G.S.N.L.S.: Why those letters matter to Washington's punt team originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
At first, Tress Way was confused.
Near the start of the 2022 season — Way can’t quite remember when the interaction happened and explained that “there’s a little bit of beauty in the mystery” — Percy Butler asked the specialist for clarification on the direction of an upcoming punt. Once Way and Butler hashed it out, Butler put his two fists together. Way, though, was unsure what that meant.
“I go, ‘Hey man, we good?’” Way told NBC Sports Washington on Wednesday. “I’m one of the older guys in the locker room. When I was a kid, that meant, like, ‘We’ve got beef.’ He’s like, ‘No man, that means I’ve got your back.’ And I go, ‘Oh, OK, cool.’”
At that point, Butler uttered a string of words that has since taken on a life of its own among the Commanders’ punt coverage team.
“He goes, ‘Yeah man, gang s— no lame s—,'” Way recalled. “And I go, ‘What?’”
From there, the Pro Bowler moseyed on over to Jeremy Reaves who, like Butler, is a safety who contributes on the club’s various special teams operations. Way needed Reaves to provide more context on the phrase Butler had just dropped.
“I understand that I’m removed, both by age and probably sheer I don’t know what’s going on anywhere,” Way said. “And I go, ‘What’s gang s— no lame s—?’ And he starts cracking up. And he goes, ‘Our punt team, that’s our gang. That’s us. We’re going to do us and if you’re not about our gang s—, then we ain’t about no lame s—.’ And I go, ‘I kind of like that.’ And he goes, ‘Hell yeah.'”
Since those September conversations, the motto — which is abbreviated to G.S.N.L.S — has become a rallying cry for Way and his crew. In fact, Way even recently purchased hats for those who assist in blocking for and tracking down his punts — and proceeded to buy another batch when the first shipment wasn’t satisfactory.
“The font is called ‘dripping,'” a proud Way said as he brandished the lid. “I know that’s a thing.”
“Tress is innovative,” Reaves said Tuesday.
More memorabilia may be necessary with how the group is presently performing.
Through six games this year, Way has punted 35 times and is fourth in the league in net yardage (44.8). As usual, he’s been on point.
The overall coverage effort, meanwhile, has ceded just 68 yards on 13 returns for an average of 5.2 yards per return. That mark is the fifth-best in the sport. The longest return that’s been allowed thus far only spanned 12 yards.
Much of that success has to do with the adoption of the G.S.N.L.S. ideology, according to the Commanders.
“It is crazy,” snapper Cam Cheeseman said. “For me, my energy that I have now on punt — compared to even in college and even last year — I’m, like, hype. We’re bringing the energy.”
“It’s the little swag we’ve got out there,” rookie corner/gunner Christian Holmes said. “We’re a unit out there. We stick together.”
In the club’s Week 3 matchup with the Eagles, Reaves, tight end Armani Rogers and linebacker David Mayo all initiated massive collisions following kicks by Way. Way was very appreciative of his comrades that afternoon because, while his hangtime wasn’t as strong as it typically is, they still found a way to consistently smother Philly’s returner.
The bunch produced its best moment, though, in Washington’s win against the Bears last Thursday.
With a little more than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, Way — who was cut twice by Chicago early on in his career — skied a punt that plummeted toward the 10-yard line, where the Bears’ Velus Jones Jr. was preparing to grab it. But instead of securing the ball, Jones stumbled and let it hit him in the facemask. The rush to recover it was on.
Fortunately for the Commanders, Holmes was able to come away with the fumble. Two snaps and six yards later, Brian Robinson Jr. plowed into the end zone for the matchup’s decisive touchdown.
That entire sequence was most certainly not lame.
“It was pretty fun down there,” Holmes said of being in the pile after Jones’ mistake.
“That’s the thing,” Cheeseman said. “You’ve got to make the most out of every opportunity.”
“We’ve made some big plays and flipped the field but that is the peak,” Way said. “It’s cold, it’s windy, we were having a tough night as a team getting things going and it just all culminated.”
Way was so exhilarated by the turnover that he lost his voice as he celebrated and actually had to cancel a radio hit the next day. He sounded fairly normal on Wednesday, luckily — yet the excitement about continuing to work with the rest of the gang remained high.
“A lot of fans are there to watch your offense,” Way said. “‘Aw, it’s time to punt.’ They go to the restroom, they go get another drink, go get a bite to eat. And [special teams coordinator] Nate [Kaczor] has always said to be that group where it’s like, ‘Hold on, we’ll go get that in a second, we’re going to watch these frickin’ dudes.’ I love that my guys are like that.”
