NFC Notes: Sam Howell, Marcus Mariota, Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles

Commanders

Commanders QB Sam Howell recalled the conversation when HC Ron Rivera named him the team’s starting quarterback.

“He just told me that he’s excited for me, he believes in me and he trusts me. To hear that from him means a lot,” Howell said, via PFT.

Howell is confident that he has what it takes to succeed in Washington.

“I’m always confident in my abilities. I’m always confident in my ability to come out and perform for this football team,” Howell said.

Howell understands that he still has a long ways to go before becoming an elite starter.

“All my work is ahead of me,” Howell added. “This is only the beginning, I have a lot of work ahead of me, and that’s what I’m focused on right now.”

Cowboys

Cowboys S Jayron Kearse said their team is keeping an intense mentality going into 2023 and they want to show how Dallas is “the best in the business.”

“We ain’t taking no sh-t from nobody — all 32 teams — we ain’t taking sh-t from nobody,” said Kearse, via Patrik Walker of the team’s official site. “Whether it’s our offense or the next offense. We’re trying to show we’re the best in the business, so it gets spicy out here, it’s gonna get spicy on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays; whenever we line up, that’s how we’re gonna come.”

Regarding a scuffle between LB Micah Parsons and C Tyler Biadasz, Parsons said 

“Hell yeah, I need that,” Parsons said. “I’m here to make them better. I push myself to the greater good and me pushing myself is only gonna make them better, at the end of the day. I don’t care who I’m up against. I don’t care if it’s Tyron, if it’s Zack, if it’s Tyler Smith — I’m gonna beat the hell out of them. It’s only gonna make them better. … This is where championships get started — right here in camp. The goal is to bring that out, and the camaraderie, to bring it all together. It’s only one goal at the end of the day.”

Kearse thinks their practices are bringing out the best in them. 

“That’s just how this thing goes,” said Kearse. “When you’re going up against a bunch of dogs on the opposite side, it just brings the best out of you. We’re just trying to continue to work, and bring those guys along. … When you come out here and you go against us, it’s gonna bring out the best in you.”

Eagles

Eagles QB Marcus Mariota feels like he had a sloppy performance in Thursday’s preseason game against the Browns and thinks he can execute their offense more efficiently going forward. 

“I was sloppy,” Mariota said, via ProFootballTalk. “I can do a better job of getting our guys operating cleaner and more efficiently. But that is what preseason is for. Kind of get some of that stuff ironed out. Clean off some of the rust. We’ll find ways to get better.”

Eagles HC Nick Sirianni doesn’t think Mariota particularly “struggled” on Thursday and he wants to discover what Mariota is most comfortable with in their offense. 

“It’s also us finding out what he does well too,” Sirianni said. “What he sees well, what looks good to him. I know he didn’t play the way he wanted to tonight. I wouldn’t say he struggled the last game. You guys might have said that. I didn’t say that. He ran around and made some good plays and moved the ball really well with him in there against Baltimore. So tonight, yeah obviously not up to his standard, but it’s about us finding what works for him. And that’s just us learning him. That’s us working together to figure that out.”