Washington Commanders Coaching Changes 'Disappointing', Says Sam Howell
It has been a week of change for the Washington Commanders as after the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Dallas Cowboys, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer were relieved of their duties.
With five games to go, head coach Ron Rivera will take over the play-calling duties on defense, which will undoubtedly be a tough change to get used to.
For quarterback Sam Howell, who has shown growth in his play this season, seeing Del Rio and Vieselmeyer lose their jobs was tough.
“I mean it's definitely disappointing to see," Howell said. "I have a lot of respect for Coach Del Rio and [Brent Vieselmeyer] Vies. Thought they did a tremendous job. It's just kind of unfortunate how the season's gone. So, it's definitely disappointing to see them go and two people that I had a lot of respect for. But at the end of the day, there's still a lot of football left and we got games to win. Our focus is on Miami this week, whoever's out there playing, whoever's out there coaching, it doesn't change anything for us. We just try to go out there and give it our all every single day."
Commanders quarterback Sam Howell says its difficult to see coaches being moved on mid-season.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
With five games remaining, the Commanders must try and salvage something from the season.
Whether that be Howell continuing to show improvement to allay any fears over the quarterback position going forward, or the defense clamping down under Rivera and making it tough to score, or simply young players being given an opportunity and taking it to give hope for next season.
The Commanders started the season winning back-to-back games but have won just two games since.
It would always be a season of change for Washington, and no one said it would be easy or look good. Still, it will be an important stepping stone in transforming the organization from a laughing stock to a serious football team.
It's tough sledding right now, but the Commanders have to find something to hang their hats on in the next five games, otherwise, the whole season will be a disappointment.
