If Jay Gruden were the Commanders’ coach on Sunday…well, he wouldn’t say if he would’ve gone for two, but he did say that he, too, would’ve been proud about the way Washington bounced back from a beat down and almost beat the defending conference champs.
“An emotional day, but the good thing is that they bounced back from a horrific Buffalo game on both sides of the ball and that was important for them to come out on the road and show signs of life that they're not dead,” Gruden said Monday in his weekly segment with Grant & Danny. “They played well, put themselves in position to go into overtime and possibly win the game. They’re not happy because they didn’t get the win, but they have to be happy about that position.”
Happy, too, that Sam Howell – who Eric Bickel said Monday may have been playing for his job after a stinker against Buffalo – rebounded to have an excellent game.
“Obviously they got Sam outside the pocket, utilized him and some max protections so he could rip the ball down the field a little bit,” Gruden said. “Some of them were successful, some weren’t, but he was able to check down, which is what quarterbacks are supposed to do, and I think he played a much better game, not only throwing the ball but with his decision making.”
Grant counted about 70 percent of Howell’s dropbacks were three-step drops or short-yardage throws, and that was a smart game plan, it seems.
“You had to, because they couldn't protect Philadelphia if they went back any further, waited for players to develop,” Gruden said. “They did that in max protection and gave some shots down the field, but for him to drop back with that interior pass rush against the interior offensive line Washington has, it would have been a struggle. So, they a great job of getting the ball out of his hands, gave him some good looks and easy looks, and receivers did a good job of making some runs after catch as well. They moved the ball well, so that's a good sign for him.
All of that bodes well for Howell and the Commanders, the former hoping to be the long-term answer under center and the latter hoping the same for him.
“For sure, he's the guy we have to develop and work our game plan around, and make sure you continue to get to know him as a player and what he likes, what he's comfortable and not comfortable with,” Gruden said when asked how he’d be feeling if he were in the Commanders’ shoes. “That process will take some time, but he’s shown enough to me with his grit and determination, and his never quit attitude and competitive spirit. His ability to bounce back from a bad series or a bad game like Buffalo to play as well as he did against Philadelphia on the road, I think he shows great signs of a growing quarterback.”
As Gruden says, if you’re an NFL starter, you’re already on the right track, but Howell’s development, even if it won’t be linear, is on that right track for sure.
“He's only played five games now, but he's shown enough promise where he can make the throws, and he's got athletic ability where he can avoid pressure,” Gruden said. “He’s taken a ton of sacks, which is a concern for him and the offensive line, and obviously something they have to fix, and they have to get rid of the negative plays, but as far as Sam is concerned, I think he's shown enough already in a short career that he has a great prospect for this team moving forward.”
Take a listen to Gruden’s entire weekly segment above!
