On this week's Booth Review. There are no moral victories.
Hopefully the defense will have a better day, but that Ravens offense London might be the best at Washington Sees all year.
And we'll take a look ahead of this week's game against the Carolina Panthers and why this is a bigger game than yesterday against the Baltimore Ravens.
It's all coming up on the Booth Review. Welcome to this week's edition of the Booth Review podcast. I Braham Weinstein with one of the greatest linebackers of all time, London Fletcher.
This is weird.
London didn't spend a month we had lost, so we're doing a review of a game the Commanders actually lost this week to a very good Baltimore Ravens team.
Now it's definitely a feeling of like, man, are we really at this point that winning thing?
Man?
I got used to that. I don't know about you, but it feels good to win. But obviously that wasn't the case yesterday. On my flight back home to Charlotte, I was just kind of reflecting on the game and where we are at as a as a team, as a franchise, as a kind of fan.
Base, and I'm actually still optimistic.
About where we are, and you know, we'll get into the Ravens and what we think about them, but it definitely is not not the thing, the money we've grown accustomed to over the last month.
Yeah, well, I want to start with this. I mean, because we don't know what's going on with John or Dorance. You played in what two hundred and fifty six consecutive games. I wonder if you're going to get a call from DQ this week because we took a couple of injuries. Who knows, So hold on, hold on, bron all Right, So you mentioned Doris Ordog and Jonathan Allen, two defensiveliaminate or injured, Bobby Wagner and Frankie Louvu.
They're healthy, so you think, I know, I put on some weights. So you want toything go what you said, It.
Was not a fat joke, it really was. It was actually trying to be complimentary of you and make a snarky joke. That's not going to happen.
So so myb buddies, my former even former teammates that were there that I played with, friend and Smooth, you know, some of the other guys I played with they would have took that as a fletch.
We need a couple of d liven That's all right, that's all right.
Yeah, I'm hopen As we're taping this, we don't know what the situation is with John R. Dort, so hopefully we'll get some good news on both of their injuries as we move forward.
Into the Carolina game this week.
All right, let's focus back in on the Ravens game a little bit. Where Listen, this is a team that's been in the playoffs five of the last six years, seventeen of the last twenty five. They are very stable. They've had same front office structure for a very long time, Harbaugh's second longest tenured coach, seventeenth year, same owner for a long time.
They have a unicorn quarterback.
Like I think, you know what you get with a team like that, And therefore, I think why this felt like such a big game yesterday.
So I want to go spin z out.
A little bit here because I'll be honest with you, like I follow, you know what the media is going to say about the team afterwards, and they could have focused on a couple of things, and they seem to have focused more that Washington, went toe to toe with them, were in a one score game, saw the quarterback go toe to toe with an MVP quarterback, and decided not to overly focus on four hundred and eighty four yards given up. So I think both of these things are true.
But to your point, I think people remained very optimistic that they saw what five in the offense can do and went toe to toe in a place where not a lot of teams win.
Frankly, yeah, No, you're definitely right when you I guess when the schedule first came out and you saw where we are as a recalibration, whatever you want to call it, new ownership, new gen, new front office, new head coach, over fifty percent, a roster completely turned over, and you saw the Ravens on the schedule, like you know where they've been in the number one seed in AFC a year ago, where we won what three games last year four games? I can't even remember it was. I tried
to wipe that out of my memory bank. But you saw that on the schedule and you're like, okay, can we go in there kind of be a little bit competitive. This is prior to the season and the way guys you know, have played recently and going on that four game winn streak, You're like, Okay, Baltimore, isn't.
That they're up here on paper? We're down here.
But then after you go in there and you see it end up being just a one score game, you feel pretty good about where we're.
Where we are right now.
But I think you also have to look and say, we still need there's a lot more room for improvement. I think coach Quinn will say that with the guy, there'll be some get some things that he takes away from the football game. You're like, man, I really like this. Love the way we competed, love the way we did this,
love the way we did that. But these are some areas where we definitely hit need to improve, you know, to get to where we're at, the point where the Ravens aren't as a as a perennial Super Bowl contender, a team that could represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
Yeah.
I mean, I think largely like they were a good litmus type. I didn't like measuring stick. I thought it was the I thought we're just kind of too early in this process to use terminology. And I think the team like that either but I thought litmus test of where this is through five games, because it really thought Dan could was very honest about it last Friday. It
was like the good elephant in the room. This is happening faster than you thought it would write, and he kind of acknowledged, you know, it's all new, all these new players. We are trying to instill a new culture. We do think we have a special player at quarterback, but you know it's baked in that it's going to take some time. It's the NFL, and it seemed to be coming along at a really expedited pace, which was
really good. And that's why we landed on this game where you go for the first sixer on the road. This is the hardest one of all of them, because this is a team that's been there, done that, and looks like the type of team that, at least on one side of the ball, could compete for a championship. Again, let's find out where they are. And I think in the end, when you look at the scoreboard and you go thirty to twenty three, it feels like it was momentum.
But and I assume you kind of feel the same way. But what Dan said to us coach Quinn said to us in the postgame press conference, in the interview we did with him, and even what he said in the press conference was there were parts of this and this I thought was honest and acknowledging what happened that was quote unquote lopsided. And he's talking about the way the Ravens were able to move the ball on him. Defensively,
that's the number one offense in the league. But you're gonna give up four hundred and eighty four yards to anybody, and it's not just running, it's not just passing. You're gonna have a hard time getting to the level that the Ravens are at.
Yeah, So when you look at the Ravens last six possessions, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, field goal, end of game where they were driving and they ran out the clock.
I looked at it.
I rewatched the game this morning a little bit, watch the defensive side, and because that was to decide that I wanted to focus on first and foremost to see, Okay, where were the breakdowns, Where were the things that we need to do.
Better at first and foremost?
I thought there were some communication eras that happened in that ball game that we had seen during that four game winning streaking, and there was a confusion on a couple of different different plays. From a passing game standpoint, the Ravens there, they got goot good football players. Eight flowers is a problem. They're going to win their fair share of matches.
But the.
Part where I think Joe Witt will kind of be really disappointed is some of the miscommunications. There were a couple coverage busts where those things we kind of felt like and I'm sure they felt like we're behind them. If you go back to the Tampa Bay game, the first game of the season, that there were some issues like that that kind of crept back up in this game.
From a coverage standpoint, they'll probably do some things, Hey, from a technique standpoint that you could have played this a little bit different from a technique standpoint, giving yourself a better chance to win that down. From a covered standpoint, there were some gap fit issues in the running game where you know, guys who didn't necessarily stay in their responsibilities and they got some they got some runs that
that that hurt us in that ball game. And Derek Henry is a monster, but you can't help him by not being where you need to be. So when you look at that and you say, are these places where we need different personnel it's just an off season issue or is this just hey, guys, we still are in the midst of the season, and these are things that
we can get corrected right now. I say yes, looking at that film, the communication eras, the kind of lapses or technique, the deals you can you can get those corrected right now, and guys saying and playing in their correct responsibility when it comes to stopping a run.
Those are things that can be corrected right now during this season.
So when you look at and they call it up tell the truth Monday or whatever, when you tell the truth Monday, those are the things that they're going to talk about in that meeting room.
I want to talk about the Flowers matchup for a moment, because he had obviously a huge first half, and like, if you're going in and you're facing the Ravens, you've got to try to limit their run game. I mean, they came in averaging two hundred and eleven yards a game in the modern NFL on the ground, that's stupid like that, it's an absurd number. It really is like in the modern when he's throwing the ball so much, it's an absurd number to have that. So they have
this kind of unstoppable part of their offense. The one thing that Washington defense did really well yesterday was they limited Lamar on the ground like he was eleven for forty something like that. So they limited him big day through the air though, And you could tell early Washington was committed to trying to do at least slow down the Ravens run, and the numbers were there, but in the end when asked to go out and get matched
up with those receivers, couldn't really handle it. There were five receivers for the Ravens that had at least thirteen yards per catch. Five like that means everybody's getting chunk plays off of them. And the Flowers one I remember talking to you pregame talking to Logan about it, and I said, you know, like Mike Samers still down the road is probably their slot corner. This is a unique person that they're facing. They haven't seen a lot of
teams that have a receiver like this. Flowers as this kind of movable part who can go inside outside, quick quick cut, quick explosion player. I remember looking at you going who are they covering him with? And he ended up having a massive first half against them because I think Washington was dedicated to try to slow down the
run and the Ravens responded. I give them credit, they responded and found very good matchups, and Flowers I believe is a very He may not be perceived as a top five, top ten receiver, but at what he does for them, he's a very difficult matchup and he was for Washington yesterday.
Yeah.
No, he was had the big play in their opening drive with the on the on the screenplay the wide receiver rocket screen where we had they caught us in the blitz and you know, it's a perfect call for them against a defense where we were we're bringing the pressure off that edge, so that that that got them
going early in that ball game. But from a standpoint of when I talk about watching the film, keep it telling the truth, there were some times, and again I don't know exactly being a coach, but just from a
lot of his routes were in breaking rounds. Routes they were across the field against coverage and oftentimes the corners they have outside leverage because of you know, you may have a post safety and things like that, but may hey, maybe you may want to shade a little bit inside on these this type of route because or especially with the split that this guy has and his feeding, you know, if we're gonna if we're gonna give up something forcing to beat us on the outside or outbreaking route things
like that. So that may be something that they're talking about in their in their film room. The pass rush wasn't what it needed to be either, so there was a times where well Lamar had opportunity to go through his progressions, had a lot of time to to you know, find his open receivers.
Part of that was off of play action.
Again, you're geared up to stop Derrick Henry in that running game, so there was some open windows there. I look at it as you know, and it wasn't just Samuge Steel. He wasn't covering him, you know, completely in and shadow him anything.
They were.
They had some some different guys covering covering him, mainly egg Monogony and Samudge Steel.
So you know, it's a hass off to the Ravens.
Jay Flowers did a night job and they executed a game plan you know to to almost a tea.
Yeah, I mean it was funny.
Back in week two after Week one with the Giants, I watched one Dale Robinson, who I don't think is quite as talented, quick whatever like Jay Flowers is. But I watched him and they were dumping it off to him a million times, and he's kind of that guy in the slot who's got some quickness, and I thought for sure the Giants would try to take advantage, and when they didn't, I was actually surprised that they went neighbors neighbors, neighbors, neighbors, neighbors, because I think that that
is somewhat of an advantage. I don't think Robinson is of Flowers level. Flowers is a unique player for them, especially in an offense where every defense has to load up against the run. You have no choice. You're going to get favorable matchups with him. And in Washington's case, I said to you pregame, I'm like, I don't know who's covering him. I think it's going to be a very difficult spot. Then they had to shift, you know, at halftime, because the passing game was getting them, and
at that point you're playing from behind against them. It's a death sentence against them. It's like trying to stop a mac truck and over and over and over. You know, they're just battering you with Henry Lamar Justice Hill on the edge and their run game is dominant.
Now you're you're, you're, you're absolutely right.
When you got one league and then you're trying to put that out there, you got another league. So you go into the game knowing our focus is on stopping the ruh, stopping there can we stopping Lamar Jackson. We can't allow these guys to just as you mentioned, you know, just bulldoze us or run us over in the mack truck and the run from a running game.
To their credit, they went.
A lot of play action pass on first down, Yes, get some some chunk plays. Again, was the technique exactly the way you wanted to be played? That's those are things that the coaches will talk about. Could you have done something different, Could you maybe get into the face of of the receivers, try to just rup them a little bit, things like that.
All right, let me get to the other side of the ball with you for a minute, because this also was semi predictable for Washington, and I actually think it's the good thing in my opinion, that really came out of this, So be Rob's out. I want to get to his impact in a little bit later. But Washington has been essentially a fifty to fifty run team. Well, they're coming in against the team that has the at
least metrically best rush defense in the NFL. I think that's a little skewed because teams are typically playing from behind against Baltimore, so they're throwing a lot more in the second half, so the rush numbers are a little bit off, But still I don't want to take anything away from them. They came in with this b Robs out,
and I think we could both agree. Everybody knew we had to score thirty to win, so this was going to be the first game where I think Jaden they walked in knowing that Jaden's throwing thirty to forty passes, so we were going to be a pass heavy offense no matter what. And honestly they passed that test, like
we didn't know. This year is to me all about set the culture, find out where your roster is, try to develop Jaden Daniels, which is clearly ahead of the curve, and then each week, you're going to have a different challenge, and this challenge this week was different than anything they had faced. They knew they were gonna have to throw the ball a lot this weekend to have a chance to win, and we haven't seen them do that yet where they had to rely on throwing the ball a lot.
And honestly, in the end, that's the one I take away from this and go, I feel really good that forced into that situation to have to win this way. I think they're capable of it. And that's why that's what I really liked about the game the other day.
Yeah, no, no, you're right.
And when you look at you mentioned the Ravens defense that top billing has been the number one rush defense in the National Football League.
It is earned.
I know they're I look at yards per rush and going into that ball game, the Ravens were allowing three yards only three yards per carry. You want to be at about three yards or less. Actually, you want to be maybe about three point three yards per carry allowed rush attempt, and that's a really good run defense. They are at three points three points three yards per carry.
We had eighteen carry for fifty two yards.
They allowed two point nine yards per carry against US that top building as a rush defenses armed looking at their their pass defense, they had some issues in defending the past. They've given up a lot of a lot of players in the passing game. They had some They've had some blown coverages, some miscommunications, the guys they missed, some guys that are no longer on that team from a year ago that left be a free agency. They weren't playing the type of pass defense that the Ravens
are customed to play. They were number one sacks a year ago, so they did that. They took the football away. They're not that type of defense currently when it comes to defending the pass, and we had to rely on the passing game. And you know, yeah, you would have loved to have be Robbing that game, and I probably would. We would definitely would have had more than eighteen rushing attempts if he was in that game.
But the way to go against the he was in through the air.
Right now, Yeah, I'll revisit b Rob in a bit because when we talk about him specifically, I want to want to get into him. But on the passing game, like going in, what I saw from the Ravens was they don't get a lot of pressure just rushing for like, they don't have the elite pass rushers on the edge. They had a little more success with it yesterday than I kind of thought they would, but they typically have to bring pressure. Kyle Hamilton's kind of a chaos agent
for them. He kind of comes up to the line. You don't know where he's going to be, where he's going to be coming from. But they bring pressure, puts pressure on their secondary and they're a little slower right now, whether that's communication or age or something on the back end.
And there's big plays to be had.
So even going in knowing you got to score a lot of points, it looks like that's the vulnerability of their defense. Now you got to find out can we do it? If asked to throw the ball thirty five to forty times a game to win, can we do it? And I think Jayden and the offense answered that they're
capable of it. They look like to this point, a more comfortable offense being this fifty to fifty be more physical, run the ball type of offense to try to control the clock and take a little bit of the weight off of Jaden's shoulders. But that's not every game you're going to be in, and they weren't in one of those yesterday. And that, to me was the biggest positive coming out of this was if the offense is asked to do this, they seemingly are very capable of it.
Yeah, very capable of And I was, I was.
I was impressed with the way Jaden played in that in that environment, the way, you know, got off to a kind of a little slow start from an offensive standpoint in the passing game. But thought he saddled in thought the offense Saturday, and I thought the tempo kind of started to affect the Ravens defense, going no huddle
for a majority of the game. And you mentioned the passing game, We were able to make plays in that make and make Hey the thing, I'll look at it from a I'm gonna look at it from a defensive
standpoint and what it does to you. You talked about the fifty to fifty run run pass element just from a defensive standpoint, when you're going against a team where you have to defend both, it just it always has you on your heels from a defensive standpoint, because you can't just hang your hat and say, hey, this is a run heavy team. We stopped to run, we increase
the likelihood of us winning this football game. Conversely, if you're if this is a team that they throw the football seventy percent of the time, hey we can drop eight and the coverage, we can do all the different types of things. Really just focused on taking away their passing game, force them to run the ball. Kind of like a lot of teams you have to play the Indianapolis Coats where they're like, hey, we're gonna make you
run the football. We're gonna play a lot of Cover two, force you to play to run the ball.
Can you be patient?
Things like that, And it wasn't until the Coat started to run the ball a little bit more effectively that they actually were able to get over the Hunt hump and win the Super Bowl.
So those are the.
Things that a defense, i mean offense like ours, the challenges that they present present to a defense when you can do both, when you can run the ball effectively and now coming off that game showing we can also to do a lot of damage through the air. So that's that is a great positive. Like you said that we need to air it out.
You brought the no huddle thing up And when they showed this stat on the television broadcaster today, I was surprised. I mean, I know, we've run a lot of no huddle and up tempo. I didn't realize the disparity was so high with Washington versus everybody else, like coming into the game. I don't know, I didn't see the metrics from yesterday, but it was a lot again that they barely huddled, Like they had run one hundred and sixty three plays no huddle and the next closest team had
run half of that. So, I mean, and they've been very they're the number one scoring offense in the league. So like I was surprised. I guess like that's validation in itself. It works for them, and I think, you know, to some degree too, that's a surprise that that operates that well with a rookie quarterback, that they are operating efficiently enough that they can do something that no one else in the league is doing and they're prolifically scoring.
Even yesterday, it was there they left points on the field, they had a field goal blocked, they had some mishaps you know, at other points of the game, like there were points left on the field.
Again, No, absolutely they The second you mentioned the know how to plays, the next closest team, I think they On the graphic it was one hundred and sixty three plays of no huw to plays run by us. The next closest with these Chicago Bears with eighty one, so slightly more than double the amount of plays of no how to plays. And again, no huddle was a weapon. It's a tool, and then you don't have to necessarily snap the ball quickly. Again, I'll speak to you from
a defense standpoint. When a team goes no how to hurry up, it forces us to kind of streamline the calls that we're going to make from a defensive standpoint. You know, we may we may not have a ton of plays in from a defensive standpoint, if we run to run pressure, we may want to get into our look immediately. We don't want to disguise as much. So it gives the answers to the quarterback right away, like, hey, you may know it. You may see a pressure coming.
You may know if it's single high safety or uh cover two or two deep type safety. You may be an identified man versus zone. Those type of things you get, you're able to get pre snap and that works to an advantage, especially averse to an advantage for any offense, especially.
For a young offense with a young quarterback.
So that's that's brilliant actually when you think about running so many no how to plays and huddle up type type of plays because it gives answers immediately to a young quarterback.
All right, let's pick a few more topics, and let's do this in our game that we call this or that.
All right, so all right, here we go this or that.
The defense for Washington regressed against the Ravens or the Ravens offense is elite.
I'll say, I think we regressed just a tad bit.
Well, let me let me say this. No, what it's not.
It's that we, as I mentioned, the communication situations weren't what they had been prior to that easily correctable. We had some run fit eras and we had some communication lapses on the on the from the passing game standpoint. Now, the Ravens offense is elite as well, but just a tad bit of regression.
Now, what do you think?
So on the Washington defense part, I would say this for both sides of the ball. Actually, I think part of the reason why they were four and one going into this game was the they were largely the more physical team in the games that they played, Like Jayden played really well. They did a very creative offense. They were executing with it. The defense was getting better, but they were winning the line of scrimmage, and they were the more physical teams, specifically on offense. I didn't feel
that yesterday. I know you rewatched it. I didn't feel that.
Now.
Baltimore's kind of been there, done that with this for a very long time, and this is like when dan Quinn and Joett and they talk about, this is how we get down. You're gonna like how we play. We're gonna be the more physical team. I didn't feel that part of it. Yesterday. Felt like the Ravens were the
more physical team. Maybe I'm wrong about that, so I don't know if I would call that a regression, but that was just my general sense in watching the two that the more physical team ended up winning the game.
Yeah, I don't, I don't. I don't. I don't think that.
I don't feel like the Ravens were more physical than us. It wasn't a physical situation that the Ravens offense just like pounded us up from with get uh, you know, moving our defense alignment out of I don't think they all physical to us. I just think we didn't. We had some communication breakdowns in the secondary, did cover very well, and the past Russ wasn't able to really get get
to him. Now, missing Doris Armstown that definitely hurt. John Allen's John Allen missing the second half of that game, that hurt. So that's not a physical, you know, physicality deal.
In my part, I thought we didn't.
We didn't communicate well, and we didn't play coverages as as we needed to in and and the pass was crash.
Russ wasn't what it needed to be.
Now, I am more on the side of this question that the Ravens offense came in as the number one offense at least in terms of yardage, and I think that they have the unstoppable thing in the league this year, their run game, and therefore they're gonna end up top five or number one in offense. And so they are elite, Like they have two Hall of famers who carry the ball for their team.
You know.
Lamar Jackson became the second most prolific running quarterback in the history of the NFL yesterday and by the end of this year or early next year, will surpass Michael Vick as having the most rush yards by any quarterback ever. Derrick Henry in his first one hundred and twenty five games is in the company in terms of yardage and touchdowns of only four other running backs ever, Emmett Smith,
Adrian Peterson, Ladanian, Tomlinson, and Jim Brown. They have unicorn players that play in an offense that runs the ball really well. And I also say this too, I don't know if you felt the same way, Like, I've really been very pleased with what Cliff Kingsbury has put together in terms of execution creativity of the offense throughout the first six games, Like he gets them into these very good second and manageable situations. A lot of creative players.
I'll say this for Todd Munkin too. It's not that they're just handing the ball off to Dereck Henry and he's running up the middle and he gets three four yards and then they go from there. They're very creative in the way that they try to start eat set of downs. So I'll give them a lot of credit for being creative as well. And they're the number one offense for a reason. They are elite. This is the
reigning MVP. That's ridiculous that that running backs on this team. Frankly, Like, I think that they're like the Eagles from a couple of years ago, where their rush offense was so good, so unstoppable, and in third and fourth and shorts, when the Eagles are doing this touch push thing, it becomes something that you can't stop. I don't care how good you are on defense, you can't stop. That's kind of how I feel about that aspect of the Ravens offense.
I defy anybody to hold them to under one hundred yards rushing this year. Like, I don't think anybody will be able to do it as a team. Nobody will be able to do that against them.
You know what, your heads in your bed, that's going out on the limb with that bet?
Huh that on hundred one hundred team? Could you hold them to? Like even dan quincid is we can't talking about one hundred and fifty.
That'd be good.
One hundred and fifty, Like, that's a huge game for anybody. One hundred and fifty years not for them.
Was my number. I was like, yeah, fifty, that was my number.
Like who else would you say that about the what other team running the ball? Would you say, let's just hold them to one fifty? You wouldn't say that about anybody. That's because they're that good at it.
Like, that's that's what it is, the Ravens and you hope they don't have a type of passing game that they had. Yes, that's that's the difference.
If Lamar hits intermediate and deep throws, you're dead. That's that's the point. And that's why they're elite. This is why and this is not their show. I'll just say this to you. They're the ones that audit at the deadline. Go get a available receiver and go over the top and lean into this. Like the Warriors didn't need Kevin Durant when they got them, but they got them and made them that much better. They are a top target opposite Flowers away from in my opinion, being basically unstoppable
on offense. You can't stop their run game. What if they have a number one like primary receiver out there, Like, what's gonna You're gonna have to score forty to beat.
Them, said Brown, I'm a Browns. I mean, I'm a Cavaliers fan. And the fact that you said the Warriors didn't need Kevin Durant, I disagree. They needed Kevin Durrat. They were not going to be the Cavaliers without Kdie. Let's move on to the next this or that?
All right, we missed Brian Robinson or the Ravens defense is just that good against the run?
Where are you on that one?
We miss b rob We definitely miss b Rob because you mentioned physicality, peace, and a lot of things that b rob does first and foremost, it opens up a lot more. Having him on the field will open up a lot more in the passing game. And I know, I know well Jaden had a career high in passing yards yesterday with sixty nine yards passing. But having b Robbed on the field forces you to commit more resources, maybe an extra guy into the box to try to stop the run, which will open up things in the
passing game a little bit more. Also, his ability to catch passes out of backfield and break tackles and make play yards at the contact, So you miss you miss having him on the field. Him and Austin Eckler as a dynamic want two punch, and I know Jeremy mc nichols, he's played well in and they when thrust in and called into duty. But b Rob Man, he's a difference maker. He is a difference maker, So we definitely missed him. I think their defense is I think both are true here.
I think their defense is very good against the run, and b Rob not being there I think is a big deal. I describe it as he's kind of gas in the tank for this offense. And I agree with you.
I think you honor Washington's run differently when he's actually out on the field because he is apt to get the ball fifteen to twenty times a game, and I think the Ravens know that Eckler isn't going to be used like that, Like I don't think there would be a usage where they were Washington gives him the ball fifteen to twenty times a game. So I do think that that kind of altered probably the predictability to some degree of what Washington was going to do without having
b Rob out there. But I will say this, like it'll go back to what we were talking about earlier, Like I think Washington knew b Rober. No, b Rob, they're going to throw the ball more this week. So like would it have been thirty five passes in eighteen rushes? Would it more have been thirty one and twenty one? You know, like would it have been something like that, like a few more runs from b Rob.
I'll buy that.
Like that they would have carried the ball more with Robinson as opposed to him not being there. I still think this was a pass heavy game plan, and so it's not to you know, insinuate they didn't need him or didn't want them, or wouldn't have been better with them. All those things are true. I just don't know that from a game plan perspective, knowing what they had to get done, that I think it would have been more run heavy with him out there either way. Honestly, Yeah, I'll say this.
I just think here's the difference where I see so some of them Ron's where you may pick up two yards with with Eckler or McNichols, you may probably pick up four yards with b Rob.
Or five yards.
So now you're agree you're in a second and five or second and six, or possibly a third and three as opposed to a third and five and things like that. So just having him because of the bigger body being six foot two. You talked about this on the on the air on the yesterday when Derrick Henry so big, he just falls forward for an extra two or three yards.
You stop him and he gets four yards.
You stop them and he gets four yards, and you're like, that's a good play.
So it's a similar type of situation with b Rob. He has great body of body lean, so he's getting an extra yard, two yards, three yards to carry just because of his forward lean and he's a much bigger body. So now that that instead of us having to convert third and eight, third and seven, thirty six, now we're having to convert third and three, yeah, thirty four, you know, thirty five.
A lot a lot more mattersable down in this.
I mean, he's their best lead running back, pure running back inside the tackles. He's money on these short yards downs. He's like Henry to the point of it. And it's never going backwards. It's always getting an extra yard or two. They're better with him, Like it's not and it's not close. They're better with him. I just think yesterday that just the setup and for all the reasons why they were going to have to throw the ball more to keep up with Baltimore. I'm not sure that his absence is
the difference here, and it's no offense to him. It's like, I just feel like they were throwing the ball a lot either way that that would be Robert, no b Rob. They were throwing the ball a lot yesterday, no choice.
Yeah, it was gonna be.
It was going to be a probably a sick I would say it wouldn't be sixty I mean, wouldn't be fifty to fifty.
I think it would have been sixty forty maybe a little closer.
I agree, because I think it was thirty five eighteen I think is what it was. So what would it have been thirty twenty three? You know something like that?
You know?
Is that what we're talking about here? Maybe we passed the ball. How many pass attempts we had? Yeah, thirty five five pass attempts and eighteen runs.
And think about this though too, with b Rob on the field, as I mentioned, maybe we convert some more third downs we have the We possessed the ball a lot longer too, and the Ravens don't have the ball as much as they did, and they're not controlling the clock as much. So I'm saying we definitely miss b Rob. I would have loved to have him in that game. Long term wise, he's too valuable to what we want
to accomplish. So hopefully he is not a situation or injury that he's he has to miss multiple games, but he's a very valuable to him to what we're trying to.
Like with John and George, We're waiting here from dan Quinn and we'll see what his situation is moving forward. All right, what more of this or that Jaden Daniels is not at the MVP level yet he just played an MVP yesterday, or the kid is still really balling.
It's Jason, who's our producer, Brad, he goes MVP level and a kid in.
Six games into his NFL career. I was you on this.
I didn't even want to ask you that question, but it was put on the paper in front of me. So we blamed Jason for a question that I'm not even comfortable asking.
But yes, all right, so like he's still balling, let's say that he is under your ball. There was there were some throws in that game. Yesterday where he hits a couple of throws on some out routes to the sideline where wal was to Terry almost to Noah Brown, where he put the ball in perfect position where only his receiver can catch the ball. The first touchdown pass to Terry Way throws it to a spot. Let's Terry run underneath the ball across the field over a safety that's way back there.
I mean some of the plays that.
The second testyle to Terry, he could have He could have laid Terry down thea towards the back pielin Ashley ends up throwing a back shoulder again, perfect ball placement.
The kid is still balling.
One hundred percent fourth and goal from the six and a must throw, and he puts it in a spot where only McLaurin can make a catch. Yes, Like nothing's too big for him. The spotlight's not too big for him. His instincts are just outrageous. His clutch ability is there. Nothing seems to get to him. He had like a couple airant throws and one bad one that should have
been picked off. But like your nitpicking at this point, when you just go, oh, he had two bad throws in a game like, okay, name the other quarterbacks who have two bad throws in a game like he's playing extraordinarily well ahead of the curve. I love his demeanor about everything, you know, like we're yesterday, Like it ain't m it's not why they lost like it, you know, but you could feel it in him that he's all about the team, that it doesn't matter what he does.
He doesn't he don't want nanny, he doesn't want any like nice adjectives about his play when the team loses. You can feel this about him, and I think this is why they're rallying around him, why they believe in him, Why Dan Kuhn was talking about that yesterday. You could feel this in the locker room. And I'll tell you what too, Like I liked how it sounded in there. You know, they lost to a good team, Yester. That
team was in the AFC Championship a year ago. They're on a four game win streak, They've got the number one offense, the reigning MVP. They're better on offense in my opinion this year than they were a year ago. And that's saying something like there's no shame it losing to a team like that. But they didn't want to hear about moral victories. They were disappointed. They know they can go toe to toe with them, they know they can be better on the defensive side of the ball.
And I liked hearing it, like the vibes matter to me. And I liked hearing what they had to say out of that locker room where they're like, don't tell us we played the Ravens close, like we don't want to hear that right now.
I liked that.
Nobody wants to hear that. And again, I've had the chance to rewatch the game. You haven't yet. We didn't play our best football offensively or defensively, so we play our best football, maybe it's a different result. And we're not talking about we went toe to toe with the Ravens.
We're talking about we beat the Ravens. And I'm not I don't think I'm you know, this hyperbole or anything like that, like we play our best football if we play in some of it hed you say, well, the Ravens forced us to play the way we played, did they really? It's just my opinion. It's my opinion, and I can see why they're like, hey, we're not happy with the moral victory because they know they can play better.
They know from offensive execution, from a defensive execution, we can be a lot better than what we were yesterday.
And I'm excited about that.
And I feel like, you know, this is a gop opportunity to have a great week of preparation, great week of practice going into this game at home against the Carolina Pators, to get back on the winning side of things.
There is one other, like kind of larger point that I'm curious about this week, which goes back to you know, we're learning week to week about this team. I think that's why people were so kind of can't believe my eyes after the first few weeks, because it was so good and you're like, it's new. It's a rookie quarterback, new staff, new everything, thirty new players, Like I can't believe this is happening this fast. So this is all
every week is kind of a new test. And the game that really got me, that turned me into this isn't going back, like this is a new normal was actually Arizona, Like they played in Cincinnati, they had that incredible moment they won, everybody saw it. It's on Monday Night football. The next day, everybody's talking about them. Who are these guys? How good is Jayden Dane? How great they are? The schedule you played, this is the worst
they play on a short week. Kept to go to the West Coast and play like that's a loss, Like it's just set up to be a loss. They go out there and play their best game by far, put their heads down, dominate both sides of the ball. And after that one, I went, all right, we're onto something here. It means they know how to handle wins. It means they know how to handle wins like early. We're gonna find out this week can they handle a loss? And that's why I'm saying like I liked hearing what they
had to say. They weren't claiming moral victories. They weren't complaining about whatever outside of what was happening in the game. They weren't doing any of that stuff. And I want to see what happens this weekend when they come back home, because I've seen them handle a win really well. Let me see how they handle a loss now.
Oh, they're gonna do it. They're gonna handle it in a proper way. Because a game you're talking about, tell the truth, Tell the truth Monday. The coaches are going to tell the truth to those guys. We didn't play our best football. A lot of you guys didn't play up to your abilities, you know capabilities, didn't execute the game playing the way we wanted to execute it, didn't carry out your assignments the way you they needed to be carried out. And that's just the reality of the situation.
That's what happened yesterday. I'm not calling anybody out or anything. This is that's what happened yesterday. We did not execute and play to the level that we have been growing accustomed to playing. Guys didn't play their best football at a number on a number of different occasions.
When you lose a football game, one of the things that happens there's greater attention to detail. I worry about teams more so, and you mentioned after a candling and win. Oftentimes you gotta worry about teams more so after victory because you make gloss over some issues, some mistakes that didn't necessarily get exposed in that ballgame. So all right, yeah, we'll get that done the next time.
But when you when you lose a football game, the attention to detail wraps up the focus, all the things, the intensity, the preparation, all.
The things that you need to do.
It's at a highened level. And so you go into that, you have a great week of practice, and then you go into that ball game ready to play your best.
And here's the reality. Like, for their first six were on the road, they're four and two. For their first six were on the road, they're four and two. So they're in a really good spot as they kind of turn the corner here where the schedule becomes very favorable in terms of home games, lack of travel. And that's why I think this week is huge. I want to see how they handle this and everything I heard last
night in the locker room scream to me. Not unlike the win against Cincinnati the loss here, they're very measured about the whole thing. And I expect a really good performance this weekend, honestly.
And here's so let's talk about this weekend they got we got three things kind of going on here alumni. Well, first and foremost, Derk Green's jersey is being retired at that ball game, the one of the mount rushmoores of our franchise. His jersey is going to be immortalized definitely want to. That atmosphere should be great Alumni weekend, hundreds
of former players who've doned the burgundy and gold. Whether you did it when the franchise was the Redskins or Commanders, whatever the case may be, you are Washington legend.
You doned the Burgundy and gold. Third win the situation, we're still in first place in NFC East. We need our fans to come out and droves.
Don't look at this as a oh man, They're playing the low league Carolina Panthers. We don't need to be there. We need to protect our home field. We want to the Carolina Panthers when they're on offense on third down, to have to call time outs because the crowd is so loud, to get false stars to feel like they are in a hostile environment and they picked the wrong day to show up at Northwest Stadium.
We need our fans to come out and.
Droves and feed off that and feed that energy to the players because it matters. It matters a lot. This is a big game. I would say this is bigger than the game we just played yesterday. Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers is bigger than the game we just played last weekend because it's an nfcast, it's an NFC game, and it's a game. Those wins matter a lot more than an AFC AFC loss, or even if it was an AFC win, a win against AFC team.
Yeah, you know, I thought the Cleveland crowd was great. That showed up a week ago. Like, just think about what the crowd was able to do. The Browns got confused on whether they were going to go for it on a fourth down. That's part of the crowd. How many procedural penalties did they have. That's a function of how they're playing right now. But like it also has to do with the crowd, and it's nice to have the partial crowd. And this team has really turned a corner.
And this is a big game this weekend because unlike the measuring stick or litmus tests or whatever you wanted to call last week, wash, he's gonna be favored this week. There's gonna be an expectation that they're going to.
Go in and win.
That's why I want to see how they handle this. Carolina has the record that they have. I don't really want to say anything about it because in't really watched much of them yet, so it's hard for me to really know what they're really about, but I know what their record is, and so there's going to be a lot of let's get ready for the Bears in two weeks. That's what's going to be the noise because Caleb's coming on.
The Bears are surging. That's the home game after. Be careful here, we need people at the game like they were at that Cleveland game. And honestly too, I was very fortunate I got to cover your career a little bit here is I was kind of off the ESPN for a little while while you were here. I got to cover the end of Daryl Green's career as a reporter, and that was an honor and a privilege. He played
twenty years at Corner at an exemplary level. He is one of the most unique players and people you'll ever meet, and I agree with you. If there is a mount rushmore of this franchise, he's on it. So this is well deserved and I'm very excited for Daryl Green's day this coming Sunday.
Oh yeah, yeah, no, absolutely. I'll say this about Carolina Pats. I live here in Charlotte, As I mentioned multiple times. The They've been steve number one overall draft pick from a year ago, Bryce Young and replaced him with Andy Dalton. The their offense has been better with Dalton at the helm of the at the quarterback position. They played a lot better football. I think the receivers feel more involved. The offense has just operated more efficiently. Defensively, they were
they were really good defense last last year. I don't know that they're playing at the same level as they did a year ago, but they'll They'll be a tough out. They're they're very well coached. The it'll be a game where we gotta we gotta come to play. They're not going to lay it.
Down for us.
They're going to bide on to our our burgundy helmet, bergundy and gold helmet.
They're not going to do that.
And I'm sure dan Quinn will have those guys ready to play.
I don't worry about our.
Team being ready to play a football game, or playing down to the competition or or anything like that, being high and low and things like that.
I don't. I don't. I don't worry about that at all.
Everybody's got their own specific motivations every week. I would think that Frankieluvu is thinking this week why this team didn't want me back. So I'm waiting to see that energy on the field as he takes on his old team with the way that he's played, with the energy he's played, and you know, to claps and a Rick flair, I'm ready for it.
Let's go.
I'm laughing because when you mentioned that Washington was my third franchise, so I played against my former teams I played against When I left the Rams, I went to Buffalo, we played against them, and then when I went and left Buffalo with the Washington, you know, we played against those seas. I remember when I first left Saint Louis and I'm in Buffalo and we're playing a preseason game against the Rams, and it's just to tell you how
former players feel about going against their other team. We're playing the Rams, and it happened to be the third preseason game, and this was back when you would play like a half of football back back as a starter getting ready for the for the regular season. So I'm playing half of half of the game against the the Saint Louis Rams. Tory Holt was a who was a really good friend of mine. Comes to me in pregame warmups and Tory are great friends, and he's talking, Hey, Fletch,
what's up, what's going on? And this tell you how I felt about that game. I said, toy. He says was up to me? I said, Toy, I can't wait to knock your ass out.
Brown, I had.
I had ten tackles and one half of football in a preseason game. So to your point, do you think if Frankie Louis definitely is going to be ready to play against the Carolina Pats?
You can book that.
Jeremy chiin two Jeremy Tin two.
Guys.
Yes, one other thing too, because I would like to end on a very positive note here.
So I didn't get to see the Eagles place.
I don't really have anything to say about them at this moment other than I saw what their coach did jawing at their own fans who's booing them while they're winning okay, and then saw his press conference talking about it because they didn't think they beat Cleveland by enough. Then, because Dallas played in the four o'clock window, I got to watch a lot of that. They got blown out by the Lion. So of the litmus test that Washington
had with the Ravens. Dallas was having one with a front runner in the NFC, and they failed bad at home, got blown out, where the owners being asked, we're going to change coaches, and then we get to the night game and the Giants without a couple of their stars, play a close game but lose. So look like Washington went toe to toe with one of the best teams in the NFL on the road in a place where over the last fifteen sixteen years second or third best
win percentage in the NFL. They were right there with them. The other three teams of the NFC East aren't looking too good today.
So if you like, go look.
Up and think about what the road is for the rest of this season, watch what's happening in those other three cities right now, and you'll come to the conclusion that everything is very much in front of this team for the rest of this season.
Right I tried not.
To, I tried not to get too far ahead of myself because of no And it's just I get what you said.
I'm like, man, those teams do look bad.
When I was at the airport and I was watching the Cowboys game, I don't know if you got it, you did?
You say you did get a chance to watch?
I saw, yeah, I saw the majority of it, right so, and the Lions were toying with them, like they were running hooking ladders with linemen against.
Them, right right, Yeah, So I watched watch that game at the airport, and I watched the Monday, I mean the Sunday night game with the with the Giants and the and the Bengals. Yeah, we're a good spot. We're definitely a good spot. But that's let's continue to get better. Let's not get too far ahead of our sales list. Let's focus on the Carolina Panthers Sunday at Northwest State.
It's gonna be a good one, and I'm you need the fans there be there. I'm with you. It actually is at four and two to respond to get the five and two at home. It is a bigger game than the Ravens game. It might not be the test that you think it is, but it's a bigger game because this show ain't gonna be pretty if they lose on next Monday.
Honestly, right now, you're absolutely right now, it's can you imagine the sports talk radio?
No, I'm not even going to go there. No, this is we're going we don't have our business. We're gonna have our business, but we definitely need the fans there and droves come out with the same type of energy and the atmosphere.
That was my first home game. Last week.
I missed the the Giants home game, so me being at the Cleveland game, I mentioned it too. Yeah, I talked about it. You and I talked about it. We may even talked about it on Booth Review last week. The amount of people that were on the sidelines for that game was just, Man, I like.
That.
I can remember in a really, really long time and I was. I played with RG three his rookie year and it was that was crazy during that era.
But it was so many people.
I'm talking We're talking six seven, eight rows deep of people on the sideline for a regular season game.
We need that type of energy, that type of atmosphere it was there. Get on board.
This is a different team and they need you. And this is a big week. You can watch them get to five and two. It's a big, big week. So we hope we get everybody out there. All right, that'll do it for the Booth Review, You'll see you next week,