Doug Williams was the MVP of Super Bowl XXII for the Washington Redskins, and is now the senior advisor to Commanders president Jason Wright as he enters his tenth consecutive year in the team’s front office – so who better to join his old teammate, Doc Walker, and Scott Jackson as they filled in for BMitch & Finlay Thursday to discuss this year’s squad?
Doc isn’t worried about any position on the Commanders’ roster this year more than the offensive line, and while Williams understands (especially being a QB himself), he’s confident that if the almost entirely new line can gel, the Commanders can do damage.
“I’ll go back to our time – we had seven guys that took pride in what they did. All that other stuff didn’t matter to them when it came to playing football,” Williams said. “We know we have a rookie at QB, but if the guys up front do what they should do – and they have to come together and believe in each other – but if they work like that and have the same mentality like The Hogs had, it will be a great year.”
So, that group will be the one to watch come July 27 in Ashburn.
“That’s the most important thing in training camp, and in preseason games, is seeing how well they come together as a group. Those guys are the key to anything we do,” Williams said. “Defensively we have guys who can make it happen, but if the offense can come together, with the skill group we have, Sam Howell can have a great year.”
In addition to not knowing each other, those who are holdovers are learning a new offense from Eric Bieniemy – and while he may have a reputation for being tough, Williams sees through that noise and sees a coach who puts success first.
“People say EB is confrontational and all that, but I think that’s soft guys who don’t really want to play,” Williams said. “But if you like the game and want to give 100 percent, you want an EB coaching you, because he’ll be on point on everything that has to be done. If you aren’t doing it right, he’ll tell you quickly – He’ll say get out, give me someone else,’ and I haven’t seen that in my 10 years.”
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There are no favorites, because production is what matters, it seems.
“To be out on the field and see how he operates, he’s not a buddy-buddy guy – he’s the easiest guy to talk to one-on-one about things if you get him off the field, but on the field, he’s in his element, and I think the skill guys on offense are crunk for EB because of how he is,” Williams said.
And what does Williams say to those people outside the bubble who are upset at seeing Bieniemy yelling at practice and possibly being abrasive?
“EB doesn’t look at it like he’s coaching a bunch of entitled individuals – he’s a throwback, because he was probably coached the same way, and it might be the only way he knows,” Williams said. “A lot of these guys can’t wait for practice to be over so they can play video games, but that’s not how EB sees it. He wants to get things right, and show people he has the ability to coach in this league. Every morning he’s in here, and he’s talking to those guys. This is a great environment for me to watch.”
Take a listen to Williams’ entire conversation with Doc & Scott, which includes some thoughts on his days in Tampa Bay and a look back at Super Bowl XXII, above!
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