Heading into the new season, the Washington Commanders not only have a lot to prove after coming off an incredible 2024 season, but the players as well.
Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil noted the difference he's felt going from a rookie to now heading into his second year.
In his first season, Sainristil played a key role on the team’s defense. Now that he has a year under his belt, he feels like he’s found his groove. “I think you kind of find yourself, at least for me,” Sainristil said “I’ve found myself in a spot that is, okay, here’s what I did last year.”
And last year, he recorded 93 tackles—62 of those solo—14 pass deflections, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. And despite an impressive first year, Sainristil has been putting in work this offseason to be even better.
“During the offseason I was watching film, just doing a self-study tape,” Sainristil said. “And my offseason focus was how much better can I get at the things that I’m already good at.”
His philosophy is that just because he’s good at something doesn’t mean he can’t improve.“I feel like often we lose sight of focusing on the things that we are good at because we want to put so much emphasis on the things we aren’t good at,” he said.
According to Sainristil, it’s about more than focusing on one area.“You still have to sharpen both sides of the sword. So I wanted to make sure I keep working on the things I’m good at but still working on those things I need to improve.”
Then he expanded on what that process looks like during the week:
“So, it gets to a point where everything you do during the week should just be the tools you're sharpening,” Sainristil said. “So that way when you come to Sunday, it comes to game time, you're not worried about anything anymore, you're just playing free. You know what the calls are, you're not second-guessing anything, you believe what you're seeing on film. Then you're just going out there playing with the talent you have, using the tools the coaches have given you for the week, and then you're just going out and just making plays.”
Apart from studying film, Sainristil relies on the coaching staff to help elevate his game. “Finding what that looks like on film, asking my coaches, ‘What do you guys think I need to improve? Where can I make jumps?” he said.
His ultimate goal is for things to feel instinctive on game day. “Just emphasizing my film study, because I want to be able to go out there and just have everything just be second nature.”
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