Commanders
Despite suffering two concussions, Commanders RB Austin Ekeler commented on what was a special season for him in Washington.
“When you have a new core group of guys come in like we did and a new coaching staff, they bring in the new philosophy. So, something that’s gonna carry over will be the standard of the team,” Ekeler said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy. “The expectation of this team now is at a new level internally because we now know our capabilities, so having a new core group with new philosophies and that are gonna be here for a second year, I think we’re really in a position to build off of what we’ve done this year. It won’t be the same team, but it will have the Dan Quinn flavor, Jayden’s coming back and we’ll have our offensive identity, and I think we really solidified that this year.”
Ekeler hopes that owner Josh Harris, GM Adam Peters, and HC Dan Quinn are able to keep the core of the team together for another deep playoff run next season.
“Look at the teams that have been there and done that, like the old Patriots or the Chiefs now — once you find a chemistry that works, I hope ownership is doing everything to really hold on to that, because it’s rare,” Ekeler added. “You see the shuffle every year, but that’s what the NFL is: how can we put the best group of men together, and support staff together, to actually push this thing forward and sustain success. I hope they do everything they can to continue to keep us in a place where we have a winning culture. There’s no guarantees, but it’s a new opportunity, so I hope we bring in good guys who buy into the vision and the brotherhood.”
- Commanders CB Benjamin St-Juste was fined $16,883 for a hip-drop tackle against the Eagles.
- Harris when asked about a possible rebrand: “In this building the name Commanders means something….the name is growing in meaning.” (John Keim)
Cowboys
The Cowboys have been criticized for promoting Brian Schottenheimer from offensive coordinator to head coach. Executive Stephen Jones thinks there would have been questions surrounding anyone they picked for the job and points out how the Lions were scrutinized when hiring Dan Campbell.
“I don’t think you know until you put someone in that position. Anyone we would’ve picked, there would be question marks,” Stephen Jones said, via Albert Breer of SI. “We weren’t getting [Bill] Belichick, he was already to North Carolina. He’s a six-time Super Bowl winner. But pretty much after that, people are going to have criticism for anyone you pick. And we understood that. That’s to be expected. I saw something where Dan Campbell was universally seen as a questionable hire. And obviously, he’s done a great job with the Lions.”
Jones mentioned that Schottenheimer has more experience than many of the younger coaches around the league.
“Anytime you’re gonna go down the road with a first-time head coach, you’ll always have the question marks, and it’s the McVays and the Shanahans vs. the first-time head coaches who don’t work. I would say this—Schotty has a lot more experience than some of these younger, quote-unquote wizards. He’s spent his whole life around coaching, with his father, then had 25 years of NFL experience. So we feel great. The reality is there are gonna be question marks until we change the narrative.”
Jones said Schottenheimer made a “huge impression” on himself and Jerry Jones.
“He had great energy, he had great presence, and, obviously, made a huge impression on Jerry, myself—everybody involved in the interview process was certainly impressed,” Jones said. “Of course, we interviewed others, had some informal interviews. Some people might want to be somewhat critical, but we really got a feel for what the direction should be, and what our future should be. With Dak [Prescott] at the helm, we have a major commitment there, and thrilled we have it, we feel like we have one of the best in the business. And so some forms of continuity, and some forms of change were the right answer.”
- According to Todd Archer, the Cowboys have named Bryan Bing as an assistant defensive line coach.
Eagles
Eagles players commented on OC Kellen Moore ahead of the Super Bowl, knowing the chances that he will wind up in New Orleans once again as the head coach of the Saints.
“I was just about to say, ‘Kellen Moore is a terrible coach,'” LT Jordan Mailata joked, via NFL.com. “You guys shouldn’t get him anyway. Like, he’s a terrible coach. I think he’s super prepared. The way he leads, his direction, the way he schemes, and the way he interacts with his players. … Getting to know his players, giving them a voice to voice their opinions and see what they like, I think when you have that kind of relationship with the offensive coordinator, you go the extra mile for him. I think he’s definitely got the ability to be a head coach. But you guys don’t want him. I promise you guys, you just don’t want him.”
“He’s done a great job leading the offense, installing the plays, bringing confidence to the offensive players,” TE Dallas Goedert noted. “He’s been great for us. I don’t know everything that he does differently, but the success we’ve had in the offense is very good. He’d be a good head coach, but I like him as my OC.”
“I think he’s brought different ideas, he’s brought a different approach,” QB Jalen Hurts commented. “I think my whole vantage point has always been to learn as much as I can. I’ve had a different coordinator, a different voice, however, you want to say it, almost every year of my career, so my whole approach has been to just learn as much as I can, take those things in, and apply them to my game and find ways to win in the end.”
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni spoke to the media about what Moore and DC Vic Fangio have meant to the organization this season.
“Obviously both guys have meant a ton to us,” Sirianni said of Moore and Fangio. “You can’t be great without the greatness of others. Coaches to players, players to coaches. … Both guys have done a phenomenal job. I said this early in the year, this was during training camp and just seeing the detail that they coach with. I spent a lot of time with them, knowing the guys a little bit in the interview process and also during OTAs. I think we hit two home runs with those hires there.”
“We’re focused on this game. Kellen’s focused on this game,” Sirianni continued. “I’m focused on this game, not really thinking about anything else other than this game because every little bit of attention you put into something else is the attention you’re not putting into what the main goal is. With Kellen, and I know that there’s opportunities potentially, what will happen will happen. But hopefully, I’ve done my job to teach him the things that I know and help him like other coaches have helped me as far as that goes. But I know that when Kellen does get his opportunity, I think he’s highly detailed in teaching the game of football. I think that he loves this game. He works extremely hard. He’s got a great offensive mind to put our guys in positions to succeed and get better. And man, he’s a phenomenal person, great person to work with. … So got a lot of respect there for Kellen and we’ll see how that plays out at the end of the year.”
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