Daily Slop – 4 Jan 25: Mikey Sainristil has come up big this season for the Commanders

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders

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Articles

The Athletic (paywall)

Rookie CB Mike Sainristil brings a bite to Commanders: ‘My size is my biggest strength’

The 5-foot-9, 182-pound Sainristil remains among the game’s smaller players. But he’s never allowed that to limit him. Studying football is how he’s overcome God-given measurables he can’t control. Intelligence enhances his athletic blessings.

“My size is my size,” he philosophized. “There is nothing I can do about it.”

“You say my size is my weakness,” Sainristil counters. “I say my size is my biggest strength.”

“I’m going to be completely honest,” Commanders Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin began. “You don’t see a lot of slot corners with the ability to play outside and be productive. He’s not just out there. He’s producing.”

The praise isn’t about one teammate overhyping another. When Washington selected Sainristil in the second round last April, former legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban, now an ESPN analyst, declared the cornerback arguably the best “pound-for-pound” player in the draft.

According to Pro Football Focus, starting in Week 7, Sainristil ranks 10th in the percentage of receptions against (55.4) among cornerbacks with at least 280 coverage snaps. Sainristil is tied for 10th in forced incompletions (10) and 13th in passes defended (five). His two interceptions lead the Commanders with one regular-season game remaining. Not bad for someone who wasn’t a full-time cornerback until 2022.

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Sports Illustrated

Washington Commanders Walter Payton Man of the Year Nominee Top 5 in Voting

The Washington Commanders Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, Bobby Wagner, is top five in fan voting.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year award is given out annually to one NFL player who exemplifies a player’s commitment to excellence on and off the field, mostly surrounding philanthropy and community service. While all 32 NFL teams nominate one player, only one will come away as the ultimate ‘Man of the Year’.

It is one of the highest honors in the league to even be nominated for the award, and while not everyone can be the lone winner, each nominee receives money for their respective charities. Another added bonus is the fan vote as the winner of that will also receive $35,000 towards the charity of their choice.

With voting fully underway, Washington Commanders’ nominee, linebacker Bobby Wagner, currently sits in fifth place for the Charity Challenge.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year award will be announced at the NFL Honors on February 6th.

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Commanders.com

Three keys to Washington taking down Dallas in Week 18

Stay healthy.

As much as the Commanders want to end the season on a positive note, one could argue that winning isn’t the most important thing for the team this weekend. If the Commanders hope to have a deep postseason run (they do), then staying healthy will be pivotal for them.

Lattimore isn’t the only key player who will be banged up this weekend. The offensive line has been hit hard with Tyler Biadasz missing Wednesday and Thursday’s practice; Cornelius Lucas missing time with a groin injury; and Andrew Wylie being limited with a groin injury as well. Dyami Brown is dealing with a hamstring injury, and key special teams player Tyler Owens is hobbled with an ankle issue.

It’s worth pointing out that Washington will probably get at least some of those players back at some point between now and the Wild Card matchup between the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles or Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Austin Ekeler, who has been on Injured Reserve with a concussion, also returned to practice this week and was a full participant on Wednesday and Thursday.

Regardless of who ends up coming back, the Commanders cannot afford to lose anyone in the postseason. They’ve proven they can compete against anyone, but they need to be at full strength to do so.

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Riggo’s Rag

Unheralded Commanders players who are key to victory in Week 18

Chris Rodriguez Jr. deserves more work

A touch of brute force can help the Commanders re-establish the running game. Rodriguez brings a smash-mouth style to the offense, something he’s been showcasing in recent weeks, but the second-year pro deserves more work.

Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury can justify taking some carries away from Robinson, who has had issues with ball security and moving the pile. An average of 4.6 yards per carry against the Falcons represented a bounce-back of sorts after the former third-round pick tallied 2.4 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles and 3.1 against the New Orleans Saints.

Rodriguez has had a mere 35 carries compared with Robinson’s 182, but the smaller sample size has revealed traits the Commanders need. Things like Rodriguez gaining 111 of his 173 yards after contact.

The sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is running people over. Like he did for the go-ahead touchdown against Atlanta.

Rodriguez can beat up on the Cowboys in the same way and restore the hard-nosed edge the Commanders will need to be a problem for their playoff opposition. Those opponents should find their own attempts to run the ball a troubling chore.

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ESPN

Commanders rule out Marshon Lattimore, but optimistic on return

The Commanders (11-5) can clinch the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs with a win over the Cowboys (7-9). Dallas will be without leading receiver CeeDee Lamb, sidelined with an AC joint injury.

Lattimore reinjured his left hamstring in his second game back with Washington, a 36-33 win over Philadelphia on Dec. 22. He already had missed five games with the injury, including four after the team acquired him in a trade with New Orleans.

The Commanders are deciding whether to activate running back Austin Ekeler from injured reserve. He has missed the past four games after suffering a concussion, and the team opened the 21-day window for his return Wednesday.

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Washington Post (paywall)

Washington has a long history of famous and infamous NFL quarterbacks

Jayden Daniels is the latest entry in a colorful roll call of signal-callers.

Amid the intense coverage of Jayden Daniels’s rookie season in Washington, I haven’t seen many nicknames for him, although I’ve read that he has been called “Smooth Operator,” “Superman” and “The Wolf.”

Washington quarterbacks that includes more than 70 gentlemen — some no longer with us, including Sammy Baugh, who died in 2008 at the age of 94.

Baugh, a Hall of Famer, was a first-round pick of owner George Preston Marshall in 1937, the year the team moved from Boston to Washington.

On the field, “Slingin’ Sammy” led Washington to the NFL championship in his rookie season, completing 18 of 33 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-21 victory over the Chicago Bears in the championship game. His season statistics in a 12-game season pale in comparison to Daniels — Baugh passed for 1,127 yards in 11 regular season games; Daniels has 3,530 passing yards in 16 games thus far — but Baugh also played safety and was the best punter in the league.

I never saw Baugh play, but retired Maryland circuit court judge Paul Weinstein, a lifelong Washingtonian, did.

“I saw him play many times, both on offense and defense,” Weinstein said. “The best was his quick-kick from the single wing.”

Retired television talk-show host Maury Povich, son of longtime Washington Post columnist Shirley Povich, remembers going to Griffith Stadium in the 1940s and early ’50s to see Baugh and his protégé Harry Gilmer.

“My favorite number was 33; you can guess why,” Povich said, referencing Baugh’s jersey number. “Slingin’ Sammy Baugh was the phrase that stuck in our young heads for years.”

In 1942, Baugh led Washington to another title, again defeating the Bears.

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Upcoming opponent

Blogging the Boys

Report: Trey Lance to see ‘significant’ snaps in Dallas Cowboys season finale

Sunday’s game will be the third that Dallas will play after being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Aside from the first where it was the case against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we have seen the Cowboys dial back the intensity ever since they were formally eliminated from consideration for the playoffs. It is worth noting the elimination came just a few hours before that Tampa game which is why they (in all likelihood) went at that game the way they did.

With time for the situation to take though we saw the Cowboys shut CeeDee Lamb down for the season last week, the most glaring indication that they were waving the white flag on 2024. Ever since this season took a turn at the quarterback position specifically, we have seen the Cowboys insist on competing to win and to their credit they have managed to do that in impressive manner with Cooper Rush under center.

Obviously circumstances have changed though which is why the Cowboys feel comfortable going with Trey Lance at quarterback to whatever degree the word “significant” ultimately yields. While this will mark the third quarterback to play a large role for Dallas this season as noted, it marks the first of this variety for Lance in a Cowboys uniform. What’s more is it marks his first legitimate action period since his last start which he made for the San Francisco 49ers way back in Week 2 of the 2022 season. He went 2 for 3 for 30 yards (with 3 rushes for 13 yards) before being injured and lost for that year.

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For Discussion

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Podcasts & videos

Percy Butler + Stephen Davis on this SPECIAL season and the Cowboys | Next Man Up | Commanders | NFL

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QB1! Jayden Daniels Mic’d Up for Sunday Night Football vs. the Falcons | Washington Commanders

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Washington Commanders Aiming to Beat Dallas Cowboys and Build Playoff Momentum | Bobby Wagner Impact

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Photos

Commanders.com

PHOTOS | Finale in The Lone Star State

Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders during their week of practice to prepare for the Dallas Cowboys.

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