The Washington Commanders will open their 2024 regular season schedule on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sunday’s game will embark on a new era for the franchise, as the team rolls out its new head coach Dan Quinn, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. However, recent comments by Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles may reel in some conversation about Washington’s past.
Bowles spoke to local media about the challenges facing the dynamic No. 2 overall pick in Daniels, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner. Whether inadvertently or purposely, Bowles referred to the Commanders as their old and banned moniker.
“I think if you find yourself just facing a rookie quarterback, the other ten guys are going to kill you, so we’re facing the Redskins, we’re not facing Jayden Daniels,” Bowles said. “They got ten other guys that we got to be worried about as well, so. We don’t look at it as facing the rookie quarterback. We’re trying to beat the Redskins.”
The Commanders’ name has been a topic of discussion since the franchise dropped the “Redskins” name in 2020 after urging from team sponsors in the wake of an outcry from some Native American groups. The Redskins name has been viewed by many as disparaging and racist towards Native Americans.
The franchise’s old moniker had been in place since 1937. The name and logo were changed under then-owner Dan Snyder, who previously vowed never to change the name. The Redskins temporarily became the Washington Football Team before choosing the Washington Commanders in 2022.
The change from the Redskins name hasn’t set well with a large portion of the fan base. Others don’t like the decision to land on Commanders. While new owner Josh Harris admitted the team’s brass is researching another name change, he was adamant that the old name “can’t come back.”
That hasn’t stopped fans from referring to the team as the Redskins. Some former players have refused to embrace the Commanders’ name. It’s worth noting that before his 14-year career as a coach, Todd Bowles played eight seasons in the NFL. Seven of those seasons were with Washington.
Bowles had four interceptions during the 1987 season during Washington’s route to winning Super Bowl XXII. He just missed out on a second Super Bowl ring, as he played the 1991 season with the San Francisco 49ers — the year Washington won Super Bowl XXVI — before returning to Washington in 1992.
Was it just a slip of the tongue for Bowles? Does Bowles view the team’s name will always be Redskins to him? No matter the truth, he may have sparked another buzz surrounding the old name.
