{"id":58018,"date":"2025-05-17T18:22:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T18:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/58018\/"},"modified":"2025-05-17T18:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T18:22:11","slug":"wft-news-washington-commanders-news-links-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/58018\/","title":{"rendered":"WFT News: Washington Commanders News Links"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commanders links
\nArticles
\nSports Illustrated
\nTrading for Deebo Samuel was just step one for the Commanders<\/a><\/p>\n

The Commanders packaged three picks to acquire All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel and elite left tackle Laremy Tunsil\u2014two additions expected to immediately impact the offense unit.<\/p>\n

But for Quinn, the offseason wasn\u2019t just about landing top talent\u2014it was about reinforcing the team\u2019s identity of brotherhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdding those guys into the team\u2014what does that look like? How are they connecting with teammates? That\u2019s what the offseason is about,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been off to a good start putting this crew together. It\u2019s a very, very competitive group.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for how Samuel will be used, fans can expect offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to find creative ways to showcase his versatility\u2014but not necessarily in the same role he played in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimilar, but I wouldn\u2019t say the same,\u201d Quinn said when asked if Samuel would line up in the backfield. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of what\u2019s fun about it. You find these unique things that a player has\u2014and man, does he have them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riggo\u2019s Rag
\nNFL may have handed Dan Quinn a golden runway to Coach of the Year<\/a><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s suppose that in Washington\u2019s first 13 games, the team goes 8-5 or 9-4, or perhaps even 10-3. If the Commanders won out from there, they would enter the playoffs as arguably the NFL\u2019s most dangerous team. They would have beaten the Eagles twice, including on their home turf, and would almost certainly be NFC East champions.<\/p>\n

For Quinn, who missed out<\/a> on winning NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2024 despite his team\u2019s improbable playoff surge, it would be a shot at redemption.<\/p>\n

Taking a team from the basement to contention is hard enough. Taking that next step forward into being a legitimate Super Bowl favorite is arguably even harder, especially when the team with the target on its back is in your division.<\/p>\n

If the Commanders can make a statement down the stretch by sweeping their rivals up north and entering the 2025 playoffs as the class of the NFC East \u2014 perhaps even the conference\u2019s No. 1 seed \u2014 there\u2019s no doubt that Quinn would be considered a heavy favorite to win the award.<\/p>\n

The 51st
\nD.C. pole vaulters and skateboarders hope they aren\u2019t forgotten in push for new Commanders stadium<\/a><\/p>\n

A world-class pole vaulting facility and skate park could be replaced by new bars and restaurants.<\/p>\n

But RFK isn\u2019t completely empty: A world-class pole vaulting facility and community skate park are still used every day. <\/p>\n

This active community of athletes is now facing an uncertain future, as the parcel of land they sit on could soon be replaced by what would become the stadium\u2019s Plaza District.<\/p>\n

Neither are yet in panic mode about any impending evictions, but they are fighting to make sure they\u2019re not left out of the conversation on the future of RFK. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is prime real estate. It\u2019s a no-brainer: there\u2019s no way they\u2019re going to let us stay here,\u201d says Edward Luthy, who developed the pole vaulting facility. \u201cBut we want to continue saying, \u2018Hey, don\u2019t forget, we want a toehold somewhere if we can have it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

A pole vaulting paradise<\/p>\n

You can be forgiven for not knowing there is a pole vaulting training and competition facility in D.C.; I certainly didn\u2019t until recently. But to simply say it exists is to undersell Luthy\u2019s single-minded effort to create it \u2013 and the long list of records, championships, and elite athletes it has produced.<\/p>\n

[Edward Luthy built] his dream pole vaulting facility in the shadow of RFK, investing more than $100,000 of his own money to buy top-shelf equipment (each pole, and there are dozens, can cost close to $1,000) to create what he says is one of the only stand-alone pole vaulting centers in the country that is certified by World Athletics for national and international competition. (On June 27-28, it is hosting a Pole Vault Championships<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI basically designed the facility to handle everything from six-year-olds through Olympic-level athletes,\u201d he says. \u201cWe try to make it really engaging for all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Podcasts & videos
\nFrankie Luvu\u2019s Journey: From American Samoa to NFL Stardom<\/p>\n

Panthers.com
published March 2021<\/p>\n

Signing with a heavy heart<\/a><\/p>\n

Signing an NFL contract should be a time of great celebration for any player.<\/p>\n

But for new Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu, the only thing he could muster was that his news offered a brief moment of happiness for his parents, a small glimmer of joy in a time of deep sadness for their entire family.<\/p>\n

Luvu came into the Panthers\u2019 facility Tuesday dressed casually but wearing a reminder of the man he could never forget. The 24-year-old linebacker had a large button pinned to his shirt which read: \u201cRest in Jesus \u2014 Till We Meet Again. Frazier Luvu. Sunrise July 9, 1986, Sunset March 6, 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frazier was the oldest of Veresa and Faaloiloia Luvu\u2019s eight children. Frankie is the youngest.<\/p>\n

Frankie recalled being with his brother the week before his death, speaking slowly but plainly about the grief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lost teammates, I\u2019ve lost an uncle, but losing a brother that I looked up to and molded myself to be like, everything he did I wanted to imitate, . . . It was hard, it was really hard,\u201d Luvu said. \u201cI was in Arizona when it happened, I was by myself, I didn\u2019t have any family around me, I was out there for training.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really hard, I didn\u2019t work out, I didn\u2019t feel like eating, I felt stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luvu explained that his brother took his own life, a shattering bit of news he was still processing, and which made his joining a new team more difficult to enjoy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s hard talking about it now,\u201d he said. \u201cJust knowing he\u2019s not going to be here is hard. At the end of the day, I want to make him proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photos<\/p>\n

LEGENDARY: Joe Theismann, Joe Gibbs, Jayden Daniels, Dan Quinn, Doug Williams, Mark Rypien.<\/p>\n

3x Suoer Bowl winning Coach with his Suoer Bowl winning QBs and the future of the franchise with his Coach.<\/p>\n

Last night at the Youth for Tomorrow Event#RaiseHail<\/a> <\/p>\n

Via @Theismann7<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mtLFVyoxd1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 WSH on the Daily (@WSHontheDaily) May 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

NFC East links
\nBleeding Green Nation
\n5 Eagles games I\u2019m most looking forward to in 2025<\/a>
\nEagles @ Washington Commanders, Northwest Stadium – TBD, Week 16<\/p>\n

Yep, the NFC Championship Game rematch is No. 4 on my list. Before I discuss this game, a quick word about the schedule makers.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re sniffing glue.<\/p>\n

Why on earth are these two teams playing twice in three weeks, and in the final three weeks of the season to boot? I know the NFL wants to have as many key intra-divisional games in Week 18 as possible, but the vast majority of the time at least one of the teams playing has nothing to play for in the final week of the season, so it\u2019s more likely than not that the second of these two games will be without consequence. What a waste.<\/p>\n

That said, the Week 16 game in DC will almost certainly have tremendous importance. It could decide the division. I\u2019m not convinced the Commanders will be as good as they were last season, there\u2019s a non-zero chance their 2024 run was just a Robert Griffin-like, one-season blitz, but I don\u2019t think so. Daniels is for real, and if he\u2019s healthy, the Commanders will be a force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n

Big Blue View
\nNew York Giants projected to go 5-12 by pair of statistical models<\/a><\/p>\n

That is better than 3-14, but not by a lot<\/p>\n

Whether you look at it by opponents\u2019 2025 winning percentage<\/a> or by opponents\u2019 expected 2025 win totals<\/a>, the New York Giants<\/a> face the most punishing schedule in the NFL during the upcoming season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing we can do about it,\u201d GM Joe Schoen said on the \u2018Up & Adams\u2019 Show<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, how many games can the Giants, with a revamped defense and an overhauled quarterback room, be expected to win after going just 3-14 a season ago?<\/p>\n

Our post-schedule release prediction was a generous 7-10<\/a>. A majority of voters in our poll are expecting a six-to-eight-win season.<\/p>\n

The FanDuel over\/under<\/a> of 5.5 victories has not budged since the schedule release.<\/p>\n

Now, NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund is out with her simulated projection of the 2025 season<\/a>. After running every game one million times, Frelund came up with a projected 5.4 victories for the Giants. She writes:<\/p>\n

Trying to win at Washington (in Week 1) and hosting Kansas City (on Sunday Night Football in Week 3) in the first three weeks of the season is tough in itself. That becomes a much tougher ask if rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart ends up being the team\u2019s starter. The Giants\u2019 schedule is punishing overall and especially so midway through the campaign, with back-to-back road games in Denver (Week 7) and Philadelphia (Week 8) and home games against San Francisco (Week 9) and Green Bay (Week 11) sandwiched around a trip to Chicago. The difficult sequence finally ends in Detroit in Week 12.<\/p>\n

The Athletic came up with 5.5 victories for the Giants<\/a> in their season simulation. The Athletic gives the Giants a 4.7% chance of reaching the playoffs. The Browns<\/a> (3.6%) are the only team with worse odds.<\/p>\n

If I had to do it over again, I might revise my season prediction down to 6-11.<\/p>\n

NFL league links
\nArticles
\nCard Player
\nMatthew Judon Exclusive: Pro Bowler Talks Sack Luck, NFL Future<\/a><\/p>\n

Pass-Rusher Ready For Big Season Wherever He Plays<\/p>\n

While it was the four-time Pro Bowler\u2019s lowest per-game sack production since his rookie year, Judon is adamant the fall-off didn\u2019t have to do with luck or age.<\/p>\n

Judon said his role was different with the Falcons compared to previous years.<\/p>\n

\u201cHell naw, (it wasn\u2019t bad luck),\u201d Judon said in an exclusive interview with Card Player. \u201cIf you go look at the film, I dropped (into coverage) on 60 percent of the plays. It\u2019s hard to get a pick and a sack on the same play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judon is one of the biggest names still available in free agency.<\/p>\n

While he may not be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate like at his peak, the 32-year-old believes there is still gas left in the tank.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I can still [play],\u201d Judon said. \u201cBut that\u2019s not up to me. I\u2019m not a GM making that decision. I just have to be ready if and when my name is called.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judon said \u201ca couple\u201d teams have expressed interest, but he\u2019s in no hurry to sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really haven\u2019t gone to OTAs or minicamps since year 2 in the league,\u201d Judon said. \u201cRight now I\u2019m just weighing the options, chilling and enjoying my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pro Football Talk
\nBrock Purdy\u2019s contract has a true average from signing of $45 million per year<\/a><\/p>\n

For 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, his new contract \u2014 leaked at 5:00 p.m. ET on a Friday, where bad news usually goes to die \u2014 has a best-case number of $265 million over five years. That\u2019s a new-money average of $53 million per year, tying him for seventh with Lions quarterback Jared Goff.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not a five-year extension that kicks in come 2026. His remaining contract, with $5.346 million in salary for 2025, gets torn up and replaced with a six-year, $279.346 million contract. That\u2019s a per-year average from signing of $45.057 million.<\/p>\n

Which seems more than fair for a middle-of-the-pack quarterback. And it\u2019s OK to call him that. He\u2019s not among the top five. It\u2019s a stretch to put him in the top 10. For the last pick in the 2022 draft, there\u2019s no shame in being roughly the 16th best quarterback in the entire NFL.<\/p>\n

In time, we\u2019ll know much more about the true value of the deal. The key factors are these: (1) signing bonus; (2) full guarantee at signing; and (3) cash flow over the first three years.<\/p>\n

The structure of the deal also will show whether the 49ers are tied to the contract for one, two, or three years. (Teams rarely commit fully to more than three years of any non-rookie contract \u2014 except for the Browns.)<\/p>\n

Discussion topics<\/p>\n

There are two organizations that \u2014 to me \u2014 look exhausted: Kansas City and Detroit. <\/p>\n

The Chiefs just put their heart and soul into the three-peat and failed brutally on the biggest stage. And while I think there\u2019s a big-brother complex where Andy Reid lords over both Sean McDermott and John Harbaugh, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s true of Sean Payton, who will bump a fatigued Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce out of the offseason.<\/p>\n

For the Lions, they just seem to be on a downward trend. Their two 2024 coordinators are now head coaches (Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn). It seems as if they\u2019ll never fix their secondary issues. And now, without Johnson, I wonder if the super-powered offense might experience some vulnerability, particularly as teams league-wide bulk up to stop the trendy, run-heavy offenses.<\/p>\n

J.J. McCarthy\u2019s season might look like a poor man\u2019s version of what Jayden Daniels did last year. McCarthy will be coming back from an ACL injury, which can slow a player down in the early days. But Minnesota has the supporting cast to lift its young QB. By the postseason, I think this offense will be humming. But \u2026 not at the level of the Commanders, whose offseason additions will help prevent a sophomore slump for Daniels. He\u2019ll return to the NFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n

All aTwitter<\/p>\n

His 54-yarder on the final play late in 2023 helped give Washington the no. 2 pick. Hello, Jayden Daniels. Second franchise altering play in 5 years. In \u201819 Wash stopped Miami\u2019s 2 pt conversion on final play. A loss would have later resulted in the No 1 pick and Joe Burrow. https:\/\/t.co\/VXrVYcFE3F<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 John Keim (@john_keim) May 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The Lions’ tabled proposal on playoff reseeding will be reconsidered by NFL owners at next week’s meeting in Minneapolis but it’s still regarded as a long shot to be approved for next season, sources say. Some view it as a measure that could be enacted with an 18-game season.<\/p>\n

\u2014 MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) May 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The Lions’ playoff-reseeding proposal would allow a wild-card team with a superior record to be seeded ahead of a division winner. The fact that it was tabled at the previous meeting means a vote is possible next week. But few believe the measure can get 24 votes at this point.<\/p>\n

\u2014 MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) May 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

If they change seeding by record they have to change scheduling as well.
The Rams, Bucs and Texans will have won their division, not host a playoff game and then get a first place schedule? Do not like it. You\u2019d have to schedule based off record now. https:\/\/t.co\/nnLncxp8LZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) May 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The Packers’ tabled proposal to ban the tush push is still expected to be revised on site at next week’s NFL owners’ meeting in Minneapolis into a proposal to prohibit pushing or pulling the ballcarrier anywhere on the field, sources say. That was always the expected timing.<\/p>\n

\u2014 MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) May 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Dawg: Eagles 23-year-old CB Eli Ricks apologizes to Ivanka Trump for not seeing her and invites her to drink a glass of wine with him:<\/p>\n

“My apologies \u200d\u2640\ufe0f, I owe you a glass of wine now xx! “<\/p>\n

Eli is shooting his shot for President Donald Trump’s daughter. https:\/\/t.co\/q6evn5Vj92<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/T0wunyt6Hb<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n