- 16 hours ago
Which Commander impressed you most in the preseason victory over the Dolphins? JP loved what he saw from rookie running back Robert Henry, while BMitch was happy with the backup quarterback play.
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00:00So let's talk about what we saw Friday night.
00:03I'm going to preface this with, like,
00:05do not draw conclusions from preseason, period.
00:08Because I think the reaction to Sonny Stiles and Leo Chennault
00:11playing a single series surrounded by a bunch of backup players
00:16is overblown.
00:18I have zero concerns about Stiles,
00:20and I think if you're drawing conclusions from 14 plays,
00:24you've got to chill out a little bit.
00:27I have not got to watch the broadcast yet.
00:29How'd it go?
00:30We're good.
00:30I have a DVR at home.
00:31We're good, man.
00:32It was fun.
00:32You know, Dan, I've known Dan and John,
00:37but working together, I've done stuff with Dan before.
00:40I've never done nothing with John,
00:42but John's just easy to deal with, though.
00:45You know, cool as hell.
00:48We were talking, he said, hey, man,
00:50maybe you need to get us something to drink.
00:52I said, baby, the fourth quarter.
00:54Not right now.
00:55We've got to get through this game.
00:57And to be honest with you,
00:58I think the second half when you saw the no names coming in,
01:03in a sense, I think it got better.
01:06Because we were able to look at the little kid with Henry,
01:11the stuff he was doing,
01:12and John was talking about how he sets up blocks
01:14and things of that nature.
01:15Watching Caliak Madness, you know,
01:17the way he worked in the pocket and things of that nature.
01:21Watching Antonio Hamilton Sr.
01:24Dude's physical.
01:24That brother right there plays physical.
01:26Look, 11th year, playing in the third, fourth quarter
01:30of the first preseason game,
01:32I can see why he stays around 11 years.
01:35He brings it, bro.
01:37I was talking to John about his game against the Giants last year.
01:42He was working them.
01:44You know what I'm saying?
01:45Yeah.
01:45He's had good games.
01:46I think young guys pay attention to that dude right there.
01:50You want to be around this league a long damn time?
01:52Look at him.
01:53I thought, like, the most positive story I saw from that game
01:59was Robert Henry.
02:00And somebody tweeted me this, maybe.
02:02Remember the dude that called us, like, two months ago?
02:05Yeah.
02:05Talking about Robert Henry?
02:06Credit to you, sir.
02:07Wherever you may be, if you're listening, I hope so.
02:09You watch him, like,
02:10the game that everyone mentions is him against Texas A&M.
02:13Yeah.
02:14I mentioned that to him.
02:15I interviewed him that night.
02:16He rolled in there, and he had his crew.
02:20Texas A&M, player by player, had all players better than his football team.
02:25He cooked their defense.
02:28And I think when you watch that game, he has this, he's not that biggest guy,
02:34but the dude runs behind his shoulder pads.
02:37And then Fat Man came in and did some work, too.
02:395'9", two bills.
02:40Yeah.
02:42So, Henry in that game, nine carries for 64 yards, average seven a pop, had the touchdown
02:47run, 22-yard touchdown run.
02:49Fat Man comes in, and they're asking him to do different things, I think is important
02:54to note.
02:55Fat Man had 20-something carries.
02:57Yeah.
02:58And he, I mean, I don't know that, to me, he's a volume guy, because he's going to wear
03:04you down with volume.
03:05He finished with 23 carries for 85 yards at 3.7 a pop, did have the touchdown at the goal
03:10line.
03:11I don't know that he'll get the volume he needs to be in every down back in this offense,
03:16but if he can prove to be the short yardage goal line guy, there's probably a role for
03:20him.
03:20Not to mention, last week, we said it a couple different times, we haven't seen McNichols,
03:26haven't seen McNichols.
03:27Dan Quinn spoke yesterday, provided the update that he's dealing with, I believe he said a
03:32major quad injury, and it's going to be a few weeks.
03:35To that end, I think Kime just reported, they just signed another running back, which shows
03:40you that the McNichols thing is going to take some time.
03:43I won't be surprised at all if there's a roster move for McNichols that allows them to kind
03:49of stash him.
03:51But the unfortunate headline from the game, there's a lot you could discuss, right?
03:56But Mariota gets hurt on the fifth snap.
03:58That's the biggest deal.
04:00I know you were watching intently, obviously.
04:02You think he actually got hurt the play before?
04:04He got hurt the play before.
04:05When he threw the players down the field, he was hit below his waist, and he was sitting
04:11there, just like he ended up sitting when they went to get him, and the referee was about
04:16to go to him, and he jumped up.
04:18And then he was walking up to the huddle, and he just sat down.
04:22So the play prior is when he got hurt.
04:26Yeah.
04:26I mean, the way he just went down in a heap like that, it looked bad.
04:31I think he's okay.
04:33My take on the Mariota injury situation is twofold.
04:38The immediacy of it, like right now, what's going on there, clearly the team feels comfortable
04:43because Dan Quinn spoke with the media yesterday.
04:45I was on the Zoom with him, and he made clear they're not going to bring somebody else in.
04:50And I think if you were worried about Marcus's ability week one, week two, whatever, early
04:56in the season, I think they'd have Jeff Driscoll on speed dial.
04:59Like, we have seen them, two seasons ago, Driscoll was the third quarterback throughout
05:03the season.
05:04Last year, when they got to their third quarterback in Josh Johnson, they then called Driscoll
05:09back.
05:10So like, I don't know, people that are mad about Sam Hartman's game the other night,
05:15like I'm not, Sam Hartman's Sam Hartman.
05:17Like, that's his game.
05:19And I think if they get to a point where he had to play, they would bring somebody else in.
05:23And perhaps, I think you could find signs of encouragement with Kaliak Manis.
05:28Yes.
05:28Six of ten for 87 yards, did take two sacks.
05:32I was impressed with him.
05:33The way he worked in the pocket, the way he got the ball out of his hands quickly, throwing
05:36to spots.
05:36You know, you and I always talk about quarterbacks coming out of college, throw the ball to a
05:40person.
05:41And NFL quarterbacks throw it to a spot.
05:44He lets it fly to a spot.
05:46Yeah.
05:47I mean, he definitely has the arm.
05:49You know what I mean?
05:51Like, I look at, I mean, very rarely do you land Brock Purdy, right?
05:57Like, more often than not, a late-round quarterback is Nate Sudfeld or Sage Rosenfeld or whoever,
06:01right?
06:02That, to me, is an interesting developmental prospect.
06:05But if they're not bringing somebody in, means they think and or know Mariota's going to
06:11be fine.
06:12People are calling in just to impress them most.
06:15Let's do it.
06:16Tricky's in D.C.
06:17What's up, Tricky?
06:18What's up, Tricky?
06:20What's up, y'all?
06:21How you doing, buddy?
06:22Hey, JP.
06:22Hey, JP.
06:23Come on, man.
06:24I can't keep reminding you, man.
06:26You keep talking about some dude about Robert Henry, man.
06:30That's not true.
06:31That is not true.
06:33Are you saying you're the person that called about him?
06:36Look, I called about him the first time, but then the next time I called about what player
06:42is going to have a breakout season.
06:44And I said, Robert Henry, you said, you still sticking with Rob?
06:47I said, he's going to be the kickoff return, man, when the season starts.
06:52And that's going to happen.
06:54Interesting.
06:55Listen, preseason opener, you were correct, Tricky.
06:59And I will do my best.
07:00And I will ask the boys in the aquarium to remember, Tricky is the guy that called about
07:04Robert Henry first.
07:05You can officially play on your flag on Robert Henry.
07:10I got one more thing.
07:11Okay.
07:12As far as Sonny Stiles, right?
07:14You're not going to play Sonny Stiles the way you're going to use him in week one.
07:20You think they're going to show you in the first preseason game how they're going to use
07:25Sonny Stiles?
07:26No way.
07:27The way he played that night, that's not how they're going to use him when week one comes.
07:31So, you know, everybody who's saying that Sonny Stiles ain't, you know, not satisfied with
07:39his production, just wait until week one.
07:41That's all.
07:42I couldn't agree with you more, Tricky.
07:44I wish on that.
07:45We have Dan Quinn audio.
07:47So, Quinn had a very interesting answer about Stiles and Chennault, where he referenced not
07:52blitzing.
07:52Is that what you have, Stine?
07:54All right.
07:54Here's Dan Quinn asked about Stiles and Chennault in this game.
07:59With both of them.
08:00And we didn't blitz, you know, neither a lot.
08:02But I like how Square, like the games are kind of like Leo's spot, man.
08:07Like he's physical, he's square, he's a good tackler.
08:10I wasn't pleased at all with the defense overall on the first drive.
08:14I thought it was like an explosive pass and just too leaky.
08:17And specifically for those two, I like just their command, their presence inside.
08:22I feel good with these two, David, because of their physicality and size.
08:27So, I'm excited to get them some more work, you know, as we're heading into Tuesday and
08:32Wednesday for the linemen, the linebackers, the safeties, the running backs.
08:37Having two big padded practices back to back will be a good test for us.
08:41It's also a week to get like more plays for them.
08:44And I want more reps and they're kind of building that resilience even up a little higher this week.
08:50So, like the line of scrimmage week, I would say, is at hand.
08:55But they didn't get a lot of action.
08:57But with the two of them, I'm pleased with what I've seen up to now.
09:02So, the preseason is such a contradiction because it's all there is to watch.
09:07So, you watch it.
09:08But at the same time, you're trying to like, you're trying to take some information away
09:15without the entire book being open.
09:19You know what I mean?
09:20Yeah.
09:20So, I think if you're drawing major conclusions on styles, I think that's foolish.
09:24I think it's very foolish.
09:25And the thing of it is, we try and talk about different aspects of football.
09:31And when you try to educate people, all they care about is the end result.
09:36The end result in preseason is completely irrelevant.
09:39If you watch that game, I think the people in front of Sonny and Chanel,
09:46with their hand in the dirt, they need to work on some stuff.
09:49Right.
09:50Because they were allowing guys to just blow plants and get right to the linebacker.
09:54I don't think that Ken Law and Amenehu and all those type of guys would be allowing the same things.
10:01But you try to play run fits, and the first thing you get is a guard in your chest.
10:08You know, I agree with, I'll say this, Sonny has to play with lower pads.
10:14You know, and I pointed that out in the game.
10:18But you can see the natural tendencies he has.
10:22He's going to be a problem for people.
10:24But he has to understand, in this game, at this level, little things get blown out of proportion.
10:34He probably was able to get away with some of those things in college.
10:37It's going to change here.
10:38And that was just his first time doing it.
10:40And I think, see, when Sonny ran the 4-4 and did all this stuff, it wasn't Sonny's fault that
10:48everybody put him at the top of the heap.
10:51But he still has to learn how to play this physical game in the NFL.
10:54Well, I believe he's still going to be damn good.
10:59But pump your brakes a little bit.
11:00He wasn't as good as you thought after the 40, and he's not as bad as you think after one
11:05series.
11:05Payne, Settle, Kinlaw, Amenahu, Owe, Luvu, Chason, all didn't play.
11:12Yeah.
11:13So, like, that's probably the three-man front in this 3-4 base.
11:19That's probably five of the six major contributors on the D-line.
11:23So, it's just, fans aren't wrong to watch the games and have a reaction to it.
11:29I just think the style stuff, specifically, I think you've got to really chill out on.
11:34But sometimes.
11:34They didn't play a lot of people in this game.
11:36I think sometimes people have to not just watch.
11:41And the reaction doesn't have to be way left, way right.
11:46You've got to watch the game sometimes and get the information around it.
11:50And then begin to say, oh, okay, yeah, they can play better.
11:54They're going to get better.
11:55Maybe not.
11:56You may see some people that didn't play well.
11:58But I don't think every time they watch something, you just go.
12:02Because there's a lot of people giving you information.
12:04That's the right information.
12:05But people decide to listen to what they want to listen to and not what they should be listening to.
12:09I think if you want some positive news, I guess, from the weekend,
12:15I would say Dan Quinn yesterday believes Allegretti's back this week
12:20and that they should have a pretty spirited practice.
12:22It's going to be two days of pads.
12:23I think these are the last two fan practices as well.
12:26I think Tuesday, Wednesday are the last time fans can go.
12:31Getting Allegretti back will at least give us a better look at what this offense can be.
12:38Because if you're concerned about the commander's offense in a game where Bill, Rashad White,
12:46Jaden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Steph Diggs, and I can keep going, Chigakonkwo,
12:50none of those dudes played.
12:51We didn't really see this team.
12:54And I'm honestly starting to wonder if we're going to, even in Detroit next week,
13:00a noon start in Detroit.
13:03I'm not sure how this is going to shake out.
13:05I want to, we'll open the phones because a lot of people have a lot of thoughts.
13:08800-636-1067.
13:10800-636-1067.
13:13What'd you see in the preseason opener?
13:15Our guy Eazy-E is on the line.
13:16What's up, Eazy?
13:18Hey, what's going on, man?
13:19Hey, this is probably the earliest I called.
13:21But hey, look, the biggest impression, honestly, still is Sonny Fowler for me.
13:28I know you probably got calls on it, but here's why.
13:31Everybody's looking at him up on the line.
13:32Can he get through the line?
13:34Can he bust through and get a sack?
13:35There was a particular play, and I'm pretty sure y'all saw it, B. Mitch and J.P.,
13:40where he dropped into coverage, backpedaling.
13:43Malik Willis was going to throw that ball to a receiver from the left side
13:46that crossed over the middle of the field.
13:48But when Sonny Fowler backpedaled and was following Malik Willis with his eyes
13:53in that football, he took away that throwing lane.
13:56And Malik Willis threw it to the sideline.
13:59Sometimes everybody wants Sonny Fowler to make the big play.
14:02And as I explained to my nephew this weekend, because he plays football,
14:06sometimes the big player is not hitting somebody.
14:09Sometimes the big player is taking away a deep shot or a pass over the middle.
14:13Sometimes that's just what football is.
14:15You're not always going to get the football in your hand.
14:17You're not always going to knock somebody out.
14:19But sometimes you just got to take away the play that the quarterback's going to go to first.
14:24Malik Willis wanted to go over the middle.
14:26Sonny Fowler would have picked that off if we would have thrown it.
14:28But that's why I believe Willis ain't go that way.
14:30So that's what I'm trying to explain to some people.
14:32Let's stop looking at the tackles and stuff.
14:34Yeah.
14:35Appreciate you, bud.
14:35I agree with you, bro.
14:37Yeah, I think it'd be like drawing any conclusion from that game
14:42about where this team's going to be I think is just premature.
14:46Yeah.
14:47And that's the contradictory nature of preseason is we get fired up.
14:51So I just saw the play he was talking about.
14:55Shout out to football performances.
14:57They charted up every single snap Sonny took.
15:02I think bigger picture injury stuff.
15:09You know, I mean, we had Martensi on last week from Notice, right?
15:14And he's like, I think this is top five, top ten defense.
15:17Maybe it's not.
15:18Maybe we have no idea yet.
15:19Like, it's going to take some time.
15:22And I just – Dan Quinn has absolutely run a hard physical training camp.
15:28Yep.
15:29I'm wondering who's going to play in Detroit
15:31because I don't think anybody's going to play like the third one in Baltimore.
15:35And it, to me, looks like these two practices this week
15:39and then that joint practice in Baltimore next week
15:41are going to be like by far the realest look we get prior to week one in Philadelphia.
15:49Oh, yeah.
15:49They're going to get all their work.
15:50The guys that they are going to be leaning to that's going to be making that 53,
15:56those guys are going to get – and especially the first 22.
16:00Yeah.
16:00They're going to get a lot of work in the practices against Baltimore.
16:04Not in that game.
16:04They're not in that game.
16:04You're going to win.
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