NEWSLETTER
Happy Friday! The Commanders finally named Sam Howell QB1 in D.C. this morning, and Tyreek Hill has a unique way of preparing for his opponents ahead of games. But first, be sure to check out this week’s “This Week in Football” column that dropped this morning. It’s 2,500 words of football goodness.
Oh, and here are some programming notes for this weekend’s BN NFL/BN Bears Live Streams:
Today, 1:00 PM (CT): Matt and I will be live on the BN NFL social media accounts for the BN NFL Live show.
Tomorrow, 5:00 PM (CT): Luis and I will be live on the BN Bears social media accounts for the BN Bears Live show for a Bears vs. Colts pregame. We will also be on after the Bears vs. Colts game to wrap up the action and provide some instant analysis.
Officially, Official: Sam Howell is QB1 in D.C.
Ron Rivera tried his darndest to make it a battle for the starting job in D.C., but in the end, Sam Howell was the clear-cut winner. Rivera announced this morning that Howell will be the Commanders starting quarterback this season over veteran backup Jacoby Brissett, whom the team signed this offseason to provide Howell with some competition in camp.
“He’s met the challenge,” Rivera said at Commanders practice on Friday. Howell will play Monday night when the Commanders host the Ravens in Washington’s second preseason game.
Ironically, the joint practices with the Ravens this week served as the final test for Howell in the eyes of head coach Ron Rivera and new OC Eric Bieniemy. Howell was once a projected first-round pick out of North Carolina who slid to the fifth round of the NFL Draft in 2022. He got his first NFL start last season for the Commanders. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 26-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on January 8.
That performance positioned Howell as the potential QB1 in Washington in 2023. Ron Rivera said throughout the offseason and training camp that it was Howell’s job to lose. “I think just throughout this whole entire process, I’ve been pleased with what I’ve done,” Howell said earlier this week. “I think there’s still things that I can improve on and show improvement on. I’m still not satisfied with my development. … I do feel like I’ve put myself in a good spot.”
Tyreek Hill Plays Madden Instead of Watching Film
Watching film? Nah. Not Tyreek Hill. The All-Pro wide receiver said on Thursday that instead of watching film to prep for an opponent, he uses EA Sports’ Madden NFL. Hill said that he’ll hop on the game and scout his opponents through the ratings on the popular football sim.
“I feel like Madden has a good tell of how good players are, so I just play Madden the night before and go look at all their ratings. So, let’s say, for instance, they had Steve Nelson and Derek Stingley, two phenomenal players; I get on Madden, go to the EA [Sports] rosters, and scroll down and see what their awareness is their speed, and their strength, and that’s how I get a tell on them.”
I mean, there are probably like five players in the NFL that could get away with saying something like this, and Tyreek Hill is definitely one of them. So, do your thing, Cheetah. It’s working, apparently.
