00:00All right, so we're going into week six.
00:05Commanders, record isn't very good.
00:07They're 1-3-1.
00:09You got week six at San Fran.
00:11Brian, I don't know if you've noticed this.
00:13I looked at some numbers last night.
00:16Through five games, do you know defensively where this team now ranks?
00:20Probably last.
00:21Not quite last, but close.
00:23They're 30th in points allowed, 23rd in yards allowed.
00:27I think that delta between 30th and 23, a lot of that to me is the second half of the
00:33Colts game
00:34where there are a lot of short fields.
00:35But by and large, the lack of defensive adjustments at halftime have really hurt this team.
00:44They've given up four straight games.
00:46They've given up 20 points or more in the second half.
00:49I would like to know.
00:50I'll separate the Colts game.
00:52Yeah, but I want to know what the hell happens once we get a lead
00:58because I just think that we go into a different defense.
01:02And I need to know where that decision is coming from because that soft, I don't know,
01:08I'm not going to call it prevent.
01:09That soft coverage defense don't work for them.
01:13It works against them.
01:14And whatever reason that they're doing that, they've got to stop that one.
01:18So I think the best example of that from that Giant game was the 4th and 8th.
01:22It ain't just the Giants game.
01:23It was the Seattle Seahawks game as well.
01:25Yeah.
01:26Where you had like a lead and then all of a sudden you just give them 15, 20-yard shots
01:31and I think you can't do that.
01:33The thing that really stood out to me, and Warren Sharp did a good breakdown of this,
01:37we played it earlier in the week, was in the second half of that game,
01:40the Giants went to a lot more 12 and 13 personnel.
01:43The Giants got bigger on the field and they said all we need is neighbors and likely.
01:49And then the commanders altered their formation to match the size
01:54and they started playing more man on the outsides and they got cooked.
01:58When they were playing two high safeties, it was going way better.
02:01Neighbors and likely get going.
02:03Winston gets dealing.
02:03The pass rush evaporates.
02:07It's too early.
02:08It's five games.
02:09You don't want to draw major conclusions.
02:11Because the eye test, to me, is telling you one thing.
02:15That is better.
02:16That it looks better, especially early in games.
02:19But at some point the numbers matter too.
02:21And the numbers are not bearing that out.
02:25Yep.
02:25The numbers will matter, but you know, Jay, it's just situational stuff.
02:30And what I'm saying is when they are actually playing their defense the way that they want to play
02:36in the first half, they are a far better defense.
02:39When they began to get complacent or just play the softer coverage, they get cooked.
02:50And that right there, you got to find out where that comes from or why they go to that.
02:56You know, I always felt if I'm up on you, I'm going to keep playing tough.
02:59Because if you're having problems when I'm being tough, why should I drop back and let you play 7-on
03:04-7?
03:04That's what it looked like to me.
03:06It was like the drives in Seattle, the drives, even with the coach and the drives last week,
03:12they look like it's 7-on-7.
03:14The quarterback gets the ball, boom, throw the ball, guy catches, get tackled.
03:18But I can't understand that 4-on-7, 4-on-8, and you're dropping 13, 14 yards off.
03:25And I think even in – since everyone wants to say what players are supposed to just do the thing
03:31they're supposed to do,
03:32if I'm a football player and it's 4-on-7, I think I'm meeting you about 6 yards.
03:39I'm not meeting you at 13 yards because I just gave you the damn first down.
03:42So something is going on with the mindset of that thing right there, and that is what we've got to
03:48get an answer to.
03:50Defensively, 30th in points allowed, 23rd in yards allowed.
03:54If you dig a little deeper, they've been good against the run.
03:58They're 8th in rush yards surrendered through five games.
04:01They're giving up fewer than four yards of carry, 3.9 yards per carry.
04:05They really bottled up Scadaboo last week.
04:07He had one kind of big run in overtime.
04:10It's the pass game that they're getting killed.
04:12See, that's what people would – like, their numbers sometimes – I get lost by numbers.
04:16Because if you're getting as much success passing the ball, why the hell are you going to run the ball
04:20against them?
04:2129th in yards allowed.
04:22And to your point, they're also 29th in attempts.
04:25So teams are passing it.
04:27And I think –
04:28That's what I'm saying.
04:29Doug, I almost wonder in Seattle, if Seattle had gone to a little bit more up-tempo shotgun,
04:34we're just going to air it out earlier in that game, how it all shakes out.
04:37Seattle was determined to get their run game going and couldn't.
04:40Whatever, it all worked out.
04:41But I – I mean, their 30th in pass touchdowns surrendered.
04:46Like, my concern going into the year was the corners.
04:49I think Rasul Douglas has been pretty good.
04:50I think Amik Robertson has been pretty good.
04:52But eventually, it just has buried them.
04:55Trey Amos maybe helps you a lot.
04:57I don't – I'm at a point with Trey Amos that I believe he's playing when he's playing.
05:02Like, I –
05:03That's the way I take it all the time.
05:05Listen, I don't get into the trying to rush them back or whatever.
05:08When it happens, it happens.
05:10Until they're on the field, I don't care to judge it.
05:14Third downs on both sides of the ball are killing this team.
05:18They are 29th offensively in converting third downs to first.
05:23A little less than a third of the time are they getting first down on third down.
05:2722 of 69.
05:29That's –
05:30And then –
05:30Especially compared to what it was two years ago.
05:32Yeah, I mean –
05:33They got everything.
05:35Defensively, 24th in the NFL at getting third down stops.
05:38And we've seen some big ones get combined.
05:40Yeah, and that's what I'm saying.
05:42Like, in those situations, they – we were told more aggressive and things of that nature.
05:50And they are like that until they get up or they have third down and long.
05:55So, if you are very good when you're forcing the issue, why drop off when it's third and long?
06:04If it's third and 15, I don't need nobody dropping down to 17, 18 – dropping back to 17, 18
06:09yards.
06:11That's just my mindset.
06:13You know, and I just have to – my whole thing is I'm wondering why in those situations.
06:18Well, and B, you've always said this, that turnovers kill you, but sometimes it's the timing of the turnover that
06:25kills you.
06:26And you always pointed out the defense can still get a stop.
06:30Oh, yeah.
06:31And I know against the Colts there were short fields.
06:34I mean, largely against the Giants, they played clean ball.
06:37It wasn't short fields.
06:38They were just going down the field, especially late.
06:39The red zone defense for Washington has been astonishingly bad.
06:44And I think the fourth and eight from the 17 touchdown to likely is like kind of the highlight of
06:49all that.
06:50On 18 trips to the red zone for Washington's opponents, they've scored touchdowns 15% of the time.
06:57That's 83% touchdown conversion in the red zone.
07:00That is good for dead last in the NFL.
07:04Like, you are allowed to get stops in force field goals.
07:07Hell, Indy did it to them in London.
07:09They kicked a pair of field goals from the 11 and the 13.
07:14So, it's hard to look at the defense through five games and recognize that it looks more aggressive.
07:22I think there's clearly more talent on the field.
07:24Just watching guys like Owe, watching guys like Styles fly around.
07:28But the results do not bear the impression.
07:34Like, what we're seeing, especially early in games, by the time you get to the end and you count up
07:40the money, you count up the chips, it's not looking great.
07:46Maybe that changes this week.
07:48You got a hell of an opponent.
07:49You got a hell of an efficient opponent this week, too.
07:52And so, it leads me.
07:54I did Al Galdi's podcast earlier this week.
07:58Always love talking to Galdi.
08:00He's just such a smart, good dude.
08:02And he asked me a question.
08:04And it's not unheard of to discuss this because the NFL trade deadline has become more and more relevant kind
08:14of each year.
08:16Each year, you're seeing more and more trades.
08:18And the commanders go at San Fran this week.
08:21Then they have a bye.
08:22Then they have – so they basically have three more games before the trade deadline.
08:25They'll play the Eagles week eight, which I had actually heard.
08:29There was talk of that game getting flexed out.
08:30I had heard that's unlikely.
08:31But we'll see what happens.
08:34Eagles week eight, Rams week nine, then it's a trade deadline.
08:39And Galdi asked me, hey, you know, do you think this team could be active at the trade deadline?
08:46And I immediately – I didn't think of Peters, who has been active at the trade deadline, right?
08:52Like, that's when he went and got Lattimore.
08:54We've seen him make off-season trades as well.
08:58I thought of Harris year one.
09:00Harris' first year with his arms around this team.
09:04It was pretty clear that it was going to be Ron's last year as they were limping to the finish
09:07line.
09:08They traded away Chase Young and Montez Sweat to try to regenerate.
09:14And if you think of – what's the Ben Johnson line about this ownership group?
09:18Bunch of basketball guys.
09:19The NBA trade deadline is a vortex of activity.
09:24It is massively – there's a million moving parts of the NBA trade deadline.
09:29And so this ownership group does come in from that line of thinking.
09:33I'm not saying it impacts necessarily.
09:35But I think in basketball, the GM has way more flow than the GM than the football.
09:42And you're trading one guy who could be a – could change the whole outlook.
09:46Getting rid of the trade – I mean, Chase and Montez, what did they get back to make this team
09:51better?
09:52Picks.
09:53What they got back to make this team better is what I'm trying to ask you.
09:57What I'm saying is right now I know what it seems like.
10:01I think Adam would like to trade.
10:02I don't think Josh is any more wanting to trade than keep the team.
10:06It's interesting.
10:08White Bryant, see if you can track down the players they got for the Sweat and Young trades.
10:13For the Sweat – dude, actually, I think I know who it is.
10:16I think Chase Young turned into Luke McCaffrey.
10:20I think they traded Chase Young for a –
10:24You see Chase playing right now?
10:25For a compensatory third in the 2024 draft.
10:28I believe that ended up being pick 100 that they turned into Luke McCaffrey.
10:32And you watch Chase playing now for the Saints?
10:33Yeah, now he's a different player now for the Saints than he was when they traded him to the Niners.
10:39But it's a fair point.
10:41Now, Montez, I think they got a second.
10:46Montez was a 2024 second, 35 overall.
10:50I believe that was turned into Johnny Newton.
10:54You don't mind me no comments, do you?
10:57So, I think in those situations, we lost both of them.
11:03Now, Chase was at least going into the last year.
11:07I understand what all the numbers are and all that type of stuff in the last year and the money.
11:11But we lost both of those trades.
11:13If you look at the production on the field, hell, those two guys aren't on the field that we got
11:20for those two guys.
11:21Montez is not on the field now because he's suspended for two weeks because of PEDs.
11:25Chase is playing his ass off right now in New Orleans, not in San Fran anymore, but he was on
11:31the field.
11:32Luke's not on the field.
11:36They also, I mean, Marshawn Lattimore trade, they gave up a third, right, at the deadline.
11:43So, they gave up Lattimore and a fifth for a third, fourth, and sixth.
11:48They lost that one, too.
11:50Now, to be clear, Peters wasn't in charge of the young and sweat, but he was in charge of the
11:53picks they got for him.
11:54So, you're listening to me, Mitch Finley.
11:58I don't know what to make of the NFL trade deadline, but there are rumors and reports about what Washington
12:03could do in a few weeks.
12:05I don't know what to make of the NFL trade deadline.
