- 2 days ago
As we get set for training camp in a couple weeks, BMitch & Finlay take a look at the Commanders' DB group. Will they be improved from last year?
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00I mean, training camp opens in roughly two weeks.
00:0313 plus 14 is 27, right?
00:06I think camp's going to open like the 28th or 29th.
00:10It's here.
00:11The team they have has been assembled.
00:13And I had real concerns.
00:17I still believe the extensive amount of angst
00:22regarding the wide receiver position is probably overblown.
00:27I think the position with the most angst attached to it right now,
00:31defensive backs.
00:33And I think the Rasul Douglas move last week,
00:36or two weeks ago, whenever that was now,
00:39was a strong move and a needed move.
00:42And I think when you look at the defensive back room now,
00:47you've got a lot of options.
00:48And I think with the way this Durante Jones-led defense
00:53is going to be far more aggressive.
00:54I think that's going to help the DBs.
00:56It will potentially open the DBs up to giving up big plays.
01:00But I'd rather be more aggressive up front and give up big plays
01:03than last year where they weren't aggressive up front
01:05and still gave up big plays.
01:08So our plan for the next couple weeks,
01:10for the next two weeks, I guess,
01:11is to break down a different position group each day
01:14leading up to training camp.
01:16And today it's defensive backs.
01:18If you just look at the DBs on the roster, right?
01:24Presumably your top four corners,
01:27Trey Amos, Mikey Sammerstil, Amik Robertson,
01:29and Rasul Douglas now.
01:31I think it says something that Douglas gets signed in July
01:34and is immediately probably their fourth best corner.
01:37You do have Antonio Hamilton, who played well late last season.
01:42He was, that's like a 33-year-old guy that's just bounced around the league,
01:46but he did give them good snaps late last season.
01:48They have the kid Witherspoon, Fred Davis II, no relation.
01:54Trey Hawkins III.
01:57If you go by Trey, you probably don't need the third there,
01:59but that's not up to me.
02:02Let's start with the corners,
02:03because I don't know if you agree with me.
02:05I feel better about the safeties than I do the corners.
02:08Let's start here,
02:09because I think it's the most important piece of this puzzle.
02:12Trey Amos was held out of the off-season programming.
02:15We did not see Trey on the field.
02:18He suffered the broken leg last year.
02:20There is some online concern that maybe he's not going to be ready.
02:25I don't share that.
02:26Do you have injury concerns with Trey Amos?
02:31Nope.
02:33Listen, I know a lot of times people get hurt,
02:36and us as fans, we just want them back.
02:39The teams know how to do that.
02:41They sometimes hold certain people out so they can get all the way back.
02:45Other guys, people heal differently.
02:48You know, I think a break is easier than a torn Achilles or a torn MCL, ACL,
02:56anything like that.
02:58Breaks are, they normally, that's a dime a dozen.
03:01It comes all the time.
03:02People can come back from that quickly.
03:04I'm with you.
03:05Yeah.
03:06I am with you.
03:07I do not think this is a, I do not have a concern about Trey Amos not being ready
03:16because of the broken leg last season.
03:18I think they were just very conservative with that guy.
03:24You know what you don't need to do in May and June?
03:28Push it.
03:30Yeah.
03:30There's zero reason to push it.
03:32And I think Trey looked really good last year.
03:36You obviously want him to hit the ground running, but I kind of think he will.
03:41Yeah.
03:41So, for that specific, like, concern that exists in the fan base, I don't share it.
03:49One player I think you've been higher on, even last year, where it wasn't a great season,
03:56was Mikey Sammer still.
03:57Totally.
03:58How do you feel about Mikey going into this year?
04:00I still feel good.
04:01I think, and also Mikey, we all know Mikey played much better as a rookie than he did
04:05last year.
04:06But last year, we say he wasn't playing well, but he led the team in interceptions.
04:10Mikey can make plays.
04:12I believe the pass rush caused a lot of issues last year, and he was learning.
04:16Listen, playing that inside nickel position, way tougher than playing that outside position.
04:21I know people look at the number one corner and all that stuff, but that outside guy has
04:27a sideline to help him.
04:28That inside guy does not.
04:30And if you watch the league, yes, we got a lot of outside, but those little shifty guys
04:36in the slot, they're dangerous.
04:39You know?
04:40So, I believe that he'll play better.
04:43Amik Robinson, I have a lot of faith in him.
04:45I don't know if other people do, because for some reason, all we care about now is tall
04:49receivers and tall cornerbacks.
04:50If you can play, you can play.
04:52And that dude, Amik Robinson can play.
04:54So, I'm just thinking with pass rush...
04:57Well, I also think with Robertson, they brought him in probably to play the slot, to allow
05:00Mikey to be outside.
05:02Yeah.
05:02But I'm looking at the pass rush, I expect to be improved, which I think in turn makes
05:09the backfield even better.
05:12What's my name?
05:13Harris 3, right?
05:14Will Harris?
05:15Harris can play everywhere.
05:17He can play safety, he can play sliding, but he can play all over the field.
05:21So, I think you have enough people that have that ability to play different positions that
05:27it's going to help.
05:28I think we might think, just because of the names and stuff, that I think they may be stronger
05:33this year than they were last year.
05:36Specifically the defensive backs?
05:37I'm saying the defensive backfield completely all together.
05:40I agree.
05:41Yeah.
05:41Where do you think Rasul Douglas fits into all this?
05:44I think Rasul is going to be on the field.
05:46You always say that you need five DBs to play.
05:50Rasul could be the number one or the number five.
05:53He has that level of experience, and he could play like that, to where he's not only going
05:58to be helping out all the guys, you could put him wherever you need him.
06:02He's also big.
06:03For all the people concerned about the size, Douglas is 6'2", 210.
06:07You could put him wherever you need him.
06:10Largely been very durable?
06:11Very much so.
06:14I think the Douglas move, to me, raises the floor of the room, because injuries are inevitable,
06:20and I think that helps a lot.
06:22I feel more comfortable at the safety position than I do at the corner position, but that's
06:29not to say I don't like the corners.
06:30I just think the safeties...
06:32Nick Cross is a sure tackler.
06:36I'm a Kwan...
06:37You're a Mikey believer.
06:38I'm a Kwan believer.
06:39Last year, everything went wrong for this defense, and I'm not sure we saw the best out
06:46of anybody, frankly.
06:48But that doesn't mean it has to stay that way.
06:51I think if you're looking at the depth chart of the safeties, it probably looks like Cross
07:00and Kwan are your starters, but Will Harris and Revo are right there, and all these guys
07:08are going to play.
07:09There has always been a ton of excitement about Tyler Owens, who's a physical freak.
07:15You have Percy Butler, who they love on special teams.
07:18I mean, that's six guys there.
07:21I mean, you're probably going to keep 10 DBs.
07:26Maybe it's 11.
07:27Like, if you're keeping 10, Cross, Martin, Harris, Reeves are surefire.
07:34That's four.
07:35Amos, Sammerstil, Robertson, Douglas, I would say, are surefire.
07:39That's eight.
07:40Then you get to, do you need more corners?
07:43Do you need more safeties?
07:44I think Butler's on the team because of his special teams ability.
07:48I think Hamilton showed a lot last year.
07:51Maybe they want to go with younger guys.
07:52Maybe Hamilton's a guy you're pretty confident you can get to your practice squad.
07:56I don't, a lot was made last year.
07:59When did Will Harris get hurt last year?
08:01It was relatively early, wasn't it?
08:03Yeah, it was early.
08:06So he played nine games last season.
08:09I think he got hurt and then came back late in the year.
08:12Harris is a big guy.
08:15Like, he's a thumper.
08:16And so he went down week three against the Raiders.
08:21And then he came back week 13 against the Broncos.
08:27Mm-hmm.
08:28I don't know that it's Quan.
08:31I don't know that it's Reeves.
08:33Reeves is going to play.
08:35Watching in minicamp.
08:37Reeves, he's open eyes on our defense.
08:40And he is a menace on special teams.
08:44I think from a, listen, like, Stine's got the question here.
08:49Have the commanders done enough to address their needs for DB depth?
08:53The answer to done enough to most position groups in every NFL locker room could almost
09:02always be no because you can, it's very, how many, how many rooms have done enough?
09:08The Bengals receiver room, the Rams defensive line with Aaron Donald coming back, adding
09:17to Miles Garrett.
09:17Like, it's hard to say done enough because it's hard to complete the assignment in the
09:22NFL.
09:23Yeah.
09:23Like, it's just, it's not designed to have everything loaded all the time.
09:29But you know what, OJ, sometimes doing enough is not necessarily doing that position.
09:36Doing enough can be improving somewhere else.
09:40You get what I'm saying?
09:41Yeah.
09:42And if you improve somewhere else, that can help you out tremendously.
09:46I think the system's going to be far more aggressive and that might give up some big plays,
09:52but I think that's going to help the corners specifically.
09:57I think if you would ask me prior to the Douglas signing, had they done enough at corner?
10:02I'd say, no, I had, I just didn't think they had the depth.
10:05I don't know that one player skews that significantly, but Rasul Douglas is the same thing I said about
10:11the receiver room that everybody's still freaked out about.
10:13Rasul Douglas is an NFL pro corner.
10:17True.
10:17Like he wasn't a pro bowler last year in Miami, but he played, he can give you snaps.
10:22He knows what he's doing.
10:23He's an NFL pro corner.
10:25And I think having that added depth makes me feel, maybe not significantly, but like if
10:32I thought that room was a six out of 10, which is a D, now I think it's a seven,
10:39seven and
10:39a half out of 10, which is, you know, C's get degrees.
10:44Like not every group is going to be the best group on your unit, but they've added so much
10:51in the middle of the field at linebacker with Sonny and Chanel.
10:54They've added so much up front by spending real cash to hopefully generate pass rush that
11:00I think like if you're grading out defensively where you think the three levels would be,
11:08I think you're sure as hell hoping that even as a rookie with a top 10 pick, that middle
11:14level is a nine out of 10 right away.
11:16And I think with the money they've spent, you're hoping that front line is an eight
11:20out of 10.
11:21Yeah.
11:22So then if your back end is a seven, seven and a half out of 10, that's okay.
11:25Cause collectively, if you have an eight, eight and a half up front, nine in the middle,
11:32your back end will be way better than seven.
11:34Right.
11:35Because like, and I think that's their calculation.
11:37I know people like to think, remember the little saying, and they don't use that saying
11:42as much shut down corner.
11:44Yeah.
11:44You know what makes a shut down corner more of a shut down corner?
11:46When the quarterback can't sit there and hold a damn ball.
11:49When somebody is rushing on him and then you could play tighter with him because you know,
11:53your guys are rushing, putting pressure on the quarterback.
11:56He's going to throw the ball sooner or he's got to hold it, which helps you out.
12:00But if that receiver could run around for five seconds, I don't care who you are, shut
12:03down or not, you're not checking it.
12:05You give a receiver five seconds, he don't get open some type of way.
12:08Like, you talk about the best corners in the NFL, Witherspoon with the Seahawks, I think
12:13is an absolute stud.
12:15Christian Gonzalez with the Pats.
12:17Defense.
12:17Who they, I mean, the Emanuel Forbes over Christian Gonzalez pick is going to be an all-timer.
12:23Stingley on the Texans, certainly Sertan on the Broncos.
12:26Right.
12:27Like, Washington doesn't have one of those dudes.
12:29They just don't.
12:30And that's the reality.
12:31But what makes them better?
12:32Their damn defense.
12:34In Houston, you cannot even think about holding the ball very long.
12:37You better hit the back seven and let it go.
12:39Right.
12:39Because they got two guys that are going to meet up at the quarterback.
12:46What is your concern level for the commander's defensive backs?
12:50Do you expect to see a huge leap?
12:53If Mikey's outside again and Robertson's inside, can Mikey get back to that rookie year level
12:58of play?
12:59I'll open the phones.
12:59800-636-1067.
13:01800-636-1067.
13:05How do you feel about the back end of this position?
13:07We just went through it.
13:08I think if you look at the depth chart, I think Mikey's now going to play outside and
13:16the plan will be for Amik to play inside.
13:19I think they have depth now with Douglas.
13:22I don't even know that he's necessarily depth.
13:24I think he could play a lot.
13:26Like, I think you'll line up week one in Philly, Samhurst Hill, Robertson, Amos.
13:34But I won't be shocked if Douglas is out there.
13:36Would you be shocked by that?
13:38Look, man.
13:38One thing about coaches, they will get a guy with an expectation.
13:42But when you can play and you start doing stuff, they find ways to get you on the field.
13:46So, how do you think Kwon bounces back?
13:50Because the milk had gone bad by the last month, six weeks of the season.
13:55I mean, he got benched.
13:56Yeah.
13:58Listen, this is when you find out what people made up.
14:02He showed us what he was capable of so much that you thought he was going to be a pro
14:06bowler
14:06last year.
14:07All pro, whatever.
14:08Yeah.
14:10That's still there, bro.
14:12How did you get there before?
14:13Like, I've always had this thing where guys come in and some of them get drafted and they're
14:20already like, okay, I made it.
14:21No, you didn't make it yet.
14:23But after they play that first year, there are guys who say, you know what?
14:26I look at some veteran guys and they're improving in year 10, 12.
14:32So, you should be improving.
14:33But a lot of them also get very, very complacent.
14:36Like, I got it now.
14:37No, you don't.
14:38It changes on you every year.
14:40And guess what?
14:41Every year, somebody come in and try to take yours.
14:43So, he got to get back into that mindset.
14:46And we saw what he's capable of.
14:48Yeah.
14:49Let's see it.
14:49I also think everything went so sideways last year defensively that, like, you know, hell,
14:59Dan Quinn did this.
15:00He took the game tape from last year and burnt it, I believe.
15:05I believe they had, like, a ceremony.
15:06That was, like, I think he told Evan Washburn.
15:09And I think you've just got to hit the refresh button.
15:12I mean, Kwan's a young player going into the last year of his rookie deal.
15:15Yeah.
15:16And I know Kwan a bit.
15:19I like Kwan a lot.
15:20I think he understands and is aware of last season and what he needs to do.
15:27And people get so caught up in contract years.
15:28Players are aware of that, too.
15:29Like, he knows the opportunity in front of him.
15:33If you had to pick a player to have a leap year, like, somebody that will not only respond from
15:41last year's subpar efforts, but jump.
15:44I'm going to go with Mikey.
15:46Yeah?
15:47Yep.
15:49Part of me thinks it could be Will Harris because he was playing well before the injury.
15:52He was all over the field.
15:54See, he was playing well.
15:55He was already showing you that.
15:56He got hurt.
15:57That's different.
15:59Mikey played the whole year and people were down on him.
16:02But when I sit and I talk with London and other guys that play defense, they don't put the blame
16:07on Mikey.
16:09And they talk about how well and in the position he's at.
16:13But when your quarterback can have all day, quarterback, drive back, sit down on the chair and wait.
16:19That guy's not going to hold him all day.
16:21And then once somebody starts to knock someone, in this day and age, it just begins to go.
16:27Although they may not know what they're talking about.
16:30So, I think Mikey's going to make the major bounce back.
16:33Beamish says it's Mikey Sammer still with a huge bounce back season.
16:37We'll take your calls.
16:38800-636-1067.
16:41800-636-1067.
16:43Who in the defensive backfield do you think could have a big bounce back year?
16:46Because look, if you just look at the numbers from last season, it's got to be a bounce back year.
16:51Because last year did not get it done.
16:53You could say maybe it's Nick Cross.
16:55His emergence in Washington will be a big deal.
16:57Will Harris returning from an injury that cost him about 10 games last year.
17:02Maybe Revo is able to put together like a Pro Bowl year as a safety, not just as a specialty.
17:07Because Reeves can go.
17:10And I think Reeves' football IQ is probably among the smartest I've ever seen.
17:18I mean, he's so remarkably adept at understanding defenses and where teams want to go.
17:25Maybe you're worried about Trey Amos.
17:26Maybe you think Amos has a monster season coming back from the leg injury.
Comments