It seems the perception of Washington Commanders rookie linebacker Sonny Styles differs greatly inside the organization than from what's on social media.
In Washington's first two preseason games, Twitter "analysts" responded to clips of Styles saying that he was lost, out of position, and had no idea where he was. Specifically, in the second preseason game against Detroit, the Commanders allowed quarterback Joshua Dobbs to score on a 50-yard touchdown run. Those same "analysts" blamed it on Styles.
They were wrong, and it was basic football 101.
Styles had a solid preseason. Was it perfect? No, and he acknowledged as much. Considering he played 30 snaps or less in the preseason, he was impressive. Head coach Dan Quinn said over the summer that
he encouraged Styles to play fast and play through his mistakes.
"We're chasing hard to have absolute elite execution," Quinn said. "I also recognize there are gonna be mistakes, and I want them to happen when you're working right on the edge of something; you're going to make them. I encouraged Sonny just the other day: make them. I want you to test yourself to see: can I go to that space to get the ball? Can I be in that location? Can I go take my shot? I want them right on the edge, knowing that mistakes are part of it, and then when they happen, that they don't get repeated. And so, that's the execution piece."
Washington practiced for the final time this week on Wednesday. The Commanders will have a long weekend before they get into a normal weekly schedule next week. Quinn was asked about Styles heading into the regular season.
“The football learning was excellent," Quinn said on Wednesday.
"He had a lot of intent to get it just right. Staying late to get to the details. I like he and [Frankie] Luvu and Leo [Chenal] together and what they can bring. I felt the physicality of him from the first time we had pads. There was a good play at the one- or two-yard line, and see him go and play physical. That was there. So, I feel like a player that's going like this, that's what you'd hope to see. New system, new calls. Frankie and he will both make calls on the field. Sometimes there's too much to be made of a green dot with the coach calling it in, but the position requires leadership, and he has that at linebacker. Those are a few of the things that jumped out to me, but I like the competitor, and I feel like, man, this guy's one of those people that is just gonna grow as he's going.”
Sonny Styles will be fine. Will he make mistakes? Sure. Will he make plays that no one else can? Absolutely. Styles was born to play football in the NFL. He's succeeded at every athletic endeavor he's ever encountered. If the Commanders didn't trust Styles, they wouldn't let him share green-dot responsibilities with Luvu so early in his career.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: How do Commanders feel about Sonny Styles heading into Week 1?
