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ASHBURN, VA -- August 25, 2020 Washington Football Team left tackle Geron Christian Sr. speaks to the media after practice on Tuesday morning.
On how he’s been adjusting to training camp:
“I feel like I’ve been doing good. [Offensive line coach John] Matsko’s been good, focusing on the little details and stuff. It’s just like a transition, getting comfortable to everything with the new coaching staff, new technique, new scheme, all that. I feel like it’s been pretty good, especially with the competition we’ve got going on.”
On what he has been working on the most:
“Coming back to the building, my main goal that I was focusing on was just consistency, regardless of if that was technique, finishing, whatever it may be, just being more consistent. Even before when [former offensive line coach Bill] Callahan was here, it was always me talking to him and watching film. You would see the ability and the talent, but it was just flashes. So, my main focus coming back this year was making sure my technique, my hands, my feet, everything was just consistent. It’s the same instead of I have a good play and then turn around and it may not be so good the next play.”
On his opportunity to play after Trent Williams’s trade:
“It’s an opportunity. Coming in, I knew Trent was here. For them drafting me, especially as a third-round draft pick, I knew my time was going to end up coming regardless if it was at tackle if Trent went down or if it was maybe going in at the guard position, whatever it may be, right tackle, whatever the case may be I knew my number was going to end up being called. It was just really being ready. Unfortunately, that situation with Trent happened how it happened. But I mean it was just being ready and working because I knew at some point I was going to have to play. That was the point of drafting me here.”
On playing behind Donald Penn last season:
“Me and Penn ended up having a pretty great relationship. It was still competition for that position and that stuff. But, coming here even Penn, Trent, the older guys I feel like being under those guys helped me out a lot in developing, learning certain skills, having that knowledge of the game because those guys performed at a high level for a long time. I tell everybody, I’m really appreciative of the situation I’ve been in because being around those guys, having that relationship—me and Penn were just on the phone last week talking about technique and that stuff. I call Trent, I went and trained with Trent and stuff. I feel like being able to be around those guys, build those relationships, helped put me in a better position right now.”
On what he wanted to show the coaching staff this year:
“Pretty much that I can be more consistent. I can go out and perform with whoever and I can be the same guy every day instead of flashes.”
On if he’s shown improvement so far:
“I feel like my work effort, technique and everything has been pretty good. Obviously, there’s stuff that I can clean up and that I need to work on. I’m not complacent with where I’m at right now, but I do feel like I’ve been improving, and I’ve been showing the coaching staff and players that I’m capable of doing that.”
On if he feels ahead from his work in the offseason:
“I feel like—and especially I was out there in Houston with Trent and RB Adrian Peterson—so, this offseason I focused a lot on my knee perhaps and the other training. With me being out there with those guys when a lot of the gyms and stuff back home and out here were closed, we had access to that gym. With the pandemic, it didn’t slow anything down. I still had access to the full gym, the trainer and everything and we were able to keep pushing and pretty much just get me to where I need to be.”
On going against DE Chase Young:
“He’s a good player. Even just being around him—we’ll talk in the locker room and stuff—you can tell that he’s hungry. He’s a guy that obviously works hard. You can tell his knowledge, you’ll catch him around LB [Ryan] Kerrigan a lot or even talking with DE [Montez] Sweat and stuff. Even right now, whether he’s limited or not taking reps, you can tell he’s focused on trying to learn and soak up everything he can.”
On working on his aggressiveness in the offseason:
“That’s really just inside you. You can train and stuff, but it’s really just a want-to. If you want to get it done you’re going to get it done. Believing in yourself, having confidence and knowing you can do it. But having the aggression to play that position, that’s just something you’ve got to have. But I feel like that was something that I did focus on as well is just being more aggressive and finishing and pushing. Really, we know what it takes to play this positon, so just got to show up.”
On differences between Callahan and Matsko’s style of teaching technique:
“Technique-wise it’s completely different. It’s a whole different scheme in terms of our steps, our hands, our angles. As far as setting and stuff it is different. So, they do have two completely different coaching schemes. But I feel like they’re both two great coaches and pushed us hard. We’re out here working every day. Callahan did the same. It’s still the same mindset, it’s just learning the techniques.”
On if he feels there is still a competition at left tackle:
“I’m not complacent. Right now, we’re still competing. I know [T] Saahdiq [Charles] will come back. We still have [T Cornelius] Lucas who we just signed this offseason. We’ve been rotating with the ones and stuff. Really, regardless if I’m competing against them or even just coming every day to get better so whenever the season starts I’m in the best position to compete in the game. I’m really just every day trying to focus on the little things that I need to focus on and just working harder.”
On developing chemistry with the offensive line rotation:
“That part, since I’ve been here, we’ve had a lot of injuries. So just really building chemistry with all the guys, all the guards. Regardless of if we have two tackles in, if you see the practices coach will rotate tackles in with guards sometimes. Just because you never know the situation that’s going to happen in the games, you’ve got to play right tackle, left tackle, guard, whatever it may be. At any time, someone could go down, so you need that chemistry as a unit regardless of if it’s me with G Wes [Schweitzer] or whoever it may be. You never know who’s going to be the guy that’s called upon.”
On what he struggled with in finding consistency:
“I feel like one of my main problems coming to the team personally for me was just coming into a different situation. From when I started playing football to college, I started every game. I was the left tackle. So, coming here I knew we had Trent, I knew we had T Morgan [Moses], I knew we had those guys. Playing before, we never had injuries or stuff so I feel like my mindset should’ve been more aggressive. I was working to get ready, but I just didn’t notice how soon my name could be called upon. I felt like I should’ve just prepared harder and been in a better mindset. I could play the first week; you never know what’s going to happen. So, really just my mindset. I feel like everything my first year up to my injury, it all was on me. Not that I didn’t have a ton of ability, too, it was just really a mindset. I just really didn’t see myself playing because of the guys that we had here at the time. So, that pretty much was what I feel like I had handed to me when I first got to the team.”
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