Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury addressed the media after practice on Aug. 6. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
*On QB Jayden Daniels' progress: *"Yeah, I love the process. I love how he approaches each day, how he handles the good, the bad, all the installs. He must study it like crazy at night, because every morning when we get here and he walks through with us, he nails it. And so, you just appreciate the work he's putting in. He's paying the cost to try and get where he wants to get. And that's all you can ask from a young player."
On how he measures Daniels' progress: **"Yeah, I think nobody has higher expectations of himself than himself. And so, I think he is just putting in the work to reach the level that he expects himself to play at this year, which is probably higher than what any of us could imagine. But I just see day in, day out, its consistency in his approach, his consistency in how he treats people and how he studies, how he works. And when you continue to do those things and stack those days, you're going to get the results you want."
On how to continue to work everything in while not showing the full hand:
"Right, yeah you pick your spots, there's no doubt. I mean, preseason we're not going to show much. We're going to try to operate and get guys feeling game-like situations and the travel and warmups and all that. But our guys have done a nice job and we've had the opportunity to rep what we're going to rep in season to attack it and understand those reps got to be very meaningful, because we're not going to show everything we have just yet. We're going to save that for Tampa Bay."
On how RB Austin Ekeler and RB Brian Robinson Jr. will mesh:
"Yeah, a down year and then I watch him [Ekeler] and I'm like, 'This guy is tremendous.' So, I'm not sure what it was last year, but he hasn't lost a step. He's as quick, and as fast and as strong as I've seen him. Have just been really pleased. I didn't study him much in free agency. I didn't think he'd be there and he was there late, and once we got him, 'This is unbelievable that we got this guy and he is in this form.' The compliment of him and B-Rob is great. You have a power back who has great hands and then you have a quick twitch smaller guy who's been a 100-catch guy in the NFL. So, couldn't be more pleased with that one two punch and the different things that we'll be able to do with both those guys."
On T Brandon Coleman:
"That rookie class has been really impressive as they're kind of figuring things out. They don't get too high or too low and they just work. Anything we ask Brandon to do, he's shown up and he's tried it. A lot of times with young rookies, they're used to a certain technique that may not be able to work at this level, and so you got to adjust it. And he's tried to do it exactly how we've coached and he's a tremendous athlete and works his tail off. So, we like his progress. He's got a good room too that's bought into him and have really helped kind of guide him through this first training camp."
On what he's looking for from wide receivers to separate themselves:
"You nailed it, we know of a couple that for sure are going to be on the team and what you're going to get. And then there's a group there that we're still waiting to see what they can do, how they fit in our offense, how to best maximize them. I think the guys that are able to do more, if you can move them inside, move them outside in our system are the ones that are going to have a chance to stick. But the group's been great as far as work ethic, and game and supporting each other. I couldn't be more pleased with how they're working. It's just there's a lot of really good players in that group that are going to have to try and differentiate themselves over the next couple weeks."
On how he's seen Daniels learn throughout camp:
"Yeah, he works really hard at it. I talked about that earlier. He must study all night because when he gets back the next day, we have our early morning meetings, and he has it nailed. It's like, 'Yeah, I got it, got it, got it.' He's putting in the work, there's no doubt. I'm not sure what his process is, but he gets it. He wants more knowledge, he wants the answers, he wants to know why. And that's exciting for me. If he sees something on the field, he can come back to you and tell you exactly what he saw and you can get really good information, which is a special trait for a quarterback."
On how confident he is that Daniels will protect himself on the field:
"He will. He will, he will. We've harped on it a lot, but you love the competitive nature. It's just there's a time and a place for it. There's a situation for it and there's a situation to play the next play. What's awesome is having [QB] Marcus Mariota, who's was a similar talent with his legs coming in. He had to learn when to get down, when to surrender when the party's over. And to have a guy like that with his knowledge helping Jayden through this deal has been really special for all of us. Because I wasn't quite the run of those two were. So, it's a little bit better advice coming from Marcus."
On when he knew Daniels was ready for the starting role:
"His preparation, his process each and every day. The way he handled the ups, the downs, the way he handled his teammates. He's the first one to say my bad, even if it's not as bad, which is once again a special trait for a quarterback to have that. It's early August, our first game's not until September, but everything that he's got thus far in camp is cause he's earned it through work ethic and then executing it in a high level on the field."
On WR Jahan Dotson:
"He has tremendous ball skills. He's played in a couple different systems since he's gotten into the league. And I think once he gets comfortable with us, whether it's inside, outside, I think you're going to see him just really take off. He had a great catch today, but the one thing I like about him is when you challenge him and you ask him to compete, he's going to go and he's going to compete his tail off and make the plays. And so, been really happy with what I've seen for him. I love his competitive nature and I think he's just going to continue to get better. I can tell him and Jayden have a good rapport, which is encouraging."
On what he would say to those concerned about the offensive line:
"Year in, year out in the NFL, it's a battle of attrition and so you got to find ways to play around certain position groups. We've had a couple injuries here or there, but I've been really, really impressed with their mentality, how they approached it, and that's a very prideful and tough group of young men. I feel great about where it's heading and health is always an issue as we know in this league, but that group is working as hard as any group in the building. And so, I think they should find some peace of mind in that nobody's going to work hard in that group."
On what TE Zach Ertz brings to the team:
"He's got such a knack for being quarterback friendly, just presenting himself in a way to the quarterback where he is always open, even if he shouldn't be open. He's very quarterback friendly and for a young guy to know that he's always going to be an option and always give you somewhere to throw the ball it's huge. And he's so smart. He is like a quarterback on the field. Stanford guy, played a lot of different offenses, knows it inside and out so he can talk to Jayden and give him great information. He's been a great role model for that tight end room as well, just seeing how he approaches it. True pro, taking care of your body, studying, knowing it inside and out. And so, he's been a great addition and fired up to have him."
On what he's looking for from QB Sam Hartman this weekend and on anyone else he's keeping an eye on:
**"Yeah, Sam's been great. A great personality, competitor, everywhere he's been, he's been a winner. I think anytime you put him in those game situations, he lights up. He's one of those guys who likes the moment and he attacks it. So, I expect him to go in and execute at a high level and run around and make plays like he always has. Really, I think some of those young offensive linemen when we go against another color Jersey, we're excited to see how they play. There's some guys that got to step up, that it's time for them to show what they can do and there's no better place than going against a really good defense in the Jets the next few days."
