NFC Notes: Commanders, Eagles, Giants

Commanders

Commanders HC Ron Rivera said that they have more specific play calls for WR Curtis Samuel than other players in their system. 

“There are plays that are specific to him that we do have because of his skill set,” Rivera said, via NFL.com. “A lot of that targeting or the decision-making falls on the quarterback as he goes through his reads and his progressions. He is one of the guys that [has] more plays in the game plans for him specifically than other guys.”

Rivera added that Samuel can “create matchup problems” for defenses. 

“It can create matchup problems,” Rivera said. “If you come in and you shift him around, and all of a sudden, you see a linebacker walk out on him or a safety, we should be licking our chops as an offense, being like, OK, I know where we need to get the ball.”

As for his recovery from a groin injury last season, Samuel said he didn’t expect the issue to linger as long as it did and he was trying to push himself to return. 

“I didn’t really understand it,” Samuel said. “I didn’t think it was gonna last as long as it did. All last year, I was basically trying to push myself out there and force myself out there to play and I probably wasn’t ready to go yet, which is frustrating, mentally draining. At one minute, I felt like I was feeling good, and the next minute … Oh, boy — back to where we were before. It was super frustrating. Coming to a new team, you want to make an impact, so you don’t want to be hurt and not be out there.”

Eagles

The Eagles’ run game is one of the best in the league and a huge part of that success is the dual-threat ability of QB Jalen Hurts. He already has 68 carries for 266 yards and six touchdowns — tied for second-most in the league — which is a heavy burden for a quarterback. Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said they’re mindful of the double-edged sword nature of having a player like Hurts. 

“We never want him to take a lot of hits, or any hits really for that matter,” Sirianni said via the Athletic’s Zach Berman. “Some of those carries, too, you’re going to have to calculate in. Like seven of them (Sunday) were quarterback sneaks. … Not to say that that’s a safe play for him either, but it’s safer than the other ones, in our opinion. But we’re going to do what we need to do to win the football game. One of the things that makes Jalen a really good quarterback is the ability that he has to throw the ball, read the defenses and have the ability to move around and make plays.”

Giants

Former Giants QB Eli Manning still has a lot of connections to the organization and players and watches just about every game as a fan. He has been impressed with the work his successor, QB Daniel Jones, has done in a contract season, helping the team to a 4-1 start. 

“I’ve thought Daniel has played really well,” he said via the Athletic’s Dan Duggan. “In some of these games, it has not been easy. You’re playing with a new set of receivers, new guys out there that have not been playing long, have not played much. I see a number of times where he’s dropping back and guys aren’t open, and he’s making great decisions with the ball. He’s understanding the timing of the play, ‘Hey, if nothing is open from here, how can I make the best out of this, whether it’s take a sack, whether it’s run and get a few yards, throw it away.’ Just consistently making good decisions.

“And that can be hard to do, especially after if you have a first quarter, second quarter of that, you can get used to trying to force something, trying to make something happen. But he’s not doing that. I’ve been proud of him. He’s hanging in there tough. He’s playing injured. He’s finding ways to keep the game tight, and then they are making plays in the fourth quarter.”

Manning thinks Jones has improved his decision making in particular after turnovers were a huge problem to begin his career, and he made it a point to call Jones and reiterate that after tough loss to the Cowboys, New York’s only defeat of the season so far. 

“So much of [playing] quarterback is making good decisions in tough situations, with the rush coming down on you and understanding the timing. It’s easy to make bad decisions or get forced into making bad decisions by the circumstances of what’s going on. I just see him being consistent,” Manning said. “That’s one thing I told him, even after the Cowboys game, I just told him, ‘That was tough. That’s as tough as it’s going to get, yet you never got forced into making a bad decision. You kept the game close. You kept it tight in the fourth quarter. You had the chance to win. So don’t get frustrated and change things. Keep making those good decisions, keeping games tight, and you’re going to win those games. You’ve been winning them, so don’t change that because you’re being tested. You’re being tested throughout the whole game.'”