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QB Sam Howell, WAS (1 Viewer)

Sam Howell completed 19-of-31 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the Commanders’ 20-16, Week 1 win over the Cardinals, adding two carries for 11 yards and an additional score.

Consider the fantasy bills paid, but it was not a particularly encouraging performance against a Cardinals team competing for the No. 1 overall pick. Displaying pocket presence that can best be described as “shaky,” Howell took six sacks and committed two turnovers. He could have easily thrown 2-3 more interceptions, including 1-2 pick sixes. His lost fumble was housed for a score by Arizona. On the good side of the ledger, Howell was certainly not afraid to stand and deliver. His passing score was an eight-yard improvisation to Brian Robinson. For the running, he went through his reads against man coverage then tucked and found a seam. There were things to work with, but much more to clean up. Howell will be a shaky Week 2 streamer against the Broncos’ tough defense on the road.
- Rotoworld
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Howell played tough, Logan Thomas dropped 3 or 4 balls, the INT was a tip, and the o-line was awful. I still see a very nice upside assuming the line can protect him.
 
Howell IS legit. This is only his 3rd start EVER. First road game in a pretty tough environment. And he played nearly flawless, no INTs, threw the ball away when he needed to, and made things happen with his legs as usual. That TD to Terry was gorgeous. And there was a ton of pressure (especially early) and he just never seems to panic. He's got the goods for sure.
 
ffmail4me said:
Howell IS legit. This is only his 3rd start EVER. First road game in a pretty tough environment. And he played nearly flawless, no INTs, threw the ball away when he needed to, and made things happen with his legs as usual. That TD to Terry was gorgeous. And there was a ton of pressure (especially early) and he just never seems to panic. He's got the goods for sure.
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I’ve been on board since @Birdie048 recommended him to me when I was in the 6th of a 16 team IDP SF start-up draft. Paired Mahomes with Howell. Feeling good so far :wub:
 
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ffmail4me said:
Howell IS legit. This is only his 3rd start EVER. First road game in a pretty tough environment. And he played nearly flawless, no INTs, threw the ball away when he needed to, and made things happen with his legs as usual. That TD to Terry was gorgeous. And there was a ton of pressure (especially early) and he just never seems to panic. He's got the goods for sure.
Click to expand...
I know everyone was clamoring for him last year but this is an example of good development. I think his time on the bench last year with a taste of live action at the end was excellent for his development. Too many rookies get thrown right into the fire and it shatters their confidence. Very high on him in keeper/dynasty
 
Kiddnets said:
ffmail4me said:
Howell IS legit. This is only his 3rd start EVER. First road game in a pretty tough environment. And he played nearly flawless, no INTs, threw the ball away when he needed to, and made things happen with his legs as usual. That TD to Terry was gorgeous. And there was a ton of pressure (especially early) and he just never seems to panic. He's got the goods for sure.
Click to expand...
I know everyone was clamoring for him last year but this is an example of good development. I think his time on the bench last year with a taste of live action at the end was excellent for his development. Too many rookies get thrown right into the fire and it shatters their confidence. Very high on him in keeper/dynasty
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Nah. Even Ron said he should have played him more last year. Bench time is just that .. time wasted. If a QB can't get over a bad half year, they weren't gonna be much of a QB anyway. All they did was slow his development by not playing him after the bye week
 
Brunell4MVP said:
Kiddnets said:
ffmail4me said:
Howell IS legit. This is only his 3rd start EVER. First road game in a pretty tough environment. And he played nearly flawless, no INTs, threw the ball away when he needed to, and made things happen with his legs as usual. That TD to Terry was gorgeous. And there was a ton of pressure (especially early) and he just never seems to panic. He's got the goods for sure.
Click to expand...
I know everyone was clamoring for him last year but this is an example of good development. I think his time on the bench last year with a taste of live action at the end was excellent for his development. Too many rookies get thrown right into the fire and it shatters their confidence. Very high on him in keeper/dynasty
Click to expand...
Nah. Even Ron said he should have played him more last year. Bench time is just that .. time wasted. If a QB can't get over a bad half year, they weren't gonna be much of a QB anyway. All they did was slow his development by not playing him after the bye week
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Should he have gotten a few more games - sure. Im referring to not being thrown right into the fire - even for half a season. I do not agree time on the bench is time wasted. Lots of learning/development and confidence can be gained by not being thrown in when a QB is not ready

Regardless - cautiously optimistic on Howell so far.
 
The big thing Howell has going for him is his aggression... but boy at times he doesn't feel pressure and other times looked skittish in the pocket. That being said, he was very composed in the 2nd half of that game and was willing to trust his receivers to make plays. He didn't go into a shell and play more conservative; he arguably took more shots and it worked for him.
 
The Frankman said:
The big thing Howell has going for him is his aggression... but boy at times he doesn't feel pressure and other times looked skittish in the pocket. That being said, he was very composed in the 2nd half of that game and was willing to trust his receivers to make plays. He didn't go into a shell and play more conservative; he arguably took more shots and it worked for him.
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We also need to give a lot of credit to Bieniemy for making big adjustments to the game plan after halftime. It's a reason to be hopeful for this not being a mirage.
 
Chaka said:
The Frankman said:
The big thing Howell has going for him is his aggression... but boy at times he doesn't feel pressure and other times looked skittish in the pocket. That being said, he was very composed in the 2nd half of that game and was willing to trust his receivers to make plays. He didn't go into a shell and play more conservative; he arguably took more shots and it worked for him.
Click to expand...
We also need to give a lot of credit to Bieniemy for making big adjustments to the game plan after halftime. It's a reason to be hopeful for this not being a mirage.
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Totally. That was impressive - 1st half was concerning.

I was amazed how well Howell bounced back.
 
In my keeper league where I know I can’t keep Josh Allen next year, I’m really thinking about dropping Gino Smith for this kid. Love the potential upside of his game and situation.
 
He’s been under a lot of pressure, but he’s also not doing the dump-offs or throw-aways that he should. Holding onto the ball or just letting loose into coverage.
 
But I can honestly say the offensive line has played as bad as a unit that I can ever remember in a game. I mean literally we couldn't even slow down the Bills pass rush. Not sure any QB in the league could have played behind that line today. Ignoring it in the draft for years REALLY showed today. :wall:
 
Our awesome :bored: DL couldn't get to Allen. Has DelRio ever rushed more than 4 ? Theirs got to Howell in decimals of time.

I'm rewatching and Howell started off decent. His mistakes were very bad mistakes though. And I think the play calling is a bit too pass oriented. Doesn't worry me from long term perspective. Howell still has what it takes. He simply got shell shocked today.
 
Brunell4MVP said:
Our awesome :bored: DL couldn't get to Allen. Has DelRio ever rushed more than 4 ? Theirs got to Howell in decimals of time.

I'm rewatching and Howell started off decent. His mistakes were very bad mistakes though. And I think the play calling is a bit too pass oriented. Doesn't worry me from long term perspective. Howell still has what it takes. He simply got shell shocked today.
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Agreed, Howell is young, 4th game he's ever played in. But the line was really exposed today. That's my biggest concern as a Washington fan. I LOVE Terry, Jahan, and even Cole Turner (who I think is going to be a very good TE) but if you can't protect the QB it won't matter. :(
 
Sam Howell completed 19-of-29 passes for 170 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions in a 37-3, Week 3 loss to the Bills.

It was a long day for Howell, who was sacked nine times and under pressure on over 60 percent of his dropbacks. Yes, that many times. Now, some of that was clearly on Howell, who held the ball too long, but the offensive line was horrible against the Bills’ front four and the Commanders’ coaches never seemed to dial up any quick-hitter routes to force Howell to get the ball out of his hands quickly. This was a two score game in the fourth quarter, so it’s not as bad as the scoreboard indicates, and there will likely be better days ahead for Howell.
- Rotoworld
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Rosy picture there, Sam was under duress but he made some really bad decisions and as usual, showed a lack of awareness in the pocket. I think Bienemy will need to dial back the offense and get Howell shorter routes because he's just holding onto the ball wayyyyyyyy too long. I've watched a lot of the "young QB" games the last few weeks and while I could find building blocks out of last weeks' outing, this was bad.
 
He did it the first 2 weeks, that's 3 weeks of either being skittish or just not feeling/adjusting to the massive amount of pressure IMHO. The same crap I complain about Daniel Jones doing in the past, he's doing now. So yeah, at that point that garners an "as usual".
 
It'll be interesting to see the Simms (PFTalk) and J.T. O'Sullivan (The QB School) breakdown of his tape this week. I scouted a lot of the 1st year/rookie QBs in the offseason for fantasy purposes and the two I liked who had the highest potential to me were Jordan Love and Sam Howell. If I had to compare the two Love looks light years more comfortable in the pocket right now. Howell's timing seems off where sometimes he holds the ball way too long and others he's going too fast. He's going to need help from the line, but maybe more important give him some designed easy quick hitters that Kenny Pickett was missing all game last Monday vs. the Browns.
 
Soulfly3 said:
Hot Sauce Guy said:
Ray_T said:
he is starting to look a bit more like an actual QB.
hes got a ways to go yet, but I am at least seeing some progress.
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6% off-target throws. That’s more than starting to look - it’s elite.

I don't see a long ways to go myself.
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Oh?
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there is no doubt the Buffalo D is a level up from what hes seen so far this year..... Denver D is starting to look worse as the season goes on. so maybe Howell just looked good against a bad D. hard to say.... or maybe he just had a bad game.
 
Hot Sauce Guy said:
Soulfly3 said:
Hot Sauce Guy said:
Ray_T said:
he is starting to look a bit more like an actual QB.
hes got a ways to go yet, but I am at least seeing some progress.
Click to expand...
6% off-target throws. That’s more than starting to look - it’s elite.

I don't see a long ways to go myself.
Click to expand...

Oh?
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Congratulations on never learning about how time is linear and advances forward from one week to the next
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I am jumping completely off topic here but I think there is a decent chance time is actually not linear.

Regardless, the human mind perceives time as linear and I see zero reason why someone would reply to your 6% off-target throws post after week 3.
 
runner06 said:
Hot Sauce Guy said:
Soulfly3 said:
Hot Sauce Guy said:
Ray_T said:
he is starting to look a bit more like an actual QB.
hes got a ways to go yet, but I am at least seeing some progress.
Click to expand...
6% off-target throws. That’s more than starting to look - it’s elite.

I don't see a long ways to go myself.
Click to expand...

Oh?
Click to expand...
Congratulations on never learning about how time is linear and advances forward from one week to the next
Click to expand...
I am jumping completely off topic here but I think there is a decent chance time is actually not linear.

Regardless, the human mind perceives time as linear and I see zero reason why someone would reply to your 6% off-target throws post after week 3.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the 6% described a period of time that occurred prior to this week, so….yeah.

lol
 
Another nightmare matchup this week at Philly. The oline is going to get dominated, we already know that. Still think we can learn some important things from Howell this week.

Can he bounce back? Takes a lot of fortitude to watch last weeks tape and make corrections knowing full well you’re about to get blasted all over again. Think we can get a good sense of the players DNA in this instance. I don’t expect a win but I do expect him to focus on getting the ball out quicker and keeping the team in the game by putting up early points. On the season, Washington is -26 in the first half which is 4th worst in the league. That simply has to change.

If he can keep the team alive into the 4th quarter, reduce the sacks and take care of the football, that’s a solid outing for him. And we need to put the ball in Terry And Dotsons hands. Scheme them up for some easy looks early and let them get the ball in their hands. YAC it up.

Everything has been so positive this off-season for Howell. New energy around the team, nothing but encouragement for him dating back to the last week of 2022 against Dallas. Positive reports during OTAs and camp. Good start to the season weeks 1 and 2. It’s time to find out how he deals with some adversity at the pro level.
 
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This takes me back to watching Philly absolutely DESTROY Washington last year. It seemed like they had 8 sacks in the first half of that game, it was over by the 2nd quarter. Rinse and repeat?
 
Scooby1974 said:
This takes me back to watching Philly absolutely DESTROY Washington last year. It seemed like they had 8 sacks in the first half of that game, it was over by the 2nd quarter. Rinse and repeat?
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I’ll assume you are not referring to the game Washington won on MNF in Philly.
 
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