps in practice, how do you feel comfortable with the limited snaps?

"Matt LaFleur, when I got drafted in Green Bay, always said preparation leads to execution, execution leads to going 1-0, and I've always taken that to heart. Dating back from Penn State, James Franklin preached about how to always prepare like you're the starting quarterback. I have not gotten any reps, so it's not a question. But I've gotten every rep in my brain, every rep after practice as well, and I take a lot of pride in it. Also, as a backup quarterback, that's kind of our job. You just never know when you're going to get called upon. You always want to be prepared. You always want to be striving for excellence personally, because ultimately it's your job. You never know when you're going to get called upon. Last week, it was two drives and I felt like I didn't do my job as well last week, even though it was in the back end of the fourth quarter. I mean, God forbid, that would happen in a real game. I want to be prepared for that moment. I want to do really, really well in that moment, so I made some adjustments this week going into it, just on prep and how to, from a nutrition perspective, how much I'm up throughout the beginning of the game to my warmup. I just kind of really studied it, and I felt like I came into this game with a lot better plan, and I felt like it reflected during the game as well."

Showing off the legs a little bit, too. Is that something you know you can kind of rely on moving forward?

"You know, I did run a 4.57 (second 40-yard dash). I know that I don't look the part every once in a while, but I do run. Dating back to St. Xavier (High School), you could ask anyone. I think I had the most rushing yards by a quarterback at St. X. So, I've always had that in my back pocket. I like to think you kind of lull guys to sleep every once in a while. They see this coming at you, and they're like, 'There's no way,' and you book around the corner. But I always work on my speed. I try to be as fast as I possibly can. I felt like the legs definitely helped today."

Evaluate how you how you played tonight. What do you think in terms of the good, the bad, being able to rebound when something didn't go well?

"It's been a year since I played football, so it was definitely a little bit of growing pains throughout it and just kind of feeling it out. I felt like the first drive, we got off to a hot start, and then we kind of lulled a little bit. Ted (Karras) says it's always great. I'm not going say anything or not going to try to judge anything before watching the tape. There are definitely things I saw in the moment where I just want to pull the trigger and rip it, but I also don't really know — you can't see everything. I want to go back, check the tape, and we'll evaluate from there. I felt like overall I kind of monitored the highs and lows pretty well for not getting a ton of ton of reps this camp, and pretty proud of my performance today."

One thing Joe Burrow talked about this week is, when you're up in practice and you're not going up against Dexter Lawrence II, but when he's going up against Dexter Lawrence II, you've got to learn how to throw off the back foot and throw accurately. It seemed like you did that on the throw to Noah Thomas ...

"It's a lot of prep and work in the offseason, being able to throw off balance and in different scenarios because newsflash, at the end of the day, the pocket is not going to be perfect every single time. You've got to be able to train yourself to be able to just use your lower body, only be able to use your arm, whatever you have to do to make that throw happen. When I was in Green Bay, I was able to study a lot of Aaron Rodgers tape, and then I was able to study Jordan Love. Now getting here, being able to study Joe Burrow and Joe Flacco, it is very, very cool. I've been able to bank those reps, and it's one of those things as well where I see Joe make a throw, and I might test it next practice. Hey, can I make that throw, too? So, I've been banking a lot of those things. I feel like I'm getting better every single day, and I feel like it reflected well today."

Landon Robinson

Defensive Tackle

How do you rate your performance tonight?

"I think it wasn't bad. I think there's always room for improvement. You go out there and go against the ones, that was just a great experience being able to go out there, work against them, see how that that Week 1 is going to feel like was a great experience. I think just overall, the team came together and we really pushed for that win, so I think it was good."

How did the week go for you?

"I think the week wasn't bad. I think there's always room for improvement, like I said. You have your good plays, and you have your bad plays. You're going to get critiqued for it either way. It's just continuing to stay neutral. You can't get too high or too low. I think that's the goal."

As we come down the stretch, toward kind of the business end of camp, and the business decisions that are made, do you feel like you're growing into this thing at an opportune moment, or do you feel like you've been producing at a good level all along?

"I think you can't really look at the business side as a player. You try to stay out of that as much as possible, so just being able to go out every day and give it your all. In a week or so, we'll let all the stats and all your hard work come to pass."

Erick All Jr.

Tight End

How do you feel physically with tonight seeming like it was another step for you?

"I feel good. I rolled my ankle a little bit, but it was nothing. I feel fine."

Is that why you came out, or was that the plan to just play the one series?

"I was really supposed to get, like, five plays, so I was happy to be in there past five plays. I was like, (it has been) five plays, and I'm looking at coach, but he let me get back in there."

Did you realize how much you missed it once you got back out there? What was that like?

"Oh yeah, for sure. I forgot how fun it is when it's a game versus practice. In practice, you're dog tired but in the game it's more fun. You're itching to get back out there."

Was there ever a time where you thought you might not be back out there throughout the whole process?

"I knew I wasn't going be out there past the first drive, so I was just expecting it."

Just after what happened in your rookie year, was there ever a time you were like, I don't know if I'll be back ?

"There was never a doubt. I never doubted it once."

How gratifying does that feel for all the work you put in to now get those first steps back? What's that like?

"You would think you'd feel it, but it's another day in the office."