Tag: 2022 Washington Commanders

Former Commanders QB Carson Wentz the subject of criticism

Carson Wentz took in a hunting trip as he awaits his next NFL opportunity.

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Some people are simply hated.

Such is the case for Carson Wentz.

Of course, we all realize his play was not up to NFL starting quarterback standards. This is why the Commanders front office determined to not continue with Wentz in this upcoming 2023 season.

Yet fans of the Commanders, Colts and Eagles have continued to jump on Wentz on social media. They continue to pile on when it is unnecessary.

Now we have others hating on Wentz. The latest is this week as Wentz went hunting in Alaska and, with a bow, landed a black bear. Have you seen the size of that bear?

Yet, now Wentz finds himself being the center of criticism by animal rights advocates who frankly have proven repeatedly they don’t understand hunting laws that have limits and why it is good for hunting to occur.

Some took to social media to criticize Wentz.

One referred to Wentz as “disgusting and a disgrace,” hoping” Wentz  will be “mauled by bears.”

Really?

One criticizer asked, “How can you take a living animal’s life like that?” I can’t help but wonder, has that person eaten turkey on Thanksgiving?

There are regulations for hunting in Alaska as there are in other states. Wentz grew up hunting in North Dakota. He is an outdoorsman, a sportsman. If Wentz was hunting legally, what is the problem?

Are the haters of Wentz even aware that all sorts of animals reproduce at various rates and thus, hunting laws are designed according to statistics studied for many years?

Even more, hunting is encouraged in some states because of the very fact some animals reproduce at higher rates. Thus a balancing of the bear population, for instance, resulted in bear hunting seasons.

Congratulations Carson! We certainly wish your football career would have generated better results for you in Washington, but we certainly are not going to hold any kind of grudge against you personally as a man, husband and father.

Might those who have the loudest bark against Wentz and other hunters who hunt legally actually possess the least amount of knowledge on the subject? In addition, might that make those people actually the least qualified to criticize Wentz?

As the old saying goes, “Some people are mostly heat and little light.”

Commanders’ Wes Martin to sign with Cleveland Browns

The former fourth-round pick is once again moving on.

Washington guard Wes Martin is again on the move.

Martin is reportedly going to sign this week with the Cleveland Browns. For Martin, it is a home-going move of sorts, being an Ohio native, born in West Milton.

Drafted in the fourth round (131 overall) out of Indiana, Martin brought hope to Washington that he would become a steady starter. However, those hopes never really materialized for Martin.

Starting only five games in 2019 and 2020, Martin was actually waived by Washington late in the 2021 preseason. They brought Martin back on the Practice Squad, only to see the Giants claim him in September.

Martin saw action in seven games, only starting once and was subsequently waived by the Giants in May of 2022. The Jaguars claimed Martin off of waivers only to release him in August during the 2022 preseason.

The Commanders then re-entered the Wes Martin picture again, claiming him. However, 2022 saw Martin be activated from the practice squad to the active roster three times, only to return three times back to the practice squad. He appeared in six games in 2022, making no starts.

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WATCH: Best of Commanders’ 2022 Season Mic’d Up

Which Commanders were the best “mic’d up” in 2022?

Mic’d up always brings out the best (and sometimes the worst) in player’s personalities.

The Commanders have produced a 10:03 video of what they feel were the best Mic’d-up moments of this past 2022 season.

For me, the best was second-year safety Darrick Forrest. Forrest is captured on the Commanders bench, with his back to the camera. He apparently hears players discussing which player(s) were mic’d up for that particular game.

An unseen teammate is heard declaring to Forrest that Forrest is mic’d up. In disbelief, Forrest suddenly sits up, and turns to his right back, looking behind the bench at a camera person he has been noticing filming the players.

Forrest then asks, “I’m mic’d up?” He pauses for a second, audibly thinks out loud, “What the (pause)?” Realizing he is being filmed, he then asks, “Why ain’t nobody tell me?”

To which the unseen teammate tells Forrest, “Stop cursing, there’s kids watching.” Forrest then turns again to the camera person behind and simply says, “My bad.”

Another favorite is Kam Curl on the sidelines when he is absolutely amazed by an acrobatic catch by Terry McLaurin.

Here is the entire video presentation.

WATCH: Some of the top Commanders plays from the 2022 NFL season

What was your top play from 2022?

What do you feel were the top ten plays for the Washington Commanders during the 2022 season?

The Commanders have tweeted ten top plays and are asking their fans to contribute their thoughts about the top ten Commanders plays.

No. 10: Brian Robinson’s 14-yard touchdown reception from Taylor Heinicke vs Falcons.

No. 9: Terry McLaurin’s 42-yard reception from Taylor Heinicke at Colts

No. 8: Terry McLaurin’s 52-yard reception from Sam Howell vs Cowboys

No. 7: Jahan Dotson’s 61-yard reception from Taylor Heinicke vs Giants

No. 6 Curtis Samuel’s 49-yard touchdown reception from Taylor Heinicke vs Vikings

No. 5: Dyami Brown’s 75-yard touchdown reception from Carson Wentz vs Titans

No. 4: Dyami Brown’s 30-yard touchdown reception from Carson Wentz vs Titans

No. 3: Daron Payne pass deflection, Kendall Fuller interception in end zone vs Falcons

No. 2: Terry McLaurin’s 37-yard touchdown reception from Taylor Heinicke vs Packers

No. 1: Jahan Dotson’s 28-yard touchdown reception from Taylor Heinicke at Giants

Any big plays that you feel should be included in the top ten that the Commanders did not include?

I thought the game-winning touchdown pass from Carson Wentz to Jahan Dotson in the season opener was very deserving of top-ten status.

 

Commanders and Chiefs defeated the Eagles with Hurts in 2022 season

Only two teams defeated the Eagles with Jalen Hurts under center this season: the Chiefs and Commanders.

Al Galdi’s tweet immediately upon completion of Super Bowl LVII caught my eye and brought a chuckle.

It was truthful. The Eagles, with starting quarterback Jalen Hurts were nearly unbeatable all season. With Hurts in the lineup, the Eagles had gone through the regular season losing only one game.

Indeed, it was the Commanders on a Monday Night Football game in Philadelphia who handed the Eagles their lone loss with Hurts in the 2022 regular season, as Washington defeated the Eagles 32-21.

Super Bowl LVII saw the Eagles drive down in the fourth quarter to score, narrowing the Chiefs lead to 35-33. Jalen Hurts rolled left and used his greatly underrated leg strength to get into the end zone, tying the game at 35-35 in the final quarter.

It was then a holding call that allowed the Chiefs to keep the ball nearly two more minutes, running down the clock, providing the Chiefs the Super Bowl championship, and yes, tongue in cheek, only the second victory over the Eagles with Hurts as quarterback this season.

Oh, simply attempting to have some fun from a Commanders’ perspective that the Eagles, an NFC East rival, has fallen 38-35 in a great Super Bowl. The Eagles competed fiercely and represented the NFC East admirably.

For the Eagles, it was their third franchise loss in the Super Bowl, having fallen to the Patriots 24-24 in SB XXIX (39) and the Oakland Raiders 27-10 in SB XV (15).

The Eagles were going for their second Super Bowl title, having defeated the New England Patriots, 41-33 in SB LII.

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Which Washington Commanders are in the PFF Top 100 free agents?

Where is Daron Payne ranked? And are there any other Commanders ranked?

According to Pro Football Focus, who are the top 100 NFL players that are set to now enter free agency?

In addition, where does Pro Football Focus rank the Washington Commanders players entering free agency?

Daron Payne is certainly the leading Commander entering free agency. Payne, who made $8.529 million in 2022, has made no secret that his chief desire this offseason is to get what he feels is due him. PFF ranked Payne as the No. 9 player entering free agency in 2023.

Interestingly enough, not a single Washington Commanders player (other than Payne) was considered by PFF to be in the top 100 NFL free agents for this upcoming cycle.

Though Washington had a 5-3-1 record in games started by quarterback Taylor Henicke, PFF apparently was not overly impressed with Heinicke’s play in 2022.

Safety Jeremy Reaves was voted to be the special teams Pro Bowler, yet, PFF does not assess Reaves as one worthy of the top 100 2023 free agents either.

The only other Commanders free agent that I thought might have a chance of breaking into the top 100 but did not was linebacker Cole Holcomb. The former Tar Heel is only age 26 and was a four-year starter (2019-22). However, this past season Holcomb was only able to play and start in seven games, his last game being the home win over the Green Bay Packers.

Holcomb injured his foot and sat out a few weeks; however, there was not sufficient progress in healing, and it was determined surgery was his best option, which then ended his 2022 season.

Here is the PFF top ten 2023 Free Agents

  1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
  2. Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks
  3. Javon Hargrave, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
  4. Jessie Bates, S, Cincinnati Bengals
  5. Jamel Dean, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  6. Lavonte David, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  7. Jakobi Meyers, WR, New England Patriots
  8. Orlando Brown, OT, Kansas City Chiefs
  9. Daron Payne, DT, Washington Commanders
  10. Mike McGlinchey, OT, San Francisco 49ers

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How did Commanders quarterbacks rank in the 2022 NFL season?

Assessing all the key stats from Washington’s quarterbacks in 2022.

Who should be the starting Commanders quarterback in 2023?

That question is asked because the quarterback play for Washington during the 2022 season left much to be desired. As a result, Carson Wentz will certainly be released soon, Taylor Heinicke may or may not be re-signed and Sam Howell could be the only one of the three to remain with Washington for 2023.

Keep in mind Sam Howell only took actual snaps in the season finale against Dallas. While it is true Washington scored 26 points that day, Howell only attempted 19 passes, completed only 57.9 percent of his attempts, graded out at 83.0 passer rating and a 46.5 QBR. So, nothing stellar, but it is such a small sample size, not too much either way should be made of the performance. However, it could be accurately said that Howell displayed more ability on his feet than Wentz and Heinicke.

Heinicke started nine games, and Wentz the other seven. Between the two of them, they both had good moments but also struggled more than a few times.

Here are a few numbers exhibiting that the passing offense, regardless if Wentz or Heinicke were in the lineup, struggled in contrast with most of the rest of the league.

Completion percentage: 23rd (62.1)

Passing Yards: 21st (3,472)

Passing Touchdowns: 17th (24)

Passing Touchdown percentage: 15th (4.3)

Interceptions Thrown: 27th (16)

Interceptions percentage: 28th (2.9)

Yards gained per passing attempt: 22nd (6.8)

Adjusted yards gained per passing attempt: 23rd (6.4)

Yards per passing completion: 17th (11.0)

Passing Yards gained per game: 21st (204.2)

Passer Rating: 22nd (84.7)

Expected Points contributed by passing 23rd (0.93)

Times sacked: 26th (48).

Game Winning Drives: 14th (3)

4Q Comebacks: 8th (4)

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Commanders should have been playing on wild-card weekend

Washington fans watched wild-card weekend with the painful realization that the Commanders should’ve been on the field. Unfortunately, a winless December doomed them.

I’ve watched two NFC playoff games and made one conclusion, the Washington Commanders should have been playing this weekend.

Did you notice the Seattle Seahawks pass defense? Or should I say, lack of pass defense? My goodness, they were yielding huge chunks of passing yardage. George Kittle averaged 18.5 yards per reception, Jauan Jennings 20.5, Deebo Samuel 22.2 and Brandon Aiyuk 24.3 yards per catch. The 49ers cruised by the Seahawks 41-23.

The Vikings defense made Daniel Jones look like he was soon going to be fitted for his yellow jacket in Canton, OH. In the 31-24 NYG win over the Vikings, Daniel Jones became just the 3rd QB in playoff history with 300 passing yards, 75 rushing yards in a game. Who are the other two? Lamar Jackson and Steve Young. But those two lost in those games; Jones and the Giants today won.

On December 4, the Commanders stepped into Giants Stadium with a 7-5 season record. They jumped out to a 10-0 lead and had plays to win the game. Many of you, I am sure, still see Logan Thomas wide open for a touchdown, and for some reason, Taylor Heinicke couldn’t make the play, and Washington settled for a field goal. That was four points sorely missed, seeing the Commanders settled for a 20-20 tie.

Two weeks later, Washington again could have beaten the Giants, but when they could only convert one of ten third downs,  and Heinicke lost two fumbles, they fell 20-12 to the Giants. And somehow, with rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr. averaging 7.4 yards per carry, he had just 12 rushing attempts.

After Heinicke turned the ball over twice in a Week 16 loss at San Francisco, Rivera turned to Carson Wentz. But Wentz was horrible against the Browns in Week 17, completing a Commanders 0-3-1 month, and they were officially eliminated from the playoffs.

Offensive coordinator Scott Turner was fired last week. Heinicke and Wentz both said possible goodbyes to the Commanders while the Seahawks and Giants were playing on national television in the NFL playoffs.

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Commanders still in NFC playoff chase

A look at the NFC playoff picture for Week 16.

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As the Washington Commanders travel to San Francisco to battle the 49ers, the NFC playoff race is starting to take shape.

The 49ers and Vikings with wins last week, clinched their respective divisions, while the Eagles and Cowboys have clinched playoff berths.

Had the Commanders defeated the Giants last week, they could have clinched a playoff spot with a win this week and a Giants, Seahawks or Lions loss.

The Commanders have three games remaining (at 49ers, Browns, Cowboys) and they currently are in the final playoff spot at the No. 7 seed. Being at the No. 7 seed, if the Commanders finish at No. 7, they would be matched against the No. 2 seed, which currently is the Vikings.

The Giants, the No. 6 seed are at the Vikings, host the Colts, and at the Eagles. If the Giants retain the 6th seed position, they would face the No. 3 seed in the NFC, currently the 49ers.

The Seahawks and Lions are both 7-7, and one-half game back of the Commanders (7-6-1). The Seahawks in the final three weeks go to the Chiefs, and then host the Jets and Rams . While the Lions go to the Panthers, host the Bears and are at the Packers. The Seahawks have a win against both the Lions and the Giants.

The NFC South is as bad as the NFC East was in 2020. Washington won the East at 7-9, while currently the Bucs are 6-8, one game ahead of the Falcons, Panthers and Saints, each at 5-9.

NFC East unimpressive in Week 15

It wasn’t the best week for the NFC East in Week 15.

All season the NFC East has shone brightly above the other seven divisions.

Until Week 15. Last Sunday, the Giants and Commanders played a hard-fought, competitive game. However each team further revealed they are limited offensively, they are going to battle for a playoff spot, but both teams look like they will be overmatched in a playoff game.

The Eagles won a battle defeating the Bears in Chicago, but might they have lost the war to come later in the playoffs with quarterback Jalen Hurts injuring his shoulder?

Dallas is fighting the Eagles for the NFC East title and managed to somehow lose to the Jaguars in overtime?

The Eagles now travel to face the Cowboys on Christmas Eve at AT&T stadium, and it looks like Hurts will not start for the Eagles Saturday. X-Rays were negative on the Hurts shoulder, but it cannot be overlooked; this is his throwing shoulder.

Suddenly, the Eagles may be led by Gardner Minshew in the next few weeks. How significant of a drop-off will occur in the Eagles’ offense? If the Eagles win one of their final three games, they will be the NFC overall top seed in the playoffs.

Dallas’ Micah Parsons last week was talking down Hurts, and the Dallas defense Sunday revealed they indeed were thinking about the Eagles and not entirely prepared for the Jaguars. Consequently, the Cowboys blew a 17-point lead, and Dak Prescott threw two huge picks, and the game was lost to the Jags.

Dallas has been the most impressive team in the NFL, crushing the Vikings in Minnesota. But the other side of the coin is just as true: Prescott since returning from his injury has the most interceptions in the NFL (10). Additionally, he has the most interceptions in the last four weeks (7).

Suddenly, has the NFC East fallen back to the rest of the pack?