FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The Washington Commanders are no stranger to up and down expectations surrounding the team.
Coming into their joint practice with the New York Jets the Commanders were being talked about as one of the ‘slept on’ teams in the NFL this year.
However, coming out of that practice, many are now discussing the possibility that the love surrounding Washington may be a bit premature.
Just like most things, the right spot to sit at in this conversation is probably somewhere in the middle. That the process is a positive one, but the product is far from finished.
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“At the end of the day, we’re getting great work…”
– Jonathan Allen, Commanders DT
“Obviously we’re not where we want to be,” Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said following the practice. “But I don’t think it’s a bad start at all.”
It’s a simplistic quote, but one that almost perfectly embodies where Washington is less than a year into this rebuild project.
Allen also talked about how much faster the joint practice was compared to in-house sessions the team has experienced so far in training camp, something that’s expected when going against an opponent for the first time. Even in a practice environment.
While we discuss what was seen during the first joint practice of the year it’s more important to weigh what happens in the game, even if it is a preseason contest.
“The game is more realistic because it’s a game, so it’s going to be more in-line (with) what we do during the season,” Allen said. “But at the end of the day, we’re getting great work. You can work on more stuff out here, so it was good.”
It wasn’t all bad at practice on Thursday, and there are certainly some positives to cling to as building blocks heading into Saturday. But there were some struggles everyone would like to see more polished in the game, where it matters more. And nobody wants to see those things cleaned up more than the Commanders themselves.
READ MORE: Washington Commanders Notebook: Offensive Line Problematic in Joint Practice with Jets
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