Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines as preparations gather pace for their Week 13 game against the Miami Dolphins?
Speculation is mounting about what comes next for the Washington Commanders after the season. This is the main topic of discussion among the regional and national media, but it's easy to forget there are five games and a bye week to get through before some inevitable changes come to fruition.
For the staff and players, their focus will be on this weekend's game against the Miami Dolphins and nothing else. As preparations for the clash continue, the stories causing debate include the penny-dropping with Sam Howell, Ron Rivera sharing a story about former assistant Mike McDaniel, former Washington star Desean Jackson calling it a day, and Josh Harris on the team's new stadium plans.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Desean Jackson calls it a career
One of the best deep ball merchants of all time has hung up his cleats for good. Desean Jackson officially retired after 15 seasons as an NFL wide receiver and kick returner, three of which he spent in Washington from 2013 until after the 2016 campaign.
Jackson is a three-time Pro Bowler who took the league by storm after the Philadelphia Eagles selected him No. 49 overall in the 2008 NFL Draft out of California. His big-money move to Washington came with two 1,000-yard receiving seasons and 14 touchdowns, which was decent output before moving on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He also returned kicks with supreme efficiency in two of his three seasons in Washington. Jackson was nothing short of electrifying when healthy and although he retires an Eagle, we wish him all the best moving forward.
Ron Rivera impressed with Mike McDaniel
The Miami Dolphins offense is one of the league's most explosive They have speed everywhere you look, can break off chunk plays at will, and have no trouble putting games out of sight quickly once early momentum is generated.
Mike McDaniel is the brainchild. He's a former Washington assistant as part of a staff that also included names such as Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and Matt LaFleur among others. But the Dolphins head coach revealed that he'd written previously to Ron Rivera for a job coming out of college and was surprised to get a reply.
Although an employment opportunity didn't come following the exchange, Rivera highlighted how impressed he was with McDaniel's early initiative via Sports Illustrated. This determination coupled with offensive innovation saw him rise through the coaching ranks quickly to the top job in Miami.
"Well, I remember replying, and then he reminded me of it last year when I was at one of the committee meetings and we had a great conversation. He's a very bright, very sharp young man. He really is. When people do things like that, they take the initiative, it goes back to that old saying that I was told back in the day when I wanted to get into coaching, and that is, ‘They're not going to send a limo, so go get the job.' And that was my mentality, and I was very impressed with that. And that's why I responded. He took the time and the least I could do is take the time to respond to him. And it's kind of proven it because he's turned into a heck of a football coach. He really has. He's done a great job."Ron Rivera via Sports Illustrated
This is a pretty cool story and it speaks volumes about both head coaches. But it will count for nothing when the pair square off this weekend.
Commanders remain confident in Sam Howell
It's difficult to say with any guarantee what the future holds for quarterback Sam Howell. The signal-caller is performing well in difficult circumstances, but there's just no telling how a new coaching staff or key front-office personnel will take things forward if the Washington Commanders make changes.
Howell's growth is encouraging and he currently leads the league in passing yards within Eric Bieniemy's pass-heavy system. But it's the overall development and how the former fifth-round pick is correcting mistakes that are more impressive to head coach Ron Rivera based on comments via USA Today Sports.
"This is really his (Howell’s) first year, our first year as a team, in the system. I’d like to believe that we’ve seen what the potential of it could be as we continue to grow in it. And as Sam continues to learn it, and the rest of the guys do too as well, the balance of spreading it to who needs to have it. I think that (getting the ball to the playmakers) will come even more so as things continue to develop."Ron Rivera via USA Today Sports
Finishing the season strongly will put Howell in a good spot. Even if the Commanders' new regime decided not to move forward with the gunslinger, countless teams around the league would be willing trade partners if Washington went with someone else.
However, that would be extremely harsh based on the body of work Howell's put on tape this season.
Josh Harris wants Commanders stadium to strike fear
It's been a baptism of fire for Josh Harris' ownership group in recent months. The Washington Commanders haven't exactly thrived on the field, but the pieces are slowly coming together away from the gridiron as part of the new regime's plans to turn this storied organization into an industry leader once again.
One of the biggest remaining riddles centers on a new stadium. Discussions are ongoing, but Harris stated via Nicki Jhabvala from the Washington Post his desire to provide a venue that's feared around the league once again. Something FedEx Field never truly provided thanks in no small part to the team's failings under Dan Snyder.
"Obviously RFK was a place where the opposing team didn't want to play, so we had an extra man on the field. … It was an edge, right? So, how you create an edge for your team is an important way to think about it. Having a stadium that is accessible to the DMV at large, the best we can manage that, is important."Josh Harris via X/Twitter
It'll be interesting to see where the Commanders decide to locate this lavish new venue. The sentimentalist fans want a return to the RFK Stadium site - which is entirely understandable - but Maryland and Virginia are also making strong plays thanks to the economic benefits that would arrive.
Watch this space, I guess…