Ron Rivera speaks to the media after practice
Ron Rivera spoke to the media after a busy day at team headquarters in Ashburn, VA. Team owners Magic Johnson and Josh Harris spoke to the team before practice and were on the sidelines watching them prepare for the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Rivera is excited to see a sold out home crowd that will be an overwhelming amount of Washington fans, something this team hasn’t been used to in years.
Terry McLaurin(turf toe) and Chase Young(stinger) both spoke to the media before Rivera, and both said they want to play. McLaurin was on the field catching passes, and he had a good day according to his head coach. Rivera is also very confident in Logan Thomas’s recovery from a calf injury that has kept him sidelined for over a month.
Jamison Crowder returned to Washington yesterday, and signed with the practice squad. Rivera talked about his punt return abilities, and the value of having a veteran like him on the squad. Dax Milne is sidelined with a groin injury, which could give Crowder an opportunity to get called up on game day.
LIVE: Coach Rivera speaks to the media after Wednesday’s Week 1 practice https://t.co/5JSjc2U1b3
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) September 6, 2023
Terry McLaurin/Chase Young:
McLaurin was officially listed as limited in practice, but he did all the reps they had listed for him today. “It was a good day for him,” Rivera said.
Rivera said with Young “it’s all up to what happens with the doctor visit… The young man is chomping at the bit.”— John Keim (@john_keim) September 6, 2023
Rivera says it was a good day for McLaurin and of Chase Young “if he’s cleared he’ll go” pic.twitter.com/9yccMITUpE
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) September 6, 2023
@Commanders coach Ron Rivera said it’s a balancing thing with McLaurin and Young’s injuries because they are competitive and want to be on the field. He said they both are doing the things they need to do to be able to play. #httc #NFL pic.twitter.com/2xNWgHFiJg
— Lake Lewis Jr (@LakeLewis) September 6, 2023
Magic Johnson addressing the team:
On Magic Johnson addressing the team, Rivera said Johnson spoke about building a championship team and being accountable. He could see the players really bought in to what Johnson was saying
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) September 6, 2023
Sold out home crowd for Week 1:
Rivera can’t wait to see a crowd “in our favor” Now he says they need to go out and do their job
— George Wallace (@GWallaceWTOP) September 6, 2023
Rivera is very excited to see a full crowd at FedExField on Sunday. Remembers what the atmosphere was like at RFK and called it unbelievable. Having a sold out crowd is what they’ve worked for, and now they need to live up to expectations
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) September 6, 2023
Logan Thomas:
Rivera feels “very confident” about Logan Thomas. Looked very good in practice
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWC) September 6, 2023
Jamison Crowder/Special teams:
Rivera on Jamison Crowder: “A veteran, comfortable out there catching punts for us. Looked really good. Very crafty, shifty route runner. We were looking for a more veteran guy out there to help out. We’ll see how the rest of the week unfolds.”
— John Keim (@john_keim) September 6, 2023
Kaz Allen took the kick returns during the special teams period open to media too.
If Milne can’t go, both returns could be handled by practice-squad elevations. https://t.co/dGG4hfmu7D
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) September 6, 2023