Charles Mann offers advice for Chase Young after sluggish sophomore season

The now-Washington Commanders’ perfect start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 was derailed when Chase Young suffered a non-contact injury to his right knee while trying to maneuver around left tackle Donovan Smith.

You could tell by Young’s immediate reaction that it was a serious injury and we knew before the end of that Sunday he suffered a torn ACL.

Just like that, Young’s sophomore season was over, which is a real shame given he disappointed before the bye and was seemingly out to prove something to his doubters over the second half of the campaign.

In nine games before the injury, the former No. 2 overall pick produced just three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and nine QB hits. We’d argue he made a bigger impact than those numbers suggest, but there’s no hiding from those stats.

So, what caused Young to slump after a phenomenal rookie season? We honestly couldn’t tell you. Ron Rivera speculated that he was pressing too much and sticking to the edge a little too long before he ducked inside.

Now, Washington legend Charles Mann has come forward with advice.

Washington legend Charles Mann wants to help Chase Young after his disappointing sophomore season.

"“I think Chase Young got overwhelmed. He started believing the press clippings,” Mann said during a Wednesday appearance on 106.7 The Fan’s Sports Junkies.“You’ve got to build a rapport. If you want to be the best, then just quietly do your job. Don’t start talking, because all of a sudden, everybody’s going to start looking out for him. The next thing you know, it was tough.”"

Mann makes some salient points. Coming off a dominant rookie year in which he tallied 10 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 40 pressures, four forced fumbles and 30 run stops en route to making the Pro Bowl and being named the Defensive Rookie of the Year, it’s very possible that Young got complacent.

If you remember, Young skipped OTAs because he was “busy making money,” or fulfilling endorsement obligations. As we noted at the time, he can do whatever he pleases with his free time (OTAs aren’t mandatory), but that’s not the attitude you would expect from a humbled second-year player.

In addition, Young hyped up Washington’s defense as one of the NFL’s best. While it wasn’t a farfetched statement at the time after how the group performed in 2020, you have to be able to backup those comments.

And finally, we get to Young and Montez Sweat aiming to set the combined sack record for teammates. For those curious, the record is 39. We love the idea of dreaming big, but let’s not sprint before we’ve mastered jogging.

If there’s anyone who knows what it takes to make a big jump from Year 2 to Year 3, it’s Mann, who ranks third on Washington’s all-time sack list. After posting seven sacks as a sophomore, Mann notched 14 in his third year in 1985.

On top of offering his own services, Mann volunteered Dexter Manley, his former teammate who just so happens to rank second on the franchise’s all-time sack list, to come help Young and Washington’s other pass rushers.

Mann even wants to teach them his signature move.

"“Dexter Manley and I are still in the community,” Mann said. “We’re still here. If they need our help, we’d love to go out there and help. I’d love to go out there and show them some stuff.”“I would do it in a heartbeat. I love the team. I would love to support them.”"

We fully believe 2021 will go down as a blip on the radar for Young, but it couldn’t hurt to learn some life lessons — and maybe some new pass-rush moves — from one of Washington’s most accomplished defensive players.