All right. On today's show, we got preseason game one recap, we got MVPs, we got intriguing bubble watch, and I think Fredie did a great job going through that. We're also looking ahead to the joint practices and fred you picked off a super Bowl winning quarterback at McDonald's. Yes, sir, so make sure you stay tuned for that. Welcome on into the Command Center Podcast. I'm Logan Paulson here with Santana Mos, who's really got a very excellent fit today.
Tanna looking very hollyween.
Look at this, I mean orange shoes, orange, I got Mcaros City colors on and orange a chief man.
Actually it looks like Baltimore Oriole it does, and they're hot right now. Don't get it twisted, No, I get it.
Yoshould have saw us, you know, football season back back when I was in high school. We put on it all black and had that orange coming out man to today, were scared to see you on Friday night.
But the other voice on there, excuse me, is Fred Smooth, a guy who probably doesn't need any introduction.
Don't introduce me.
Did all right? So we just had a preseason game, Yeah, we did right, so high level thoughts. What you guys seen in that game.
It was all right for the start, you know, for the first preseason game. You know, my biggest thing was, you know, I don't get too caught up into preseason. I do try to see who's going to be the guy that we can say, Okay, it's gonna make the squad from the young guys. But I wanted to see the ones select the ones. I wanted to see our ones go out there and get their feet weet. It's hard to come out, it's hard to be in you know, preseason.
I mean mid season form in the preseason. But I wanted to see them get out there with the amount of players that they was going to be given, be productive enough to have something to build on for the next week. And I think for the for the most part, both sides did that defensive well.
First of all, starting this thing off them by the Browns color STU that you win is Hey, the Browns. I think our legit team.
Doesn't it feel that way washing them.
Listen to me.
We know their offensive line s wrong. They can run on anybody to pass somebody. Shun Washington's starting to look like the Shaun Watson. And when you add be scary, Elijah more to that, and you already got them.
Marri Cooper.
I just thought it was a great measuring stick and it was a physical game, and you know, like I know, we judged from the first man on the roster to the fifty third on the roster, and I seen this team go tick for tat with them, and I think that's a great signal, especially with that division as a whole. That's what I like about us playing this division as a whole. You're playing against good competition. I thought the guys came out to huddle fast. I thought the offense
looked sharp. I thought the defense was flying around. I just thought I got more out.
Of this far.
This We've been starting slow for the last but seventeen years, all right, So at the end of the day, it gave me some hope that we maybe can start fast.
Yeah. Yeah, And it did have like a like a Christmas to it, you know. Offensively, even though it didn't go as smooth as they wanted to, I don't think especially those first couple drives, probably the second drive there, like it's it was sharp, the temple was good, and defensively there were some hiccups but they made plays when
they had to make plays. Yeah, and we and I think it's important to knowledge, like we all know that not everything's in, but in terms of the player's mindset, it felt like it was at a certain spot that you know, we haven't seen for a couple of years.
I mean, temple is everything too. And I think you take on, you know, the energy from your coaches. You know, we talk about eb and already the kind of tone he set, Uh, that's what you want to see. You want to see the guys respond that way. I feel like you played here with cale them. You saw how their temple was, you saw the kind of you know, uh, tone they set how we need to be. You know, like I said before, I talk about them more than all the other staffs I've been a.
Part of, because I think I never talk about Grooed.
That's my last staff really, you know, you know, I mean I'm.
Not starting anything. I just never hear him talk about Grooden.
Like you know, when we was in Grooten offense and I was coming on and he will always go to calv Well one.
I didn't play in green offense. He didn't want men to play in his offense. So that's why I don't talk about his offense. But cal offense was the offense that I played in more, you know what I mean. Groenen offense was my last year here. You know how that went. You know, I was on the sideline for six games and I barely played in the games I did dress up for. But I talk about them because of the tone they sat with the young guys and even the older guys, guys like myself, Like you walk
in that office with Mike. Mike gonna let you be a probe, but at the same time he's gonna tell you to a man that hey, you could do what you want, but I need you to do this, and if you ain't like it.
He was out the door in the.
Same way with Kyle. Kyle was me and Kyle the same age, you know what I mean. So Peter Pierry were sitting there talking at time. Kyle might say, Tana, I need you to go out there and do whatever you're gonna do. You know what I mean, Do this, Tanne, you know, and I need to see it now. So I like those responses from coaches because me as a player, I took him and I didn't take it for granted, So I see that in the offense already going forward with EB.
That's so funny because you just made me think about who was my best offensive brain trust that I ever played with, and I think it was coach Joe Jackson Gibbs aka.
The Joseph Oh.
Yeah, you know it's funny when you talk about Gibbs. Sorry to cut you off, but we talked about Gibbs. There's this very similar philosophy to Kyle. Right, we're gonna have these runs. We're gonna change them up a little bit by the formation each week, but these are the ones we're gonna get to. We're gonna have some type of passing game off of it with a little bit of play action work. And again that was really cutting edge when he was in the league. Like that action idea. Yeah,
it was like a totally new thing. So it is. It is interesting because like his preparation, Gibbs, from what you've said, it seems to mirror Kyle's.
Almost definitely does. And you gotta realize that his early years, I ain't that old. I didn't play with him when they was winning the Super Bowl, but he was the one that really opened it up to the three and four wide out between him and Houston.
Allis they was the one.
That spread it out, not only spread it out to throw it, but spread it out to run the ball. And I think that was different than I think that would change the game with coach Gibbs.
Yeah absolutely, I mean totaldred percent. So we got a little fun game coming up here to kind of help us review the roster a little bit. Right, So this is preseason game one recap, and we're gonna start with We're gonna have four categories, MVP, Surprise, Standout, ooh, Intriguing, and bubble Watch. Okay, so we're gonna have categories for each one. We're gonna start with MVP. We'll least go around and kind of say who our MVP of the game was, Fred, I know you want to start, So.
All right, I'm gonna go with Young Airwolf.
Yeah, go with Sam Howe because you know what, I don't need him to throw for two hundred yards.
I need him to look the part.
I need him to be comfortable, and I need him to show that nothing ralizes him. And he showed he all three of those things. I felt like the office looked like an offense. You know how I'm not throwing in the shade here, but Carson wentz Heineke.
It was always an if, but like it was always a struggle.
And always I was just waiting for something bad to have it, Like I'm sorry, I was like a feeling in my stomach with him, with Sam and just feel like, Okay, it's only gonna.
Get better from here.
Absolutely, you know, I definitely agree. I don't even want to pick someone because I feel like, you know, Sam was that he was the guy. I mean, if you had to point pinpoint, if you had to give out, you know, m VPS that night, everyone probably who came to see Sam, which I know all our fan base, did you know they would have went home please saying
hey we got somebody we can work with. That guy, you know, and he went out there or what I loved about his play more than anything is to see us put in the situation that you want to see, situation of football where okay, we didn't go out there and play well in that second series, you know, I mean we got backed up and we got off the field. Third series came out there and drove down the field
and scored a touchdown. So stuff like that. It's meaningful to me as a receiver, just knowing that, Okay, that he didn't sit there and dwell in the moment and say, damn, you know what I mean with this preseason, I'm trying to hear him get out of his game. No, he was eager to go out there and make a difference in that third series and they went out there and got a TV.
You know what, I got an MVP for this game, and I think it was truly an MVP moment.
The owner, Josh Harris.
Oh my god, listen in the stands in the rain with his son and when they interviewed him, how do you feel, first true interview, first game?
How do you feel about the new ownership of the team? You like, I don't own this team, the city on this team, like the people on this team. Yeah, you not MVP.
I was talking someone the other day about that, Like it felt like I as a as a player, like if I had seen the owner in the rain sitting in it wasn't like he was in like.
A broke box. It wasn't nothing.
It's like the Browns fan was sitting right behind him here, just sitting there.
I saw him do an interview on Instagram with one of our biggest fans and followers, the road warrioror you know, you know how you know what? He was on his Instagram pace doing an interview with him. Like, to me, that's accessibility. It's so different if you talking about getting fans to come back and be a part of what you got going here. He gonna have that stadium pack, I mean just off of that alone. I mean one of the things you look about, you know, I mean
we talk about in this world today sells. You know, when we're talking about being a part of what's going on, how can you be you know, I guess you can say. You know, some of these wealthy guys when they're talking about selling something, you don't have to reinvent the wheel. We don't have to go out there and make something up. You can sell something that's already been out here, that's being sold Amazon. That's what they do better in accessibility.
I mean that's what he's saying, because I forget the first his first day of ownership, he bought rounds for everybody in his head, which I had around on those beers right there, and no, nothing tastes batter than Josh hare is Hale, especially because it was free, because it's free man, I.
Fai yeah, So, I mean I think those are great. Another one I wanted to kind of call attention was eb Man, like you know what, I'm on the sideline calling the game and like I'm trying to get in with my analysis, right and they're going so fast you can't get in, right. I thought the formations were great, kind of three wide receivers to the left tight end, isolated back motion, helping the quarterback dissect the coverage. They're
getting twenty one personnel, two backs, one tight end. That's a running formation and they're throwing the ball out of it, right. Like I just loved his approach, like it was you could tell, like Kenn of what you were talking about with like last year's offense, Like last year felt like this is like what we do for offense. I felt like there was some life and some creativity even in this like very.
Plain, yes, I'm gonna show you anything.
Right right. I thought that was great. And again just the attention to detail. And then like I got to talk to him for like five seconds before I shall say, and I was like, what do you like about it? He's like I love that we had some adversity in our practice.
Yeah, because Noady got to figure it out and and.
I thought, like that is like what, that's who he is. He's a guy that likes to challenges players and he wants to see how they respond. And I thought, you know, quite frankly, like Tennis said, they came out and they responded really well. So I think those are good. Another guy, I want to just call it just kind of get my a shout out was Johan Dotson. I thought he looked like that dude.
Listen he is. He's so sweet running routes.
He ran a route yesterday, I mean the other day when we did practice.
I thought he gave me diabetes. Listen. He came out the top of the route. It was so sweet.
Listen.
I was like, see this is something, this is something, this next level right here, Like I'm sorry, like his maturation from year one to year two, it feels like he's a year four while I received with playing for a contract.
Gither. Yeah, absolutely, I mean stupid. I mean, you're smiling, like, I respect you, Tanna because you like watch the film, you study routes and you're always man. He's doing some mixed level stuff.
It's it's almost scary because and I say that because you have a guy that we respect so much in his game and Terry, And I'm saying to myself, like, if you gonna check double Terry, you'll be a fool to leave that boy one on one withich with somebody. So it might be different this year. We might see a lot of double teams going to number one and Terry gonna still kill you. Now, you don't want to leave him over because he gonna kill. He shows you
every he's a proven come on, it kill you. So it's like pick your poison, you know.
I think that's the other thing is like, you know, Johanna had a good game Cole Turner and talking about underneath kind of manipulating that stuff. If you got to match both those guys, you got tight ends here that
you underneath, you know. Curtis Samuel was quiet how to catch I think, but you know, ultimately like we because there's so many pieces here and because defenses can't cover everybody, like you said, and then our production meeting today, Fred defenses always have holes, right, Yeah, we always got we got enough guys. I think we can exploit.
It's a problem. It's gonna be a it's gonna be a great problem to have for us offensively. Who were getting the boss?
And that's gonna be a sam Hoile thing.
How quick can he read the defense to find out what we in and how quick can he identify where the weakness that and where the man.
He needs to go to? They'll feel the stat sheet up.
And I think that's why in my head, I just you know, I like to play fantasy football, and I am so tempted to get Antonio Gipsy. I feel like he's gonna be a fantasy darling. I feel like him and Curtis samuel Is as much as I.
I want to do it too.
I want to give him a chance, but I need him to stay healthy. I need him to stay healthy for seventeen games. But I do also think he will flourish in his defense in a Melachai Hartman type of way in this.
In this defense, yeah absolutely, Okay, So yeah, defense minded. The next one we're saying is surprise standout from the game. I think we had some really good m vps. This one's gonna be tough. Who wants to start? I can start af you so For me, I wanted to put the Sky in as an m VP, but you can't put guards and an MVP quite honestly, right, So Sam
Cosby is my guy. Sam Cosmi Versdarius Smith like that dude put on a clinic and Zadaria Smith is one of the best inside outside pass rushers in the NFL, and he kind of said, what's up, man, Like I'm here to party, and like, you know, he's moving positions Sam is and he just looked super comfortable. They looked like he had great chemistry with Gates and he locked down one of the best pass rushs in the NFL. And it wasn't like on a couple snaps. It it
was like four or five snaps he did that. So I look at him in the in the physicality like he's he's he's going to chip help, you know, like uh, you know, like the slides to the right and he's got to help Wiley and he's kind of coming in there and trying to bust up some ribs. And I like my offensive lineman to have that demeanor and mentality and couple that with his athleticism and I think, man like he uh, he's not a surprise because I know
he's a second round pick. He's a football player, and again I wanted to put him for MVP, but I just want to make sure we gave him some attention there.
I'm gonna go with Chris Rodriguez. I think it's the it's the obvious. I mean, it's not a surprise, but it's a surprise for just knowing that he's a young guy. Yeah, and you don't know how these guys, you know, I'm trying to put the best word bingo. You can always see what they did in college and say does that transfer over to this league?
You know?
And Logan said something that we all heard when his coach talked about him, you know, looking like crap until he get in pads. And trust me, that was a game that guy shows you that look went in doubt. You put the guy in front of me, he ain't bringing me down. I'm gonna run them over and his mama might be mad at me, and I'm happy with that. I'm cool with that because just knowing what we have in the backfield. Now we're sitting there, were talking about
who's potentially to be here or not. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, he's gonna be here, yeah after he's gonna be here. And so it was a surprise of me to to see him say this is this is not too big for me. This is football. I've been trained to do this. I'm gonna run you over. I might be one of the better backs in this in this backfield, and I'm a young guy. So I got to sit here and get it how I live. And I think he's the guy that needs some recognition and all.
On that point, I think that second offensive line, like Montero, Lucas, uh Larsen, they had great games and so you know they were opening up some big holes for christ I mean, Chris showed it was he showed the power and the things you wanted to see from him. But that group deserves a ton of credit. Foster the right tackle, Loof and Bamb I think is the right guards. Name a guy that I didn't think was even in like contention
for that spot. He hadn't had a great game. So that that whole second group, the depth of the offensive line, maybe that's a surprise standout is the depth of that offensive line like they did. There was no drop off when Jacobe Prissett came in home and they played really well.
Well, you know Yaki talking about Chris why ria his body that he ain't the He don't get it.
You're gonna get a pro's body before we'll have a six pick.
But I tell you I got ran over by bad body back a couple of times by the name of Jerome benny 'letna tell you, like sometime the bad body works for you. But my guy just surprised you, like really stuck out to me. Cold Turner was the guy that said, you know what, Logan, you're not gonna play. I'm gonna take chance to show the world what I can do. X Y Receiver buked up to play tight end. His theme was can he stay healthy? He went out
there and made some good catches. And the thing about this off is we know it this West Coast.
Can you move the change? He proved it. I'm gonna make the catch.
I'm gonna move the change, and I might have some wiggle after the catch. So I think who took advantage of the situation and brought the best light Cole You went in the game. Most people didn't know who Cold Turner was. He came out the game, you knew who Cold Turner.
Was absolutely Another guy that I think we should just call attention to is a guy that I think might have solidified his roster spot yesterday, and that's suck Christian Holmes. Like he did do such a good job making physical tackles, separating guys from the ball. And I thought you saw a confidence from him that you didn't see last year
against Carolina in the first reason game. Yeah, And I think couple that with the fact that he's an excellent gunner, and I think you're gonna be in a good spot to say, like, because of that performance, he might make the team easy. I want to say. I don't say he's a lock, because there's nothing a lock right now, but I think he's.
It's him a wild goose fighting for this what I'm saying.
But he's thinking about it, like all the teams you played with fred Tanne to the starting gunner is a starting position. Yeah, So if you're starting a gunner, which I think he is hivin Percy Butler, couple that with the fact that he showed good corner play, like I don't know how he doesn't make it.
I'm saying, you know, we had a guy and now is Paul that. Oh yeah, every year and and and you then you end up seeing him in the games, and you know, add tight in at receiving. He was one of those guys. He was like a Swiss army knife.
And so probably that fourth year.
Yeah, now it's not too long ago.
Good still looks saying Steve Buffets, he's still.
In the breast.
Yeah, so I think that's uh, that's a that's a good guy to call out. Also, Okay, this next one I think is kind of fun intriguing. Who would you think fits in this category? If you want, I can go first to.
Get could you say I'm gonna go first.
You took one, you took one. I'm gonna take this Okay, Yes, I'm going with my man cash man Allen Oh all right. Like and we talked about, you know, just saying his name a lot so far as you have said a lot. But I have to say he intrigued me. He showed me I was looking at the punk return position. You know, me and Logan. Logan wanted to beat me up last year because of what I said.
You're you're saying the correct thing.
Yeah, you're abusive sometimes.
With me and I say logan, I won't hit you in unless.
You hit me, so we never feeling stuff, he said.
But no, honestly, you know when you when you're watching these guys. I was one of those guys when we played. I paid close attention to the young guys. I could tell you every year, whos gonna make the squad? Who's that guy that's gonna make the squad. I'm not saying that right now with cash mare Allen, but I say he raised my eyebrows just knowing that we need a difference maker at the punt return or return special period. We need a guy who's going to be able to
be able to score the ball. You know one thing about catching the ball. That's fine and Danny, but you're in the pros need to if you back there, you should catch them all. It should know how at least I need a guy that's going to get us a first down that point return, and and and and when. If he's back there as a return specialist on the kick return, he knows how to decipher those guys who's coming down full full steam ahead and get get a couple of at least get us to the twenty yeah
or beyond. So he showed that he can do that, and I think Cashmere has kind of put that mark, you know, and say, hey, coaches, you know when you put me in back here, I'm gonna do my job.
Now.
I want to see what he can do going for as a receiver, but specialists right now, return specialists. He raised mind bros.
Well first of all, logan, give me a ooh intriguing.
Ooh intriguing, Why thank you?
I will go personally with this guy, rich honey Kwan Martins.
Alright.
I watched him play safety, I watched him play nickel, I watched him play corner. I see they're just they're throwing the whole playbook at him, and it's intriguing because they setting it up. I'm not saying he's gonna be this player, but I'm saying they are setting him up to be the future, to have this type of uh
I think footprint and fingerprint on this team. They setting him up to be very honey Badger like, the setting him up to be the guy in one or two years that to see what we're in you're gonna have to find him. He's the guy that can go down play big nilklek. He can play a regular nikle safety in the middle of the field, corner, outside corner. I think that's I know, they're giving him a lot on his plate, so he might he might not, you know,
be giving us a lot this year. I think they setting him up for long term success, and that's very intriguing him.
I'm glad you brought up. I want to ask you, do you think that would stunt his growth, being that he got so much on his plate? You know what I mean, because I hate to see a young.
Guy thinking too much.
You get me when you think, you know what I mean, You can't think in this game. So I was going to ask you that. When I watched the game, i'mine, you can see that he has the talent. But do you think that they putting too much on the plate so early?
So think they are because I think they got a plan for it, and they know for a fact, because of the guys we have in front of him, he don't have to play right now. So they're making sure all right when you do play, whoever goes down you to peel ain't got a feel you to do. And we want you to be ridy for all fur of these positions. And I think they're going to slow slow roll him, slow cook him, rotissary staff.
I'm also glad you brought him up because I think a lot of people say, oh, he gave up a touchdown on that first kind of all out pressure because he's not in the right leverage. You know, he had the p I. I think he had a really solid game, and I think some of that kind of inconsistency in his play stems from the fact that he's doing so much.
He's doing so much he can't detail up on when I'm in the slot, I gotta be inside leverage versus pressure, like and that'll come, you know that that'll come as he gets more comfortable. I think the tennis point like it does. It makes it hard, makes it hard for him to be successful right when.
They game plan and during the season, they will be like qun this week, this is this is what you focus on the whole time.
I know, right, not going home for him.
Listen, he ain't getting no going home all right.
So mine is Chase Young and I know only played like four snaps, but that pastorously ahead on Judgrick Wills, And I know this is probably a huge over he's a player, Yeah, huge, like you know, kind of projection, whatever you want to call it. Like that rush looked like an NFL big boy rush that you saw in college. Right, He's defeating the inside hand of the tackle, stab in the outside hand, gets him on his heel, sheds off
good hit on the quarterback. And if that's any other quarterback besides Sean Watson, who has maybe the best contact balance in the NFL of a quarterback, he's getting him down. And so to see that in the first game back, no stutter step, no pity pat, no weird wide angles, Like I'm here to play. And I was like if and so I'm intrigued by that because I got to see more. Right, so this joint practice, I want to
see what that looks like. You know what I'm saying, But like that was that was impressive to me.
No, you're right, And I sat here and saw two of those. I'm like, get him out of the game.
Yeah, showed me.
He showed me enough. Right now, I don't want to see no more. Take because you want to. You want to see the explosiveness. You want to see his the arizon.
I want to see that.
You want to see the come, you want to see the confidence, back, and then you want to see that guy that's gonna be a disrupted I talk so much about him disrupting things. It's gonna be fun to see the other guy's feet off what he brings.
I'm ready to see him splatter Coke McCoy all field. At the end of the day, that's the only thing that matters to me is getting everybody healthy for their game. It basically, don't ever sleep on Coke McCoy. Cokee gonna be ready to play. I know everybody looking at Arizona like they already oh and seventeen, but I'm sorry, they're gonna come to play week. We want everybody's usually healthy and gonna give you their best shot. So at the end of the day, we have to be ready for that.
So this is when I won't chase on the field.
Yeah, and so I'm intrigued by that. And again like you got the stinger or whatever, But I want to see I want to see that. I want to see it. Maybe maybe he plays a little bit in the next preseason game. I don't know. We're gonna get to no.
No a stinger this short week.
I would think they will say, see, can you practice with the closed and not that don't worry about the game.
Yeah. I think that's a good point. All right. So now we've kind of talked about this a little bit already, but I think it's good to kind of flush this out completely. Let's talk about bubble watch. Yeah, guys that kind of said, hey, they helped, their help their argument for making the team. And I don't know, do you want to start, Fred Like.
Oh, yeah, I start, And I ain't got one player, I got two positions.
I'm talking all right. I don't even I don't know where you're going.
All right, all right, Bubble players like the one thing we know about good football team.
They cut good football players. They're just part of the thing. I look at that wide receiver group, how many do we keep? Six?
Seven? Maybe if it's a returner, like, it's gonna be yeah, six or seven.
So let's talk about the first four Terry John Curtis Dimie.
I ain't but two other spots.
If you're going six, yeah, and if you're going seven, I understand that seven guy might be just special teams all the way. So Pringle, you bring him in here. He's the guy that knows the offense better than anybody. He's also a special team player. You got Tinsley, a guy that's been sticking out, been making plays. He also falls under it that label of tall receivers, so he's different than the other receivers. Who else we got logan it while I receive with it.
We've got Dax. He has been the most productive guy. He's great outside of the top four, you know what I'm saying, and so like, and it's and to your point, it's more than just how good of a receiver if you are.
Then, while financial kid, he's squeezed on this roster. We're talking three spots, six receivers.
Yes, three spots what so so and the guys you just mentioned. I think Pringle he feels like he's getting more of a lock every day. Right and then, so Tinsley's name has come up a couple of times. I think he's a good football player, but I probably would keep Dax over Tinsley right now, and then I think you're right. I think Casmir Allen's a guy because of
that returnability who probably squeaks into the roster. Now, if you're a fan and you're listening this, like, keep an eye on who's returning kicks in the preseason because he do. We were watching practice on Monday and the guys that are back there are Dack's Mill and Casmear Allen, So like, I don't want Yeah.
They're making it clear and then they throw you hunt and there for emergency. But other than that, they saying who wants the job, go grab the job.
And I find it very like bubble like because I'm like, well, we're gonna cut some players that ain't gonna be able to get on that some other team is gonna pick them guys off. And I think the defensive back room mimixed it when it comes to the bottom up because we got a heavy top and I and I put Danny Johnson part of that top.
This is one of those yeah, who you got, so let's just review we got so receivers. I thought that was a really good breakdown. But the other guy like, for receivers, let's just finish this real quick. Kempt too. I forget about can he sticks out me a good special teams player like, and he's had a good last couple of days. So that room, I have no idea
what they're gonna do. It just feels like they got to keep seven because there's a lot of good football players there, but somebody is going to be upset.
You keep seven because of the tight end room. Maybe maybe you keep seven because of the tight end room. And that's why I said the rec room mimics the dB room. You top heavy with guys you know you keep, you keep it full of You're keeping Saint Juice, You're keeping Phillips and Danny Johnson.
Okay, you think Danny Johnson's in there.
You just signed him to a contract. He held it down at the end of last year. He's shown you every time you need me, I'll be there. He's the guy you trust because it's all about trust. With Jack Dale Rio, it's all about trust.
They go your four? How many are we keeping six?
Because don't forget the safeties.
We got only safety now, hic go your peace. Quan Martin's your fields.
He's your tweener because he played. He can take a safety spot. He can take a coner spot. Now, is it Christian Holmes? I think it is Wow Goose is he like like it's guy?
But I think just like the receiver room where it's Kasmi Allen probably because of that returnability. I think you say who's starting on Gunner and it's Christian Holmes, Like, and I don't want to say he's one hundred percent lock, but I'm like ninety eight percent certain that he's going to be locked in there, you know what I'm saying. So I don't know what do you think that? Yeah? And so like, so I think those it's a really
good breakdown of those two groups. The other one I think is interesting to watch is the defensive line group because Andre Jones has kind of come on the last KI so he looks like a pass rush yeah, and so like, do you keep ten there? They kept ten last year for most of the year, but Chase was hurt, so like you're keeping kind of an insurance thing, Like all right, but tam me.
We go to star and four we know ye, so four and.
Then you got Ridgeway, big Phil yep. Right. Then you've got a who's been the third rotational guy, James Casey. They go nine, nine ninety right now, and so they drafted kJ Henry in the fifth round. Andre Jones, I feel like has been playing better, So I would probably keep Jones, But dude, does he sneak Can you sneak him to the practice squad base.
You can sneak kJ Heary to the place. Really, oh, you can sneak Jones Dure.
All right, I mean that's so to me, that's another interesting battle, quite honestly. And then offensive line I think would be the other one we got to talk about. And offensive line is tough.
It is offensive line.
That position because we all know when the preseason ends is always one position that they feel like, all right, we need to add a becher like.
It's always that one.
Either surprised veteran get cut, the surprise veteran gets signed. What group I think is offensive line because it's always at this time some guy, that veteran that has got a high camp number, if somebody wants to shred it off comes available. Is the offensive line one in a position that they say, you know what, we might need to hit a plug and play player to this.
I don't know, man like that. It's a tough question. I mean, you brought Wiley in free agency. I know he didn't have the best game, but like Cosmey had a good game, Gates had a good game, Chris Paul a good game, Leno. I'll give him like a B minus C plus good solid game, you know what I mean, like nothing you want to move on from. And I think, so all those guys are probably going to be here, right then? That makes Sadik your rotational swing guard guy. Right,
I think Tyler Lucas. I think Tyler Larson's going to be here, right Yeah, Lucas, that's eight right there. Yeah, and then you drafted Stromberg, so he'll be here.
And he's been playing god lately.
Yeah, yeah, so he that's three centers you're keeping, which is crazy. And then and then who's the other guy? Is it Braidon Daniels your fourth round draft pick? Because if I'm Montero, I'm pissed about that, because Montero has been playing good football.
Yeah, but guess what, this ain't my feelings. This would make this so hard coach. You know, you got to get to fifty three with no feelings involved. Why asking yourself the guys that I cut, can I get them to the prae?
And maybe you can't get to Bradon Daniel's credit. Like everyone I've heard, you know, the media in the local area has been getting on him a little bit. Yeah, he had a good game.
No he didn't.
He played well.
He might be one of those players where he plays better in games than he does practice.
We see a lot of players like that.
Yeah, absolutely, So that is I think a pretty comprehensive preseason recap of Game one. Right, So let's look ahead a little bit to these joint practices against Baltimore. Yeah, okay, what, let's just talk about this kind of high lovel You've been on a whole bunch of joint practices and China both. What do you get out of these joint practices and getting nothing?
Now? I know as a player you hate to do them. I'm honestly, I enjoyed it while I was out there, but you really don't want to. Especially if I got to see that guy in the preseason game. I didn't want to give him too much of my juice, you know what I mean. I didn't want to go out there and give them myself because it's different, you know, the temple you try to bring through with practice and a game. It's totally different.
In practice.
I'm trying to make sure I make it through injury free, not trying to do too much. When it's time to go. It's time to go in the preseason game, rather it's preseason and regular season, especially if I'm playing, all the marbles go out, you know what I mean, I'm going full blast for a tempo. So I used to look at those those joint practices as hey, I'm gonna go out here and get my practice on, get my reps in. But when I'm going against these other guys, I wanted
to be generic. It's all outdoors. I don't want to I don't want to go out here and give them a stud of goal or know one of my best routes. I want to make sure that he thinks he almost thinks he can have me. But I want to still beat him because I want the fans, Savis fans out there.
I want to get the win.
I want to put good stuff on tape, But game time, I don't want to be running the same place.
Well, I love them, I love because I could just see you man like friends, mayor everybody.
It's almost set up for defensive guys to enjoy it more. And and Joe officively think about you're you're watching everything we do, everything you do. What edge can you get on me next time you see me?
And I'm studying every I don't get that from my audi I'm studying how you walk, how you talk, how you respond to certain things. I'm even watching defensive players from the other team.
I am soaking the whole situation up, like and that's why I love going to Baltimore, because you got to realize, this is the time of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Jamal Lewis, Derek Mason, who don't get no props. They were one of the best wide receivers in the league. So at the end of the day, I was studying habits, I was studying everything. I was studying Joe Flecko and George Joe's back though he actually in the league. What did you say about Joe? And if you ever want to
stay in the league, called Joe Flaco. Play a game against Joe Flaco and you got a chair. I called him Joe Fleck the verdict because you know what I'm just telling you, Because Joe, you know how somebody good at something but.
Don't love it.
Oh yeah, Like always gave me that Ooh, I could throw this thing in ninety yards, but I would rather be golf.
He's always gave me that.
You know what, very talented kind of Jeff George's because Jeff George was my first quarterback. Jeff was supremely talented. No throw he couldn't make. Jeff just didn't just didn't love it like I love it.
Didn't care he can do it.
But you said you picked him off at McDonald's one time.
Yeah, you know, after he signed that big contract, a couple hundred million. You know he went to McDonald's. He didn't know I was the one that I was. I was in line right behind, ran snatch that thing, jumped in my pickup truck and headed back to BA.
I love him.
Realize I am a guy they picked off every man in sip Archie.
Yeah, you'd be really old if you picked off Archie. But maybe if I thought, maybe, like when you first hold that story you started every manning, I was like, man, did you pick him up like a barbecue or something.
No, No, I picked off every man in payn.
We gotta we gotta get you like hanging out Archie more. And like when he's like throwing throwing somebody out.
See I'm gonna catch me in the grocery store trying to reach for the breathe and you just pick him up, pick him up and keep running.
That's the good idea. It's so funny here you guys talk about joint practice. I found joint practices to be like insanely stressful, and obviously my role is a little bit different. I was trying to make the team, and I always felt like there was this weird kind of like what is the tempo of the first day? Because I was who practiced too hard?
Crazy hard time, like you would have got it defensively as.
Hate oh God, like hat you remember Uncle Kid.
I remember Uncle ke Kendrick Ghost, and.
He'd be like, what are you doing? And I'm like, I'm just trying to make the team. He's like, you're trying too hard.
He can't tell the person to stop because him in Lorenzo Alexander the one man game.
Yeah, they will, they will push you to the limited.
So that's what that's why I came up with. So that was the standard, you know what I'm saying, So me and him and so for Kendrick to tell you that you're practicing too hard, you're probably practicing too hard, right See.
The type gap probably was in Salmon and Salm catch a scene route and run over a Kona like and we Salmo say album, well bro to.
To be fair to me. Yeah, So like I came up with Laron Landry here yeah and Laron Landry no, no nonsense, would tackle you to the ground in seven. So yeah, so those were the people I was practicing with. So if I didn't practice hard, like I was gonna get my knee took out by Lauran coming in from depth and trying to slice me down. Most so people like they don't get like, look why you practice hard. It's like that's just was the environment that I came up in. But anyway, back to joint practice, so I
was always like how hard should I practice? And I didn't like that I couldn't go as hard as like yeah, and like where are we at? And then eventually someone would kind of do something to me and I'd be like that's nonsense, and I try to get that guy back, and then it kind of ramps up and then you know what I'm saying, Like I was the guy that was stirring the fight stuff, because like you know, you never want to get beat. You're always trying to make the team you get.
We talk about in the defensive meeting, you know what that eighty two we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna miss him up.
Everybody talks him on the ground till Mara, you know what, he's running it out red, I'm gonna cut him.
Yeah. So, I mean that's how it was for me. And I was always like, you know, what's the temple? Who's So that was always really stressful because again, you're trying to make the team. You don't I told you don't want to look bad as the other side.
So who's the logan pulsing on the team right now? Man, it just didn't mind saying that their team don't like him, but he refused. He relentless, He reviewed these up because all that metal him is getting this year in his league.
I don't know.
I want to say Bates because I like Baits and I feel like he's got a little bit of that to him. You know, I was watching nine on seven the other day and Bates is getting a little I can see that. But I think he's a little bit more chill than me, you know what I'm saying, Like because he's he's like more established on the roster, but he's generation what this gen z. Yeah, I mean he's
probably chilling chill than you. But yeah, like a guy that comes to mind is like Casey two Hill, that dude's going I love to an hour.
I love him, I love it. I would say he's the new logan Posse two changs.
All right, Okay, so obviously that's kind of our experience with joint practices. What is specifically practicing against Baltimore bringing for us physicality.
That's the one thing you get out of the Ravens what we call you will swap paint.
It will be black marks on your burgundy in goals like.
That's what you know, physicality, And you love being around another coach like Habbah it's gonna push you to the back, and that believes in every little thing because he started off a special team coach, so special teams is his thing. So you know you're gonna get special teams rep That what I already remember going up there.
Special team coach Smitty used to be.
Always be like, Oh, we're gonna get this working, this serious, special teams working.
I enjoyed that.
Yeah, I think that's what I mean. That's first and foremost to me. You know, that's one of the reasons why I didn't I didn't like the joint practices just knowing, especially knowing your opponent, knowing how we go at you know, go about our business. If you're going against one of those teams that's gonna you know, it's not easy to practice against because their level of and you know their intensity might be a little higher than yours, and you just know you gotta you know, call it what it is,
Spader Bingo. You know what you bring to the table as a team, as a unit, and it might be individuals that go hard. Logan just talked about.
How he goes.
You know, iw went hard, went out to go to everyone don't have that same mindset. So when you go against a team like Baltimore, you're gonna be measured as a team and you can win all you want to and look good on one player too, But if if the offense lose that rep, we all look bad. No matter what I did on that route, the ball can't get to me.
Then we as a.
Team practice Ray Luke coming after Tunnel. It's serious and practice.
But I just feel like this is really going to be a chance for us to measure where we're at. You know, we say that we're a better defense because we're ranked high. Now can we be that same defense this year. Are we on the level of a Baltimore when they've shown you year after year after year they've been known for their defense alone, you know what I mean. So it's gonna be a measuring stick, you know, for us, just to see who we have and where we measure against the best of the best.
So real quick fallo up. What does winning the week look like?
When the week is man, just just having a good practice, Man, don't don't look at it more than what we do out here. I think a lot of guys get caught up into saying that's what I was.
That was my point.
I was trying to make my I didn't look at the joint practice. Ass Oh man, this I got to go out here and do you know, make make you know, be a world beater or No. I wanted to go out there and get the same work I put in against my guys, but just know I'm boring against a different guy. So I have to make sure I win it because I don't want him going home thinking that, oh yeah, I can lock tenn up. Like I said, it's hard to your receiver and not showed them something.
But at the same time, if you can do what you do in practice every day against these other guys in practice, then you should be able to say that's a win for me. I got out of practice without doing too much, and I didn't have to, you know, you know, use too much of my muscle to get it get it done.
I wish I would I asked you about that when I was playing, because I was always going. I was trying to like win the day every day. But like it's it's I think that's a really.
Healthy way to gott to leave band aid free.
It's the same.
Yeah, you want to say, you know what we competed, it was just his physicals dem and we left here.
How we came in. We left here healthy.
That's the only thing that matters. So I know, like coaches will be like, oh, like this is actually something I was going to spring up. So I remember when we had a first showing practice, or my first showing practice was against New England, and I remember there or no, it was against the Texans, and they were like, hey, hey, we're gonna We're gonna, yeah, sacked up. I was singing Bill O'Brien, but Bill O'Brien was not with the Patriots at the time, and he goes and he goes, hey, guys,
we're gonna help each other out. We're gonna be able, blah blah blah great. And at the time they were on Hard Knocks, the Houston Texas were Yeah. So they come out first day and we lose the day, you know, like it's not a good practice, a lot of interceptions, we're getting kind of beat up, a lot of tackles. So Ja comes in the me he's like, hey, man, like,
we're not about that. We gotta we're winning tomorrow. So next day we're out there like it's you think it's a live game, Like you are getting tackled, fullbacks are cutting people, and it was just like whoa. And so then on Hard Knocks that night, Bill O'Brien's like, guys, like, what are we doing? Like they're embarrassing you. And it just kept ramping up. And so the third day it's a full brawl ilm. It's all people punching each other.
But I think, to your point, Tanna, like it takes a mature coach to be like, hey man, are we getting good practice in yes or no? Because I can't get into that brawl state and just doing everything.
And I hate to say that, but I'm glad you brought it up, because that's what normally happens. You going out there trying to be productive, and the coaches getting in they like.
We didn't look good.
They you know, they want on today as a team, were going out to tomorrow, and we gotta go out here and almost brawl just to make a bra because I can tell you when we did that with New England, I was laughing about it because it had me in a sense like, oh so we really that much better than y'all, and y'all can feel it, and we're not even looking like y'all, y'all look militant. I mean, everything y'all did was whistle blow. Guy was flying, he was walking.
Eh what I guess.
I'm ready to get him out of this. But you know, we we we we shooting there, you know what, and these guys are over there sprint and then we.
Gotta feel you know.
One guy held me, one of the guys he helped me, and I still caught the ball and and I was like heron hold me no more. Then you see a dB wight over there, Oh.
Listen to him.
You can hold them all you want to, I said, well, you ain't gonna never hold me because I'm running by.
You all day.
And then it how you all rows you like he was mad, just because it's like I still caught that past and Pierre in his ear like, don't worry about the o G I got him.
You don't understand I saw Pierre was.
But that just shows you how the practices go from you just trying to be productive man, get in and out of it. I'm just telling a guy don't hold me because I'm not trying to put no hamstream. I'm not trying to be doing his extra work just to catch the ball on you. When I'm gonna catch the ball on you. Your beat already, and it gets wrapped up because somebody in their feelings, one of them coaches might say, I don't like the way he talked to
your players. And then now tomorrow I got to come out here in a game and tell me something.
When we get into it with the coaches, see, I usually stay into it with the where I received, become yeppy that I'm getting none of their team.
Senior beast said me, what you got over there?
So it just it's it's melt too in physical warfare and I think that's why I enjoyed it, and we talking a long time, guys.
Y'all really got some diarrhea of the mouth today, y'all practices.
Well, I think that's it all done now, Thanks Fred, right, make sure I don't make the news. I know. Thank you, Fred. All right, see you guys later. Guys, we got a ton of content for you. Game Day Live, Janks and Santanamos, Regular Season with b Mitch. That show was great. Last week. We got a new pod, Get Loud with Fred and Janks, Fred How Loud You're Always Loud Man Center, the flagship show that will recap everything from the preseason game in Cleveland.
We got something for you every single day, so much content for you. Make sure you check it out. The views and opinions expressed by our podcast guests and or hosts are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Washington Commanders or any of their representatives.