Nick Gates is the new Commanders center, and there’s a lot different for him moving down I-95 and the NFC East from the Giants to DC.
But, much like the Giants, who are a New York City team but play in East Rutherford, N.J., and work out and mostly live in Jersey, the Commanders are based in Virginia and play in Maryland, so there are very few players that live in the District proper…including Gates, who is living in Ashburn but is at least looking forward to getting out and about in DC.
“It’s been awesome, different and new, but I want to get into the city as much as possible during the season, and I’m excited to be here,” Gates said. “Definitely a lot quieter here, but I went to dinner one night in the city, and I’ve heard the food is great, so I look forward to trying some different restaurants.”
Gates played for one of the longest-tenured NFL ownership groups in the Mara and Tisch families with the Giants, and now, he’s under the shortest-tenured crew in Josh Harris and company – but even in the short tme he’s been a Commander, even he can already feel the excitement of Not Dan Snyder.
“Definitely; I didn’t know too much about the previous owner and what was up with him, but just being here the short time I have, you can tell people are excited he’s gone,” Gates said. “We have new ownership that wants us to succeed, it feels like a fresh start.”
On to football, Gates will get started with a new crew on the same field where his career almost met a tragic end a couple years ago, when he suffered a gruesome leg injury in a Thursday night game between the Giants and then-WFT – but he’s 100 percent, and he’s ready to anchor a unit that will be tasked with protecting Sam Howell.
“We added a couple of good pieces in the offseason and it seems like we’re on the right track,” Gates said. “Pads haven’t come on so we still have to see where we can be, but I’m excited. We have some good players and a good quarterback behind us – Sam is a smart athletic dude, and we have to give him time and let him do what he does, and he can win some games for us.”
Gates has played with Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley in the last few years, but he’s looking forward to seeing how high Howell can fly in a new offense.
“We’ve been together a short time, but he’s a smart dude and commanding the offense pretty well,” Gates said. “We all respect him, and it’s too early to tell what’s going to happen, but he’s a competitor and you can tell he wants to win. He’ll get on us when he has to.”
Gates isn’t bashful about saying how he feels about things, either, which could clash with Howell and new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy…but it’s actually the opposite.
“I love EB. He brings that energy very day and I love how he goes about his business. He has a good resume behind him and he knows what he’s doing,” Gates said.
Check out Gates’ entire appearance with Sheehan above, which includes some chat about the two games between the Giants and Commanders last year and the DC D-line!
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