Tag: OT Cornelius Lucas

Who will be the Commanders’ game captains vs. Saints?

Dan Quinn explains why he picked the Commanders’ Week 15 captains.

Commanders’ head coach Dan Quinn made his weekly announcement of captains for this week’s upcoming game.

The three captains for the game against the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday will be tackle Cornelius Lucas, defensive tackle Johnny Newton, and tackle Trent Scott.

Lucas had a good game starting at right tackle for the injured Andrew Wylie against the Titans.

“Big Luke has made a big impact on his community in Louisiana, and he’s done that here too,” expressed Quinn. “He played left tackle, started right tackle and so he kind of steps up when those things are called for. I think that speaks to his off-the-field work as well.”

Newton had played some in each game but was thrown into the fire when starter Jonathan Allen tore a pectoral muscle, requiring surgery.

“JZ’s put in a lot of work that’s unseen, coming off the surgeries and coming in. And so, we’re now getting to see some of that work showing up. And so, I thought that’ll continue on this weekend.”

Scott has seen some action at tackle this season, spelling the injured Andrew Wylie or Brandon Coleman. Readers may recall he caught a touchdown pass earlier this season on MNF against the Bengals on a “tackle eligible” play.

“The last one we chose was Trent Scott. And so just energy and the connection of the team, what he does, both sides, number of positions, and so his impact on and off the field. What a lot of people probably don’t know is that today he’s also earning his master’s degree from Grambling State. So, I thought here’s a guy digging in to get better all the time. And kind of just shows who he is and what he stands for and the impact that he makes.”

Quinn later clarified that Scott earned the degree today and will walk in the Spring at Grambling State. Quinn added that he respects people who put in extra work and that Scott is another example of that to the team, who earned the right to be a team captain.

What everyone said after the Commanders’ Week 4 win vs. Cardinals

A collection of postgame quotes after the Commanders’ 42-14 win.

On Sunday, the Washington Commanders defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 42-14 to improve to 3-1. Here is a collection of postgame quotes from players, former players/analysts, and coaches.

“This team is still going to get better, and they are led by the right man as a coach and the right guy as a quarterback.”  Brian Mitchell

“It’s great to see the team go out there and not only win but win in the fashion they are winning in. They are playing a complete game; it’s great to see that.”  Santana Moss

“You watch Brian (Robinson) out there, he runs violently. Guys were hitting him, and he was driving them back four yards, and they got up talking trash. I’m like, ‘Fool, you just got run over.'”  Brian Mitchell

“We talked about it coming into the season; I said this is B-Rob’s year. I love seeing what I am seeing.”  Santana Moss

“Tonight, I really thought it was cool to see Burgundy and Gold in the crowd…I felt their presence, and it was really cool.”  Dan Quinn

“A quick shout out to the big guys. To have a big rushing performance with over 200 yards and no sacks. That is a big guy’s kind of day.” Dan Quinn

“We’ve established that different guys in different roles and they have come through. O.Z (Zaccheaus) really had some big pickups today.”  Dan Quinn

“You got to nail the moments when they are there…got to tip my hat to Joe (Whitton) and the staff where it’s been a hard few weeks for them. I told them they were closer than they thought. (The defense getting some very good 3rd down stops.)  Dan Quinn

“Keep him in there, don’t let him roll to the right, and that is what we did. Take his throwing ability away when he is trying to scramble.”  Dorance Armstrong on defending/rushing Kyler Murray

“We still have room to grow. We are not a finished product at all.” Jayden Daniels on the offensive success

“Those guys do a good job of getting open, knowing the timing and depth of the routes, so it’s awesome working with them.”  Jayden Daniels on Commanders’ receivers group

“You don’t want to throw a pic at all. But, that’s football, things happen. You are going to have a pic, have a turnover, but how can you bounce back, limit those, and keep moving forward?’  Jayden Davis on throwing his first interception.

“Obviously, it’s early in the season, so we’ll have to finish the year. I can’t put anything on it. But I know teams look at us and say, “Hey, those guys play hard. It’s always good to go back home with a win. Now, we are on to the Browns.”  Jayden Daniels

Exiting the field, entering the tunnel, “You like that!”  Cornelius Lucas

“For a rookie quarterback, does the guy ever make a bad decision? It’s unbelievable. Every ball is on the money.”  Chris Simms, NBC SNF

The Commanders return home to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.

Commanders’ rookie LT Brandon Coleman is trending upward

The rookie left tackle continues to play more snaps each week and the arrow is pointing up.

Washington head coach Dan Quinn was asked Tuesday about rookie offensive tackle Brandon Coleman.

Coleman has yet to start in his three games, but he has seen action on 65 offensive snaps (34 percent), rotating with starter Cornelius Lucas.

“We continued to balance them up a little more, as we’re going to do, but we knew that was going to be one of the factors inside, to make sure (Trey) Hendrickson can’t ruin the game. I believe he got inside late, on one late (rush) where they got the sack and created the negative yards.”

“But by and large, I felt Brandon’s technique and energy, all the things when you are missing some time, start coming back into play. So, we’ve been impressed, and the arrow is definitely going up.”

https://Twitter.com/Mason_Kinnahan/status/1838607324044497298

Also of note, in these three games, Coleman has yet to be penalized. So, he is not getting beat early and is holding on to avoid his quarterback getting killed.

Washington drafted the 6-foot-6, 320-pound rookie out of TCU in the third round with the 67th overall choice. He had received first-string reps before injuring a pectoral muscle in training camp.

The coaches have determined to bring him along, play him each week, to help Lucas get some rest each week, providing both of them playing time and rests during the game.

Coleman has received progressively a few more snaps each of the three games. Against Tampa Bay in Week 1, it was 14 offensive snaps. Then, it was 22 against the Giants and 29 against the Bengals. Notice the progression: 24 percent, then 31 percent, and finally 49 percent.

Consequently, barring injury, Coleman may most likely play a higher percentage of plays than Lucas for the first time this season on Sunday against the Cardinals.

What did Kliff Kingsbury think of the Commanders offensive line in Week 1?

What does the OC think about Washington’s left tackles?

Several times in the opener, Jayden Daniels had to exit reading his progressions to taking off and running to avoid a sack.

Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was asked to comment on Daniels having to take off running several plays.

“It’s a really good front and like I said earlier, a few of those were first read and get out,” answered Kingsbury. As your first game as a rookie, he knows he has a lot of faith in his legs. I would, too, if I could run like that. He made some plays early and got out of there.”

Kingsbury said Jayden didn’t actually have to take off each of those times he did take off running. He explained that it was the rookie’s first NFL game, and he got a little anxious a few times and took off early instead of reading to his second or third progression and attempting to pass the ball down field.

Back to his offensive line:

“I thought they battled against a really good front,” Kingsbury said. “No pre-snap penalties, I don’t know how many holds, I don’t think many. I thought from an execution standpoint (they) played a clean game. Sure, we can all do better, but I thought as a group they played an efficient game.”

As for Brandon Coleman and Cornelius Lucas rotating again at left tackle this week? Kingsbury declared both had earned a right to play in the opener. Yet, eventually, he would like to see what sort of unity could be developed among his top five linemen.

LT Brandon Coleman to play in Commanders’ opener

Some good news regarding a pair of rookies.

Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn announced Friday that Brandon Coleman will play in the season opener on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Coleman was drafted out of TCU in round three (67 overall) of April’s NFL draft, and he was getting some reps as the No.1 left tackle in training camp when he injured a pectoral muscle. This resulted in Coleman missing all three preseason games.

The left tackle has been trending upward the last two weeks, and Friday at his press conference, Quinn asked, “Will Brandon Coleman start?”

Quinn responded, “He will play.”

Consequently, because Cornelius Lucas started in the preseason, he will get the start Sunday in Tampa against the Bucs. Coleman is trending upward; the Commanders think he is ready to play some but don’t want him bearing the load just yet. So, it looks like Lucas and Coleman will rotate in some fashion on Sunday.

To this point, no Commanders coach or player has unveiled their plan for playing both left tackles on Sunday. Todd Bowles has active blitz packages for the Bucs’ defense. Thus, perhaps the Commanders don’t want to rush in Coleman too soon with too many blitz rushes to consider.

In other injury news, Quinn made it clear that No. 2 quarterback Marcus Mariota suffered a pectoral injury in Wednesday’s practice. Missing practice Thursday and Friday, Mariota has been ruled out for the opener against the Bucs. Jeff Driskel will serve as Jayden Daniels’ backup.

Rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton is trending upward. Quinn said he was closer. In fact, he expressed that Newton will travel on Sunday and said, “We haven’t ruled him out” of playing in the 2024 opener.

How ready are the Commanders at offensive tackle?

How ready are the Commanders at offensive tackle?

It’s hard to believe but Jayden Daniels may not actually be the biggest question for the Commanders in their season opener in eight days.

Yes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were a playoff team last year and yes, the season opener is at Tampa on a Sunday afternoon.

Daniels will face a much fiercer test than he has in the preseason, there is no debating this. But a large factor in how much pressure Daniels sees may be the play of the Commanders offensive tackles.

Andrew Wylie is plugged in at right tackle, and Cornelius Lucas is still the starter until we hear differently from Dan Quinn. Brandon Coleman had a pectoral injury and did not play a snap in the three preseason games.

Coleman is again back working with the team on the field with no restrictions. The TCU rookie said he feels great and is ready to go. So, what happens Sunday in Tampa if Coleman works out all next week?

Will the Commanders make him active? If so, will he play a few series, though he did not play in the preseason?

If he plays three or four series, then Lucas could be much less exhausted in the fourth quarter than if he played the entire game in the Florida heat.

The other tackle on the roster is Trent Scott. Returning from injury, Scott is listed as Wylie’s backup at right tackle.  Chris Paul was asked to play tackle in the preseason, but with Coleman returning, Paul will now be listed as a backup at both guard positions.

Paul was willing to go way outside his comfort zone and play tackle for the good of the team to meet their need at the time. He retains his spot on the roster as a guard.

There is no tackle on the practice squad currently. Certainly, they know much more than we do about why they don’t have a tackle on the practice squad.

Lastly, fans will complain, but they must be reminded that Adam Peters attempted to trade back into the first round to draft a starting tackle; however, he saw the asking price as too much and did not pull the trigger on the trade.

NFL analyst: Commanders OL will be outmatched in NFC East

Will the offensive line be Washington be a major problem again in 2024?

What does Jayden Daniels have to do to get better every day?

That was the question set forth to ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky on Monday during the “NFL Live” program. Orlovsky did not answer with an answer focused upon the NFL inexperience of a rookie quarterback, as one might expect.

No, Orlovsky aimed his reply at what he sees is going to make things harder for Daniels in his rookie season. “A feel for dominant defensive lines,” opened Orlovsky.

Orlovsky then elaborated, “If we are being honest, in that division (NFC East), every time he plays the teams that are in that division, his offensive line will be outmatched by the defensive line both times by Philly, the Giants and Dallas. This is an offensive line that struggled (2023).“

“One of the ‘flaws’ of Jayden Daniels throughout his last two years at LSU was, is he holding on (to the ball)? Is he trying to do too much? Is he running around a little bit? Get the ball out of your hands, play a little faster.”

More from Orlovsky:

“He is a significantly greater talent than I ever was, but the biggest jump from college to the NFL comes from how fast that defensive line moves on a consistent basis. Just getting an understanding, a feel for how quickly those defensive lines will collapse that pocket on you.”

Orlovsky certainly revealed he does not believe the Commanders’ offensive line will match up well in any of their six NFC East divisional games. If Orlovsky is correct, should there be great concern for the health and confidence of Daniels playing behind this offensive line?

In fairness to general manager Adam Peters, he has made significant changes to the Commanders offensive line. Gone from the 2023 unit are starters Charles Leno Jr, Saahdiq Charles and Nick Gates.

Peters brought in free agents guard Nick Allegretti (Chiefs) and center Tyler Biadasz (Cowboys), who are expected to start. Then Peters also drafted tackle Brandon Coleman (TCU) in the third round.

Two starters return in right guard Sam Cosmi and right tackle Andrew Wylie. Others on the current roster are tackles Cornelius Lucas, Braeden Daniels, Alex Akingbulu, and Trent Scott, as well as guards Chris Paul, Mason Brooks, Michael Deiter, Julian Good-Jones, and center Ricky Stromberg.