From The Banner · Kevin Reynolds · · 2m
The rookie the internet decided to bury
Washington's seventh overall pick got meme'd before he played a snap that counted, and his coaches say the clips are reading the wrong player.
In brief
Washington's seventh overall pick got meme'd before he played a snap that counted, and his coaches say the clips are reading the wrong player. A linebacker whose value comes from coverage and gap discipline will always look worse in a 31-snap preseason highlight cycle than he actually is. Originally reported by The…
Even Wale piled on
The D.C. rapper went on a podcast and hedged his way to a verdict on Washington's first-round pick. The room laughed and nodded along.
“It doesn't feel like he wants to terrorize.”
A meme before a snap
Fan sites torched Sonny Styles' preseason debut. Some doubted he would make the 53-man roster. Others cut parody videos of his play.
Debut under a microscope
Styles opens against the Eagles carrying more scrutiny than any seventh overall pick expects, most of it from his own fanbase.
He says he's used to it
Styles points back to his junior year at Ohio State, when he switched to linebacker, made mistakes, and got told he was terrible.
“I'm used to it. Just got to keep getting better.”
The 50-yard clip
In game two against Detroit, Joshua Dobbs hesitated behind the line, kept the ball and ran 50 yards for a touchdown. Styles crashed inside and got left behind.
Quinn blamed someone else
On that option, the defense reads the end. Dan Quinn said Josh Josephs closed too early, which is what let Dobbs pull it and go.
“On that particular one, we'd love Josh to wait it out.”
Clips beat coaching tape
The correction never reached social media. People zoomed and slowed the frame, and the play became permission for a nervous fanbase to vent.
“People zoomed in and slowed down on Styles like it was the Zapruder film.”
Fans wanted the wrong stat
The complaints were about missing sacks and flash plays. Styles arrived at Ohio State as a safety and only moved to linebacker as a junior.
Nine sacks in four years
He had one sack last season and nine across his college career. His job was covering ground in the middle and breaking up plays, not hunting the quarterback.
Thirty-one snaps of evidence
Washington drafted him for accumulated value: tackles right before the sticks, coverage drops that deter throws. Two preseason games cannot show that.
The green dot vote
The Commanders handed Styles partial play-calling duties in the huddle. Quinn praised his physicality in pads and expects the narrative to turn within a month.
“This guy's one of those people that is just gonna grow as he's going.”
The key point
A linebacker whose value comes from coverage and gap discipline will always look worse in a 31-snap preseason highlight cycle than he actually is.
