Previewing Preseason Week 2 vs the Baltimore Ravens | Command Center Podcast | Washington Commanders

In today's episode, we're gonna talk about how the defense can stop Lamar Forbes versus Odell, Logan versus Fred, offense versus Defense there, and then Tanna Man providing some great insight on Joe Gibbs. Welcome on into the Command Center Podcast. I'm Logan Pulson here with Farmer Fred and Santana Moss.

Me.

Hey, you guys doing that right?

You know as you listen here, you.

I like to grow vegetables and things like. I'm really like an old lady. I just sitting in the going and listen to it.

Is weird that like that's what I think of For some reason, I think give you like with an apron and like gloves, like.

A stuff getting things done. Relaxation.

Man, it ain't you know as a kid, you remember playing in the dirt. You had no toy, but it was just so light, dirt fulfil it. Yeah, well I still play in the dirt. That's cool man, you and I know people want to hear more about that. We'll talk about but not today. We're going to talk about the preseason game against Baltimore, and I would just start with the previous.

So let's start super high level. What are you watching for in this game, Fred Smooth.

I'm watching for us to match their physicality. I think if you're gonna ever play starters in a preseason game, this will beat the game the second out of three games. Because you're not gonna play them in the third game. That gives the guys at bottom of the roster chance to make it.

This is the game you're gonna play in.

Defensive wise, it's most definitely a challenge any time you play against a guy like Lamar Jackson, but also on the offensive side for Baltimore, they might with all new offensive coordinator. He wants to see his offense how it looks, some totality. So at the end of the day, I think it's an ultimate measurement stick, especially with this being the second game.

I'm sure I couldn't said it better.

I think when you're looking at it as a whole or you want to see how your team, you know, you know, measure up, you know, as a whole, but then also individual matchup. It's gonna be a lot of individual matchups where you want to see your young guys. Young guys might get a chance to go against some

So you're saying, this practice will show us who we need to cut and who we need.

To sign basically, you know what I mean, But not even not even on this, you know, on them that measuring stick up, cutting and you know, cutting and sign it just to see. I mean, we have our guys, We have our core guys who we say that they're

I can't.

I don't like to get caught up in the team aspect of it. I want to see individuals go out there and dominate their guy logan, what about you?

I was just I was gonna fall for tenor real quick. Though. Do you think those individual individual matchups are important for the preseason?

Like?

I mean, because sometimes I'm like, I know you for example, like you're out there, you want to catch one ball and then you're out of there right Like it's not like a full thing. Like do they matter as much in the preseason? I know for some of the bottom of the roster guys it's maybe a bigger deal.

But I don't know a guy like Marlond Humphreys out there he can't wait to check tire McLaurin like he wants to say, you know what he wants.

I want to see where I'm at right now.

I think a few of those guys are going to take it as this is my chance to go ahead and signe one of they guys up. You know what I mean, Let me do it now, Let me get a one rep of two reps in now and do it.

Absolutely. So I think what I'm watching for, I'm watching for, like, what does a game plan for me? You look like, you know, like because it's not going to be a full game plan, but it's going to be eighty percent of a game plan.

But don't you think he's gonna game plan more in the practices?

I think the game I think so. But I also think, like thinking back to like third preseason games in the past, it wasn't like a full you know, it wasn't like a full game plan, but it was like a lot of stuff in you know, it was like, hey, we did like a blitz meeting, we did like da da da.

To go back to town As individuality, I think they got notes under each player. I think when you go up there, they say, uh, Cold Turner for his amp. Yeah, they know he can catch the ball on people. They want to see him block somebody. These guys it's for the Raiders. They might want to see Johann Dotson matched up against Marlon hunt Free and see how he takes a physical conna compared to a guy that likes to play him and match.

Him with speed.

So I think you go in and you find these individual matchups, especially talking to the other coach and let's say, let's see Montel Switt versus Morgan Moses. So I think you it is more individualized now that I sit back and think about it, let's group it more like, let's see what happened.

But also I think that's probably something that they you know, they addressed in the joint practices, you know what I mean. I think that's easier to do in the joint practice. I think here it's like, how does the defense look versus a game planned offense? You know, like they're gonna put a game plan out too. In Baltimore, they do run a lot of kind of I don't say unusual stuff that they run power, they run counters, they run stap scheme runs which are tough to I don't want

Are we looking Are we looking through alliance in the past at this offense? Because when I think about the Ravens offense out, I think about his physicality.

It's a different offense.

Anytime I think about Ravens, like anytime I see an offense.

With a full back, I think physicality.

They have a three hundred pound full back, but they also have a new offensive coordinator and they brought in Zay Fly with bait out his speed.

Like, we don't know what they're going to look like at practice.

So it's really funny. It kind of feels like when you watch the first preseason game, it feels like they're running two offenses. It feels like they're running this kind of spread college RPO Georgia isolation offense. And then it's like, oh, there's like a fullback end and two tight ends and you know what's going on. Yeah, It's like it's like

Why not?

And so I think, like that'll be really interesting to see for me as a guy who likes offenses and sees how thinks matched. It's like, how do you mess that formationally? You know, because like they want to have multiple tight ends and they want to have a fullback end.

That's gonna hurt team too, because I remember my first year he in O five when with Gibbs, and Gibb was just trying to get his feet wet again. So he brought in some of the stuff he knew he knew, and that's what he ran in four and I'm remember five, after playing a game, he scratched everything. He said, Okay, we're gonna keep our run game, but every week we're gonna run the past game. We're gonna be We're gonna be passed, pass happy and friendly and take whatever's working

We add it.

And so we added passes. And I used to come in early in the morning, like five thirty six o'clock just to make sure for practice that I can run every route or everything that we was ad for the week. You would have me come in early and say hey, Tanny, you can run this, and I literally be like yep. I was just saying yeah, because I wanted him to just put it in whatever give me an opportunity that gave me a fourteen hundred yard season in my first Pro Bowl, and it was crazy.

We scratched that that' started play the next year.

Thinking back with what you're just saying, how it almost seemed like two offenses. I felt that teams didn't know what we was doing.

And it was when we.

Got in the passing game, they was like, oh, we didn't see them run this on tape.

You know what I mean?

We was running the same thing that beat you last week and you didn't know. You wasn't prepared because you didn't see us running before.

Fore, I say, we are prisoner to that studied film.

And that's why I said that we're gonna give coach b Enemy a chance to be to catch some people on their heels the first month of the season, the first five games.

They're just not gonna have any pure fume on them to study.

And we are creatures of habit, and sometimes our habits can get used against us.

Yeah, so I think, like, those are some storylines I'm gonna watch. You know, I like watching offenses. I'm gonna watch a lot of offense, and then defense doesn't meet the level. The thing I want to ask you, is I don't know if Lamar is gonna play.

He has to new offensive coordinator to whide receivers.

At one point to to the preseason only this.

Is his only chance to play. He will not be able to play the week after this.

I know.

But aren't you worried that he's gonna get hurt?

Like, no, I can't be. I can't be worried about it.

But think about Tom Brady, Like Tom Brady would do a joint practice.

But compare anybody to goats.

I know, but like think about golf when golf was in LA. Yeah, they would do a joint practice. He wouldn't play in the game like so. And one of the reasons you do a joint practice if you've got a good quarterback to play. So do you think he plays?

But we're talking about a quarterback that coming up injury, new offensive, the new offense. I would want him to get some reps like I would want him. And it ain't talking about one drive.

Well, you know what, he didn't play last year against US? Yeah I don't think did he.

No, he didn't, but he was also in a contract year. They didn't want him to be hurt. But he ended up getting hurt anyway.

Yeah, but so I guess so if he is playing, Yeah, you know, I think we'll figure.

He won't be in run mode.

If he runs around a lot, he will know he'll run around to throw. He won't run around to get useless ten to fifteen yards. In the preseason, his coach will tell him that let the ball fly. Whatever happens, happened. We try to get you some reps.

Yeah. So for the defensive line, if he's out there, yeah, obviously, whenever you're going against the rushing quarterback, it's a totally different dynamic in terms of discipline, like what do.

You gotta plays on?

I'm sorry, I'm saying for the defensive line though, you know, because like last like last week, for example, Dashawn gets out of the pocket and he's at a point of emphasis. This week were against thee.

Yep, do not rush up field, like Tanna said, not rush up field, stay at the level of the quarterback. But it's also makes sure your d tackles this is their game. Like when you play against running quarterback, it takes the ends out of the game because they can't turn the corner on on and it becomes pain in Allen's game and your middle linebacker.

You want to minimize that pocket as much as you can without having to get Upfiel and allow him to step up and steps out. You know, because I saw that last week and I'm like, we knew this was like a problem, but were thinking, we're not having that mindset going to this game is a preseason game, like you know, what's nothing to be out here running around and lo and behold, he.

Did just run for light.

He had to.

He had to, so he had no choice but to. So you don't want to ever put the put a quarterback in that situation.

Who does that? Well?

Yeah, And I think that's a good point for is like, you know, the defensive ends last week, I thought they did a good job of compressing like kind of power rushes, like tight angled rushes to kind of compress. It was really the defensive tackles who were a little bit loose with their rush angles that were creating those running lanes.

And like I said, running quarterbacks force us to play zone because all our coaches won't all living us responding to him. I think about it, any running quarterback we won't ever put in the playbook.

Two men two men on it turns my back to him.

Yes, we won't ever, so we are.

Prisoner today running quarterback, so we can only play his own blitz to get after him.

But we can only play cover two, cover four, covered three. It's base coverages.

It'll be interesting to see what they do because like you know, this team runs so much match. You know, they run.

Match not so they're going to the three shield.

Yeah, but it plays like man, so their eyes aren't gonna it'd be interesting to see what they do. I think that's a really good thing to watch as well, you know, for your guy Forbes, I'm kind of curious too, Like he this is the first like last week, you know, im already didn't play really like short limited snaps, like this is the time where Odell's gonna play. Is a Flower is gonna play first round pick for Baltimore? Like what's the expectation for Forbes in this game? And like what do you think?

Well, I think he No, nothing's too big for him.

I think he'll be ready for I think he'll be ready for a bitching like Odell, Like he's a studier, he knows his screens. Jay Flowers is the one that I want to see him match up with Rickety rookie, because one thing about for he majors in tall guys. Tall guys, you don't worry about him. He's long, he's tall, he can go get the ball. It's the small guys he's gonna have to learn how to check on a regular basis in this league. And they got one in Zay Flyers, and they got another bigger guy in Bateman.

So I'm ready to see him with versus those.

Young guys than Odell, because Odell gonna take the Santana Moss treatment.

Into this thing.

I'm not here trying to outstage our guys. I'm trying to get out of here healthy and get ready for the first game.

I mean, I kind of think that Jay Flowers matchup is more for Benjamin Saint Juwics so too, because he's Gotaiya has been playing nickel for them or not. He's even playing through the slodlot, and so I think that matchup will be probably more of Benjamin Saint Jewics thinking Saint ju just has shown, like with his length, that he can match up with most, but he has.

To get his hands on the Jay fly Like you can't go press a guy like that and don't touch him.

Yeah. One of the things that Forbes spoke on is that.

And this is how you know he has a high football IQ, just how he sees things. And you know, we talked so much about wanting to see this out of Saint Juice. I know I did, you know, primarily just knowing who he have in front of him and knowing his gifts. Use your gifts, use your ability to your advantage, and forrest smoke on that. Already he has to play certain guys differently, you know, in courage or

Can run anybody. Man. I will be pressing everybody. I can run with you.

I'm pressing you because I want to make sure the quarterbacks say I ain't got enough time because this guy all right.

Here, he's gonna be patient enough. He's gonna put hands on him.

That's gonna slow him down or negate some of the things that he can do to me. Then I'm gonna do that. And I Forest spoke on that last week. So I want to see that, you know, be able to I want to see Saint Jews take that from a from another young guy and put that in his game.

Put that on his too.

It's funny that you mention that Tanna and you were talking about zone and man like. I always think of pressing as kind of a man or a match principle, like do you press also cover too? You can press cover and cover too, But I'm saying like cover before when you're in the slot.

Though on a nickel, it depends on how active the nickel is.

Is he one of them guys that like to show you I'm f in the blitz knowing I'm finna dropping coverage like.

Or yeah, you got also think I ain't mean to cut you off, friend, And you know this better than me. When you're in a slot, you know when and not to do certain things, especially because if you.

Got that man man you running with him, Yeah, then I might not.

I'm not playing these games. Yeah if I do, I got like help on both sides.

Yeah, we got nothing but guys that sitting now, Oh I'm pressed up, Shosha.

You know what I mean.

I'm gonna make sure that now I got you to the point to well, I'm gonna ham you up so long. When I let you go, you can do what you want to do because somebody else picking you up.

You know what I'm saying.

So you should be able to play those kind of mind games knowing where your help is at. If you ain't got help, then you got to say, hell, let me go ahead and back off the guys and see the court back and see him a little bit, because now I know I gotta run a little more.

And that situation of football, what when they come out in eleven with double tights and is Andrews and Likely, I want to see Saint.

Juice have to line up on a wide receiver.

Tight tight end like a likely because that's why he's in there, because he can also check tight ends one on one. So when you bring a Kyle Pitts, you bring up George Kittle, Saint Juice will be the one matched.

Up on him.

I was gonna ask you, so, like you know, with Andrews, he's one of the best in the league. Yeah, Like is that the matchup? Is it Saint Jus or it is Cam Curll.

I think Cam Curll Andrews is the one, Isaiah likely Saint Juice is the one. Like, so I think it's gonna be some some gamesmanship in there. I think it's some gamesmanship in there. And that's why I say on these practices in this game, I think we'll see a lot of both coaches saying I want to see these players one on one, let's set this up.

Yeah, and then one of the ones you can do that as much as you want to.

Yeah. Yeah.

The other thing I wanted to bring up there is like, because Cam is playing more posts now, yeah, Like that's it's tougher to kind of get him down as that nickel player, you know. And I think that's it'll be interesting to see how they handle that, especially with a guy like Mark Andrews, because I think like structurally they're kind of in a situation where it has to be Saint Juice, but they have so much flexibility in the back and maybe Percy comes in and plays post, Cam

I think they're just making everybody interchangeable right now. It ain't nothing else they need to see from Cam Curle when it comes from being in the box checking. People like, let's work on your middle of the field things so we can rock and roll with defro.

I think they're just they're just.

Letting Cam be Cam right now and work on his all the round game because they know what he could do in their box.

It was actually a really nice discussion of the defense. I was surprised that I will that one, honestly. So let's talk about the offense. I never want to talk to you. I know we're offensive.

Man like offense sale tickets, defense win chim.

I don't know if that's true anymore. Statistically, we got to get our analytics guy in here, but I think offense.

Wins leaning on analyt What about the good old I tists.

I mean, I don't know. So let me ask you this right real quick. We got we've got time for a little diverse. We do four hours already. So statistically, what is the likelihood that a number one defense stays number one the following year?

It's basically it's very low.

It's basically zero.

I was the aitation that but number one offense, stay in number one.

That's a great point. But look at Kansas City, like they're always in the top five.

Right, Well, my mama said it will come out of the word, but.

You say the word buddy using some bs.

This is what I'm saying. Offices go up and down, just like defense.

But like Kansas City, you know, the Bills like they like good offenses stay good because good quarterbacks stay good. And it's a quarterback driven league. Defenses are so closely tied.

I don't need us do we need you to y'all need?

That would be how far do you drop from from being the number one win?

But you don't need to be the number one defense to be the defense that wins the Super Bowl, because I would have to have an optimistic, uh, top ten defense than just the number one defense. Optimistic mean we get the ball back and we give our offensive.

Shop to stick. Yeah. Well, I think a good example that's Cincinnati from a couple years ago. They were like a top ten defense, but they were a game plan defense fence. So they came out with that Tampa two really soft coverage versus Patrick Mahomes in the playoff game. Ye yeah, in the in the divisional round, yep, and they beat them. You know what I'm saying to go to the super Bowl because because they were able to kind of find the right thing.

It works for this game.

And guess what, let's go ten drives, ten drives outfense defense if I can get your offense off the field three.

Times, especially one of those offenses we want. But what I'm saying is, like the top the top defenses don't drive. Don't drive wins the same way they used to. It used to be like you could have a defensive football team like the Baltimore Ravens are great examples. Yes, and they would win. They would win you a championship, which yeah, because they'd get six turnovers yet pumper turn touchdown and it'd be like twenty eight to zero and not an

But you're not willing to say this.

It's only the same characters winning for hell Brady for twenty years and now packed my holes from twenty more. It ain't like a situation where Aaron Rodgers, he didn't had good offenses for eighteen consecutive years, he got one championship rings show full and that championship ring is when he had Childs Woodson and that defense.

But also I think to that point, I do think there is this, like miss this misnomer with offensive philosophy that you got a good quarterback, you gotta throw the ball all the time. You need to have a balanced offense, Tanna. You need to be able to run the ball when you need it, like you need the good defense when it's needed. But I do think, just in terms of analytics now, offense drives production a little bit more. So,

They can be dangerous.

They can be dangerous, no doubt, but they haven't consistently showed on this team. Yes, they've got two of the best linebackers in football right now, Queen and Rokwan Smith. And then they've got I don't know, like their secondary is kind of weird.

Nid Humphreys Good, Hamilton Good.

I think the one thing we can always say about the Raves.

They draft will.

Yeah, but they also draft well put guys on the shiff and didn't bringing my two years later and were like, who.

The hell is there? They do a great job of it.

So I'm never gonna go to a Baltimore game and not expect defense, Like I'm sorry, this this their calling court.

That's the that's the culture, that's that's what they regardless of who you are, like, that's what we do.

This is what we do.

So at the end of the year, you wonder why that this team basically thrives behind the same style of play if ray lewis they are not, because this is what this is the tone we said, and this is our culture. So I'm one of those guys that I care less who the names are.

Just show me the Halmets.

Just showed me to him and what and I'm gonna tell you what they do and what they do best. We had to bring out a game offensively, no matter.

They do.

Mimic Pittsburgh the whole divisions.

Like I told you, Pittsburgh is the only team that wins with unattractive quarterbacks. All right, unattractive quarterbacks in good defense. And guess what the Ravens major in it too.

So same, Hell, what's the expectation against that attracted? Do know what's the expectation? Yeah, come on, I thought I was going with quarterback face on that. But I'm saying.

I thought we were going with the quarterback face test.

So what I'm saying is like, what is a good outing for him? Do you want to see what it looks like versus versus Cleveland? Can he do that again? Like what's the clean jersey?

I want to see him leave the.

Game more offensive line related, I guess.

Yeah, it's him to get the ball at your hand.

So we're talking about the preseason game.

On to my the game is helf between Sam versus the right.

You want to see him pick off Rarey left off. I mean, you know, if it's scoring and scoring, we're scoring. But I want to see, Like I said, I didn't go into the preseason the first preseason game looking for touchdowns and big you know, you know, big plays. I want to see us move the ball consistently, you know, be productive. I think when you saw that first series, we had what two first downs easy quick like that he ran one time and then he one time he

So I just want to see a production. I want to see us move.

The ball, take advantage of the opportunity we have. If it's not there, get off the field, but try to move the ball as efficiently as you can. And I think, to me, that's a win in the preseason. Now this is the second preseason game, so they're being there a little more. So, Yeah, you want to see a score as well. You want to see some some kind of points come out of east drive here and there.

Yeah, all right, our producers giving me the hook. But real quick, one guy that you're watching, bubble guy? Real quick, who's someone you're keeping an eye on?

Kind of like JP man, JP to me, Jerry pat Patterson the bubble guy. Now he's a bubble guy. Just because with the question is running back of bull guy?

I mean you're watching whoever you're watching?

Yeah, I mean I say, JP could running back room looking pretty fear it's crazy And I like and I like him. I love him and I don't like him, and I tell you I love him. I feel like we haven't We're not the team for him.

We don't we we don't use him.

I think he's a guy that can can be big on special teams, and he's the guy that you can hide in your back field.

And and get a ball to.

So I'm hoping that if we don't have a spot for him somewhere, somebody.

Jones Jewish, this is what I thought it could be. Now, I won't say a bubble guy. I'm gonna go back to Sam Howe. Yeah, because like, because I just think he's so important. But also I think the setup is very the greatest show on turf flight for this team. Yes, because when Kirk Warner came to the team, they had already.

Had this this this.

Good wide receiving cord, they had martial fault back, and they were just waiting on this quarterback that nobody gave a chance. I remember the preseason when Kirk like they starting Kirk Wanner and everybody was like they started who like because nobody knew so nobody knew what the story was about to be. I feel this team could beat it because I already said that he reminds me of a hybrid of Tony Romo and Kirk wanna. So all I'm saying is can he can? He had a nostalgia in its story fulfield.

I think he can.

Yeah, So I'm gonna say Wiley and Biggers. I'm gonna say Wiley. It's because i think he's gotten better each week in practice and then obviously had a tough first game. Can he kind of come back and say like, Hey, no, I'm a good pro, I'm a good starting right tackle. Show what I've been showing in practice. Yeah, show what I showed in Kansas City. I think he will. But that's something I'll be watching. So I think that's gonna do it. For today's show, guys, I think that was

Very short show.

Now this right here, Friz.

Didn't do I did not It was it was it was his foul mouth.

All right. That's around.

We are, guys, a ton of content for you Game Day Live, Jenks and our very own Santana Moss in the regular season. B Mitch will also be on that show. Makes You Turn into that new pod Get Loud with Fred Smoot.

As you know the scheme.

I don't know why you call it get Loud because You're So Quiet. Command set of the Flagship Show will recap everything from the preseason game against Baltimore. We got something for you each and every day of the week, so be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube page to never miss any exclusive Commander's news and content.