While Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s name was in the headlines for head coach Ron Rivera’s comments on Tuesday, Bieniemy had plenty of noteworthy things to say about the offense and quarterback Sam Howell.
Despite what we’ve seen and heard regarding the Washington defense’s domination over the offense this summer, Bieniemy is pleased with his group’s improvement.
“It’s been a hell of a camp,” Bieniemy said. “It’s been a lot of fun. The journey has been very good. The guys have been working their tails off. We’ve had some highs. We’ve had some lows. But the thing that I appreciate about them is that they embraced it, and they’re learning, first and foremost. They’re learning a lot about themselves. They’re learning a lot about what it takes. They’re growing together. That’s the fun part, and its fun watching that growth process.”
A big question for Washington’s offense centers around quarterback Sam Howell. Howell has 19 career passing attempts. But he has a big arm, throws a beautiful deep ball and possesses the required athleticism. Still, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding Howell.
When the Commanders hired Bieniemy in the offseason, he immediately said he was excited to work with Howell. Over the offseason, Bieniemy praised Howell’s ability to avoid repeat mistakes, an important trait for a young quarterback.
Now that he’s had some time to work with Howell, how is Bieniemy feeling about the young passer?
“You know what? Sam is doing a good job,” Bieniemy said before taking it one step further.
“Sam’s actually doing a hell of a job. I think sometimes, early in camp, you could see where he was overthinking. But we’ve been putting a lot on our players, been putting a lot on his plate because I want him to understand there’s a thing that you got to do. You got to process everything, and the thing that I love, I’ve seen the growth.”
Bieniemy is honest to a fault. Sure, he’s not going to be overly critical of a player in the media, but he doesn’t have to shower his young quarterback with praise, either.
Bieniemy wasn’t done, though.
“You can see when he’s confident; he’s coming off the mound releasing that ball,” Bieniemy said. “It’s a thing of beauty. It’s been fun watching this growth process, and I think the sky can be the limit for this kid.”
A thing of beauty? The sky is the limit?
Say what you want; Bieniemy sees the potential in Howell. There’s a lot of work that goes into the success of any young quarterback, but Bieniemy — and Howell — are determined to prove everyone wrong.
There will be struggles for Howell in 2023. It’s only natural. But the Commanders appear poised to allow Howell every opportunity to prove he can be the long-term franchise quarterback Washington has lacked for decades.
