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Commanders’ $3.8B D.C. Stadium Nears Key Council Vote
There was plenty of political back-and-forth before the first vote in D.C. for a proposed Commanders stadium, but a scheduled second vote should be more straightforward.
The Commanders’ planned return to the District of Columbia is up for another vote Wednesday, and this time, the proposed $3.8 billion project is expected to face far less drama.
The Council of the District of Columbia initially approved about $1.1 billion in public funding on Aug. 1 for a domed facility and mixed-use
development on the grounds of RFK Stadium, the NFL team’s former home. Now, that measure is back for a second and final vote as a result of local rules requiring the multistage process to approve legislation.
In this second reading of the bill, a straight majority of “yes” votes among the 13-member council, amounting to seven votes, is required for passage.
The Commanders are set to contribute at least $2.7 billion toward the stadium and are responsible for all cost overruns. The team and District leaders are aiming for a 2030 opening for the new venue.
Washington Post (paywall)
The Raiders lean on Tom Brady’s insight. Other NFL teams don’t love that.
Brady’s seat in the Las Vegas coaches’ booth Monday night inflamed angst over his dual role as Fox broadcaster and Raiders minority owner.
When Tom Brady sat in the Las Vegas Raiders coaches’ booth at Allegiant Stadium, wearing a headset, during Monday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the long-simmering tension over his dual role as Raiders part-owner and Fox’s lead NFL analyst was reignited.
Only 10 days earlier, on the Friday before Brady called the Washington Commanders’ season-opening victory over the New York Giants for Fox, Brady participated in his crew’s remote broadcast meeting with Commanders Coach Dan Quinn and two of the team’s players. Neither Brady nor anyone else on the Fox crew showed up at the Commanders’ facility in Ashburn, Virginia, or watched the team practice. Fox did not arrange for Brady to speak with any Commanders players off-site and, according to one person familiar with the conversations, no team secrets were revealed during the broadcast meeting.
Still, the Commanders will face the Raiders — the team that just had Brady in its coaches’ booth — on Sunday afternoon at Northwest Stadium, 16 days after Brady’s virtual conversations with them. Brady may not have been participating in football espionage, but there is at least the appearance of a conflict of interest in a league of paranoia, and the image on Monday’s ESPN broadcast of Brady in the coaches’ booth resonated.
A high-ranking official with another franchise called the situation unfair and said any complaints by teams about it are dismissed by the league.
Brady is scheduled to call the Chicago Bears’ game Sunday at Soldier Field against the Dallas Cowboys. The Bears play the Raiders a week later in Las Vegas.
Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly told ESPN that he speaks with Brady two to three times per week, the network reported on its broadcast Monday night.
ESPN sideline reporter Peter Schrager, a former Fox employee, said on the broadcast: “We hear so much about Brady as the owner. Chip Kelly told us that he talks to Brady two to three times a week. They go through film. They go through the game plan. And Brady is a luxury for the coaches. Who else has an owner who’s actually been there and done that?”
This was the second major flash point about Brady’s conflict. There also was scrutiny on the issue when he called the Commanders’ playoff game in Detroit last season as Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn were head coaching candidates for the Raiders.
The Ringer
14 Stats That Explain NFL Week 2
Total Pressures for Micah Parsons Through Two Weeks
The Parsons-led Packers defense is terrifying. After holding the Lions—who scored a 50-burger on Sunday—in Week 1 to their lowest yards per play average (3.8) since Anthony Lynn was calling the offense in 2021, Green Bay clobbered Jayden Daniels and the Commanders on Thursday. The Commanders averaged just 2.7 yards per play and scored three points through the first three quarters of the game. Two fourth-quarter Daniels touchdowns made the final score 27-18. But Washington finished the game with a negative-0.14 EPA per play average, the lowest for any game in the Daniels era. Parsons (on a snap count, mind you) led the charge.
Parsons totaled five hurries, two quarterback hits, and a sack against the Commanders. And he consistently had rookie first-round tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in hell, winning quickly off the snap on multiple third downs and drawing a holding penalty on the same play where he sacked Daniels. Parsons also beat veteran left tackle Laremy Tunsil on fourth down to seal the game late, and he wreaked havoc while stunting on the interior. The Packers paid a lot for Parsons—two first-round picks, veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark, and $188 million—expecting to get a superstar. Parsons is that and more. He’s a force multiplier who’s helping a loaded, young defense finally explode onto the scene.
The Green Bay secondary is taking advantage of the extra heat—cornerback Keisean Nixon had five (!) pass breakups against Washington—and all of the first-round picks along the defensive line (Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, and Devonte Wyatt) have been partying with Parsons in the backfield. Those three combined for 11 pressures through the first two weeks of last season; this year they’re at 25.
Commanders.com
Hail Mail | Questions up front, offensive adjustments
Do you expect Luke McCaffrey to have a bigger role in the absence of Noah Brown?
I’m going to tentatively say “yes” to this, although I think it will depend on how the personnel is used next week.
There’s not really another version of Brown on the roster, but it’s possible either Jaylin Lane or Chris Moore moves to the outside because of their skill set. Both players were praised in training camp for being able to play at multiple spots on the field, which would leave an open spot for McCaffrey in the slot. McCaffrey was an outside receiver in camp as well, but I’ve always felt he is best suited to be on the inside where he can use his quickness.
For the record, I don’t believe McCaffrey is an incapable receiver. I believe he has a lot of natural talent and works hard to be prepared for game days. However, he is also still learning the position, and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing for him to take a smaller role until he gets more experience.
With all that said, this weekend could present an opportunity to prove he is ready for more. I hope so, because I like to see people get rewarded for putting in the work behind the scenes.
Heavy.com
John Bates : Unlikely to play Week 3
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said Monday that Bates (groin) is a “long shot” to play Sunday versus Las Vegas, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports. Bates was injured in the second quarter in last Thursday’s loss to the Packers. Though he will have had extended time to recover, it doesn’t appear the veteran tight end will be able to suit up Sunday. Ben Sinnott and Colson Yankoff could both see more snaps than usual against the Raiders, though Zach Ertz — who logged 89 percent of Washington’s defensive snaps Week 2 — will likely continue to carry a heavy workload as the team’s top tight end.
Commanders Wire
Could Commanders reunite with a familiar face?
The Commanders lost defensive end Deatrich Wise for the season with a torn quad, and replacing him will not be easy. Washington signed Wise to provide size on the edge and his ability to help stop the run. The Commanders signed Jalyn Holmes from the practice squad. Holmes will help, but Washington may not be done looking for veteran defensive help.
The Commanders worked out veteran defensive end/linebacker Preston Smith on Tuesday, per Field Yates of ESPN. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Smith is a former Washington second-round pick. The then-Redskins selected Smith with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. In four seasons with Washington, Smith appeared in all 64 games, making 50 starts, and finished with 168 tackles, including 29 for loss, 24.5 sacks, four interceptions and four forced fumbles.
Smith signed a four-year deal with the Green Bay Packers in March 2019, where he spent the next five-and-a-half seasons before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. In 10 NFL seasons, Smith has played in 163 games with 138 starts, made 443 tackles, 74 for loss, 70.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and five interceptions.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Smith is 32 years old.
Smith is more known for his ability to help stop the run than he is a pass rusher, which would line up with Washington’s needs.
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders need more than excuses from Marshon Lattimore moving forward
Instead of taking accountability, Lattimore was quick to criticize the officiating. He felt they didn’t do enough to keep the game flowing, missing several important calls. The Ohio State product was despondent, but he’s experienced enough to shake it off.
“No, they were not [penalties]. And they missed one on the deep ball when he pushed off. Go look at the film. There’s no way he read that much separation if I’m right there. They missed calls, they called calls that weren’t supposed to be calls. I don’t really think it was fair. It is what it is. Live to fight another day.”Marshon Lattimore via Pro Football Talk
Excuses are wearing thin, in all honesty. Lattimore is entering dangerous territory, and the NFL is watching.
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders injury crisis could thrust second-year TE Ben Sinnott into the spotlight
Dan Quinn revealed that Bates’ participation in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders was unlikely. The head coach didn’t reveal the plan in his absence, but it would be a big shock if 2024 second-round pick Ben Sinnott didn’t get what could be a pivotal audition at Northwest Stadium.
Sinnott came into the Commanders with real potential. Things haven’t come together as yet, which is thanks in no small part to Bates and Zach Ertz forming a highly productive tandem. With the blocker now seemingly unavailable, this represents the perfect opportunity for the coaching staff to see what the second-year pro out of Kansas State can do.
The Commanders didn’t increase Sinnott’s reps at Lambeau Field. Perhaps they thought he wasn’t ready to cope with Micah Parsons and Rashan Gary, who were both in relentless form. But with a full week to prepare to fill Bates’ shoes, the scenario becomes more realistic.
If Sinnott gets the opportunity in a starting role, he must seize it. The player remains an unknown quantity despite the outstanding athletic attributes at his disposal. But with four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby coming to town, the margin for error couldn’t be slimmer.
This has the scope to rewrite Sinnott’s story, for good or bad.
If he gets additional reps and flourishes, that could lead to increased involvement with added confidence from fans and coaches alike. If he cannot meet even modest expectations, he’s likely to spend his sophomore campaign on the fringes from here on. Perhaps it might even spell the end of his Washington career next year if things go completely off the rails.
Podcasts & videos
Washington Commanders QB Panic? Why Marcus Mariota is the PERFECT Plan B vs Las Vegas Raiders
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Vic Fangio says Jalen Carter needs to get in better shape
“[Jalen Carter] had some good rushes. I think he still needs to round into better shape. He and I talked about that, and he readily admits that, and we can get more. But, I thought that, for everything that has gone on in his world, I thought he played pretty good.”
Fangio went on to say that getting into shape isn’t something related to missing Week 1, it’s just something they’ve been working on. The DC later elaborated and said that Carter had a shoulder issue that limited his practice time, the shorter practices the Eagles have, and the limited reps that he’s gotten (for multiple reasons), contributed to the shape he’s in.
During the game, Carter was seen holding his right arm/wrist, and Fangio acknowledged that the DT is dealing with, “A little something there,” but nothing that will slow him down much.
Eagles Wire
Eagles waived former Georgia All-American defensive back from Injured Reserve
Cine popped up on the NFL transaction wire on Monday, as Philadelphia waived Cine off the injured reserve list, meaning the defensive back could be healthy and ready to sign with another team.
The Eagles added Cine as depth to the secondary ahead of Wild Card weekend, signing Lewis Cine to the active roster. The former Vikings first-round pick and Byron Young were added to the roster.
Cine was selected by Minnesota 32nd overall in the 2022 draft and joined the Bills’ practice squad after being released by the Vikings last summer. He broke his leg during his rookie season and was limited to playing 10 defensive snaps in 10 games over his two years in Minnesota.
The 24-year-old from Haiti is listed at 6-foot-2 and 199 pounds and is a low-risk signing after a decorated college career at Georgia. Cine earned defensive MVP honors in Georgia’s 33-18 win over Alabama in the national championship game in the 2021 season.
The Ringer
14 Stats That Explain NFL Week 2
Jalen Hurts Completions More Than 10 Yards Downfield
The Eagles are 2-0, but their passing offense doesn’t look anything close to the unit that carried them to a Super Bowl title last season. Through two weeks, Hurts has attempted just eight passes more than 10 yards downfield and has completed only two of them. Among NFL starters, only Titans rookie Cam Ward has a lower completion rate on such throws. Against Kansas City, Hurts went 1-of-5 on those attempts, with his lone completion coming on a 28-yard heave to DeVonta Smith that set up a fourth-quarter tush push touchdown to put Philly up two scores.
The lack of vertical bite is stalling Philly’s offense. Defenses are sitting in their short and intermediate passing coverages, daring Hurts to push the ball beyond the sticks. That led to empty possessions against Kansas City and kept a dysfunctional Chiefs team in the game far longer than it should have been. For all the talk of continuity on the Eagles offense, the passing attack has looked clunky and one-dimensional so far. Hurts has been bailed out by his legs, the offensive line, and clutch catches like Smith’s on Sunday, but this is not a sustainable formula.
Upcoming opponent
Silver & Black Pride
What they’re saying, Geno Smith lets Raiders down against Chargers
In the season opener against the New England Patriots, Smith was sharp and connected on several deep passes to throw for 362 yards. However, in Week 2 on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers, the quarterback forced throws all night, ending with three interceptions and just 180 yards through the air.
While there were certainly some bad performances from other players on the team, it’s hard not to blame the man behind center more than anyone else. For example, the defense was solid for the majority of the game, allowing just 20 points and that includes a field goal after a three-and-out. How does that happen? Well, an interception on the first play of the game gave the Chargers the ball on the Raiders’ 25-yard line…
Silver & Black Pride
Raiders-Chargers score: Geno Smith has a miserable game
The Raiders had a great opportunity in Week 2 as they closed out the week on “Monday Night Football” in front of the country.
They saw the Denver Broncos (1-1) and the Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) both lose Sunday. They were playing in front of a pro-Raiders crowd at Allegiant Stadium (that’s not always the case), part owner Tom Brady was in the coaching booth. Pete Carroll, coaching at home for the first time in Las Vegas, turned 74 Monday.
It was supposed to be a party.
Then the game started and the Raiders were beaten easily by the Los Angeles Chargers 20-9.
Here are some key aspects of the game:
Bad Geno:
The story of the Raiders’ Week 1 win at the New England was the play of Geno Smith. He threw for 366 yards and had nine passes of 20-plus years. He was terrific. But Smith has been known to be somewhat erratic over the years and Monday night was definitely one of those games. Smith was 0-11 on passes of 10 yards or longer. He threw an interception on the first play of the game and he ended up throwing three picks. He was never comfortable. For an offense that was held down by Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell last season, Smith was as lousy as those two in Week 2. He needs a fast reset.
Tough night for Chip Kelly:
Kelly, the Raiders’ new offensive coordinator, was lauded like Smith was after last week. He was questioned after this game. The Raiders offense looked stagnant in all phases and he was slow to get star tight end Brock Bowers involved. The offense was in a rut all game and it wasn’t all Smith’s fault. By the way, the Raiders’ long red-zone woes have continued. They are 1-7 in the red zone this season. New quarterback, new offensive coordinator. Same results near the goal line.
Silver & Black Pride
Raiders-Chargers Week 2 winners and losers, Geno Smith’s Monday Night Football woes continue
A lot of losers this week
LOSER: Geno Smith
Heading into this week, Smith was 3-6 in nine starts on Monday nights and had only thrown over 200 yards twice, per StatMuse. So, the loss against the Chargers makes him 3-7 and just two for 10 in 200-yard or better performances. Also, he’s now thrown almost as many interceptions (eight) as touchdowns (nine), and was Pro Football Focus’ second-lowest graded (40.0) quarterback for the week.
It goes without saying, but the Raiders are going to need much better play from their signal caller moving forward.
LOSER: Dylan Parham
Las Vegas’ interior offensive line continues to struggle, and Parham was a big part of the problem against the Chargers. He gave up six pressures (one sack) and earned below-average PFF grades in both phases of the game with a 45.2 mark in pass protection and 50.8 as a run blocker. On top of that, the fourth-year pro was flagged for holding twice, bringing his penalty count up to three in two games.
LOSER: Pass Rush
Las Vegas’ other defensive issue on Monday night was a lack of pass rush. Justin Herbert was pressured just eight times and on 25.0 percent of his dropbacks. For context, those figures are tied for the fourth- and sixth-fewest, respectively, among quarterbacks for the week, according to PFF.
Silver & Black Pride
Offensive woes on Monday Night Football drop Raiders in Week 3 NFL power rankings
Bleacher Report
22. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 18
Every bit of momentum the Las Vegas Raiders built with a Week 1 win at New England was squandered on Pete Carroll’s 74th birthday. All of it.
Despite the fact that no one was open essentially all game long, Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly made the run game an afterthought. Instead, Geno Smith attempted 43 passes, threw three interceptions and had a passer rating south of 40.
Defensively, the Raiders got next to no pressure on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, and while Herbert’s stats weren’t especially gaudy, he did as he pleased for most of the game.
Two games into the season, it’s hard to tell whether the Raiders can’t run the ball or just don’t want to. The latter’s an odd choice, what with drafting Ashton Jeanty sixth overall in April and all.
Vegas had a 19-play drive that took over 11 minutes—and kicked a field goal. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Happy birthday, indeed. – Gary Davenport
More criticism of Kelly’s play-calling as people are questioning why Jeanty isn’t getting the ball more often. That’s especially head-scratching since the offensive coordinator is known for his running game. But the defense is also getting called out here, specifically, the pass rush. The Chargers put the blueprint out there where if opposing offenses can keep Maxx Crosby in check, the Raiders’ other defensive linemen are struggling to win one-on-one matchups consistently.
NFL league links
Articles
ESPN
Why don’t all teams use the unstoppable tush push? Here’s why
Only nine teams have run the play 10 or more times since 2022. Four teams — the New Orleans Saints, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins — have never attempted one.
Even the Indianapolis Colts under Shane Steichen, who was at the forefront of implementing the play when he was with the Eagles, have attempted push plays just three times since he was hired in Indianapolis in 2023. None of those attempts produced a first down.
The league average success rate for a fourth-and-1 non-tush play is 67.0% since 2022, while the league average for a tush push is 84.8%. And the Eagles’ rate is nearly 12 points higher, but the teams opposed to the play have a variety of objections, including avoiding injury risk to quarterbacks or not having personnel ideally suited to running the play.
STEICHEN REMEMBERS VIVIDLY the revelatory moment when he discovered the tush push might become a go-to tactic.
He was Philadelphia’s playcaller on Oct. 9, 2022, when the Eagles included the current version of the play in their game plan for the first time (they had used a variant of it sparingly in 2021). It was originally intended to be one of several short-yardage plays in their offensive catalogue.
“We hit the first one, and I’m like, ‘All right, that was pretty nice, let’s do it again,'” Steichen said. “And, so, we did it again. I don’t even know how many times we ran it in that one game.”
All told, the Eagles attempted the play six times in the victory over Arizona. They converted first downs on five of those attempts.
That was the day everything changed.
The play became the singular focus of the Eagles’ short-yardage offense. The offensive coaching staff routinely held weekly 90-minute meetings about short-yardage situations before employing the tush push, Steichen said. But the instant success of the push play reduced those meetings to about 10 minutes.
“We’d look at each other and say, ‘So, are we good?'” Steichen said. “If there wasn’t anything else, we’d just say, ‘All right, we’re done.'”
Since 2022, other teams have had ample opportunity to duplicate the play. But only the Bills have used it with any regularity, converting 51 out of 57 attempts — with any down and distance — for an 89.5% success rate. The Chicago Bears (16 attempts) are the next closest team.
THERE ARE other factors to consider, even for teams with top offensive lines.
Take Washington, for example. The Commanders were third in the NFL this past season in rushing yards per game and ranked second in collective run block win rate. But their slender rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels (6-foot-4, 210 pounds), is not as powerfully built as Hurts, who is a compact 6-1 and 223 pounds and famously squats nearly 600 pounds.
“I’m assuming they don’t want me to do it,” Daniels said of the Commanders’ aversion to the play. “I guess that’s the reason why. If I need to do it, I’ll do it.”
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said he might consider using the tush push with rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe, who showed himself to be a powerful runner at Alabama. The Seahawks successfully executed one in the preseason with Milroe under center and could deploy it again.
“You’ve seen him,” Macdonald said. “He’s a strong person.”
Instead, the Seahawks ran one with tight end AJ Barner on Sunday against the Steelers, and they converted.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s position on the concept is simple: Count me out. And he told former Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury as much.
Murray recalled running a quarterback sneak early in his career against the Falcons. He converted the first down, he said, but defenders were in the pile “f—ing with my fingers and messing with me and stuff. I told Kliff … ‘Yo, I’m not doing that s— again.’
