Commanders Coach Jason Simmons Bringing ‘Competitive Stamina’

The NFL season is long, and the Washington Commanders are bringing someone dedicated to getting the team through the finish line with coach Jason Simmons on board.

ASHBURN, Va. — Believe it or not, the NFL season is long for every team, not just the four win variety like the Washington Commanders were in 2023.

Even a Super Bowl winning franchise feels the strain of competition, the fatigue of competing at the height of athletic ability for up to five months, and ultimately the pain of losing like the Commanders have every year since January of 1992. 

That’s the thing we often lose sight of, that 31 NFL teams end the season on a down note. Only one gets to end the year a winner, and it’s been 32 years since Washington was that team.

Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne (94) celebrates with Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) after a safety against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

With a new coaching staff in place there is hope this organization may end that run, and it’s going to take stamina to win the marathon, because this business sure isn’t a sprint to the finish.

“Competitive stamina,” Commanders defensive pass game coordinator Jason Simmons calls it. “That’s what I think I bring to the table. I think the guys can count on me to coach them hard, to be detailed, and to have a continued focus on whatever (coach Dan Quinn’s) message is.”

That message so far is to construct a team that is both explosive and physical, two things that sound similar but can at times be total opposites while crafting the same result: winning football.

For the defense, that means attacking with violent intent, something defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. described in vivid detail during his introductory press conference last week. It also means taking the ball away. 

“What Joe Whitt is trying to bring to the table is a relentless play style (with) guys that hunt the football and attack the football,” Simmons said. “That’s what we’re looking to breed into this team first.

“That’s a fun style of football,” he continued. “Guys enjoy playing that style of football. It’s infectious. And it’s just fun to go out and play in and be able to go out and compete.”

Not only do players tend to enjoy playing that style of football, but fans usually enjoy watching it as well. 

To many, it’s a brand of football not witnessed in the DMV in quite some time, and something many have been itching to see return. 

After all, this is Washington, a franchise once synonymous with winning and an example to be followed for other NFL teams looking to build the ideal organization.

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If coach Simmons and his teammates have their way, it’ll be that again very soon.

“We know what this franchise means to the National Football League,” he says. “This is a team that everybody looks to…Just the history of it - and we are trying to renew it, but the first thing is we’re trying to build continuity with the coaches so that can feed into the players and we have a cohesive unit that’s ready to go.”