Monday means Craig Hoffman and producer Anthony Haynie sit down and kick off their show with First and Ten, the 10 biggest observations from Sunday’s Commanders game.
And, well, in a Week 15 loss to the Rams, there was only one item that could top the list: Jacoby Brissett played.
Well, not exactly that it happened but why, as No. 1 notes that "the fit of Eric Bieniemy and Sam Howell wasn’t designed to win football games, and the guise of 'growth and development' was very nonsensical, in hindsight."
“I think Sam Howell can be a solid NFL quarterback, and I think Eric Bieniemy is a good offensive coordinator – but I do not think either is elite, and for non-elite coordinators and quarterbacks, fit is essential,” Craig said. “What if Sam Howell was asked to do what Jared Goff or Gardner Minshew or Brock Purdy is being asked to do? They’re not asked to do what Sam is asked to do here, and what we’ve been told all season is this is part of Sam’s development while trying to win games – but it’s just a stupid plan. This is not how you develop a quarterback – they’re 4-10 and he’s going backwards and looking shell-shocked, and the idea that this is okay because it will be worth it in the long run, or this is a feasible plan to win football games, is nuts!”
And to piggyback that, in No. 2, Craig notes that when it comes to Sam’s play itself, his footwork and timing is still incredibly inconsistent, something that should be cleaner 14 games in.
“We know Sam Howell has flaws, but there are times he takes the snap, pauses, and rushes the drop-back, and that’s not how you do the timing, because there needs to be an easiness,” Craig said. “The way a West Coast offense is designed, your feet match the pattern. That timing is all off with Howell, and it’s why it doesn’t feel like he’s made a play on-schedule in forever. It was better yesterday, but it wasn’t good by any stretch, and there’s a lot of things you look at and think they should be better by now.”
Take a listen above as Hoffman goes in-depth on his Top 2, then gives his other eight observations – including the now-cut Camaron Cheeseman's continued long-snapping struggles, Terry McLaurin's monster day, and more.
