South dakota football playoffs

What do you think is the most fun part of the game: the draft, playoffs, or other? For me it's the draft and it's not even close.

So... this weekend I watched the NCAA Lacrosse championship (ok not professional, but about as high as you can climb in the lacrosse sports world) and I watched my city's professional hockey team shit the bed in the playoffs. And while watching I was thinking... lacrosse and hockey are beautiful games, especially to see them played on a high level... but man I really don't care about any of the players or who wins any of the games. There are no underdog stories, no matter how hard the commentators tried to craft a narrative about two brothers playing on the same team, or the team captain coming back from a suspension. If you know anything about how sports recruiting work, you basically have to be a rich a family to a) Be able to devote all the time and money to making sure a kid gets the best sports training growing up. b) play the game of making sure your kids go to the best schools and go to nationwide recruiting events to even get recruited to play at the college level... c) And then the college level leads to the professional level with largely the same recruiting game.... maybe... if there is a professional level. Probably the single exception is american football, which is usually paid for by schools... but that is a whole other can of worms. Really, there is a reason why sports are usually a dynasty, with a father playing, then the kids playing, and when you look into the families, they are usually rich because they can afford the training, coaching, and to play the recruiting game. So, while it is kind of cool to see a sport played a high level, it is annoying to humanize the athletes, because I mean.... there are no underdogs in professional football, or Duke vs Notre Dame, or Dallas Stars vs Knights.

Statement sent to members

Dear Victory family,
As we reflect on last season, there is no doubt that for a myriad of reasons, in a year that started with so much potential and a genuine desire to ‘want more’, we did not achieve the goals we set for ourselves, let alone those that our members, fans, partners, shareholders and community had for us, and deserve.
Without recounting all the difficulties we faced, now is the time to draw a line in the sand, learn from our experiences and move forward together and I will be helping to do that, in the stands with you.
As this season draws to a close, due to both my upcoming business commitments and the confidence I have in Victory’s platform for growth, I have advised the Board that I will be retiring as Club Chair and subsequently stepping away from official Club duties. I will of course continue as a passionate and committed major shareholder, member and fan and most importantly, a strong supporter of the Board, management and Club moving forward.
Over the journey we have enjoyed many highs and battled many challenges, but we are standing on a strong platform for the future.
Melbourne Victory is now part of an international strategic partnership through 777 Partners, our Men’s and Women’s pathway programs link from grassroots to international and our ability to recruit players, coaches and support staff is in the best position it has ever been.
Our Coaches and Director of Football are currently with our 777 Partners in both South America and Europe, steadfastly preparing for the next season, where they will leave no stone unturned to better the Club.
Our community programs are the most comprehensive we have seen with a focus to live our vision of leading, uniting, connecting and inspiring through football. Importantly, we continue to herald inclusion and diversity in football through our support and investment in the Afghan Women’s Team – which is something every member of the Melbourne Victory family should be proud of.
This is a unique Club, and I have met and worked with some fantastic people, all of whom have shaped Melbourne Victory and I’ll forever be grateful. This Club is passionate, dedicated and committed to achieving successes for many generations to come.
There is no doubt that challenges lie ahead, both for the league and the Club. Of course, there is much work to be done in order to build the visibility of this Code, but we have all the ingredients we need to make the journey successful including the Women’s World Cup on our doorstep. I believe the future of football is bright.
Finally, I would like you to join me in congratulating John Dovaston, who has been appointed by the Board as the new Club Chair. John has been an independent Director for the past eight years and will bring a new dynamic and energy to the role.
John has played an instrumental role in the development of our Academy programs, which we are starting to yield success and understands what makes Victory so special. He will also be the Club’s first independent, non-shareholder, Chairperson.
I wish him the best as he leads Melbourne Victory into its next chapter and I am looking forward to supporting him as a shareholder, member and fan as the Club prepares for a fresh start ahead of season 2023/24.
It is time to block out the noise and for all the Victory faithful to stand tall together and make the Club and the competition stronger than ever.
I will forever be grateful for the privilege of being Chairman and a part of this Club’s journey.
As always…
Go Victory!
Anthony Di Pietro

I saw another post of PSA sending back a card without grading/casing. Ironically, I got this back in the mail today.
In short:
I think this was a very unique error card of two exceptional players. I thought I could grade and sell but no luck. I was under the assumption PSA would still grade it, as they have graded many other error cards in the past. What gives? They grade “factory misprints” all the time. Should I send again?

Season 15. 10 teams taken so far - Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, USC, Oregon, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Auburn, Kentucky

• Heisman difficulty
• 6 min quarters
• 5/6 user games per regular season
• Two user team conferences - Big10 / Big12 / Pac12 & SEC / ACC
• Conference championships effectively first round of playoffs
• Realistic sliders: https://forums.operationsports.com/forums/ncaa-football-sliders/803019-most-realistic-sliders-ever.html
• Xbox

DM or join Band https://band.us/n/a7a79fd6n0u7b

Me (30f) and my (42m) have been together for a year and six months. I am African American and he is Korean and the first born son. We were both raised very different, my mom died when I was young but I have a good relationship with my father and siblings. We were raised with respect being a two way street and if I am happy my father is happy. I wasn’t raised to obey, serve or cater to my father. He’s not the chief, he’s just my father, a brother, uncle, friend….that’s it. I love and have a tremendous amount of respect for him but he gives me just as much respect as I give him.
My partner has had a lot of racial issues in the past, being married for 8 years to another Black Woman. For about 5 years of that time he lived on the other side of the US from his folks and then moved back to the same state with his family when his dad had a heart attack to help out with the family business. He told me that time away felt like he was the truest version of himself and the time period when he was the happiest. I wonder why? He’s always been the black sheep in his family, the outcast, the person who chooses their own path and for some reason my partner seems stuck again, trapped in the same toxic cycle.
Unfortunately he’s shared a lot with me about his past and terrible things he’s experienced that give me a ton of anxiety and make me worry about our future. He would tell me stories about his family inviting him over to their house and asking him to leave her at home or come by himself. “Our friends can’t meet her”, his father told him he would no longer be apart of the family because he married her, he doesn’t want to see him around town with that black woman. During the entire 8 years his ex wife saw his father about 4 times.Now fast forward to today, my partner now lives on the same coast as his folks but a 2-3hr flight away. I have a great relationship with his sister, cousins and his dad’s sister even invited us over for thanksgiving and we stayed at her house, all of her sons are with white women and she has a biracial grand daughter. His mom has changed and show more acceptance of his choices, she has told him that she has always had his back but it is also her duty as a Korean wife to please her husband and not make him upset. (I believe they are 72 and 78?)
In September they came to visit his new house and my boyfriend and his parents cooked and invited all his friends over to watch Sunday football. My boyfriend said it would be a slow introduction and I would be his introduced as his “friend” and I was okay with that 9 months into our relationship. The day was fine but his father went and ate in my boyfriend’s bedroom without the rest of us. (3 couples and his mom). I am under the impression he sat on the floor or my boyfriends bed to eat because there is no other furniture.
In December I went up to his home state where he grew up and where they live, we stayed with his sister and his mom came to lunch with us one day which was nice. She told me next time she visits she wants to see me. I was never invited into their home.
Now, his parents just came to visit him for the 2nd time for 10 days and he told me before “I’m just going to tell them you’re coming over and coming to dinner”. That never happened because his mother begged him to allow his father to have a good trip and not put him in a frumpy mood. “Please just this trip, I don’t want him to be upset and angry.” I wasn’t welcomed over to my boyfriends house the entire time they visited. I never went to dinner with all of them except on Mother’s Day, the 3 of us went out and it was a secret, they had to plan when they could get away from his father and he couldn’t know or it would upset him. His friends will get invited to dinner but not me.The day they got there his mom saw my clothes in his closet and asked whose they were, and asked him to move them because it would “make appa frumpy”. She even hid my tooth brush and toiletries from the bathroom. His mom asked if his dad if he wanted to meet his girlfriend again to get to know her and his dad said he’s not interested. My boyfriend told me he told him a few months ago he doesn’t support our relationship. Why he would listen and move my stuff from his closet, he’s 42! I found this very disturbing, having to pretend I don’t exist and allowing his family to treat me like I am an option.
I asked my boyfriend who would be ideal for you in your fathers eyes and he says “idk maybe someone who’s fair skin”. Mind you, he has always preferred black woman. He gets really upset when I tell him his father is a racist and denies it and will say things like “my dad has cooked for my black friends” I tell him just because your dad is friendly to your black male friends doesn’t mean he isn’t racist, he doesn’t want you in a relationship with a black woman simply because her skin is too dark. He goes on to say you don’t know my Dad’s past…which is correct, I don’t. There’s a lot of things in his childhood and upbringing as an immigrant in the 70s that could have made him who he is today, my boyfriend said “idk maybe someone told him as a kid not to talk to black people”. “When he migrated to America and lived in the south he could have had some negative experiences with African Americans”. My partner told me their stores were once robbed by a black man. All of this just explains to me WHY he is racist….none of it justifies it or makes it okay. Why does he make excuses for this man?
I told him his parents likely want him to be with another individual they can control, another person to be a people pleaser like he is, another person to mold into their family dynamic. Another person who was conditioned the same way he was, someone who’s also Asian and grew up with the same upbringing. That’s the complete opposite of me.
His father will threaten to not eat for a week, or threaten to harm himself. I told my partner “this is how your father keeps you under his thumb and in his control” with these emotional threats, this is emotional abuse. The response "my parents don't abuse me".
I grew up in a white neighborhood and had a lot of negative racial interactions as a child. My mom always told me, “don’t change who are you to make people feel comfortable. If they are uncomfortable around you, that’s their problem and not yours to fix.” I still live my life this way. My boyfriends clothes would not have been moved tables turned LOL.
I told my partner that he enables his fathers behavior and emotional abuse which he disagrees with. He says he does it so his parents don’t argue , to make their life easier, to give them peace. My argument is, does this give US peace? Are WE at peace?I asked my partner why do you hold yourself responsible for your parent’s happiness and misery? You’re allowed to be happy and they aren’t.
My partner keeps telling me I don’t understand Korean culture, his role in being the first son, elders and I need to learn about Han and Confucius. I have read about things online, heard stories and explanations from him, and stupid Reddit lol and it doesn’t make me say “well this is okay because now I understand and learned about his culture” it just gives reason and explanation as to why things are the way they are. It doesn’t make any of it okay in my book. Just because i understand doesn’t make it acceptable because it is 2023.
My issue that I have is how my partner can allow his parents to treat me like I am an option. They can pick and choose if I am around and that isn’t my partner’s choice despite the fact he is 42.I can’t understand how he still bends over backwards for his father while receiving the emotional abuse that he does. He complains so much about his parents to me which doesn’t help, he says they are overbearing , they treat him like a child, they try and tell him what to do, they are controlling, they don’t respect his privacy, they worry too much, compare him to other family members, blame him for his mistakes, criticize him. He tells me that he’s going to have to take care of them one day, and I can’t understand living with and taking care of two individuals who impact your happiness and mental health in a negative way. In my world, parents don’t get an exception to be toxic and unhealthy people in your life.
My partner has said to me “I feel like I will never be able to live my life the way I want until my parents are gone” that to me is terribly sad.I feel like we will never be able to take the next step in our relationship because god forbid he lives with another black woman, marries another black woman, has a bi racial baby … that may kill his father and he obviously has to prevent that if it’s in his control.
He’s already made it clear he can’t abandon them and do no contact because they are old and need him because it’s the first born son’s responsibility to take care of mom and dad no matter what.
Our relationship is good and we are happy other than this, THIS is the only issue we have. I have asked him several times, why do you just sit back and take this? Why are you allowing your father and culture to spoil another relationship? why are you allowing them to control you as if you are a child?
I told him I think he’s a very sad man who lacks the courage and strength to live life on his terms. I think he’s a coward as well, none of this helps when I tell him this but this whole issue is mind boggling, he’s 42! I would expect this behavior from a boy in college, not a grown man.
I want to help my partner learn how he can still show up for his parents and support them without compromising and damaging himself , his mental health and our relationship.
Any advice would be helpful :)

Me (30f) and my (42m) have been together for a year and six months. I am African American and he is Korean and the first born son. We were both raised very different, my mom died when I was young but I have a good relationship with my father and siblings. We were raised with respect being a two way street and if I am happy my father is happy. I wasn’t raised to obey, serve or cater to my father. He’s not the chief, he’s just my father, a brother, uncle, friend….that’s it. I love and have a tremendous amount of respect for him but he gives me just as much respect as I give him.
My partner has had a lot of racial issues in the past, being married for 8 years to another Black Woman. For about 5 years of that time he lived on the other side of the US from his folks and then moved back to the same state with his family when his dad had a heart attack to help out with the family business. He told me that time away felt like he was the truest version of himself and the time period when he was the happiest. I wonder why? He’s always been the black sheep in his family, the outcast, the person who chooses their own path and for some reason my partner seems stuck again, trapped in the same toxic cycle.
Unfortunately he’s shared a lot with me about his past and terrible things he’s experienced that give me a ton of anxiety and make me worry about our future. He would tell me stories about his family inviting him over to their house and asking him to leave her at home or come by himself. “Our friends can’t meet her”, his father told him he would no longer be apart of the family because he married her, he doesn’t want to see him around town with that black woman. During the entire 8 years his ex wife saw his father about 4 times.
Now fast forward to today, my partner now lives on the same coast as his folks but a 2-3hr flight away. I have a great relationship with his sister, cousins and his dad’s sister even invited us over for thanksgiving and we stayed at her house, all of her sons are with white women and she has a biracial grand daughter. His mom has changed and show more acceptance of his choices, she has told him that she has always had his back but it is also her duty as a Korean wife to please her husband and not make him upset. (I believe they are 72 and 78?)
In September they came to visit his new house and my boyfriend and his parents cooked and invited all his friends over to watch Sunday football. My boyfriend said it would be a slow introduction and I would be his introduced as his “friend” and I was okay with that 9 months into our relationship. The day was fine but his father went and ate in my boyfriend’s bedroom without the rest of us. (3 couples and his mom). I am under the impression he sat on the floor or my boyfriends bed to eat because there is no other furniture.
In December I went up to his home state where he grew up and where they live, we stayed with his sister and his mom came to lunch with us one day which was nice. She told me next time she visits she wants to see me. I was never invited into their home.
Now, his parents just came to visit him for the 2nd time for 10 days and he told me before “I’m just going to tell them you’re coming over and coming to dinner”. That never happened because his mother begged him to allow his father to have a good trip and not put him in a frumpy mood. “Please just this trip, I don’t want him to be upset and angry.” I wasn’t welcomed over to my boyfriends house the entire time they visited. I never went to dinner with all of them except on Mother’s Day, the 3 of us went out and it was a secret, they had to plan when they could get away from his father and he couldn’t know or it would upset him. His friends will get invited to dinner but not me.
The day they got there his mom saw my clothes in his closet and asked whose they were, and asked him to move them because it would “make appa frumpy”. She even hid my tooth brush and toiletries from the bathroom. His mom asked if his dad if he wanted to meet his girlfriend again to get to know her and his dad said he’s not interested. My boyfriend told me he told him a few months ago he doesn’t support our relationship. Why he would listen and move my stuff from his closet, he’s 42! I found this very disturbing, having to pretend I don’t exist and allowing his family to treat me like I am an option.
I asked my boyfriend who would be ideal for you in your fathers eyes and he says “idk maybe someone who’s fair skin”. Mind you, he has always preferred black woman. He gets really upset when I tell him his father is a racist and denies it and will say things like “my dad has cooked for my black friends” I tell him just because your dad is friendly to your black male friends doesn’t mean he isn’t racist, he doesn’t want you in a relationship with a black woman simply because her skin is too dark. He goes on to say you don’t know my Dad’s past…which is correct, I don’t. There’s a lot of things in his childhood and upbringing as an immigrant in the 70s that could have made him who he is today, my boyfriend said “idk maybe someone told him as a kid not to talk to black people”. “When he migrated to America and lived in the south he could have had some negative experiences with African Americans”. My partner told me their stores were once robbed by a black man. All of this just explains to me WHY he is racist….none of it justifies it or makes it okay. Why does he make excuses for this man?
I told him his parents likely want him to be with another individual they can control, another person to be a people pleaser like he is, another person to mold into their family dynamic. Another person who was conditioned the same way he was, someone who’s also Asian and grew up with the same upbringing. That’s the complete opposite of me.
His father will threaten to not eat for a week, or threaten to harm himself. I told my partner “this is how your father keeps you under his thumb and in his control” with these emotional threats, this is emotional abuse. The response "my parents don't abuse me".
I grew up in a white neighborhood and had a lot of negative racial interactions as a child. My mom always told me, “don’t change who are you to make people feel comfortable. If they are uncomfortable around you, that’s their problem and not yours to fix.” I still live my life this way. My boyfriends clothes would not have been moved tables turned LOL.
I told my partner that he enables his fathers behavior and emotional abuse which he disagrees with. He says he does it so his parents don’t argue , to make their life easier, to give them peace. My argument is, does this give US peace? Are WE at peace?
I asked my partner why do you hold yourself responsible for your parent’s happiness and misery? You’re allowed to be happy and they aren’t.
My partner keeps telling me I don’t understand Korean culture, his role in being the first son, elders and I need to learn about Han and Confucius. I have read about things online, heard stories and explanations from him, and stupid Reddit lol and it doesn’t make me say “well this is okay because now I understand and learned about his culture” it just gives reason and explanation as to why things are the way they are. It doesn’t make any of it okay in my book. Just because i understand doesn’t make it acceptable because it is 2023.
My issue that I have is how my partner can allow his parents to treat me like I am an option. They can pick and choose if I am around and that isn’t my partner’s choice despite the fact he is 42.
I can’t understand how he still bends over backwards for his father while receiving the emotional abuse that he does. He complains so much about his parents to me which doesn’t help, he says they are overbearing , they treat him like a child, they try and tell him what to do, they are controlling, they don’t respect his privacy, they worry too much, compare him to other family members, blame him for his mistakes, criticize him. He tells me that he’s going to have to take care of them one day, and I can’t understand living with and taking care of two individuals who impact your happiness and mental health in a negative way. In my world, parents don’t get an exception to be toxic and unhealthy people in your life.
My partner has said to me “I feel like I will never be able to live my life the way I want until my parents are gone” that to me is terribly sad.
I feel like we will never be able to take the next step in our relationship because god forbid he lives with another black woman, marries another black woman, has a bi racial baby … that may kill his father and he obviously has to prevent that if it’s in his control.
He’s already made it clear he can’t abandon them and do no contact because they are old and need him because it’s the first born son’s responsibility to take care of mom and dad no matter what.
Our relationship is good and we are happy other than this, THIS is the only issue we have. I have asked him several times, why do you just sit back and take this? Why are you allowing your father and culture to spoil another relationship? why are you allowing them to control you as if you are a child?
I told him I think he’s a very sad man who lacks the courage and strength to live life on his terms. I think he’s a coward as well, none of this helps when I tell him this but this whole issue is mind boggling, he’s 42! I would expect this behavior from a boy in college, not a grown man.
I want to help my partner learn how he can still show up for his parents and support them without compromising and damaging himself , his mental health and our relationship.
Any advice would be helpful :)

I’m wearing Adidas Box Hog 4 in size UK11.5 (US12).
My left foot is just fit, but my right is very tight as my right foot is slightly bigger than the left.
I wanna get a pair of Nike Machomai2, and here in South Korea, it’s impossible to find a pair for my size to even try them on.
So I just wanted to ask you guys before I put an international order.
Boxing shoes are not like football shoes where you fit your feet into the shoes to break them open, right? It seems boxing shoes do not stretch, at least Box Hog wouldn’t.
What’s Nike’s Machomai2 like? Would size US13 fit on me?

Hi! I am doing this project for Father’s Day for my boyfriend, I am looking for the following states:
Alabama Alaska Arizona ✅ Arkansas ✅ California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio ✅ Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
And any Country’s as well!!
I’m needing my note to say:
“Daddy, Our love for you is so big it has reached (city, state -or location-) Love, Colson & Beau 🩵”
it doesn’t have to be any fancy backgrounds, You can post it in the comments or pm me!🫶🏻
Tysm in advance 🩵🩵

IDP's included.
No PPR.
Team Names - Must include metro city plus mascot format (exp - Texas Tornadoes). Original names. Divisions are created using geography.
16 teams - 4 division, 8 qualify for playoffs.
4 round rookie draft. Draft begins June 2nd. Done through Yahoo chat (use to be done through the yahoo message boards but they are no longer active).
1st round = 24 hours per pick, Rounds 2-4 = 12 hours per pick.
League has seen a lot of trading in the past.Free Yahoo league.
Available roster
https://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/2022/f1/2558/6
This post will be deleted once team is no longer available. If interested, let me know an email to send the invite.

A Wee Bit of Background: (feel free to skip to feedback requested) since 2015, a group of 10-15 friends/co-workers and I take 1 week every year to go to a college town to enjoy the city, tailgate, and a football game (or 2). We have a laughable, but serious, process that we follow to identify, vet, and vote for games that we want to see.

1. This year we started with 297 games on our Big Board (aka, total games that would be considered)
2. Each of us (11 people this year) voted for our top 5 games from the Big Board. Any game with 2 or more votes moved on to our next round of voting. We had 9 games advance to round 2.
3. We then voted for our top 3 games (more rules to ensure we have only 3 games here, but won't bore you further)
4. After we have the top 3 games locked in, we divvy up the games to 2-3 folks and create a presentation for each game games. We present out on things like:

• Lodging & airfare pricing/availability
• Ticket cost/seating options
• Gameday traditions
• Tailgate scene and dos/donts
• General activities that we can do prior to gameday (e.g., hike, brewery tour, museum, etc)

Feedback Requested: This year, my group has USC @ Colorado game in the top 3 games being considered and I'm helping to present on why this should be our game. I'm doing research outside of Reddit, but curious if you guys have any feedback or reasons that might help me convince the others why we should make the trip to Boulder this year? Few questions as well.

• Is Pearl St really as cool as it sounds on Friday night?
• Anything we should be aware at the tailgate?
  • Is smoking cigarettes/marjiuana allowed in the tailgate areas, generally?
  • Seems like the rules are pretty strict on loud things (seen in two places "amplified sound is prohibited) - does that mean no speakers with music?
• Disc golf, distilleries/breweries, or hiking recommendations?
• We love using UbeLyft but some cities have surprised us with having basically non-existent availability. Any concerns w availability for taxi/ride shares?

If you've made this far - here's the games we've been to:

Year	Game
2015	LSU @ Bama
2016	Michigan State @ Notre Dame
2017	Pennsylvania @ Penn State
2018	USC @ Texas
2019	NC State @ Georgia Tech AND Texas A&M @ Georgia
2020	Fuck you corvid
2021	Vanderbilt @ South Carolina
2022	Auburn @ Ole Miss
2023	TBD

Appreciate any comments and thanks for reading.

Defending the Draft: 2023 Washington Commanders 8-8-1
Preface:
Hope.
This 2023 season will be the most interesting for the Commanders franchise in a long long time. We enter this season with more uncertainty than I have ever been a part of, however, the one thing the fan base is certain of... is the future is brighter. Dan Snyder purchased the franchise in 1999 and subsequently done nothing but run a blue blood franchise into the ground. This team has lacked direction for a long time and a large part of that was due to Dan Snyder's meddling in the day-to-day football operations of the team. Starting his ownership with signing washed up HOF veterans, to then overspending in free agency (Albert Haynesworth is arguably the worst free agent signing of all time), drug scandal with thetraining staff, the mishandling of the RG3 and Kirk Cousins situation, Not resigning Trent Williams, and lastly we've now reached tumultuous time where his off the field issues have hung a dark cloud over a once proud franchise. Although, lol, his most egregious mistake may be hiring Jim Zorn as head coach. It's egregious that his only punishment is a 6 billion dollar payout for his franchise. I hope the banks bury him and he faces the deserved legal actions. As of now there had been an agreement to sell the franchise to 76'rs and NJ Devils owner, Josh Harris.... and is 20ish members of his parliament. We await to hear news of the reviews from the NFL financial committee to close out the process. Last news I came across was he has cut down the number of minority owners to 20. It will be a pleasure when this agreement is finalized. He could be a terrible owner, but it would still be an upgrade from Synder. Harris, seemingly has been a hands off owner and properly allows the people he's hired to operate the team. This last sports season he's had both of his teams deep in the playoff hunt. This season will be interesting. A lot of questions all around: Sam Howell? Chase Young? Ron Rivera? Eric Bienemy? Josh Harris? I'm not sure of those answers, but I'm very excited to find them out.
Coaching:
HC- Ron Rivera OC- Eric Bieniemy DC- Jack Del Rio
Key Additions: Eric Bieniemy
Ole' Riverboat Ron Rivera is back and going into his 4th season with the Washington Commanders, hopefully his last. I believe Ron Rivera is a leader of men, but I highly question his actual coaching skills and team building. I've currently seen enough of this coaching regime and front office to safely say let's move on. There's been several things that I believed were firable offenses.... the Carson Wentz trade. Some rumors have said that this was a Snyder push. Not entirely positive, but Ron bragged that it was his call. Our team at that point was not a qb away from being really good, let alone a Carson Wentz level of qb. The next fireable offense was starting Wentz over Hienke when the playoffs were on the line. Wentz ended up being benched for Hienke, but it was too little too late. The next fireable offense was not realizing we were eliminated from the playoffs. Going into the last week of the season Ron planned on starting Hieneke. Pretty odd to not know you're out of the playoffs, let alone to test Sam Howell out for next season. Additionally, there's been some pretty questionable roster creation decisions. I absolutely hate the versatile secondary and offensive line philosophy. We currently have a patch work offensive line that has the means to fluctuate between average to below average. Not a single player on the line is top 5 at their respected position. Two years ago we had a top 10 o-line, but that had Brandon Sherff playing like a top 5 guard and Charles Leno having his best season. Our o-line took a significant step back this past season and now looks to be our biggest weakness. Ron has shown to trust his own board and has reached (according to the consensus big board) with every single pick so far. People mistake 2019 as one of his drafts ( Sweat, McLaurin, Holcomb), but he was hired at the end of the season. Take this with a grain of salt as it takes at least 3 years to properly review a draft. Rons 1st round picks have been the following: 2020 pick 2 Chase Young- the correct pick at the time, but hard to botch the 2nd overall pick, 2021 pick 19 Jamin Davis- hated the pick at the time, too early for a linebacker... let a lone a project. On tape he looked lost a lot and made up for it with his elite athleticism. He's shown progress, but nothing showing he's worthy of the pick. 2022 pick 16 Jahan Dotson- looks to be an absolute baller, had him ranked above Olave in the pre-draft process. Was a slight reach above the consensus board, but flashed high end ability. Davis has been the only mistake in the 1st round thus far. When I say mistake I don't necessarily mean player, but the roster building philosophy. Whether reaching on Phidarian Mathis in the 2nd round of 2022. Lol, he was older than Payne coming out of the draft, one year of good production, and was taken a round too early. In the next round Brian Robinson was taken and was really just a body. Haven't really seen anything elite with him so far and was a meh pick. John Bates in the 4th round was egregious. Now I have to give credit where it's due. Kam Curl was an absolute steal and can solidify himself as top 5 safety this season if he continues to play this well. Our other starting safety in Darrick Forest also had a lot of bright spots playing this past season.
Arguably, our best offseason move was signing Eric Bieniemy. I'm absolutely excited. Forget everything about him not calling the plays. Reports from OTA's shows his hands on approach and full control of the offense. One of my favorites things I've heard is he is using OTA's to see what the players can do and crafting the offense to their abilities. Time and time again (Scott Turner) you see coaches say this is the offense and not change anything to match the players strengths. We don't know for sure how the offense will look, but if it's anything close to the motion west coast offense the Chiefs have... boy lessssss gooooooo. Jack Del Rio has been up-and-down in his time in Washington. He's had two very slow starts with the defense to start year, however, they've finished strong and kept his job safe. This is really the no excuse year and everyone needs to show up amd show out.
Free Agency:
Key Departures:
Taylor Hieneke- signed with the Falcons
Cole Holcolm- signed with the Steelers
Bobby McCain- signed with the Giants
Carson Wentz- TBD
J.D. McKissic- TBD
Trai Turner TBD
Andrew Norwell- will be released when he passes a physical
Summary:
In my personal oppinion, the only player that hurt losing in free agency was Cole Holcolm. Linebacker is our one weak spot on defense, however, not resigning Holcolm shows Ron's belief in Jaymin Davis's progression. Cole was limited to 7 games last season and has yet to truly break out. Always played very solid and losing him downgraded the position. We've moved on from both starting guards from last year in Norwell and Turner (previously on the Panthers). Both players were liabilities last season and the guard position was easily upgradeable. Bonny McCain was a solid do it all for is player. Lined up at corner, safety, and nickel throughout the season. Hieneke was a big fan favorite, but was never the answer. We thank you for your service though. Carson Wentz, fuck you. Loved J.D. and his time here, suffered a major injury. Not sure if he gets picked up hy another team.
Key Additions:
Andrew Wiley- 3 years for 24 million, 12 guaranteed. Previously on the Chiefs
Nick Gates- 3 years for 16.5 million, 8 million guaranteed. Previously on the Giants
Jacoby Brissett- 1 year for 8 million, 7.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Browns
Cody Barton- 1 year for 3.5 million, 3.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Seahawks
Summary:
Simple. In free agency the Commanders did not overspend and tackled positions of need. None of the players signed are top 5 at their position, however, they could all possibly end up being upgrades to what we have. The most interesting is Andrew Wiley. He allowed 9 sacks (tied for 3rd most)... but man he put on the performance of his life in the superbowl. Another stat that favors him is pass block win-rate, which measure if a lineman can sustain a block for 2.5 seconds. Wylie ranked 9th in that stat last season. I translate that stat to mean can a lineman sustain a block against thr initial rush and counter move off the snap. After that 2.5 seconds the ball is thrown or the play breaks down. Another key factor to this signing is it kicks Samuel Cosmi inside to guard. Cosmi has shown flashes being a high end lineman and I expect him to be even better kicking to guard from right tackle. Guard was our weakest position on the line and Wylie signing helped to upgrade the RG position. Nick Gates is expected to he our starting center. He's coming off of a brutal leg injury that made him consider retirement. Has played guard and center and has some positional flexibility. Jacoby Brissett is the best backup qb in thr league. A solid signing if Howell doesn't pan out. Just a solid game manager that doesn't commit many turnovers. Cody Barton is another unproven guy. Last year was his first year with significant reps. Bobby Wagner leaving in FA and Jordyn Brooks injury made em the guy. He showed flashes of coverage abilities and had a lot of tackles. The tackles weren't necessarily a product of his abilities and more so of cleaning up on a bad run defense team. I've read some notes that he has trouble getting off of blocks. Honestly, haven't watched much on the guy, but reports were he played solid down the stretch.
The Draft:
Link to all RAS scores for our draft class
https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-nfl-draft-ras-scores-for-the-washington-commanders-7-player-class-emmanuel-forbes/
Round 1:16 Emmanuel Forbes 6'1" 174 lbs. Mississippi St
Stats: 58 targets, 31 catches allowed for 284 yards (23 yards a game), 3 tds allowed/ 6 ints, 9 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 46 tackles.
PFF Grade: 87.2
If being a 160 pounds is your only knock then I think you're doing something alright. The word on the street is he is already up to 174 pounds. You wouldnt realize hes only 174 pounds by the way he plays the run. Hes not scared to hit and flies ro the ball. Although, he does struggle to get off of blocks. Emmanuel Forbes, per PFF, had the highest rating in man coverage last season, albeit the snap count was very miniscule. Emmanuel Forbes is a lanky corner than played a lot of zone coverage and is a very good scheme fit for what we do. I like the pick and I'm not upset about taking him over Gonzalez, who also had his own question marks. Forbes set a NCAA record with 6 pick sixes. A lot of those were the right place at the right time, but when you have that high of a number than you're doing something right.
PFF:
Forbes is one of the best ballhawks in this class. Over the course of his three-year career, he came down with 13 interceptions. That’s four more than the next closest Power Five cornerback since 2020. Forbes was unbelievably dominant in man coverage in 2022, giving up only three catches while also snagging three interceptions. He also only allowed a 20% completion rate in man, the lowest among FBS
PROS
Remarkably lanky frame. Limbs for days — ideal for a corner.Has bounce like a hooper. He can challenge any catch point necessary. Elite ability to locate the football. All six of his interceptions came in man coverage.
CONS
Still a stick. Not much mass on his frame. Has eyes that get him in trouble. Some freelance tendencies on tape.Can get bowled over in the run game. Mediocre tackler over the course of his career.
Round 2: 47 Jartavius "Quan" Martin 5'11". 194 lbs Illinois
Stats: 74 targets, 42 catches allowed, 611 yards allowed, 3 tds allowed, 3 ints, 15 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 4 missed tackles, 64 tackles.
PFF Grade: 73.2
Quan is a beast. I thought he was the 2nd best nickel prospect in the draft and a better deep safety than Brian Branch. Martin absolute rockets around the field in the run game. He started his career at cornerback before transitioning into the safety/nickel position. Another elite athlete that is a perfect fit for our Buffalo Nickel defense.
PFF:
Martin came to Illinois and immediately started as a true freshman in 2018. He originally started off as an outside corner before becoming more of a slot corner recently. He had arguably his best year in 2022, as his 15 forced incompletions were tied for the sixth-most among Power-Five corners. Martin’s 91.0 run-defense grade also led all Power Five cornerbacks. While he played corner at Illinois, we project him more as a safety for the next level.
PROS:
Explosive flat-foot breaks. Tremendous burst. Forceful and reliable tackler - 7 misses on the last 129 attempts last two seasons.Fills like a mac truck in the run game. Wants to come downhill and play in the backfield.
CONS:
Pure man skills are work in progress. Overagressive and liability to bite on fakes. cons On the lighter side for an around the line of scrimmage player. Gets caught with his eyes in the backfield on run
Round 3: 97 Ricky Stromberg 6'3" 306 lbs Arkansas
Stats: 9 impact blocks, 11 qb hurries, 0 qb hits, 0 sacks allowed
PFF Grade: 82.4
Nasty. Another guard experience player that spent his last two years at the center position. Award winner of the Jacob's Blocking Trophy for the SEC'S most outstanding blocker award. This is a solid player that has started since he was freshman in the SEC. He's been battle tested since he was kid and has improved every year. He has some knocks about his play strength, but a NFL program should get em to where he needs to be.
PFF:
Stromberg was a three-star recruit in the 2019 class and started for the Razorbacks as a true freshman, mostly at right guard. He moved inside to center for his sophomore season and spent his final three college seasons there. Stromberg’s 82.4 overall grade and 83.7 run-blocking grade in 2022 both ranked fourth among all centers in college football, and his nine big-time blocks were tied for fifth among FBS centers. Not to mention, Stromberg had an incredible performance at the NFL combine.
PROS:
Does not want to let blocks go. Can see him straining his butt of to stay engaged on tape. Tons of experience against top competition. Four-year starter with 3,121 career snaps.
CONS:
Forward lean gets going on the move, making him liable to topple over. Has wide hands to initiate contact in pass protection before resetting. Leaves himself open for stronger rushers.Unimpressive musculature, which leaves questions about how he'll anchor against NFL strength.
Round 4: Braeden Daniels 6'4" 296 lbs Utah STATS:
0 sacks allowed, 1 qb hit allowed, 14 hurries allowed.
PFF GRADE: 72.2 at tackle, 2021 84.4 at guard.
Braeden Daniels is another tackle/guard hybrid, with starting experience across his college career. This guy is on the lighter side but that allows him to be an Explosive athlete. Very raw at the tackle position and will be a developmental guy. I'd like to give em a try as our swing tackle and see how he performs. He was one of the quickest offensive lineman I've seen off the tape and that athleticism will let him climb to the next level. Even on the lightweight side I'd hate to see this guy running at me on the second level.
PFF:
Daniels is an experienced veteran who commanded the Utes’ offensive line for the past few years. He originally started as a guard before switching over to tackle. His best season came in 2021, as he put up an 84.4 PFF grade. Given his time on the interior, Daniels is at his best when run blocking, and his run-blocking grade in 2021 was an elite 89.1. He still held his own as a pass protector, allowing only five sacks in his Utah career.
PROS
Explodes out of his stance. Arguably the quickest get off in the offensive line class. Linebackers don't want to see him climbing. Gets on them before they can even react. Drive in his lower half to still move the line of scrimmage despite being under 300 pounds.
CONS
Wild into contact. He approaches blocks with the adjustment ability of a freight train. consDoesn't bring his hands with him. Clean engagements are rare on tape. Very light by NFL standards (294 pounds at combine).
Round 5: 137 KJ Henry 6'4" 260 lbs Clemson
STATS:
51 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF, 6 pass deflections, 50 qb pressures, 31 qb hurries, 14 qb hits.
PFF GRADE: 83.1
Loved this pick. Henry was a 5 star recruit coming out of high-school and decided to attend Clemson University. With Clemson having deep lines it took him a couple of years to get on the field. The stats look odd when you only see 3.5 sacks, however, the 50 qb pressures is the key stat. Seems more like bad luck that the sack numbers weren't high. Clemson's whole d-line underperformed (Bresee, Murphey) and they should have picked up more sacks from Henry who was the best DE on that team last year. The team clearly liked him as we traded back up for him. He's not elite athlete, but he is an elite hands guy. Almost had that veteran presence in college. High motor and will immediately make an impact as a rotational de, a position that sorely needed an upgrade.
PFF:
On a team with Myles Murphy, you can easily make the case that KJ Henry was Clemson's best defensive end this year, as he posted better PFF grades than Murphy in every category and even generated 19 more pressures. The only problem is That Henry is 24 years old while Murphy is only 21. Therefore, Henry was expected to produce this well against younger competition. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that he can’t still improve. If Henry's play this season is any indication of his potential, he can still have a great NFL career as an edge defender.
PROS:
Heavy hands that are so well refined. Uses them independently to use combination moves.Utilizes hesitations and head fakes so well to catch linemen off-balance. Coaches rave about the type of teammate he is. He is the type of player you want in the locker room.
CONS:
First step that's unimposing for a rusher on the smaller side. Late bloomer. Wasn't even a starter until this past fall. One of the oldest prospects in the class. Already 24 years old.
Round 6: 193 Chris Rodriguez 6'0" 217 lbs Kentucky
STATS: 8 games played, 175 attempts, 904 rushing yards, 6 tds, 5.2 ypa, 5 catches, 41 rec yards.
PFF GRADE: 90.8
Chris Rodriguez is a PFF darling and was rated as the 7th best running back. This guy's is a pure one cut, run you over, power back. There's not much finesse to his game, but there's highlights of dragging guys 10-yards down the field. He does not posses break away speed, but he will get you 40 yards. He was suspended 4 games due to a dui and he may have been drafted higher on am abysmal Kentucky team. An extra 4 games of stats against SEC competition and no suspension may have jumped him into the 4th round. This was an Eric Bienemy guy and they brought him in because of that. Isiah Pacheco was another EB guy.
PFF:
Rodriguez is a powerful runner, but he lacks the burst and creativity to become anything more than a downhill grinder. He has the size and mentality to do the dirty work between the tackles, but it could be a challenge for him to get to and through the hole quickly in the NFL. He’s a physical blitz protector, so teams might envision a role for him as a second-half battering ram and third-down quarterback protector.
PROS:
Two-time team captain. Thick frame with ability to pick up tough yards. Makes tacklers feel his size at impact. Stays square getting through downhill cuts. Low success rate guaranteed for arm-tacklers. Stays on his feet through heavy angle strikes. Allows lead blockers to do their work. Steps up with force against incoming rushers.
CONS:
Below-average burst getting through line of scrimmage. Lacks finesse to navigate tight run lanes. Change of direction is heavy. One-speed running style is easy to track for linebackers. Pad level is a little tall as run-finisher. Inconsistent finding assignment versus blitz.
Round 7: 233 Andre Jones 6'4" 248 lbs Louisiana
STATS: 7 sacks, 5 qb hits, 20 hurries.
PFF GRADE: 77.2
Andre Jones was another hybrid de/lb player coming out last year. He possess 34 1/4" arms which is an elite number for his size. May move to LB, but I'm not sure that's the right move with a 4.71 40-yard dash. He doesn't have much a pass rush move set playing a hybrid role, but does use length to his advantage. A solid developmental pick.
PROS:
Shows a natural feel for setting up blockers and getting them off-balance. His hands are active and violent, and Jones quickly disengages with blockers and counters when his initial move stalls. Possesses accurate snap anticipation and timing to beat blockers off the edge. Offers some versatility, rushing from a two-and three-point stance with the playing speed to stand up in space.Flashes strength as a bull rusher and his energy doesn't plateau. Showed initial quickness and good flexibility to dip and bend. Jones has active hands and suddenness to his movements, demonstrating the ability to counter inside. Has fluid footwork to redirect, reverse momentum and close with a burst. Regularly first off the ball with good snap anticipation. He’s a high-effort pass rusher with an impressive combination of length and speed.
CONS:
Jones has to develop a counter move or two in the pass rush, and Jones needs to make better use of his hands. He lacks the speed of a chase and- tackle guy. He lacks twitch as a pass rusher and lacks the feet and flexibility to threaten around the edge. Jones also shows some stiffness when trying to bend the edge, often getting pushed past the pocket — he seems more comfortable countering back inside.
Draft Summary:
This was my favorite Ron Rivera/Martin Mayhew draft thus far. Going into the draft, offensive line, cornerback, and quarterback were our three biggest needs. Drafting in the middle of the round really took us out of the olineman race. The last one that interested me was Broderick Jones and he went off the board when the Steelers traded up. At that point in the draft it really left us with going cornerback. The Forbes pick was received negatively due to Christian Gonzalez being available. Both players will be viewed under the microscope throughout their careers. I'm fine with Forbes pick though. Another lanky cornerback who was an elite athlete. I did have Gonzalez rated higher going into the draft, but he slid for a reason. A lot of his tape shows him not necessarily being an elite cornerback, but being an elite athlete that plays corner. Forbes actually showed the athleticism, corner skills, and ballhawking ability. Some additional knocks against Gonazalez and his love of the game. Quan Martin was our biggest surprise pick of the draft. A lot of people had him going in the 3rd round, but I think the 2nd was a fine spot. Mayhew after the draft said he wish we were more aggressive at times, which I translated as not getting Brian Branch that went several picks before us. I think Quan was the backup option, but I like him as much as Branch. I think Quan will be a better deep safety and Bramch will be a better nickel. Liked Quan alot, but felt we should have gone o-line at this pick. Ocyrus Torrence would've been a sweet pick here. I think if that happened, the consensus view on our draft would shoot up. Quan will immediately via for playing time as our base defense is essentially a 4-2-5. Kendall Fuller was our only above average corner and now we turned our secondary into a strength. Ricky Stromberg and Braeden Daniels were our next two picks. I like Stromberg’s tape a lot and think by next he will be a solid starter at guard or center. Braeden Daniels will be a nice depth piece and if he's able to tame his play he could develop into a starter. Fun player to watch. KJ Henry was an awesome pick and can see him being a nice rotational piece. Good pick at an underrated area of need on our defense. RB wasn't a pressing need, but it's an underrated area of weakness. I think Brian Robinson is about as average of rb as you will see starting in the NFL. I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez slowly cut into Robinson's role over the next two years. Antonio Gibson has had some solid season, but has a severe fumbling problem. Andre Jones will be a depth piece that will need development moving forward.
Offseason summary:
The biggest question of our offseason was our owner, which now appears resolved. Our second biggest question... was who was our starting qb? Sam Howell. Ron preached all offseason that he was going with Howell and I'll be damned, he did. Brissett was good qb to bring in, not someone that would necessarily turn the offseason into a battle, but can be a starter if called upon. Really a true backup qb. I'm all in on the Sam Howell train. I love it for a multitude of reasons. One, he balls out and we have our qb of the future, two he plays well enough we give him another season and maybe Ron is out and we get a high draft pick, three he bombs and we fire Ron Rivera and go for Caleb Williams next season. If anything, it gives us a direction for our future. I'm ready for Ron to go and think he's only as good as his coordinators. I'm concerned that EB AND Howell turn the offense around Ron gets resigned and EB takes a head coaching role... then the offense regressed. Additionally, I don't want Ron to get credit for drafting Howell. It was 5th round pick, you and every team passed on him for 4 rounds. If Howell is that good... it's not because Ron was a genius and drafted him. Very similar to Seattle taking Russel. I am excited about EB being here and think he's the real deal. I will give Ron credit for allowing him to run his own offense as he sees fit. OTA's have shown that EB is pushing his guys hard and is trying to see what he can do with the offense. We really do have elite playmaker and I'm most excited to see what he can do with Antonio Gibson. I can see his role being that of Jerrick McKinnon, with more athleticism. Sam Howell has shown a lot of progress since his rookie season. Had issues with his foot work, but has shown vast improvements. We only have 1 preseason game and 1 NFL game of tape on him. I liked what he showed. When watching tape you could see him going through his progression, man absolutely saved the day wish his escapability- was under pressure the whole game, threw two beautiful deep passes, and won the game. He did throw one bad pick, but was under pressure and playing hero ball. He had one week of practice with the starters, now he has a whole offseason. Our defense should be a top 5 unit next season and we only got better. Chase Young should be fully healthy and he's the X-factor for the number one overall defense. He comes out plays to his full potential then he could be a mid teens sack guy. If we have that sort of production and Sam Howell plays well than we can compete for the decision. Big if though. Our secondary really lacked a 2nd option, Benjamin St Juyce has shown some flashes but didn't seeze the role last year. Now on paper he's the number and that's very solid. We return two top 6 defensive tackles and Montez Swear is one of the most underrated players in the league. He's yet to have a high sack season, but is very much that Jadaveon Ckowney type of player in the run game. Big question mark season for Jaymin Davis. We knew he needed development, but it's been slower than previously thought. Down the stretch he showed flashes that he was coming into his own and now is his year. He's one of the best athletes at linebacker in the league and his ceiling is very very high. Overall I predict we will go 10-7 and challenge for a wild card spot. That record can fluctuate each one, but I'm calling the improvement now. We went 8-8-1 with bottom 3 qb play. The defense got better, we hired a better offensive coordinator, Howell will at the minimum be slightly better than Hienke last season, we didn't lose any major pieces and had a solid all around draft. I'm truly excited to watch how our future plays out.

Defending the Draft: 2023 Washington Commanders 8-8-1
Preface:
Hope.
This 2023 season will be the most interesting for the Commanders franchise in a long long time. We enter this season with more uncertainty than I have ever been a part of, however, the one thing the fan base is certain of... is the future is brighter. Dan Snyder purchased the franchise in 1999 and subsequently done nothing but run a blue blood franchise into the ground. This team has lacked direction for a long time and a large part of that was due to Dan Snyder's meddling in the day-to-day football operations of the team. Starting his ownership with signing washed up HOF veterans, to then overspending in free agency (Albert Haynesworth is arguably the worst free agent signing of all time), drug scandal with thetraining staff, the mishandling of the RG3 and Kirk Cousins situation, Not resigning Trent Williams, and lastly we've now reached tumultuous time where his off the field issues have hung a dark cloud over a once proud franchise. Although, lol, his most egregious mistake may be hiring Jim Zorn as head coach. It's egregious that his only punishment is a 6 billion dollar payout for his franchise. I hope the banks bury him and he faces the deserved legal actions. As of now there had been an agreement to sell the franchise to 76'rs and NJ Devils owner, Josh Harris.... and is 20ish members of his parliament. We await to hear news of the reviews from the NFL financial committee to close out the process. Last news I came across was he has cut down the number of minority owners to 20. It will be a pleasure when this agreement is finalized. He could be a terrible owner, but it would still be an upgrade from Synder. Harris, seemingly has been a hands off owner and properly allows the people he's hired to operate the team. This last sports season he's had both of his teams deep in the playoff hunt. This season will be interesting. A lot of questions all around: Sam Howell? Chase Young? Ron Rivera? Eric Bienemy? Josh Harris? I'm not sure of those answers, but I'm very excited to find them out.
Coaching:
HC- Ron Rivera OC- Eric Bieniemy DC- Jack Del Rio
Key Additions: Eric Bieniemy
Ole' Riverboat Ron Rivera is back and going into his 4th season with the Washington Commanders, hopefully his last. I believe Ron Rivera is a leader of men, but I highly question his actual coaching skills and team building. I've currently seen enough of this coaching regime and front office to safely say let's move on. There's been several things that I believed were firable offenses.... the Carson Wentz trade. Some rumors have said that this was a Snyder push. Not entirely positive, but Ron bragged that it was his call. Our team at that point was not a qb away from being really good, let alone a Carson Wentz level of qb. The next fireable offense was starting Wentz over Hienke when the playoffs were on the line. Wentz ended up being benched for Hienke, but it was too little too late. The next fireable offense was not realizing we were eliminated from the playoffs. Going into the last week of the season Ron planned on starting Hieneke. Pretty odd to not know you're out of the playoffs, let alone to test Sam Howell out for next season. Additionally, there's been some pretty questionable roster creation decisions. I absolutely hate the versatile secondary and offensive line philosophy. We currently have a patch work offensive line that has the means to fluctuate between average to below average. Not a single player on the line is top 5 at their respected position. Two years ago we had a top 10 o-line, but that had Brandon Sherff playing like a top 5 guard and Charles Leno having his best season. Our o-line took a significant step back this past season and now looks to be our biggest weakness. Ron has shown to trust his own board and has reached (according to the consensus big board) with every single pick so far. People mistake 2019 as one of his drafts ( Sweat, McLaurin, Holcomb), but he was hired at the end of the season. Take this with a grain of salt as it takes at least 3 years to properly review a draft. Rons 1st round picks have been the following: 2020 pick 2 Chase Young- the correct pick at the time, but hard to botch the 2nd overall pick, 2021 pick 19 Jamin Davis- hated the pick at the time, too early for a linebacker... let a lone a project. On tape he looked lost a lot and made up for it with his elite athleticism. He's shown progress, but nothing showing he's worthy of the pick. 2022 pick 16 Jahan Dotson- looks to be an absolute baller, had him ranked above Olave in the pre-draft process. Was a slight reach above the consensus board, but flashed high end ability. Davis has been the only mistake in the 1st round thus far. When I say mistake I don't necessarily mean player, but the roster building philosophy. Whether reaching on Phidarian Mathis in the 2nd round of 2022. Lol, he was older than Payne coming out of the draft, one year of good production, and was taken a round too early. In the next round Brian Robinson was taken and was really just a body. Haven't really seen anything elite with him so far and was a meh pick. John Bates in the 4th round was egregious. Now I have to give credit where it's due. Kam Curl was an absolute steal and can solidify himself as top 5 safety this season if he continues to play this well. Our other starting safety in Darrick Forest also had a lot of bright spots playing this past season.
Arguably, our best offseason move was signing Eric Bieniemy. I'm absolutely excited. Forget everything about him not calling the plays. Reports from OTA's shows his hands on approach and full control of the offense. One of my favorites things I've heard is he is using OTA's to see what the players can do and crafting the offense to their abilities. Time and time again (Scott Turner) you see coaches say this is the offense and not change anything to match the players strengths. We don't know for sure how the offense will look, but if it's anything close to the motion west coast offense the Chiefs have... boy lessssss gooooooo. Jack Del Rio has been up-and-down in his time in Washington. He's had two very slow starts with the defense to start year, however, they've finished strong and kept his job safe. This is really the no excuse year and everyone needs to show up amd show out.
Free Agency:
Key Departures:
Taylor Hieneke- signed with the Falcons
Cole Holcolm- signed with the Steelers
Bobby McCain- signed with the Giants
Carson Wentz- TBD
J.D. McKissic- TBD
Trai Turner TBD
Andrew Norwell- will be released when he passes a physical
Summary:
In my personal oppinion, the only player that hurt losing in free agency was Cole Holcolm. Linebacker is our one weak spot on defense, however, not resigning Holcolm shows Ron's belief in Jaymin Davis's progression. Cole was limited to 7 games last season and has yet to truly break out. Always played very solid and losing him downgraded the position. We've moved on from both starting guards from last year in Norwell and Turner (previously on the Panthers). Both players were liabilities last season and the guard position was easily upgradeable. Bonny McCain was a solid do it all for is player. Lined up at corner, safety, and nickel throughout the season. Hieneke was a big fan favorite, but was never the answer. We thank you for your service though. Carson Wentz, fuck you. Loved J.D. and his time here, suffered a major injury. Not sure if he gets picked up hy another team.
Key Additions:
Andrew Wiley- 3 years for 24 million, 12 guaranteed. Previously on the Chiefs
Nick Gates- 3 years for 16.5 million, 8 million guaranteed. Previously on the Giants
Jacoby Brissett- 1 year for 8 million, 7.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Browns
Cody Barton- 1 year for 3.5 million, 3.5 million guaranteed. Previously on the Seahawks
Summary:
Simple. In free agency the Commanders did not overspend and tackled positions of need. None of the players signed are top 5 at their position, however, they could all possibly end up being upgrades to what we have. The most interesting is Andrew Wiley. He allowed 9 sacks (tied for 3rd most)... but man he put on the performance of his life in the superbowl. Another stat that favors him is pass block win-rate, which measure if a lineman can sustain a block for 2.5 seconds. Wylie ranked 9th in that stat last season. I translate that stat to mean can a lineman sustain a block against thr initial rush and counter move off the snap. After that 2.5 seconds the ball is thrown or the play breaks down. Another key factor to this signing is it kicks Samuel Cosmi inside to guard. Cosmi has shown flashes being a high end lineman and I expect him to be even better kicking to guard from right tackle. Guard was our weakest position on the line and Wylie signing helped to upgrade the RG position. Nick Gates is expected to he our starting center. He's coming off of a brutal leg injury that made him consider retirement. Has played guard and center and has some positional flexibility. Jacoby Brissett is the best backup qb in thr league. A solid signing if Howell doesn't pan out. Just a solid game manager that doesn't commit many turnovers. Cody Barton is another unproven guy. Last year was his first year with significant reps. Bobby Wagner leaving in FA and Jordyn Brooks injury made em the guy. He showed flashes of coverage abilities and had a lot of tackles. The tackles weren't necessarily a product of his abilities and more so of cleaning up on a bad run defense team. I've read some notes that he has trouble getting off of blocks. Honestly, haven't watched much on the guy, but reports were he played solid down the stretch.
The Draft:
Link to all RAS scores for our draft class
https://commanderswire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-nfl-draft-ras-scores-for-the-washington-commanders-7-player-class-emmanuel-forbes/
Round 1:16 Emmanuel Forbes 6'1" 174 lbs. Mississippi St
Stats: 58 targets, 31 catches allowed for 284 yards (23 yards a game), 3 tds allowed/ 6 ints, 9 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 46 tackles.
PFF Grade: 87.2
If being a 160 pounds is your only knock then I think you're doing something alright. The word on the street is he is already up to 174 pounds. You wouldnt realize hes only 174 pounds by the way he plays the run. Hes not scared to hit and flies ro the ball. Although, he does struggle to get off of blocks. Emmanuel Forbes, per PFF, had the highest rating in man coverage last season, albeit the snap count was very miniscule. Emmanuel Forbes is a lanky corner than played a lot of zone coverage and is a very good scheme fit for what we do. I like the pick and I'm not upset about taking him over Gonzalez, who also had his own question marks. Forbes set a NCAA record with 6 pick sixes. A lot of those were the right place at the right time, but when you have that high of a number than you're doing something right.
PFF:
Forbes is one of the best ballhawks in this class. Over the course of his three-year career, he came down with 13 interceptions. That’s four more than the next closest Power Five cornerback since 2020. Forbes was unbelievably dominant in man coverage in 2022, giving up only three catches while also snagging three interceptions. He also only allowed a 20% completion rate in man, the lowest among FBS
PROS
Remarkably lanky frame. Limbs for days — ideal for a corner.Has bounce like a hooper. He can challenge any catch point necessary. Elite ability to locate the football. All six of his interceptions came in man coverage.
CONS
Still a stick. Not much mass on his frame. Has eyes that get him in trouble. Some freelance tendencies on tape.Can get bowled over in the run game. Mediocre tackler over the course of his career.
Round 2: 47 Jartavius "Quan" Martin 5'11". 194 lbs Illinois
Stats: 74 targets, 42 catches allowed, 611 yards allowed, 3 tds allowed, 3 ints, 15 forced incompletions, 2 dropped ints, 4 missed tackles, 64 tackles.
PFF Grade: 73.2
Quan is a beast. I thought he was the 2nd best nickel prospect in the draft and a better deep safety than Brian Branch. Martin absolute rockets around the field in the run game. He started his career at cornerback before transitioning into the safety/nickel position. Another elite athlete that is a perfect fit for our Buffalo Nickel defense.
PFF:
Martin came to Illinois and immediately started as a true freshman in 2018. He originally started off as an outside corner before becoming more of a slot corner recently. He had arguably his best year in 2022, as his 15 forced incompletions were tied for the sixth-most among Power-Five corners. Martin’s 91.0 run-defense grade also led all Power Five cornerbacks. While he played corner at Illinois, we project him more as a safety for the next level.
PROS:
Explosive flat-foot breaks. Tremendous burst. Forceful and reliable tackler - 7 misses on the last 129 attempts last two seasons.Fills like a mac truck in the run game. Wants to come downhill and play in the backfield.
CONS:
Pure man skills are work in progress. Overagressive and liability to bite on fakes. cons On the lighter side for an around the line of scrimmage player. Gets caught with his eyes in the backfield on run
Round 3: 97 Ricky Stromberg 6'3" 306 lbs Arkansas
Stats: 9 impact blocks, 11 qb hurries, 0 qb hits, 0 sacks allowed
PFF Grade: 82.4
Nasty. Another guard experience player that spent his last two years at the center position. Award winner of the Jacob's Blocking Trophy for the SEC'S most outstanding blocker award. This is a solid player that has started since he was freshman in the SEC. He's been battle tested since he was kid and has improved every year. He has some knocks about his play strength, but a NFL program should get em to where he needs to be.
PFF:
Stromberg was a three-star recruit in the 2019 class and started for the Razorbacks as a true freshman, mostly at right guard. He moved inside to center for his sophomore season and spent his final three college seasons there. Stromberg’s 82.4 overall grade and 83.7 run-blocking grade in 2022 both ranked fourth among all centers in college football, and his nine big-time blocks were tied for fifth among FBS centers. Not to mention, Stromberg had an incredible performance at the NFL combine.
PROS:
Does not want to let blocks go. Can see him straining his butt of to stay engaged on tape. Tons of experience against top competition. Four-year starter with 3,121 career snaps.
CONS:
Forward lean gets going on the move, making him liable to topple over. Has wide hands to initiate contact in pass protection before resetting. Leaves himself open for stronger rushers.Unimpressive musculature, which leaves questions about how he'll anchor against NFL strength.
Round 4: Braeden Daniels 6'4" 296 lbs Utah STATS:
0 sacks allowed, 1 qb hit allowed, 14 hurries allowed.
PFF GRADE: 72.2 at tackle, 2021 84.4 at guard.
Braeden Daniels is another tackle/guard hybrid, with starting experience across his college career. This guy is on the lighter side but that allows him to be an Explosive athlete. Very raw at the tackle position and will be a developmental guy. I'd like to give em a try as our swing tackle and see how he performs. He was one of the quickest offensive lineman I've seen off the tape and that athleticism will let him climb to the next level. Even on the lightweight side I'd hate to see this guy running at me on the second level.
PFF:
Daniels is an experienced veteran who commanded the Utes’ offensive line for the past few years. He originally started as a guard before switching over to tackle. His best season came in 2021, as he put up an 84.4 PFF grade. Given his time on the interior, Daniels is at his best when run blocking, and his run-blocking grade in 2021 was an elite 89.1. He still held his own as a pass protector, allowing only five sacks in his Utah career.
PROS
Explodes out of his stance. Arguably the quickest get off in the offensive line class. Linebackers don't want to see him climbing. Gets on them before they can even react. Drive in his lower half to still move the line of scrimmage despite being under 300 pounds.
CONS
Wild into contact. He approaches blocks with the adjustment ability of a freight train. consDoesn't bring his hands with him. Clean engagements are rare on tape. Very light by NFL standards (294 pounds at combine).
Round 5: 137 KJ Henry 6'4" 260 lbs Clemson
STATS:
51 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF, 6 pass deflections, 50 qb pressures, 31 qb hurries, 14 qb hits.
PFF GRADE: 83.1
Loved this pick. Henry was a 5 star recruit coming out of high-school and decided to attend Clemson University. With Clemson having deep lines it took him a couple of years to get on the field. The stats look odd when you only see 3.5 sacks, however, the 50 qb pressures is the key stat. Seems more like bad luck that the sack numbers weren't high. Clemson's whole d-line underperformed (Bresee, Murphey) and they should have picked up more sacks from Henry who was the best DE on that team last year. The team clearly liked him as we traded back up for him. He's not elite athlete, but he is an elite hands guy. Almost had that veteran presence in college. High motor and will immediately make an impact as a rotational de, a position that sorely needed an upgrade.
PFF:
On a team with Myles Murphy, you can easily make the case that KJ Henry was Clemson's best defensive end this year, as he posted better PFF grades than Murphy in every category and even generated 19 more pressures. The only problem is That Henry is 24 years old while Murphy is only 21. Therefore, Henry was expected to produce this well against younger competition. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that he can’t still improve. If Henry's play this season is any indication of his potential, he can still have a great NFL career as an edge defender.
PROS:
Heavy hands that are so well refined. Uses them independently to use combination moves.Utilizes hesitations and head fakes so well to catch linemen off-balance. Coaches rave about the type of teammate he is. He is the type of player you want in the locker room.
CONS:
First step that's unimposing for a rusher on the smaller side. Late bloomer. Wasn't even a starter until this past fall. One of the oldest prospects in the class. Already 24 years old.
Round 6: 193 Chris Rodriguez 6'0" 217 lbs Kentucky
STATS: 8 games played, 175 attempts, 904 rushing yards, 6 tds, 5.2 ypa, 5 catches, 41 rec yards.
PFF GRADE: 90.8
Chris Rodriguez is a PFF darling and was rated as the 7th best running back. This guy's is a pure one cut, run you over, power back. There's not much finesse to his game, but there's highlights of dragging guys 10-yards down the field. He does not posses break away speed, but he will get you 40 yards. He was suspended 4 games due to a dui and he may have been drafted higher on am abysmal Kentucky team. An extra 4 games of stats against SEC competition and no suspension may have jumped him into the 4th round. This was an Eric Bienemy guy and they brought him in because of that. Isiah Pacheco was another EB guy.
PFF:
Rodriguez is a powerful runner, but he lacks the burst and creativity to become anything more than a downhill grinder. He has the size and mentality to do the dirty work between the tackles, but it could be a challenge for him to get to and through the hole quickly in the NFL. He’s a physical blitz protector, so teams might envision a role for him as a second-half battering ram and third-down quarterback protector.
PROS:
Two-time team captain. Thick frame with ability to pick up tough yards. Makes tacklers feel his size at impact. Stays square getting through downhill cuts. Low success rate guaranteed for arm-tacklers. Stays on his feet through heavy angle strikes. Allows lead blockers to do their work. Steps up with force against incoming rushers.
CONS:
Below-average burst getting through line of scrimmage. Lacks finesse to navigate tight run lanes. Change of direction is heavy. One-speed running style is easy to track for linebackers. Pad level is a little tall as run-finisher. Inconsistent finding assignment versus blitz.
Round 7: 233 Andre Jones 6'4" 248 lbs Louisiana
STATS: 7 sacks, 5 qb hits, 20 hurries.
PFF GRADE: 77.2
Andre Jones was another hybrid de/lb player coming out last year. He possess 34 1/4" arms which is an elite number for his size. May move to LB, but I'm not sure that's the right move with a 4.71 40-yard dash. He doesn't have much a pass rush move set playing a hybrid role, but does use length to his advantage. A solid developmental pick.
PROS:
Shows a natural feel for setting up blockers and getting them off-balance. His hands are active and violent, and Jones quickly disengages with blockers and counters when his initial move stalls. Possesses accurate snap anticipation and timing to beat blockers off the edge. Offers some versatility, rushing from a two-and three-point stance with the playing speed to stand up in space.Flashes strength as a bull rusher and his energy doesn't plateau. Showed initial quickness and good flexibility to dip and bend. Jones has active hands and suddenness to his movements, demonstrating the ability to counter inside. Has fluid footwork to redirect, reverse momentum and close with a burst. Regularly first off the ball with good snap anticipation. He’s a high-effort pass rusher with an impressive combination of length and speed.
CONS:
Jones has to develop a counter move or two in the pass rush, and Jones needs to make better use of his hands. He lacks the speed of a chase and- tackle guy. He lacks twitch as a pass rusher and lacks the feet and flexibility to threaten around the edge. Jones also shows some stiffness when trying to bend the edge, often getting pushed past the pocket — he seems more comfortable countering back inside.
Draft Summary:
This was my favorite Ron Rivera/Martin Mayhew draft thus far. Going into the draft, offensive line, cornerback, and quarterback were our three biggest needs. Drafting in the middle of the round really took us out of the olineman race. The last one that interested me was Broderick Jones and he went off the board when the Steelers traded up. At that point in the draft it really left us with going cornerback. The Forbes pick was received negatively due to Christian Gonzalez being available. Both players will be viewed under the microscope throughout their careers. I'm fine with Forbes pick though. Another lanky cornerback who was an elite athlete. I did have Gonzalez rated higher going into the draft, but he slid for a reason. A lot of his tape shows him not necessarily being an elite cornerback, but being an elite athlete that plays corner. Forbes actually showed the athleticism, corner skills, and ballhawking ability. Some additional knocks against Gonazalez and his love of the game. Quan Martin was our biggest surprise pick of the draft. A lot of people had him going in the 3rd round, but I think the 2nd was a fine spot. Mayhew after the draft said he wish we were more aggressive at times, which I translated as not getting Brian Branch that went several picks before us. I think Quan was the backup option, but I like him as much as Branch. I think Quan will be a better deep safety and Bramch will be a better nickel. Liked Quan alot, but felt we should have gone o-line at this pick. Ocyrus Torrence would've been a sweet pick here. I think if that happened, the consensus view on our draft would shoot up. Quan will immediately via for playing time as our base defense is essentially a 4-2-5. Kendall Fuller was our only above average corner and now we turned our secondary into a strength. Ricky Stromberg and Braeden Daniels were our next two picks. I like Stromberg’s tape a lot and think by next he will be a solid starter at guard or center. Braeden Daniels will be a nice depth piece and if he's able to tame his play he could develop into a starter. Fun player to watch. KJ Henry was an awesome pick and can see him being a nice rotational piece. Good pick at an underrated area of need on our defense. RB wasn't a pressing need, but it's an underrated area of weakness. I think Brian Robinson is about as average of rb as you will see starting in the NFL. I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez slowly cut into Robinson's role over the next two years. Antonio Gibson has had some solid season, but has a severe fumbling problem. Andre Jones will be a depth piece that will need development moving forward.
Offseason summary:
The biggest question of our offseason was our owner, which now appears resolved. Our second biggest question... was who was our starting qb? Sam Howell. Ron preached all offseason that he was going with Howell and I'll be damned, he did. Brissett was good qb to bring in, not someone that would necessarily turn the offseason into a battle, but can be a starter if called upon. Really a true backup qb. I'm all in on the Sam Howell train. I love it for a multitude of reasons. One, he balls out and we have our qb of the future, two he plays well enough we give him another season and maybe Ron is out and we get a high draft pick, three he bombs and we fire Ron Rivera and go for Caleb Williams next season. If anything, it gives us a direction for our future. I'm ready for Ron to go and think he's only as good as his coordinators. I'm concerned that EB AND Howell turn the offense around Ron gets resigned and EB takes a head coaching role... then the offense regressed. Additionally, I don't want Ron to get credit for drafting Howell. It was 5th round pick, you and every team passed on him for 4 rounds. If Howell is that good... it's not because Ron was a genius and drafted him. Very similar to Seattle taking Russel. I am excited about EB being here and think he's the real deal. I will give Ron credit for allowing him to run his own offense as he sees fit. OTA's have shown that EB is pushing his guys hard and is trying to see what he can do with the offense. We really do have elite playmaker and I'm most excited to see what he can do with Antonio Gibson. I can see his role being that of Jerrick McKinnon, with more athleticism. Sam Howell has shown a lot of progress since his rookie season. Had issues with his foot work, but has shown vast improvements. We only have 1 preseason game and 1 NFL game of tape on him. I liked what he showed. When watching tape you could see him going through his progression, man absolutely saved the day wish his escapability- was under pressure the whole game, threw two beautiful deep passes, and won the game. He did throw one bad pick, but was under pressure and playing hero ball. He had one week of practice with the starters, now he has a whole offseason. Our defense should be a top 5 unit next season and we only got better. Chase Young should be fully healthy and he's the X-factor for the number one overall defense. He comes out plays to his full potential then he could be a mid teens sack guy. If we have that sort of production and Sam Howell plays well than we can compete for the decision. Big if though. Our secondary really lacked a 2nd option, Benjamin St Juyce has shown some flashes but didn't seeze the role last year. Now on paper he's the number and that's very solid. We return two top 6 defensive tackles and Montez Swear is one of the most underrated players in the league. He's yet to have a high sack season, but is very much that Jadaveon Ckowney type of player in the run game. Big question mark season for Jaymin Davis. We knew he needed development, but it's been slower than previously thought. Down the stretch he showed flashes that he was coming into his own and now is his year. He's one of the best athletes at linebacker in the league and his ceiling is very very high. Overall I predict we will go 10-7 and challenge for a wild card spot. That record can fluctuate each one, but I'm calling the improvement now. We went 8-8-1 with bottom 3 qb play. The defense got better, we hired a better offensive coordinator, Howell will at the minimum be slightly better than Hienke last season, we didn't lose any major pieces and had a solid all around draft. I'm truly excited to watch how our future plays out.

Hey all, over the past year I've been working on a project for Fantasy Football Leagues called League Legacy - and just recently released support for Fantasy Basketball (and Hockey), too. I'd love to get some of ya'll to try it out and some feedback and suggestions on it and hopefully some of you find it interesting and useful.
You can find out more details at the website, https://leaguelegacy.io, but in short - League Legacy allows you to automatically import your current and historical Fantasy Basketball seasons (from Yahoo, ESPN and Sleeper) - and then provides a ton of features for managing your League and league history - all time standings/rankings, league finances, member history pages, season stats, member vs member stats, record book, and a lot more.
There are additional tools as well for 'in-season' leagues, once that picks up again for Basketball (automatic weekly updates, in-season power rankings, playoff odds, etc). I also have a long roadmap of additional features that will be debuting over the next several months: Commissioner Tools, Automated Weekly Newsletters, Mobile App, etc.
It's been a fun project to continue iterating on and I'm excited about adding Basketball to support now too. So I would love to get some feedback and suggestions, and more importantly bug reports. There will be some rough edges to work through, particularly around importing your leagues if you have any atypical league settings. But I will work on solving for them as soon as they're reported. And the more leagues we can get onboarded the more solidified we can make the whole platform.
Feel free to reach out and message me with any issues or feedback!
Thanks!

Hey all, over the past year I've been working on a project for Fantasy Football Leagues called League Legacy - and just recently released support for Fantasy Hockey, too. I'd love to get some of ya'll to try it out and some feedback and suggestions on it and hopefully some of you find it interesting and useful.
You can find out more details at the website, https://leaguelegacy.io, but in short - League Legacy allows you to automatically import your current and historical Fantasy Hockey seasons (from Yahoo and ESPN) - and then provides a ton of features for managing your League and league history - all time standings/rankings, league finances, member history pages, season stats, member vs member stats, record book, and a lot more.
There are additional tools as well for 'in-season' leagues, once that picks up again for Hockey (automatic weekly updates, in-season power rankings, playoff odds, etc). I also have a long roadmap of additional features that will be debuting over the next several months: Commissioner Tools, Automated Weekly Newsletters, Mobile App, etc.
It's been a fun project to continue iterating on and I'm excited about adding Hockey to support now too. So I would love to get some feedback and suggestions, and more importantly bug reports. There will be some rough edges to work through, particularly around importing your leagues if you have any atypical league settings. But I will work on solving for them as soon as they're reported. And the more leagues we can get onboarded the more solidified we can make the whole platform.
Feel free to reach out and message me with any issues or feedback!
Thanks!