District Divided

Eric Bieniemy sat down with local media yesterday in his introductory press conference as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach for our Washington Commanders. Terry McLaurin, Sam Howell, Jahan Dotson, Saahdiq Charles, Kam Curl, Antonio Gibson, Brian Robinson Jr., Logan Thomas and a few other players were in attendance as well. Simply put, the press conference could not have gone better and the feeling is that we got a steal. Amit and KDot break down the press conference and what stuck out to them about the day.

More big news broke yesterday, as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has supposedly hired an investment firm to explore a potential bid for the Washington Commanders. Will he end up making a bid, alongside Jay-Z, to become the new owner of the team?

The Comment Mailbag features 3 comments from this past episode. Thank you all for the comments! We appreciate them as always.

AFTER THE POD goes all over the place, from F1 Drive To Survive being released on Netflix today, to sports gambling and everything DC Defenders from Amit’s experience at the game there.

TIMECODES

0:00 Intro

1:31 Eric Bieniemy Press Conference Reaction

17:19 Ownership Update

24:16 Comment Mailbag

27:26 AFTER THE POD

It looks like Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy is set to become the Washington Commanders Offensive Coordinator! What a sensational lateral move to the likes that we have never seen. What is our initial reaction to the Commanders bringing on Eric Bieniemy as OC? What does it mean for Sam Howell? What can we expect?

We then jump into Super Bowl LVII (57). The Kansas City Chiefs came out victorious in a highly entertaining Super Bowl by a score of 38-35. Was it holding against James Bradberry? KDot and Amit chime in with their thoughts on the game, if Mahomes is already the GOAT, and more.

The Comment Mailbag features 5 comments from this past episode. Thank you all for the comments! We appreciate them as always.

AFTER THE POD jumps into KDot’s burning hatred of the Boston Red Sox, Philly and Boston sports teams actually being fun fanbases to be a part of, and why the Wizards are always going nowhere.

TIMECODES

0:00 Intro

2:12 Eric Bieniemy Commanders OC

20:47 Super Bowl LVII Recap

41:27 Comment Mailbag

48:50 AFTER THE POD

The Washington Commanders may be sold BEFORE the owners meeting that takes place starting March 26th!  KDot and Amit talk about a tweet from Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino), how credible it is, and if this lines up with the timeline for a sale that the hosts have in mind.  

Chase Young is eligible for a, roughly, $17.5 million 5th year option that the team can choose to exercise.  Ron Rivera publicly stated that they may not, citing Daron Payne’s performance this year as being motivated by not picking up his option.  Would you pick up Chase Young’s 5th year option?     

Taylor Heinicke went on the Pat McAfee Show yesterday to talk about his own future, but did mention that Sam Howell is a baller and the locker room likes him.  Additionally, he did mention that he was disappointed in the communication about his starting QB status, saying that he heard he was on a short leash from friends and not the coaches.  Ron Rivera has a history of making mistakes in the media.  Has he made yet another one with the handling of Chase Young’s 5th year option?  

Ron Rivera did mention that Sam Howell will very likely be the starter going into this offseason, which is a solid vote of confidence for the now 2nd year QB.  Is this the right move?  

We jump into a Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles game preview and provide our predictions.  Who do you have winning the Super Bowl?  

The Comment Mailbag features 4 comments from this past episode.  Thank you all for the comments!  We appreciate them as always.  

AFTER THE POD jumps into KDot buying a movie for $30 ahead of its theatric release, and Amit asking how many player jerseys from other teams you’re not a fan of someone is allowed to buy.  

TIMECODES  

0:00 Intro 

1:56 Commanders Sale Update 

13:04 Chase Young 5th Year Option 

18:01 Ron Rivera Public Comments 

23:07 Sam Howell QB1 

26:27 Super Bowl LVII Predictions 

34:28 Comment Mailbag 

40:04 AFTER THE POD

The Washington Commanders continue their search for a new offensive coordinator, this time interviewing former NFL head coach and current San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Anthony Lynn.  There is also an interview supposedly lined up with Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Who is the current favorite for the offensive coordinator job here in Washington?  

Conference Championship round picks were made by both hosts, and it went terribly for one of them.  After going 0-2, Amit leads KDot by only 1 game now in the NFL Playoff Standings with a 7-5 overall record to KDot’s 6-6 record.    

The Comment Mailbag features 3 comments from this past episode.  Thank you all for the comments!  We appreciate them as always.  

AFTER THE POD jumps into Amit seeing Bullet Train, KDot inserting a new movie into his top 5, and Oscars nominations and the politics surrounding the awards.  

TIMECODES  

0:00 Intro 

2:09 OC Search Update 

17:10 Championship Round Recap 

38:44 Comment Mailbag 

42:51 AFTER THE POD

The Washington Commanders continue their search for a new offensive coordinator, this time interviewing Los Angeles Rams assistant, and former NFL player, Thomas Brown.  There is also an interview lined up with former NFL head coach and current San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Anthony Lynn.  Who is the current favorite for the offensive coordinator job here in Washington?  

If you could play General Manager of the Washington Commanders for a day, which offensive coordinator would you hire?  Which QB would you look to start for you week 1 of the 2023 NFL season?  Amit and KDot make their choices with this newfound power.  

Conference Championship round picks are made by both hosts.  Amit leads KDot by 2 games in the NFL Playoff Standings with a 7-3 overall record to KDot’s 5-5 record.  Will KDot make up some ground on Amit this week?  Amit is “supremely confident” in both his picks, something that has never backfired when it comes to his life and his picks.  

The Comment Mailbag features 7 comments from this past episode.  Thank you all for the comments!  We appreciate them as always.  

AFTER THE POD jumps into KDot’s new podcast that is being launched called “The Extraordinary Nobodies”, the movie “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once”, and which TV series has the best ending ever.    

TIMECODES  

0:00 Intro 

2:05 OC Search Update 

7:12 Play GM 

20:03 Championship Round Picks 

36:06 Comment Mailbag 

54:00 AFTER THE POD

The Washington Commanders season is officially over and it’s time to review how the season went.  What went well?  What could have gone better?  KDot and Amit reflect on expectations entering the season and then whether what transpired matched up to those expectations.  

Scott Turner and the Commanders officially parted ways earlier this week.  What does this mean for the offense moving forward?  Who will Ron Rivera choose as his future offensive coordinator?  Amit and KDot jump into comments made by Rivera and GM Martin Mayhew about offensive philosophy.  Taking a step back, there is an ownership discussion.  Taking a step forward, both hosts acknowledge that offensive line is the #1 on-field priority this offseason.  We jump into NFL wildcard predictions, agreeing on all matchups except for one.    

The Comment Mailbag is popping off with 6 different comments this week.  Thank you all for the comments!  

AFTER THE POD features KDot revealing his 10 favorite movies of 2022!  

#RonRivera #ScottTurner #SamHowell   

TIMECODES  

0:00 Intro 

1:50 Commanders Season Review 

16:33 Offseason Expectations 

34:44 Wildcard Predictions 

42:14 Comment Mailbag 

48:29 AFTER THE POD

Sam Howell won his first ever NFL start and debut! Should he become the QB of the future?  What did he do well?  What could he have done better? KDot and Amit chime in with their reactions to Sam Howell’s debut performance against the Dallas Cowboys starters and whether he did enough to warrant becoming the starter next season for the Washington Commanders.  

There are then shoutouts for other players that took advantage of their opportunity in the victory against the Dallas Cowboys!  We specifically highlight Chris Paul and Khaleke Hudson for their performances.  

We jump into the Comment Mailbag where we received comments from tonyp56, Jonney Otto and Bloodklot.  Thank you guys so much for the comments this week!  

AFTER THE POD jumps into Ron Rivera, Dan Snyder and a couple other ideas and preview for the offseason.  

#SamHowell #ScottTurner #RonRivera   

TIMECODES  

0:00 Intro 

02:21 Sam Howell Debut 

11:27 QB Offseason Plans 

22:22 Other Player Performances 

30:15 Comment Mailbag 

35:44 AFTER THE POD

Ron Rivera made the decision to start Carson Wentz over Taylor Heinicke and he went on to throw 3 INTs in a must-win game.  Scott Turner did absolutely no favors to Wentz either.  Everyone is to blame, fans are fuming, and it's time to clean house.  

KDot and Amit vent, attempt to process what happened, and wonder if there's room for optimism moving forward.  

Discussion includes Sam Howell, and his possible start next week against the Dallas Cowboys.  

#ronrivera #carsonwentz #scottturner   

TIMECODES 

0:00 Intro 

47:25 Comment Mailbag 

49:06 AFTER THE POD

The Washington Commanders host the Cleveland Browns in a must-win game to stay in the playoff picture as the 7 seed in the NFC.  

Browns QB Deshaun Watson has been the starter for the Cleveland Browns for the last 4 games and he has had a lot of rust to shake off.  In those 4 games, the Browns have scored 6, 10, 13, and 10 points on offense.  Nick Chubb, superstar RB, hasn’t rushed for over 100 yards in those 4 games.  Is this the moment they break out?  Or does our Commanders defense continue to stifle this currently poor Browns offense?  

Commanders QB Carson Wentz is officially the starter once again.  After coming in against the San Francisco 49ers in relief for QB Taylor Heinicke, HC Ron Rivera saw enough to go with Wentz.  What are expectations for him this week?  Looking at this Browns defense, what is the best way to attack them and beat them?  

The Commanders are favored by 1.5 points in this game and the over-under is set at 40.5 points.  Who do you think wins?  Who is your player of the game?  

The Comment Mailbag features 5 comments from VA Money Group, Bloodklot, Mark Stevenson, John Caruso Composer and Dairyan Shelton.  Thank you for the comments!    

AFTER THE POD answers Dairyan’s question in more detail - what is the plan at QB?  What is the plan for the future?  

#CarsonWentz #ScottTurner #CommandersBrowns 

TIMECODES  

0:00 Intro 

2:03 Browns O vs Commanders D 

11:59 Commanders O vs Browns D 

23:18 Game Predictions 

25:53 Comment Mailbag 

35:55 AFTER THE POD

The Washington Commanders lost to the San Francisco 49ers 37-20 this past weekend. Fortunately, both the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks lost their games, so the Commanders maintain their position as the 7th seed in the NFC Playoff Picture with 2 games to go.

A massive decision was made near the end of the game, benching QB Taylor Heinicke in favor of QB Carson Wentz, who will very likely be the starter moving forward for the rest of the season. Is this the right decision? Did Heinicke deserve to be benched, or was it ultimately irrelevant?

Chase Young returned to the lineup for the first time in over a year, and Pro Football Focus graded him as our best player on the day. What does Chase Young bring to our defense, and how did he look from the fan perspective?

The 4th down decisions to go for it by Ron Rivera are both discussed as well.

The Comment Mailbag features 2 comments from Drunkin’ Donuts and RidgeWhereYaHelmetAt. Thank you for the comments!

AFTER THE POD jumps into RidgeWhereYaHelmetAt’s question, and more about Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz.

#TaylorHeinicke #CarsonWentz #ChaseYoung

TIMECODES

0:00 Intro

1:57 Game Stats Recap

4:01 QB Talk

22:43 O Line

27:48 Chase Young

33:36 Defense

37:49 4th Down

43:27 Comment Mailbag

46:52 AFTER THE POD