Commanders
Commanders HC Ron Rivera said they are still deciding on whether to pick up DE Chase Young‘s fifth-year option.
“Well, what goes into that is you get an opportunity to sit down, look at his tape with our scouts, talk about the way he played, what do we see in terms of development and growth?” Rivera said, via Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “We’re going to sit down with the doctors, with the trainers. ‘Where is he? How do you feel, is this something that is going to be long-term, hey, no worries — as long as nothing crazy happens, he’s going to be fine, it’s worth the risk?’ You know what I’m saying? We have to go through that process more so than anything else.”
Rivera noted that DT Daron Payne had an extremely impressive performance last season while in the last year of his contract and could use the same approach with Young.
“If you look at what Daron did, why wouldn’t you think of it that way?” Rivera asked. “Believe me, that would be my approach, especially looking at what Daron did and the situation he put himself in.”
- Rivera wants the team’s next offensive coordinator to be able to create plays off of the running game using play-action and get their playmakers in space: “Get the ball to our playmakers the way that we need to have it done. That’s create explosives with the quick passing game off of play action, then taking the occasional vertical shot. Running the football to help create opportunities.” (Nicki Jhabvala)
- Rivera called keeping Payne a “priority” and added they’ve had some preliminary talks with his representation: “That’s something we’ll start working on when I get back. We’ve had a conversation, initially just informing them of our interest.” (Ben Standig)
Cowboys
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb said QB Dak Prescott doesn’t deserve the criticism that he gets.
“I don’t think anyone deserves the criticism he gets. They are crazy, bro,” Lamb said, via PFT. “You’ve got to understand. It’s football. A lot of other people get paid to make plays. But the way that he gets talked about is crazy. It’s wild. I don’t think he deserves it.”
Lamb finds it comical how the media criticizes Prescott after every performance, both good and bad.
“Just seeing how the media reacts to Dak is one of the funniest moments quite honestly,” Lamb said. “I don’t say much, but I see a lot. I’ll watch how he plays. Of course, I’m there, but I go look at the media and everybody’s ‘Dak this; Dak that’ after a good game. It be crazy. And the next week I’ll see the same names. It’s a little weird to me.”
Lamb praised Prescott’s ability to have a short memory and focus on the present moment.
“You can’t think about last week. Focus on the now. Be where your feet are,” Lamb said. “He’s a big advocate of that, and I’ve learned so much about letting the past be the past and living in the present. I’ve learned so much from him just how he’s performed this year. He’ll throw two picks here and the next game he’ll give you four touchdowns. It’s crazy, bro.”
Eagles
Eagles WR A.J. Brown said a lot of people from the Titans organization have reached out to him ahead of the Super Bowl, including HC Mike Vrabel.
“A lot of guys have reached out to me,” Brown said, via the team’s website. “Coach Vrabel reached out to me. I have no hard feelings for nobody in Tennessee. There’s nothing but love, and they are still showing me love, too. Of course I wish the organization well. I have teammates and friends on that team, you know, so I want them to succeed.”
Vrabel said he still supports players after the move on from the organization, including Brown.
“I put in a lot of time with these guys,” Vrabel said. “If you do it the right way, you can still have a relationship after they are on someone else’s team. A.J. and I spent a lot of time together, and shared a lot of personal conversations. Of course I wish the best for him.”
Brown credited Titans WR coach Rob Moore for helping him develop into the player he is today and he credited Tennessee for helping him grow as a person and a player.
“I definitely matured as a man, matured as a football player,” Brown said. “Matured in ways of learning it’s a business and kind of removing my feelings from it. Coach Moore, he was like a mentor to me, still is. He helped me out tremendously. The success I have on the field really comes from him. Just laying the foundation as soon as I got to the league, teaching me things, and really steering me in the right direction.”
Brown regrets lashing out on social media and said that he still has nothing but love for the Titans.
“I think early on as a man I could say I was speaking from a place of feelings, and I had to learn it’s a business,” Brown said. “But I have no hard feelings for nobody in Tennessee, the fans, none of that. Tennessee gave me my first shot, so there’s definitely respect…I still have love for Tennessee.”
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