Daily Slop – 4 Dec 24 – RB Austin Ekeler on concussion: “I didn’t even remember how I got off the field”

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ESPN

Washington Commanders hire Mark Clouse as new team president

Clouse, who has served as the president and CEO of The Campbell’s Company since 2019, fills the spot last filled by Jason Wright, who will be leaving the organization after the season.

Clouse entered the business world in 1996 with Kraft Foods. He began his tenure as Campbell’s CEO in January 2019. During Clouse’s tenure, Campbell’s has partnered with NFL teams, including Washington, as well as with the Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment — which is run in part by Josh Harris.

The move is the last major one needed since Harris’ group purchased the team in July 2023. Since that time, the Commanders have new leaders at the most prominent positions: Peters, coach Dan Quinn and now Clouse. They also have a rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels, who could be the long-term answer at the position, something the organization has sought for decades.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Maryland seeks D.C.’s Air National Guard squadron in RFK deal

Maryland senators, reluctant to lose the Commanders stadium to the RFK site in city, set conditions for backing legislation that could pave the way for a move.

Maryland’s leaders have proposed a swap that could greatly affect the Washington Commanders football team’s stadium search: If D.C. gives their state one of its Air National Guard squadrons, the lawmakers will not oppose a bill allowing the District to redevelop the RFK Stadium site, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations.

The condition, which Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) is helping to broker, adds a new high-stakes layer to negotiations in Congress over the future of the aging stadium site on the banks of the Anacostia River. If D.C. can redevelop the site, that would probably offer it a significant advantage in convincing the team to leave Maryland and play once again in its namesake city.

The flight squadron is one of three requests Maryland’s two senators — who would prefer to keep the Commanders in suburban Landover — have made in exchange for backing the bill that would give D.C. control of the federally owned RFK site, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive private negotiations.

D.C. leaders have signaled a reluctance to give up their National Guard Squadron.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) called Maryland’s proposed transfer “troubling.”

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The Athletic (paywall)

Austin Ekeler details memory loss, neck pain in first interview since Week 12 concussion

During his weekly appearance on D.C.-area radio station 106.7 The Fan, Ekeler said he is “definitely getting through it” and “trending in the right direction.” He noted that he is still dealing with concussion symptoms, namely “fogginess” and continued neck pain. He did not remember walking off the field and could not recall anything that happened until he got into the ambulance to head to the hospital.

“I didn’t even remember how I got off the field,” Ekeler said. “I just remember coming to — as far as remembering stuff — I had short-term memory loss. I remember my wife was sitting in the room, and I’m getting evaluated by our medical staff in the back room. That’s when I started to remember things, and then all of a sudden, OK, we’re getting in the back of the ambulance to go get a CT scan. I was definitely concussed and seeing some major symptoms there.”

Ekeler added that he had similar memory loss following his Week 3 concussion against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Commanders running back missed one game following that diagnosis. Throughout his professional career, the veteran running back does have a history of concussions. He was diagnosed with a concussion and a neck stinger in late 2018, then received a second official concussion diagnosis in January 2021.

Ekeler said he has yet to pass concussion protocol but is “getting there” and doesn’t think he is very far off. He was placed on injured reserve last week following the concussion diagnosis, which requires him to miss at least four games. With the Commanders on a bye in Week 14, this keeps Ekeler out through at least Week 17.

When asked directly about whether he would consider returning this season, Ekeler refused to answer directly, instead expressing a desire to learn more about his concussion diagnoses and thanking his coach and the front office for their support.

“It’s week to week,” Ekeler said. “I want to continue to learn more. It’s my second concussion (this season). Am I more susceptible to a third now that I’ve had two and the severity of mine? It’s a learning process for me because I’ve never had anything this bad and twice in the same season.

“The best thing about this is the team has my back, pretty much on any decision that I make. I really appreciate DQ (Dan Quinn) and (general manager) Adam Peters for being there and being open to helping me out.”

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Commanders Wire

Commanders’ Cornelius Lucas putting in the extra work

Sunday, the Commanders were without starting right tackle Andrew Wylie, who suffered a concussion in last week’s home loss to the Cowboys. Trent Scott had played in substitution for Wylie against the Cowboys.

However, in this game against the Titans, the Commanders chose Lucas to start at right tackle. He not only started but also played on every offensive snap, all 83 of them.

“Yeah, and before you mentioned him, he was one of the first [people] I was going to bring up was Lucas,” said Quinn. So, for a good bit of the season, he’s been playing mostly at left tackle. So, this week in practice for him to after practice, before practice, getting in extra work with [T/G] Sam Cosmi. You could see this was a player that was really putting in the details to get it right.”

Lucas, thus far, had been playing over at left tackle this season. He started early and has swapped time with rookie Brandon Coleman. But during the week, he was putting in the extra work to prepare himself for playing the right tackle spot.

“Now changing to another side to go, that part was going to be a big deal, because he himself did the extra with Sam. ‘I want more combinations, I want more stuff to go.’ So, they really did a nice job of staying on blocks, getting to the next level and the tight ends were a big part of this as well.

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ESPN

How Jayden Daniels, Commanders’ offense got back on track

The good news for Washington: three of its last four games are against defenses — New Orleans, Atlanta and Dallas — ranked 17th or worse in rushing yards allowed per game; and 16th or worse in rushing yards per carry. Those same defenses also rank 21st or worse in total yards and 19th or worse in points allowed.

In other words, defenses against which Washington can maintain its offensive momentum as it makes a final playoff push.

Dan Quinn said Daniels was “electric” Sunday. His ability to extend plays mattered. More often than not they were shorter gains, but his scrambles left them in better down-and-distance situations. On one first quarter scoring drive, Daniels ran for 5 yards on a first-and-10 and capped the series with a 3-yard scramble up the middle for a touchdown.

Quinn said Daniels was “able to fully express himself” against Tennessee. Quinn said that meant “the runs, keeping [the ball], creating on the move … when the second play begins and his magic starts to take place, that one’s not in the book.”

Daniels, who ranks fifth in the NFL in Total QBR and has thrown 15 touchdown passes, has drawn praise all season — even in the losing streak. But when the run game gets going, and Daniels and the passing game are humming, Washington is different.

The positive sign for Washington is that the run game extended beyond Robinson, who had a 40-yard touchdown run vs. the Titans en route to a 103-yard day. Backup Chris Rodriguez Jr. ran for 94 yards, and Jeremy McNichols added 32 on six carries. The offensive line and tight ends opened holes; receivers helped with downfield blocks. All of this against a defense that entered eighth against the run. It allowed Washington to be in good third-down situations — 11 of their 14 third downs were for 3 yards or less.

“Our running game is serious,” Robinson said. “We really do it the right way and stay on people’s necks. We just got to believe in it.”

Robinson ran more out 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) than is customary for the Commanders. For the season he has run out of that look 33.5% of the time, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Sunday, he ran out of that look on 43.8% of his attempts and gained 70 yards on seven carries.

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