As Craig Hoffman watched Commanders camp on Thursday, he saw the defense have a little bit slower of a day than they did in Wednesday’s opener – but when he talked to veteran corner Kendall Fuller for his show later that night, Fuller revealed it was an intentional work in progress.
“We’re feeling good. I don’t think we had as good of a day as yesterday, but just trying to clean up little things,” Fuller said. “But if we keep competing, that will take care of itself. Everyone comes out here with hat intensity locked in, and we’ll get better every day.”
To Fuller, training camp is exactly for that reason: practice, learn, and get on the same page for when it counts in September.
“That’s what this is for, to understand the defense, and the only way to do that is to know what everyone on the field is doing, what their responsibility is and where they need to be on the field,” Fuller said. “For me, it may not be at corner, but I’ll be taking notes while they’re talking to the safeties so I can understand what they’re supposed to read and understand how and when they can help me.”
One of the people he’s been impressed with so far in doing that is Emmanuel Forbes, the rookie first-round pick who has flashed in OTAs and early in camp.
“There’s not a lot of people who just trust what they see on the field, especially at cornerback, where you have to be bold enough to trust yourself and make plays,” Fuller said. “He has that no matter whether he makes the play or gets beat, and he’s always studying. He’ll come up and ask questions or listen to conversations, trying to better learn and understand the game so he can make plays on the field, and that’s what we’re going to need from him.”
And as a veteran, Fuller understands the importance of helping guys like Forbes when they do come ask, listen, or want to learn.
“I just always think that’s what the DB position is – older guys take you under their wing, and it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure we’re prepared as a group,” Fuller said. “That’s something I always do, and I’ll always want to help younger guys understand the game. Sometimes that’s being vocal, and sometimes that’s just being a professional and doing things the right way.”
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One of the other younger guys who has learned from Fuller is Kamren Curl, who has excelled as a late-round pick and now may be playing for a nice contract, and is a huge asset to the defense.
“He’s just a guy that can impact the game no matter where you put him,” Fuller said of Curl. “You trust he’s going to be where the defense calls him to be, and no matter where he is, if I see Kam there, I know he’ll be where he’s supposed to be.”
And once again, that’s what July and August are for: learning how everyone plays, so you can do just that in any situation.
“It definitely affects you because different guys do things different ways, or see things differently,” Fuller said. “You’re always just learning, and that’s what OTAs and camp or for – you learn how the guys next to you see the game and understand how they see plays processing.”
Follow The Hoffman Show on Twitter: @CraigHoffman & @HoffmanShow
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