Josh Harris’ first season of Washington Commanders ownership should look like Calvin works at WacArnold night patrol. This seems like a great opportunity early on to own a historic franchise. Until you start comparing them to the most respected franchises in the league. Being praised for the team he owns must have sounded good until he discovered that the mess left by Dan Snyder left Washington in the fast food franchise tier.
Meanwhile, Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys gorge on the NFL equivalent of Gordon Ramsey’s cooking. Loud, overdramatic and way too overexposed. Midway through the season, fans began to realize how hunger had clouded their decision to support the team. While the Cowboys have fielded the best offense and defense in terms of talent on both sides of the ball, Washington’s drive-thru roster looks like stale, processed hamburger meat.
Everything in Washington looks like fast food quality. The quarterback is an undercooked fifth-round pick, the running game is mushy, and the coaching staff is cooking burnt fries. The season ended after they were burned by the Philadelphia Eagles just before the trade deadline. The Commanders fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio on Friday after the Dallas offense moved the ball at will. A season that began with high expectations as part of Del Rio’s zone game coverage program turned into a disaster. After impersonating a top defense in the second half of 2022Washington is the league’s worst-performing defense a year later and has forced fewer turnovers than 24 of the league’s 32 teams.
It’s not entirely Del Rio’s fault. Washington has clumsily chosen both sides this decade. Former pick #2 Chase Young was traded to San Francisco after four disappointing seasons in exchange for a conditional third-round pick. Washington’s most recent first-rounder, Emmanuel Forbes, has been a consistent DNP when healthy or sitting due to injury. Washington hasn’t even ranked in the top half in offensive scoring in seven seasons.
Dallas and the Commanders seemed like a rivalry. These days it seems like an exhibition game between the Washington Generals and the Globetrotters. Sam Howell is the only bright spot this season, but even he piles on bad performances in a hurry, while backing it up with empty calorie numbers. In Washington’s annual Turkey Day clash, Howell also threw a pick six to DaRon Bland. Howell shouldn’t be judged too harshly for his rookie mistakes against a top-five defense. Bland has now made a record five pick sixes this season in Diggs’ absence.
A season that started with aspirations of another playoff run has turned into another race to the bottom. This team needs more than a rebranding. He needs a new coaching staff, a new attitude, and Washington saw enough of that to invest another season in Howell.
Howell currently leads the league in passing yardage and has accumulated a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio. But he also discovered that Washington’s offensive line is nothing more than a paper straw. In 12 games, Howell was sacked 55 times, 17 more than the next most sacked signal-caller, Zach Wilson. At his current rate, Howell is on pace to surpass David Carr as the most sacked quarterback in a single season.
It’s the cycle for Washington callers. The front office discovers middle-of-the-road talent, devotes way too many seasons to a team with .500 potential, then repeats the process over and over again. What’s the point of having Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson lined up at receiver if you’re not going to have a premium arm to deliver passes to them downfield?
Offensively, Ceedee Lamb and Dak Prescott make up one of the most formidable tandems in football. Say what you will about Prescott’s playoff shortcomings, but he’s a leader behind a line of scrimmage compared to Washington’s Cooks. While Washington is arguably the most porous defense in the league, Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs, as defensive cornerstones, single-handedly disrupt opposing offenses.
Even if their seasons have a habit of ending tragically, at least they’re in the game. Washington still smells like years-old bad ingredients under a heat lamp.
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