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Former Washington Redskins Tight End Logan Paulsen joins The Kevin Sheehan Show to give a preview of what will be the biggest changes coming to the Commanders offense and defense for the upcoming NFL season and which players will have the biggest impact on the roster.
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00:01Logan Paulson joined me on my podcast Friday. He's so good. His insight always so spot on.
00:09Spending a lot of time doing work for the Commander's YouTube channel. He does a podcast
00:14with Graham Paulson called Take Command. But we covered a lot and you're going to hear a
00:21significant portion of it beginning right now. This, like what part or which parts
00:29of the team do you feel most confident in? Like you feel like when we get to Philly on September
00:3513th, that's going to be a strength of the football team. Yeah, I think offensively I'm
00:41probably most jacked about the offensive line. I think they're just in a really good spot with
00:46Tunsil, Cosme, Connerly I think is going to take an ascension. Obviously Alegrity gets nicked in
00:51practice yesterday, but I think in a way that's going to be kind of a sneaky upgrade. Maybe not
00:55physically, but I think just from like a mental acuity standpoint, like everybody's talking about
01:00how smart that dude is. And then I think the other group would have to be like the defensive
01:06front, specifically the edge rushers. I just have a lot of confidence in the guys they've brought in,
01:10how they've looked over the last couple of days, how they looked at minicamp and OTAs. And I think
01:14they're going to be maximized by this defense. Yeah, so I think they're going to be maximized by this
01:20defense. So I think, you know, kind of the edge rushers and then I would say the offensive line
01:23are the two groups that stick out to me. So you feel like what, I mean, I thought Adam
01:28Peters and Dan Quinn the other night, the answer they gave in which they had the most conviction
01:33about, and it was the last question in the press conference, it was about Nick Alegrity. And you
01:39could just tell, like the transcript, it was the longest answer by far, that they aren't worried at
01:46all about Nick Alegrity. It doesn't mean they'll be right, but you agree with them that this is the
01:52guy, and this is why they felt comfortable letting Tyler Biotish walk.
01:58Yeah, and I've said this other places, like, you know, talking with offensive line coaches,
02:03schemes that I've been a part of, it just is, that position is not physically not as important,
02:10right? Because if you're in an even spacing, right, you got like the four defensive linemen,
02:15you're uncovered if you're the center, like pretty much the whole game, right? Third down,
02:19passing opportunities, you're uncovered, right? And you just don't need to have like this horse,
02:25and obviously if, you know, you go out and sign, you know, Linderbaum or Humphrey or whoever the
02:30leading center is, that's great because that's a plus value at the position, and that's a special
02:35player. But I think most times you just need a guy who's really, really smart. Like, I think about
02:39Will Montgomery, who was on the verge of being out of the league when I was here in 2010, and
02:45he was the
02:49really effective because he was super smart, he understood angles really well, and was able to put
02:53the five guys, six guys counting myself and the rest of the blocking surface in the best position to be
02:59successful. And I really think that's what you're looking for. And I also think, like, with his level
03:03of experience, the stuff he's going to add in pass protection in terms of calls, tools he's going to
03:08bring, is going to be really big. So I think it's more of a mental position anyway. And if you're
03:13worried
03:13about somebody who's lacking the mental acuity for the position, then I think you're kind of going
03:19in the wrong direction. So I think, again, smart guy. I like the way he plays. I like the intelligence
03:25that he plays with. And I think you taking a, you know, a rotational guard and moving in the center
03:30is a great move for him and his career, but also a great move for this team.
03:34You know, you've said that to me before, and I've had other people say that to me before. I think
03:40it's
03:40actually something that I've learned more recently. I don't think that I ever really knew as much of
03:47a fan of the sport that I am. I don't really think I ever thought of the center position being
03:52less significant than the way you've described it. And I understand the mental part is a big part of
03:59that position. I've always understood that. But I would ask you, if you're playing a lot of teams,
04:05which this team is lined up to play, at least on paper, a number of teams with really strong
04:14interior defensive lines, I mean, even in their division, Philly and even Dallas with Quinn and
04:19Williams, etc. I mean, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, the Rams, the Seahawks, the teams that they
04:25have on their schedule, and even, you know, some 3-4 teams with strong nose tackles.
04:30Does it matter more when you're lined up against teams that are loaded at those interior defensive
04:38lineman positions?
04:40I mean, obviously it matters more because they're better players, potentially. But again, I think
04:45like one of the things that, as a tight end, for example, like, you know, you got like a wide
04:49nine technique, so somebody's on your outside shoulder. Like, I get nervous because that's a
04:55one-on-one block with me and a really good football player, right? But if I get a six technique,
04:59I have a nice little double team, I got the tackles help there, it's not all on me to make
05:03that thing go. I think when you go through a game tape, right, with a center, for example,
05:09pass protection, first and second down runs, like, you are in combination the majority of the time.
05:15Now, there are certain exceptions. Like you said, the odd front, I think, is a really good call-out.
05:19Like, when you get a true nose, like, that can be really challenging, right? Like, you know,
05:24Jordan Davis, the old Vince Wolfork, right? But the other thing people sleep on with that is,
05:28like, if I know that that's the strength of the other team, is this really powerful nose guard,
05:32shoot, man, like, we're going to stay in 11 personnel. We're going to get out of base offense,
05:37right, into 11 personnel. You're going to match with a four-down structure. We're going to
05:40insulate the player that way. So, it really just depends on, like, how you want to insulate that
05:45position, because you can. You can insulate it in a way that you can't insulate a tackle.
05:49You can't insulate a guard. And I think that's what, it's a great point. Like,
05:53you've got to always consider the personnel you're playing against. But, like, I look at Travis Kelsey,
05:57who's one of the better centers over the last couple years, he always played with tremendous
06:01guards. And those guards, you know, there are a bunch of guys that maybe people, yeah,
06:06Jason Kelsey, sorry, maybe people don't remember or know, but they were able to win one-on-ones,
06:11win double teams for him, and let him kind of use his athleticism at a really high level.
06:15Like, if he were, if he had to play guard, for example, I think he'd struggle, right? And again,
06:20like, that, so when you have, when you look at the, the environment Alec Reddy's going into,
06:25like, I think Cosby's a borderline Pro Bowl guard. I think Chris Paul or, you know, Brandon
06:31Coleman are going to be fine at the left guard spot there, but they're big, powerful bodies
06:35that can win physical one-on-one matchups. And I think if you have that, you can kind of,
06:40again, offset some of that risk associated with a move like this going from Biotis to Alec Reddy
06:46at center. Question I have no idea what the answer is to regarding the center position. Is it easier
06:53to snap to a quarterback under center or shotgun? And I'm talking about post-snap. Obviously,
07:00the shotgun snap has more risk to it, but I'm talking about post-snap, which is usually the
07:07preference for a center. Yeah, I mean, that's, I think it depends, you know, like now there's so
07:12many colleges that are in gun all the time. So moving from a gun environment to under center
07:17is more difficult, right? But I, there are guys that, you know, obviously when I was playing
07:22preferred under center because the hand is right there. You can feel where the ball is going to go
07:27and you can be really aggressive, snapping that thing in there to the quarterback. And again, like
07:32the, the other thing that people sleep on with the center position, this goes back to inflating is
07:37I played with a bunch of guys, you know, Corey Lichtensteiger, who's kind of an undersized
07:41guy, Casey Rybach. And they had a bunch of little tricks, like when they were going against these
07:45big mammoth nose guards, like you're talking about, is they would actually jump the cadence
07:50for the offense, right? So like, whether it's under center or in the gun, you know, the quarterback
07:54would be like wide 80, wide 80, and then he'd snap it on like the S of set. So they
07:58would be a little
07:58bit early to the block and they could kind of, you know, cover up some of their physical
08:02limitations by getting on the block quicker. But in terms of under center gun, to me, it's a personal
08:09preference and you're going to get a different answer depending on the people you talk to.
08:12You mentioned defense, edge rusher specifically, as the other area that you're most confident
08:18in. Again, it's early, but who's going to lead the team in sacks this year?
08:25I mean, I think it's going to be a Duff AOA. I mean, like, you know, he, when you look
08:28at
08:29him over the first couple OTAs, mini camps, obviously the first couple of days of training
08:33camp, like he just, he's got all those qualities that, you know, people talked about when he was
08:38coming out in the draft, you know, the four, three speed, the height, the length, like it shows
08:44up in practice. And then, you know, you go back and you watch him with the, with the chargers in
08:47LA
08:48and he's got, he was to me showing flashes being a true one in a way that we haven't had
08:54a true
08:55one here in a very long time. And what I mean by that is like, you know, he's got a
08:59multitude of
09:00moves. He can win with speed. He can win with power. He's got kind of a refined bag. Like,
09:06you know, when you think about Montez Sweat, Chase Young, they were kind of very specifically power
09:10rushers and they kind of lack some of that craft because they were such a kind of physical freaks.
09:15And so now I look at him and I say, he's, he's a little bit of a different kind of
09:18animal that
09:19we've had here for a couple of years. All right. So O-line and edge rusher is what you're most
09:25confident in as of now. What area or areas of the team do you worry about the most?
09:32Do I worry about the most? And this is obviously, I'm going to caveat this. I would say just because
09:38it's hard is defensive back. And then I would say like that second receiver pass catcher.
09:45And so the thing with the defensive backs, I have a lot of faith in what I saw from Brian
09:50Flores in Minnesota and Durante Jones is obviously bringing that here. And over the first couple
09:55of days, like Dave looked really, really good. But, but if that scheme doesn't cook the way
10:01it needs to cook, like if you don't get the pass rush, if you don't get the exotic pressures,
10:05if you don't get these kind of favorable matchups for the defensive backs in the, in the back
10:11end, in the back end of the defense, like with some of the pressure you're able to cultivate
10:15it, I get worried about it. I get worried about like the type of players you have there,
10:21like, because they do need to be elevated by scheme. So that's one. And then I think
10:24the two receiver spot, just because I don't, not that there isn't talent there, but I do
10:28think you need guys to kind of take a step forward. You kind of say, Oh, you know, like
10:32if Traylon Burks can stay healthy, could it be a two the army in a specific role? Can he
10:37kind of fill that two role in certain situations? Can Luke take a step? And again, I think they
10:42have enough talent here. Like when you watch practice, I'm not like, Oh my gosh, they
10:45really absolutely need a second pass catcher and go out and sign someone right now. Cause
10:49there are talented pieces. They're just all of those guys have to kind of move forward
10:54into a larger role, which you've, you've covered this team for a long time. You know, that
10:59that's that's possible, but you also know that sometimes they don't quite hit the way
11:02they need to. So if I told you that it hit, cause this is an area of a lot of
11:07conversation
11:08among all of us, you know, the receiver room in general, if I told you that it hit without
11:14any additions like a stuff on digs or somebody that gets cut late in the summer, why did
11:21it hit? Who really emerged?
11:24Yeah. So I think right now, the guy that's kind of on my radar, probably because he had
11:28an awesome first day of training camp, but I know he's hurt now is Traylon Burks, like
11:32just his ability, the size, the frame. And then it's him and Antonio Williams. I think
11:37if both those guys kind of take a step forward, you get a third down piece, a guy that can
11:42run
11:42that choice route, work underneath great route running feeling, Antonio Williams, and you
11:47get a more physical kind of, you know, win at the rim type of receiver with Burks, I
11:52think you're in a really good spot. And then the other thing too, to kind of compound on
11:56that is if David Blau knows how to maximize those skill sets. I think that's the other
12:00thing that I want to point out here too, because when you look at, you know, Kevin O'Connell,
12:04Ben Johnson, the thing they do a really good job of is they say, Hey, we know who our number
12:09one target is, and we're going to find ways to get him 10 to 15 touches in the game. And
12:15if Terry's getting that kind of touches, it's going to offload some of the responsibility
12:18from the number two, number three receiver, and their opportunities are going to be better.
12:22And so I think it's the scheme elevation of Terry and then the scheme elevation of those
12:26subsequent two and three receivers. And I think it's the physical maturation of guys
12:30like Burks and Williams.
12:32We continue with Logan Paulson. So, Stefan Diggs, yes or no?
12:38Yeah. I mean, I like Stefan Diggs a lot. I think you go back and watch what he did with
12:42New England last year. He's a good football player. I know there's some legal stuff. I'm
12:45not super familiar with all that stuff that's going on, which is the only thing that gives
12:48me pause. But I think of the people available, like he's the name that is at the top of my
12:53list, you know, barring that all that legal stuff is, is okay. But I think he's, he still
12:59could do it at a high level. And again, he's not, you know, the true perimeter player
13:03that he once was, but he knows how to win versus man coverage. And I think he did
13:07a great job mentoring Drake May, from what I understand. I coach a couple people or consult
13:12with a couple people that play there and they had nothing but fantastic things to say about
13:16him. So, you know, the, the guy in the locker room sounds like a great guy. The guy on the
13:20field in terms of the tape, I think was performing at a high level. So yeah, he, of the guys
13:24available,
13:24he's the guy I would find.
13:25You talked about, you know, the backend, if, if the front seven doesn't materialize as a much
13:33better pass rushing group, who are you excited about? If anybody, uh, at corner or at safety,
13:40is there a player that you're thinking is, you know, a given to be a good, solid contributor?
13:48I mean, the guy that I'm probably, I'll give you two names. I'm going to cheat is the guy
13:53that I'm most excited to see in this defense is probably Mikey Sanders still. Like I look at
13:57again, what, what, what, where Durante Jones is coming from in Minnesota and how those defensive
14:02backs are able to play with their eyes kind of through their responsibilities to the quarterback.
14:08And I say to myself, like, that's Mikey 1000%. And Mikey's ball skills are excellent. Mikey's
14:14anticipation is excellent. His cooking clothes is excellent. Like he's going to turn, I think
14:19he's going to turn the football over a ton in this defense. And so he's one. And I, and again,
14:23like there's a little bit of a projection there, the, the pass rush has to hit the pressure package
14:27has to hit the kind of the disguise that all has to work. But I think he's a perfect fit
14:31for that.
14:32And then there was Nick cross, you know, obviously Nick cross is, you know, I think he's on a one
14:36year deal or something like that. But in terms of what they did in Indianapolis, like he reminds me a
14:40little bit of like what Harrison Smith was for Minnesota. Like I can blitz, I can play like an
14:46off ball linebacker position. I can play safety. It gives you so much more flexibility having a
14:52player like that, um, at near and around the line of scrimmage, um, who can also cover a little bit.
14:57So I think that's why probably pretty stoked about both those guys and what their potential roles
15:02could be in this defense. Yeah. I'm excited about Nick cross too. I think first of all,
15:06he's available, he's high IQ, he's a great tackler. And just the obvious idea of the way
15:13the Brian Flores defense works, it just seems like a perfect fit. And with Sandra still, you know,
15:19as you were talking, obviously they're different positions, but in the same way,
15:24Adafi Owe has great feel for the game. Sandra still is that, you know, Sandra still has that
15:29anticipation. It's why he made so many big plays. Um, you know, as a college player,
15:35he just kind of sees it, um, as well, don't you think?
15:39I think that's a hundred percent right. I like, it's so funny going back and like watching him
15:44play the nickel last year and watching him play in the perimeter. And he just does have a football
15:49play in Johnny kind of element to him, which I can't get past. And I love, you know, he's a
15:54good
15:54tackler. He's physical, he's aggressive. He's willing to take chances, which a lot of guys aren't
15:59super willing to do. So, um, I love him. And I, and again, I want him to have more responsibility
16:06and more opportunity to show what he could be. Cause last year, I think, you know, everyone can
16:09attest, anybody who watched games last year, it was, it was a tough sledding for every level of
16:14that defense. And hopefully it'll be a little bit of a better environment for him this year.
16:18Which of the two new coordinators, David Blau and Durante Jones, do you think
16:23will hit the ground running faster than the other, you know, of the two, which is most,
16:30which of the two is most ready to be in the spotlight for the first time, coming up with good
16:35game plans and then excelling when they're, you know, when the game kicks off and they've got a
16:41call place? Kevin, that is a fantastic question. So obviously Durante Jones on paper is the obvious
16:48one because he has, his background is so comprehensive. He's developed his own game plan, but you know,
16:53I've had a couple of conversations with David Blau and I think there's, and again, they're,
16:58they're not long conversations, but there's just kind of a twinkle in his eye that reminds me a
17:02little bit of like, kind of like the Sean McVay thing. And he just, he says the right things.
17:08He's acknowledging the right things. He's critically thinking about the offense in the right way. So
17:13my, my, my brain is saying Durante Jones, but my heart is saying David Blau, man, because again,
17:20like in the limited interactions and like what we've seen from him in training camp and OTAs
17:24and it's off season, like there's something cool about the way he's constructed this thing. Now
17:30he's got to build a game plan. That's a different animal entirely. But I think, I think he's, I think
17:34there's a little bit of magic there, or at least I hope it, I'm hoping there is.
17:37You know, just tell me something about David Blau, because he's, it's not the first time he's been
17:42mentioned in the same sentence with Sean McVay. We both know Sean was an extrovert. Sean was a
17:48phenomenal communicator, um, uh, a great motivator. I like just, I mean, I've told you this before
17:55Cooley, when he was the tight ends coach essentially said he, if he were on owning the team, he'd
18:01elevate them right away to, to head coach. Cause the first interview he goes on, he's going to get
18:06the job. I mean, this was two, three years before, you know, Sean became a head coach. Blau seems
18:12less extroverted and in terms of his personality. Is that correct or not?
18:19I think like outwardly facing with the media, but like, when you watch them at practice, there's
18:23some juice there, you know, like he, you don't play quarter, you don't play quarterback in the NFL
18:28for like the way he did. And like with like kind of a limited physical skillset and not have some
18:34kind of leadership intangibles. So I, again, like he's got to work and grow and find his voice.
18:40And he's definitely not a finished product, but like, again, in, in these brief conversations
18:45I've had with him, I've just been like, man, like I want to play football for this guy,
18:49you know, and I'm older than him. So like, that's the thing that I just, it's this weird
18:53kind of magnetism and I, and it's hard to explain. And you've been around people like this, but
18:58you know, it's not like, it's not the same as Sean. It's not the same as Kyle. It's not the
19:02same as Mike McDaniel, but there's this football psychopath in there that knows how to communicate
19:08his ideas. And I think that's the thing that, that I like about it.
19:11So what's his offense going to look like?
19:14I mean, I think, um, it's going to, it's going to be fun from what I've seen so far. I
19:18think
19:19like the thing that stuck out to me over the first couple of days, you know, OTA's minicamp
19:23and then obviously the first couple of days training camp is it is diverse, man. It is
19:27diverse. So like, I think it's going to feel a lot like what you got from Ben Johnson. There's
19:31elements of like Kevin O'Connell. And then there's certain things like college principles
19:35you see sprinkled in there too. And the fact that this is the second day of training camp
19:40or we just have the second day of training camp and they have so much variety, formational
19:44variety in like the type of plays they have in are so vastly different. I'm just like,
19:49man, they have a lot to pull from here and it's pretty sharp. Like the way they're using
19:53cadence, like it's, to me, it's going to be what we're seeing in kind of like this modern
19:59West coast, you know, the Ben Johnson, the Kyle Shanahan, the Sean McVay's like, that's
20:03the principles they're bringing. We're going to use every tool at our disposal, cadence,
20:08formation, motions, shifts, backfield set to put ourselves in an advantageous situation
20:15over the defense. And we're going to construct similar looks and run and pass so that we're
20:20not giving you a tell as to what we're trying to do based on formation. And I think that's
20:24the way modern NFL offenses are going. And I think he's bringing a lot of those principles
20:29here, at least from what we've seen so far. It's seemed to me, and you can correct me
20:34if you think I'm wrong, that the most obvious difference, in addition to being under center
20:39more for Jaden, is that there will be many, many more play action pass attempts than there
20:45have been in the first two seasons of Dan Quinn, Jaden Daniels, Cliff Kingsbury. Is that
20:51fair to say?
20:53Yes, absolutely. I think that's a hundred percent right. I think, you know, one of the things,
20:57like one of the easy buttons in the NFL, you know, is that like you have this ability
21:03to affect the defense with play action pass, with boot game, with backfield set, making
21:09sure the formation looks like the run. And that just hasn't been here. I mean, it hasn't
21:12been here for a couple of years, man. Even Scott Turner, there was a little bit of a distinction
21:15between running sets and passing sets. And obviously for Cliff, it was very obvious, but
21:20so I think it'll be, it'll be very new and I think it'll be very good. And I think that
21:24feature will be, will be a nice addition, um, to help Jaden Daniels development.
21:28We haven't talked about Jaden Daniels yet. Uh, will the changes offensively be something
21:35that are seamless that we, you know, it'll look like he's done it forever or will it take
21:41time?
21:42You know, he's, he's such a unique athlete and he has such a unique approach. Like, you
21:48know, watching him over the last two days, I know people were like, Oh, he didn't look
21:52that amazing or there were some ups and downs to practice. And I thought I came away thinking
21:57like the complete opposite. I think, um, you know, like he's just so talented, like, you
22:01know, his ability to accelerate his feet, um, in his drops and kind of do different things
22:06with, uh, again, in terms of backfield set, ball action, uh, play action fake. Like it
22:11looks like he's been doing it for a long time and we're still so early in the training camp
22:15process. So there's going to be ebbs and flows and ups and downs, but I just think he's a
22:19unique guy, you know, in terms of his ability, his athletic ability, his accuracy. Like he
22:24hit a throw the other day in practice and I was like, Oh my goodness, man. Like the way
22:28that he got to the top of his drop, he's able to kind of accelerate his kind of one, two
22:32at
22:32the top, get the ball turned over and get it out into that tight window. Like that's going
22:36to be a problem for NFL defenses. So yes, was it perfect? No, but I think for a guy who's
22:42learning a completely new offensive system, it looks pretty darn good. I'll just, uh, I'll talk
22:49about the first half of the season because there might be a difference in the way it plays out. But
22:54during the first half of the season, which running back gets the most snaps?
22:59Ooh, that is the million dollar question there, Kevin. Oh man. Like it's so hard. Cause I came
23:04out of practice the other day. I think it was that two days ago thinking like, man, like bill
23:09looks really good. He's explosive. He's got great agility, but you know, he has a couple
23:14reps where the ball's a little loose balls on the ground one time. And you're kind of like,
23:19Oh, does that hold him back? So if you want to be safe and kind of get on base, I
23:24think you
23:24probably go with white as the guy who's going to be getting the carries at the beginning of the
23:28season, but it's going to be hard to keep bill out of some type of role in this offense. I
23:34think
23:34because of how dynamic he is with the football, you just got to protect that thing.
23:38Again, it's early, but rookies sometimes look overwhelmed early and others just look like
23:45they were born for day one of the jump from college to, to, to the NFL level. Do you have
23:52early impressions of Sonny Stiles and Antonio Williams?
23:56I think Sonny Stiles, you know, man, he's just such like so physically unique, like the way he
24:03runs around on the grass and like, he's also very patient. Like he kind of walks this really
24:08fine line of being urgent, but also kind of knowing when to be urgent. And I think that's
24:14really hard for young linebackers to learn. Like there was a play the other day where they
24:18were kind of like working to stretch, um, stretch the defense horizontally, like with formation
24:23and with the backfield action. And he did a great job of just kind of being patient with
24:28his feet and he's kind of playing like a pseudo nickel spot. And it just came downhill and
24:32fit that big gap. And I was like, if he could do that for this team, this defense is going
24:36to be a problem. And he obviously does a lot of growing that still needs to happen. But
24:40I think he's, he's poised for like, I think to have a, a very solid opening, opening day
24:48one kind of, uh, uh, appearance on this team, which makes sense because he's, you know, one
24:52of the best defensive players in the draft, one of the best defensive players I've ever
24:55evaluated. Uh, Antonio Williams, I think it'll be interesting to see how that continues to
24:59progress. Like there's times where you're like, yes, the fluidity, the way you catch
25:02the football, the route running nuances there, get a drop earlier, like on Monday, I want to
25:07say, but like, I think it's still, like you said, I'm very confident Sonny Stiles is going
25:12to get there. Antonio Williams, I think we'll get there at some point this year. It just
25:16depends on like, is your role initially as a third down kind of situational guy, or can
25:20you eventually work your way into that number two spot, uh, because of how you run routes
25:24and how you see the game. All right. Two more. Um, give me a player or players that you think
25:32are going to surprise fans in terms of becoming a contributor or becoming a much bigger contributor
25:38or even just making the team. Give me, give me a player or two that you're actually a lot
25:43higher on than perhaps most are at this point. The first one that comes to mind, uh, when you
25:50said that, uh, Kevin is Luke McCaffrey. I just, I think, I don't know what it was about
25:55the spring. I watched, you know, most of the spring, I missed a couple of practices, but
25:59every practice I was out there, like, I just thought like Luke seems to have taken a step
26:03with some of his route running nuance and some of that receiver feel. And I'm not sure what
26:09his role will be, but you know, I went back and watched a lot of his targets from last
26:12year. I'm like, man, he had a lot of explosive opportunities for this offense. Um, you know,
26:17even though there were some struggles and I think like he's maybe ready for a more responsibility,
26:22bigger role. I'm not saying he'll be like the, the three, but maybe he's the fourth option
26:27and gets, you know, kind of some good matchups and he's kind of the big slot and search certain
26:31situations, but can also kind of moonlight as a Z when we got to work our blocking kind
26:35of surface. So he's one to me that, uh, an offense that I am pretty excited about. And
26:41then I think the other one that I probably got a little bit of a man crush on is, uh,
26:45Joshua
26:45Joseph's, uh, the, the fifth round pick from Tennessee because of everything I saw from
26:51Tennessee. Like, I think there's an explosive long athlete in there who can be very disruptive
26:57in passing situations and he's got to earn that role. He's got to show Durante Jones and
27:01the defensive staff that he deserves some of those pass rushing opportunities. But I think
27:04when you look at kind of the shape and frame of him, like he could do some damage in certain
27:09situations, um, because of his physical tools. And now he's got to kind of, you know, get
27:14that honed in and get that focus. But, um, again, like he's a guy that I think is very,
27:19very compelling.
27:19Two good ones. All right. Final question. Uh, this team will be a playoff team in 2026.
27:28If finish the sentence, if the coordinators hit, like really is the big one for me. Like
27:35if Durante Jones brings some of that diversity, aggressiveness, um, novelty to the defense,
27:43I think we're going to be in a pretty good spot. We're going to get more turnovers. We're going
27:46to create more ball production. I think all that stuff heads in the right direction.
27:50And if David Blau can do what, you know, this offense has shown, it can do other places and
27:56he can show a mastery and a command of, you know, calling a game and developing a game plan. Like,
28:01and you know, this offense doesn't need to be the number one offense in the league, but
28:04if it's, you know, 15th and the defense is 14th, like, I think we got a shot at a playoff
28:11run here, but again, that's a big lift by both of those guys to get to those positions. Cause
28:15again, it's new for both of them. So, um, again, they, they have to hit, they have to develop
28:20quickly and show a good maturation for this team to, uh, to make a playoff run here.
28:25You know, in a lot of your answers today, you didn't give me the obvious answers that I would
28:31have guessed to, to be obvious in this case in particular, but I, but I've loved the answers
28:38because I think they're, they're, they're really good answers and they're your answers. And it's
28:42a subjective thing anyway, especially at this time of year, but to me, number one, more than anything
28:48else, this team in 2026 and beyond is it hinges on five being upright and healthy for 17 games,
29:00because without that, you don't have a chance.
29:04No, I think, I think that's, and I think that's why I said the coordinators, right? Because like
29:09really, you know, everyone says like, who's the most important person in the building?
29:12And I have a lot of people say Jay Daniels. To me, it's David Blau and Durante Jones. Why?
29:17Because of the scaffolding and the support system they're creating for Jay Daniels, right? Like if,
29:22if David Blau is able to work the play action, work the keeper, work the boots, work the protection
29:27rules, become more efficient at running the football, who does that help? It helps Jay
29:31Daniels. If the defense is able to keep you out of, you know, 35 point games and get you more
29:37turnovers and win the field position battle and kind of do all of those crazy high analytical
29:42stuff where it's like, Hey, you know, we're getting a punt. You were forcing a punt here at
29:46the 45 yard line instead of, you know, them kicking a field goal. Like those are big deals. And I
29:52think it
29:52all comes back to the environment that it's creating for five. So maybe five is the most
29:57important person in the building, but I think those guys jobs are extremely important because of,
30:01again, if they can just make it, I don't know what, 30% easier for him. Like think about what
30:06he was doing in 2024, like an historic rookie season and with, with better X's and O's and kind
30:13of more easy opportunities. Like look at Caleb Williams, right? In Chicago. Like I was, I wasn't sure if
30:19he could figure it out. Ben Johnson comes in new system and he looks like the guy that we thought
30:24he was going to be. And think about Jay Daniels. He was, he exceeded all expectations and now we're
30:29going to put them in a better system. Like that's why to me, the coordinators are so incredibly
30:33important this year for him and for this team, because it's going to make an environment for him
30:38where he can be, be Superman, be the guy that we all know, know, know he's capable of being.
30:43Well, and, and to add to that Chicago led the league in takeaways last year, 33 takeaways by the
30:50defense and Washington was next to last with just 10. So if, if you just move up defensively into the
30:58middle of the pack with 2021 takeaways on the season, imagine field position, you know, stopping the
31:07other team, getting the other team off the field, but then starting field position. And maybe by the
31:11way, a couple of scores or, or returns into the red zone. Um, those things would help out a lot.
31:19No doubt. Um, thank you for doing this as always. It's really enjoyable. Hopefully we'll do it again
31:24soon. Kevin, thanks, man. Always a blast talking to you. Logan Paulson, everybody. Uh, he's always
31:32great. Something Dan Quinn said about Jaden Daniels today and Ben Standing next.
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