When ESPN's John Keim asked Ron Rivera a while back about quarterback Sam Howell's growth during his rookie season – a season he spent 16 of 17 games watching from the sideline – the Washington Commanders head coach spoke about a time in practice and how the players can identify players who have it.
"The first thing you’d hear from the defensive guys was, ‘I was trying to make that play, I just couldn’t get to the ball,’” Rivera told Keim. “The old saying is that players know players. As you listen to them talk about it, ‘God, his ball was so catchable; he threw that to the only spot [open]."
For Kevin Sheehan, there is something that doesn't quite add up when examining Rivera's glowing comments about the former fifth-round pick.
"Man, he is excited about Sam Howell, isn't he? He's jumping out of his seat to talk about Sam Howell," Sheehan said.
"Well, why didn't you play him?" he said. "Why did you think about not playing him for the whole game in the season finale? Why didn't you play him before the season finale when you were still in playoff contention even though you didn't know you could be eliminated from playoff contention in the next to last week of the season.
"I'm telling you this is the kinda thing we have lived with for 25 years. The overselling in the offseason of everything, you know the overpromising and then ultimately nine times outta ten underdelivering. Like, I don't know, to me with a guy that threw 19 passes and completed 11 of them that you didn't even want to play the entire game in the season finale...
"He is really putting a lot of pressure on Sam Howell! I mean Ron Rivera has pitched Sam Howell so hard that you almost have to think he was nuts not to play him last year! 'Players know players' and 'the ball, it was there' and 'how did it get there?' and 'Oh my god he threw it to the only spot.' Why didn't you play him!?! Your quarterbacking sucked last year!"
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Sheehan added about the Week 18 game: "And why was it even a question about playing him in a preseaon formatted finale?"
For Sheehan it is yet another case of the Washington football franchise having to puff out their chest and declare themselves the best at the football offseaon while continuing to woefully underperform when it really matters from September – January. And, on top of that, it raises the bar that will make it harder for Howell, who remains a complete unknown, to beat expectations.
"Undersell it and let's shock the world," Sheehan said. "I don't wanna hear about how great Sam Howell is and how 'players know players' and about how they've been seeing this coming for a while. Stop selling us. Show us.
"And by the way, you're putting undue pressure on him. He's a young player, he's played exactly one game and now he's in a completely new system. Let's emphasize that."
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