Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell has shown promise in his first season as the starter, and while there have been ups and downs, for the most part, Howell has shown that he could be the team’s franchise quarterback going forward.
But as for next year? What would another year under the guidance of Bieniemy do for Howell?
“Oh, it’ll do wonders because it’ll be one of those deals that, he’s been there and done that,” Bieniemy said. “Obviously it continues with his growth process and this evolution of him becoming a quarterback that he has to become, because right now, honestly, he’s learning the system.
He’s still continuing to learn the system. There’s other things he has to learn, too, there’s a lot of complex defensive coordinators out there that are going to present different issues to him. And that’s a major test each and every week.
“Not only is he being tested by us and being evaluated, but on top of that, he’s being tested by what he’s seeing every single play.
So, he has to learn how to process that information. And when those things can become secondary to him, now the game can slow down for him. A second year would be outstanding because it will help him to continue that growth process.”
Whether or not Howell gets that second year as the starter (and the majority of reps) is unknown as the Commanders hold a high draft pick (No. 4), and with the draft littered with talented quarterbacks, Washington might have to make a choice.
Go ahead with Howell and use that pick to put better talent around him, or take one of the young quarterbacks early and develop them.
It will be fascinating to see what the Commanders front office does, and Howell has three games to perhaps sway their judgment.
While there has been progress throughout the year, there have also been poor parts as well, in particular the last month where the offense failed to score more than 20 points in a game, and Howell has averaged just 196 passing yards per game and has just two touchdown passes and six interceptions.
But it has been a season of growth for Howell and many hope that it will be beneficial in the long run for the franchise.
However, will he get another year as the leading man in Bieniemy’s system? That, right now is still up in the air.
This article first appeared on FanNation Washington Football and was syndicated with permission.
back Christian McCaffrey surprised his offensive teammates with some impressive Christmas gifts. According to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, each player received a PXG golf bag, a bottle of tequila and a coupon for a custom fitting for a new set of clubs. “Any time you’re giving the gifts, it’s always tough,” McCaffrey shared. “You’ve got to get creative, you’ve got to do something that kind of panders to everybody. And I figured, if they don’t play golf, they will at some point in their life, so better to be prepared than not. It’s nice to have a bag of clubs in the garage.” Typically, a team’s starting quarterback will give some extravagant gifts to at least his offensive linemen. That wasn’t really a possibility for Brock Purdy, whose annual salary currently ranks 85th among NFL quarterbacks. He’s set to take home $870,000 this season. That’s nothing to scoff at for most people, but it’s not much when it comes to NFL salaries. Purdy even has a roommate to help offset living costs in the Bay Area. Although, that will likely change once he marries his fiancée, Jenna Brandt. McCaffrey’s gift was welcome. Purdy needed new golf clubs, so he is grateful for his running back’s generosity. “Yeah, financially, I wouldn’t be able to cover that right now,” Purdy admitted. “But shout-out to him. Everyone loved it. So yeah, thank you, Christian.” While Purdy might not be able to afford such an extravagant gift right now, his time is likely coming. The quarterback is a frontrunner to win the NFL’s MVP award and his 49ers are the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Those honors on a resume can help a player cash in when contract negotiations arrive. Purdy and the 49ers can begin those contract extension talks after next season. “He’s doing as much as he can with what he’s got, but eventually he’ll be just fine providing the gifts,” McCaffrey said.
We’ve got another edition of NHL rumours to put under your Christmas tree.
General mangers are asking for multiple types of present this holiday season. Some executives are seeking long-term extensions for players while others are trying to clear cap space. Will Santa Claus help grant their wishes? Today’s NHL rumours focus on the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change. NHL Rumours Toronto Maple Leafs Rumour: The latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading has the latest on the ongoing William Nylander contract extension talks.
Analysis: Johnston said that the Leafs and the Swedish forward are on the same page in regards to an extension. They even seem to be on the same page in terms of numbers. However, the two sides don’t want to make it too public at this time. Nylander has been having a great season so far in a contract year. The 27-year-old has 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 30 games.
He currently makes nearly $7 million and is in line for a massive payday. Young point-per-game players don’t hit the open market very often and Maple Leafs general manger Brad Treliving knows this. Both Treliving and Nylander want a deal done so they can focus on the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Nylander and Auston Matthews have been excellent this season for Toronto and have carried much of the scoring. It may be difficult for Toronto to have four players like Nylander, Matthews, Mich Marner and John Tavares making the lion’s share of the money. However, this core has helped Toronto get past the first round for the first time in years. The league salary cap going up a few million dollars does help.
However, there are still questions that Treliving is going to have to answer in the off-season. These questions are in goal, defence and with depth forwards.
However, signing Nylander would be a huge boost to the Leafs’ fortunes. Washington Capitals Rumour: The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun talked about Russian forward Evgeny Kuznetsov‘s availability at the deadline and beyond. Analysis: It’s no secret that the veteran forward’s production has fallen off in recent seasons. Kuznetsov used to be depended on to get at least 20 goals a season for the Capitals. However, he’s been struggling the last few campaigns.
The 31-year-old is making $7.8 million per season in his latest deal and he’s got two more to go on his contract. Kuznetsov also has a 10-team no-trade list that he would submit should the Capitals wish to make a deal. Defence seems to be a priority under new coach Spencer Carbery and Washington is hanging in there in the Metropolitan Division. However, there are other offensive players on the Capitals that are having trouble scoring this year. Team captain Alex Ovechkin just ended a 13-game goalless skid, which has taken much of the headlines. Kuznetsov only has five goals and six assists for 11 points in 26 games this campaign.
Washington general manager Brian MacLellan may be thinking about moving some salary around to get some younger pieces. The main problem in moving Kuznetsov this season is he’s got two years left on his deal.
Most contenders are looking for a rental and may not want to keep the veteran for next season. Salary could always be retained, but that may not be what Washington wants. However, LeBrun said a deal at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas could be more attainable. A team could pretty much rent Kuznetsov for a season and be willing to swallow most, if not all of the nearly $8 million cap hit.
New York Jets wide receiver Randall Cobb turns 34 years old next summer and may be a former player by the time he celebrates that occasion.
“The big thing will be my family and my situation with my kids,” Cobb said about his future during a chat with Tom Rock of Newsday. “I
’ll look back after this season and go through everything. I’ll take it for what it is and I’ll make the decision when I am ready to.” Cobb and quarterback Aaron Rodgers were teammates with the Green Bay Packers from 2011 through the 2018 season and again during the 2021 and 2022 campaigns before the Packers traded Rodgers to the Jets this past spring.
Cobb ultimately followed Rodgers to the Big Apple but largely became an afterthought after the 40-year-old signal-caller went down with a torn Achilles four snaps into the regular-season opener. Rock mentioned that Cobb has thus far played in just 37% of the Jets’ offensive snaps this season. Cobb has recorded four catches for 35 yards and a touchdown playing alongside quarterbacks not named Rodgers.
“I signed a one-year deal,” Cobb explained. “I am open to go wherever I want. It depends on the situation. We’ll see.” Rodgers suggested earlier this week he could spend at least another two seasons with the Jets, and it’s possible he could campaign for his longtime friend to remain with the organization. Despite the club’s disappointing 5-9 record and his overall lack of contributions, Cobb indicated he’s at peace with his decision to join the Jets even though he admitted he considered retiring earlier this year.
“I never regret anything,” Cobb insisted. “I always look at it as a learning experience and I think I learned a lot about myself this year.”
The Jets learned they may be more than just a quarterback away from earning a playoff berth. Giving Rodgers power to make personnel decisions failed to produce positive results for the club this season, but there’s no reason to believe he won’t hold similar authority when the team has to make important calls beginning in March.
Mason Rudolph hadn’t started an NFL game in two years. In the “year of the backup quarterback,” that doesn’t matter.
Rudolph threw for 290 yards, two touchdowns and a 124.0 quarterback rating in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 34-11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It was the highest-yardage performance by a Steelers QB this season and kept the team alive in the AFC wild-card race as the Bengals and Steelers both went to 8-7.
Pittsburgh also clinched the tiebreaker over Cincinnati. Pittsburgh scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and three of their first four. The Steelers went into the half leading 24-0, a stunning start for a team that’s notoriously struggled on offense in first halves. .
It’s the most successful game by a Steelers QB all year, and it came from a player who drew so little interest in free agency that he returned to Pittsburgh to be the backup to the backup quarterback. He’s one of many backups pressed into action for potential playoff teams this season, joining the likes of Gardner Minshew, Josh Dobbs, Joe Flacco and his Saturday opponent, Jake Browning. Browning threw for 335 yards, but hurt his team with three interceptions
But beyond the magic of the year of the backup QB, the Pittsburgh third-stringer’s success could owe a little to Christmas magic as well.
After all, there’s another Rudolph who wasn’t allowed to play in any game, who then unexpectedly led his team to success at the end of December. Sure, that was a red-nosed reindeer, but this Rudolph helping the Steelers score a season-high 34 points feels like even more of a Christmas miracle.
Warriors’ Draymond Green is currently serving an indefinite suspension after striking Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic in the face with his arm.
The veteran forward has been involved in multiple incidents over the past 18 months, including punching then-teammate Jordan Poole during Golden State’s 2022 training camp. Green recently signed a four-year, $100 million contract extension.
However, some believe Golden State could look to trade him if he continues to step out of line. According to a league executive, who spoke with Heavy on Sport’s Sean Deveney under the condition of anonymity, the Los Angeles Lakers could be the ideal trade partner.
The executive noted how LeBron James would be capable of keeping Green in check. “If you were to get him out of Golden State, there’s really only one team that could possibly trade for him. That’s the Lakers,” The executive told Deveney.
“No one else could really handle what he’s bringing. LeBron James could. Draymond has been kissing up to LeBron for a couple of years now…
It’s not just the on-court stuff and the fights and all of that.
But the contract. The approach—there are not a lot of teams he would want to play for. All of that. Our team, our owner, we could not handle a Draymond Green trade. Most people would say that same thing.
The Lakers could handle it, though. I doubt they want to. But they could.” Green has been an integral part of the Warriors’ core for over a decade.
It’s highly unlikely the front office would move on from him unless they felt they had no other option.
Should the Warriors decide it’s in their best interest to trade Green, though, the Lakers are a logical landing spot. Green’s friendship with LeBron is well-documented.
When locked in and at his best, Green is a generational defensive talent. He would quickly re-establish a championship mindset within the Lakers locker room and help LeBron challenge for another championship ring.
Nevertheless, it’s doubtful the Warriors would send Green to a championship rival unless they were entering a rebuild. Although, crazier things have happened in the NBA.
Part of being a quarterback in the National Football League is knowing how to work a podium.
Already one of the hardest jobs in the world on the field and in the meeting room, things don’t get any easier in front of a room full of reporters, especially after a loss.
Well, following some postgame comments, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky didn’t make it any easier on himself: Pointing The Finger “It ended up being one-on-one and [George Pickens] ended up taking a different angle than I was anticipating, so I tried to give him a 50-50 shot and the other kid made a good play,” said Trubsiky when asked about the interception after the game. Watching the play back, it’s tough to tell from the broadcast angle, but Pickens does look to be in an awkward position and maybe even mistimes his jump on the would be interception.
But It doesn’t matter if Pickens closed his eyes and laid down in the middle of the route. Part of being a QB is taking accountability for not only yourself but for the actions of the entire team.
And I realize that’s a lot easier said than done, especially when you just got benched in a must-win game and I’m typing from a keyboard, but that’s simply part of the job description in the NFL, and something a former top-five pick should know. But you don’t have to take my word for it.
Others in the press room were also surprised by Trubisky’s response, asking for clarification on his statement, to which he doubled down: “George [Pickens] took a different angle than where I saw him coming out so I just tried to throw it where I saw him last,” said Trubisky when asked to clarify whether he was referring to the angle of Pickens or the defensive back. So I don’t know. Trubisky left that field with a look of defeat.
It probably took all he had to get up to that podium and answer most of the questions respectfully and professionally.
But throwing a teammate under the bus is never the answer at QB, no matter how wrong that player is, but especially in light of something as simple as a route adjustment.
In what could have been his final appearance as a Steelers QB, Trubisky finished the game throwing for 169 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions (the second one he took credit for) and 31.7 QBR (out of 100).
