Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera addressed the media after practice on Aug. 9. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
On if P Tress Way will play in Friday's preseason game:
"Well, it means Tress is gonna play, but he'll be the primary holder. Okay. So, he's gonna hold for the kicking operations. He's also our primary holder for the operation. That's probably the biggest thing that has to be, if anything's gonna be good, it's gotta be the operation. The only thing he'll work on will just do the operation. But he is getting better. He's done some more movements in terms of simulating the kicks right now. So, it is just a matter of time."
On if there is any concern with Way beyond this week:
"No. There really shouldn't be. You know, the progress he's made last couple days has really kind of put everybody's mind at ease. But, you know, we don't want him to all of a sudden start having to kick after saying, oh I feel great, and then you go out and have him kick. So, everybody just feels this is the safest move right now."
On the impact Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy has made:
"He's loud. The beauty of Eric and that is again, it's from the perspective he has, I mean he's been with an organization that's done some things differently. And one of the things that, he is very staunch about, the way that he does it. That's something that's been different and like I said, I appreciate it cause we're out of our comfort zone. We're doing things a little bit differently. You know, I've been doing things for the most part the same way for 12 years and it's been good. But, you know, this is something that's been different and it's been good for our guys, I think as well. because you're starting to have these aha moments and we go, ah, okay, I get it. I see what's going on. I see why this is happening. So that's been something I think that's been really good for us as an organization and as a team as far as that's concerned."
On TE Logan Thomas' injury:
"I think the biggest thing with Logan is we are gonna be really smart about that. This is not close to what it was last year, but the thing that we are concerned with is, is we don't want it to have it exacerbated by going out there too soon. So, we've really done a lot in terms of work on the inside. The work on the bikes and stuff like that to avoid that type of situation until they feel comfortable with him in the next few days, we're not gonna have him do anything outside yet."
On if there is an update on any coaching titles or contract extensions:
"Those are all works in progress. Those are all things, again, you gotta understand that the biggest thing that [Managing Partner] Mr. [Josh] Harris is people want to have is a really good grasp on the entire thing. We've talked through a lot of scenarios, through a lot of issues, through a lot of things that need to be done and we're getting those things put in the right perspective and in the right order."
On what he thinks of letting assistant coaches be the head coaches in preseason games and if that is something that makes sense down the line at some point:
"Well, it's a unique thing, yeah. It's something that probably in time that I most certainly would consider doing. I'm seriously in terms of, hey, you know what, take the whole week and work the whole week. That's probably a good thing especially for guys that are in line to get an opportunity like that. The more we can do to help them so that when their opportunity comes, they're ready to roll. Yeah, I could see you doing something like that eventually."
On CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and DB Quan Martin joining a room of veteran defensive backs and trying to figure out stuff on their own:
"I think they've done a great job of balancing that. I really do. You know, and a lot of it not just necessarily them reaching out or them asking questions as much as it's our veteran guys stepping in. I mean, it's really cool. [CB] Kendall Fuller's been tremendous in terms of that room and kind of guiding it, seeing how he's basically the old sage vet. But then you watch [S] Kam Curl who's a guy that's going into his fourth season, has had some really good success for us get involved with with, with those two young guys, especially Quan. I think that's important because first of all, it tells those players that these guys are willing to listen. But it also shows these players, these guys are willing to help and that's how you start to build that cohesiveness as a unit. And I think that's really good. Both of those guys, young guys are tremendously smart young men, very bright, very intelligent, very articulate, deep thinkers. Guys that have done a nice job in learning and growing within the system. The thing that I love about both of 'em is they can self-correct and they are not gonna make the same mistake twice."
On if he has seen growth in Forbes Jr. from the one-on-one sessions against the wide receivers:
"You see him adapt to who he who he's playing. I mean, with [WR]Terry [McLaurin] you see him play a certain way because of Terry's quickness off the ball. Because of [WR] Dyami [Brown], because of his long stride and, and his power, you see him work a little bit differently against him. So, to watch the two different one-on-one plays that I'll watch, I'll see, okay, I see what he's doing here. I see why he is doing that against this guy and I see why he is doing that against this guy. It makes sense and you see that this is a young guy that's already studying his opponents trying to figure out the best way to play these guys, so that's been impressive about him."
On the importance of unofficial depth charts:
"We just kind of put 'em how we started training camp for the most part. What'll happen is really it's going to be about what we discussed tonight, and that's going to be the playtime. I know that's going to be one of you guys' questions, but we'll discuss the playtime tonight, how much they're going to play. And that's going to really give us a sense and feel for where we are with everybody. For the most part, we put it out because it's unofficial. Some guys may get their feelings hurt and may want to talk about how come and why and just tell them, hey guys, you know it's unofficial. It's going to be all about playtime and that's probably the biggest thing, if you're playing early and you're only playing a few, that's because we feel pretty good about you. If you're playing a lot and you're rotating, it's because we need to know. And that's the only thing I think that I hope our guys understand is that that's all it is. It's just a report."
On Military Appreciation Day at training camp:
"I think it's really cool, and this is really one of my favorite days in terms of training camp practice because they come out here and again it's always been real interesting because they always turn around and tell you thank you. And I always tell 'em, hey, no, no, thank you guys for what you're doing and it's kind of just who they are. They're some of our finest, so it's kind of neat to be able to give back to them and let them know how much we really do appreciate them. And just in case you're wanting, this is Seventh Infantry my hometown Fort Ord, California."
On TE Logan Thomas' calf strain being related to him bouncing back from his ACL tear:
"No, I think this one more than anything else is just a couple weeks ago or week ago was the hottest week we've had. And I think because as much running as he does as our tight ends do in this offense, I think it caught up to him a little bit. He is a little bit older guy, so, you know, we just got to be aware of that. Be a little more careful."
On players that have been limited in practice plan to play Friday against Cleveland:
"It's trending that way. You know, as long as they continue to improve and show that they're ready to go, we will play them. And again, as I said, that'll be one of the things that we talk about tonight. [Head Athletic Trainer] Al Bellamy will be in and we'll have Al's input as to what they feel and they think in the training room and the doctors feel and that'll help also guide us in terms of how much time, how many reps we expect guys to get."
On the change to one cut down at the end of training camp changing his strategy to preseason games:
"Yes, it'll help us because knowing that we're going to have a lot more bodies at the end, what we can do is we're going to increase the reps on our ones knowing that they'll play very limited in the third game. So, we'll try and give them more reps during practice knowing that that last game is going to be shared by a lot of our young guys."
On how important is RPO's are to QB Sam Howell in this offense:
"Well, I think it's important because it's something he did and had success with. One of the things that we've done is we've looked at the things that he did, and he did well. And we also took some of the things that he did last year, especially the Dallas game, and I know Eric has a plan with all that. And that's the best part about it, knowing what Sam does well. With [WR] Dyami [Brown] out there, you've seen a couple of things that they've done in the past, they're doing again. So, it's kind of cool to watch the growth and development of our quarterbacks."
On players adapting to Bieniemy's intensity:
"They have, and one of the biggest things is I had a number of guys come to me and I said, hey, just go talk to him. I said, understand what he's trying to get across to you. And I think as they go and they talk and they listen to him, it's been enlightening for a lot of these guys. I mean, it's a whole different approach. Again, you're getting a different kind of player from the players back in the past, especially in light of how things are coming outta college football. So, a lot of these young guys, they do struggle with certain things and a lot you got to take for where they've been. I mean, guys coming from certain programs are used to it, guys coming from other programs aren't as much. Us as a coach, I kind of have to assimilate and get a feel for everybody. Eric has an approach and it's the way he does things and he's not going to change because he believes in it. [Defensive Coordinator] Jack [Del Rio] has his approach, having been a head coach, I think Jack has a tendency to try and figure guys out a little bit more as opposed to, hey, this is it, this is the way it's going to be that type of stuff. Where Eric hasn't had that experience yet."
On if the players thought Bieniemy was too intense:
"They just were a little concerned."
