Ross Tucker was broadcasting the Browns-Ravens game last Sunday, but you’re damn sure he saw the Hail Mary, and he loved it – and loves Dan Quinn.
“I absolutely love Dan Quinn, and have always loved him. You know how I have a lot of energy and I love football and love life and all those things? That's Dan Quinn – he and I could be boys,” Tucker told the Junkies Wednesday. “I can just picture hanging out with Dan Quinn on a Friday night, like, he’s that guy. He is obsessed and loves football, but he loves meeting people and every aspect of it, and you can tell that players love him. You guys have a really, really special thing going right now, because not only do you have a really good team and a really good player, but you're likable; the quarterback is likable, the head coach is likable, and you guys are in a great place.”
Tucker played three of his seven seasons in DC, in a career that ended now 17 years ago, and he has seen what Washington football has done to the fan base – but make no mistake about it, he thinks the fire is back, and that play only underscores what the new regime is doing.
“You guys know, because I started my career there and finished it there, I have an affinity for your franchise and in particular for the fans down there,” Tucker said. “When I was there in 01 and 02, it was still really cool to be a Redskins fan, and then even ’07 when I came back, Gibbs was here and there was still a lot. But just seeing the erosion doing games on the radio there over the last five years or whatever, it's painful, because there's so many people that used to be Washington fans. I don't know many under the age of 20, so I’m hoping having Jayden, having Dan Quinn and his energy as a coach, and then having a moment like that can spur the fan base to be reignited. It kind of feels like it is, so I was thrilled that franchise got that moment.”
The biggest thing he can’t believe about it, though, is that the Bears defense allowed it to be a possibility.
“I am amazed that Eberflus screwed up the play before as badly as he did and isn't taking accountability for it,” Tucker said. “I do Eagles preseason games and a bunch of Philly radio – they’re furious with Josh Harris right now – but the Eagles, before every preseason game, practice those exact two plays, the Hail Mary and the one before. You don't give them a free 15 yards! Anything else, with six seconds left, would have ended the game, because they would have had to complete the ball in the field of play. Jayden could not throw an 85-yard Hail Mary at that point, so you cannot give them those free 15 yards. You have to have at least two guys guarding the boundary, and it’s mind-boggling that he messed that up and then he won't take accountability, saying those yards didn’t matter.”
And Eberflus should thank Tyrique Stevenson, in Tucker’s mind, for making not one but TWO mistakes on the play.
“Stevenson screwed him because he tipped the ball and Noah Brown caught it and we all know what happened, but on the other hand, Stevenson did him a favor in the sense that everybody's focusing on that part of it,” Tucker said. “He’s a second-year kid who got caught up in the moment, and the thing that's hilarious to me about that is if he just kept taunting the fans, the Bears would have won. If he never goes over there and tries to get involved in the play, that ball doesn't get tipped back to Noah Brown! They could do a ‘30 for 30’ in those last to plays.”
A win is a win, though, and at 6-2, can the Commanders be considered legit contenders?
“In the locker room, those guys think they can beat anybody,” Tucker said. “I’ve played for five teams, and played when the quarterback was Tom Brady and when the quarterback was not Tom Brady – as soon as you have a quarterback that you really believe in and you start to have some success and win games, you think you can beat anybody. When we won five in a row in 2001 with Tony Banks, we thought we could do anything! So those guys believe it – but do I believe they can win three playoff games? No, I don't think they're good enough. I think they’re still missing some pieces that they'll need, and maybe they'll have in 2025, so I don’t think they’re there yet – but stranger things have happened.”