Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines ahead of the team's first joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens?
Things promise to be intense and physical in equal measure when the Washington Commanders lock horns with the Baltimore Ravens for two joint practices beginning today. This is ahead of their preseason contest on Monday night and promises to be full of incidents as players look to cement their depth chart positions ahead of final cuts.
Time to strap them up and get to work. Until then, among the stories causing debate recently include Montez Sweat drawing rave reviews, a former player blasting the current generation, an insider lifting the lid on Eric Bieniemy's transition, and Ron Rivera on what he wants to gain from the team's upcoming joint practices.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Ron Rivera on Commanders' joint practices
In a few short hours, the Washington Commanders will take the field for the first of two sessions with the Baltimore Ravens. This will be a tremendous measuring stick for Ron Rivera's team after becoming re-energized during one of the most eventful off-seasons in recent memory.
When asked about what he wants from joint practices, Rivera stated his eagerness to keep his players focused on the task at hand and avoid any of the unnecessary wasted energy that can emerge from occasions such as this based on his comments via the team's website.
"We don't want to go around and bull----. We want to get around, we want to learn, we want to grow, we want to be able to work our offense and defense and special teams against a good football team, a very well-coached football team that's pretty much been one of the standards for probably the last 14 years since John Harbaugh arrived on the scene."Ron Rivera via Commanders.com
This is a business trip when it's all said and done. How certain individuals perform and conduct themselves against a potential Super Bowl challenger could play a leading role in Rivera's evaluations before settling on his 53-man roster.