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The Commanders' schedule features division matchups early on in the season, and a tough task on paper. Is a fast start super important?
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00:00So, Commander's schedule officially got released,
00:02even though I think we knew most of it going into yesterday.
00:05And as the day went on, even before you got the official schedule,
00:09Grant and Danny were doing some parsing through it,
00:10and they basically knew the entire schedule before it actually came out.
00:13But regardless, we got the official schedule,
00:15so we can run through it real quick.
00:17Week 1, on the road at Philadelphia.
00:21425.
00:22Week 2, on the road at Dallas.
00:25425.
00:27Home against the Seattle Seahawks.
00:291 o'clock.
00:30International game.
00:329.30.
00:33Against the Indianapolis Colts.
00:36Back home against the Giants.
00:38That's a 1 o'clock.
00:39That's a 1 o'clock game, yeah.
00:40Monday night football, on the road at San Fran.
00:43Is that 820 or 815?
00:45815.
00:45There we go.
00:46Bye week.
00:47Come out of the bye.
00:48Sunday night football, home against the Eagles.
00:51820?
00:52820.
00:52Yeah.
00:53Then home against the Rams.
00:55Yep, 1 o'clock game.
00:56Then up to the Meadowlands for Thursday night football
00:59against the Giants.
01:00Yeah.
01:02Then extra rest, going into a Monday night football game
01:05against Cincinnati at home.
01:06Joe Burrow against Jaden Daniels.
01:09LSU Tigers.
01:10Who's the best quarterback?
01:11Heisman Trophy winners.
01:13And last time they played an electric game in Cincinnati.
01:16Yeah.
01:16On the road against Arizona in week 12, 425.
01:20On the road in Nashville against Tennessee.
01:24That's a 1 o'clock game.
01:25Getting into week 14, home against the Texans.
01:28Then home against the Falcons.
01:30Then your final three games.
01:32On the road in Minnesota.
01:33On the road in Jacksonville.
01:35And then home against Dallas.
01:37Glad that's a stadium that's inside.
01:39Mm-hmm.
01:40Ain't that the truth.
01:40The Jacksonville could be fun.
01:42Day after Christmas for Minnesota.
01:44Yeah.
01:45That's going to be a tough day of travel.
01:46Travel probably on Christmas.
01:48Not really.
01:49Well, I mean, it's not going to be fun.
01:51You might get a white Christmas this year.
01:53Yeah, but their snow I like.
01:55They have that wispy snow.
01:57Okay.
01:57It just flies.
01:58Yeah.
01:59Not like all the stuff we have here ends up like concrete.
02:02Yeah.
02:02Heavy as hell.
02:03Nah.
02:04Their stuff is a little wispy.
02:05But, you know, I'm sure a lot of people are going to look at this schedule
02:07and go, oh, man, this is tough.
02:10Yes.
02:10And as you stated before we got on the air, all schedules are tough.
02:15Yeah.
02:16And we all know just because the team was good last year
02:19don't mean they're going to be good this year.
02:21Just because the team was bad last year don't mean they're going to be bad
02:23last year.
02:24Because the NFL has shown people go from worst to worst a lot.
02:28A lot of them go from worst to worst.
02:29Well, we saw it from this team.
02:30Quickly.
02:30Yeah.
02:31We saw it from this team both ways.
02:32Exactly.
02:32So when you look at it now, I was talking to EB before he left out.
02:36I said, listen, man, the injury bug is kind of weird in the NFL.
02:40It's going to hit every team eventually.
02:43Some teams get a lot more.
02:44Some people get a lot less.
02:46But it's very seldom that it happens to a team like it happened to the Detroit Lions.
02:51Two years in a row, they lost like 20-plus people.
02:55And it's something they're doing.
02:56It has to be a problem.
02:58The 49ers a year prior didn't have as many.
03:01They had a few.
03:02But then last year, hell, like every time they looked at the football field, somebody
03:05got hurt.
03:06It was a lot of injuries last year for worst.
03:09The year before, it wasn't.
03:10So you would suspect this probably won't be that type of year.
03:14Philly has had a great run for a bit.
03:20It's about to happen soon.
03:22But the ultimate thing is finding a way to get the elevation of the intensity going
03:31now.
03:31When I looked at the schedule, I didn't think, oh, look how tough it is.
03:35I thought, intensity needs to start now.
03:38The way you approach this offseason, the way you approach preseason, training cap and preseason,
03:44needs to be, we're getting ready to hit the ground running.
03:48Most teams decide we're going to build up for the first four weeks.
03:52When you look at this schedule, you need to be hitting that thing right off the bat.
03:56That's the thing that immediately stands out from the schedule is we already knew the opponents.
04:00You already knew who you were going to face.
04:01But now that you see it laid out and how it's going to play out week after week, the beginning
04:06of this schedule, you're going to learn real quick what this football team is.
04:09And you need to come out of the gate strong or you're going to end up putting yourself
04:13in a hole that maybe you can crawl out of because you have a little bit of a lighter
04:17back end of the schedule.
04:18But those guys may be better by the time that comes around the season.
04:21You don't want to put yourself into a big hole that you can't get out of because you
04:25don't want to end up 1-3 to start and all of a sudden you're kind of fighting against
04:30it the entire year.
04:31Maybe you lose a game you should win and now you're kind of fighting your way back.
04:34You don't want to end up in that spot.
04:36But it's a very realistic chance that you start the year 1-3 and play some good football.
04:39So that's the tough part about it.
04:41And a big part about this is what I want to talk about, B-Mitch, is you talk about the
04:45intensity.
04:46Things have to be changed so that you're ready to go week one because you're facing
04:49Philly on the road, you're facing Dallas on the road, and then you finally get a home
04:52opener and it doesn't even get any easier.
04:54It gets harder.
04:54You're facing the defending Super Bowl champs.
04:56You've got to be ready to go right out the jump.
04:58And then right after that, you go to London.
05:00So it's not like you're going to get into any sort of rhythm and, okay, we'll ease ourselves in.
05:05No, no.
05:05You've got to be ready to go right away.
05:07And the thing of it is this.
05:08You look at the first year, they came out ready.
05:14The second year seemed like they came out not ready.
05:19Some kind of way you've got to find a level of what was the first year and take it up
05:23a
05:24little bit.
05:25And as I was talking yesterday, this is not about trying to do something stupid in training
05:31camp.
05:32It's just being intentional and having some level of intensity.
05:39Because a lot of times when I looked at things last year, I kind of felt like this is going
05:44through the motions.
05:45But when I look at practice sometimes, I can tell you teams that are ready to rock and teams
05:51that are not ready to rock.
05:53I'm just being real.
05:54And it comes from just watching the swiftness as they go.
05:59And you mentioned it about we have two younger people in new defense, new offense, basically.
06:08You've got to go full speed to see how it really is going to be.
06:11And if it's not full speed, it's damn near there.
06:15And when I would talk about things, it wasn't like, and I know everyone always think like
06:20back in the day, like I said yesterday, we weren't tackling people to the ground in practice.
06:24We just had an intensity about it.
06:27But you need to know when game one comes, you need to know that you can go through all
06:33four quarters at the highest of levels.
06:35You know, I'm talking about riding this bike starting tomorrow, going to Frederick.
06:40Insane, by the way.
06:41The thing of it is 60 miles, I've done it multiple times.
06:47So I know I can do that.
06:49If you go out there and try to run 60 and the most you ever rode was 10, you might
06:53die.
06:54I'm just being real.
06:55But the whole thing of it is that you have to push yourself to a limit.
06:58And I know what the new rules are.
07:01But it's upon every player individually, every individual coach and the head coach and everybody
07:07else.
07:08You need to have a mindset that we're going to get everybody ready.
07:11So when we hit the first game, if it were to go into overtime, we could finish the last
07:16quarter as if it was the first quarter.
07:19That's what the mindset has to be.
07:21Who do you think that falls most on?
07:23Is it the players?
07:25Is it the coaches?
07:26It falls on the players and the coaches.
07:28The coaches can push it, but the leaders on the football team have to make it happen.
07:33Like when I always tell the story when I first got here, it wasn't about what Coach Gibbs
07:38said or what Dan Raleigh said.
07:41It's watching the other guys go through practice.
07:44I knew either I pick up my level to compete with them or I'm going to get left behind.
07:50It wasn't anything that was said.
07:52It was just you look and you go, oh, hell, this has to happen.
07:56Mighty Coleman told me straight up, he said, preseason, you start off practicing preseason
08:04and stuff like that.
08:04It's one thing.
08:06First half of the season, it's another level.
08:09Second half of the season, it goes up.
08:11Playoffs, get even higher.
08:12And the closer you get to the Super Bowl, it keeps going.
08:15And I was like, yeah, whatever.
08:18When we hit the first half of the season, I was like, oh, hell, this is real.
08:23Second half of the season, they were able to reach down and find something else.
08:27Like, you know, most cars, fifth gear, none of them don't have six speed.
08:31They had six gear.
08:32I had to find a way to do that.
08:34And he was like, okay, we still got to go to playoffs.
08:37You know, so you got to find a way to get it.
08:39And there are individual players.
08:43Most players, you hear players say this, and I know a lot of veteran players and people
08:47in the league get mad.
08:48They come to the pros and they say the pros are easier than college.
08:53They're not lying.
08:54In college, you're trying to get to a certain status, certain level.
09:00In the pros, you know what they try to do?
09:02Maintain.
09:03College, you got three, four years to get to where you need to be to prove to them, I'm
09:07a man.
09:08I can handle this.
09:09I'm strong.
09:10So you got four years.
09:11So you are destroying yourself.
09:13You go hard as hell.
09:14You tackle more in college.
09:16When you get to the pros, it's like, I'm trying to stay here for 12, 13, 14 years.
09:21So you try to maintain.
09:22So yes, it's easier.
09:24But you got to find a level.
09:25You got to find a way to try to make this thing as close as you can.
09:30So not be as crazy as college, but you got to still be close.
09:36And you got to, because if you're like that, it's going to take you a lot farther than
09:39if you're getting here, all of a sudden now you're chilling and resting on your laurels.
09:42Yeah.
09:42And I think this year is going to be easy for Adam Peters, Dan Quinn, and those guys to
09:45kind of evaluate.
09:46If you can't get fired up to get ready for a season when you're starting with two division
09:50opponents coming off a five and 12 year, then you're just not going to be fired up.
09:53You're not a winning football player.
09:54You should be ready to go.
09:56This is the kind of a season where you're going in with some expectations.
09:59You're hoping the injury bug is on your side this time.
10:01You've got a quarterback who's going into year three.
10:03You're hoping takes a big step after, you know, a bit of a downturn in year two.
10:07So you've got a lot of things going your way.
10:10If you can't get fired up to go into a season after you went five and 12 and disappointed
10:14last season, and you're starting against Philadelphia on the road, then frankly, you can't be on
10:19the football team because you're not a winning football player.
10:20See, the one thing, if I ever, now I'm probably not going to do it, but if I were a
10:27coach,
10:28you know, the one thing I would look for more than anything, I know people, talent is one
10:32thing, self-starters.
10:35I don't need guys that need somebody to motivate them.
10:38I need guys that soon as I say we got a game, they are there.
10:42They're ready to go.
10:43And if you got that type of person right there, guess what?
10:45All the other stuff will come because the self-starters don't wait to be told.
10:50The self-starters don't wait till you start telling them something.
10:53They know it's coming and they already did everything they need.
10:55That's why they're self-starters.
10:57That's why they're so excited as soon as you bring up the level.
10:59That's what I would be looking for.
11:01And like, I know people are talking, oh, you got to get on him.
11:04If I got to get on you, then guess what?
11:07I don't need you.
11:08I need guys that understand what's the task, what's at hand, what the hell needs to happen,
11:14and just go out there and do it.
11:16You know, in every job, you got people who go and they do their work,
11:20and you got people who are eager to try to do extra.
11:23What happens as you go through it and people start getting promotions and all?
11:28The eager people get promotions.
11:30The one that sit around and try to just do the bare minimum, they don't get nothing.
11:34So we need to see guys like that.
11:37The guys that work their ass off all day, willing to go and compete.
11:40You know, people go, oh, man, we got to go play on that field.
11:43Are they playing on the same field we're playing on?
11:46Okay, so what's the problem?
11:48If I'm playing on asphalt against another team and they got to play on asphalt, let's go for it.
11:54Because we're going through the same stuff.
11:55It's not like when I got the ball, I'm on asphalt when you get it, you're on grass.
11:59So as long as the rules are the same for the both teams, let's go compete.
12:03One of the things that I think will help them get ready that last year,
12:07you know, they were planning on having a couple of joint practices.
12:09The Ravens, for whatever reason, weren't able to make that happen
12:12for the second joint practice, which got canceled for Washington.
12:15This year, they're set up to do a joint practice with Miami.
12:18Those things are so important now, BMitch,
12:21especially considering how these preseason games are approached
12:23where very few starters seem to play in these preseason games.
12:26And I'm curious to see if they do change that approach
12:29to the preseason games a little bit.
12:31But I think this is a big thing to help them get ready for the season
12:34when you do these joint practices,
12:35because you can do it in a little more controlled environment.
12:37You can work on specific things.
12:39You know, if I want to work on the red zone with my first team offense,
12:41there's no guarantee if I only play them for two drives that they get down there.
12:44I hope they get down there in a real game.
12:45But I know I can work on red zone if I do it in a practice.
12:48I know I can protect my quarterback from getting hit in a practice
12:51versus in preseason games.
12:53So I think these joint practices are big.
12:55They're going to do one with Miami.
12:56I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to get one in there as well.
12:58They're going to obviously play the Ravens in a preseason game.
13:01So I'm curious if they try to get a second one in there.
13:03But those joint practices now are massive.
13:05Because, and I think coaches, and see, this is the thing about it.
13:10Players understand at this level how far you can go and not go.
13:15The quarterback is untouchable in those joint practices.
13:18Don't touch the quarterback.
13:19And everybody knows that.
13:21But you can go and get, you can, I can help you get better,
13:25or even though you're on the Ravens team,
13:27you can help me get better without hurting each other.
13:29I know let's go full speed to a point where we're about to go to the ground.
13:34Now, if it's a tackling period, cool.
13:37But if it's a period where we just go in and do it like a little tap and butt up,
13:43wrap, lift, let him go.
13:45Don't stop.
13:45If I'm a linebacker and you're a running back,
13:47I shouldn't stop you from getting what you need.
13:50So I'll come, I'll wrap, let's go, and you keep running.
13:52Okay?
13:53Or if you can shake me, shake me.
13:55Out my boots.
13:55Make me understand.
13:56I got to get my feet in the right place.
13:58But I think players understand when they're in practice against each other,
14:01you can go without harming your teammate.
14:04When you get into the joint practices,
14:06you can go without doing something stupid because what's going to happen,
14:11you naturally, the tendency goes up, the intensity goes up.
14:14Well, the second you see another color, a different team.
14:17But when you do something stupid,
14:19now somebody else is going to do something stupid,
14:21and now you've got the fights and all that type of stuff.
14:23And that's why the league has gotten so involved,
14:25where they fine you for fights in practice now.
14:27Especially when it's a joint practice.
14:29Because they understand,
14:30but the veterans on the team need to run the team.
14:36The coaches do their thing.
14:37That's their job.
14:38But the veterans on the team will make a team be even better
14:42by saying how far to go and where not to go.
14:46Because let's be real,
14:46I could have been on the other team that we were playing against last year.
14:49I got some boys over there.
14:50Hey, man, this person is going to go this way.
14:53Just go hard with them, and then it's all over.
14:55But we're not doing anything cheap or stupid.
14:58Yeah, I just think those are so big nowadays
15:00because of the way that everything is approached.
15:02So having those joint practices,
15:04being able to get the work in that's necessary against somebody else,
15:07the intensity is naturally going to be higher
15:09when you're facing somebody else.
15:11Yeah.
15:11You face the same guy in practice over and over and over again.
15:14It gets boring.
15:14But yeah, like you said, it gets boring.
15:16If I go against the same dude in practice every day,
15:19after four days, three days,
15:20I know every move he has.
15:23So now it's a waste of time.
15:25And then all of a sudden, he knows my moves.
15:27So you know what we do?
15:28We cut deals.
15:30Hey, man.
15:32We ain't trying to go on this ground, you know.
15:34And then all of a sudden,
15:35now you're basically wasting your damn time out there.
15:37So it's good to have the other teams come in
15:40to break it up a little bit.
15:42800-636-1067, if you'd like to hop in,
15:45we'll open up the listener lines.
15:46What did you make of the schedule that came out?
15:48Also, how quickly are we going to know
15:49if this season is different?
15:51Last year, we saw them get off to an okay start,
15:53and then everything went downhill after that.
15:56How quickly will we know with this schedule
15:58where you start on the road with two divisional games to start,
16:01then you got the Seattle Seahawks at home,
16:03you go on the road to London.
16:04How quickly into this season will we know if it's different?
16:06800-636-1067.
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