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Are the Washington Commanders being counted out in the NFC East this upcoming NFL season? Kevin Sheehan looks around the division to rank how the Commanders' offense and defense compares to the rest of the NFC East teams this year.
Transcript
00:00All right. Uh, this from my guy, Seth in Potomac, uh, Seth writes, so Dallas and Philadelphia are
00:08overrated according to Mike Jones. Uh, yes, Seth, uh, Mike Jones wrote a column yesterday in the
00:14athletic with a list of underrated and overrated teams. Washington was not on the underrated list,
00:21but he had two NFC East teams on the overrated list, Dallas and Philadelphia. Uh, Seth writes,
00:29so Dallas and Philadelphia are overrated. According to Mike Jones, I can buy the Cowboys because
00:34they're always coming up short after being picked high in the preseason. But Kevin football is about
00:41lines of scrimmage and the Eagles are dominant on the offensive line and defensive line. The Eagles
00:50also have the best overall defense in the division and maybe the entire league. The only way Philly
00:58doesn't win the NFC East is if they get hurt like we did last year. So Seth, you're not wrong,
01:08um,
01:08about the Eagles, uh, upfront. The Eagles have been loaded upfront on both sides of the ball for a few
01:16years now, and it's been a big part of why they've been successful. Look, you could, you could point to
01:21the offensive line injuries for them last year that ended up limiting them when they got to the
01:28post season against San Francisco. Now, San Francisco was not a good defensive team. They
01:32were an injured defensive team when they faced him. That playoff game really is a weird game.
01:37Overall, uh, that playoff game against the 49ers talked about it a lot. Um, I did bet Philadelphia
01:45that day. Part of the reason, uh, I am bitter about it, but God, did they really lay an egg
01:51and AJ Brown
01:52went out with a whimper and really went out. I thought disgracefully, uh, in that it looked like
01:59he completely, uh, quit on the team in that game. We'll see what happens with him in new England.
02:05Look, Josh McDaniels, he can scheme some people open. Drake Mays got himself an arm and some presence
02:12at quarterback. I would expect AJ Brown to have a big year in new England. Uh, but, um, the Eagles
02:20are loaded again, man, up front. If they're healthy, uh, along that offensive line, you've got my Lada,
02:26you've got Dickerson, you've got Juergens at center. You still have Lane Johnson at right tackle. I mean,
02:32they have a monster offensive line and their D line. I don't know, obviously an Aaron Donald miles
02:40Garrett combination in Los Angeles would be better, but when you've got Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis
02:46and a Jomo, and you know, now you've added, by the way, in that second level, uh, to Zach Bond
02:52and the
02:53rookie last year, Jihad, uh, Campbell, you've added Jonathan Grenard. You know, you also added
02:58Rick Woolen to the secondary to, to join, uh, to, uh, to join Quinion Mitchell and Cooper Dejean.
03:05Yeah. The Eagles on paper have a great trenches, both sides of the ball, and they have a great
03:16defense altogether. And let's not forget their defense is so well coached. Vic Fangio is the dude
03:23and has been for a long time now, you know, pretty much the last 10 to 12 years as a
03:31defensive
03:32coordinator for me though. Like I'm buying Dallas could take a step back, you know, Seth, you're
03:37right. I mean, Dallas always picked and never really fulfills whatever the preseason promises
03:44are. I think Dallas is loaded offensively. I mean, I think they're going to score for sure.
03:50The question with the Cowboys is they were terrible. Like we were on defense. Did they add enough
03:57defensively Caleb downs and some of the other additions, they'll get some players back that
04:01were banged up last year. Um, but you know, that Dallas always has a chance to disappoint
04:08for me, Philly feels like, feels like a step back team in the NFC East and in the NFC overall.
04:17I don't even know why I feel that way. I'll try to articulate it here. I think number one is
04:24it just seems Rocky right now at the top, meaning Nick Sirianni. He just seems from afar, not a Philly
04:34fan to have been, I don't know, exposed a little, maybe he's been played out a little bit. Um, I
04:43think
04:43this is a big year for him. I mean, last year, he's been on the hot seat a couple of
04:48times. Now he
04:50delivered two years ago in a big way. That team was awesome when they got to the post season.
04:54I mean, when they, that is still, that's going to go down as one of the most dominant
05:00Superbowl beat downs in Superbowl history, their win over Kansas city with what they did defensively.
05:06But I don't know, Philly fans would have to push back or maybe, you know, assist me in my gut
05:15feel
05:16that it just feels like it's teetering at the top. And then, you know, I love the idea of Jaden
05:24Daniels under center. Love it. I am totally confident that David Blau and Jaden going under center more,
05:32and a lot of what is done in the Shanahan style scheme, Ben Johnson style scheme, we all know what
05:39it looks like and feels like. I think it's a perfect fit for him for Jalen hurts. And I'm a
05:45big
05:46fan of Jalen hurts. And I have been for a while. They're going to something resembling what
05:51Washington is going to Sean Mannion comes from the Sean McVay, Shanahan tree, right? He was with
05:58McVay. He's been with Kevin O'Connell. He's been in that realm. So the Eagles are making that same
06:06change with Jalen hurts, Jalen hurts and Jaden Daniels and Patrick Mahomes. Um, you know,
06:13they've been among the leading quarterbacks that, that have been in shotgun or pistol versus under
06:20center. Jaden, Jalen hurts to me, does not feel like as natural a fit for the Sean Mannion system
06:31as Jaden does for the David Blau system. Or let me just say Jaden does for the Ben Johnson,
06:36you know, system, Kevin O'Connell system, et cetera, because that's where blouse been, um,
06:42versus Jalen hurts big year for Jalen hurts. Now, maybe they'll run the ball better than they did
06:49last year with a healthy offensive line and with more zone run schemes with Barkley. Um, but I think
06:55Jalen hurts to be at his best needs to face the defense, not turn his back to the defense and
07:03needs
07:04to be, you know, not a full-time dual threat quarterback, but has to be pretty much presented
07:12as such the majority of the time. I think that's when he's been at his best. Look, Jalen hurts has
07:21had some big games and big moments throwing the football, including in the Superbowl that they lost
07:27to the Kansas city chiefs. He was the best player on the field that day, throwing the football,
07:34but it feels to me like Sirianni is teetering. And then will the fit with a Sean? I like, I
07:42think
07:42Sean Mannion is going to be good. Everything I've read about Sean Mannion in recent years,
07:47he's been around and been in some really interesting locker rooms and been a part of some,
07:53some good teams. And I think what he's going to bring is proven, but will it be the right fit
07:59for Jalen hurts? To me, Jaden's a natural in any system. I think cliff Kingsbury's approach,
08:10Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Ben Johnson, David blouse approach. I actually like this idea of him
08:18under center, more, more zone run scheme, more play action, pass attempts, more bootleg, uh, you
08:24know, uh, play calls or quarterback keepers as they call them. I actually like this fit for Jaden more
08:31than any other fit. I think he'll fit anywhere. Obviously he fit in a primarily, you know, not
08:37under center, uh, alignment with cliff Kingsbury in 2024. I don't know if I feel the same way about
08:44Jalen hurts, but is it possible that Saquon Barkley in this scheme ends up rushing for 1800 yards and
08:52has the kind of season he had in 24 with that offensive line and their defense dominates and
08:59they win that way. They certainly could. Um, but yeah, the division is going to be very,
09:06very interesting this year. It just, it doesn't feel to me like a foregone conclusion that Philly and
09:16Dallas are going to be, you know, at the top vying for division supremacy with Washington and the
09:25giants trailing behind. I think the division feels wide open to does that, by the way, as it relates to
09:34the Eagles defense overall and in the trenches, you know, I do think that there are very good defensive
09:41teams in the league and in the NFC in particular, I think green Bay should be really good defensively.
09:47Again, I think new Orleans has a chance to be good defensively. Tampa could be very good defensively.
09:53And obviously Seattle, San Francisco, and the Rams could all be very good defensively, but another team
10:00that could be pretty good defensively, the New York football giants, they're likely to be better
10:05coached than they've been in the past. And look, they added players. They added Tremaine Edmonds.
10:12They added DJ reader, you know, yes, they lost extra Lawrence, but they still have Brian Burns. They
10:19still have, um, you know, Abdul Carter. Uh, they've got Javon Holland, you know, in that back, uh, in,
10:25in the safety group, they've got a lot of really good players defensively. So the Giants could be
10:31an excellent defensive team too. I mean, ranking offenses, defenses in the division. All right.
10:38Defensive teams. It's easy. Philly one giants to, I don't know, Dallas, Washington tied for,
10:46you know, tied for third. I don't know where else to, I mean, I have a feeling our defense has
10:53a chance
10:54to be better than Dallas's defense, but I don't know that at this point. And then offensively in
11:00order, I think in terms of assuming relative health, you'd look at Dallas's offense, one Washington's
11:08two Phillies, third, the Giants fourth. That's the order I would put it in, in terms of division,
11:18offensive and defensive rankings. I think you've got to put Dallas one because they just have so
11:25much firepower at skill positions with the two receivers with lamb and with pickings. And then,
11:32you know, with the big tight ends, uh, that they have, uh, with Dak and Javante Williams, man,
11:38I've been such a big fan of his and he finally stayed, stayed healthy last year and had a big
11:43year
11:44and Dallas's offensive line. You've got Guyton, you've got Smith, you've got Booker, you know,
11:49at center. Um, they, this is, uh, or right guard, excuse me, the Alabama kid. Um, you, you, you've
11:56got Dallas would be one. I'll invite calls on this 301-230-0980, 301-230-0980. Rank the division teams
12:10one through four offense and defense. Defense is pretty easy. I think it's Philly and then New York.
12:18And then we're talking about a distant third to either Dallas or Washington. I'll put them in a
12:23third place tie. Um, but I do like Washington's overall personnel right now, but there's still so
12:30much that's unknown about Durante Jones. Uh, by the way, Dallas has a new defensive coordinator as
12:37well. Um, in Christian Parker, first time defensive coordinator. Uh, and then on the offensive side of
12:44the ball, I go Dallas one, Washington two, Philly three, the Giants four. That's my order.
12:52Uh, also does anybody else feel like, and you can articulate it any way you want that this feels
13:00like a wide open division and maybe a step back season for Philadelphia. Gonna look stupid
13:06three months from now when they're nine and one.
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