“I thought he played a great game. The one fumble was too bad, a great run where he was trying to get a couple extra yards and didn't hold on to the ball, but other than that, he made some unbelievable plays; off schedule, in the pocket, deep throws. I mean, really there's not a lot not to like about Sam at this point, the last three games. He's been outstanding.”
Those are the words of Jay Gruden, praising the current QB1 in DC during his weekly Monday visit with Grant & Danny. And over those last three games, there has been a fundamental change in the offense overall, at least in Gruden’s eyes, that has helped solve the sack problem Sam was experiencing in September and October.
“I think Bieniemy’s done a good job of mixing up his launch point; he rolls him out occasionally, does some bootlegs and a lot of quick screens,” Gruden said. “And, the line, in known passing situations, is doing a little bit better job picking up the stunts and getting better on the interior.
But really, it’s all about Bieniemy's play usage, and getting the ball out of his hands and getting the ball to the right people. He’s finding his second and third receivers quickly and avoiding sacks.”
That said, though, Jay is still mixed on the idea of Eric Bieniemy as a head coach sometime in the near future, even if it’s in DC.
“Really, it’s about Sam Howell's development. I think the way Sam Howell is developing at this rate, right now for young quarterback, I would say, yes, give him an opportunity,” Gruden said. “It's not so much the plays as much as Sam is developing and made it look relatively easy. That continuity from year one to year two to year three with the same offensive coordinator does mean a lot, although I do believe Sam Howell’s skill set would match well with another offensive coordinator, I think that going into another year, it's always nice to have the same offensive coordinator if he has success. But, they have some tough games coming up, so let's see how they do before we make that determination, but right now, Sam just looks a lot more comfortable in this offense.”
“What he does that sets him apart from a lot of the other straight dropback quarterbacks is his ability to create,” Gruden said. “Early in the season, he was creating and making some bad plays worse; now, he's starting to get a good feel for the pocket and looking for a second and third option – heck, the first touchdown to Brian Robinson was just a check wide route, Sam scrambled and made the unblocked nickel miss and Brian converted it down the sidelines and he hit him for a 50-yard touchdown. That and the Gibson play are 100 yards of offense on two plays that a straight dropback quarterback wouldn't make.”
And, Howell is doing it all in a pass-heavy game scheme, which Gruden is okay with being Washington’s pass blocking is sketchy, but it makes it all the more impressive when opposing defenses know the Commanders are passing three-quarters of the time but they’re creative enough to make it work.
“They’re not a great run-blocking team, so I think setting up second and short with the quick game, those are good extensions of the run.
Just because you don't hand the ball off, these are like running plays because you're getting the ball out in space to your skill players and with blockers out in front,” Gruden said. “You're getting yourself in second and medium or short, which really will help to run later on in the game, so sometimes the pass can set up the run, and I think that's Bieniemy's plan.”
Take a listen to Gruden’s entire segment above, which includes more thoughts on the offensive balance, the issues with Washington’s defense and how to maybe fix it, and more!