NFL analyst buries Commanders haters in awesome rant

The Washington Commanders have arrived, ladies and gents. We’re not exactly sure what that means or where they’ll go from here, but they need to be taken seriously after winning six of their last seven games. The defense is performing out of its skin, and the offense has finally established an identity as a run-first unit.

Despite the fact Washington is the hottest team in the NFL — no team has a better record over the last seven weeks — the team has hardly garnered any respect. Some power rankings credit the turnaround, but others, like USA Today, refuse to accept the Commanders’ on-field product has turned a corner.

While their reputation is steadily improving among the general media, the Commanders are still viewed as the NFL’s go-to punchline. A lot of that has to do with ownership and the fact the organization is a walking nightmare as far as PR decisions are concerned; see the Sean Taylor memorial installation.

But what about recognizing the football team’s performance?

NFL analyst Kyle Brandt of “Good Morning Football” is tired of this narrative. This rant is must-see content for all Washington fans.

Fans must watch NFL analyst Kyle Brandt’s rant defending the Commanders.

"“They got Ohio State and Alabama playmakers all over the field. [Co-host] Peter [Schrager] talked about the d-line. They’re quarterback is working class, but they’re a really, really talented, loaded blue-chip team with a head coach that’s been to the Super Bowl.”” . . . Washington is First-Team All-American easy target. They’re just a convenient punchline. If you need a witty tweet or a funny meme, you make fun of Washington. It’s easy, and they deserve a lot of it. I’ve had a tough time adjusting even to the word Commanders. I’ve hard a hard time adjusting to the uniforms, aesthetically, but I’m coming around.”“Make fun of them all you want. Just know they win every week.”"

Finally! This rant is an encapsulation of what Washington fans have been waiting for; someone to finally put Commanders haters in their place.

Like Brandt stated, most of the criticism is justified. In a certain sense, the franchise is still dysfunctional. Most teams wouldn’t promise a statue of a franchise icon and have a wire mannequin prop as the end product.

Their nickname might be corny and not catchy — another rebrand is feasible once there’s a change in ownership — and their uniforms haven’t received rave reviews, but what does any of that matter if the team is winning every week?

You want to drag the Commanders for all of their off-field shortcomings while the team itself is a basement-dweller and headed for a high draft pick, that’s fine. But it’s simply outdated (and uncreative) to continue treating them like the league’s laughingstock when they own a 7-5 record and a Wild Card spot.

We give Brandt a ton of credit for going to bat for Washington when seemingly every other analyst would rather ignore their ascension. Thank you for zigging while the general media continues zagging, and thank you for trying to break a long-standing narrative.

It’s time to wake up and stop sleeping on the Commanders.