Q: Coach said he likes keeping you guys outside during all kinds of weather because it gets you ready?

MATT CASSEL: “I know we have a lot of outside games this year so it’s good to get acclimated to the environment, cold weather and the conditions. I know that Sunday the forecast is kind of bleak, so it’s good to be out here in the cold and getting used to the conditions.”

Q: You successfully had a hurry-up, two-minute offense at the end of the game. What are your thoughts about moving that strategy to other points in the game and what kind of confidence does that give you?

CASSEL: “Two-minute situation is something that we practice each and every week. In terms of how comfortable we are in that, I hope that we are comfortable because it’s always a situation that may come up and it’s an important situation because it gave us the opportunity to win the game last week.”

Q: What made it so successful, especially with different guys in the lineup?

CASSEL: “Guys got open, we hit some big plays down the field and that’s football. If we can continue to do that and continue to get open and I can continue to deliver the ball, then we’ll have an opportunity.”

Q: How much confidence does that give you as a QB moving forward?

CASSEL: “I think it always gives you confidence, when your back is against the wall like we were last week and it was crunch time and I told the offense, this is it right now. If we don’t get it done, we don’t have a chance to win the game, and everybody responded and we went down. It builds confidence, there’s no doubt about that.”

Q: How do you establish that rhythm earlier in the game?

CASSEL: “I don’t know. It’s something that just comes. Whether it’s getting ahead on first or second down, or getting a big play early. We missed the flea-flicker early, which we were trying to get into a rhythm right away. There’s no key ingredient to getting rhythm, you start making plays and all of a sudden people start feeling good about it and we start playing with confidence and we move forward.”

Q: Do you feel any closer to how you felt before you were injured?

CASSEL: “I feel fine. Honestly, I wouldn’t be out there on Sundays if I wasn’t 100 percent or didn’t feel ready to play. My knee has not been an issue.”

Q: What is it that happens when you get into a situation when your back is against the wall? Is that a situation you can flourish in?

CASSEL: “That’s something that we practice each and every week, we practice that two-minute drill. It’s a lot of familiarity with the plays and how we want to attack certain defenses. We know that when two minutes comes up, we have to make plays. All of a sudden, you hit one big play and then you hit another one and you start moving the field and you get into a rhythm. Sometimes the defense doesn’t have time to set up and we’re able to move the ball. We made a big play at the end, WR Dwayne Bowe made a great catch in the end zone and the rest is history. We gave ourselves an opportunity to win which is great to see.”

Q: Are you more comfortable in those kinds of situations?

CASSEL: “I’m comfortable in any situation you put me in. That’s just part of playing the position. You go out there, you run the plays that are called and you try to make them go.”

Q: Coming from New England, you did a lot more of that type stuff than your average?

CASSEL: “The majority of the stuff we did in New England was definitely in the shotgun, I would definitely say that.”

Q: Is the calmness your natural personality or is that the leadership coming through?

CASSEL: “You kind of have to stay calm because they’re looking for you for that calmness to let them know that everything is going to be ok, so you try and stay calm. But naturally I’m not a calm guy. I’ve got a lot of adrenaline going; I know what the situation is. You manage that and you try and just execute the offense. When you go through a game for four quarters, you’ve been out there a long time, you’ve seen a lot of plays, you’ve seen the defense and you just try and make it happen.”

Q: What can you tell us about the Washington defense? A lot of people are thinking this is the best opportunity to go out and get that first win?

CASSEL: “I’d like to think that any week would be the perfect time for the first win. We’re working really hard to get that first win, and I know it’s been frustrating up to this point. We’re preparing really hard, we’ve had good week of practice so far. In terms of Washington, they’ve got one of the top defenses in the NFL. I think, they’re ranked fifth or something like that. It starts with their front four, DT (Albert) Haynesworth and DE (Andre) Carter and these guys. The linebacking corps is fast and they come downhill, led by LB London Fletcher. Then you go to the secondary and they’ve got a pretty interesting secondary. They have a lot of physical ability. Week in and week out we’ve been playing a lot of good defenses and this goes right along with the NFC East, with good, strong, physical defense. We’re going to have to bring our work hats and come ready to play.”

Q: A lot of people are saying after the two-minute drive that you should go to the shotgun or you should run the hurry up more. Can you just put that in, or is that something that takes time and a certain level of buying into to make work?

CASSEL: “I’m not the guy that you want to ask about that. The hurry-up offense was the hurry-up offense, we were in the two-minute drill – it’s the offense that we were running at that point in time. I’m sure other teams have made it work when they go hurry-up at some times and not been in hurry-up. But, right now, I can tell you that we’re not in hurry-up offense where we’re going to go no huddle every play.”

Q: How do you feel physically, leg, the brace?

CASSEL: “I feel good. I feel ready to go.”