Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell’s primary goal this offseason was getting comfortable in new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s offense.
“The main goal I had this spring was I wanted to become really, really comfortable with the offense,” Howell said in a recent episode of the “John Keim Report.”
“I feel like I did that; I feel like I am in a really good place going into camp. I feel like it wasn’t the cleanest spring in practice every single day, but I think there was some mistakes I’ve made that I needed to make. There is some things that I can improve on, and sometimes you have to make a mistake to learn from it. I think I definitely learned a lot this spring; I think I did some good things, put some good things on film, and got some good chemistry going with the guys. I feel really good with where I am at this point; I’m going to spend a lot of time this summer going back through all the information that we’ve learned…….I feel like I’m in a really good place.”
Washington coaches have praised Howell’s ability to “autocorrect,” as Bieniemy noted this spring. If Howell makes a mistake, he doesn’t often make the mistake twice, an excellent trait in a young quarterback.
Another positive aspect of this interview is Howell acknowledging the mistakes he made in the spring, and those mistakes were good for him. Part of the reason you give Howell the majority of the reps in the spring is so he can make these mistakes in practice.
Keim asked Howell if he remembered any specific examples of those self-corrections Bieniemy referred to this spring.
“Maybe I kind of stopped looking at something and got to the backside of the progression when maybe I could’ve waited on it a little longer, let it develop a little longer,” Howell said. “I want to be perfect, so I am always chasing perfection.”
Howell says all the right things. His coaches and teammates have seen positive development from Howell throughout the spring and are encouraged by his progress ahead of training camp.
