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Daily Slop – 23 May 24: One-on-one with Javontae Jean-Baptiste; Jonathan Allen is ‘reinvigorated’

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USC v Notre Dame
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A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East and the NFL in general

Commanders links

Articles

Washington Post (paywall)

Washingtonians want Commanders to return to D.C., Post-Schar School poll finds

Support for a new stadium in Washington is higher among Commanders fans and District residents.

Washington-area residents clearly prefer the Commanders’ next stadium be built in D.C. proper as opposed to Northern Virginia or suburban Maryland, where the team currently plays, a Washington Post-Schar School poll finds.

A 51 percent majority says the stadium should be built in D.C., while 17 percent say it belongs in Maryland and 15 percent say Virginia. The remainder did not specify a preference.

The Post-Schar School poll, which randomly sampled 1,683 residents from D.C., Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, finds support for a D.C. stadium spans the region. Along with a majority of District residents, nearly half of people in the Maryland suburbs (46 percent) and Northern Virginia (48 percent) prefer the team return to D.C. About 3 in 10 in suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia prefer the stadium be built in their states.

The team is contractually obligated to play at its current Landover site until September 2027 but can stay longer. Managing partner Josh Harris has carefully avoided indicating a preference for a future home in the hopes of stoking a competition among D.C., Maryland and Virginia, but the District cannot negotiate seriously without congressional legislation that would make the federally owned RFK Stadium site a realistic option.

[E]ven in Prince George’s County, where the team currently plays, 48 percent of residents prefer the team return to D.C. while 34 percent believe it should remain in suburban Maryland.

In 2022, 30 percent of D.C. residents were in favor of using city funds to help finance a stadium and 67 percent opposed; this year, 47 percent are in favor and 46 percent oppose.

Washington Post (paywall)

The Commanders believe they have their quarterback. Can they protect him?

As Washington undertakes a rebuild, among Coach Dan Quinn’s priorities is finding some blocks

As the team embarked on a franchise-wide rebuild this offseason, the offensive line turned over again. Four starters were out immediately: Left tackle Charles Leno Jr. was released in March, as was center Nick Gates, and the team didn’t re-sign guard Saahdiq Charles or center Tyler Larsen.

General Manager Adam Peters has preached building through the draft, which is why many of the players he signed in free agency were given short-term deals. They are tasked with setting a foundation for the younger players to build on. Lucas is part of that; he signed a one-year deal as one of just four Commanders free agents to return.

At the NFL’s March meetings in Orlando, Peters said he would be comfortable with Lucas starting if he won the job. Peters also said in April that he believes Coleman can step into that role if he proves ready in training camp.

Commanders.com

OTA Notebook | Jonathan Allen feels ‘reinvigorated’ by new coaching staff

Count Jonathan Allen among the throng of people who have voiced their support for the team’s new vision.

“I’m just so happy,” Allen told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “I love the coaching staff. I love the direction we’re moving in. I love the way we’re working. It has truly been reinvigorating and just so fun to come to work every day. This is literally just a dream job right now.”

Here’s the biggest difference Allen has felt over the past few weeks: everyone is focused and working towards a common goal together.

“Everybody has something to prove, and we’re all pushing towards the same direction,” Allen said. “I think that’s gonna be so great for us. Everybody has…the same motivation. We’re all chasing the same goal, and we’re all pushing each other to get there.”

Allen isn’t making any grand proclamations about the team’s potential. In trademark fashion for the two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Allen said the team still has a lot to prove as a team that hasn’t had a winning season in eight years.

With that said, Allen has been smiling a lot since he first met with Quinn.

“I just loved the energy that he brought,” Allen said. “I just loved the vision that he had for this team, and I was excited to just get to work.”

Sports Illustrated

Former Washington Tight End Publishing Memoir on Playing in the NFL and Life After

Vernon Davis is telling his story of young struggles, his path to the NFL, career in Washington and elsewhere, and life after the game.

“After such a long journey and football career, I learned that life is about much more than me,” Davis writes in his book. “It’s about helping others and inspiring people to be the best versions of themselves. I did that by showing resilience, determination, stamina, and by giving everything I had to give to challenge myself to succeed.”

“Weaving personal reflections with frank, real-world advice, this book is more than a memoir. It’s an eye-opening exploration of what winning – on the field and beyond – really means,” said Davis. “In the book, I rewind the tape to reflect on my difficult upbringing, my career and competitive spirit – and the insights about teamwork, leadership, and responsibility that came in the aftermath of Coach Singletary’s press conference, spurring me to transform my life for the better.”

The memoir, titled Playing Ball, drops on August 20th and will be available in hardcover and digitial versions and can be pre-ordered online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Hudson Bookseller, Books-A-Million, Target, and Walmart.

Podcasts & videos

Javontae Jean-Baptiste Is Ready to “Go to WORK Everyday”

Photos

Commanders.com

PHOTOS | OTA practice, 05/22

Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders taking the field for the second week of OTAs.





NFL league links

Articles

Pro Football Talk

NFL limits length of head-coaching interviews for assistants who are in the playoffs

NFL owners approved a rule limiting the length of head coaching interviews with assistant coaches whose teams are still in the playoffs to a maximum of three hours, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Previously there was no limit to the length of interviews, and some candidates were asked to interview for as long as six or seven hours while also preparing for a playoff game.

The rule will also require that in-person interviews be at a location that is approved by the team that currently employs the head coach, rather than requiring assistant coaches to travel to visit the team interviewing him.

The purpose of the rule is to let assistant coaches focus on doing their jobs, with less time devoted to trying to get their next jobs.

NFL.com

Roger Goodell addresses potential 18-game schedule, private equity in ownership at Spring League Meeting

Goodell told reporters on Wednesday that his comments made during the 2024 NFL Draft were not an effort to float an 18-game schedule, though he acknowledged it is something the league considers as part of its long-range plans.

“The key thing for us is looking at making sure we continue to do the things that make our game safer,” Goodell said. “Seventeen games is a long season, so we want to make sure we look at that and make sure that we continue the safety efforts.”

Goodell added: “Working with our players association is No. 2. We would reach an agreement with them if we’re going to proceed on that. But also, third, and this is not necessarily in order, is the quality of our game. We would do it in the context of reducing the number of preseason games. We think that’s a good trade: less preseason games and more regular-season games. I think most anybody would think that was beneficial. But again those other two factors are important.”

The issue of allowing private equity into team ownership was another key topic discussed during the two-day meeting. While ownership did not vote on the matter, Goodell told reporters that he expects there to be something in place by the end of the year.

CBS Sports

Australia among countries the NFL is scouting to host future games

The NFL has been expanding its international presence in recent years with owners voting in December to authorize the league to host eight games internationally each season.

Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s head of international affairs, said Tuesday at the league’s spring meetings that Australia is among the markets being discussed. The league recently announced an NFL Academy will open in September on the Gold Coast in Australia.

“Australia is among a set, and it’s not a small set of markets, that we’re looking at,” O’Reilly said.

O’Reilly noted Australia has a strong NFL fan base, media partners and that both the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams have global market rights there.

“When you start to talk about Asia, Pacific and Australia, you talk about distance and logistics and the football component of that,” O’Reilly said. “So those factors are real. But our role is to really look at the globe, look at where the fan base is strong and do the diligence, make the evaluations.”

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