The NFLPA, led by president J.C. Tretter, conducted the first-ever team report cards, and the results were unveiled on Wednesday.
The purpose of the NFLPA report cards was to improve the overall working conditions of the players. So teams were judged in eight categories, from the weight room to traveling conditions, and to the surprise of no one, the Washington Commanders did not fair well.
How the did NFLPA arrive at these grades?
The NFLPA polled over 1,300 players across the NFL with the goal of finding where teams excel and where teams need to improve.
As a whole, the Commanders ranked No. 32 — out of 32 teams.
What more is there to say at this point? Under current ownership, things aren’t going to improve. We have 24 years of data points and things continue to worsen.
Let’s break down how Washington fared in each category with comments from the results.
Treatment of families: F [T-29th - tied for last]
The Commanders do offer a family room, but no day care at the stadium. They rank last in support of players’ families and last in the post-game gathering area for families.
How hard is it to improve here? Some of it doesn’t require a massive financial investment.
Food service/nutrition: D+ [T-18th]
The quality of food is ranked 18th, with the best compliment being that the team provides all three meals. 59% of the players do feel there is enough room in the cafeteria.
President Jason Wright should be seeing what teams ranked higher are doing because this isn’t somewhere that you want to be ranked this low.
Weight room: C+ [22nd]
The biggest problem is the weight room is too small. Washington players feel like they have enough strength coaches.
At some point, you do just need a new facility. When was the last time the weight room was updated/upgraded?
Stength coaches: A+ [T-1st]
Remarkably, 100% of players surveyed believed the strength coaches have an individual plan for each player. They think the strength staff helps them get better on the football field.
It sounds like Washington should be offering extensions to the strength and conditioning staff.
Training room: F- [T-30th - tied for last]
Straight from the NFLPA report card on the training room [it’s brutal]:
Players feel that more space and more training tables are needed.
Staffing
- 46% feel they have enough ATCs (lowest in the league)
- 31% feel they have enough PTs (lowest in the league)
Steam Room/Sauna
- There is a steam room (78% feel it is big enough)
- There is a sauna (65% feel it is big enough)
Tubs
- 45% of players feel they have enough hot tub space (ranked 28th)
- 50% of players feel they have enough cold tub space (ranked 28th)
It sounds like space/size is, again, an issue here. In addition, why is the training staff understaffed? This, again, is a situation where significant investment is needed, and that will not come until there is new ownership.
Training staff: D [31st]
A large portion of players indicated they didn’t want to do their rehab at the team facility. That’s a major problem. And regardless of what head coach Ron Rivera wants or needs to do, he’s limited by ownership’s lack of investment.
Locker room: F- [32nd]
Only 35% of players feel like they have enough personal space. Players wanted more space, including better lockers and more bathroom space.
Another horrible look was that some players complained about the lack of warm water and a poor draining system. It turns out the poor drainage system extends far beyond FedEx Field.
Team travel: F- [32nd]
- 22% of players feel like they have enough room to spread out
- One of six teams that make their young players have roommates
- One of seven teams that don’t offer any of their player’s first-class seats
Remember the perception years ago that Washington always paid above market on everything? Well, apparently, the owner decided having a logo on his jet was more important than taking care of his players for their travels.
