Commanders News: Eric Bieniemy, Ron Rivera, Chase Young and Sam Howell
By Dean Jones
Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines as the first real controversy of training camp emerged?
The Washington Commanders are three days away from participating in their first preseason game at the Cleveland Browns on Friday evening. Of course, it was never going to be smooth sailing in terms of distractions, but at least the first was football related rather than scandal-involving ownership.
That said, among the stories causing heated debate recently include Ron Rivera's revelations, Eric Bieniemy's firm stance, Chase Young's high stakes, and Sam Howell's progress.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Commanders HC Ron Rivera's revelations
Before practice began on Tuesday, head coach Ron Rivera decided to drop a revelation that should probably have been kept in-house. This, of course, centered on his statements about certain Washington Commanders players being unhappy with Eric Bienemy's harsh coaching methods.
Rivera outlined via Pro Football Talk that he directed them to Bieniemy rather than get involved to any significant degree. But this is probably something the figurehead would like to have back given what transpired in the immediate aftermath.
"I had a number of guys come to me and I said, ‘Hey, just go talk to him.’ I said, ‘Understand what he’s trying to get across to you.’ I think as they go and they talk and they listen to him, it’s been enlightening for a lot of these guys. I mean, it’s a whole different approach. Again, you’re getting a different kind of player from the players back in the past, especially in light of how things are coming out of college football. So a lot of these young guys, they do struggle with certain things."
- Ron Rivera via Pro Football Talk
Whether this was done methodically or not with Bieniemy also taking the podium after practice is debatable. Some thought the reaction to Rivera's comments went too far while others speculated this could be the start of an intriguing power struggle between the two in 2023.
Time will tell, I guess.