Sam Cosmi took it upon himself to deliver the message. Her Washington Commanders Teammates needed to hear what the right guard had to say in the locker room following the team’s 28-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
“I wanted them to know that so we don’t let this snowball effect continue into next week,” Cosmi said. “I wanted them to know that what we have here is still special. No matter what happens, we continue to fight. I wanted them to know that it should hurt. This should hurt your heart. It means a lot to us.
Cosmi played during the Ron Rivera era Commanders – four years of dismal on-field results and escalating off-field scandals that were not related to the team but rather to former owner Dan Snyder. But Josh Harris and his partners bought the team last summer. Adam Peters was hired to take control of football operations and Dan Quinn thrived in his second chance as an NFL coach. The Commanders are 7-3 and face the Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) “Thursday Night Football” with the NFC East lead on the line.
Heading into a short week, Cosmi’s address set the tone to emerge from a defeat in which the Commanders blew a 10-point lead at home. The fourth-year offensive lineman also, perhaps without realizing it, offered his own assessment of the transformation of an entire franchise — and the heightened expectations that come with it.
“What Dan Quinn did, what Adam Peters did, was change the culture,” Cosmi told reporters. “We don’t have the most talented team, but we have a hard-working team.
“Winning is the ultimate goal. And as I know from the past, it means a lot, not only to me, but to everyone. So just keep our heads up and keep fighting, and let’s get ready to beat Philly.
Accelerated waits
Before the loss to Pittsburgh, Washington hadn’t started a 7-2 season in 28 years. Even though the lower bowl at Northwest Stadium was filled with “terrible” yellow towels, the Commanders say they have sold out every home game this season and have a 90 percent renewal rate on season tickets. according to the Washington Post. Gate revenue increased by 20% and the team signed 29 new sponsorship deals over the past year.
Having the presumed Offensive Rookie of the Year in quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 pick and reigning Heisman Trophy winner, hastened the turnaround. But the organizational infrastructure, offensive line and coaching provided to the 23-year-old have made his transition to the NFL smoother, even as Daniels has been nursing a rib injury since Week 7.
There’s also fan enthusiasm — from the viral clip of a fan pre-celebrating the Hail Mary win over the Chicago Bears in October to players and coaches saying they can actually feel the energy from the crowd local.
Daniels’ historic start cooled in a Week 6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Washington has shown it can hang with a team that has a “deep-rooted” identity, as Quinn put it. The next day, Quinn was asked if winning the NFC East had become the team’s expectation. The coach said the team rarely discusses expectations, but it was a goal mentioned early in the season.
“We’re not trying to focus on expectations or things that will happen down the line or anything like that,” Quinn said. “We’re just trying to dig in this week and say, ‘This is, you know, we’re based on improvement.’ It’s like the lifestyle we live here, man. Can you get better? Can you dig deeper? Can you get to this location? And so that’s kind of the stressor that we’re going after and not the external expectations.
“I recognize the division issue because it’s really important to talk about, but it’s not really talked about until you talk about the division games when you play them.”
Washington is 2-0 in NFC East games this year, with both wins coming against the New York Giants. Four of their last eight games will be against the Eagles or the Dallas Cowboys.
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Culture is the key to rapid recovery
The Commanders finished last in the division in Rivera’s final two seasons and went 4-13 in 2023. A coaching search yielded Quinn, the former Atlanta Falcons head coach who had spent the previous three seasons running the Cowboys defense.
“I didn’t really understand the culture. I haven’t been part of a ‘good culture,’” Cosmi said. “This year I’m moving slowly but surely – I see it. It’s really cool to see and be a part of it. Speak and act accordingly. So I’m excited about that.
Five years ago, then-CEO Bruce Allen said “the culture is really, really good” in Washington, and that remark became a punchline.
At last year’s trade deadline, Rivera was pushed to trade defensive linemen Montez Sweat and Chase Young, both former first-round draft picks of the organization. A year later, Peters found himself shopping at the deadline and acquired former New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, whose debut with the Commanders would have to wait at least another week so as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
“I don’t necessarily look at him as a buyer or a seller,” said Peters, who had $96 million in cap space to work with this offseason and signed respected veterans (who also contributed) such as wing closer Zach Ertz. , running back Austin Ekeler, linebacker Frankie Luvu and linebacker Bobby Wagner. “I just think I’m trying to do my best to help this team be as good as possible.”
Quinn defines culture as “the way a group lives its life together.” For him, this is part of the standards – of effort and physique, for example – that he has set for himself.
“The things we want to play with,” Quinn said after Washington’s 3-1 start. “Was everything perfect? Hell no. But there are (sic) many things that show how close people are to each other. And those kinds of things go a long way toward shaping that identity.
“But it takes time to get over it, and every time we play you see it over and over again. So yeah, we’re building on that, but in four games we’re by no means going to be where we’ll be in two month.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Washington commanders shatter expectations with rapid turnaround
