Tag: Scott Turner

Commanders OC Scott Turner talks Sam Cosmi potentially playing guard this week

With Trai Turner missing practice this week, the Commanders could turn to Sam Cosmi at right guard against the Giants. Scott Turner believes it’s essential to get your best five on the field.

The Washington Commanders chose Sam Cosmi in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft to be their future at right tackle. Cosmi immediately stepped into the lineup and became a force as a run blocker. Unfortunately, Cosmi would miss eight games during his rookie season.

Cosmi was back at right tackle in 2022, but a thumb injury forced him to miss the next three games, leading veteran Cornelius Lucas to start at right tackle.

Cosmi returned in Week 8 against the Colts and only played special teams in his first two games back. However, over the last three weeks, Cosmi and Lucas have been splitting reps at right tackle. The Commanders love Cosmi and believe he has a bright future at tackle — or guard.

With right guard Trai Turner missing practice this week, the coaches moved Cosmi inside to right guard.

After Thursday’s practice, Turner was asked about Cosmi potentially playing right guard against the Giants in Week 13.

“I think as the season goes on and you have some guys in and out of the lineup on the offensive line; you want to get your best five guys out there,” Turner said. “So, being able to move Sam around a little bit, having him in there at guard, having that be an option of something that we can do, if that gets our best five out there, that’s something that we will be, be able to do. But we just want to be able to have that option, so we can get him, get him on the field cause a good player. Obviously, him and Big Luke [Cornelius Lucas] have been playing, kind of splitting time. Both [have] been playing pretty well, so we can get him out there together. That’d be something that’d be positive for us.”

Trai Turner hasn’t exactly been his former Pro Bowl self this season. He has improved in recent weeks, which is encouraging, but is he really the best option? In more potentially good news, Wes Schweitzer was designated to return from injured reserve this week. Schweitzer began the season as the starting right guard before his injury.

Cosmi is a dominant run blocker, meaning the Commanders could have a terrific right side of the offensive line with Cosmi and Lucas.

If Cosmi does play right guard Sunday, he could be auditioning to be Washington’s long-term right guard as many believe he has immense potential at guard.

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What does Scott Turner want to see from Taylor Heinicke moving forward?

Scott Turner has been pleased with what he’s seen from Taylor Heinicke and just hopes to eliminate the negative plays.

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Scott Turner is a big Taylor Heinicke fan. He was in Minnesota when the Vikings signed Heinicke as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion in 2015.

Turner was also the coach who brought Heinicke to Carolina in 2018 and to Washington in 2020. Heinicke has often mentioned this coaching staff was the only one that believed in him.

Heinicke has started 21 NFL games, and he has a record of 11-10, including 4-1 this season. All but one of those starts have come in a Washington uniform. Last week, head coach Ron Rivera said the Commanders will stick with Heinicke for the remainder of the season.

While Heinicke has been far from perfect since taking the reins in Week 7, he’s minimized mistakes [he’s been good for an average of one per game], put the ball in the hands of his playmakers and used his mobility to help cover for some of Washington’s offensive line issues.

So what does Turner want to see from Heinicke for the remainder of this season?

“I just think he just needs to keep doing what he’s doing,” Turner said Friday. “We have some plays where he missed some throws, or we’ve had some negative plays obviously that have come up. Just eliminate those, but just keep playing his game. He doesn’t have to do anything special or different. Bring the energy that he brings and play smart football.”

Keep playing the same and bringing the energy. Those are the keys. Remember in 2021, when Washington tried to box Heinicke in the pocket, and he struggled? The goal was for him to take fewer shots. That worked, but it made Heinicke less effective. Heinicke is at his best when he can move around and use his legs to make plays.

As far as the energy, Heinicke’s teammates love him. It’s not that they don’t like Wentz — they do — but there is a different vibe with Heinicke. Perhaps it’s that underdog in him that resonates so well with his teammates.

The Commanders host the Atlanta Falcons Sunday in another important battle for NFC playoff positioning. Heinicke looks to improve to 5-1 as Washington’s starting quarterback this season.

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Commanders OC Scott Turner named as one of the young NFL coaches to watch

Surprise, Washington fans. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner is well-regarded by some around the league.

Every football fan seems to hate the offensive coordinator. If a team struggles to score, or a quarterback throws an interception or fails to score in the red zone, it’s always the offensive coordinator’s fault.

And, to a degree, some of that is true. After all, the offensive coordinator is responsible for a team’s offensive performance. But if you spend time on Twitter or at a sports bar, you will find someone complaining about an offensive coordinator.

Such is the case with the Washington Commanders and offensive coordinator Scott Turner. Turner, the son of former Washington head coach Norv Turner, has been criticized by fans throughout his three-year tenure. While Turner has made some head-scratching decisions at time, so has Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay in the past. No, I’m not comparing Turner to Shanahan or McVay, but you get the point.

Consider how many quarterbacks Turner has coached in three seasons. And the Commanders still don’t have a long-term answer at the position, yet Washington has won five of its past six games and is firmly in the playoff mix at 6-5.

Some credit must go to Turner, right?

Well, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, Turner is one of several young assistants [under 45] the NFL is closely monitoring for the next round of the interview process in the offseason.

Here’s what Pelissero said of Turner, based on conversations with “NFL executives, coaches and others close to the search process.”

Commanders OC Scott Turner, 40: It’s a credit to Turner — the son of longtime NFL coach Norv Turner — that the Washington offense has been functional the past few seasons, given the revolving door at quarterback and nonstop drama surrounding the organization. Just look at his game plan in Monday night’s upset win over the Eagles, focusing on holding the ball and controlling the game; the Commanders had 25 first downs, converting 12 of them on third down, and had the ball for over 40 minutes. Turner is creative and knows how to adapt to his personnel (or lack thereof). And his eye for young QB talent — for example, plucking Taylor Heinicke as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion back in his Vikings days — is a positive trait.

The Commanders had three other assistants in the category of others to watch in future years:

  • Secondary coach Chris Harris [40]
  • Wide receivers coach Drew Terrell [31]
  • Assistant QB coach Luke Del Rio [28]

Harris has received some attention for defensive coordinator positions over the last two offseasons and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him land a promotion in the offseason.

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Twitter reacts to Commanders’ win over Texans

Some of the best reactions to Washington’s latest win — a 23-10 victory over the Houston Texans.

What a difference six weeks make in the NFL world. After Washington’s Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the sky was falling. Fans wanted head coach Ron Rivera fired. They thought offensive coordinator Scott Turner was the worst in the NFL and were already looking toward the 2022 NFL draft.

On that day, quarterback Carson Wentz was intercepted at the goal line as time expired, as the Commanders dropped a heartbreaker to the Tennessee Titans. The following week, Washington had one of the more unimpressive wins of the 2022 NFL season, with a 12-7 victory over the Chicago Bears that received plenty of ridicule on social media.

Now, the Commanders have won five of their previous six games after Sunday’s 23-10 win over the Houston Texans. Taylor Heinicke is 4-1 as Washington’s starting quarterback and the defense is playing as well as any in the NFL.

So, how did Twitter react after Washington’s latest win? Here are some of the top reactions.

5 takeaways from Commanders’ 32-21 win over the Eagles

Here are our five takeaways from Washington’s win over the Eagles.

The Washington Commanders are back to .500 after Monday’s shocking 32-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Many felt last week’s game against the Vikings was so critical because going to Philly was a guaranteed loss.

Quarterback Taylor Heinicke made enough plays, while Washington’s ground game churned out 152 tough rushing yards. Defensively, the Commanders forced four turnovers — a season-high for the Eagles.

The Commanders have a chance to go over .500 next week against the Houston Texans, but first, here are our five takeaways from Washington’s win over the Eagles.

Will Monday night’s game vs. Eagles determine Commanders’ QB for remainder of the season?

The coaching staff left the door open for Heinicke if he has a strong performance Monday night.

Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke has a golden opportunity on Monday night. If Heinicke can lead the Commanders [4-5] to an upset win on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles [8-0] it will go a long way in keeping him as Washington’s starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.

Heinicke, who will be starting his fourth game Monday, is 2-1 this season as the starting quarterback. Heinicke could have easily been 3-0, but a fourth-quarter collapse against the Minnesota Vikings ended Washington’s four-game winning streak.

Quarterback Carson Wentz is eligible to return from injured reserve after Monday’s game. Wentz, who fractured a finger on his throwing hand in Week 6, may not be ready until Week 12 as the Commanders have a short turnaround after Monday night’s game.

What if Heinicke leads the Commanders to a win on Monday? Does that give him a chance to be Washington’s quarterback for the remainder of the season?

Washington offensive coordinator Scott Turner was asked that question on Friday. Here’s how he responded:

“I think you always, you look at everything,” Turner said. “Ultimately that’ll be Coach [Ron Rivera]’s decision.  We’ll have conversations about it. We gotta wait and see when Carson [Wentz] is healthy, so a lot of that’s gonna be up to the trainers before we even put in that situation. Right now, we’re really just focused on getting Taylor [Heinicke] ready and getting the rest of the team ready to go play an obviously a good Philly team on Monday night.”

Notice what he didn’t say? Carson is our starting quarterback, and when he’s healthy he will be back in the starting lineup? Rivera was asked a similar question Thursday.

“You’re most certainly ahead of yourself,” Rivera said when asked if Wentz would return to the starting lineup once he’s back. “I told you guys, we’ll play the game, and then I’ll decide when it’s time to.”

Notice a theme here?

It’s obvious that neither Heinicke nor Wentz is Washington’s long-term quarterback. Sure, Wentz hasn’t had a full season, and the offensive line hasn’t been good, but he also hasn’t helped. Heinicke, however, is a player Washington coaches and players love. Regardless of whether he is the future starter or not, he could return if the Commanders turn to Sam Howell or draft another passer next season.

As for this season, Turner and Rivera said, without saying, if Heinicke plays well enough to lead the Commanders to a win or the offense shows a pulse against the Eagles, he has a chance to continue as the team’s starting quarterback.

Monday night may be the biggest game of Taylor Heinicke’s career.

 

Twitter reacts to Commanders’ loss to Vikings in Week 9

Here are some of the top reactions from Washington’s loss to the Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings snapped the Washington Commanders’ three-game winning streak with a 20-17 win Sunday. Minnesota kicker Greg Joseph nailed a short field goal with 12 seconds remaining to break the hearts of Washington fans.

Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke had his ups and downs Sunday, throwing two touchdown passes and one back-breaking interception which completely tilted the game in Minnesota’s favor.

The Commanders defense was outstanding again, hitting Kirk Cousins over and over, but to his credit, the former Washington quarterback hung tough and made some big throws when it mattered the most.

We’ve compiled some of the best Twitter reactions from Sunday’s game that include Heinicke, Cousins, Dan Snyder and more.

5 takeaways from Commanders’ 20-17 loss to the Vikings

Washington’s defense was lights out Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a lackluster effort from the offense.

The Washington Commanders fell to 4-5 on the season after a heartbreaking 20-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday.

In what was a very winnable game, Washington took control early in the third quarterback when quarterback Taylor Heinicke found wide receiver Curtis Samuel for a 49-yard touchdown to give the Commanders a 10-7 lead. It wasn’t one of Heinicke’s better decisions, throwing into triple coverage, but somehow Samuel came away with the football and landed in the end zone.

The Commanders defense was outstanding, hitting Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins over and over. Washington took complete control at the start of the fourth quarter when Heinicke ended a drive with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Dax Milne.

Unfortunately for Washington, that’s where the fun ended. A Taylor Heinicke interception and a couple of critical penalties ended any chance of extending their three-game winning streak.

Let’s examine our five takeaways from a disappointing loss.

 

Taylor Heinicke describes the closeness of this Commanders team

Taylor Heinicke discusses the closeness of the 2022 Commanders — facing his former team Sunday.

There is just something about Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke. His teammates love him, coaches love him and fans love him. And when he’s on the field, he makes plays.

The Heinicke era in Jan. 2021 when he was the emergency starting quarterback against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card game. Heinicke almost led Washington to an upset win and instantly became a Washington sensation.

That game earned him a two-year extension to remain in Washington. When Ryan Fitzpatrick went down in Week 1 last season, Heinicke took over as the starting quarterback. While he went through ups and downs, he had plenty of special moments, including winning five of his final eight starts under center.

Now, Heinicke is back as Washington’s starting quarterback after an injury to Carson Wentz. And Heinicke is still winning, going 2-0 as the starter since returning to the lineup.

Heinicke was asked on Wednesday if this was the closest team he’s played on.

“I think it’s in probably every aspect of every day,” Heinicke said. “Guys are excited to come to work because you’re going to work with a bunch of guys that you love, you grind with, you work with, and it’s never fun going to work with people that you don’t like. So the fact that all the coaches and players get along, we work hard together, it makes it a lot easier, especially when times are tough when you’re in a three-game losing streak. So you know, that camaraderie and it starts from Coach Rivera. It was like this in Carolina when I was there as well. It means a lot, and I think it makes it easier on a lot of guys to come to work and do their best and they want to do their best. They don’t want to let their brother down. I think it carries throughout practice every day, meetings, and then ultimately on game day.”

Heinicke makes his third start this weekend against the Vikings — the team that brought him into the league as an undrafted free agent. Washington offensive coordinator Scott Turner was in Minnesota at the time and played a pivotal role in signing Heinicke.

“A little full circle for myself and Scott Turner,” he said. “He’s the one that brought me into Minnesota and kind of started this whole journey, so it’ll be cool to go against those guys. Obviously, it’s not the same coaching staff as when I was there with Mike Zimmer, but it’ll be cool. It’ll be cool to go against those guys. There’s still a couple of players that I know from that team, Harrison Smith, Dalvin Cook, [Adam] Thielen. I was actually throwing to Thielen when I was in the preseason.”

The quarterback on the opposite side Sunday is a player Washington knows very well. Kirk Cousins spent his first six NFL seasons in Washington. Which quarterback has the better game on Sunday?

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Twitter reacts to Commanders 17-16 win over the Colts

Some of the top reactions from Washington’s Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

The Washington Commanders defeated the Indianapolis Colts 17-16 on Sunday to improve to 4-4.

It was another wild game for the Commanders. After a promising touchdown drive in the second quarter, Washington’s offense went silent for the remainder of the first half and all of the third quarter.

When the Colts intercepted Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke early in the fourth quarter, it felt like the Commanders’ winning streak would end at two games.

However, Heinicke and wide receiver Terry McLaurin brought Washington all the way back, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds remaining in the game.

As always, Twitter was wild during and after Sunday’s Washington game. We’ve compiled some of the best reactions from Sunday’s win.