Category: 2021 Training Camp

Ron Rivera, Bill Belichick praise one another ahead of Thursday’s game

Ron Rivera and Bill Belichick took turns praising the other on Tuesday.

The Washington Football Team opens the preseason on Thursday against the New England Patriots. This will be a different New England team as the Patriots will feature former Carolina Panther legend Cam Newton under center.

Newton, of course, played nine seasons under Washington coach Ron Rivera when the two were in Carolina.

On Tuesday, Rivera spoke of going up against, arguably, the greatest coach in NFL history in New England coach Bill Belichick.

“The best thing about coach is there are no apologies for who he is,” Rivera said, per Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. “He’s true to himself. He’s true to form.”

“I do appreciate watching him and trying to understand the things that he does and watch what happens with his team. He had a dynasty basically, and now they’re rebuilding it, and it’s going to be fun to watch.”

New England is in its second year without legendary quarterback Tom Brady who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl championship last season. Newton will battle rookie Mac Jones for the starting quarterback job for the Patriots.

Belichick, meanwhile, is looking forward to facing Washington.

“Obviously a good football team, well-coached,” Belichick said, per Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington. “Coach Rivera always did a good job. He did a good job in Carolina and had some success last year in Washington. I think he does a great job having a good, sound fundamental team. They’re tough and physical. So, this is a good opportunity.”

Belichick would mention how his New England teams faced Rivera and the Panthers several times in the preseason. He noted why it was always good for his teams because Rivera’s squads are always prepared and fundamentally sound.

The respect between these two veteran coaches is real; otherwise, they wouldn’t continue to schedule the other in the preseason. Both coaches know the other will have their team well-prepared — even in the preseason.

 

Washington safety Landon Collins makes appearance on ‘Good Morning Football’

Landon Collins talks about Washington’s defense, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sean Taylor, and his foundation.

Washington safety Landon Collins may be the story of training camp for the Football Team. Collins, who injured his Achilles in October, returned to practice this spring in just seven months.

When it came time for training camp, there were no limitations for Collins. Earlier this summer, Collins described his recovery process and said he aims to be the “best safety in football.”

For Collins, entering his third season in Washington, this is a big year. During his absence last season, rookie Kamren Curl stepped in and became one of the top defensive rookies in the NFL. Now, with both players on the field, Washington has rotated safeties throughout camp.

Collins was a guest on “Good Morning Football” on the NFL Network on Tuesday and was asked why Washington’s defense would be the best in the NFL in 2021:

Look, it’s gonna be a long season, and I can’t tell you why. But, I know every week we are going to come out their work, we are going to prove our best, and we gonna come out there and shut offenses down. That’s what we do; that’s what we harp on, we find the ball, and we got some mean people on our team, so be excited for that.

From there, Kyle Brandt discussed the quarterback competition, specifically Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Collins smiled in discussing Fitzpatrick,

“It’s good to have Ryan here,” Collins said. “He’s fantastic; we got a vet back there doing his thing. He got this no-look pass we all hate; he’s killing us with. But it’s fantastic seeing him back there doing his thing.”

Now, if we could only have evidence of that no-look pass, no doubt it would be meme-worthy.

Finally, Collins got the opportunity to talk about his hero: former Washington safety Sean Taylor:

If you could feel my heart beating right now, you would understand. Being here, being in this atmosphere he has played under, organization-wise, it’s exciting. It gives me chills each and every day. Just being here, is a blessing.

Collins is having an outstanding summer, and Washington hopes his return, paired with other newcomers and younger players being one year older, will propel the team on a deep run in the playoffs.

Sights and sounds from day 12 of Washington training camp

The top sights and sounds from Ashburn on Tuesday.

The Washington Football Team wrapped up practice for the week on Tuesday before Thursday’s preseason opener at the New England Patriots.

Overall, it was a quiet and rather uneventful day of practice as the team finished preparations for the first game.

The bigger headlines came after practice when Washington defensive end Montez Sweat talked about him and Chase Young’s goal of breaking the combined sack record by teammates in 2021.

“We talk about it all the time, breaking records and stuff like that,” Sweat said, per Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington. “I personally want to go get the combined sack record that the guys got back before. We talk about it all the time.”

You probably shouldn’t count out Sweat and Young.

Here are the top sights and sounds from Washington’s training camp on Tuesday.

Montez Sweat sets big goal for he and Chase Young in 2021

Montez Sweat says he and Chase Young want the combined sack record in 2021.

The Washington Football Team has, arguably, the best pair of pass-rushers in the NFL in Montez Sweat and Chase Young. Young, the reigning NFL defensive rookie of the year, finished with 7.5 sacks in 2020, while Sweat finished with nine sacks in his second season.

Now, the duo has even bigger goals in 2021.

After practice on Tuesday, Sweat met with the local media and said he and Young frequently discuss breaking the combined sack record by a pair of teammates.

“We talk about it all the time, breaking records and stuff like that,” Sweat said, per Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington. “I personally want to go get the combined sack record that the guys got back before. We talk about it all the time.”

The combined sack record by a pair of teammates belongs to Chris Doleman and Keith Millard of the Minnesota Vikings, set in 1989. Doleman and Millard combined for 39 sacks that season.

Talentwise, there’s no doubt Young and Sweat could approach that record. However, playing on a defensive line that also includes Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis, Daron Payne and Tim Settle — all interior rushers — could impact Young and Sweat’s numbers.

Regardless of whether or not Washington’s dynamic duo breaks the combined sack record in 2021, the Football Team should still be one of the top defensive units in the NFL.

 

 

Ron Rivera details what he’s looking for in preseason opener against Patriots

Ron Rivera wants to see specific things from Ryan Fitzpatrick in his Washington debut on Thursday.

When Washington head coach Ron Rivera was the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, he knew what he had at quarterback. Cam Newton came to Carolina at the same as Rivera in 2011, and the two were joined at the hip for the next decade.

In his second year with Washington, Rivera will be facing Newton and the New England Patriots in the preseason opener on Thursday.

Starting at quarterback for the Football Team is veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. This will be Rivera’s first game with Fitzpatrick as his quarterback.

So, what is the head the coach looking for from his quarterback in his first preseason action?

“Is he going through the checks, the processes he needs to?” Rivera said Tuesday, per Sam Fortier of The Washington Post.

“When I’m done, I’m going to take a look and see what the playbook tells us, whether or not we spread the ball around properly and we used all of our assets out there.”

Essentially, what Rivera wants to see is Fitzpatrick’s command of the offense. He doesn’t expect Fitzpatrick to be perfect immediately but handle the basics of the offense in his first start.

A trip to New England is a good test for Washington’s retooled offense.

Curtis Samuel activated from COVID-19 list, placed on active/PUP list

Curtis Samuel has yet to practice in training camp.

The Washington Football Team activated wide receiver Curtis Samuel from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday. He was then placed on the active/physically unable to perform list.

When Samuel was spotted at practice on Sunday, it was clear he was close to being activated from the COVID-19 list. However, after practice, head coach Ron Rivera noted that there was still “no timetable” for Samuel’s return from a groin injury.

Samuel originally injured his groin back on June 1 in OTAs and missed the mandatory minicamp. He has yet to practice in training camp with his new team.

Rivera stressed on Sunday he wasn’t concerned with Samuel missing time due to his familiarity with offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s offense. Washington also has more depth at wide receiver this season, so rushing Samuel back is not something the team plans on doing.

Samuel had a career year in 2020 when he caught 77 passes for 851 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 200 yards and two scores for the Carolina Panthers.

 

Washington releases unofficial depth chart ahead of preseason Week 1

Here is Washington’s depth chart with our observations on the offense, defense and special teams.

The Washington Football Team kicks off the 2021 preseason on Thursday against the New England Patriots. With the preseason here, that means we finally get an updated depth chart from the team.

It’s important to note; this depth chart does not come from the coaching staff, meaning it is unofficial. The depth chart comes from the team’s PR staff, so it does not necessarily reflect what head coach Ron Rivera or his staff think.

You’ll see more depth charts throughout the preseason that reflect the latest roster moves, but for now, let’s take a look at the WFT’s first unofficial depth chart of 2021.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Ron Rivera has some fun at the end of his Sunday press conference

Ron Rivera had some fun with Jason Garrett’s exchange with the media last week.

When Washington head coach Ron Rivera ended his daily presser after Sunday’s practice, local reporters ended it like they normally do, thanking the head coach for his time.

“Thank you, Ron,” reporters said.

On a normal day, that would be the end. Not on Sunday.

Rivera responded: “Oh, it’s coach,” he said smiling. Rivera then walked off with a wink and said, “just kidding.”

Rivera was having some fun at the expense of New York Giants offensive coordinator — and former Dallas head coach — Jason Garrett, who, last week, had the following exchange with reporters.

The video received more press than it likely should have. Garrett was departing to a quiet room of reporters and said, “Yeah, we say good to see you, Coach.”

He never actually directly told reporters to call him coach. Anyhow, it received plenty of attention and, on Sunday, Rivera had a little fun with it.

 

Washington injury, absence updates from day 10 of training camp

Injury news and notes from Sunday’s practice in Ashburn.

The Washington Football Team was back at practice on Sunday in Ashburn after a day off on Saturday. Of course, not everyone was on the field in pads.

Quarterback Kyle Allen remains sidelined with an ankle injury. He’s been out of practice for a week now. If Allen continues to miss time, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he began the season on injured reserve.

Defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis did not practice. Head coach Ron Rivera said he wasn’t feeling well, and it was nothing serious. Rivera also noted it had nothing to do with COVID-19. Ioannidis was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list last week.

Wide receiver Curtis Samuel was seen on the field but did not practice. Samuel, who has dealt with a groin injury since before minicamp in June, remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Rookie defensive end Shaka Toney did not practice and worked off to the side with trainers.

The Football Team did receive some good news on the injury front as cornerback William Jackson III, tight end Sammis Reyes, left tackle Charles Leno, wide receiver Kelvin Harmon and offensive lineman Keith Ismael were all back.

Ron Rivera says ‘no timetable’ on Curtis Samuel’s return

Curtis Samuel was seen on the field Sunday — but remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Ron Rivera offered an update on Samuel.

The Washington Football Team resumed practice on Sunday, and wide receiver Curtis Samuel was on the field. No, Samuel didn’t participate in practice, and he remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but perhaps it is a step in the right direction.

After practice, head coach Ron Rivera said there is no timetable for Samuel’s return to full practice, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

There’s no timetable for Curtis. He’s been in the system, he knows it. Yeah, you’d love him to catch a few reps maybe in the last preseason game, but we’re not going to rush him out there. He’s coming back, he’ll be healthy, he’ll be ready to roll. But we’re going to ease him back into it because, again, he knows the system, he’ll pick it up again very, very quickly, and it’ll really be about him building a rapport with the quarterbacks.

In an ideal world, Samuel would be on the field soon. Washington fans will be nervous about Samuel because too many times in the past an injury, not deemed to be serious, has lingered into the season.

But Rivera is right. Samuel has been in this system and has also worked with Terry McLaurin on the playbook. So, in this instance, you just don’t rush your top offseason acquisition, especially now that there is some depth at wide receiver.

The team is clearly hoping Samuel is ready for Week 1.