Tag: Darrell Green

Allen, McLaurin and Way honored on Thursday

The Washington Commanders held their annual Welcome Home Luncheon Thursday.

The Washington Commanders held their annual Welcome Home Luncheon on Thursday at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

The purpose of the luncheon is to kick off a new season while honoring the previous season. The entire team and coaches are in attendance, as are some of the greatest players in franchise history.

On Thursday, Washington announced players of the year for the 2021 season. And the winners were no surprise.

On offense, it was wide receiver Terry McLaurin. McLaurin caught 77 passes for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns, despite more inconsistent play at quarterback. The offensive player of the year is named after the legendary Bobby Mitchell.

Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen took home the hardware for defensive player of the year. Allen received a contract extension last July and then went on to have the best season of his NFL career. Allen recorded 62 tackles, nine sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 30 quarterback hits.

Washington punter Tress Way was named the franchise’s special teams player of the year for 2021. Way was emotional, speaking of losing his father before last season.

The legendary Darrell Green was also honored with a legacy award.

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Commanders TE Coach Juan Castillo meets the media

New Washington tight ends coach Juan Castillo met with the media this week, and we learned a lot about the veteran coach.

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Replacing a successful predecessor is not an easy task. Juan Castillo’s calling now is to replace former Washington TE coach Pete Hoener who retired last week at the age of 70.

Castillo met with the media via Zoom and as always, there were some interesting tidbits that were revealed.

Castillo began in the NFL with the Eagles in 1995 as a quality control coach. He studied under offensive coordinator Jon Gruden.

Next Castillo was promoted to TE Coach w/Eagles in 1997

Castillo moved back to offensive line w/Eagles from 1998-2010.

Castillo was with current Washington tight end Logan Thomas in Buffalo (2017-18) coaching the offensive line and as running game coordinator. He noticed Thomas’ hard work and talent when Thomas was transitioning to TE from QB.

Castillo has coached 27 years in the NFL —only one coaching tight ends.

Brian Mitchell and Castillo were together with the Eagles (2000-02).

Darrell Green and Castillo were college teammates at Texas A&I, now Texas A&M Kingsville.

Ron Rivera and Castillo met in 1999 coaching the Eagles.

Castillo is aware that he’s the only new coach this season and believes he is to earn the respect of his fellow coaches and players by working hard, not by vocally demanding their respect.

Spanish being his first language, he and Sammis Reyes met and conversed via Spanish.

Castillo has watched some tape and noticed TE John Bates really worked at his blocking.

Castillo has a son in Arlington, employed by the Department of Commerce, and another son who earned a full scholarship to law school at the University of Maryland.

Andy Reid, Ray Rhodes, John Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Matt Nagy and now Ron Rivera are NFL head coaches who hired Castillo to their coaching staffs.

Castillo has not coached TE specifically since 1997 with the Eagles.

 

Darrell Green doesn’t care about Washington nickname, only winning

Darrell Green is one of the greatest players in Washington Football Team history. A first-round pick in 1983, Green was a part of three

Darrell Green is one of the greatest players in Washington Football Team history. A first-round pick in 1983, Green was a part of three Super Bowl championship teams during his illustrious 20-year career — all in Washington.

A seven-time Pro-Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro, Green was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

Green was a guest on the “Grant and Danny Show” on 106.7 The Fan on Tuesday, and one of the topics he discussed was the name change.

Green had the perfect answer regarding a new name.

“If they go 14-2 like we did my rookie year, they could call them the meatballs,” he said.

Green is right. As long as Washington is winning, the nickname is not a big deal. Sure, the nickname debate is a huge one because how often does a team change its nickname?

But last year’s team proved the fans would return if Washington wins. Remember where this fan base was in 2019? Owner Daniel Snyder and Bruce Allen had alienated many fans due to the continued losing, among other things.

Yet, when the team started to win in November, fans cared.

For Green, he’s ready for the new name, but it’s all about winning.

“Give us a name, give us something decent and let’s roll,” Green said. “Let’s roll, baby.”

You aren’t going to make everyone happy with the new name. After all, it is 2021. But if you get a solid name, a strong logo, and put a winning product on the field, the stadium will be packed every Sunday — with Washington fans this time around.

Tress Way’s 4th Player of the Week award puts him in elite Washington company

Tress Way is well on his way to another Pro Bowl nomination, and his 4th Player of the Week award puts him in a tier with Washington greats.

Early on Wednesday morning, the NFL announced that Washington’s Pro-Bowl punter Tress Way was being honored with the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award after his performance against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. It is the second time that Way has earned the award this season, and the second straight week that a Washington player has held onto the honor, with K Dustin Hopkins being named the POW a week ago.

With 8 total punts traveling an average of 48 yards downfield, Way absolutely is deserving of the award, as he singlehandedly played a huge part in the defense’s success by flipping the field constantly after the offense struggled through the day. Now, with his 4th career POW award, Way has entered some absolute elite company in Washington history.

Art Monk, Darrell Green, Mark Rypien, Kirk Cousins, and now Tress Way. People don’t often think of a punter as being that important to a team’s success, but anyone who knows Washington football will tell you that Way is easily one of the team’s best players, even if he doesn’t get the credit that he deserves for it. According to coach Ron Rivera, his value to the team is immeasurable, and he should be well on his way to another Pro Bowl nomination.

If Way continues to put on performances like he did this past week, then his nomination shouldn’t even be a question.

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Washington legend says Dwayne Haskins needs to overcome ‘being arrogant and over-confident’

Haskins has the talent to be a solid NFL QB, but Darrell Green thinks he needs to work on not being arrogant and over-confident first.

There are probably few things that could knock a young quarterback in the NFL off of his pedestal quite like getting benched only a few games into the year following some mediocre, yet not completely terrible performances.

For Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins, that’s exactly what happened though. After a ho-hum start to the 2020 season, Haskins was sent to the third-string by Ron Rivera after throwing three interceptions against the Cleveland Browns in Week 4, and subsequent stories about his attitude and preparation come to the forefront, with many people believing that he took his foot off the gas once he was named the starter in Washington.

According to Washington legend Darrell Green, this was probably a good thing for Haskins, who he believes has a good chance to be something special if he can get the arrogance out of his head.

“I’m on record to say that that kid had if anything he had a problem with arrogance, just being arrogant and maybe overconfident,” Green said. “And I thought if he could get those other non-football issues straight he probably could play football pretty good.”

Getting paid millions of dollars to play the most important position in all of sports is liable to cause some to be arrogant, and it’s hard to blame Haskins for thinking highly of himself. However, once you allow that to affect your performance, it’s time to take a look in the mirror. It sounds like that is what Haskins has been doing since being benched, with a  report coming out earlier this week saying that he’s gone through extra film-study and workouts outside of the Washington facility due to a lack of reps in practice. It’s clear that he wants to get back on the field, and Green thinks his time is coming as well.

“I hope they give him the chance. I hope he gets another chance to do it again,” Green said. “I’d just love to see the kid back in there. It’s got to be painful.”

Depending on how these next few games go with Alex Smith at the helm, Haskins could be getting that chance to get back under center sooner rather than later. If Washington is unable to find some wins under No. 11, then there is no reason not to put No. 7 back on the field and give him more experience, seeing what he’s learned.

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Rivera says Chase Young has a chance to be the ‘Darrell Green at his position’

Rivera said that the Redskins are excited about Chase Young, and they think he can have a Darrell Green-Esque career in Washington.

Washington Redskins defensive end Chase Young has been compared to some pretty impressive players in his time, coming up in conversations with the likes of Nick and Joey Bosa, Vonn Miller, and even Julius Peppers. However, Redskins coach Ron Rivera made a comparison on Wednesday that might be a bit more significant for those who are fans of the Redskins.

He compared Young to Darrell Green, arguably the greatest Redskin of all time, playing 20 seasons with the Redskins, winning two Super Bowls, and making it to seven Pro Bowls.

While it may be a bit flashier for the common NFL fan to hear that Chase will be the next Julius Peppers or Khalil Mack, there likely isn’t a Washington fan out there who doesn’t feel a rush of adrenaline thinking that Young could go down as one of the all-time franchise greats with the Redskins.

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Redskins legend Darrell Green feels success around the corner for Ron Rivera

Green stated that he thought the team was in it’s best position since the 1991 season in which the Redskins won Super Bowl XXVI.

A legendary player like Darrell Green has seen the Washington Redskins go through a lot of ups and downs over the years. After spending two decades with the Redskins, and winning two Super Bowls with the team as well, it’s smart to listen when Green talks about his former team.

Green is talking once again, and thanks to the addition of Ron Rivera as the new head coach, it’s safe to say that he’s excited about what lies ahead in Washington.

“I believe in him,” Green said, via Redskins.com. “I like the man. He talked about [being successful] on the field and off the field, and we need that in Washington, D.C.”

According to the piece from Redskins staff writer Kyle Stackpole, Green believes that the Redskins are in the best situation they’ve been in since the 1991 season, in which they won their most recent Super Bowl. One of the things that stuck out most to Green is Rivera’s determination to grow the team both on and off the field.

“That’s what is needed,” Green said. “We need our team to be successful on the field. We need our men to be great off the field, and I don’t think you can throw that away. I think that’s important.”

Green has seen a lot of different iterations of the Redskins during his time of watching the team. If he’s excited about this version, it’s smart for everyone to start paying attention. He may be onto something.

“I think the time is now,” Green said. “I’m pulling for him, and I seriously believe it.”

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