Sam Howell: “We’re not fully set on rebuilding. We’re trying to win right now and we have the players to do it.”
LIVE: QB Sam Howell speaks to the media before practice https://t.co/SGKwObwQYB
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) November 1, 2023
They employ a variety of strategies when playing defense, and it’s evident that they make an effort to obstruct your vision, which they do quite well. Before the snap, they attempt to present you with a variety of looks before playing some of the same coverages that everyone else does. They just require some unusual approaches to reach them, but they perform admirably. There’s obviously a reason why their success on the defensive side of the ball has been so great up there. We’ll undoubtedly face challenges as a result.
Sam Howell addressing the media. Thought the offense as a whole was very efficient. Probably their best performance on third down, but they need to find a way to finish
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) November 1, 2023
Howell said the Commanders did a much better job on first and second down, which helped them sustain drives. Had more of an identity on Sunday
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) November 1, 2023
I felt that my removal of the ball was good. I obviously try to get the ball out as quickly as possible before every game. I take the play as soon as the defense signals where I can get the ball out for a completion. I felt like I mostly did a good job of that on Sunday, and I did a good job of trying not to get sacks.
Of course, the O-line deserves credit for it. They performed admirably, but I felt that our offensive line as a whole was very effective and performed well on first and second downs, which helped to make the third downs easier to handle. We played our best third-down game of the year in that one, I think. We carried out
Sam Howell says he hates to lose Chase Young and Montez Sweat, calls them great teammates, but Howell makes clear Washington is still trying to win pic.twitter.com/WfSHJcWr75
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 1, 2023
Howell on the trade: hate to lose Chase Young and Montez Sweat because they're great guys and great players, but the team did what they thought was the best decision. Still a lot of football left
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) November 1, 2023
It’s never easy. Two outstanding players and teammates. Of course, I had no influence over the trade decisions made by them; instead, they did what they thought would be best for the team going forward. I’m sorry to see those two go. They are obviously amazing players, but they’re also wonderful guys in the locker room. They work extremely hard and are enjoyable to be around. I hope the best for those guys and wish them all the best.
Sam Howell to reporters in Ashburn: "We’re not fully set on rebuilding. We’re trying to win right now and we have the players to do it.”
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 1, 2023
To be honest, not many of those conversations really involve the players. For our part, we simply strive to exert as much control over the things that we can and daily do our best to support this football team in winning games. I believe that when two players are lost in a row, it naturally creates a space for other players to enter and develop their skills. This season of football is far from over, and our goals are not limited to reconstruction. Right now, we feel that we have the players to achieve our goal of winning. We’ll exert every effort to try and win every game we participate in.
Regarding the reasons why things go well or poorly, I believe they vary every single week. We avoided the bad plays, and I believe we were efficient. We managed to get the ball out rather quickly and we avoided the sacks. We simply performed well on first and second down, in my opinion. I think it’s easier to maintain drives when you can perform well on first and second down. On Sunday, I felt like we truly had a distinct identity in terms of the things we were attempting to accomplish. We’ll just keep working to improve that and try to showcase that performance going forward.
