Stephen Bowen chats with The Warpath

[MTK]

Lotus asks:

How is your son? Fond wishes of good health for him.

He is doing good…getting big and growing. He is a normal baby. I am very thankful for that.

Hooskins asks:

How are you fitting in Haslett's D and is there anything in particular you enjoy about this scheme over the schemes you used in Dallas?

I get more opportunity to play. They have a lot of trust in my ability and they allow me to make plays. Because I was in a 3-4 defense already a lot of the 3-4 schemes are similar but I do like Haslett’s better.

SirClintonPortis asks:

What differences are there in the culture between the Redskins and Cowboys?

When we are loosing in Dallas there are lot of fair weather fans. It seems here win or loose we have a lot more people behind you.

GreekSkins asks:

After a pretty stellar start, what do you think the defense could do better as a unit?

We can create more turnovers and we can be a lot more assignment sound on the run game. We can try to create more ways for our offense to get opportunity’s to score.

Mooby asks:

Is there a difference in the mentality and professionalism of the Redskins vs. that of the Cowboys?

No I cant say that one organization is more professional then the other. I just know that I am appreciated a lot more here.

Also as one of the rare players who have played directly for the Cowboys and then for the Redskins from what you have seen is there much difference between the management styles of Dan Snyder vs. Jerry
Jones?

Dan Snyder is allowing Coach Shanahan to have total control over the team. It allows the players to put more trust in our coach.

And since nobody has asked this yet, and since this is the most important question of all, what is your favorite kind of pie?

Sweet Potato Pie

Slingin Sammy 33 asks:

You see Trent Williams in practice/drills every day. What does he need to do to take himself to a Pro Bowl level?

I think he is doing all the things needed right know to get on path to be one of the greatest tackles in the NFL. When I got here I was surprised to see how fast and crafty is. He is a hard worker and he is always doing what it takes to get better.

There have been some breakdowns in the secondary, how are the guys back there doing in improving their on-field communication and playing within Haslett's schemes?

Everyone is improving on knowing their assignment and not trying to do more than your job. If all 11 people do their job I don’t think anyone in the league will be able to score on us.

We've started to see some cut blocking in the Zone Blocking scheme, the O obviously won't cut in practice, but will we see more throughout the year? I think it's important to put the fear of the cut blocks into the opposing DL's head, your thoughts?

I think our whole running game is built on cutting people on the backside so I really don’t know our offensive game plan. I’m a defensive guy all the way.

Why were you and Barry Cofield calling fake snap counts against the Cowboys? J/K. Have you ever seen anything softer done by an opposing O-lineman, complaining about fake snap counts....C'mon man?

I have honestly never seen it done. Those guys over there in Dallas know my character. They know I would never do anything like that. When you are in a game and you are tired you thinking about your assignment on the play. The last thing I’m going to be doing when I’m tired is thinking about fake snap counts. I will say that after Phil Coata called and apologized to me for people blaming me- he said he never said it was me and that the media blew the story out of proportion. There are no hard feelings.

Smootsmack asks:

What "unheralded" defensive player most surprised you on the Redskins when you first saw them in training camp?

Ryan Kerrigan - him moving from DE to Outside Linebacker and hes been doing a great job.

Dirtbag 59 asks:

Who did you grow up rooting for?

I was born in Holly Ridge, NC. My dad was in the marine Core but I moved to New York when I was 1 and grew up there. So growing up I was a Jets and Giants fan.

The Goat asks:

Hey Stephen first off thanks for all your hard work out there! The defense looks better each week IMO, but I wonder about your perspective: do you feel the group is still gelling together? Where is the defense on the 3-4 learning curve? And finally, what do you think of the all out blitz calls (no safety help) on 3rd down?

I think the more we play together we are gelling more. I think that is what happens with any team witha new defense. The more we play together the better we will get. There is a lot more still to learn. This is only Coach Haslett's second year here so a lot of people are still learning his defense. The more we get more familiar with it the better we will get but I think we will still improve.

As far as the blitz- everyone has a assignments and I think we have to be more assignment sound on those cause the margin for error on those are very small.

NC Skins asks:

What's been the difference between playing with a guy like DeMarcus Ware compared to a guy like Brian Orakpo? How do they differ in playing styles?

Brian is more of a physical pass rusher. He is very strong at the point of attack. He tries to beat people with brute force. DeMarcus you don’t really know how he is going to beat you- he can beat you with speed, fitness, or go right through you. Both are amazing players.

What was the main reason for the failure in Dallas with a team that was loaded with talent?

Sorry ill take a pass.

Washington has been known for being a circus in the years prior to Shanahan, what was the atmosphere like in Jerry World? (aka..Dallas)

Sorry Ill take a pass.

Do the players view the Cowboys vs Redskins rivalry much like the fans do? Do you guys get up for these games more because they are the arch-nemesis?

Not really. I believe we know this is divisional game that counts and we need to win. However, we don’t hate each other. Most of the players are friends in the off-season. Everyone are friends all around the league. But on the field it is business - no friends.

KI Skins Fan asks:

Have you set any personal goals for this season?

Just to help our defense be a top #5 defense and as always to win a championship.



Thanks to Summo for setting this up and thanks to Stephen Bowen for participating!

[SmootSmack]

Great work guys!

[Lotus]

Thank you Mr. Bowen, Summo, and Matty!

I especially liked the "fair weather fans" part.

[CrazyCanuck]

Great stuff, thanks guys.

[skinsfaninok]

Great feedback

[mooby]

Awesome work, thanks Stephen for doing this, and thanks to Summo and Matty for the work they put in. Love reading interviews like these, where you don't have to worry about the middleman putting selective things out there.

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Great job Matty & Summo. Thanks to Stephen for the candid responses and taking the time for us.

Agree with Lotus, the fair weather fans line was worth the price of admission. Also as a UMD alum, glad to hear Costa called to patch things up.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by Slingin Sammy 33

Great job Matty & Summo. Thanks to Stephen for the candid responses and taking the time for us.

Agree with Lotus, the fair weather fans line was worth the price of admission. Also as a UMD alum, glad to hear Costa called to patch things up.

Ditto.

[The Goat]

Love this place...it almost makes up for the effing franchise lol!

[NC_Skins]

Thanks big time!! Great answers. I liked his answer breaking down the difference between Orakpo and Ware.

[backrow]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

Ditto.

Ditto +1

[itvnetop]

Awesome job, guys.

[53Fan]

Really good stuff! Only on the Warpath baby!!!