With four weeks to play, and the playoffs all but out of reach, fans and analysts will treat each snap as a referendum on Commanders quarterback Sam Howell.
That isn’t the case inside Washington’s locker room, though, where he’s already built a fanbase.
As Howell prepares to face a tough stretch of defenses, starting Sunday with the Los Angeles Rams, and moving on to the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, he’ll do so having developed his leadership skills throughout the season. Running back Antonio Gibson said Howell has been growing more vocal.
“He’s kind of a cool guy,” Gibson said. “I don’t know if y’all can tell just by talking to him in interviews, but he’s cool. He’s laid back. He’s started to talk more, breaking down the huddles, giving us a little pep talk before games and stuff like that. So you know, that’s something he probably told himself to work on, and he’s doing a good job of that.”
Howell’s numbers tell a story of an eventful season as he’s near the top of the league in both yards and attempts, as well as sacks taken. He certainly hasn’t lacked for opportunities in Eric Bieniemy’s offense. Still, while he’s had highlight moments, he also hasn’t put to rest any doubt that he’s the future at the position in Washington.
One thing teammates have noticed, though, is that the outside noise doesn’t reach Howell. He always maintains an unbothered look, and mingles easily among the different position groups.
“He’s very personable,” tight end Logan Thomas said. “He gets along with everybody, gets everybody on the same page, likes to have fun. So once your quarterback’s doing that, you know he’s in a good headspace.”
With four ferocious defenses on deck, the main point of emphasis during the bye week was getting Howell to make decisions and release the ball quicker on passing plays.
Coach Ron Rivera said cutting down on sacks is a team effort, but also depends on Howell knowing when to cut his losses.
“I think the biggest thing we talked about was getting the ball out of his hands quicker,” the coach said. “Whether that’s his decision making or it’s play calling, it’s just one of those things that he has to understand - take what’s there, and sometimes discretion is a better part of valor. Throw it away.”
He didn’t have to worry about the message being received. Howell said he noticed the same thing as he went back and watched tape of his past games during a week in his home state of North Carolina.
“I just think when I was playing my best was when the ball was coming out fast,” Howell said Wednesday. “It kind of looked like I pretty much knew where the ball was going to go before the ball was even snapped. I just think my decision-making was very good, very quick, and I was just playing decisive football.
“I think when I’m playing decisive and I’m delivering the football accurately, that’s when I’m at my best. So that’s what I’m going to do here these last four games.”
Howell also re-emphasized his desire to connect with star receiver Terry McLaurin, who is currently not on pace to get 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since his rookie season in 2019.
McLaurin thinks the late bye week was an opportunity for everybody, players and coaches included, to reset and come into the final stretch with good habits.
“We haven’t had, obviously, the season that we would have liked and what we were playing for,” McLaurin said. “But when you get the bye week, be able to be around family and rest your body and things like that, I think it’s the ability for you to not only self-reflect on your game, but just life, and come back better.
“I definitely think physically I feel better, and you can definitely tell guys feel better from that downtime.”
Whether that translates to better play will depend on whether Howell can improve just in time to stay ahead of some of the toughest tests he’ll face all season.
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