- 22 hours ago
Logan Paulsen joins his Take Command partner and last name twin Grant & Danny to discuss what he's seen from the Commanders this offseason, and what will look different when we see the team for the first time.
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00:00And bring Logan Paulson on to the show.
00:02He's been out in Ashburn working up a lather the last few days
00:04watching the boys on the practice field.
00:07Logan, three days of mini camp down for the Commanders.
00:10I actually want to start with the big story that came out of camp today,
00:14which was that there was a weird way of going about practice
00:16where the starters were asked to do one thing,
00:19but the backups were doing more.
00:21What can you tell us about that?
00:23Yeah, man, I think it's just, you know,
00:26I remember when I first was here in Washington.
00:27First off, thanks for having me on, guys.
00:28Always good talking to you.
00:30But when I first got to Washington, I think it was 2012,
00:33like we used to do like split field practice.
00:35So like the two offense would go versus the one defense
00:38and the one offense would go versus the two defense.
00:40So this felt very similar to that.
00:43But instead of going two versus one,
00:45they went one versus ones kind of approximately.
00:48Like there are some exceptions to this, obviously,
00:50in a kind of walkthrough type setting
00:52where you can kind of rep more specifically
00:55like the communication combinations versus looks,
00:57those other kind of good on good looks,
01:00kind of they can work their calls a little bit differently.
01:03And it kind of felt like it was a way to kind of protect
01:05that kind of the big boy varsity group
01:09while letting the younger guys,
01:12the guys that need to kind of prove themselves a little bit more,
01:14go with live bullets in that other kind of section of practice.
01:18So I think it kind of serves an opportunity
01:20to kind of keep the big boys safe,
01:23the guys you know are going to be a part of the team,
01:24and it lets the young guys kind of develop their craft
01:27and get some work.
01:28So it was cool to see, you know,
01:29like Jalen Lane have some nice catches today.
01:31Luke McCaffrey has some nice catches.
01:33So I think it just gives that young group more opportunity,
01:36which I can attest to having done this before
01:38is really, really helpful in terms of development.
01:40Logan, it's easier for me to say
01:41as just an old pudgy guy that gets winded
01:43going up a couple flights of stairs.
01:45But it's been my feeling over the last couple years
01:47that this has not exactly been the most intense
01:49set of training camps, preseasons, et cetera.
01:52And that's kind of the trend around the league
01:54is to try to keep guys healthy for as long as possible.
01:56Of course, it didn't work last year.
01:57Bad luck with injuries, et cetera.
01:59But do you feel like, and again, this is minicamp.
02:01It's June.
02:01It's not going to be as physical, obviously.
02:03But do you get the sense there might be a paradigm shift
02:05to some degree from Quinn and this staff
02:08in terms of lead up to the season,
02:10whether it's, you know, going a little bit harder more often?
02:13Well, I think, you know, like you talked about
02:14in this press conference earlier this week
02:16about how this is going to be a really competitive camp.
02:17I think that's speaking to the depth,
02:19but I also think it's speaking to a certain mindset slash approach.
02:23Like even just watching kind of that second group
02:25with a group that's going kind of at a full tilt out there,
02:28I guess a competitive group of guys out there.
02:31It's pretty physical.
02:32They're not in full shoulder pads,
02:33but like they're pushing the envelope there.
02:35And it does feel like, you know,
02:37if we're kind of comparing it to last year,
02:39especially during training camp,
02:40there's a little bit more pop,
02:42a little bit more energy,
02:43and a little bit kind of more just excitement on the team.
02:46And I think that is cool.
02:48And so, yes, like while there is this kind of new age
02:50thinking of, you know, protecting the players
02:52and finding ways to modify practice to mitigate injury,
02:55I also feel that this is kind of a mix of, you know,
02:59some pretty competitive practice reps
03:01and letting guys get better.
03:02So I think it's about, to your point, Danny,
03:04like walking that line a little bit
03:05and finding the best way to maximize health and safety
03:10while also getting the team better.
03:11Can you tell the difference,
03:14like watching now compared to a year ago?
03:16And is that something you could notice in real time?
03:18Like I don't remember that being a storyline last year
03:20that there was a lack of excitement.
03:22I bring this up because Dan Quinn did an interview,
03:25I think with CBS, with Evan Washburn.
03:27And he basically said, I showed guys tape of this.
03:30Like he showed players,
03:32he picked a video of some kind of OTA or minicamp
03:35or something and the energy to practice a year ago
03:38versus the year before, 24 versus 25.
03:41And he thought there was a very tangible, noticeable difference.
03:43Is that something in real time that you can feel as a player?
03:47I mean, it's something,
03:48I think I remember talking with you
03:50or with somebody else on the beat about this last year.
03:53There was kind of this feeling of,
03:55like a lackluster feeling,
03:57especially around the training camp time.
03:58And I kind of chalked it up to, you know,
04:00Terry's working on his contract.
04:01Noah Brown's not there.
04:03They don't have their starting left guard in the lineup.
04:05They're kind of nursing some guys back from injury on defense.
04:08And that was kind of what I chalked it up to.
04:10But today for, just as an example,
04:12like they were doing a thing where like,
04:14you could tell it was a point of emphasis.
04:15They were like, Hey, we want everybody to celebrate,
04:17like in the most ridiculous celebration of all time.
04:20And so the refs are there
04:21and they're throwing flags
04:22after every single touchdown in the red zone.
04:25Everybody's hooting and hollering at each other.
04:26And just the pulses were up.
04:28So like, you know,
04:29that's something that I always appreciated about Dan.
04:31It's like, it should be fun to come to work.
04:33We should be getting productive,
04:35energetic kind of exchanges
04:36between the offense and defense.
04:37And I felt like today, you know,
04:39whether that was scripted
04:40or whether that just kind of happened organically,
04:42I thought that was kind of something
04:43that speaks to your point, Grant.
04:45Like it's not, it's not like, Oh, you know,
04:48we're going super hard,
04:49but you could just tell the guys were having fun.
04:51The energy was up.
04:52It was very competitive.
04:53They were kind of John at each other
04:54in a playful, productive way.
04:56And, uh, and it just, it felt different,
04:59you know, felt different than it's felt the last,
05:00uh, specifically last year.
05:03But, you know, today was just a lot of fun to watch
05:04and a lot of fun to be out there.
05:06Our guy, Logan Paulson with us here on GND.
05:08So for, for folks that can't, you know,
05:10consume a lot of this in person
05:12in terms of seeing how they're lining up,
05:15operating, et cetera.
05:16When we tune in kind of as,
05:18as a regular rank and file fan,
05:19when we watch them for the first time,
05:20whether it's preseason, regular season, whatever,
05:22what will we easily be able to notice
05:24that's different from last year?
05:27Well, I think, you know,
05:28obviously we can't talk too much about scheme
05:30and you guys will see that
05:31when the preseason rolls around.
05:32But I think the major thing,
05:33the thing that sticks out most acutely
05:35is the different type of body types
05:37they have at the practice, right?
05:38Obviously, Leo Chanel is a massive, strong, fast dude.
05:41Sonny Stiles is a freak.
05:43Frankie Lou Lou, again,
05:44kind of the way they've got him working in the defense
05:46is going to be really exciting.
05:47I think for a lot of fans, you know,
05:49Dafei Owe, like watching him
05:51in the individual defensive line drills,
05:53it looks like somebody from a different planet
05:55running around out there.
05:56So seeing what he's going to be,
05:58obviously, you know,
06:00all those different new additions
06:01are really special.
06:03And then the other thing that sticks out to me
06:04is just Terry.
06:05Like when he's on the field,
06:06the amount of juice and energy
06:07and explosiveness he brings to the offense,
06:09I think is special.
06:09So that's the biggest kind of thing
06:11that we can talk about that I notice
06:13is just the energy,
06:14the physicality,
06:15the speed
06:16seems to be ramped up a notch.
06:18Definitely since Dan Quinn
06:19and Adam Peters have been here.
06:20Logan Paulson,
06:22you know him from his work
06:23on the pod I do with him.
06:25Take Command,
06:25it's available wherever you get your audio,
06:27download, rate, review,
06:28do all that podcast-y stuff
06:29to help us out.
06:31Just a very, very, you know,
06:33deep dive into all things
06:35commanders, X's and O's, and scheme.
06:38Speaking of which,
06:39you know, non-specifically, I guess,
06:40not really from the practice field,
06:42but just talking about David Blau.
06:43Like, what are the things
06:44that you're most excited to see
06:46Jaden Daniels get to do
06:48in this offense
06:48that he didn't get to do a lot
06:50with Cliff Kingsbury?
06:52And why are you confident
06:53that he'll be able to take to them
06:55pretty quickly and seamlessly?
06:58Yeah, that's a great question.
06:59I think the biggest thing for me
07:01is just the fact
07:02that he won't have to do,
07:03Jaden Daniels won't have to do everything.
07:06And so what I mean by that is like
07:07when you look at the explosive
07:08play opportunities in Cliff's offense,
07:10they're kind of like low percentage throws.
07:12They need a big time opportunity
07:13and accuracy from the quarterback
07:15to make them happen.
07:16If the concept's covered,
07:18he's got to create a lot
07:18with his legs.
07:19And so I'm hoping that,
07:21and based on what I've seen in OTAs,
07:22I think this is definitely in line
07:24with kind of what we've seen
07:25from, you know,
07:26Ben Johnson to Detroit and Chicago.
07:28Like, I think you're going to see a,
07:29just an offloading
07:31of responsibility for him.
07:32Like, we're going to work schematically
07:34to open guys up a little bit.
07:36We're going to work
07:36different formations.
07:37We're going to condense the formation.
07:39We're going to get in the bunches.
07:40And again, those cross releases,
07:42those switch releases,
07:43those pick releases
07:44we're going to get
07:45are going to give you
07:46some opportunities
07:46to find guys wide open.
07:48And I just got to know
07:49kind of what the defense is in.
07:51I got to know
07:52where the ball should go.
07:52I mean, just got to deliver it.
07:54And I think when you look
07:54at Jaden Daniels
07:55in terms of his superpower,
07:56I think everyone wants
07:57to point to his athleticism.
07:58To me, it's the quick release
08:00and the accuracy.
08:01And that seems to fit
08:02right in line.
08:03And it reminds me a little bit
08:04of like Kyle Shanahan
08:05and Jimmy Garoppolo's
08:06second or third year
08:07in San Francisco,
08:08where, you know,
08:09they have this really
08:09kind of middling average
08:11up to target,
08:12but they have like
08:12a huge explosive play rate.
08:14Like the offense
08:15is doing a lot
08:16of the heavy lifting
08:16for Jaden.
08:17So he doesn't have
08:17to do it all the time.
08:18And then when it's time
08:19on third and 10
08:20or in the low red zone
08:22and he's got to go
08:22put his Superman cape on,
08:24Jaden can do that.
08:25But I think that's the thing
08:26I'm most excited
08:27for David Blau
08:28to accomplish
08:29or achieve with this offense
08:30is just make Jaden Daniels'
08:32life easier.
08:33Make it simpler.
08:34Find easy ways
08:35for explosive plays
08:36and find easy ways
08:37for the offense
08:38to stay on schedule
08:39so he doesn't have
08:39to do anything heroic,
08:41everything heroic
08:42all the time
08:42like he's done
08:43the last two years.
08:44So, Logan,
08:45I know I'm a crazy person
08:46and it's easy
08:47to make fun of me
08:47and that's fine.
08:48The thing that I would
08:49like to hear
08:50that nobody's talking about
08:51because you can't really
08:51do anything about it
08:52right this second,
08:53but I would love
08:53the paradigm
08:54for everybody affiliated
08:55with the offense
08:55from Daniels,
08:56even to Quinn
08:57who oversees everything
08:58to Blau
08:58to anyone in between
08:59have a very large emphasis
09:02on how we keep
09:03Jaden Daniels healthy.
09:04What does that look like?
09:06What does that mean?
09:07Whether it's less of this,
09:08more of something else,
09:09whatever that is
09:10and it goes hand in hand
09:11with some of the stuff
09:11you're talking about
09:12schematically
09:13where you want the ball
09:14out of his hands quickly
09:14therefore he's not getting hit
09:16but everyone sort of
09:17seems to go
09:18yep, last year
09:19was kind of weird
09:20and I'm going
09:20whoa, what can we learn?
09:22What can we do better
09:23to make sure this
09:24incredibly important player
09:25is upright?
09:26Just A, your thoughts there
09:27and B, what do you think
09:28the plan actually is?
09:30Yeah, I do think
09:31last year was kind of weird
09:32to be honest with you
09:33in the sense that
09:34when you look at
09:36more traditional
09:37offensive structure
09:38run leave
09:38especially the groups
09:39that are kind of
09:40in the top five
09:41top eight
09:42you know, like you're
09:43talking your Seattle's
09:44your LA's
09:44your San Francisco's
09:45your Green Bay's
09:46like they don't run
09:48the offense that Cliff runs
09:49and now there's a lot of
09:50merits and benefits
09:50to that offense
09:51but one of the things
09:52that is difficult
09:53is you're in five
09:54six-man protections
09:55pretty consistently
09:56teams can take advantage
09:57of that
09:57they can put a lot
09:58of pressure on you
09:59we didn't have a lot
10:00of vertical horsepower
10:01on the perimeter
10:02we're going to see
10:02a lot of man coverage
10:03and what does that do
10:04that offloads
10:05a lot of responsibility
10:07or excuse me
10:07not offloads
10:08that puts a lot
10:08of responsibility
10:09on the quarterback
10:10to elevate
10:11and so he has to deal
10:12with quick immediate
10:13pressure
10:13and not a lot
10:15of good answers
10:16because we pressed
10:17upon the perimeter
10:17so now all of a sudden
10:18we're going to kind of
10:19diversify our offensive
10:20sets
10:20we're going to get
10:21into condensed formations
10:22we're going to run
10:22the ball a little bit more
10:23we're going to use
10:24play action pass
10:25we're going to use boots
10:26so what does that do
10:27play action pass
10:28that allows us to keep
10:29more guys in in protection
10:30that allows us to affect
10:32the middle level
10:33of the defense
10:33in terms of guys
10:34stepping up at near
10:35towards the line of scrimmage
10:36to create more space
10:37for him to get the ball
10:38out of his hands quickly
10:39we can change the launch point
10:40because we're going
10:42under center
10:42we're working more
10:43traditional play action
10:44pass boot concepts
10:46getting him out
10:47in the space
10:47so like to me
10:48like the weirdness
10:49goes hand in hand
10:51with the newness
10:52of what David Blau
10:53is bringing right
10:53he's just kind of abiding
10:55by more traditional
10:56offensive football convention
10:57and those offensive
10:58football conventions
10:59allow for more diversity
11:01in the offense
11:02which is going to
11:03protect Jaden
11:03because it's going to
11:04make the life easier
11:05for the receiver
11:05for the offensive line
11:06and for the quarterback
11:08and as we've talked about
11:09Grant and I
11:09and take command
11:10that's all a projection
11:12but I look at the
11:13offensive structure
11:13that he's coming from
11:14and that's the principle
11:16of the offense
11:16so it should
11:17just inherently
11:19by its principle
11:20and its fundamentals
11:20keep Jaden Daniels
11:22a little bit healthier
11:22because we're going to
11:23get projected better
11:24we're going to get
11:24the ball out of his hands
11:25more quickly
11:25we're going to make
11:26his decision making
11:27process easier
11:27and all those things
11:29I think
11:29lead to a healthier
11:30Jaden Daniels
11:30in 2026
11:31Logan Paulson
11:32on Grant and Danny
11:34Take Command
11:34is the show
11:35you should download
11:36rate review
11:37and make sure
11:37you check out
11:38all of his analysis
11:39on three times a week
11:40drops Monday
11:41Wednesday and Friday
11:42so Logan
11:43I want to give you
11:44a guy that I'm
11:45intrigued by
11:46and this was coming
11:46into minicamp
11:47although I've seen
11:48a lot written about
11:48him over the last
11:49few days
11:50and I've kind of
11:50long thought
11:51there could be more
11:52in the tank
11:53in his future
11:54I want to get your
11:55analysis on him
11:56and then I'm going to
11:56ask you
11:58who's a guy
11:58like that
11:59for you
11:59that you think
12:00is a deep down
12:01the roster guy
12:02that you would
12:02buy stock in
12:03for the next few
12:04years
12:04but my guy
12:05would be
12:05Colson Yankoff
12:06who's the big
12:076'4", 210 pound
12:08tight end
12:09people that don't
12:10know he played
12:10quarterback
12:11going into college
12:12played at UCLA
12:13where he played
12:13some wide out
12:14and running back
12:14he ran 47 times
12:16out of the backfield
12:17like 260 yards
12:19almost 6 yards
12:19per carry
12:20had some rushing
12:21touchdowns
12:22he's a great athlete
12:23there was an
12:23awesome video today
12:24of a one-handed
12:25catch he made
12:25in the end zone
12:26what do you make
12:27of Colson Yankoff
12:28we keep talking
12:29about Ben Sennett
12:30in this offense
12:30where they're going
12:31to turn up
12:32the faders
12:32on tight end
12:33a little bit
12:33why couldn't
12:34Colson Yankoff
12:35become more
12:35of an athlete
12:36making plays
12:37for David Blau
12:40yeah I think
12:40Colson Yankoff
12:41is an excellent
12:42shout out by you
12:43because he's a guy
12:43that has gotten
12:44better each year
12:45he's been here
12:46and I think
12:46has a role
12:47already carved out
12:48as a special teams
12:49guy and I think
12:49because of his
12:51athleticism
12:51you mentioned
12:52the one-handed
12:54dexterity
12:54with the catch
12:55today
12:55but also to me
12:56it's the route
12:56running nuance
12:58and subtlety
12:58you can tell
12:59he's played
13:00with Zach Ertz
13:01there's a little
13:01bit of that
13:02to his game
13:03and how he
13:03approaches his routes
13:04and so I do think
13:05that type of body
13:06type
13:06that type of
13:07skill set
13:07definitely plays
13:08for the tight end
13:09position in 2026
13:11and so to me
13:12it's like
13:13yeah I think
13:14he's a guy
13:14that is for sure
13:15on the roster
13:16because he's
13:16an absolute
13:17maven on special teams
13:18it just depends
13:19on how big
13:20or how small
13:21his role is
13:22on the offense
13:22so and I think
13:23each and every day
13:24that I've gone to practice
13:25he's done something
13:26whether it's an individual
13:27whether it's in special teams
13:28whether it's in the
13:29offensive phase
13:30where I'm like
13:31man that guy's
13:32a good football player
13:32and it'll be really
13:34to see how that
13:34continues to progress
13:35like through preseason
13:37as you know Grant
13:38like we've seen guys
13:39make and break
13:40their respective seasons
13:41with good or bad
13:43preseason games
13:43and joint practices
13:44so that's something
13:45I'm going to keep an eye
13:46on with him
13:47specifically
13:47so who would be
13:48a guy like that
13:49for you
13:49that you think
13:50there's more in the tank
13:51or maybe
13:52has a chance
13:53to have a brighter future
13:54help more than
13:56people acknowledge
13:57or think right now
14:00yeah I mean
14:01that's a really good question
14:02I think there's
14:03obviously there's
14:04a bunch of guys
14:05like the first
14:06guy that came to mind
14:07when you started talking
14:08was Luke McCaffrey
14:09I don't know if he's
14:10down the roster necessarily
14:11but watching him
14:12over the last couple days
14:13again kind of in that
14:14two versus two
14:16kind of live
14:17scrimmage environment
14:19like I was like
14:20man like he's
14:21moving really well
14:22he's separating well
14:23he's running routes
14:24with great confidence
14:25he understands
14:25kind of where he needs
14:26to be
14:27with regards to spacing
14:28and you know
14:29I think we've talked
14:30about it on Take Command
14:30like the idea
14:31that he
14:32you know
14:33was kind of
14:33starting to come on
14:34a little bit
14:34before he broke
14:35his collarbone
14:36I think is reinforced
14:37by what I've seen
14:38by practice
14:38and we've talked
14:39about him
14:39in off seasons
14:40before where you're like
14:41man I don't really
14:42quite see it
14:43he's not as explosive
14:44as I was hoping
14:45or he's not as
14:47confident or demonstrative
14:48I was hoping
14:48and I didn't get that
14:49at all
14:50from this offseason
14:51from him
14:51so it does seem
14:53like he's maybe
14:53turning a corner
14:54but I think that's
14:56what's to be expected
14:57from a guy
14:57with his type of pedigree
14:58so the other ones
14:59would be like
15:00the safeties
15:00that group is really
15:02interesting to me
15:03and I think you've
15:03seen guys over the
15:04course of OTAs
15:05and minicamp
15:05like Kwon
15:06I don't know
15:07if he's down
15:07the roster far enough
15:08Revo
15:09do some things
15:10like from a
15:11communication
15:12from an alignment
15:13standpoint
15:13that I think
15:14is really interesting
15:15and exciting
15:16in terms of them
15:17maybe playing
15:17in the defense
15:18a little bit more
15:19now who knows
15:19like again
15:20it's so hard
15:21to tell who's who
15:22and what's what
15:22during the OTA
15:23minicamp phase
15:24but those three guys
15:26have been impressive
15:27to me
15:28through this
15:28offseason process
15:29so Logan
15:30let's go into
15:31McCaffrey a little bit
15:32because this is a guy
15:32I get the sense
15:34that maybe
15:34I don't want to say
15:34they've moved on
15:35he's obviously
15:35still on the roster
15:36but enter Antonio Williams
15:37and I feel like
15:38Burks may be
15:39kind of the darling
15:39of the moment
15:40as a bigger body guy
15:41on the outside
15:42just what do you see
15:43McCaffrey right now
15:44in the pecking order
15:44and if it goes well
15:46dot dot dot
15:47what's his role
15:48this year in your view
15:50yeah I think that
15:51it's a good question
15:52I think partially
15:54what I would say
15:55is that like
15:55he does seem to be
15:56kind of putting
15:57his resume
15:58emphatically on the table
15:59and I think people
16:00want to say
16:00oh it's going to be
16:01Burks
16:01it's going to be
16:02Antonio Williams
16:03I think Antonio Williams
16:04is doing a good job
16:05kind of distancing himself
16:06from the pack
16:06here a little bit
16:07but in terms of that
16:08next tier guy
16:09so Terry McLaurin
16:10you know Antonio Williams
16:11and then the next
16:12kind of group of people
16:13I think you know
16:15Luke's kind of
16:15making a really strong
16:16case for himself
16:17and this is honestly
16:18why you have
16:19the offseason process
16:20like has Trillin Burks
16:21done some good stuff
16:22yes but again
16:23like the guy
16:23that has caught my eye
16:24more consistently
16:26is Luke McCaffrey
16:27now you can talk
16:27about Van Jefferson
16:28and some other pieces
16:29but I do think
16:30there is like
16:31this is not
16:31nothing set in stone
16:33and Dan's talked
16:33about that
16:34in his press conferences
16:35how this is going
16:36to be a really competitive
16:37offseason
16:37this is going to be
16:38the most competitive
16:38training camp
16:39you feel like he's had
16:40since he's been here
16:41and I think this is part
16:42of that conversation
16:43is like yes
16:44the fan base
16:45is talking about
16:45Trillin Burks
16:46but like
16:46Jalen Lane
16:47had a big day today
16:48right
16:48Luke McCaffrey
16:49had a really solid day
16:50today
16:50you know
16:51Ben Siddin
16:51had a big catch
16:52and so everybody
16:52is kind of again
16:54saying I deserve
16:55to be on this team
16:56and outside of that
16:57kind of top tier group
16:59of the names
16:59that you would expect
17:00like your Laramie Tunsels
17:01maybe your Sam Cosmes
17:02I think there's going
17:03to be a lot of guys
17:04that can make waves
17:05in terms of saying
17:06I deserve this role
17:08whatever it is
17:09on this football team
17:10when you say
17:11Antonio Williams
17:12is separating himself
17:13and Logan Paulson's
17:14with us by the way
17:16is he obviously
17:17like the second best
17:18receiver behind
17:19McLaurin to you
17:20right now
17:20what are you seeing
17:22so I think
17:23it's more like
17:23when you watch
17:24individual
17:24like there's just
17:25something a little
17:25bit different
17:26about him
17:26you know
17:26like we talked
17:27about the route
17:27running stuff
17:28kind of a lot
17:29and so I do think
17:30that like that
17:31shows up
17:31like in individuals
17:32like when he kind
17:33of knows
17:33like when to sit
17:34like the way he runs
17:35and again
17:35this is all
17:36you know
17:37kind of in the drill
17:38work
17:38but he does seem
17:39to have a different
17:40element to him
17:41than the other guys
17:42right
17:42you know Terry
17:43you got him
17:43and I think
17:44the other guys
17:45are again
17:45kind of working
17:46in terms of
17:46competition
17:47to kind of
17:47find that spot
17:48for themselves
17:49and you know
17:50like the staff
17:51has spoken
17:51very highly of him
17:52so I do think
17:52that they are
17:53very confident
17:54in what he's
17:54bringing
17:55what he can do
17:55and I'm excited
17:57to see what he does
17:58in mini camp
17:58and in
17:59or excuse me
18:00in training camp
18:00and during the preseason
18:01like that's again
18:02where you're gonna
18:03I think the fans
18:04are gonna see
18:04what we've been able
18:06to see at practice
18:06with him
18:08tell me about
18:08the linebackers
18:09Sonny Stiles
18:10Chanel by the way
18:11do great job
18:11doing Chanel
18:12and not Chanel
18:13I just did
18:14I just Chanel
18:15Logan
18:15it's hard for me
18:16to adjust
18:16when I see
18:17that AL there
18:18and it's only
18:19recently
18:19and I've said
18:20Chanel so many
18:20times
18:20I'm going to
18:21try to Chanel
18:22but we need
18:23leaders like yourself
18:24who Chanel'd
18:25right out of the gate
18:25to get us all
18:26Chanel-ing
18:27anyway
18:27that linebacker
18:29rotation
18:29they got three guys
18:30and I don't know
18:31how many
18:31how often it's gonna be
18:32three true linebackers
18:33on the field
18:34but they're three
18:34of your best 11 defenders
18:35when you had Luvu
18:36into that mix
18:37how do you see
18:38that deployment
18:38and it must be
18:39a fun problem
18:40to have
18:40to figure out
18:41how to get
18:41all those guys
18:42you know
18:43attacking
18:44yeah I think
18:45that's the thing
18:46with the linebackers
18:47that is
18:48really fun
18:49to think about
18:49because to me
18:50in my mind
18:51like there's
18:51and they haven't
18:52shown this
18:52during OTAs
18:54or minicamp
18:54in any way
18:55but like
18:55I'm just like
18:55there has to be
18:56a way
18:56they have to be
18:57you know
18:58doing something
18:58in a walkthrough
18:59or drawing something
19:00up in a dark room
19:00somewhere
19:01where all three
19:02of those guys
19:02are on the field
19:03because it would
19:03make a lot of sense
19:04like you could
19:05still be in your
19:06base 3-4 structure
19:07with those guys
19:08on the field
19:08you could move
19:09some other pieces
19:09around
19:10and I just like
19:11when I look at them
19:11like they're talented
19:12they're talented
19:13and again
19:14like they're still
19:14going through
19:16kind of like
19:16learning the defense
19:17and going through
19:18all those things
19:18but when I watch them
19:19like the way
19:20Sonny Stiles communicates
19:21the way Frankie Luvu
19:22has been getting
19:22downhill
19:23like there's
19:24something there
19:25that I think
19:26is going to be
19:26really fun
19:27and just different
19:28for commanders fans
19:29just from an athlete
19:30and a physicality
19:31standpoint
19:31so I get really
19:32excited watching
19:33that group
19:34but again
19:34this is the frustrating
19:36this is the exciting
19:36and frustrating part
19:37about the offseason
19:38because this is
19:39it's just such a
19:40minute part
19:41of what this defense
19:42is going to actually
19:43be at some point
19:44so I'm still
19:45kind of waiting
19:45for that declarative
19:46like this is what
19:47that role is going to be
19:48and we might not
19:49find out honestly
19:49until like week 3
19:50or 4 of the season
19:51but they are
19:52definitely talented
19:52they're definitely big
19:53and they're definitely
19:54fast
19:54and that group
19:55definitely feels
19:57significantly different
19:57than they did
19:58at any point
19:58last year
19:59commanders minicamp
20:01wrapped on Thursday
20:01the team had
20:023 workouts
20:03didn't get off
20:04early like has
20:05been the case
20:06around the league
20:06so often
20:07the last couple
20:07years
20:08they did like
20:08a family cookout
20:09barbecue thing
20:10little bonding
20:11experience out
20:12in Ashburn
20:13today which was
20:14cool
20:14but educate me
20:15on now
20:16what happens
20:17for these guys
20:17between today
20:18and training camp
20:19I know
20:20several of them
20:20will do some
20:21golfing and
20:22traveling and
20:22legitimate vacationing
20:23with loved ones
20:25but is it just
20:26case by case
20:27in terms of
20:28the workout
20:28program
20:29and like
20:29what were you
20:30doing leading
20:30up to camp
20:31are there guys
20:32that will show up
20:32and will be a little
20:33out of shape
20:34because they did
20:34less
20:34like how does
20:35that work
20:36yeah I mean
20:37this is a
20:38you know
20:38since the new
20:39CBA
20:39this is something
20:40that you know
20:40I talked to
20:41you know
20:41Kendrick Golston
20:42today
20:42I talked to
20:43you know
20:44Santana Moss
20:45and Fred Smoot
20:45about this
20:46I talked to
20:46Fletch about this
20:47and everyone
20:48kind of to a man
20:49of those guys
20:49that I spoke to
20:50said this is
20:51this was the most
20:51stressful time of
20:52year for them
20:53because it's like
20:54you've done all
20:54this work
20:55you've put all
20:55this time in
20:56you've gone
20:57you know
20:57what is that
20:58like almost
20:5812 weeks
20:59of you know
21:00lifting
21:00running
21:01football
21:01getting in shape
21:02and now you've
21:03got this
21:04you know
21:04month and a
21:05little bit
21:05extra to kind
21:06of make sure
21:07you stay in
21:08shape
21:08so I remember
21:09talking to them
21:10they're like
21:10yeah I might
21:10take you know
21:11two or three
21:11days going
21:12on a quick
21:12vacation
21:13but I'm
21:13coming back
21:14and I'm
21:14getting on
21:14my workout
21:15routine
21:16and I remember
21:17talking to
21:17Tanny
21:17like you know
21:17I might go
21:18to Jamaica
21:18but I'm
21:19working out
21:19the whole time
21:19while I'm
21:20down at the
21:20resort
21:20and so
21:21it's just
21:21there is
21:22this cloud
21:23of the season
21:25looming over
21:25you like the
21:26anticipation
21:27the excitement
21:27but also
21:28the anxiety
21:29and the
21:29consternation
21:30that you're
21:30not going
21:30to be in
21:31shape
21:31so inevitably
21:32there are guys
21:33that don't
21:33come back
21:34in shape
21:34they go a
21:35little bit
21:35too hard
21:36in terms
21:36of having
21:36fun
21:37and playing
21:37loose
21:38and fast
21:38with the
21:38schedule
21:39but most
21:40of the guys
21:40understand
21:41that this
21:41is really
21:42important
21:42this is what
21:43I get paid
21:43to do
21:43and I need
21:44to make
21:44sure that I'm
21:44physically
21:45prepared
21:46to be on
21:46the field
21:47so I think
21:48most of the
21:48guys that I
21:50two are
21:51going to be
21:51trading pretty
21:52significantly
21:52and not
21:53having too
21:54too much
21:55fun but
21:55enjoying the
21:56break as
21:56much as
21:57they can
21:57Logan
21:57awesome as
21:58always buddy
21:58enjoy the
21:59weekend
22:00thanks man
22:01appreciate you
22:02appreciate you
22:02buddy
22:02there's Logan
22:03Paulson
22:03take command
22:04is where you
22:05can find
22:06his work
22:07the podcast
22:07I do with
22:08him
22:08drops
22:09Wednesday
22:09Wednesday
22:10Friday
22:10available for
22:11you wherever
22:12you get
22:12your audio
22:13really good
22:14insight on
22:15minicamp
22:15next
22:15next
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