G&D did not get a chance to play their conversation with new Commanders defensive line coach Darryl Tapp on Wednesday, but they saved the best part for Thursday: Tapp is absolutely stoked to be coaching a position group that includes Jon Allen and Daron Payne.
“It’s exciting to be around them. I’ve always been an admirer of the game that those guys put on film, like true animals out there,” Tapp said. “We’re going to do our best – me, Dan, Joe Whitt, and my assistant Sharrif Floyd – to put those guys in the best position to make plays. Whatever vision of a player that they want to be that's in their head, we’ll do our very best to help them meet that vision. That's where our mindset is and that's what we're trying to get accomplished.”
Tapp was a Commander a decade ago, and now, after three years coaching in San Francisco under Adam Peters, he’s happy to be back home in the DMV with the new GM.
“It’s a surreal kind of feeling to be back, but it's awesome at the same time,” Tapp said. “I’m a hometown kid from Virginia, this was my favorite team growing up, so there’s a true sense of pride to come here and work my butt off and give my all for the staff, for the players we’ll be coaching, and for the DMV as a whole.”
He’s part of a coaching staff that checks every box in terms of experience and level on and off the field, and while it may take a while for them all to gel, they know that the collective knowledge of the group can show things from all angles.
“We're just getting started right now, and it's been an awesome experience so far being around guys that have been around the block a couple of times and know a lot of ball,” Tapp said. “For us guys that are new to the staff and kind of up and coming like myself, to impart our wisdom from being a player and stuff that we learned along the way has been an awesome experience so far. Hopefully we can continue to build that with these players when they get in the building.”
And, while it’s a new promotion after being the Niners’ assistant D-Line coach, it should be no surprise that Peters had input with new head coach Dan Quinn on the hire.
“The way we worked in San Fran, they don't try to hold anybody down; they want to elevate everybody that's on that staff,” Tapp said. “And from day one working with Adam, he was charged with working with the D-line and finding us talent, and walking me through the process and help me in that aspect. We connected instantly, so for him to have the opportunity to be the GM here, and to think enough of me to speak about me highly to Dan, who I played for in Seattle my last year there, and for those guys to mesh as far as thinking that I was ready to go and seeing how I operate in San Fran, it's a huge honor. Like I said, I'm not going to let that go to the side at all; I'm gonna work my tail off while I'm here.”