Eric Bieniemy told the media Thursday, he is not shaken by Sam Howell’s performance last week.
After watching the film of the Cardinals game, what did Bieniemy think of Howell’s performance?
Buy Commanders Tickets“You know what, I thought Sam did basically what a first-year starting quarterback probably would do. And so I thought there were moments where he looked great, I thought there was moments where he just looked okay, and I thought there were moments that he can use as growing pains. So, the beauty of it is, and I keep saying this every single day that I’m here, is every time something happens, it’s probably the first time that it’s happened to him.”
Sure enough, it was the first game Howell had started in Bieniemy’s new offense. Against the Cardinals, more than a few times, the former Tar Heel quarterback moved outside the pocket to make a play.
Sam Howell – The Positive ⬇️#HTTC pic.twitter.com/zIdJ0QRBV0
— Tae & Todd Commanders Podcast (@TaeNToddPodcast) September 11, 2023
“So, the good thing was that I thought Sam did was that he played through it. You know, he made a play with his feet to give us an opportunity; he put himself in the end zone. So those are the things that you build upon.”
When Howell turned his back to the defense in the second quarter, he also did not have both hands on the football. Consequently, he was hit from behind, lost the ball, and the Cardinals ended up with a cheap touchdown, putting the Commanders down 13-7 late in the half.
Noticeably, Bieniemy did not have Howell run out the clock and regroup in the locker room. No, aggressively, Bieniemy had Howell, putting the costly mistake behind him immediately and throwing the ball again, needing to focus right away, trying to score before the half.
Howell drove the team downfield in time for Joey Slye’s 30-yard field goal as time expired, narrowing the deficit to 13-10 at the half.
“Like I said, I thought we showed grit, we stuck together as a team, and you need those life lessons, and you guys are going to hear me say this throughout the entire season, okay? It does not matter what the numbers are. The only thing that matters is that alphabet. Did you find a way to get the W? And that’s what I’m proud of; I’m proud of us as an organization and proud of us as a team.”
This will be Howell’s first road game in the NFL in which he has played. Is he ready for an NFL road crowd?
“Well, I’m pretty sure he played in some volatile stadiums when he played at North Carolina. Yes, Mile High is a very prestigious stadium; it’s a loud stadium, the energy and the fan base they get behind that team. But our objective is not to worry about that. Our objective is to make sure that we’re getting our guys ready, and on top of that, we have to eliminate that as a distraction.”
