Wyvern

Scheme-fit aside, I wonder how well Carr would 'personally' take to Bienemy's reputedly "hard-nosed" style of coaching. ...Carr seemed a little bit thin-skinned to me. And at 35 million, Bienemy/Rivera would really have to stick with Carr over Howell for a long time before making any switch, should Carr not be performing to their expectations.

Did any other teams ask to interview Bienemy for OC? As I recall, Baltimore had planned to interview EB, but seems to have gone a different way.

This is what I found on the web -- I'm not responsible for its accuracy. A lot of these incidents were a ways back in time. Here's the link to the entire Article: https://www.sportscasting.com/chiefs-oc-eric-bieniemys-troubling-rap-sheet-includes-a-disturbing-assault-charge-against-a-woman/ (I copied the section (below) to answer the question raised by No Nonsense. That section below is in the bottom half of the news-piece. ±±++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lost in his success with the Kansas City Chiefs is Eric Bieniemy’s rap sheet of poor decision-making: February 1998: According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Colorado police arrested Bieniemy and teammate Kanavis McGhee after a bar fight. Bieniemy was charged with disorderly conduct and fighting in public, but he pleaded no contest. He and McGhee received deferred sentences and performed court-mandated community service. July 4, 1990: According to the Orlando Sentinel, Bienemy pleaded no contest after allegedly shoving a firefighter. The University of Colorado Boulder suspended Bieniemy for one game in the upcoming season. September 1993: Colorado police arrested Bieniemy, then in the NFL. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Bieniemy allegedly grabbed a female parking attendant by the neck and threatened her. The University of Colorado Boulder banned Bieniemy from its campus for one year as a result. April 2001: According to the Daily Bruin, Colorado police arrested Bieniemy on a DUI charge, three months after he joined the football staff as a running back coach. He previously had his driver’s license suspended after numerous violations. Bieniemy was also linked to allegations that Colorado’s football program “used alcohol and sex to lure recruits.” ESPN reported in 2004 that the university discovered there was evidence of drugs and alcohol being used to “entice recruits,” but no university officials were guilty of misconduct.

Thanks for the clarification.

How about a red flag on EB for publicly commenting about the motives of another person who could be competing for same position that EB's interviewing? If true, that's kind of a low-class tactic, and maybe even a bit revealing about EBs character and/or how he handles things with the media.

About Bienemy -- maybe I'm being overly "superstitious" but I'm worried about what might go wrong if Washington ponies up the money to bring EB on as offensive coordinator. I just can't help but recall how supposedly great transactions Washington conducted with Reid's organizations didn't turn out that well for Washington. Trotter, McNabb, and even poor Alex Smith (no fault of his own) just didn't really work out that well. (The only exception I recall was Kendall Fuller, but he started with Washington before going to KC) True or not, there are a lot of questions about Bienemy that are circulating from his actual role in KC's offensive schemes/play-calling, to his interactions with teammates to whatever unfavorable vibes he created in his interviews. And considering that in 2023 Washington's offense probably has nowhere to go but up ...EB could be the last coach standing when the new ownership comes in with their brooms, and looking for a new HC. So, the stakes might be very high for Washington's future.... which makes me worry if the "Reid effect" will bite Washington one more time. Maybe I'll hope the Reid effect only applies to transactions involving players and not coaches? 🙏

I notice that no one is mentioning S. Charles in this discussion. Paul seemed to be more of a LG, while Charles was tried on the right side of the line with "uneven results" IMHO, Trai Turner will probably not be re-signed, but Norwell gets retained mainly ffor cap reasons, unless he really declines. Schweitzer is likely brought back as a decent multipurpose IOL role and sometimes starter. I'm fairly confident Cosmi gets slotted somewhere, and maybe both Leno and Lucas get retained too. I've no idea when (or if) Roulllier will even be able to play at a decent level in 2023 and suspect Washington drafts a center to groom for Roullier's role. So, depending on what other O-linemen Washington drafts, what are your thoughts on Charles still being on the roster for the 2023 season?

I do agree with you, but I suspect Paul practiced more with Howell than with any of the other QBs. If the reports are true, he'll learn from his first "live action" and further develop his skills especially during preseason. And since he's on a cap-friendly contract, so I'm sure we'll see him sicking around and even getting some action in 2023... unless Washington uses a lot of high draft picks on interior offensive linemen. I think Trai Turner will be gone, but suspect they'll keep Norwell ... Unless he shows further signs of his decline during the pre-season.

Does anyone know if Washington has indicated how (or who?) they plan to fill the vacancy at DBs coach, created after Chris Harris left?

Did Charles London, one of the candidates interviewed by Washington's FO for the Commanders' vacant OC spot, just decide to sign with Tennessee Titans as their 'passing game coordinator' instead? If true, might this a reflection of the rest of the league's less-than-favorable perception of the Washington franchise as a place to go for improving your career chances? Or maybe it was a result of the interview where Washington let London know he wasn't likely to be selected? Or perhaps London just decided that leaping from QB coach to OC needed to be taken in more gradual steps?

The Eagles game in which Sanchez appeared was on Dec 3, 2018, due to an injury to McCoy, who was subbing for an injured Alex Smith. Sanchez didn't do much and they lost to the Wentz-led Eagles 13-28. Since Mark was the only Skins QB left (they did bring in Josh Johnson around mid-week) Gruden pencilled in Sanchez as the starter for the Dec. 9th game vs. the Giants. Versus the Giants, Sanchez was even more ineffective: 6 of 14 for 38 yards with two interceptions, and didn't have a completion longer than 10 yards. He was sacked five times behind a patchwork offensive line. Gruden pulled the plug on Sanchez with 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter, replacing him with Johnson. Redskins lost 40-16, their fourth loss in a row.

I might be wrong, but Im beginning to think that maybe Derek Carr isn't the best solution for Washington's QB woes. I'm slowly being convinced that even if Carr decided he was willing to try extending his starting QB career at Washington (a big "if", considering the current state of the franchise and Snyderesque reputation) ... perhaps Washington be better served going with someone else, especially considering Carr's price tag. I've been watching a lot of Raider games and Carr's performances/decision-making, etc. While he is a solid veteran NFL starting QB, so was Alex Smith. I see him as a decent game manager, but one who makes too many risky throws when he has to make passes between the seams. He's a little more mobile than Wentz, but nothing great. His accuracy on the long passes can sometimes be streaky inconsistent, and he makes a lot of under-throws when trying to hit the long pass in the endzone.. He does a LOT of check-down passes, ones that are well short of the yardage needed to convert on 3rd downs. I got the sense McDaniel was really losing patience with him by the Raiders teams game, and really deciding on a run-first philosophy, even against good run defenses. Maybe Carr was simply limited in what he could show by the fact that Walker's injury left Carr with only on viable midrange target. Maybe McDaniel passing schemes don't free up enough alternatives to D. Adams, which then forces Carr to try those risky passes between the seams where he often tries to muscle the ball into the receiver amidst double or triple coverage. Maybe the Raiders O-line is to blame. I don't know what was going on behind the scenes with the Raiders ...but it was really hard to watch the guy's games and say...wow, he's still an elite QB that can carry a team on his back. And while he might be motivated to prove his detractors wrong, and seemed like a passionate, well-known team player, he's not getting younger and time may erode his existing skill-set.

Just joking of course, but maybe Haener's frequent use of the word "man", would fit in with Sam Howell who really liked to use the word "yeah" a ton during his interviews. (Sam frequently started his responses with a "yeah".) Between the two of them, one could hold "H-&-H" drinking game during their interviews.. Where everyone has to take a drink each time Haener said " man" or when Howell starts off his reply saying "yeah."

I think the only thing Chris Paul did was to make the case for getting more looks in the upcoming season for consideration of some kind of role with the offensive line. Looking at the game as a whole, Paul had lots of instances where he didn't do very well. There were a few promising moments, but he also benefited by (a) being an unknown entity at guard with very little film on him, and (b) a game plan that was very heavy on the run. (I wasn't as impressed with Paul's performances when called upon to pass block.) That said, Paul also might have had 1st game jitters as well as being still new to how the Washington O-line has to adjust as well as the speed of the game under live conditions. And if the reports of him being a good learner, and making progress growing into his role are true ... then he might be ready to compete for the starting role in the upcoming preseason. I don't see Washington cutting Norwell next season, unless his skills have eroded even more. That means he probably keeps the LG role, unless they want an expensive backup.

Sorry. Granted, from what I saw in the 2022 games, Jamin Davis did improve from being a liability to somewhat of an asset in the modified role Del Rio developed for him. But impact-wise he's still got lots of room to improve. And please take all the glowing stats on Davis with a grain of salt. After Holcomb went down, Davis benefited from being the "alpha" linebacker, with opponents targeting Mayo and Eifler. That said, Davis seems to be on a trajectory to become a really high-quality off ball linebacker in the next couple of seasons -- just about the time when Washington has to decide whether to pay FA contact money to retain his services.

When I listened to that clip. ... I got the sense that Bienemy relays the plays into the team on the field -- especially when Reid mentioned how Bienemy has some latitude on changing what had been called. It seemed like an odd arrangement, and I'm not really sure what the reality of the situation is.

I was basing that assumption on that last interview given by Rivera & Mayhew. Frankly, I agree with you and am hoping for a more balanced offense -- especially with the capable talent Washington has assembled with the receiving corps. I'm doubtful that a 2-to-1 ratio of run-to-pass (as stated in the Rivera-Mayhew interview) would be a successful approach in today's NFL. So I'm hoping those two aren't sticking to their words, and will consider how to have a more balanced approach to their team's offensive mindset.

I'm not a big fan for Washington choosing Bienemy for OC, even though his reputed"Singletary" tactics on the new members of the Offense mjght actually raise their intensity level. But from a technical standpoint, it's not clear how much of a role Bienemy had in play-design, and Reid was the guy calling the plays. Moreover it's not clear how well his offensive play philosophy would mesh with whatever Washington has in mind for their team's offensive identity in 2023. (I don't see Bienemy's play philosophy as being all that "run first" -- especially in comparison to the other coaches Washington has interviewed. Moreover, I wonder how well he'd fit in with the existing coaching staff -- I got the sense he's got a bit of the "my way or the highway" mindset. Too much candor can create friction -- especially during a losing streak. If the Washington FO is really serious about a "run first" team identity for 2023 ... they are better off gambling on Studesville than Bienemy. Studesville routinely develops decent running offenses, has a great experience history, been an associate OC, and interim HC, has worked with a lot of good OCs/HCs, and likely an easier hire contract-wise than Bienemy. While a decent running game coordinator -- Studesville also seems sufficiently open-minded about diversifying the offense, even while honoring the "run-first" mindset that the Washington FO is claiming they want to be. I also think Shurmer and/or Zampese would be a good fits for a conservative, but not too conservative offense. I'm not certain about Lynn -- he might be too conservative for my tastes.

SIP, I was reading that Haener's arm was "Heinicke-like" ... Essentially with not enough velocity on the medium and long throws, to pass muster vs. NFL-level defenses. What are your impressions/thoughts? BTW, many thanks for all your work, bringing this information to us. I really can't thank you enough!

[Sorry, this is probably an 'unpopular' thought]. I get that we need a high-quality DT complement to Allen, but wonder what is the drop- off in talent and production Washington might get from the unproven Mathis on a rookie contract and/or some of the talented DT's coming out of this draft? Assuming Payne maintains his intensity (once he's been 'paid' in his opinion), then Washington would have a solid interior D-line that opponents might have to scheme around. But, does that mean Washington would then need to sign up Sweat and/or Young to keep the defensive containment/pressure around the ends? If so, then where does the team start 'pinching pennies' when they find they need to sign up the 'glue' of the defense's back-7? (And that's probably important as the NFL seems hell-bent on promoting passing attacks for what I believe are media/marketing reasons.) There's a lot of talk about retaining elite players -- but how many elite players can a team afford? I changed my mind, at this point, Washington needs to 'tag-&-trade' Payne and use their cap-space to retain the leadership quality elite players to mentor/guide/captain their respective functional groups and especially the talented draftees and UDFA's the team brings on to replenish the outgoing talent Washington can't afford to retain for cost reason. as long as NFL salaries keep sky-rocketing, Washington can't pour all its money into retaining 4 #1picks playing on the D-line, because they'd have to skimp somewhere else. Since I don't think QB contracts will ever come down to earth -- teams may eventually have to plan around a QB salary gobbling 15+% of cap-space and that means relying more on rookie contracts at many of the non-QB positions. (unless they continually cycle in new rookie QBs every 3-4 years.) Going forward, It will be interesting to see how teams decide to cope (cap-wise) with these escalating salaries. Because if the economy sours, the costs cannot always be passed onto higher ticket prices.

Armani Rogers. I think he is tougher than TE Turner and gets to see the field a lot more often in 2023.

With an 18 game season, and possibly a suspect O-Line, folks need to consider decent depth at QB, should Howell falter or get injured. I don't think Fromm is the answer for QB -3, much less QB-2 (who I'd hope would be some reasonably contracted FA QB who could help mentor Howell.) Is Washington going to put all their eggs in one basket, and hope Howell is the answer? Or are they willing to tank the 2023 season, if they have to rely on some backup QB-2 or Fromm? Maybe that's the plan -- that's why this off-season is so interesting. (Maybe there's an unearthed gem of a QB who drops to the 4th or 5th round again?)

I really appreciate all the work being shared in this thread. I'm sorry to keep harping on LB prospects, but I see it as an unfulfilled need that Del Rio tried to patch over in 2022, and the patch came off when Holcomb went down. I grant that Washington has so many holes in their roster they need to fill or upgrade. And it's even more important, especially as the promising players on the team get older, and many come off their rookie contracts. As we know, the draft is a cap-wise way of handling the issue. So very few positions should be overlooked, especially should Washington be lucky enough to get.some BPA 'gem' that drops into their lap. However, gathering a collection of BPA's doesn't always move Washington to becoming a playoff contender. Sometimes, it's about making draft picks needed to address the more immediate needs of a team as well. So if Washington decides to really commit to the route of being a run-dominant team identity, its going to need to shore up its defense to control time of possession and keeping the score close. IMHO, LB, SS, and CB need to be shored up, as well as the O-line and depth at QB. Run offenses need time, and Washington's D routinely had problems getting off the field. I'm not sure if an LB is worthy of a first rounder -- but I feel it really needs to be addressed no later than late third round or fourth round, to get a best possible linebacker that fits a long-time unaddressed need. BTW, if the next HC decides they want a 3-4 defense, Del Rio's LB "patch" is at least 1-2 LB'ers short.

I asked about LB'ers, because in 2022, Washington did nothing to build quality depth at "Linebacker" (inside, "middle", or outside) except to bring in a 'diminished' Bostic, when there was no depth. I doubt Bostic or Mayo are the answer in 2023, to a question Washington didn't answer in 2022. Right now, Washington has one 'NFL-worthy' starting LB on the roster. They may sign Holcomb, but after that there's no depth. If Rivera ignores the need for quality depth at LB (almost as bad as the need for quality players for the O-line) be prepared for another mediocre season, as the Washington " D" get dinked-&-dunked to death ...especially at the end of the long season where at least one of the two starting LB'ers might be questionable or out.

This is such a huge thread, it's difficult to search sometimes. I was looking for evaluations on linebacker. Still looking. That's because I'm wondering how Washington is going to try again to go through the 2023 season with just two NFL-worthy linebackers. Let's be realistic, Bostic and Mayo aren't the answer and there's nothing behind Davis and Holcomb (if they can resign him.). And signing an FA linebacker may be a real challenge, cap-wise. If this team spends what I think they'll spend to keep Allen-Payne+ top-tier DEs for a ferocious pass rush -- it would seem investing in depth at LB would be a smart idea for taking away the check downs forced by the pass rush, as well as those quick seam passes to the TE(s). I understand Washington's going to need to prepare to replace Fuller with another CB, but IMHO decent depth at LB is a more urgent need. SIP, what's your thoughts about Simpson from Clemson?