Tag: NBC Sports Washington

Santana Moss: Commanders have been outcoached

Santana Moss is always positive, but he has some concerns.

Brian Mitchell was not the only one upset regarding the Commanders’ anemic performance Sunday against the Browns.

Santana Moss and JP Finlay also had strong comments they felt should be expressed as well during the NBC Sports Washington postgame show.

SM: “I consider myself the optimist about different scenarios and situations we are in. That is how you have to be with life. You can’t always just expect the worst. That is what I was giving this team, the benefit of the doubt.

But when we keep sitting here waiting for a scenario to play out (pause)… No! You have your destiny in your hands. That is the scenario. Come out here, do your job and do it well.”

“Look, I am not going to sit here and act like I have not been on teams that have stunk it up. I have. But the one thing I have done is leave it on the field. Some of those guys out there don’t deserve what we just saw. Some of those guys go out there and leave it on the field.”

“But when a coach and his staff dictates what we want to put out there, then you cannot blame the players. Collectively we have been saying this too many times down the stretch of these last few games that coaching has been standing out more than a lack of players going out there not performing.”

“I feel like every week we have been talking about someone outcoaching us. We can’t sit here and say that week-in and week-out and expect the players to go out there and give me a different outcome.”

JPF: “This is the type of loss, that in a strong organization, everything is on the table following this. You may have to completely clean house after a loss like this. Against a team that is already eliminated from the playoffs that just won this game from start to finish.”

“I don’t know the final numbers because I had to run down here (field). They were on path for their worst offensive performance since week six (Chicago). Which, I don’t think coincidentally was Carson Wentz’ last start.”

“So, just making that decision to go from Heinicke to Wentz, somebody has got to own that, and that somebody is Ron Rivera. You can criticize a billion other things, both coordinators.”

“This offensive line? I hate that I keep going back to this. Please let me know. I would love for someone to put their left hand up and let me know who decided to let Brandon Scherff walk for this collection of dudes.”

“Trent Williams, gone. Brandon Scherff, gone. You know where those guys are going? Canton! You know where this group is going? Fishing when the playoffs start. It is a complete lack of accountability from the top down. If this was a strong organization, ownership would be looking at a complete review of everything they have.”

“But this isn’t a strong organization, and we have no idea what ownership is doing. And if I had to guess, probably nothing, because the sale is coming. You know what you are not going to do with the sale coming? You are not going to fire a bunch of people, and then have to pay out their contracts.”

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Brian Mitchell: Commanders play was ‘BS’ and ‘trash’

Brian Mitchell was not holding back.

Brian Mitchell still comes to play.

Here was Mitchell on the NBC Sports Washington postgame show Sunday following the Commanders’ loss to the Browns. “If you have any connection with Washington, I don’t care if from the Redskins days, the football team and now, you have to voice your displeasure with that BS we saw on the field today! It was trash!”

Mitchell, the former Washington running back and returner, was known for his fiery, aggressive approach to each game he played in the NFL. Once the first whistle blew until the last whistle, Mitchell was aggressive, and competitive.

Consequently, Mitchell, who now is part of the “BMitch & Finlay” radio show on 106.7 The Fan weekdays, and NBC Sports Washington postgame show, expects to see the same fire from today’s Washington Commanders.

Mitchell was upset Sunday immediately following the game during his on-air appearance on NBC Sports Washington. “We take it easy in OTAs. We take it easy in minicamps. We take it easy in training camp. We approach the preseason as if we are not getting ready for a full season.”

“This year, we started slow, we got on fire, and then we finished weak like we have every year under this coaching staff.”

“For me, it is despicable to come into a game where you have to win to make it to the playoffs, and you come out today, and you stink like that. I’m sure a lot of people are going to blame Carson Wentz. But who decided to take out Taylor Heinicke and put in Carson Wentz? When every player to a man talked about how he liked playing with Taylor?”

“I don’t know what Carson was thinking about. I don’t know what the play-calling was. Garbage (pause), trash is what we saw today.”

“Santana and I played for this team. We understand you got to be honest with the fans. You folks come on here to hear us tell you what we really feel. We don’t want to just attack people. It’s time for attacking now.”

“For three years, I have heard how we are going to change the culture. The culture may be changing, but you are getting the same performance on the football field.”

“If we finish 7-9-1, how can we say that we have made any steps forward? Is this what we can expect here in Washington? Seven games? Eight games? Is this all we can expect from this staff? They got to find a way to get something better. Because right now, trash is all I see.”

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How Julie Donaldson became Commanders senior VP of media and content

Part one of our conversation with Commanders senior VP of media and content.

In July 2020, Julie Donaldson was at the gym working out, having to wear a mask because of the COVID restrictions.

She noticed her phone ringing and then ringing again, and it was her general manager at NBC Sports Washington. He explained the Washington Redskins had contacted him because Julie was still under contract. The football organization wanted to hire Julie and make her the first female regular on-air voice of the NFL Washington’s team radio broadcast.

Knowing what she had experienced and learned regarding the reputation of the organization her initial reaction was to not want to take the job. However, her general manager explained that this was quite a unique opportunity for Donaldson. These chances don’t come around frequently, as there are only so many teams. Donaldson conveyed to Commanders Wire he told her, “I think you should be open to it.”

Terry Bateman was the one officially reaching out, offering Julie the job. Following several conversations with those in and out of the organization, including both Dan and Tanya Snyder, Julie Donaldson accepted the challenge, becoming Washington’s new senior vice president of media and content.

The timing was crazy for Donaldson. The franchise was announcing the discarding of the team name “Redskins” since 1933 when the Boston Braves became the Boston Redskins. Training camp was beginning soon and the preseason was in just a few weeks.

Donaldson talked of how it was like she was thrown into the deep end right away, experiencing a baptism by fire. It was quite the rush getting things revamped as the Washington Football Team and in time for the regular season to begin.

She recalled how they suddenly needed new graphics, look, feel, “we definitely hustled to get things up in time for the season. Even more, “right away I had to get a team together and figure out whom I wanted with me.”

Chris Cooley had already previously shared with Julie that he would not be returning to the broadcast booth for the 2020 season, that decision having been made months earlier.

She quickly received hundreds of messages of congratulations and notes from many throwing their hat in the ring for the game-day broadcast analyst and play-by-play announcer positions.

One early contact was DeAngelo Hall. Julie had worked with Hall in previous years doing both pregame and postgame shows. Hall’s first TV shows had earlier actually been with Julie and seeing she already had a working relationship with Hall, and with Santana Moss as well, she felt these two former Washington players were good choices for her.

To be continued: Selecting a play-by-play announcer, other key members of her department, and growing in her role.

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