There was one play Sunday against the Jets and revealed something about Sam Cosmi.
It is much easier to play hard when things are going well, your team is ahead in a game. A much tougher test is when you are trailing badly in a game, you are tempted to just go through the motions, hoping to get the game concluded and get out of there without an injury.
Sunday, the Jets were embarrassing the Commanders in the third quarter, leading 27-7. The Commanders had the ball at their own 29-yard line with under 9 minutes remaining in the quarter, having been given a first down when the Jets’ Brandon Echols was guilty of illegal contact and a five-yard penalty.
What transpired on first down really caught my attention. Quarterback Sam Howell, back from the center, took the snap out of the air, dropped back two steps, looked left, and immediately attempted a pass to Jamison Crowder. Crowder was running a quick slant from the left side to the left hash marks. Howell missed badly, the pass visibly behind Crowder.
Suddenly two players, a Commander and a Jet, went crashing to the turf. Both players also just as quickly hopped up off of the turf, energized. The Jet was defensive tackle Micheal Clemons (#72) out of Texas A&M. The Commander was right guard Sam Cosmi a former Texas Longhorn.
During the play, the two had been matched up against one another. On this particular play, regardless of the score, Cosmi got into Clemons and drove the 270-pounder off of the ball and into the turf on his back. Clemons was upset and hopped up toward Cosmi.
Cosmi, on the other hand, visibly enjoyed the play and had a hop to his step as well when he gleefully headed back to the huddle for the next play.
It was good to see Cosmi not simply settling for protecting Howell on the play. No, Cosmi wanted to accomplish more on the play, and he exerted more effort to bring about his dominance on the play.
Just a single play, down 27-7. Yes, but it also revealed something of the heart in Sam Cosmi to compete hard despite the score, finding another way to win on that play.