Tag: WR Terry McLaurin

Kingsbury discusses Terry McLaurin, Commanders’ passing game

The offensive coordinator understands the passing game must improve and it starts with him.

“Defensive coordinators are smart; they’re going to try to take him away, there’s no doubt.”

That was how Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury responded during his press conference when asked about Terry McLaurin’s lack of production thus far in 2024.

Thirty-nine receiving yards in two games for McLaurin is tough to imagine, even more to swallow. It has come on eight receptions, which means McLaurin is averaging a paltry 4.9 yards a reception. Re-read that: 4.9 yards is not a carry but a reception.

Kingsbury responded, “That’s my job to find ways to answer that. So far, I haven’t done a great job of it. For me and the staff we have to be better moving forward.”

That was Kingsbury in public, taking the blame on himself. In private, you know he has shown Daniels how he has missed McLaurin being open for some big plays as these two shown here.

Who would have thought that through the first two games, and McLaurin has played the majority of the games, his longest reception would be for only 12 yards?

Since coming to Washington in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft, McLaurin has not only led Washington in receiving but has also gained 1,000 receiving yards in each of his last four NFL seasons (2020-23).

Thirty-nine receiving yards for Terry McLaurin? It’s not like the quarterback is injured and unable to throw. Jayden Daniels has completed 40 passes for 410 yards, which averages 20 completions for 205 passing yards a game.

McLaurin really showed himself to be a team leader in his days with the Commanders. But even more, he has arrived on stage at some of the big Washington games and had productive performances.

Interestingly enough, when rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels met with the press on Thursday, Daniels acknowledged McLaurin has been a team leader and that this team needs to get him the ball more often. Yet he surprisingly added the comment that if they didn’t, “we are going to keep playing our game, keep moving forward, and just go from there.”

 

When they last met: Commanders vs. Buccaneers

Remember the last time Washington faced Tampa Bay?

“When they last met” is an ongoing series during the NFL season, recalling the preceding game between Washington and the next opponent on the Commanders’ schedule.

Washington 29, Tampa Bay 19 – Week 10, Nov. 10, 2021

Taylor Heinicke had perhaps his finest game for Washington, leading the Football Team to an upset win at FedEx Field over Tampa Bay 29-19.

Heinicke completed 26 of 32 for 256 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions, while the defending Super Bowl champion Tom Brady threw two interceptions that set up scores for Washington.

The 6-2 Buccaneers, though the road team, entered the game a solid 9.5-point favorite. But the Football Team, which was 2-6, found itself up 13-0, as Brady was intercepted twice.

Joey Slye connected on field goals from 56 and 28 yards. Heinicke connected with DeAndre Carter from 20 yards, and Washington led 13-0 in the second quarter.

Following a Buccaneers field goal, Joey Slye connected again, this time from 29 yards, with 58 seconds remaining in the half for a 16-3 Washington lead.

Brady connected with Cameron Brate from six yards, narrowing Tampa Bay’s deficit to 16-13 with 8:46 remaining in the third quarter.

Antonio Gibson scored from a yard out, extending Washington’s lead to 23-13 at 4:21 of the third quarter.

Brady then found Mike Evans from 40 yards, and the Bucs closed to 23-19, but Ryan Succup’s extra point was missed, meaning the Bucs couldn’t tie with a field goal but would need a touchdown.

Washington then drove 80 yards in 19 plays, taking 10:26 of time. Gibson again scored from one yard for the final 29-19 margin.

Terry McLaurin led Washington with six receptions for 59 yards, and Carter contributed 3 for 56 yards. Evans led Tampa Bay with 62 receiving yards, and Chris Godwin contributed 57. Brady finished 23 of 34 for 220 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Note: This was the game Washington defensive end Chase Young tore an ACL and was thus out for the remainder of 2021 and most of 2022.

 

2024 NFL preview: How ready are the Commanders at wide receiver?

How good can Washington’s wide receivers be in 2024?

The receivers group is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, question marks for the 2024 Commanders.

Terry McLaurin returns having caught 79 passes for 1,002 yards, four touchdowns, and 47 first downs, averaging 12.7 yards a reception. McLaurin has persevered and endured inconsistent quarterback play his entire NFL career (2019-2023) with Washington. So, if healthy, McLaurin will again be productive. Terry McLaurin 2023 highlights

All the DMV wants to be optimistic, yet the reality is Washington must replace its second and third receivers from 2023. Curtis Samuel was on the receiving end of 62 passes for 613 yards, four touchdowns, and 26 first downs, averaging 9.9 yards a reception. Samuel departed as a free agent and signed with the Bills.

Jahan Dotson, selected 16th overall by Washington in the 2022 draft, collected 49 receptions for 518 yards, four touchdowns, and 27 first downs, averaging 10.6 yards per reception. Dotson and the offensive coaches were not on the same page in training camp, and he was subsequently traded to the Eagles.

So, where will production come from this receiver group? Dyami Brown has been largely unproductive in his first three NFL seasons. He has flashed, but only a few plays each season. He has also struggled to catch some balls that were certainly catchable.

However, coaches have continued to insist that Brown has worked hard and produced throughout the offseason and training camp. Brown has been publicly praised more than once by Dan Quinn, and apparently, the Commanders believed enough in Brown and rookie Luke McCaffrey that they traded Dotson.

McCaffrey brings some size at 6-2, 198. Coaches believe the rookie has good upside because he converted from quarterback his last two years at Rice and only began playing receiver.

Jamison Crowder and Byron Pringle will not be putting up large numbers. However, the two have both shown that they can still make plays and play physical football, and both are willing and able to contribute on special teams.

According to Quinn, Olamide Zaccheaus has impressed throughout the offseason and training camp. He has experience at age 27 and 72 NFL games, catching 104 passes for 1,492 yards (14.3 yards per reception) and 10 receiving touchdowns. Can he produce enough? Well, in 2022, he caught 40 passes at a 13.3-yard average per completion. We shall see, but he earned more praise than Dotson in training camp.

Noah Brown was cut by the Texans and signed by the Commanders. He has had a few injuries, but he has a reputation for being competitive and physical, which the coaches seek.

Brycen Tremayne (Stanford) and Mitchell Tinsley (Penn State) were brought back and signed to the practice squad. Also, of note, this was not the duo’s first NFL offseason, training camp, or preseason.

After Jahan Dotson trade, Kliff Kingsbury talks about what Commanders want from WRs

Kingsbury’s answers on what Washington seeks at receiver were telling.

Someone had to speak with the press on Thursday.

Given that there would be questions about the trade of wide receiver Jahan Dotson a day earlier, perhaps Adam Peters or Dan Quinn would have been an obvious choice.

So, there was Kliff Kingsbury.

The offensive coordinator, as expected, quickly punted, saying he would defer to Peters and Dan Quinn regarding the trade. Of course he did. That’s not to criticize Kingsbury in any way. He doesn’t make trades, so why should he have to answer questions about them?

He was then asked in a roundabout way about what the coaches are looking for from the wide receivers.

“DQ’s [Quinn’s] style of play. Be physical and play hard without the ball,” Kingsbury said. “I think that’s what we preach is like everybody’s gonna run routes and make catches at this level, but how do you play without the ball?”

After all we have heard over the last week regarding Dotson, that response from Kingsbury lets you know. The coaches just didn’t see Dotson as being physical enough to run his routes or block.

The team could be thin at receiver this season, as only Terry McLaurin has produced significantly. However, Kingsbury knows there are other people to whom quarterback Jayden Daniels can get the ball.

“Austin Ekeler has been fantastic. I think there’s a narrative out there that maybe he lost a step, or something was off, and that couldn’t be further from the truth from what I’ve seen. … Brian Robinson, he’s a No. 1 back in this league, there’s no doubt.”

So, Kingsbury likes his top two backs and is counting on getting both of them the ball often. He also knows that developing a running game will decrease the pressure on Daniels to beat the defense through passing.

Perhaps one of the more interesting things Kingsbury said was about WR Kazmeir Allen.

“So he’s a guy that we could see similar —I’m not comparing — but he has a Deebo-type role to move him around and do different things,” Kingsbury said. “He has that type of explosiveness and ability to play in the slot, or you can hand it to him.”

Compared to Allen, Samuel is much larger and stronger. He is a beast at his position. But the first two preseason games have shown that Allen is someone the coaches like for his explosiveness, and they are looking for ways to get him the ball.

Another Commander is glad a new OC is in town

Another Washington starter is thrilled with the O.C. change.

Another member of the Commanders offense is happy to see Kliff Kingsbury as the new offensive coordinator.

Earlier Thursday, Sam Cosmi spoke out very strongly about his fervent disagreement with Eric Bieniemy’s approach in 2023.

“I think we were last in the league for attempts in rushing, and then one of the highest in passing (attempts), and you saw where that got us…”

Friday, it was Brian Robinson’s turn. Robinson took a very positive approach. Yet, for those who know the 2023 situation, Robinson spoke softly, yet clearly.

“Kliff has great energy as an offensive coordinator. He’s very personable. I think he’s a great player’s coach, somebody you can just rap with, you know, just come and chop it up with.”

“You can tell him how you feel about what you see, your ideas and thoughts. He’s going to listen to you, talk with you and be genuine with you, so I appreciate the relationship we are all building.”

“Very personable, you can tell him how you feel, what you see, going to listen to you, be genuine with you,” (yes Brian, we understand.)

Last month Cosmi told of how Bieniemy had some more rules for his offensive players, “That was something that we as players, offensive side, we weren’t allowed to wear our hat backwards.”

Bieniemy’s common refrain with the press was that he was old school, that he was going to do things his way, and that he was not changing for anybody.

As early as the 2023 training camp, there was tension as Bieniemy was said by players to be loud, always loud. Even one member of the sports media acknowledged Bieniemy was loud, but all the cursing at players could easily become problematic.

He was right; it was. Before the regular season had even begun, head coach Ron Rivera had already lost a sense of control with Bieniemy, conveying that some players had come to Rivera unhappy with Bieniemy.

Had it been unproductive players, Rivera would have shrugged it off, thinking them soft. However, Rivera was very concerned because it apparently was players Rivera respected.

At season’s end, Terry McLaurin, Logan Thomas, and Sam Cosmi all offered direct commentary as well.

One year later, Cosmi and Robinson, both productive players in 2023, are happy coaching changes have been made. That’s fine, and they both agree it is up to them to continue to produce as the team leaders they were a year ago.

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

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

 

 

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

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

Chris Cooley praises Commanders’ Eric Bieniemy

Cooley thought Bieniemy did an excellent job preparing Sam Howell for a tough defense. And he also weighed in on Terry McLaurin’s “catch.”

Chris Cooley had high praise for Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s preparation of Sam Howell for the Eagles game.

Cooley was a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast Monday, sharing his observations of having watched the Commanders fall to the Eagles 34-31 on Sunday.

“Bieniemy does a phenomenal job getting a young quarterback going in this game,” declared Cooley. “Keeping the quarterback going by changing the spot, the location of the pocket, mixing in more run. It was literally everything we talked about last Wednesday.”

Indeed, Cooley, a week earlier, had questioned Bieniemy’s game plan in repeatedly having Howell in predictable locations for the Bills defense. “You can’t simply drop a young quarterback into the pocket, leaving him in the same spot to fend for himself.”

“To me, it was an excellent game. It’s a huge bummer not to come out with a win. But it was an excellent game against a good team,” expressed Cooley.

Regarding the overtime non-catch by Terry McLaurin, Cooley was very confident that replay demonstrated McLaurin’s second foot indeed coming down on Blankenship’s arm, which was inbounds. Consequently, in Cooley’s view, the ruling of an incompletion should have been overruled, giving Washington a first down rather than punting the ball back to the Eagles.

What did Cooley think when Howell connected with Jahan Dotson for a touchdown on the game’s final play, making the score 31-30 Philadelphia?

“In the moment, I thought it’s Ron Rivera, and they are on the road; he is going to go for the two points. Personally, I think a young quarterback, you play it into overtime, so I didn’t mind Rivera’s call.”