Washington legend Doug Williams says ‘good chance’ Commanders draft a quarterback

Doug Williams was asked if he thinks the Commanders will select a quarterback.

The Washington Commanders hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and are in an excellent position in a draft with three elite quarterback prospects.

With a new general manager (Adam Peters) and head coach (Dan Quinn), the Commanders can start anew at the three most important positions.

Peters has had two opportunities to discuss the team’s quarterback situation since being named GM last month. He declined both times, saying he hadn’t had a chance to sit down with his staff and determine the organization’s strategy.

However, one of the greatest quarterbacks in Washington’s franchise history, Doug Williams, was in Las Vegas this week ahead of Super Bowl LVIII making the media rounds. In an appearance on “Super Bowl Live” on the NFL Network with Andrew Siciliano and Bucky Brooks, Williams was asked about the 2024 NFL draft.

Siciliano jokingly asked Williams, who is currently a senior advisor for the Commanders, if they’d called the Chicago Bears about moving from No. 2 to No. 1 in the draft.

“I’m (going to) say we hadn’t at this particular time,” Williams answered. “I think Adam, next week is going to be the first time that Adam gets a chance to sit in with the scouts and everybody that’s in personnel to go over what their plans are.”

Williams would then discuss the position Washington is in with the No. 2 pick and five of the top 100 picks before Siciliano tries one more time to get Williams to give him the scoop.

“I think, Bucky, you know good and well, I’ve got to be political about this whole thing now,” Williams said when Siciliano asked about selecting a quarterback.

“Nine out of 10, there’s a good chance that we might pick one of the quarterbacks, but at the same time, we’ve got enough picks behind to fill in those…….whether it’s an offensive tackle, defensive end, linebacker, what have you, so I think we’re in a great position.”

There was some talk on social media that Peters would be upset that Williams tipped Washington’s hand. Stop. Please stop.

First, Williams gave nothing away. He said the Commanders “might” pick a quarterback but didn’t say when or where. Everyone knows there’s a “good chance” that Washington selects a quarterback in April.

Secondly, Williams doesn’t work in personnel. He did at one time, but he hasn’t in years. He hasn’t been sitting in any personnel meetings with Peters or the scouts.

Williams handled the question just fine.

It sure sounds like the Commanders are drafting a QB at No. 2 overall

Commanders senior advisor Doug Williams sure sounds like he stated the Commanders are going QB at No. 2 overall in the draft

Did one of the Washington Commanders brass tip off what the team is going to do with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft? It sure seems that way.

Commanders senior advisor Doug Williams, a former starting QB for the franchise, might have let the cat out of the bag before the bag was even finished. In an interview on the NFL Network, Williams appeared to give away the Commanders’ plan to take a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick.

“The good part about it is we’re sitting in a great position because we got three great quarterbacks that are out there,” Williams said. “One, two and three.”

Williams quickly tried to veer back on course, talking about the potential for the Commanders to select an offensive tackle or a defensive pass rusher. After some playful pushback from hosts Andrew Siciliano and Bucky Brooks, Williams acknowledged,

“Nine out of 10, there’s a good chance that we might pick one of the quarterbacks.”

It’s generally a popular notion that the Commanders are looking to upgrade from Sam Howell, who led the NFL in both INTs (21) and sacks (65) in 2023 while also throwing the most passes (612). Williams sounds like he’s validating the speculation.

The whole exchange is available at Siciliano’s post on X (formerly Twitter).

Smokescreen? Slip of the tongue? You be the judge…

Who will remain with the Commanders in their football operations?

Adam Peters has a lot of decisions to make regarding the current front office. Who remains?

Adam Peters being hired Friday by owner Josh Harris, takes on the responsibility to structure the front office of the football operations.

The second major concern for Peters (behind his hiring a head coach) will be those in the front office personnel. Of those currently present, whom will Peters retain and whom will he not keep, only one is a certainty. Eugene Shen (Senior VP of Football Strategy), recently hired by Harris, will remain.

Thus, the future is uncertain for Jason Wright (Team President), Martin Mayhew (General Manager), Marty Hurney (Vice President of Player Personnel), and Rob Rogers (Senior Vice President of Football Administration).

Doug Williams is certainly a question mark. Williams, during the Bruce Allen administration, possessed a couple of titles, yet even Williams talked of how he was not even involved in something as major as the 2018 trade that brought quarterback Alex Smith to Washington.

Williams was given a vague title of a personnel executive, which was the first red flag. Then Williams, in 2017, was promoted to the position of Senior Vice President of Player Personnel. But again Williams often provided vague answers when before the press, which sometimes were more revealing than informative.

When Ron Rivera became the coach-centric administrator of football operations, Williams was moved out of player personnel entirely into player development. After one season, he then became a “senior advisor to Jason Wright.”

The entire player personnel department might be in question. 11 scouts and a player personnel assistant are currently employed, while the department is headed by Eric Stokes (Senior Director of Player Personnel), Chris Polian (Director of Pro Personnel) and Tim Gribble (Director of College Personnel).

Commanders must get 3 positions right this offseason

Washington must get three positions right this offseason.

It is no secret the Washington Commanders are going for a complete renovation this offseason.

There will be many players released and not invited back for 2024. There will be a new draft class and several new free agents signed to join the Commanders.

Josh Harris is going to hire the franchise’s next general manager any day now. Whomever he is, he will become the first Washington general manager to possess authentic general manager power since Charley Casserly was Washington’s general manager (1989-99).

Then Harris and the new general manager will embark on hiring the team’s next head coach. He will follow Ron Rivera, who failed to achieve a single winning season in his four seasons as Commanders’ head coach.

Quick question: which is most important, your general manager, your head coach, or your starting quarterback? Before you reply, consider the answer might just be “yes.” As important as a general manager and head coach are, today’s NFL might also require you to have a winning quarterback as well.

Which makes the accomplishment of Joe Jackson Gibbs even more significant. Gibbs won three Super Bowl championships for the Burgundy and Gold, and his quarterbacks for those championship seasons were Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien. Three guys who will never be in the Hall of Fame, and only one was an NFL-leading quarterback (Theismann in 1983), and that team did not win a Super Bowl, though they did play in Super Bowl XVIII, falling to the Raiders.

An NFL team’s starting quarterback can mean so much to your franchise. For instance, the last time Washington had a winning season, Kirk Cousins was the starter. Washington’s last two winning seasons 2015 (9-7) and 2016 (8-7-1), it was Cousins leading the team.

Cousins was criticized heavily by much of the fan base in those days. Yet, how many winning seasons has Washington achieved since Cousins’ departure? Not a single one.

The Commanders will need to land a quality quarterback this offseason as well.

Six great Bucs players of the ‘creamsicle’ era

In honor of Tampa Bay’s return to the creamiscles on Sunday, here are some of the best players of the creamsicle era in Tampa Bay from 1976 to 1996:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing out their throwback “creamsicle” uniforms on Sunday, and they’ll be looking to win in a uniform that doesn’t have a whole lot of history of seeing many.

The orange and white era of Bucs history is far more often dire than not, but that doesn’t mean that every player on those teams was bad. There were actually quite a few contributors who donned a helmet with Bucco Bruce on the side, with some of them earning a spot in the Bucs’ Ring of Honor and beyond to the Hall of Fame.

In honor of the Bucs wearing those uniforms against the Lions on Sunday, we compiled (in no particular order) six great Buccaneers players from the “creamsicle” era of Tampa Bay football:

Saints assistant D.J. Williams to participate in 2023 Quarterback Coaching Summit

New Orleans Saints assistant D.J. Williams to participate in 2023 Quarterback Coaching Summit:

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The New Orleans Saints will be well-represented at the 2023 Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum and the Quarterback Coaching Summit, what’s become an annual offseason event for coaches and front office personnel around the NFL: offensive assistant D.J. Williams will be in attendance at the league’s Los Angeles office, participating in seminars and panels alongside other current and former coaches.

This three-day symposium works in partnership with the Black College Football Hall of Fame to offer “peer-to-peer professional development and networking opportunities” for candidates for promotion in coaching circles. The Saints have been involved with similar events before; last winter, football administration vice president Khai Harley (best known for his work managing the salary cap) participated in the NFL Front Office Accelerator program to help raise his standing around the league.

Williams, a former standout quarterback at Grambling State and the son of Washington Commanders executive Doug Williams (who won Super Bowl XXII as Washington’s starting quarterback) who joined the Saints back in 2017 as a coaching staff intern. He was promoted to a full-time position in 2019 and has worked closely with the quarterbacks ever since. This is a great opportunity for him to get more experience from his peers in the NFL.

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Commanders season opener in 83 days: Washington’s best No. 83?

Another easy pick.

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Commanders Wire continues a countdown to the Commanders season opener for 2023 in 83 days. Who was Washington’s best player wearing number 83?

Overwhelmingly the answer can only be one player. One former U.S. President once passed a ball to this Washington receiver after asking the celebrating audience, “Where’s Ricky Sanders?”

Former President Ronald Reagan surprised the fans gathering in DC, celebrating the 1987 Super Bowl Championship season, which included a huge 42-10 romp of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.

Washington actually trailed 10-0 early in the second quarter when Sanders beat Mark Haynes, who was up on Sanders in press man-to-man coverage. Sanders badly beat Haynes down the right sideline, and Doug Williams’ pass was hauled in by Sanders for an 80-yard touchdown.

Later in the quarter, with Washington now leading 21-10, Williams again found Sanders deep for a 50-yard touchdown, giving the then Redskins a 28-10 lead.

Sanders would set a then-record 193 yards receiving in a Super Bowl game. Sanders had a huge game collecting 9 receptions, including the two long touchdowns from Williams.

Playing his college ball at Southwest Texas State, New England chose Sanders 16th overall in the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft.

Following two seasons in the USFL (Houston Gamblers), Sanders signed with Washington in 1986. His best seasons were the 1988 and 1989 seasons. In ’88, Sanders caught 73 passes (1,1489 yards), including 12 touchdowns. The following season Sanders collected a career-high 80 receptions for 1,138 yards and four receiving touchdowns.

In his eight seasons for Washington, Sanders collected 414 receptions for 5,854 yards averaging 14.1 yards per reception and 36 receiving touchdowns. Sanders was one-third of the famous Washington receiving trio of Art Monk, Gary Clark and Sanders, affectionately referred to as “the Posse”.

In Super Bowl XXVI, Sanders caught one pass from Mark Rypien for 41 yards in the Redskins’ 37-24 win over Buffalo.

 

Washington quarterback Doug Williams made history 35 years ago

Remember the question Doug Williams was asked ahead of Super Bowl XXII?

Remember during Super Bowl week when Washington QB Doug Williams was asked by a reporter, “How long have you been a black quarterback?”

It was Jan. 1988, and Washington had defeated the higher-seeded Chicago Bears in freezing Soldier Field, then came home to RFK, beating the Vikings to advance to Super Bowl XXII.

That week, Doug Williams was hit with a plethora of questions regarding his being the first black quarterback in a Super Bowl.

But the one question we continue to hear about to this day was, “How long have you been a black quarterback?” Williams himself, to this day, has commented on it many times.

Yet, strangely, this actually never happened.

That’s right, Doug Williams was not actually asked by that reporter, “How long have you been a black quarterback.”

Andy Pollin was working at SB XXII and he too confirmed again this week, as a guest on the Kevin Sheehan podcast that it indeed did not occur the way most often expressed for three decades.

Also the first source I ever found on this story told it this way.

Butch John, a reporter for the Jackson Clarion-Ledger was heard by Bob Kravitz, a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News to have asked Willliams, “Doug, obviously you’ve been a black quarterback your whole life. When did race begin to matter to people?”

Williams, in the front of the room, apparently misunderstood the question because he replied with his own question to the room, “How long have I been a black quarterback?” Before the week was completed, it had been reported all over the country as a fact but was not a fact.

Williams got it wrong that day regarding what he was asked, but Washington fans can enjoy recalling that he certainly had a great Super Bowl XXII and was voted the MVP in Washington’s 42-10 romp over the Denver Broncos.

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Doug Williams is so pumped about Patrick Mahomes and the future of Black QBs in the NFL

Williams was beaming with joy!

It’s a big week for NFL history and progress in pro football.

Come Sunday and the kickoff of Super Bowl 57, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts will become the first pair of Black quarterbacks to start in the NFL’s biggest game. It’s a massive moment for the sport and a great sign of how far the game’s most important position has come.

After the young Justin Fields weighed in on how he thinks Black QBs will continue to push pro football forward, a pioneer has shared some of his insights.

In an interview with Harold P. Kuntz of FOX4 News Kansas City, Doug Williams, the first Black QB to win a Super Bowl (22 with the Commanders in 1987), was so thrilled to sing the praises of players like Mahomes and Hurts. Williams clearly loved seeing Black QBs continue to gain prominence as faces of the league.

And he doesn’t see that ending any time soon:

You know you’ve won a legend over when they happily talk about how talented and selfless you are.

In an assertion in line with Fields’ thoughts, having more multi-faceted passers in the game — guys who can make defenders pay with their arms and legs — will only give offenses more options to succeed. As defenses get more innovative and more athletic, the days of the “statue” signal-caller seem numbered.

And it’s thanks in part to trailblazers like Williams.

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The Super Bowl will star 2 Black starting quarterbacks for the first time ever

It’s not a mistake that it took 57 years for two Black quarterbacks to meet in the Super Bowl.

For the first time in NFL history, two Black quarterbacks will start in the Super Bowl.

Let me say that again.

When the teams of Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts meet on Feb. 12, it will be the first time in NFL HISTORY two Black quarterbacks are starting in the same Super Bowl — a game that was first played in 1967. For those who need a count, that’s 56 times the sport’s most important game was played without two Black players at its most prominent position.

That it took so long was by design, a reason to both lament missed opportunities and celebrate the moment finally arriving. Make no mistake, this is a big deal.

For years, racism and prejudice was at the root of Black football players not receiving opportunities to play quarterback. The position was thought to require a level of intelligence that Black people didn’t possess. On top of that silly notion, the issue of white owners allowing Black men to be the faces and de facto leaders of their franchises was another barrier.

Progress has been slow, and those sentiments are only recently beginning to fade. It was just six years ago that another Black quarterback to start in a Super Bowl, Colin Kaepernick, was banished from the league for protesting police brutality against Black people. A year later, the New York Giants started a Black quarterback for the first time in franchise history, becoming the last NFL team to do so. (That player was 2022 PFWA Comeback Player of the Year Geno Smith, who the league had all but written off as a starting quarterback.) A few months after that, so-called draft analysts tried to convince the public that a future MVP-winning quarterback named Lamar Jackson was better suited as a wide receiver.

We aren’t that far removed from the same type of thinking that once made Black quarterbacks rare to see. So, I repeat, Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles and the quarterbacks who lead them is a big deal.

It shows that if NFL decision-makers aren’t actively being anti-racist, some are at least willing to suppress their prejudices to win football games. From the heart or not, the trickle-down effect can help remove the biases of fans and decision-makers in other areas and levels of the sport. Which is necessary, because there’s so much more progress to be made. Just last year, USA TODAY and The Washington Post rolled out projects on the NFL’s continuing poor track record hiring Black coaches.

That’s why a Super Bowl with two Black starting quarterbacks is so important, no matter how many “race doesn’t matter” warriors try to tell you otherwise. Too many people have and continue to actively work against moments like this to allow that type of thinking to exist.

“I’ve got such a smile on my face right now, but I’ve got water in my eyes, too,” Doug Williams, the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, told Andscape’s Jason Reid. “I’m talking, but I don’t think I can even explain what this means. We have come such a long way. It has been so hard, so many barriers, but we did it. Two Black quarterbacks in the Super Bowl!”

Like Williams’ triumph 35 years ago, Mahomes and Hurts have the potential to open even more doors. They have already. Mahomes, who became the third Black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 2020, is setting a new standard for what an elite quarterback looks like. Hurts employs a Black woman agent, Nicole Lynn, who is now the first Black woman to represent a quarterback of any race in the Super Bowl.

So, yes, we should celebrate this one. It means a great deal to a lot of people who thought they’d never see the moment. It also means a lot for a generation of people to come.

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