Opening Statement:

"Alright, what's up everybody? Thought before we officially got rolling, I'd kind of address a few things. I certainly didn't want to miss it. And so first a couple of empty seats over to my right and was absolutely bummed to hear about the Washington Post sports section. So, some of the guys, Barry [Svrluga] and Tashan [Reed] and Tom [Schad], true pros. And along with everyone else I've met there, their presence is missed. So second, I would like to also acknowledge the organization lost a legend in [Former Washington QB] Sonny Jurgensen and one of the great ambassadors for us to wear the burgundy and gold. And additionally wanted to send condolences to [Former Washington] cornerback Barry Wilburn's family. And we've got great alumni here and a great alumni base. Men who have proudly set the standard here and as a steward for this era of Washington football, man, cannot tell you how much I appreciate that and how much goes into setting those kinds of standards. And then third, one of the most tremendous people I know and you've had a chance to cover is [LB] Bobby Wagner. And we're all here, we're incredibly proud of him. The amount of work that he's poured into himself and poured into others. Myself being part of that, has been incredible to watch. I was so excited to hear of him being named the Walter Payton Man of the Year, but I was not the least bit surprised by it. And so, for any of you that heard his speech and 'I got you,' if I could tell you the amount of times that I've heard 'I got you.' And know that he meant it, it meant everything. So, I was super proud of him. Now the purpose of meeting today is about the new chapters, new opportunities and also for two terrific coaches that I'm excited for you guys to meet. We talked to a number of impressive candidates in going through this process, both in and out of house. And with [offensive coordinator] David [Blough] and [defensive coordinator] Daronte [Jones], man, I felt their vision right away and the energy they have for it. I know we may talk of two first time coordinators, but I also recognize that everybody needs their first stop, and I really feel like we're going to set them up to succeed in every way. And I also feel really strongly about the staff that is here to support them in that way and surround them. So, give you a couple of those updates on offense. Darnell Stapleton will coach the offensive line, D.J. Williams, we hired as quarterbacks coach and Wes Welker will also be somebody that'll have a role on offense this year after being on the defensive and special team side in 2025. Defensively, we hired Eric Henderson as the defensive line coach, re-assigning Darryl Tapp to assistant defensive line and we're pumped that he's here. And then we also promoted William Gay to cornerback coach. So, after the absolute longest opener in the last two years, I am more than glad to kick it into you guys and let's get down again."

On why the team moved on from Kliff Kingsbury:
"Yeah, changes are hard. As you're going through, you build these relationships that are strong with people and players. And so, when there's time for change, those are difficult conversations, discussions, but at the end, you just keep going back, what's the best thing for the team moving forward? What's the best thing for them? And so, if I put it into those spaces, what do we need to do moving forward? What things need to change and how would we go about that? Then you look at it from that lens and that's certainly what I had to do because it's a difficult part of it. You build bonds with coaches and with players, and so when you move on from them it's challenging. But that's also, I recognize the seat that I'm in that puts us in the very best spot that we can do."

On having a different vision for the offense compared to Kingsbury:
"Yeah, and so those are conversations we have all year long about where it goes and I've got tons of respect for both Kliff and for Joe [Whitt Jr.], what they do, how they go about it. These guys worked incredibly hard over the two years here. So, I thought it was time for change, a new vision of how we'd want to go about it and so that's what we did."

On when he knew he wanted to see a change on offense:
"Yeah, this was a difficult one all the way through, season wise, up, down it started that way. Good game, bad game, good game, bad game, long slide in the middle of it. So, when you're assessing everything, you want to look first, 'Alright, what do I need to do differently?' How do I go about changing it? And so, it's constant assessment to say where we're at, how we do things. But ultimately when you're in the week to week of it, you guys are here with me every week thinking about the game and how we go about winning it. At the end is when it comes to light the most."

On what gives him confidence Blough is ready for his new role:
"Yeah, I know he hasn't been coaching a long time, but he has, obviously, when you're the backup quarterback at different stops, you had different experiences, much like a younger coach coming up, but I can also speak from experience that you haven't called plays, you've been waiting for it, you've been doing it, and in the practices you'll probably find some spaces where we go to have more call it periods. But we'll be really intentional about that. Some of the benefits of me going through this experience as a head coach for the second time, I learned some lessons to say, when there's talent in place, and you can find that certainly going through Atlanta and some of the coaches that were part of that staff, had we done things different? You might have. So, I think what you want to find out from yourself is, are you growing, are you learning? And this guy's absolutely ready to go attack. And so, it was evident to see that. But when you're around somebody a lot, you know that too."

On what he expects Jones to bring over from previous defensive schemes:
"Going through the hiring process, had a chance to visit with [Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator] Brian [Flores] and also with Daronte. And so, from a scheme standpoint, you learn a lot in these experiences because veteran coaches, this system, that system, how to go about it. Much like anything, the first thing I asked him to do when we got here, I want you to look at the players, but without talking to me first I wanted you to have your own vision so there wasn't a bias. He can do this, he can do that, and let's find what they can do best. And when I'm talking to him, he's the calm in the storm. I like that about Daronte. I felt the teaching and what they can do, but we're also going to put people in the spots of where they can do best. And that to me really hit the main chord about what we're looking for, how would we feature players as opposed to can do this or can't do this. Let's start with like what they can be exceptional at and then find other ways to utilize them. And so pressuring and that package, that's definitely a part of it. But I'm excited for these guys to go through it and learn it and build it together."

On previously stating he wanted to hire a defensive coordinator with play calling experience:
"Yeah, that's good. I think when you're going through the whole process, you're looking at those strengths of where it is. Where would my time and attention go knowing, alright, what's going to be different offensively, what would be different defensively? I'm glad it went through a lengthy process to be honest with you, because it forced me into some spaces to look at what could be different and what could be better. And so, Daronte was one of those people that you meet, you're like, alright, I get it. And I connected with him instantly about a vision for defense and how you'd play, the ability to create takeaways, the ability to have disguises. And so, I felt alignment even before we got to know each other well. We've all had those experiences where you meet somebody, you just hit it off. I think from a football standpoint we hit it off quickly and then that's what made the difference to me knowing that there was excellent veteran coaches and guys who didn't as much experience but just weighing it through it all. And I came back to him time and time again of just the teaching, the football acumen and what we were looking for, and it just really fit what we needed."

On Blough having a good relationship with QB Jayden Daniels:
"Jayden's a big part of our thinking in all the things that we do. He wasn't a part of the staff selection, but he drives a lot of the thinking and how we can feature him and where it goes. And so, having the ability to connect with him that's certainly a big deal for us. David amongst others in the offensive staff have had big roles here with Jayden and it wasn't the deciding factor, but it certainly was a good factor."

On unique skills both new coordinators possess:
"I think fresh eyes is the first thing about, there's an element that goes into new scheme, new ideas that, man, it ratchets everything up quickly. About how you can go and put a different lens on some things. And there's a lot of excitement that goes with that. And I'm excited for everyone in the fall when we unveil how we want to play that play style, that it comes across clearly for everyone. But different for Daronte being outside of the organization, I wanted him to have fresh eyes on just about everything that he could. So, it wasn't anybody, 'Hey, this guy can do this, this guy can do that.' I can remember going through that experience of going to other organizations and saying, 'Just give me a couple days, man. Let me just dig in, see what we have, and then I can best then give you a picture of where we are and what we need moving forward.' And so, it's really the first step into an offseason. Then it gets into free agency, your own team, the others, then into the draft process. So, that first step I feel like now the momentum starts to really take hold. It's a very important process, much like selecting a player when you're selecting a coach. They have such a big role as play callers with an organization, and I think you can see this year alone just the amount of changes, offense coordinators, defense coordinators, and we're a part of that. But it also goes to show you that importance and what can be done in those spaces."

On what he likes about Williams and on if Senior Advisor to the General Manager Doug Williams had any influence on the decision:
"Yeah, I'll tell you some good stories on these. I've known D.J. for a while dating back to times in Atlanta. He was in New Orleans, so I had a chance to initially get to know him then. And he's always been somebody that I've kind of kept my eye on about what he's doing and where he is at. And so had a chance to also visit with [Former Atlanta Falcons Head Coach] Raheem [Morris] about where he was and his growth there. And it just came across so strongly to everybody that I spoke with about him about what he's doing and where he is headed and the influence that he has. I didn't involve Doug at all, and quite honestly, I was first nervous to even bring it up to say, what if he doesn't get it and how would that go? And I'm so glad I didn't listen to that response because I remember getting off the Zoom the first time, I said, 'Holy shit man, he was excellent.' And so, we interviewed some more people and I went down to Doug's office, 'Hey man, we hired a quarterback coach and I think you'd know him.' And so, it was a very cool moment about that. But he and I didn't discuss him going, I'm certain he was a good recruiter on the other side of it, but it was a cool thing. But it was almost, just I wanted the separation, not the connection. I knew that part would take care of itself."

On coaching candidates offering their opinion on the roster:
"Some did, more solicit. 'Hey, what do you know? What do you think? Where are you?' My experience has been when you're with another club, and even if you're at the end of the year and playing, you know so much about the team you're with or if you've played against us, you know the other side of the ball. In other words, an offense coordinator may know more about our defense or vice versa. So, that part didn't come into big discussions about it. It was more about how we feature the players, what are we looking for, knowing that that part can change as you're going through it. But it wasn't a driving factor, but oftentimes a person who's a position coach becoming a coordinator or a coordinator or even a head coach for that matter, for the last however long they were dialed in on their own team. And so, you don't spend a lot of time outside, but you may put some tape on as you're going through the process and discuss some players, same thing with their side. And then as you get here, then that changes from free agency who's here. But I really like for the new coach to have their own fresh eyes on something, and that way we can have a better discussion without any bias from he can do this, he can do that. I'd much prefer it to go the other way to, and man, tell me your thoughts after watching it. Not what you may have remembered a plan against him a previous time."

On the next benchmark for the new coordinators:
"Yeah, first thing, their vision amongst to the staff now that, that part's here. And so, the vision comes from me through the coordinators to the assistant coaches. And how do we make that come to light? The first thing that is up for us is to assist [General Manager] Adam [Peters] and his staff from a personnel side of creating our own players, creating the free agents that are there. Then we go through the next step of doing that along with the draft process. But really, it's laying down the foundation right now, the coaches are working hard just on the systems. How do we communicate it? The one good thing that can come, not one, many of the good things that can come is you're building it from the ground up. So, everyone here is on the same exact page of how we're doing it, what it's called, why it's called, and you make those kinds of tweaks now and everybody who's in that room knows why we called this this, here's the reason why. And so, that doesn't happen very often and we're going to take great advantage of that."

On talking with Daniels about moving on from Kingsbury and promoting Blough:
"When I said he wasn't involved, that I should clarify, I also wanted to make sure I was also filling him in so he didn't hear externally what and why and we've got a good relationship in that way. So, I wanted him to hear from me before he heard from anyone else what we were doing and why we were doing it. And then the same thing on the hiring process of who and why. And so, those are important things that I did want to have those conversations with him. He puts a lot into it, as you guys all know from being around him. And so, I love getting his feedback, I love engaging with him. But as far as the vision of it that had to come from me."

On a common thread with Blough and Jones that stood out:
"I think you'll find being around them the energy for teaching about what that is, the ability to articulate that to everyone. I know so much about David, but when I did so much research with Daronte about the other players he's coached and their feedback about what their position coach was like, it was remarkable. About his connection, his teachability, the way he put belief into people to help raise their game up. And that hadn't just been from one player that was from a number of players. So, those are the type of things from a leadership standpoint that you want to hear about developing players, making an impact, finding ways to teach it where it can be clear and concise and high standards and accountability. And when you hear players talk that way about their position coach, that's a big deal. David, differently, his office was right near mine. So, almost on a regular basis we're in talking through things and ideas and there's some strong coaches here on our staff to also support that vision of how we're going to do it. And so, I'd say that's the common thread. These guys have real energy for teaching and a real vision of what it should look like. And so, I think those are the two common threads."

On his vision for the offense and on his role for implementing that vision:
"Yeah, and it'll look different some, in some ways as we're still kind of building some of the things together. But this is going to be an aggressive, balanced attack, but that will probably have more under center than we have in the past. That's also for run action and play passes to generate explosive plays. And so, we're going to try to feature every part of Jayden in the way that makes him unique and special. But also, the run action and the runs and the play action game that goes with it, those are all things to generate explosive plays. I think as David was speaking on earlier, when we were here a year from now and we talk about the generating the explosive plays those are a few of the things that's going to come to mind when we're talking about our offense."

On if Welker is on the offensive staff:
"Yep, last year he supported the defensive side and also he stepped in for [Assistant Special Teams Coach] Brian Schneider. So, Brian's still battling through cancer and surgeries and things that go along with that. And so, Wes stepped into that spot with [Special Teams Coordinator] Larry [Izzo] in an instant but also helped on the defensive side on some different things. So, this season Wes will have a role with the offensive side. He's going to be, as we call him an offensive assistant, but we're still working through a little bit, but he'll have a significant role for us for sure."

On what Jones can bring for the young defensive players like CB Mike Sainristil and CB Trey Amos:
"Yeah, I think clarity and standards for the system, that's number one, how can they help them reach their best? And you're talking about two incredible ones with those two at corner. And so, the value of that position alone speaks to it. And I'm very excited to meet with both of them what they can see, how they can add to it, and Daronte being, that's his background, that's a really big deal for those two."

On Jones being from the DMV:
"I think just knowing that has a history here of following the team and went to elementary school not far from the stadium. And so, knowing his background here and then going to McNamara and first of Temple then back in the DMV. It's a big deal and for him personally but it's not a deciding factor at all. But I think as a storyline, it's very cool for a guy who's put in his dues in a very significant way in our profession seems fitting that it should be a place where he grew up loving football."

On the importance of the support staff for both coordinators:
"I'm going to just try create as much support as I can. I'll probably include more play it times during OTA's and during training camp just for that purpose and all of us functioning together. And that'll be at the top of it to get them, there's nothing like in-game experience, but as close as we can stimulate to that as we can, oftentimes you'd see all of us with practice scripts and it's already here. And so, there'll be times when those won't apply. We're going to call it down in distance, moving the ball and get into those spaces. And so, you do that on film on your own, you do that on the field and we're just going to do that. But we do have a, like I said, an excellent staff to help support these guys and set them up for success."

On moving on from Bobby Johnson and on Stapleton:
"Yeah, I think being around Darnell over the last two years he actually interned with us as a Bill Walsh Fellow years back. He like D.J. had always been somebody on the radar. And so, to see his development over the last two years, I knew that he was ready for a significant role. He worked closely with Bobby and [Assistant Offensive Line Coach] Shane Toub who were here obviously with the other members of the offensive staff. So, it was really just a new vision of how we want to go do it. That's really what it came down to."

On how he knows a person can be a play caller:
"Yep, you do that and certainly playing quarterback in the National Football League helps into that space. You're not calling your own plays like back in the old days, maybe in the huddles that some of the guys did but there's obviously lots of training that goes into that and you want to simulate just like you had said with video into the games, but David has a very clear vision of what and how that it's going to look and play out. That was very evident in our interview with him. And going into it, we're just going to give him the best support we can, maybe less than I initially thought of how many call its and those kinds of things we need. But as far as the leading and the calling, those two go hand in hand, but the leading part that I've seen so far it's all tracking and everything that you'd like it to be."

On Jones being interviewed late in the process:
"He was later to that, but his name was certainly part of that. Yep, part of a group that we spoke to, I was pretty extensive in the group that I spoke with."

On why Jones wasn't at the top of the interview list and on how many interviews took place:
"Yeah, two meetings, but yes, he was certainly part of that, but I was going through a whole process. I hadn't known him before, so I visited with some people. But he was always somebody that was on the list to visit with and where we're at. And so, it wasn't like a he was down here ranking. I don't try to rank before. I think you can get yourself in a bias if you do that too often. So, I go through a rubric of these are the questions, these are where you go and how you can go through it. And then after then you can put that together. So, it was really impressive when I got together with him on that."

On what he wants to do differently moving forward:
"Full stop 25, alright. I had to do that first. Enough beating myself up, others in that way. And so, the energy, the swagger that we create, the standards that we want to do. For me, it always starts first with practice and the speed, the effort, the execution of that. The locker room is a strong one, guys supporting one another. We kind of spoke on that so much in a tough year. But I think just kind of I want to recapture that energy of that swagger of how we want to play, the style, the attitude of it. And I'm certain we can do that. You've heard me also say building a championship program this season, I'm taking the lessons, I'm moving them forward, but it's also staying there. I'm not carrying over the things that sucked and weren't part of how we want to do business. So, there's a lot of energy that's going forward today with the coaches and so as we're moving forward when the players get here, they'll be a part of that too. But yeah I'm ready for that process to be fully underway."
* On the next steps for the team:*
"Just kind of completing the first one right now of bringing everybody together their connection of how it's going to go. Merging the vision of what we have to what we also want to add to the roster. And so, Adam and I have obviously lots of discussions about the team and where we're going, but free agency is the first one and so we'll have some meetings coming up shortly. The coaches were each assigned some players and areas, they grade them, how would they fit? What would that look like? And so, we do that offensively, defensively before even going to the combine. So, after this part in concert with looking at the personnel, putting the systems together offensively and defensively and then adding those pieces to it from the free agency, both from other clubs and ones from our club, say, okay why back? What would they roll?"

*On having the same vision with Jones for the defense: *"Yeah, and I wanted to be very clear with him on that, that this would be his system. I think it's hard to think for someone else. And so, I wanted to make sure coming here, he wouldn't have, my system learn it. I said, 'You're coming here to install it, man.' And I'm going to be here to support you, give you insight when you want it. But putting that system together, it's funny actually, going through the whole process with him was exciting for me too. I like that the learning can be different and what needs to be different and what can be better. And so, those were things that that fired me up. But ultimately we're putting in a new system and it's going to start with his vision, with his terminology, the wording that we use, the communication that we say. And that's how it has to be. I think it's difficult for someone else to come in and think like someone else. I want him to be able to fully express how he wants to coach it. And that was important for me to share with him."