Tag: DT Jonathan Allen

Chris Cooley’s film review of Commanders’ DT Johnny Newton

What does Cooley think of Johnny Newton’s film? He likes him.

Chris Cooley praised the Commanders’ selection of Johnny Newton, but also offered a few concerns.

The former Washington tight end, who appeared on Thursday’s “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast, expressed his film observations of Newton.

Not to be overlooked, Sheehan proposed that other teams possibly knew of Newton’s injury and that the Commanders did not. Newton fell into the second round, and Commanders GM Adam Peters was in disbelief Newton was still available at No. 36, where Peters selected him.

Here are a few selected quotes from Cooley’s review:

“He is a consistently productive guy,” Cooley said. “Four blocked kicks at Illinois. I love a dude that can block kicks! There is a knack to it.”

“He is a compact 6’2″, 304 pounds…He is not thin.”

“First team All-American. He wrecked Maryland; he wrecked Wisconsin. He can wreck a game. There is no doubt about it; he can play in the backfield.”

“He will come off the ball, quick twitch, and he can transition from speed to power. He can play inside; he can play nose. Quick hands, quick feet. When you are playing against Johnny Newton on the other side of the ball, you are worried he is going to beat you right now.”

“His hand-fighting is excellent. He will battle through that and get off of stuff.”

“I think when he wants to, he can crash back-side run plays really well.”

“He has great pass-rush moves; his high end is really high end.”

“I think the number one negative I see is he picks and chooses. There are times you can write L-A-Z-Y…It’s not that he can’t run down the line of scrimmage. It’s not that he can’t chase the ball carrier. It’s not that he doesn’t do that. He just picks and chooses.”

“He’s a guy you want to make sure is always going; you got to make sure he is always rolling or have him out.”

“His pad level is not very good. He plays upright; he plays high.”

“He plays around blocks as well, which you can’t get away with in the NFL.”

“Honestly, I think he is a great pick. He is going to be around a couple of defensive tackles (Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne) who will not accept anything but “go” all the time. I think it will be a really good fit for him.”

“There are a couple of concerns, but so much positive to him, so much upside to him.”

Why did Commanders’ GM Adam Peters select Johnny Newton?

Jason Peters explained why Johnny Newton was the right pick.

Thursday night’s first round of the NFL draft had just concluded, and the Commanders were a bit surprised.

Washington Commanders new general manager Adam Peters sat down with the Commanders Brian Koba Jr to discuss his leading his initial Washington Commanders draft last week.

Illinois defensive tackle and Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year Johnny Newton had been mocked by most analysts for going somewhere in the 20s in the first round. Yet Newton had not been selected in the first round.

“We were ecstatic,” opened Peters. “After Thursday night, you look at your board, and Johnny was really an outlier on our board. We were looking at each other, and we talked about it Thursday night and again Friday morning.”

“We got a ton of calls Friday from teams wanting to trade up (to No. 36). In the end, we said, if Johnny’s there, we got to take him, even though maybe that wasn’t the biggest position of need. He was clearly the highest player on our board. He’s a game wrecker. He fits what we do perfectly, and he fits everything that a commander is really.”

Peters liked that Newton is tough, smart, and violent, a team captain, and everything the Commanders wanted. “So, we were happy to pull the trigger on that one.”

The former UCLA Bruin defensive end spoke of how his current defensive tackle starters, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, are both great examples for Newton to follow. “The way they work, the way they go about their business, anytime you can have that situation, it’s awesome.”

According to Peters, head coach Dan Quinn already has a vision of attempting to have all three (Allen, Payne and Newton) on the field at the same time. “It’s not like he is going to be a backup and not playing a whole lot. He’s going to get on the field, he’s going to play. We’re going to rotate those guys, keep those guys fresh, so they can get after it, too.”

Adam Peters said the Commanders have a ‘few cornerstone pieces.’ Who are they?

Adam Peters said the Commanders had a few cornerstone players. Who are they?

“I believe there’s a few cornerstone pieces in this roster. I believe we have a lot of work to do.”

That is how new Commanders GM Adam Peters replied when asked what he thought of the current roster.

So, who does Peters feel are the “few cornerstone pieces”?

On offense, it would have been great if Sam Howell had developed enough this past season, but that did not occur, as Howell led the NFL in sacks taken and interceptions thrown.

Brian Robinson accumulated 733 rushing yards and 368 receiving yards totaling 1,101 yards from scrimmage. But Robinson is a running back. So Peters may not feel it necessary to pay Robinson a second contract, but we can cross that bridge in a couple of seasons.

Much was made of Terry McLaurin accomplishing a fourth consecutive season of 1,000 yards receiving. Frankly, wasn’t too much made of this? In today’s NFL, the rules and officiating favor the offense much more than the defense. Thus, there is more passing in today’s game. In addition, the NFL regular season is now 17 games. He is a fine, hardworking player and is a team leader. Yet, one would be hard-pressed to persuade us that McLaurin is an elite receiver. But his contract may keep other teams from trading for him. Is he really worth his $24.1 million cap hit in 2024?

This leaves the only real offensive cornerstone piece upon which the Commanders must build around, and that is right guard Sam Cosmi. Cosmi’s 2024 cap hit will only be $2,108,135. His last contract year is 2024, so Peters will want to re-sign Cosmi to that second contract.

Defensively, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne have been sturdy and energetic inside forces, but that did fall off some this past season. Allen and Payne will have cap hits of $23 million and $26.17 million in 2025. Allen and Payne were drafted in the first round by Washington in 2017 and 2018, respectively. If Peters wants to receive the highest possible value back in a trade, he may want to trade one or both this offseason.

A few young players who have shown a toughness that Peters may keep around include safeties Darrick Forrest and Kam Curl. Curl is a free agent, however, and may want to hit the open market. A third is Quan Martin, a second-round choice who flashed at times in the later games of the season.

Three other players on the offense could be nice developmental pieces. Chris Rodriguez Jr. exhibited a real toughness on special teams and in running the ball. Jahan Dotson has had his moments where he looks like he really belongs. Another is Curtis Samuel. However, Samuel is a free agent, and Peters may not want to give him a third contract.

Armani Rogers, the most athletic of the tight ends, missed this entire season with a torn Achilles tendon. But he is an athlete Peters will want to keep, as he most likely does not bring back Logan Thomas.

Peters was absolutely correct. He has a lot of work to do.

 

 

Commanders’ postgame quotes following loss to 49ers

Ron Rivera, Jonathan Allen, Terry McLaurin, Sam Howell, Brian Mitchell and others comment on Commanders’ loss to 49ers.

“Early on, it looked like we were going to make this game into a match. But as they game went on, you saw they clearly had too much for us. And I say it all the time, you can’t help a team beat you.” Brian Mitchell

“I thought the defense did a lot of good things today. But they’re a more talented roster, they’ve got playmakers at all spots, their defense played excellent and obviously Sam has been struggling a little bit.” Logan Paulsen

“Ultimately, I think he handled himself well coming into this game. But as that game went on, you saw the pressure of the 49ers was just too much. And your guy can’t go out there and get it done by himself.” Brian Mitchell

“Sam did some good things. But I think we are starting to see who he is as a player. Not to say that he can’t get better. But I think this is what our expectation for Sam should be the rest of this season.” Logan Paulsen

“Jacoby was still tight. So we had to be careful with it (hamstring). That was why we went with Sam.” Ron Rivera

“I thought Sam had some really good moments…the situation gave him an opportunity, and he performed, he really did. I thought he made some good decisions, threw some really good balls. Obviously, there were a couple of throws I promise he wished he had back, but he did a lot of good things.” Ron Rivera

“Obviously, an interesting week. Wasn’t expecting until two hours before the game to have to play today, but…..every single opportunity I get, I try to go out there and give it my all and make the most of it.”  Sam Howell

“Honestly, I couldn’t care less. I’m focused on what I’m doing to help this team. I’m going to go out there and play hard, enjoy it, play for the love of the game, and that’s what I did today.” Jonathan Allen on the uncertainty of who was going to play at quarterback

“I give credit to him because it hasn’t been an easy season for him. And obviously, he’s going to get a lot of the blame and things like that. I think we all have a hand in it — the coaches, players. It’s been tough, but the way he came out in the first half, it showed resiliency. You could see a smile on his face. That made me happy because it’s a tough game, especially at that position. So I think he handled it as best as he could.”  Terry McLaurin on Sam Howell

“It’s definitely tough. I mean, you want to be a part of something that is sustainable, and you’re winning and competing at a high level.”  Terry McLaurin

“When you’re going against teams like that, you got to play — not perfect, but you got to make the most of every opportunity. You got to give them credit for building that team and for the players going out there and executing. Hopefully, I can be a part of something like that, but I’m just focused on myself, my world, and my journey, and I’m going to keep working to be the best player I can be.”  Terry McLaurin

Commanders’ Allen understands fans perspective, but he is an NFL player

Allen talks fans rooting for a higher position in the 2024 NFL draft and the quarterbacks.

Did the close loss to the Jets ruin Christmas for Jonathan Allen?

That was one of the early questions, asked of Allen on his weekly appearance on the “Sports Junkies” Tuesday.

“No, and here’s why. The amount of work I put in this week leading up to the Jets is probably some of the most I have done in my entire career. The way I was able to go out there and play hard, I can go to sleep knowing I left it all out there on the field.” Allen finished with four tackles and three of the four Commanders quarterback hits.

Allen said he has learned how fans look at it from their perspective of how can the team win over the next ten years. But he has also learned that as an NFL player, the only right way for him to look at it, is he is trying to win right now (this day, this game).

Allen then confirmed that a younger version of himself would have been upset with local fans and local media, wanting the team to lose for a better draft position, etc., but now that he has matured, having been in the NFL since the 2017 NFL draft, those things don’t bother him. He understands the fan base has their perspective, and they need to understand he has a player has his perspective.

As for the Commanders’ two quarterbacks and which should play against the 49ers next Sunday? “Obviously, Sam Howell is struggling, and Jacoby is playing great. Thank God, I don’t get paid to make those decisions. I just focus on what I have to do. Do you move on from him or do you continue to try to work with him (Howell)? I don’t know. That’s a tough question. I don’t think that is really a question I can answer.”

Allen was not being avoidant, he simply is mature and knows there is a time and place for everything.

 

Postgame quotes following Commanders 45-15 loss to Dolphins

Some interesting postgame quotes from some of the Commanders and head coach Ron Rivera.

“They did some things better than they have been doing. I thought the linebackers were much more decisive to the football. Thought some of the young safeties did an excellent job in run fits, handling all the Jet sweeps, all the misdirection motion. But it comes back to they gave up two explosive plays. Count that with the interception touchdown, that is 21 points they basically gifted the Miami Dolphins.”  Logan Paulsen

“Probably the biggest disappointment more than anything else is we gave up the two explosives that technically we should have not. We should have been in a better position than we were and we didn’t do that.”  Ron Rivera

“When you spot 21 points to a very good football team, you’re going to struggle to win a game.” Ron Rivera

“We got to be better up front in certain areas we’ve done some good things. We do enough to move the ball, then you get a little behind and then how your opponent attacks you becomes different.” Ron Rivera

“I don’t worry about that (losing the players), I really don’t, Nicki. I mean, you know, they are professionals, they have a job to do. They’ve got four games left to play and I told them in there, I expect them to come out and do their best.”  Ron Rivera

“Guys need to finish this season strong whether for the team or individual things. Let’s be real, next year this team will not be exactly like it is. Guys are going to be moving on to other places. You want to make sure somebody’s going to want to give you an opportunity. You may want to make sure this team wants to bring you back. So, you got to go show your best.” Brian Mitchell

“It’s been a tough couple of weeks. We have to do things better offensively and it starts with me. I have to play better football…we’re getting close to the end of the season. We still got a lot to play for.” Sam Howell

“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is. I think it is a combination of a lot of things. It’s something different every single time, but we really got to look at ourselves, watch the tape and see what we can do to get better.” Sam Howell

“It’s definitely not what we wanted to do coming into the game (Terry McLaurin no receptions). We struggled to get all of our guys involved in the game today…Terry is the best player on our offense. I got to find ways to get him the football…three targets isn’t enough for your best player.” Sam Howell

““I’ve been dealing with this for 7 years, I’m tired of trying to build character. My character is built well enough. I’m trying to win.” Jonathan Allen

JP Finlay asked, “How tough was that one today?” “About what you would expect.” Jonathan Allen

 

 

Commanders’ DT Allen: ‘Growing up here, it is more personal’

Allen defends Del Rio, while acknowledging football is a production-based business.

How does Jonathan Allen feel about this being another losing season for the Washington Commanders?

The Commanders defensive tackle made it clear to the “Sports Junkies” at 106.7 the Fan, Monday, “Growing up here and being a fan of the team, long before I played here, it’s even more personal.”

Allen continued, stating that most players get drafted and want that team to do well, but “growing up in this area, going to the training camps, following them, supporting them, rooting for them for five to ten years before I even came on this team, it sucks, because I want to win.”

“But even more importantly, I want to win here. If winning was all, I wouldn’t have signed a contract for here. I would have gone free agency and gone to the best team. Winning somewhere else wouldn’t feel the same for me.”

“The idea of winning here is something I am going to achieve before I exit this league, God willing. It is tough, but it gives me the resolve to come back year and year with even more optimism. Because I truly believe we found our quarterback…”

The “Sports Junkies” cast then asked about defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio being fired, and Allen offered some heartfelt thoughts.

“We live and play in a production-based world and a production-based league, and when the defense has played like we have played, heads are going to roll. That’s only natural,” said Allen.

“I do not think Coach Del Rio was the entirety or sole reason why we are where we are. But as the leader and the guy who leads the group, you are always going to get the blame. Like when the offense doesn’t play well, the quarterback gets the blame.”

“It’s part of the blame. It sucks. But at the end of the day, we get paid to perform. Changes are going to be made.”

“There’s nothing he did that I largely disagree with…As players, I think we could have performed better.”

“I’ve never seen a pencil win a game. It’s a coach’s job to try to put you in the best position to make plays. At the end of the day, the coach is not the one out there telling you play the double team or to catch the interception, or react fast and hustle to the ball.”

“It’s not Del Rio’s fault a guy doesn’t win his pass rush rep, or a guy loses his one-on-one man-to-man rep. I’m always going to lean more to the players could have done a better job.”

“I can point out a lot of things as to why we are not playing well. It’s a year-to-year league even when you have the same personnel.”

“I reached out to him and told him I appreciate him for everything he’s done, and I wish him and his family nothing but the best. He sent a nice message back, telling me to continue to lead and be true to who I am. We had a good relationship.”

There is more. Here is the video link to the entire conversation with Jonathan Allen.

Postgame quotes following Commanders’ inexcusable loss to Giants

Brian Mitchell preaches for everyone to have patience with Sam Howell. BMitch believes Howell has what it takes to be a franchise QB.

Another ugly, embarrassing, inexcusable loss to the Giants, so what were some saying during the postgame interviews and postgame show?

“Sam Howell has the potential to be a d— good quarterback in this league. He can be a franchise quarterback. But everybody out there, pump your d— breaks and allow him to get to that point. We can’t look at only one game and already put him up there. Let the man grow. He is a young guy who has to learn. Peyton Manning had games like this early on.” Brian Mitchell

“Any offensive coach, any offensive player will tell you, you can not turn the football over that many times and reasonably expect to win a football game.” Logan Paulsen

“He’s (Sam Howell) learning, he’s growing. He made some mistakes, but he hung in there, he fought and gave us a chance to win the football game.”  Ron Rivera

“When you turn the ball over that many times, you are not going to win games. It starts with me. I have to do a better job of taking care of the football. I didn’t give my team a chance to win today.” Sam Howell

“It is a low point, that’s for sure,” Rivera said. “Any time you’ve got an opportunity to win a football game and you put the numbers up that you did, you got to come through.”     Ron Rivera

“No matter what my answer is, it’s going to come out and people are going to say it’s an excuse. So we’re just going to take the responsibility. We’re going to show up tomorrow, we’re going to get prepared, and we’re going to get ready to play Dallas, because we got a very short week.”  Ron Rivera

“I think the most frustrating part is that I think we have a really good football team. We have so much potential in that locker room. That’s the disappointing thing, is that we’re not we’re not getting the results that we feel like we were definitely capable of.” Sam Howell

“I am not the type to point the fingers, but at the same time, each guy has to figure out how he can affect this team in a positive way to help us win. If you are not, then this is probably not the place for you. At the same time, I am going to continue to work and be ready for my opportunity. I just try to stay ready and be positive, and try to be part of the solution.”  Terry McLaurin

“It’s kind of been the theme of the season — we’ll play really good, and then we’ll have four- or five-minute lapses in a game that allow for big plays in the game. Until we clean that up, we’ll never be the defense that we can be.” Jonathan Allen

“I would say learning how to win; when you look at teams around the league who are consistently successful, they know how to win different types of games. In order to win ugly, in order to win offensive and defensive games, special teams. And so for us, we just have to learn how to win in different ways.” Jonathan Allen

Del Rio defends Commanders tackles Allen and Payne

Del Rio makes it clear: Allen and Payne are playing well.

Jack Del Rio took exception Thursday to two of his players being called out publicly this week.

ESPN’s Seth Walder this week had tweeted, stating that Commanders defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are producing less pass rush in 2023 than in 2022.

Walder revealed some numbers to back his claim. Allen had ranked 9th and Payne 12th in 2022 in “pass rush win rate.”

He then conveyed that through ten games this season, Allen is now 26th and Payne 42nd out of 52 qualifying defensive tackles.

Consequently, when Del Rio was asked about this by the Washington media Thursday, he responded, “I don’t like to sit up here and grade for you guys. They’re two really good players, and they’re playing well.”

Then Del Rio was challenged when one asked where Allen and Payne were making their impact, despite their pass rush win rate” being down from last season.

Del Rio threw out his own challenge, “I’ll watch tape with you if you’d like. They’re pretty good players, and they’re having a good strong year for us.”

Later, Del Rio was asked about how defensive tackle John Ridgeway has played. “Ridge? I think Ridge has played very well the last few weeks in particular.”

Then came a question regarding rookie defensive end Andre Jones Jr. and his pass rush.

“He’s been very aware and has done a nice job with it. I’m looking forward to watching these guys play, and (DE) KJ (Henry) was so close to getting his first sack two weeks ago. As they get opportunities to play, they’re going to make plays, and it’s not all going to be good. But we ask them to go out and apply their technique, play hard, compete their butts off, and help us get the ball back for the offense.”

Back to Andre Jones, “I just think he’s worked hard all year. That’s the one thing I would say about him. He’s been very consistent in how he’s approached things. His role had become primarily a lot on special teams and a little on D, and that equation’s going to change a little bit. He is going to get a little more on D and probably a little less on special teams, but I like the way he’s working at it. He’s done a good job being conscientious, coming in and putting in the work every day.”

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