Speaker 1: Welcome to the Command Center Podcast. I'm Julie Donaldson. We
Speaker 1: are nearing the end of training camp week two here
Speaker 1: in Ashford. There's a lot of excitement surrounding quarterback Carson
Speaker 1: Wentz and Washington's various offensive weapons. London Fletcher and Santana
Speaker 1: Moss joined me to chat with QB one about training
Speaker 1: camp and building chemistry with his teammates. Carson, We've been
Speaker 1: waiting to have you come join us a couple of
Speaker 1: days now into practice, a couple of times with the
Speaker 1: pads on not your first rodeo though, first time here
Speaker 1: with Washington. How is this process for you? Trying to
Speaker 1: learn a new offense, learn new guys and as camp
Speaker 1: kind of like ramps up each day to get more familiar,
Speaker 1: to get that chemistry down. It's fun, honestly. I mean
Speaker 1: it's a lot of work. It's it's a grind, as
Speaker 1: you guys know, but it's a lot of fun too.
Speaker 1: Coming together. You're building a culture, you're building a kind
Speaker 1: of a family. You're building that bond, and the only
Speaker 1: way to do that is out on the field by
Speaker 1: going through the hot mornings together, by going through it together.
Speaker 1: I think OTAs was big and kind of developing some
Speaker 1: of those relationships, but now this um just kind of
Speaker 1: takes it to the next level. So it's been fun
Speaker 1: getting to know the guys, getting to know the playbook.
Speaker 1: Feel pretty good in a good place with it as well.
Speaker 1: We're not gonna be perfect out there, but that's why
Speaker 1: we're out here, you know. You're working on that chemistry,
Speaker 1: that timing, and it's been a fun process. Everybody wants
Speaker 1: you to be perfect though this early on, like you've
Speaker 1: been through enough camps to understand that it does take time.
Speaker 1: Where where are you in feeling that you're getting closer
Speaker 1: to that? Though? Yeah, I feel good about it, you know,
Speaker 1: I mean I want it to be perfect too, you know,
Speaker 1: I'm kind of a perfectionist. So you miss a throw,
Speaker 1: or you miss a read or this or that and
Speaker 1: kind of kick yourself, but it's like, hey, it's still early.
Speaker 1: It's still early, and it's a process, so you can
Speaker 1: you know, the mistakes that happen are often good because
Speaker 1: you can go in there and you can watch this
Speaker 1: film together and talk about it and be like, hey,
Speaker 1: this is what I was expecting or this is what
Speaker 1: I was seeing, and then you can fix it. You
Speaker 1: can fix it and learn from those mistakes, and that's
Speaker 1: that's normal. But at the same time, I wanted to go, well,
Speaker 1: I want it to be perfect, and so I have
Speaker 1: high expectations every practice and so do the guys around here,
Speaker 1: which is really cool because we hold everybody accountable and
Speaker 1: in those high expectations. But yeah, it's not gonna be
Speaker 1: perfect getting and we realize that being that you have
Speaker 1: a chance. You had a chance actually to have a
Speaker 1: moment like umen right now last year going to Endy
Speaker 1: having to play in learn that system. I'm not sure
Speaker 1: how much you had to learn because you had the
Speaker 1: coach so that was familiar, you know, territory with you.
Speaker 1: But you're better in this game. Do you ever feel
Speaker 1: there's going to be a time where you're more comfortable
Speaker 1: than the other times? For our quarterbacks always kind of
Speaker 1: playing with their back against the wall and just saying, hey,
Speaker 1: I gotta go out here and make the knicks down
Speaker 1: better than the last. Yeah, that's a great question, And honestly,
Speaker 1: you try and not be complacent. I guess you're always
Speaker 1: trying to get better. You're always trying to learn a
Speaker 1: little nuances or just understand the concept of a play.
Speaker 1: As best as you can versus every single coverage, you know,
Speaker 1: And I think this year it's been probably a bigger
Speaker 1: transition in learning a playbook for me, different system, different style.
Speaker 1: But the OTAs was huge for that, you know, the
Speaker 1: last couple of years, I haven't had an OTAs with
Speaker 1: COVID and everything going on. So we're coming in here
Speaker 1: in April and May and June. Was huge for me
Speaker 1: to to understand this playbook and then go through the
Speaker 1: summer and study it and then come in here feeling
Speaker 1: good about it, you know, and coming out here and
Speaker 1: executing it. And so right now I feel like it's
Speaker 1: in a good place, but I'm always striving to get
Speaker 1: better and then understand it even more. You mentioned, you know,
Speaker 1: having the OTAs this year, but also one thing that
Speaker 1: you did is you went out to California last month
Speaker 1: or a week with your Scale guys. How big was
Speaker 1: that in terms of developing chemistry with those guys not
Speaker 1: only on the field but off the field. And it
Speaker 1: was also your first time being able to work with
Speaker 1: Terry McLaurin. Yeah, it's a lot of fun. You know,
Speaker 1: I've done that for a while now over the years
Speaker 1: in each place I've been, and it's one of my
Speaker 1: favorite things honestly, because I mean the work is great
Speaker 1: on the field, work is great, and you know, we're
Speaker 1: trying to learn each other. It's that's fun. Everybody's working
Speaker 1: all summer. But it's the it's the chemistry off the field.
Speaker 1: It's understanding where everyone comes from, what's their background, look like,
Speaker 1: what do we like to eat, you know, what do
Speaker 1: we like to do. I'm just getting to know them,
Speaker 1: getting around them, um was really beneficial for me. It
Speaker 1: looks even more different this year now, being almost thirty
Speaker 1: and you know, it's a pretty young skill group and
Speaker 1: so for me, I'm like the old guy out there,
Speaker 1: which is a little bit new for me. But it
Speaker 1: was a lot of fun. I'm just getting around them
Speaker 1: and doing something different off the field. Will that be
Speaker 1: something that that you continue. I remember my years of
Speaker 1: playing here, the way we did it on Thursdays. You know,
Speaker 1: we would gather up and go eat together offensively, and
Speaker 1: then the defense quote on some of the some of
Speaker 1: the you know skill guys quote on and say, hey,
Speaker 1: we're gonna go have you know, dinner with you guys.
Speaker 1: Is that something that you would do with the receivers
Speaker 1: or just offensive linement, you name it, just picks and
Speaker 1: guys said, Hey, we're gonna go eat somewhere. Yeah, because
Speaker 1: I feel like that builds a lot of chemistry. You know,
Speaker 1: I planned too, and I've done that in other places
Speaker 1: I've been, and it's been really cool to get off
Speaker 1: the field and go bond, whether it's a somebody's houses,
Speaker 1: go to the restaurant, all those things, and whether that's
Speaker 1: when we're traveling, you know, the four games, we're on
Speaker 1: a Thursday or on an off day. Um, it's it's
Speaker 1: been really beneficial I've seen over the years. And then
Speaker 1: continue to look forward to continue to do that. What's
Speaker 1: up at things that you have done as a jokes
Speaker 1: to that. I don't think I'm a jokes are necessarily
Speaker 1: but you know, you know it's hard out here. It's
Speaker 1: it's a grind right and everyone can take it very seriously,
Speaker 1: which I do on the field, no doubt. But um,
Speaker 1: at the same time, you want to keep it light.
Speaker 1: You want to remember this is a game. This is
Speaker 1: supposed to be fun, and when you're having fun and
Speaker 1: playing fast, it's a lot more enjoyable. It's a lot
Speaker 1: more enjoyable. And you're playing a lot more free, and
Speaker 1: so I like to keep it light and um, just
Speaker 1: have fun with the guys and um, you know, I
Speaker 1: think that's something as I've as I've grown as a
Speaker 1: man as well, and just being a veteran guy, you
Speaker 1: see a different perspective here and you know what it's
Speaker 1: like to be in their shoes and how it's it's
Speaker 1: very stressful and it's very there's a lot, especially as
Speaker 1: a rookie, there's a lot on your plate. As a
Speaker 1: guy like him who's getting a lot of first team
Speaker 1: reps right now, um and continues to show up. There's
Speaker 1: a lot of coaches, a lot of boys, a lot
Speaker 1: of things, and so I just want to build them
Speaker 1: up and keep it light with them at the same time.
Speaker 1: And so I've been fun developing that relationship with him.
Speaker 1: For sure. It's definitely important to remember that it is
Speaker 1: supposed to be fun. I mean, because it does get heavy.
Speaker 1: It is a grind, it is hot out here. But
Speaker 1: also you've got to be able to get in sync
Speaker 1: with these guys too. You're just kind of learning. Terry McLaurin.
Speaker 1: Everybody loves him here in Washington, John Dotson coming and Curtis.
Speaker 1: Samuel's a player that we've been waiting to see him
Speaker 1: on the field and what he can do. How are
Speaker 1: you feeling like assessing their different talents and what they
Speaker 1: can bring to this offense, especially with the skill set
Speaker 1: that you have of being able to take advantage and
Speaker 1: maybe some of that speed that they have to stretch
Speaker 1: the field. I mean, that's the first thing you notice,
Speaker 1: without a doubt, is their speed. I Mean, they're all
Speaker 1: a little different in the sense, but one thing they
Speaker 1: all have is speed in their quickness and the ability
Speaker 1: to threaten a defense deep quick and I think that's
Speaker 1: so huge for our offense and how we want to
Speaker 1: attack defense, is whether they're getting the ball or not,
Speaker 1: they're just making such an impact and getting the tight
Speaker 1: ends open, getting the running backs open, and opening up
Speaker 1: the run game, you name it. And so that'll be huge,
Speaker 1: that'll be huge for us. And then just learning what
Speaker 1: they each do well. You know, Curtis a guy with
Speaker 1: the ball in his hand and it's so dangerous. You've
Speaker 1: seen over the years. Johan just a supernatural route runner,
Speaker 1: catches the ball supernaturally. Terry, you know, we've seen him
Speaker 1: for years. It was on the other side, seeing him
Speaker 1: when he was a rookie when I was in Philly
Speaker 1: light us up then, and so everyone knows what he
Speaker 1: can do, what he brings to the table. So it's
Speaker 1: been fun getting to know. They all do a lot
Speaker 1: of similar things well, but they all have you know,
Speaker 1: their their niches as well and what they do, and
Speaker 1: so it's been fun getting to know him, and I
Speaker 1: look forward to seeing how Coach Turner's going to kind
Speaker 1: of use them to make a dynamic offense with them,
Speaker 1: speaking of, you know, utilizing your skill guys and all
Speaker 1: the talents that they have. We know it's not gonna
Speaker 1: always beat pieces and cream on the field. As a quarterback,
Speaker 1: you get you have to show them more of the blame.
Speaker 1: You know, as a receiver, if we drop a pass,
Speaker 1: that's all we're dealing with. You're dealing with a little more.
Speaker 1: You're not a guy that had to play defense, but
Speaker 1: you have to score touchdowns. You have to lead the team.
Speaker 1: How do you kind of uh block the noise? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I know how I'll deal with it. I didn't watch TV,
Speaker 1: I didn't listen to the radio. I did my job.
Speaker 1: What is it takes for a guy like yourself as
Speaker 1: a quarterback, being the lead of being a CEO of
Speaker 1: this organization, on this franchise. How do you do or
Speaker 1: what you do without hearing too much of the noise? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean the same thing. You know. I don't watch
Speaker 1: TV if it is it's on the golf channel, you know,
Speaker 1: smart man. I don't listen to the radio. It's it's music,
Speaker 1: you know, it's podcasts, it's different things. But for me,
Speaker 1: my faith, my faith, it just keeps me grounded and
Speaker 1: keeps me center. It allows me to remember there's a
Speaker 1: bigger picture, you know, trusting the Lord through it all
Speaker 1: and just knowing that I trust him and I know
Speaker 1: what my identity is in him, and so it doesn't
Speaker 1: really matter what people say, think or feel about me
Speaker 1: as long as I'm right with God. So that keeps
Speaker 1: me grounding. My family, my two little girls, and I
Speaker 1: go home and see them, my wife, they don't care
Speaker 1: if I threw five touchdowns my pix. They love me
Speaker 1: for being dad, you know. And so all those things
Speaker 1: keep me grounded and try and keep me folks. But
Speaker 1: at the same time, I'm striving every day to be
Speaker 1: the best. You'll be the best I can be in
Speaker 1: and I hold myself to those high expectations, so I
Speaker 1: don't need to hear from other people outside because there's
Speaker 1: there's no need for that. I already put a lot
Speaker 1: of pressure on myself to be the best. But those
Speaker 1: are the things that really keep me ground and keep
Speaker 1: them focusing. Part of part of the training cap is
Speaker 1: the trash talk of the competitive you know spirit that
Speaker 1: takes place between the offense and the defense. And you
Speaker 1: mentioned whether you throw up five test stiles or five interceptions.
Speaker 1: You threw a couple of interceptions during training camp this week.
Speaker 1: And the defense, I know they're gonna be chirping and
Speaker 1: doing those types of things. Are you a trash talk
Speaker 1: I played against Tom Brady, he was a major trash talker.
Speaker 1: Peyton Manny would talk a little bit. What's you know?
Speaker 1: I didn't say anything. Do you talk a little trains out? Really?
Speaker 1: I'm not really unless somebody, you know, rose me the
Speaker 1: wrong way. And you know, you can do subtle things
Speaker 1: some jobs, a little a little bit here and there,
Speaker 1: maybe on the practice field, especially when a dB wants
Speaker 1: to keep chirping, Yeah, you'll throw it at him a
Speaker 1: little bit. But I try to just let the play
Speaker 1: du the talking for the most part, but every now
Speaker 1: and then you'll get into mix. Right. We kind of
Speaker 1: talk early on a camp too that the defense usually
Speaker 1: is a little bit ahead of the offense. So they
Speaker 1: always say that, come to that point, though, let me
Speaker 1: ask me, like, where's our defense? Yeah? So far. I
Speaker 1: mean you've got you've got some big bodies coming at you,
Speaker 1: putting a lot of pressure on you. You got everybody's
Speaker 1: talking about how our secondary's communicating more and really kind
Speaker 1: of locking down. What are you seeing? Yeah, I mean
Speaker 1: it's it's a great defense. You know. I've played against
Speaker 1: a handful of those guys for a few years a
Speaker 1: couple of years ago, and the D line was always
Speaker 1: the first thing that stuck out back then, and it's
Speaker 1: still the first thing that sticks out now. The guys
Speaker 1: in the trenches obviously missing chase out there right now,
Speaker 1: but the guys in the trenches on the D line,
Speaker 1: you know, set the tone and you can kind of
Speaker 1: see that at practice. But I've been impressed with the
Speaker 1: entire defense, the secondary flying around, some of those guys,
Speaker 1: newer faces that I haven't competed against before. Been really
Speaker 1: impressed with the way they communicate, the way they fly
Speaker 1: around and what coaches kind of doing the schemes he's
Speaker 1: mixing up back there. It's exciting to see and it's
Speaker 1: making us a lot better because they give us a
Speaker 1: great look. Every single time Iron Shop resigns. They're gonna
Speaker 1: be all right. You know. We are also talking about
Speaker 1: like durn Payne getting back there and if you want
Speaker 1: to be like yo, dude, come on, give me give
Speaker 1: me a secranchise, no no touching card. Look that that's it.
Speaker 1: That said what everybody's wanting seeing. Excited to really kind
Speaker 1: of see this, come together, to have your moment, have
Speaker 1: your day and uh, you know, over the years we're
Speaker 1: always kind of like it's Terry, Terry Terry. Now you
Speaker 1: have the chance to spread that ball around. So I'm
Speaker 1: looking forward to seeing a lot of different options out there.
Speaker 1: It's going to be here before we know what. Folks, um,
Speaker 1: thanks for joining us Carson for all your news and analysis.
Speaker 1: Be sure to tune into Command Center weeknights at five
Speaker 1: thirty ten pm on NBC Sports Washington. You can also
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