OPINION:
There’s a “ton of energy” in the building. That’s one of the messages Adam Peters, Commanders general manager, shared Tuesday in his training camp kickoff press conference.
That’s good. There’s not much outside the building.
Oh, there’s the built-in buzz that follows the team — the core Washington faithful and the NFL fans starving for any football as the summer winds down. That is typically enough to fire up the local media, who are thrilled to talk about football instead of futbol.
That interest is real and it lives, but it is diminished.
After all, there seemed to be more energy when Commanders’ camp opened Tuesday for the invisible baseball team battling for a wild-card spot as the trading deadline neared. Outside of town, the national outlook for the Commanders season has been muted at best. National pundits have low expectations, and bookmakers have put the team’s wins over-under at 7.5.
It is certainly a contrast from this time last year, when there was enough electricity pulsing through town to get the D.C. Council to spend $1 billion of city funds to help the football team build a $3.7 billion stadium development on the site of the old RFK Stadium.
Make no mistake. The excitement generated by a 12-5 2024 season, a trip to the NFC title game and the league’s newest superstar, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels paved the way for the council’s 9-3 initial vote a year ago Saturday. Going into last season, the line for over-under wins for Washington was 9.5.
Now? Coming off a disappointing 5-12 season that exposed the vulnerability of Daniels and a franchise still trying to build a roster to protect its young superstar, the team might be fortunate to get a parking ticket fixed.
That’s how fleeting that magical 2024 season was — a building block for the new owners who carry the burden of repairing decades of damage to the fanbase by the previous owner.
Fortunately for the Commanders, they have the electrician who can quickly restore the juice. Daniels was an eraser who fixed mistakes on the field during his historic first year — an Offensive Rookie of the Year who threw 25 touchdowns and a team rookie record 3,568 yards passing.
Now he has to erase a whole season.
I think he’s up to the task.
The narrative that he somehow took a step back last year is not quite accurate. He only made seven starts, held back by multiple injuries and a depleted supporting cast that also collapsed from a remarkable series of injuries. But when he played, his issues were hardly resulting from some sort of so-called slump. He completed 114 out of 188 passes for eight touchdowns and just three interceptions. He didn’t melt down because the moments were too big. He was beaten by his own team.
According to coach Dan Quinn, Daniels is committed to being a better eraser this season.
“He’s had an incredible offseason,” Quinn told reporters. “You know, really from the jump, as soon as he got healthy, he’s been working his tail off, working on his body, working on his throwing, working with his teammates even before he got here. Now working with his teammates after we left out in LA. So, he’s shown great leadership and picked up the offense (under new offensive coordinator David Blough) really well.”
Daniels, 25, let everyone know right from the beginning that this is his team now.
“Going into my third camp, my third year, I have more of a voice and you mature more over the years,” he said. “You play a lot of ball. You go do a lot of different things on and off the field, so you’re going to mature in this league. So now it’s kind of just being more intentional with not only myself but getting the guys around me ready and rallying the troops.”
When it comes to energy, Daniels is a power plant. He electrified the nation’s capital in 2024. I believe he can do it again.
• Catch Thom Loverro on “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast.
Follow the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.