Tag: Brian Mitchell

Washington legend Brian Mitchell: ‘Commanders took Lions heart’

Brian Mitchell said it best.

Brian Mitchell and Santana Moss, former veteran Washington Redskins couldn’t hold back their joy Saturday night immediately following the Commanders’ 45-31 upset win over the Lions in Detroit.

Here were some of the postgame comments by Mitchell and Moss.

Mitchell: “You know what, they (Lions) were talking so much trash before the game, I told them I had more Super Bowl rings than their whole franchise. Guess what, it is still true, because they won’t be going anywhere.”

“Listen, this team has proven how coachable they are, how much they care for each other and how poised they can be under pressure.”

“Jared Goff has been playing this game a long time. He’s a guy who I think is a d___ good quarterback. But five turnovers on him today and Jayro (zero). We have a magic, a magician, Jayden is a magician.”

Moss: “It was a special team win. One of the things that stood out to me was the turnover game and the sacks.

We knew this Detroit Lions team was going to give different looks and bring guys here and there. They waited until the second half to do so, but we still had an answer. That’s what we do, we have answers for the test and Jayden went out there and was phenomenal.”

Mitchell: We saw early they (Lions) are a quick-hit offense. We always say if our defense will just give us one turnover, well, they gave us five of them today! Listen, they went out there and took their heart! I’m going to just be honest with you.

They went out there playing a team that was supposed to be way better than them, more physical than them, and they took their heart. That is what you are supposed to do when you go out there. When you don’t make mistakes and they do, you are going to take that heart.”

Moss: I think defensively for us that was going to be the test, the key for us, to go out there and win some downs, whether it be a turnover here or there, or just putting them behind the chains.”

“It (interception return by Quan Martin) was a great play by Quan to get things rolling, and it was like an avalanche after that.”

Mitchell was part of Redskins playoff teams in 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1999, while Moss played on playoff teams in 2005, 2007, and 2012. They were both big-time producers and really enjoyed the team’s success this season.

Former Eagles linebacker on Jahan Dotson: ‘Return to sender’

A former Eagle and current radio host not impressed with Jahan Dotson.

People were shocked when the Washington Commanders traded 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson during training camp. It wasn’t as if Dotson had been lighting things up for the Commanders, but he did have a solid rookie season before struggling in 2023.

Of course, everybody in Washington struggled last season, So almost everyone expected Dotson to be a featured piece in offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s new offense alongside Terry McLaurin. It was clear early in training camp that wasn’t happening.

Still, a trade? To a division rival, nonetheless? General manager Adam Peters didn’t care, preferring to get what he could and add more to Washington’s 2025 draft stash.

How is Dotson doing? In five games, Dotson has six receptions for 35 yards on 12 targets. Philadelphia acquired Dotson, hoping he could be the third wide receiver behind A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith.

While early, the trade looks like a huge win for Peters.

This week, former Eagles linebacker Ike Reese, now a radio host on 94WIP in Philadelphia, joined “BMitch and Finlay” on 106.7 The Fan and discussed Dotson.

“I wanted to call you bro…return to sender!” Reese told Brian Mitchell, his former teammate with the Eagles, via Lou DiPietro of Audacy. “You know how you get a gift, and you’re like, ‘Okay, I thought this was a good gift, man; where is the return slip so I can send this gift back?’”

Ouch.

“Seriously, I shouldn’t be hard on Jahan, but I will say this, B: you kept it real with us,” Reese said. “You told us that there was just something there that ain’t clicking, and there is a sort of a ‘how bad do you want it, and how great do you want to be’ facet that could be missing from the young man.”

Reese discussed the overall state of the Eagles during his appearance, including head coach Nick Sirianni’s latest issues.

Dotson’s downfall is a surprise. While some believed he was a reach at 16th overall in 2022, he did have a solid rookie season with seven touchdown receptions.

20 former NFL players with Washington ties among nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Brian Mitchell and London Fletcher lead the list of Washington nominees for 2025 HOF class.

Is this finally the year a Washington legend makes it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

On Wednesday, the NFL released the list of 167 modern-era nominees for induction into the Hall of Fame class of 2025, and several former Washington legends made the cut.

Here’s the full list.

  • QB Rich Gannon
  • QB Donovan McNabb
  • RB Shaun Alexander
  • RB Stephen Davis
  • RB Clinton Portis
  • RB Terry Allen
  • RB/PR/KR Eric Metcalf
  • FB Larry Centers
  • WR Irving Fryar
  • TE Vernon Davis
  • OL Mark Schlereth
  • OL Dave Szott
  • LB Jessie Armstead
  • LB London Fletcher
  • LB Ken Norton Jr.
  • CB DeAngelo Hall
  • CB Troy Vincent
  • K David Akers
  • P Matt Turk
  • ST/RB/KR/PR: Brian Mitchell

All but Norton played in Washington at some point. Norton is now the linebackers coach for head coach Dan Quinn. Fletcher, Mitchell, Hall, Stephen Davis, Allen and Portis are best known for their outstanding careers in Washington.

If you’re wondering where Joe Jacoby or Larry Brown are, they remain senior candidates for the class. Six prominent former Washington players, including Doug Williams, Earnest Byner, Wilber Marshall, Joe Theismann, Jacoby, and Brown, are senior candidates. Jacoby appears to have the best chance of being inducted.

Of the modern-era nominees, Fletcher and Mitchell appear to have the best chances of being inducted. Regardless of who you talk to, Fletcher, Mitchell and Jacoby belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

NFL.com outlines the selection process for the modern-era nominees:

Twenty Finalists will be presented to the full 50-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting to choose the Class of 2025. Those candidates will consist of 15 Modern-Era Players Finalists, three Seniors Finalists, a Coach Finalist and a Contributor Finalist.

The Selection Committee will meet next year (on a date still to be determined) in advance of Super Bowl LVIX. While there is no set number for any class of Enshrinees, the selection process bylaws provide that between four and eight new members will be selected.

Finalists must receive at least 80% support from the Selection Committee to join the Class of 2025. The Modern-Era Player Finalists will be trimmed during the annual selection meeting from 15 to 10, then to seven. Committee members then will vote for five of the seven Finalists.

The 2025 class will be announced in February.

What everyone said after the Commanders’ Week 2 win vs. Giants

A collection of postgame quotes after the Commanders’ win over the Giants.

On Sunday, the Washington Commanders defeated the New York Giants 21-18 on Austin Seibert’s game-winning field goal as time expired.

Here are some selected postgame quotes regarding the Commanders’ win.

“I think you got to feel very, very strong about today’s performance by the Washington Commanders offensively, with the caveat that they kicked seven field goals, and some of those need to be touchdowns.”  Logan Paulsen

“There is not a lot of pass rush happening right now. Whether it is the guys in the middle who are getting paid a lot of money or these edge guys. Is that as much of a problem as it feels like it is, and then what do they do about it?”  Craig Hoffman

“Washington worked so much on the red zone throughout camp. But, man, it has not yet paid off, to put it mildly. Too many mistakes/penalties each trip.”  John Keim

Austin Seibert, in a postgame interview, said the Commanders are “the best work environment you can imagine.”  Wow, did we ever hear that during the Dan Snyder era (1999-2023)?

“We did a great job competing to the end…we communicated much better this week. Everybody was feeding off of each other.”  Mike Sainristil

“That’s what you live for…”  Jayden Daniels on the final game-winning drive.

Benjamin St-Juste, on the forced fumble, said he “lost his contain and knew he had to hustle from behind.” This was a huge turnover.

“We’re still undecided,” and will keep looking to compete.” said head coach Dan Quinn on the secondary.

“Everyone came out and played hard. You know guys competed their a** off.” Brandon Coleman on his first NFL win.

“We got a win; that is all that matters. Doesn’t matter how you do it. Austin Seibert, Way to go, brother. We needed to get a drive. They got that drive, and he (Seibert) knocked it down the middle.”  Brian Mitchell

“Who would have thought that we would be saying we actually won a game without scoring a touchdown. It’s great to see everybody come together and go out there. We got a good win.”  Santana Moss

 

Brian Mitchell had concerns about Jahan Dotson’s competitiveness, mental toughness

Brian Mitchell weighs in on what he saw from Dotson.

Former Washington running back/special-teams ace Brian Mitchell has never been afraid to share his opinion. Since his 14-year NFL career ended, Mitchell has worked in the local Washington media and is currently the co-host of “BMitch & Finlay” on 106.7 The Fan in D.C.

Mitchell raised some eyebrows earlier this month when watching Commanders’ training camp. Mitchell was critical of a player or small group of players without naming names. He didn’t name names, but many believed Mitchell was referring to wide receiver Jahan Dotson.

The 2022 first-round pick led Washington with seven touchdowns in 2022 but regressed in 2023, with just 49 receptions and 518 receiving yards.

However, Dotson would need to prove himself with a new general manager and coaching staff. That could be good or bad.

In Dotson’s case, it was clear after the first preseason game that things weren’t going well with the regime, which Mitchell astutely pointed out.

On Thursday, the Commanders traded Dotson to the Philadelphia Eagles. Trading a former first-round pick isn’t exactly a shocker, but trading one within the division raised some eyebrows.

Mitchell joined “Ike, Spike, and Fritz” on Philadelphia’s WIP FM to discuss the trade. Mitchell, as always, was honest in his assessment of Dotson.

“Well, he’s a young man who showed in his rookie season that he can actually play some football,” Mitchell said via Andrew Porter of Audacy.

“But last year he didn’t have a good year, and then this year he lost some of his confidence. He said it to several reporters that, you know, ‘I got to get my confidence back.’ You know me Ike, I’m a person who I believe in hard nose football players. I believe in competitive people. You can’t be mentally weak. And in this camp, I didn’t see him competing like I should see him competing. I saw him moping a little bit. I made a comment last week or so and I said, ‘You’ve got people out there acting like they supposed to be given a job and their body language is off.’ He was one of the people I was talking about.”

There you have it. Mitchell was referring to Dotson. Dotson’s extended playing time in the first preseason game and Mitchell’s comments based on what he was seeing at camp led many to wonder what Dotson’s future in Washington would look like.

Mitchell had more to say about Dotson.

“If you’re not going to compete I don’t think you’re going to fit in Dan Quinn’s system. Now he’s in Philadelphia. I know one thing, he better get his mental toughness ready because if he’s not mentally tough up there if he’s not playing well, they going to let him know about it.”

Mitchell knows all about playing in Washington and Philadelphia. He played 10 seasons in Washington, followed by three in Philadelphia and one in New York. Mitchell understands challenging media markets and fan bases.

Perhaps a chance in scenery will do Dotson well. He goes to Philadelphia without the weight of being the team’s first-round pick and slots in as the No. 3 receiver, which probably suits him best.

Regardless of what one thinks of the trade, it’s clear that general manager Adam Peters and Quinn are putting their stamp on the team. If you buy in, you could be around for a while. If not, well, Peters has shown he’s not afraid to move in another direction.

 

WATCH: Washington legend Brian Mitchell on Celebrity Family Feud

Mitchell was one of five NFL legends on the latest Celebrity Family Feud.

Brian Mitchell enjoyed a 14-year NFL career before retiring after the 2003 season. Mitchell enjoyed most of his success in Washington, where he spent the first 10 seasons of his career and was a part of the franchise’s last Super Bowl champion.

These days, Mitchell is back in the DMV and co-hosts a radio show on 106.7 The Fan in D.C. called “BMitch & Finlay.”

On Tuesday, Mitchell was on national TV as one of five NFL legends on “Celebrity Family Feud” with Steve Harvey.

Mitchell joined T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Andre Rison, Terrell Owens, and LeSean McCoy as they faced off against five United States Olympians.

Check it out:

Here’s a graphic of the faceoff:

Mitchell ended his career as the NFL’s all-time leader in kick and punt return yardage, and sits behind only Jerry Rice as the league’s all-time leader in total yardage.

Yet, somehow, Mitchell is still waiting for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Commanders WR Dyami Brown to share No. 2 with Sainristil

Brian Mitchell summed it up perfectly.

Dyami Brown has not been cut by the Commanders.

The Commanders, in announcing their rookie jersey numbers, certainly seized the attention of many when they revealed defensive back Mike Sainristil would be wearing No. 2 this offseason.

Commanders fans certainly recognize that receiver Dyami Brown has worn No. 2 for each of his three NFL seasons here in Washington (2021-23).

It is true the Commanders are completing their 90-man roster in preparation for their off-season mini-camps, OTAs and training camp. So, while the roster is full at the 90-player capacity, yes, there will be some sharing of jersey numbers.

Yet, it is also true that the former Michigan defensive leader, Sainristil, was a second-round choice (50) of this current administration led by general manager Adam Peters.

Consequently, it would not be a stretch to conclude that if both Brown and Sainristil make the final 53-man roster, Sainristil will wear the No. 2 jersey.

Even more, Brown, though he wore No. 2 at North Carolina, simply has not produced in his three NFL seasons. Ron Rivera drafted Brown in the third round (82) in 2021. He has played in 15, 15 and 17 games, yet accomplished only a mere 12, 5 and 12 receptions.

Most likely, Brown will not survive unless he has an impressive preseason. He simply cannot afford to have the unimpressive preseason games he has experienced thus far.

When former Washington Redskins running back Brian Mitchell (1990-99) was asked about this by JP Finlay during their 106.7 The Fan show, Friday, Mitchell succinctly responded, “They never gave anybody my number when I was on (the team) from year one all the way through…I never really worried about my number. I worried about being ready to play.”

Brian Mitchell encouraged about the Commanders under GM Adam Peters

The former Washington star and current radio host is excited about the new direction of the Commanders under Adam Peters.

Brian Mitchell likes what he sees from the Commanders’ new leadership.

The former Washington Redskins running back/returner was a guest on the “Command Center” show Thursday and was rather upbeat in comparison to how he so often had mostly bad news to report regarding the Commanders during the Ron Rivera era.

Asked initially what he felt the Commanders needed going into this week’s draft, Mitchell responded an offensive lineman, linebacker, a cornerback to replace Kendall Fuller, and then a defensive end and tight end (knowing. of course, they are selecting a quarterback in the first round).

When host Fred Smoot inquired regarding offensive tackle, Mitchell expressed he has been saying the Commanders should trade back into the first round, obtaining an offensive tackle they really want, rather than waiting to see which one is available in the second or third round.

Mitchell reminded the audience that new general manager Adam Peters was very active in free agency and made surprising moves. Thus, Mitchell believes Peters will be busy during the draft as well, and the Commanders consequently draft in different places than they are currently scheduled.

Traveling to the draft this week, Mitchell is really looking forward to the draft in Detroit. “The ultimate thing is I’m going there to begin to see how it is really supposed to work. You know, I’ve experienced this thing before, and I’ve seen how this thing has fallen off.”

“I have seen what is going on since they signed Adam Peters, and I just want to continue seeing that.”

No doubt, the Commanders look to be in much better hands with the hiring of Peters as general manager. Commanders fans, as well as former players, such as Mitchell, desperately are hoping Peters is the man to turn around a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since Kirk Cousins was the starting quarterback (2015 & 2016).

Peter King names 8 Giants to his All-Time 53-Man Roster

8 former members of the New York Giants were named to Peter King’s All-Time 53-Man roster, including a few surprises.

The NFL offseason is a relatively dry time for content and that leads to a number of odd projects and fantasy scenarios.

Peter King of NBC Sports recently took on one of those exercises and compiled an All-Time 53-Man roster. What makes this roster unique is that it’s not made up of the best players of all time but rather, the best team players of all time.

King broke things down by position and his depth guys were true depth guys. His special teams players were true special teams players.

And in total, eight former members of the New York Giants were among the 53.

Commanders to interview Cowboys DC Dan Quinn this week

One Washington legend hopes the Commanders pass on Quinn.

The Washington Commanders officially announced Adam Peters as the new general on Monday evening. On Tuesday, Washington will introduce Peters at a press conference in Ashburn.

From there, Peters and managing partner Josh Harris will be focused on finding Washington’s next head coach.

Last week, the Commanders requested permission to speak with several assistant coaches, all on playoff teams. Washington interviewed Ravens associate head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver last week.

With the NFL Wild Card weekend in the books, expect to see the Commanders set up interviews with the rest of their candidates.

According to Ben Standig of The Athletic, Washington will interview Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on Thursday.

In three seasons with the Cowboys, Quinn has done an excellent job overall, but his defense was embarrassed by the Green Bay Packers in Sunday’s 48-32  NFC Wild Card loss.

Quinn has other interviews, too, including the Panthers, Titans and Chargers. The Seattle Seahawks, where Quinn coached before he was head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for six seasons, is reportedly planning to interview him, too.

Washington legend Brian Mitchell let his feelings be known about the Commanders’ interest in Quinn.

While Quinn will be interviewed, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is reportedly Washington’s top target.