Tag: David Blitzer

WATCH: Commanders QB Sam Hartman drops it in the bucket in practice

Sam Hartman showing off his accuracy.

The Washington Commanders exited the 2024 NFL draft with the most experienced passers from the three-day event. We know about No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, who started for five seasons between Arizona State and LSU. After three solid seasons at Arizona State, Daniels’ career took off once he arrived in Baton Rouge in 2022.

After the draft, Washington signed Sam Hartman as an undrafted free agent, giving him a significant signing bonus. Washington’s ultimate goal was to have Daniels as the starter and Hartman as the long-term backup.

Hartman played for four seasons at Wake Forest, where he appeared in 48 games with 45 starts. He transferred to Notre Dame for his final season and started 12 games for the Fighting Irish.

Over his final two seasons, Hartman’s accuracy took a big jump, going from around a 57% passer to a 63% passer.

During a drill on the final day of Washington’s three-day minicamp, Hartman did something the other three quarterbacks, including Daniels, did not.

Check it out:

That’s an impressive throw. Daniels, Marcus Mariota and Jeff Driskel came up short, but quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard and assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough also dropped it in the bucket. Both Pritchard and Blough were starting college quarterbacks, with Blough having played in the NFL.

 

Commanders GM Adam Peters talks how difficult it is to evaluate and develop a quarterback

Adam Peters discusses Washington’s plan to develop a young quarterback.

There is no tougher position in sports than playing quarterback in the NFL. That’s not meant to disrespect other athletes, but the failure rate of quarterbacks is much higher than the success rate.

It’s a difficult job, so some teams remain stuck in mediocrity—or purgatory. The Washington Commanders remain in QB purgatory but once again have hope. Washington has a new GM in Adam Peters and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

The Commanders can choose between Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels. Of course, Williams will likely go No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears, meaning it’s expected to be Daniels or Maye for Washington.

Unless it’s Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, we’re kidding — we think.

Choosing a quarterback is hard, and developing one is even more difficult. At the NFL’s Annual League Meetings on Monday, Peters discussed how difficult the process is for evaluating and developing a quarterback.

“It’s the hardest thing to do in sports, I think, is evaluate and develop a quarterback,” Peters said. “But what you want to do is make sure you do as much as you can to let them develop. So, we’ve built, DQ (Dan Quinn) did an incredible job in terms of building a great ecoystem for quarterbacks in our building. You have (OC) Kliff (Kingsbury), then you have (assistant head coach/pass game coordinator) Brian Johnson, then you have (QB coach) Tavita (Pritchard), and we have (assistant QB coach) David Blough, too. So, there’s four people right there that will be able to focus on the quarterback room. So, there’s four people right there. Four quarterbacks, right? One-to-one teacher-student ratio, that’s pretty good. But, I think that’s intentional the way we did that. You give yourself the best chance to develop whoever’s in that room as fast as you can.”

Peters doesn’t often say a lot, but he provided some good information here. We’ve noted how the Commanders built a very QB-friendly staff with four offensive assistants who all started at quarterback in a Power 5 conference. Kingsbury and Blough also played in the NFL, while Kingsbury has been a college and NFL head coach, and Johnson was Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator last season.

Washington hasn’t always done things right, and there’s no guarantee the Commanders will get it right this time, but, for once, you can feel good about their process. There’s an actual plan in place to develop a young quarterback, and that alone should offer fans hope.

LOOK: Josh Harris at NASCAR race with Joe Gibbs

Josh Harris and Joe Gibbs were at the racetrack together Sunday.

Future Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris took in his first NASCAR race as a part owner Sunday at the Ally 400 in Nashville.

Last week, it was confirmed that Harris and his partner from Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, David Blitzer, had purchased a significant minority stake in Joe Gibbs Racing.

Gibbs, of course, is the legendary former coach of the Washington NFL franchise. Gibbs had two stints as Washington’s head coach over 16 seasons, amassing a 154-94 regular-season record, 17-7 playoff record, three Super Bowl championships and four NFC titles. He’s a two-time NFL coach of the year and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Gibbs created Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992 with his son, J.D. Joe Gibbs Racing has been one of NASCAR’s most successful organizations for over 30 years, winning five NASCAR Cup Series championships, four NASCAR Infinity Series championships and four Daytona 500 victories. Gibbs was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020.

When Harris and Daniel Snyder reached an agreement in principle in May, Gibbs released a statement endorsing Harris and his partners as the next owners of the NFL franchise he holds close to his heart.

Gibbs is not a part of Harris’ investment group that is purchasing the Commanders but has grown close to Harris throughout the process as a confidante, offering to help the new ownership group in any way possible, particularly with alumni and fans.

Gibbs remains beloved by Washington fans and alumni.

The NFL recently called a meeting for July 20, where it is expected that owners will vote on Harris as the next owner of the Commanders.

Josh Harris and David Blitzer, Managing …

“The Philadelphia 76ers are a storied …

“Michael is a visionary and innovator …

“Michael is a visionary and innovator who has played an integral role in helping us grow and position HBSE for future success,” HBSE co-founder David Blitzer said. “He has been an incredible friend and business partner over the last 11 years and his instincts, work ethic, passion, and ability to bring people together have helped establish him as one of the industry’s most influential and successful leaders. “Michael has used those same attributes to help us evolve and grow, all while becoming a driver of positive, inspiring change in our communities. As he prepares for this new chapter in his career, I’m excited to watch Michael further revolutionize the Fanatics business, unlocking its full potential by connecting sports fans from around the world through a multitude of new platforms and verticals.”

Sixers owner Josh Harris, co-owner …

The donation was inspired by the …

The donation was inspired by the treatment Sixers assistant coach Dave Joerger received at the center after he was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in October. Joerger went through seven weeks of radiation and chemotherapy and returned to the Sixers in early February.

The crowded field to buy Chelsea now …

The crowded field to buy Chelsea now features 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams and seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton. A long-standing fan of Arsenal, Hamilton has seized the opportunity to invest in its London rival as three bidders try to buy the Premier League club from sanctioned Russian owner Roman Abramovich. Williams and Hamilton are part of a consortium that features proposed investment from Josh Harris and David Blitzer, the owners of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers who would have to sell their stakes in Premier League club Crystal Palace to buy Chelsea.