Commanders Tress Way is having fun, while remaining one of the NFL’s best punter
Tress Way was having fun with the media Thursday after practice.
As he took the microphone, he immediately asked the media why long-time NFL reporter John Keim walked out as he (Way) approached the microphone. Way was off and running and as usual never short on words.
One of the media inquired if Way was going to continue his trivia game this season. “So when we see you guys come in during the week, I promise to have some great trivia questions for you guys to chew on while you wait for certain players to come in and out of treatment and things like that. But yes, it’s fully back on, and it is a really good time on the bus rides to and from the hotel. A lot of guys get a big kick out of it. ”
Way is looking forward to this season and his special teams unit in particular. “I think I was kind of outsmarting myself last year. I was pressing a little bit hard trying to do a little bit too much at times when at the end of the day, I think coach does such an awesome job every single day of teaching us to build trust with one another. And it just frees you up so much more when you trust your other guys that they’re gonna do what they’re gonna do, starting with Cheese, with the snap, the protection, the coverage.”
The former Oklahoma Sooner had an opportunity to discuss some of the finer points of special teams. “There are multiple types of winning punts, but when (Special Teams Coach) Nate Kaczor showed up, he really helped me hone in my ability to maybe not tip off the returner, which way I’m punting and then just try and be effective with those punts, hang time distances, trying to eliminate some touchbacks, which is what I’ve typically been good at in the past, but kind of didn’t do so hot in that one last year. So just trying to take more and more steps every time.”
With his relaxed, welcoming personality, Way has become, unofficially, the welcoming ambassador. “I just don’t think it would quite add up for me to get into a linebacker’s face and maybe tell them that he’s soft and they’d be like, ‘dude, you’re the punter.’ I got to give Coach Rivera some serious props on that because when we had some free agents coming in and the rookies coming in, along with [Special Teams Coordinator] Coach Kaczor, they just said, ‘Tress, man do your thing, make them feel welcome.’
Way will do “his thing” being himself, providing light-hearted fun to a franchise that has not had consecutive winning seasons since 2015 (9-7) and 2016 (8-7-1).
He will also do “his thing” on the field, being one of the better punters in the NFL.
