Tag: Brian Mitchell

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.

Postgame quotes following Commanders’ 8th straight loss

Postgame quotes from Brian Mitchell, Logan Paulsen, Ron Rivera, Terry McLaurin and Sam Howell and more.

Well, even the post-game show kicked off with a major error.

Bryan Colbert Jr., the Commanders’ postgame show host, began declaring the final score was 35-10.

Actually, Dallas had kicked a field goal, its final three points only 1:06 into the final quarter. Not sure, but wondering, “Did Colbert ever look at the scoreboard during the remaining 13:54 of the game?”

Here are some quotes from immediately following Sunday’s 38-10 loss to the Cowboys at FedEx Field.

“A quarter doesn’t win football games. You have to play four quarters and find some way of doing it…ultimately this game is about pride. It’s about passion, and it’s showing what you are about, and in some instances tonight, I didn’t see what a lot of people are about.” Brian Mitchell

“There is something disappointing about this. I understand and empathize with this. I’ve played in games like this when nothing matters. But, you would like to see the guys dig a little deeper, make some of those tackles, especially the corners. But I understand.” Logan Paulsen

“To see the juice that he brings, the bend that he has…not just today, but since Jamin Davis has been out. So it is nice to see that he deserves to be a part of this moving forward.” Logan Paulsen on Khaleke Hudson

“It’s the end of season that wasn’t very good, wasn’t what we thought it was going to be. But it’s also the end of an era in a sense. This is the end of the Dan Snyder era, where you had the last coach he hired… a lot of things are about to change.” Brian Mitchell

“It just gets very heavy. It makes your stomach uneasy. You just don’t know what’s going to happen to anybody. But that’s just the reality of playing.” Tress Way

“I am disappointed in how we played the second half. I thought we did some good things early on in the game. I expected us to play better in the second half, so that is disappointing.” Ron Rivera

“I’m not sure what to wait for, but I am going to meet with him (Josh Harris) sometime tomorrow. So, we’ll look forward to the conversation.” Ron Rivera

“To see how he overcame (cancer) and how he was still there for us — that’s much respect. That’s something you can’t forget about.” Antonio Gibson on Ron Rivera

“As it got away from us in terms of the score, it becomes difficult where you put so much on the quarterback to make something happen. That’s a little bit what it’s been like the last six weeks, seven weeks. It’s been tough. It’s been tough sledding. But he’s handled it well. You see certain talents and certain abilities.”  Ron Rivera on Sam Howell

“What Mr. Harris is doing with this group of investors, coming in and really spending the time, the effort, the money to do things the right way…that’s one of the pluses and one of the positives. It’s a very passionate fan base, and their expectations are big. I think these are the kind of people that can come in and lead that. This is what I think they (the fan base) should be excited about.” Ron Rivera

“He’s an incredible human being,”  Tress Way regarding Ron Rivera

“The one thing I know about Sam, the kid has guts.” Terry McLaurin on Sam Howell

“It was a lot of ups and downs, a tough year, not the year we expected to have, not the year we wanted to have. But that being said, I have learned a lot. I’ve grown a lot as a player, as a person. And for that, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Sam Howell

“I think I’ll be more consistent. I think the main thing for me is just playing. I think at times I was playing some good ball. I’ve just got to do it more consistently.” Sam Howell

Commanders postgame quotes following their 10th loss of 2023

Some postgame quotes from players, coaches and analysts.

“I know there are a lot of people out there that want to bash Eric (Bieniemy) for this offense. This offense works. You have to go through the reads and make the quick decision. Jacoby Brissett came in tonight and showed you how a veteran guy runs this offense. And by no stretch am I trying to knock Sam.”  Brian Mitchell

“The defense did some great things today at moments, but I still don’t know how the hell [Rams WR] Cooper Kupp runs with nobody around him. That’s baffling to me. That is not a coach’s thing. I look at the players; they have to come through more.” Brian Mitchell

“We used to be mad at Dan (Snyder) then everybody was mad at Ron (Rivera). I don’t think the coaches are doing their job at a high level, either. But these players? I don’t see enough ownership. Because when you are a true competitor, you get pissed off, and you stop the bleeding. Who has stopped the bleeding?”  Brian Mitchell

“I am not getting on Sam, but when you see the performance we saw from our backup quarterback, that is going to have everybody scratching their heads.”  Santana Moss

“Really, just really trying to take care of him a little bit. In that situation, they had their ears pinned back like that, and didn’t want to see anything crazy happen. Yes, he is, because I decided he is our starting quarterback.”  Ron Rivera on benching Sam Howell and moving forward with Howell.

“I mean, I’ve been worried all year. I haven’t been performing the way I’ve been wanting to. Most places, I probably wouldn’t be around still.” Camaron Cheeseman, if he’s worried there will be a change at long snapper.

“That’s not good enough, and we’re going to evaluate that.”  Ron Rivera on Camaron Cheeseman’s long snapping

“I got to play better, I’ve got to execute better. It is what it is. I know I am not defined by this one game.” Sam Howell on being benched

“It’s hard to say. If we knew what the issue was, we would fix it. I think what it comes down to is we have to execute better and that kinda starts with me.” Sam Howell

“All we can control is how we move on from this point and how we finish the year.” Sam Howell

I’ve got to do a better job with my eyes, making sure I am looking at the right places…I’ve got to find a way to execute better.” Sam Howell

Commanders postgame quotes after embarrassing loss

Former Washington players are fed up.

It was an ugly performance and an embarrassing performance.

Washington fell 45-10 to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.

Here are quotes gathered and penned from the Commanders postgame show.

“As a former member of the team, I am not happy with the way things have gone.” Brian Mitchell

“I hear things are going well, having a good practice, but I don’t believe it…if you had a week of good practice, you would have a better performance on the field.” Brian Mitchell

“I travel a lot, I love to brag on this team when I can. What the hell am I gonna brag about now?”  Brian Mitchell

“Enough is enough at times. You have to say to yourself as a man, ‘What am I playing for?’ It’s a pride thing now…they are out of it…Like Coach Gibbs used to say, if you are not going to win the game, make sure they come out of the game feeling it.’ ” Santana Moss

“I love this team. It gave me my lifestyle, my life. But I am not happy with the crap I am seeing on the field week to week right now.” Brian Mitchell

“Coaches get the blame for a lot of stuff, but hell, when do the players, in this situation? This is not Little League, high school, or college. This is professional football. Take ownership! Ownership of this! You are a professional. You get paid to play a kids’ game!”

“No, I’ve told you before, I’m not worried about anything. All I’m going to do is do my job and see how things go. That’s the only thing I can do.” Ron Rivera when asked if he is concerned about his job security.

“If changes aren’t made, can the players expect the results to change?”  Ron Rivera responded, “I’m not going to answer that question.”

“We came out in the second half giving ourselves a chance, and then it got away from us,” Ron Rivera said this or something very closely to this three times.

When asked about things getting heated on the sidelines with Eric Bieniemy, Jack Del Rio, and Jonathan Allen, Rivera was asked to comment on the spirit of it. He responded only, “No.”

“We kinda struggled sustaining drives and finishing drives. We just got to find a way to get better.” Sam Howell

“I thought it was a good decision, I could have thrown it a little sooner. I like the route concept we had and the look they gave, but I gotta throw it a little sooner.” Sam Howell on the pick-six.

“We had good plays, good calls. I thought we were moving the ball well. We just didn’t finish the drives, it was a different thing each drive. We have to find a way to avoid those issues, especially when we are playing a good team.”  Sam Howell on the Commanders drives that bogged down

“I hate losing. I don’t believe in moral victories, or anything like that. I just truly hate losing, so it sucks.” Sam Howell

“We have a job to do, and we have a lot of people in that locker room with a lot of pride. We are going to continue to come in and work hard every day, try to put one foot in front of the other. We are going to try to win some games.” Sam Howell

 

 

 

Commanders postgame quotes after frustrating loss to Seahawks

Some postgame quotes from players, coaches and former players after loss to Seahawks,

What was said immediately following another frustrating, disappointing Commanders loss to the Seattle Seahawks?

“We are not in this thing to entertain and lose. We are in this thing to win football games.” Brian Mitchell agreeing with Eric Bieniemy

“We talked about this team making the playoffs. You have to win these types of games to make the playoffs.” Brian Mitchell

“We were set up in a good situation (tying the game late), and we didn’t get it done.” Ron Rivera

“I liked our chances going into overtime. I liked the way we moved the ball. We found a couple of things that we felt we could exploit and we did it twice the last couple of drives.” Ron Rivera

“It’s in the numbers, in how much time is left. That is the biggest thing.” Ron Rivera on why he chose to kick for the tie

“He gave us an opportunity to win, and that is the biggest thing you can ask from your quarterback. Now, are there a couple of things he did that he would like to have back? Obviously. A couple of decisions he could have made better? But those are things he is going to continue to learn and get better with.” Ron Rivera on Sam Howell

“It was helmet to helmet, but I don’t think it was a vicious one…It certainly was not an intentional one…I get the helmet-to-helmet call, but I struggle with the ejection.“ Ron Rivera on the Emmanuel Forbes first-quarter ejection

“I think improving the offensive efficiency in the second and third quarters would have been awesome. There are a lot of positive things to take away from the game. But when you lose, you say, Offense can we be more efficient?” Logan Paulsen

“It is good to have a quarterback that was throwing it up and down the field; it gives you hope that this might be the guy, but it is a complementary game. But, if we didn’t get the win, you can’t be all happy about it.” Santana Moss

“The explosive plays the defense gave up in the second half were the difference in this game. There were also a couple of penalties there that the defense committed. But the explosive plays the defense allowed to Walker and Lockett that led directly to points. That is where the defense fell down.” Logan Paulsen

“The defense kept us in the game. We made some plays down the stretch. But we have to be better throughout the game to beat good teams like that.” Sam Howell on the offensive lull in the second and third quarters.

“He’s a great player. I have to do a better job trying to get him the football and get him more involved in the game. But definitely, in those situations, he is a guy I am going to go to.” Sam Howell on TerryMcLaurin

“There was still a lot of time left; it wasn’t over. I think, kicking the extra point, I stand with coach’s decision. Us not going for two (points) is not why we lost that football game.” Sam Howell on Ron Rivera’s decision to kick the PAT and not go for two points to possibly take the lead.”

“Fumbling the ball is unacceptable. I’ve got to do a better job taking care of the football. I think I’ve done a pretty good job in the passing game taking care of it. But I’ve got to do it in the running game as well. If I am going to be aggressive like that as a runner, I have to make sure I do my part to take care of it because turnovers in close games in this league lose football games.” Sam Howell on his fumble after running for a first down

 

Commanders postgame quotes after close win over Patriots

Players, coaches and analysts speak after the Commanders’ win over the Patriots.

Here are some of the postgame quotes after the Washington Commanders defeated the New England Patriots 20-17 on Sunday.

“Coming up here and playing with that kind of tenacity, intensity, having that fight we saw, a lot of that was displayed today. I would like to see Mac Jones on the ground a little more…that one roughing the passer was the only sack we would’ve had, but for the most part, the team played well.”  Santana Moss

“I think Sam (Howell) and Eric (Bieniemy) outwitted Bill Belichick today. We ran the ball effectively and stuck to it.” Brian Mitchell

“I did not know we had to play the referees again, with the dumbest call in the history of football…this whole game, as good as it was played, the ups and downs, that play right there makes me look and say, ‘Everybody on that referee crew (you cannot fine me), you should not be calling the game because that call was the dumbest call I have ever seen in my life.” Brian Mitchell on the roughing the passer penalty

“Sam Howell is our future. He’s our quarterback. I feel like we found our quarterback for the next 5-10 years, and I truly believe that. When I look at the plays he makes on the field, and not only does he make great plays on the field, but his demeanor after bad plays and not playing well. He is always able to bounce back.” Jonathan Allen on Sam Howell

“I’ve seen a lot of great quarterbacks in my time, played against a lot of them and feel he has the potential to be one of them. I can truly say this team is behind Sam Howell one hundred percent.”  Jonathan Allen on Sam Howell

“Coach Rivera had the team ready to play, and Coach Eric Bieniemy called an excellent game! He was creative on offense and switched between runs and passes.”  Earvin “Magic” Johnson

“Well, with the exception of the interception he had in the first half, I believe he played the type of game we believe he is capable of. He made really good decisions and did some smart things. But there are some things he is going to want to have back once he has a chance to look at the tape and evaluate it.” Ron Rivera on Sam Howell

“We need to put those guys in position to have the success we can have. We are still growing and developing with the guy and he did a great job and led us to the victory.” Ron Rivera on young players and Sam Howell in particular

“It feels good to win, especially after we have lost some tough ones the last few weeks. I think the defense stepped up a lot, stopping their offense, giving us a short field. Tress (Way) did a good job pinning them down there. I feel like every time we looked down there, they were inside their 15, which is great for field position. It seems small, but it really makes a difference.” Terry McLaurin

When we get into the red zone, we have to score touchdowns. So as we progress, we have to continue to build on what we did well, but also figure out how we can be better in those critical areas.” Terry McLaurin

“I want to be the quarterback here for a really long time…How I’m going to get to that point is taking it one day at a time and doing everything that I can on a day-to-day basis. And that’s kinda the way I look at it.” Sam Howell on the talk if he is or isn’t the long-term answer at quarterback

“I never worry about the future. I take it one day at a time, and I try to give every day, every single thing I got. I give my teammates, I give the organization every single thing that I have every single day. That’s what I do and I’ll continue to try to do.”  Sam Howell

Brian Mitchell: Tell the Commanders the truth

Brian Mitchell believes everyone from fans and the media need to hold the Commanders accountable.

Former Redskins’ running back/returner Brian Mitchell spoke from the heart immediately following Washington’s frustrating 14-7 loss to the NY Giants.

Mitchell, who played for Washington from 1990-1999, is part of the Commanders postgame staff and had plenty to say Sunday. Here is Mitchell the first time he spoke opening the postgame show.

Here is the link if you would like to see more of the post game show.

“You can’t help a team beat you; today I would say Washington beat Washington. The Giants didn’t beat Washington; Washington beat Washington.”

“Coach Gibbs used to say we are all in this together. People used to laugh at that. But sometimes, coaches don’t think that they deserve any blame. Players don’t think they deserve all of the blame. Everybody that was involved today with football deserves the blame.”

“The guys didn’t look prepared. Offensive players in the first half, you had less than 60 yards. They (Giants) had guys basically brought in off of their couch to play, and you (defense) can’t dominate them?”

“Ultimately, for me, we all failed ourselves today. Everybody was involved and everybody is at fault in this football game.”

“We are a crew here who works for the team, and we want to say everything positive for the team. But you know what I’ve learned in life? When you sit up here and everything has to be positive, you’re not telling the truth.”

“This team is not winning because we don’t hold them accountable. This team is not winning because we in the media, we as fans, we find reasons to give them excuses as to why they can’t get better.”

“Tell them the truth. Right now, you’re not good. Offensively, defensively, special teams.”

“I love this franchise, but I will not lie to them. Everybody from top to bottom has to get better, or this thing is not going to change up.”

Postgame quotes after Commanders maddening loss to Giants

Current players and former players weigh in on Sunday’s loss.

This Commanders loss was not disappointing nor depressing.

No, it was maddening and infuriating.

What was the reaction in the locker room and the postgame shows?

“We’ve got to be better separating against man, making contested catches and helping Sam out, whether that’s signals or little things throughout the game or throughout a certain look that could give him comfortability that he can really drive the ball.”  Terry McLaurin

“We need help getting the team ready to perform. That’s the best you can give me? That is not good enough.” Rick Doc Walker

“We’re hurting ourselves. … If you want a chance … to have a rhythm, you got to make the routine plays. You have to be able to execute at a higher level (or) you’re shooting yourself in the foot. It’s hard to play against yourself and the opponent.”  Terry McLaurin

“I would say, today, Washington beat Washington… everybody that was involved players and coaches, deserved some blame…everybody is at fault in this football game.” Brian Mitchell

“This team is not winning because we don’t hold them accountable. This team is not winning because we in the media. we as fans find reasons to give them excuses as to why they can’t get better. Tell them the truth. Right now they are not good.” Brian Mitchell

“I love this franchise, and I will not lie to them. Everybody from top to bottom has to get better, or this thing is not going to change up.” Brian Mitchell

“What I wanted to see was for us to play better, be more efficient, be more consistent as a team. There’s a lot of little details that were missed and these things have to be looked at and corrected.” Ron Rivera

“As much as we say it is not that bad, it is really hurting us. You can’t possibly think you are going to be productive each drive if you are allowing yourself to be taking a sack. Sacks happen, but when they happen they way they are for us, something has to change…” Santana Moss

“To me, it’s how you bounce back. We have ten games left to go, you never know what’s going to happen. You have to take them one at a time, you got to stay focused on it.” Ron Rivera

“He was wide open. I have to give him a better throw.” Sam Howell on the 4th down pass to Jahan Dotson

“Hats off to the defense; they kept us in the football game,” Sam Howell

“It’s very, very frustrating…it’s on us five up front. It’s that simple, and it’s something we need to correct.” Andrew Wylie on Sam Howell getting sacked so often.

Commanders postgame quotes after win over Falcons

Commanders players, coaches and former players weigh in on Sunday’s win.

The Commanders broke their three-game losing streak today in Atlanta with a 24-16 victory over the Falcons.

Here are some post-game quotes:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Charles Leno and his family. It’s super tough to hear when something like that happened to one of our teammates, one of our brothers. We are all behind him, supporting he and his family…we definitely miss Leno today and hope to get him back out there soon. But at the end of the day, there are a lot of things a lot bigger than the game of football. We know God will be with his family and strengthen him through this time, and we will do the same.” Sam Howell

“I want to thank all of the Washington Commanders fans for coming out because they helped will us to victory! We had more fans in Mercedes Benz Stadium than the Falcons!”  Earvin “Magic” Johnson

“It’s probably an opportunity for him (Emmanuel Forbes) to get a little reset. I kind of want to see how things happen, see how things go. Hopefully, it’s something that he’ll learn from, he’ll take as a positive and grow from it.” Ron Rivera on Forbes not playing today

“Congratulations to my Commanders on today’s 24-16 win vs. the Falcons! Defense came up big twice in today’s win with two interceptions in the last 5 minutes, one by St. Juste and one by Davis. Coach Rivera really had the team ready to play!”  Earvin “Magic” Johnson

“He was in his leverage position where he needed to be… those are the things he’s capable of.” Ron Rivera on the Jamin Davis INT

“We protected the football, and we took the football away.” Ron Rivera

“I think there were some real good things Sam (Howell) did early on. Again, he has to continue to work to get the ball out on time. He can’t set himself up to take those sacks sometimes.”

“A lot of guys have to understand; you get up on a team, it’s a human tendency to think, ‘We got them now’. You got to keep pushing all of the way until the end. If you don’t push until the end, this game can get a little tighter. It shouldn’t have been that tight.” Brian Mitchell

“That’s not good enough (Washington 18 plays, Atlanta 45) in the second half. The only reason you come out with a victory in this situation is Desmond Ridder gave you the ball three times. So, offensively you say, ‘there are some things we have to be better at.'” Logan Paulsen

“Can we be more aggressive? Can we sustain drives? Can we chew some clock, protect this lead some more? Everyone thinks protecting a lead is a defensive statistic. I am a guy that says, ‘offense all day’. You can either hold the ball, score points, extend the lead and we can make sure their offense doesn’t get the ball back.” Logan Paulsen

“Every good defense has to have depth; you are going to have injuries during the season. Casey (Toohill), James Smith-Williams, all of those guys, they work hard all throughout the week. It’s good to see that show on the field for them.” Kendall Fuller

“There are some things we still need to work on and improve, some of the details. We weren’t as good as we needed to be. We did our job, but we need to pay more attention to details because we almost got ourselves into trouble.” Ron Rivera