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- WT – LOVERRO: They say 90% of success in life is just showing up by T. Loverro
The Washington Commanders held their first OTAs of 2025 last week. If you didn’t already know, OTAs stands for Organized Team Activities. From various reports, a good time was had by all. Well, maybe not all. I wasn’t there. Then again, in case you didn’t read it in one of the numerous accounts, OTAs are optional. Show up or not. No big deal. Apparently every member of the Commanders roster felt their best option was to show up for the workouts, except for three players — receiver Terry McLaurin, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and cornerback Marshon Lattimore. For them, OTAs meant Other Teammates Attending. McLaurin is seeking a contract extension, so the assumption is that’s the reason he wasn’t there. He would seem to earn a pass based on his standup track record with the organization since he arrived as a rookie in 2019. He has banked plenty of goodwill. Click here for the whole article …
By WildBunny at June 2, 2025 5:35 am - NBC Sports – Josh Harris makes case for D.C. stadium deal by M. Florio
The Commanders and D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser have a stadium deal. That’s not the end of the matter but the beginning. Next, D.C. Council must approach the arrangement and the significant public expenditure that comes with it. That makes it a distinctly political issue. Winning at the ballot box is one thing (such votes routinely fail). Here, the Commanders, the NFL, and Bowser still need to get enough members of the D.C. Council behind the project. Appearing recently on The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, owner Josh Harris rattled off some of the pro-stadium talking points. Harris said, via Sports Business Journal, that the stadium deal will “be highly beneficial” for the District, citing the $2.7 billion payment the team will be making as the biggest private investment in D.C. history. Click here for the whole article …
By WildBunny at June 2, 2025 5:32 am - CBSSports – How Commanders QB can improve in Year 2 by Jared Dubin
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels had one of the best rookie seasons a quarterback has ever had. Daniels completed 69% of his passes at an average of 7.4 yards per attempt, threw 25 touchdown passes against just nine interceptions, ran for 891 yards and an additional six scores, had a passer rating over 100 and a QBR over 70 and checked in eighth in the entire league in TruMedia’s expected points added (EPA) per dropback. Heading into Year 2, it’s fair to expect big things of Daniels, even if we know that improvement isn’t always linear. Coach Dan Quinn certainly seems like he’s expecting Daniels to be even better as a sophomore than he was as a rookie. “There is no flinch in Jayden Daniels,” Quinn said, via ProFootballTalk. “He’s an absolute like, as focused and relentless as you could about getting better. And so that’s why I said for us around here, man, we appreciate that and there’s a lot of things that he and the rest of us are really digging in hard on to say, all right, can we get this better? And if he does that, I do that, others do that … there’s a lot of space we can get better at.” It’s worth questioning what, exactly, Daniels can get better at after such a spectacular Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign. So we decided to dig into the numbers and the film to pinpoint some potential areas of improvement. Let’s be clear that these are all extremely nit-picky. Daniels was so good at so many things that it’s difficult to find areas of the game where he did not perform well. We’re left to drill down on hyper-specific things, some of which may not even be sticky from year to year. With that said, here are a few areas where Daniels could conceivably get better. Click here for the whole article …
By WildBunny at May 30, 2025 5:33 am - WP – The Commanders have plenty of weapons and only one football by Sam FORTIER
Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury knows it’s a good thing that one of his biggest problems this season will be ensuring all his talented skill players get enough touches. “I’ve never had a great player that didn’t want the ball, and so that kind of comes with the territory,” he said this week. “But that’s one thing I think that has created, where it’s the team above anything else. And these guys that had their success last year and got their touches, they know bringing Deebo in, there’s going to be . But we’re going to be better. And I think when they’re able to sacrifice for that and understand that the ultimate goal is winning, then it all works itself out. But you want those guys. I mean, I’ll get cussed out a few games, but it just comes with the territory. You’d rather have really good players cussing you out than bad players cussing you out.” Is he right to be concerned? Historical data suggests the Commanders will take about 1,100 offensive snaps over the course of the season. There will probably be more passes than runs. In what’s known as “score-neutral situations” — when the clock and scoreboard don’t dictate run or pass — Kingsbury called passes on about 56 percent of plays last season, according to RBSDM.com, which was the eighth-highest rate in the league. While the Commanders could run more if they get better at it, it’s still safe to bet Kingsbury, a former Air Raid quarterback, will keep the ball in the skies. So if last season is a guide, there should be about 620 passing snaps in 2025. The top priorities will be star wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has averaged about 125 targets over the past four seasons, and quarterback Jayden Daniels, who’s an elite scrambler and will inevitably take some sacks, too. If he sustains last year’s pace and remains healthy, Daniels probably will scramble about 75 times and take about 45 sacks. Click here for the whole article …
By WildBunny at May 30, 2025 5:32 am - WT – LOVERRO: The three most important words in real estate? Commanders, Commanders, Commanders by Thom LOVERRO
When District Mayor Muriel Bowser made a big show last month in the unveiling of the city’s proposed new stadium for the Washington Commanders on the RFK site, she made sure the city got the most out of their PowerPoint program, showing off charts that proved what a great deal this is for the city and how generous the football team is going to be in its commitment to the project. One chart – “Commanders Stadium Vs. Other NFL Stadiums — showed the “public investment as a percentage of the stadium and parking development costs” in a comparison to other recent or current stadium projects. The proposal calls for the Commanders to put up $2.7 billion for stadium construction, while the city adds $1.1 billion for parking garages, infrastructure and other costs. The chart highlighted the stadium being built for the Tennessee Titans in Nashville — a 60% pledge of public funds. Buffalo’s current project for the Bills – 49%. Jacksonville’s new facility for the Jaguars — 50%. New Orleans taxpayers’ bill for stadium improvements for the Saints from last year — 67%. And the public investment as a percentage of the stadium and parking development costs for the Raiders stadium in Las Vegas in 2020 — 37%. Next to those numbers, the District’s commitment seems like a great deal. But here’s one footnote District officials failed to include — none of those stadium projects the mayor trotted out in her comparison chart to pitch her plan included handing over prime real estate to the football team to develop and then pocket the profits. That’s what the District is giving the Commanders, though: an undisclosed number of valuable acres, owned by the federal government but leased by the city in a 99-year agreement approved in the final minutes of last year’s congressional session. Click here for the whole article …
By WildBunny at May 30, 2025 5:30 am - WP – Jayden Daniels looks a little thicker, but he’s focused on his mind by Nicky Jhabvala
The most pressing question at the Washington Commanders’ first day of organized team activities was not about the state of their offense, the shake-up to their offensive line or the new look of their defense. It wasn’t about the continuity of their coaching staff, with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury spurning interviews for bigger jobs to stay, and it wasn’t about the rookies. The biggest question was whether quarterback Jayden Daniels looked, well, bigger. During the second phase of the team’s offseason workout program, the Commanders shared a photo of Daniels on the field appearing significantly more muscular than last season, leading to social media comments from fans and media. “Put on a little muscle, eh?” center Tyler Biadasz said Wednesday with a grin. “He said what he was going to do, and he did it.” Added Kingsbury: “He’s still pretty lean, but he’s definitely worked really hard at his fitness and the weight room. … I haven’t seen his weights, but I’m sure that he’s a little bit thicker than he was.” Click here for the whole article …
By WildBunny at May 29, 2025 5:51 am - WT – Jayden Daniels has bulked up, plans to shoulder more as he tackles first offseason practices by Liam GRIFFIN
Jayden Daniels couldn’t wait to put a helmet on again. The Commanders’ star quarterback’s wishes were granted on Wednesday when he took the field in Ashburn, Virginia, for voluntary organized team activities, the next phase of the team’s offseason program. The second-year player joked before practice with cornerback Mike Sainristil and flashed a signature smile throughout the day. Even back-to-back interceptions during seven-on-seven drills couldn’t break Daniels’ stride. It didn’t hurt that the turnovers weren’t his fault — one ricocheted off his receiver’s hands while the other saw a pass-catcher fall down just before the ball arrived. How could he hang his head? After nearly four months away, he was finally back on the field with his teammates. “I love football,” Daniels said. “So, it’s very refreshing to go out there and practice, have some fun.” Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said his signal-caller had to be practically pried away from football during the offseason. The two are in constant contact, sharing texts and calls when they aren’t in the building. Click here for the whole article …
By WildBunny at May 29, 2025 5:49 am - WT – McLaurin, Lattimore, Tunsil skip Commanders’ first organized team activities by Liam GRIFFIN
The Commanders were missing a few faces as they opened voluntary organized team activities, the third phase of the offseason program, on Wednesday. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin, cornerback Marshon Lattimore and left tackle Laremy Tunsil were all absent. McLaurin, a two-time Pro Bowler, has discussed a new contract with the Commanders. He is entering the final season of a three-year, $68 million extension he signed in 2022, but the team did not say whether his absence was related to the deal. The Commanders’ social team snapped photos of McLaurin during lighter workouts at the team facility earlier this offseason, but he decided not to attend Wednesday’s practice. “I understand the business side of things,” wide receiver Deebo Samuel said. “When he stopped coming, I understand his side of the story. So, I just try not to get bothered with it and let him deal with it on his own.” Lattimore joined the Commanders via a midseason trade with the New Orleans Saints in October and struggled with injuries throughout the season. The Commanders added Tunsil through a trade with the Houston Texans in April. Click here for the whole article …
By WildBunny at May 29, 2025 5:48 am - WT – LOVERRO: Late NFL owner Irsay’s disgust with Snyder set wheels in motion by Thom LOVERRO
Love seeing this. …
By Darrell Green Fan at May 28, 2025 6:01 pm - WP – As Commanders won on the field, support for the team’s name soared by N. JHABVALA, E. GUSKIN, S. CLEMENT
In the 22 months since Josh Harris purchased the Washington Commanders, the team has transformed from a stain on the NFL into one of its hottest franchises, with a rookie of the year quarterback, an NFC championship game appearance and a future entrenched in prime time. The renewed interest in the Commanders was evident last year, with a spike in sponsorship deals and sellouts at every home game at their Landover stadium. And the change in tenor around the team already has left a dramatic mark on the Washington region. According to a Washington Post-Schar School poll, 61 percent of D.C.-area sports fans are fans of the Commanders, up from 45 percent of area sports fans a year ago. Among all D.C.-area residents, 53 percent say they are Commanders fans, while 45 percent do not root for the team. In 2023, 31 percent of D.C.-area residents said they were Commanders fans or that the Commanders were their favorite local team. What’s more: Half of all D.C.-area adults now “like” or “love” the team’s name, which was changed in 2022 and became a hot-button issue for many fans who either clamored for a return to the franchise’s previous name, Redskins, or sought an alternative. In 2024, only 34 percent liked or loved the new name. Click here for the whole article …
By WildBunny at May 28, 2025 6:08 am