On today's episode the Command Center Podcast, we're talking the art of defense and Joe Whippins is the painter.
Right.
We talked about the next evolution of this defense set in twenty twenty five, how do we get to be a top tag group and how these new additions are going to help us get there? And I am dreaming of Dan Quinn. It all starts right now, Nightmares. Welcome to thecmand Center Podcast. I'm Logan Paulson here with Fred Smoot and Santana Mos.
Yeh, guys, how's father said? It was great? Man?
You know what, I did my studies on Father's Day and it turns out, Logan, that they spin the public spins ten billion more dollars on Mother's Day compared to Father's Day. How do you feel as a father knowing that we are short changed in debt?
And rich? Oh?
I think you know, when it comes to mothers and fathers, mothers carry a lot of that burden, you know what I'm saying. Early on, like, you know, they carry the baby and a lot of early stuff, changing diapers early. Not that I and changing diapers or anything like that, but uh, they're probably about ten times more important.
It don't make us ten times less important.
I just think about it though, as a father, as a dude, period, do you care someone buy you something?
Mothers do? Women do?
They?
They love gifts, they loved to be you know, thought about so regardless of what it is, I just feel like, of course they're going to spend more money on mothers because women love nice things.
They you know, we're buying women nice things daily. You know.
A father a guy, I don't want anything. You know, I can get it myself.
So what would you walk for? Father? No? No, he can think about it. Think about it.
We take the mother on Mother's Day to a steak house, all right, Max strod.
Prime, but the fine oodner. They drop us off of uncooked State. They just did you cook? Did you cook? I did not cook.
My kids took me to that great French restaurant, waff ale House. All right this my kids, no, daddy, simple fail waff A House.
I love waffle House.
That's one of my things. So my kids, no long we take dat to the waffle house. He pretty much good.
You pay for They took me to waffle House. Paid for it with my money. But it was all good. And we got to compete. My kids know, I like to compete, right or something? Coin Hole? We played coin hole, which I want? We bowl? We stanos one and we enjoyed our said can't help himself. Man, you always got to you always got to be ahead of the curve.
I love it, man, I love it. Oh, let's check it in about Father's Day. Always going to get you guys opinion, what you guys are up to. Now, let's get our kind of admin stuff done. Just remember we got that mega mail bag coming up. Man has to answer questions from you. Please make sure you leave those questions at that hawk outside at gmail dot com. We want to make sure we get to all of them. Uh, pretty sure. Jason's going through all that stuff and we're
gonna have a great show when that comes wrong. But make sure that hawk outside at gmail dot com. Next thing up is hail Tails podcasts coming out soon. And if you're subscribed where you get your podcasts to this Commander's podcast network, it'll show up there. But it's a great show.
Man.
If you're a fan of this team, if you're a fan of the history of this team, make sure you check it out. It's got the last game at RFK talks about the history of that. He's got the body Back Game.
The Bodybag Game. Miss played quarterback that game, did it really? Yeah, that's what he played.
That was the body Back Game because like everybody got taken out, we had to put a running back at quarterback.
Luckily he was an ex quarterback. They played running back. Dude.
The fact that he played quarterback at any point in his life, he is so anti quarterback, you know what I'm saying.
Like this, laugh at him calling the hood.
If you hang out with d Missed for like five seconds, like you're like, no way is he a quarterback.
He's just so tough. He's so great. Imagine him getting down on the.
Knee in the huddle and looking at you log and be like you past, dude, he would fight you.
Just thinking about what would you do when you came back to the huddle. You drop a b bitch Bay No.
Yeah, But the body Back Game. They got the Vince Lombardi era, They got the Monday Night Miracle. Apparently, they got a bunch of people interviewed for that Rye Bock. They got the kicker interviewed. So if you're a fan of the history of this team, of the Big Moments.
That's a great show.
It's gonna be in the podcast podcast network makes you guys check it out Apple, Spotify, just make sure you're subscribed to the Commander's Podcast Network, which if you're listening to this you should be.
Yeah.
And then just a reminder this is important. Now, make sure if you are going, we know you're gonna buy tickets. They're gonna buy tickets there right there, use the QR right there, right there, right there, right, I'm back right yeah, right there, right there. Yeah, use that QR code buy tickets. It really helps us out. So please, if you want to help us out while you're doing something you are going to do, please make sure you get that done.
And we got RFK stadium news, right, we're excited about that. You're excited about that. But if you want to be updated, right, make sure you go to Commanders dot com backslash new Stadium where you can sign up to learn more and show your support. That's the big one, right.
Show your support.
Damn home, bring damn there go fred I like it, Bring damn home, due, that's what we need.
That was what I'm saying.
But if you want it, which we know you want it, you got to show that you show their support by going to Commanders dot com backslash New Stadium to get that done. So just a reminder Commanders dot Com backslash new Stadium to support the RFK deal. So let's make sure we do that. Get your tickets using the QR code, Haltales podcast that's coming up, and then mega mail bag.
So those are the big four things. Great job by you.
That's all the housekeeping. So now we can get into.
The football art.
It's talking football, but specifically defense, the art of the defense. Right, and so I think you know, we're kind of in this time of year, we're kind of looking forward towards training camp. It's a very exciting time, kind of look back at last year, things that they did well, things that they could do better. So let's just start from the jump and basically kind of explain to the listeners and the viewers if you're watching on YouTube Joe A Junior and his scheme, what type of scheme, what type
of defense does he play? Let's just start at the simplest. Why not I guess I could start here right, So to me, when I watch him on film, they are a base four down team. So that means there's four defensive linemen. Usually they play an overfront, so they're gonna have one defensive tackle shade to the strong side. He's gonna line up on the outside shoulder the guard. They're gonna have somebody over the outside shoulder of the tackle. They're gonna have a backside shade, so someone on the
shoulder of the center. So those four guys are there, and then they play anywhere from four to three linebackers. And if they're a nickel, they play two. And they kind of want to be a single high safety team. If they are in too high safety, usually they're rotating to a single high look. But they have they can play two, they can play three, they can play quarters. Do you think that's a fair characterization of what the multiple fronts?
Yeah, yeah, I call it multiple fronts. But I also call it the outside to inside defense. They protect the outside, meaning they protect the corners. It's a caller friendly defense that puts more pressure on the interior to make plays than production. So like what like all right, the responsible like different defenses protect different people.
And in this defense, when I.
Say corner friendly, they want the corners to make plays. So if you want the corners to be aggressive and make plays. That's why they always keep one safety in the middle of the field to make sure they never have to cover post. They eliminate route trees. And when you eliminate route trees, that mean I need to have some big boys up front that can handle their self like I can independently let them go do their job with that have the second guess, and that's why the
key position in this one. And I know everybody gonna say the key position every defense is the middle linebacker. But the key to this defense is the middle linebacker. Do you think they did that because Bobby's here? Do you think that that was the point emphasis?
Because it makes sense to me, like yeah, Like why not have a guy with the most experienced kind of yes, lead to lead to dout Like that's why it's a middle linebacker lid defense and doing it you fundel everything back inside to these guys.
So being that you're a defensive guy, and I love asking these kind of questions that you in London when you look at the difference from how the Cowboys played it two years ago with the same staff, what's different because we have that middle linebacker?
You No, No, we have the middle linebacker they didn't have, and we're bigger interior than they were. That's why they If you look at it, when they was there, everybody used to break runs.
It was like the SA gap. Maybe it's going as for those who know the.
Reason why, I asked that question too, because I feel like we both had the same handicap. You know, we both had a problem with stopping the run. You see what I'm saying, So what what makes us Because it's a light of box. It's only a light of box.
Let's let's just shift it into neutral for a second. So when we say box esically people that you've designated to stop the run stop the run, right, So like you, people throw that term around all the time. So usually you've got you got six blockers, you've got seven defenders.
Yes, now modern defense, we have six defense. Six on six is even.
It's even, right, So you got to play like a gap in a half because everyone's got to beat a blocker and everybody has to win because you want more coverage focused, right, And so it's interesting to you ask about the difference between Dallas and now, Like one of the things about Dallas is I felt like they really wanted to be in man coverage a lot. They wanted to be in man coverage, and then their change up was sometimes some type of Tampa Tuoe right basically right, or some type of.
Fires on ye undred percent.
And so when I look at this now, I thought last year Joe A Junior played way more zone than he used right because again, like.
Because the person I think it was a personality.
I think, so, yeah, yeah, so I think that's what i'd say. And again, like we talked about the fronts, four down front they can get in three down fronts. They have some flexibility right to disguise, but I think at their core.
Yeah, think about this defense. I want you to think about. I want you to go back to Green Bay. Like everybody likes to go back to the Cowboys, I didn't like to go back to Seattle.
I say, go back to green with Joe jun reserve.
Yes, when you go back to Green Bay, this defense is very much built like Peyton Manning's coach defense. Built to play with the lead. Oh, it's built to play with the lead. That means we're gonna rush the passer. We're built more for the past than we are to run. That's how I want like, that's why I want you to really think about this defense. Now, what we did in the off season were reinforced. No, we're gonna we're gonna really get bigger for the run and we're gonna
force you to pass. So now we're gonna take a whole different direction to this thing and we're gonna force you to pass. So I anticipate us playing a little bit more zone than we did last year and being more forced for on first down. First down, we're gonna play more man. After that, we're gonna play more zone. Interesting, Yeah, I kind of would say.
So, you know, talking about strengths and weaknesses of the team, I got to tell you brought it up like them stopping the run wasn't a great thing last year, and I think we can all attest to that they were if they were last but they really struggled in terms in that category. And so one of the things you look at is you say, I feel like the defense and in front alluded to it a little bit. Is you want to make sure that you are gap sound forcing the ball back to the mic.
Yes, essentially is what you're trying to do.
And so when you get guys on the edge, like Dante Fowler, who again I thought had a great year turned the sack production almost.
Saxon production, but run support different.
And so when you look at some of the explosive runs they were, I think they were the third highest in terms of explosive runs given up. They really had a hard time with that. So what they've done is they've gone out and got Dietrich Wise and resigned cluland Fell. They've got King Loves, They've got kin Law guys. That Goldman is a great I'm really glad you brought that up.
Ten guys that are a little bit more stout on the interior but also bigger on the edges to again like because they play so they play a six technique, and so like, think about it, if I'm a tight end, a six technique lines up directly over directly, that's a really hard technique to play. So if you're playing a nine, like it's easy to box the run, I just attack the tight ends outside shoulder tournament tournament turn their button the hole and then the back has to cut it back.
When there are six, they kind of have to two gap, which is really challenging.
So like when getting a bigger body in that spot is going to be really.
Helpful because it allows you to get penetration.
If I get penetration, like it's a different between me literally getting the block right here and just Steyman in the block and me going.
Two steps ahead of you and trying to penetrate. Like now we got guys they can they here to play the run. So that's some of it. And I don't like to be talking about nobody else.
But when you look at a team like the Giants, they had that big dude in the middle Dix launched, did they are we doing some of the things similar to how he clogged things up?
So that's a that's a great question because that's more of a three down front. So what I'd say is like you got like a noseguard and two four eyes and then two guys on the perimeter nine technique, so they like to box. The edge of this is like who else runs this? Like Minnesota ran this, Detroit runs Yeah, so a lot of people run a version of this with like crash nines, So those wide nines box to run. We are a little bit tighter with our allunance here.
And again, like there's pros and cons to that and it makes it easier to bounce to me, to force the ball to bounce, which is what you want to give the linebacker time to take a good angle and make that way.
Yeah.
Right, So there are pros and cons, But I think getting you.
For a bounce, though, do you want to? I want him to bounce corners to be to tackle to tackle.
Like, if I can get him to bounce, he going laterally, not vertically, Like I don't want him outside. Now you get now defense, I can Now we can chase him, got you, because if not, we're gonna be chasing him vertically. There's a whole different pattern that we want.
But I just you know the reason why I asked that, because when he explained it about having a guy wider and making him turn that turn his butt into the whole. To me, as a guy who has to block, yeah, you never want to turn your butt into the rug, you know what I mean. You never want to slow things down for that run. You want to you want to get that running a two way go. You want to take that way where he said if he cut off him, go inside or I can go outside.
To me, I think that's hard, that's harder for you to defend. You see what I'm saying. So that's why I asked that question.
Just here said it's a great point. I think it's harder for is to play a true six and they don't play it's like kind of a it's a tight nine, yeah, but it's like a yeah as a but as a tight end. I always preferred that because they're right on top of you and get on them quick. But and
it's it's harder for the defensive player. But if you get somebody who can play it well, it covers you up versus a lot of different run looks and you can play the six man box that we were talking about, like if they're a nickel, right, it gives you some more flexibility, which is why I think you play the front like this is the same type of front that Seattle played, Yeah, but the way that Seattle played it to get around it. This is back in the day when people couldn't throw the way they throw.
But they had Michael Bennett who was excellent in the run. Like everybody talking about his past rushing. The reason they was good with the Legion of Doom because Michael Bennet destroyed run plays. I'm talking first second down, and anytime you get behind the downs with this defense, you're talking second in thirteen or second left, that's when this defense fires out.
Yeah yeah, And so like, yeah, I mean that's a great point. With Seattle, you have had some really good football players, but also they did a really good job of like what Tanna is talking about making or they had overhangs. You can't do that as much anymore because they pass
goes to the passing game is so crazy. But I do think four down kind of these tight nine six technique type of alignments and uh and I do think so to me, getting people that are just going to be in the right spots are going to be really helpful in terms of clearing that stuff up. You know, we're looking at again that's that's the run game, and I think that's going to be a big change in terms of making it more positive. Is just getting guys getting personnel. Like we talked about the edges there a
little bit. I also think getting a guy like Goldman in there, Yeah, that plays that backside shape, they will not move. That's dealing with the guards center double teams quite a bit. That's going to keep guys off of Bobby. Yeah, you always hear Fletch talk about how like Ray Lewis had Tony Sarah and Adam Adams, he's kind of that.
Body to him that one year he didn't have him boy get what he win and he would getting pushed and brought somebody back.
Yeah.
No, absolutely, And so I think that's in terms of biggest weaknesses from last year, stopping the run is one that really sticks out to me, And I like it wasn't so much a scheme thing, it was more of a personnel thing because even late in the year, for example, like you'd see like an RPO for example, like from Philly in RPO is like run pass option, and you would see the guys kind of freelancing it.
And when you're playing an RPO, you got to do your job right. And so I think getting more confidence in those guys on the edges doing their thing, that's going to help the linebackers, that's going to help the secondary, that's going to help the nickel players do what they're supposed to do.
So I think that's so you are you really to agree with me about interior age?
Well, so in this defense, I actually think edges are important. Point.
Are you willing to agree that interior rushers are.
I mean, if you've got a beast one, yeah for sure. I mean I don't think I've ever been really pushing back the hand hand.
Yeah, like I.
Think you're saying that because I think this is my issue with your argument. So if you're not familiar this first time you're watching the show, friend's argument is that an interior pass rusher is more valuable because if you look at the teams that have won super Bowls, they've got interior pass rushers. And I just don't agree with that as a data point.
All right, all right, all right, okay, can we agree t J?
Y Miles Garrett, uh, Trey Henderson.
He's not like the top past edge rushers.
No super Bowl, no super Bowl, no playoffs, no playoffs, no playoffs, no playoffs.
TJ. You got a super Bowl? No? All right?
Chris Jones Interior super Bowl, Jaylen Cattle Interior super Bowl. Sweat with the threat, Jayleen Cottle with the threat.
I mean Jallen Carter is like a unicorn. Like that's that's the thing. It's like, no, no, no.
No thing I do believe in.
But if you put both, if you put Chris Jones, on Pittsburgh.
You do mean't gonna get a super Bowl? No, no, because he got back My thing. This is my take on saying is let's go through the top five edge rushers. Let's go through the.
Top Finli he got the most playoff wins.
I hear an argument, but it's just not those guys by themself. That's winning on something. Nothing by yourself. There's nothing by But I'm.
Saying to your argument, I would say that I do kind of side with you when it comes to interior only for the fact that if you have a Tom Brady Peyton Manning style quarterback, I'm collapsing his you know, the guys in front of him and put them on his lap. Now he has to a guy that's not mobile. He got to get rid of that. Even the mobile guy, you got to get through it. See, that argument makes
more sense to me. That argument makes more sense because it's like, yes, I do think interior pass rush is valuable because of that reason, not because they're winning super Bowls.
No, no, I if you do the numbers, crush these numbers.
Now, I know your daddy is asking me, and your daddy got more company than you and your dad. Check this out. All I'm telling you, look at.
The numbers of the top five d tackles and look at the numbers of the top five Edge Russian. You tell me who's affecting the game. The interior fixed the run game, It affixed the past game. It's three downs of affecting it. Edge Russe is primarily on passing downs. Sure, I'm talking about somebody to fick, first, shaken.
And third I got you. I mean, they do effect one thing about you. We can't argue with you, so.
You argue.
I just get tired of turning on my radio and all I hear is people when we're gonna.
Get an aedge rushing, we're gonna get age.
When I'm like, but that's just like when when you got guys, that's saying you need a you need some receivers. When you have a great quarterback, you don't need great receivers. You need capable you know you guys you can go
out and get the ball to it. And that goes back to your argument as when we're gonna get ass rushers when you have a corp of guys, meaning that you have a nice uh front front seven, you have guys in the interior you have capable guys on the outside together collectively they make up for just having one guy more special guys, So how to look at it?
Yeah, So I'm really glad you brought up the interior because I do think one of the things about this defense going back to Dallas specifically, is they were always a little bit soft, little bit light in the interior. Yeah, and I think they've made taking really good steps here, Kim.
It's a good step. So tell me this though, tell me this. You said it, so I have to ask this question. Do you think we was light or soft last year?
Because I feel like we had a great interior years before.
Probably, Well, I told you this defense is catered for the edges and when you do this, so.
It took a lot off of the guys and it put a lot on the line and put more on them because they too gaping got you and.
The best time, if you really want to defensive, interior got to dominate, let him one gap, let him find out way he goes and get there.
So basically this defense took a lot from those guys in the inside. X more of them who who who excelled the last previous years, but x more came the sacks and stuff like that, but they couldn't hold up when when I guess the pressure was not on them to kind of, you know, keep things well.
I think it's just more or less, uh, who you gonna care for on your defense?
Like most of the defense I played for they were like, hey, go play man and man, we're gonna we're gonna draw everything for the inside guy. Like this is more of we're gonna take care of the outside guys. Y'all need to y'all need to hold well.
I think it goes also again like this is a tomato tomato type of thing or chicken and egg Like which comes first is like when you play lighter boxes, when you emphasize defending the pass more. One of the things is like double teams sit longer, right, because I'm not I don't have to worry about anybody way back to this guy, right, I can really sick on this. So you have to get guys. In my opinion, watching last year, like watching gers On, watching Deron, who I
think is a really good run player. Watching you know, insert your other player that played here, is like, I don't care how good you are if I get four hands on you. These offensive linemen are too good, too good, right, so you need to get and find guys. And I think you see a different team's prioritize and like put a forward for example, he's a defensive tack for the Chargers, just got paid like ten million dollars a year. He's a run stopping tackle because there is value to it
on first second down. So going out and find a guy like Goldman, I think is a really good example. Like when you watch him, he knows how to play off double teams.
You know he will split.
Them in a way that is unique to him, right, And so I think when you look at if you can get a guy to play that shade, so like you're in double team land all the time, a three technique can get away with it a little bit, but you can get a guy in there that's good at that on first second down. He's only gonna play twenty plays a game. Fifteen plays a game like that adds a lot of value because it cleans it up for Bobby.
Because so when you watch Bobby, when you watch Frank either not like I think when you think back to like Ron, when you talk about linebackers, like you know, why are John and Doron not playing well, it's because the linebackers aren't coming downhill this defense. We're not coming downhill. We're not saving you because to you. Because Bobby's got to make the play outside the hash. He's got to make the play in the B gap and the sea gap.
He's got it.
It's not it's not he it's it's not a one gap defense, right because of this this light box scenario. Right, So if you can get a guy in there that's good at that, then you can alleviate some of the pressure on drawn. He can just play the three technique, yes, or Jerson can play the three techniques, can look for three technique, right, And so then you can get into
these passing downs. And now you've got actual past Russ juice on the interior, like we're talking about, Like I can't wait to watch darn like be the guy and rush the passers on. When you watch him from college, he got juice. When you watch kiml Us cut ups, Yeah, dude, there's sometimes it looks like a runaway freight train. So I think the whole defense perspective now is like so last year, for example, they were ninth in terms of the run places they saw.
That's a pretty high percentage. Right.
They were twenty fourth in terms of passes. That's because they're not going to stopping the run. So once we can stop the run, force them to pay. Put the fence up right with these bigger edged players, these better guys than the interiers up. Let Bobby do his thing. Now, all of a sudden, you got to Now you a one trick pony. You see what I'm saying. Like we've changed the parameters here, we're still We're still we wore if we wants to.
We went got.
Bigger to winning first down. We went got bigger in the trenches to wien first down. If you wien first down, sickon and third down becomes how should I call it?
Very easy for us if I get you behind the change and sick in.
Any living Now you'll pass the team, your passing team. And now I know you a passing team. And now we're gonna do what we do well, we do best, and it's cover.
Yeah. And they're third in the NFL.
And pass defense last year with one hundred and eighty nine point five yard is awesome.
Because nobody had to They ain't even have to.
Throw correct So now we're going to force that. But now we got you know, Trey Mos, we got Mike Harris. Still, we've got Marshall Lattimore, we got Will Harris, we got Kawon Martin in the back end. And I think this is another thing where you see a vision I love. Like we've talked about this all the time. Ten, it's like when the GM has a vision for the offense and the defense. Like everybody's like, we were bad in this.
We're going to get better. We're going to get you to second and ten and we're going to dare you to throw the football because we got a bunch of dudes who they played it.
You can play man and then yes.
Tanna right, how many times we talk about that, dude aren't going to be lost playing the football.
Now Playton football.
But the reason we need to win first down is because if you see a quarterback like Jedi five standing on the other sideline, I'm going to run the ball because now it defensively keeps him opening when they say.
It no more. We're gonna win first down and we're gonna.
Force shoot the pays the ball and put the balls in harm's way so we can get five back on the field.
That's what they did with the guys they went got in the off season.
It's just like Fred, you said this, and I experienced this when I was in Atlanta, Like the defense was built to play with the lead. Yes, and you then you hurt yourself on first second down a little bit, right, because unless the game script starts flipping where it's like two minute situations, end of games scenario's second half where you're down, we got to throw the ball time you're you're putting that smaller, undersized defensive line in a tough spot.
Yeah.
And I think Fred brought up a great point, you know, because he does that every once in a while. He said, like, we got bigger to be better when the game flow is not in favor.
Right.
So now it's I don't want to say we got two teams. So we got guys that you can kind of like the Bass bros. You put them out there. I can play two different games and then I look at when hey man, it's second and eleven or third and twelve. Yeah, Frankly, woo come out of here, Jacob, come out here. We got we got some people that can blitz. We got to look and rush we got and again like there's where you went.
Yes's some time, and so.
I think like it kind of runs a little bit like a hockey rotate.
That's what we taught. We just asked this course.
At the end of the day, do you want a variety of different kind of players that do you want the same?
Same answer that.
Question, a variety because you want to be able to play different styles of play game.
Don't come with his challenges and ideally you want somebody who could do both.
But that's a perfect world. That's a perfect world. The world ain't perfect.
I'm gonna get these guys in here, and I'm gonna get Biggert so I can win first down.
Cause I always say it changes. I would love variety with the same output of you know, production. You said that that's a great point.
So I think that's kind of the way, okay, scheme, it's the I think it'll be largely the same. Yeah, but I think if you can make some of these personnel improvements, you're gonna be cooking. Now let's get a little bit deeper on the coverage, right, So, I see Fred, and I want to get your perspective on this. I see a team that wants to play more man coverage, Yes, they do because it allows your pressure. Right, we can blitz more. We can just do some different things with
the rotation in the back end. We can have lord players PRIs man.
They don't want to play off man. They want to play priss man.
Put your hands in his fat reach out and touch some guys like AT and T used to do and so Fred.
What are some pros and are some cons of man coverage versus own if you're if you're a quarterback, I.
Guess this is what I love playing man. I want to simplify the route tree, all right, Tayn to know this. When we walk down and press, the chick goes quickly to slant. I fade no matter what the play is called. Sometimes true, you have adjustments.
That's his way. I'm looking at it.
This tree simplified all right, where they still run comebacks, but they still run this.
Yes, but the quickest.
Check is yeah. He basically what he's saying is for a quarterback them the routes. I need to be available if I got to come back, and even if he's pressing me in that guy's because we have routes to adjust and still run.
I mean, we have ways to get off the line of screaming.
Like if I have a seven route and you come out and pressing me, I'm gonna get off. I'm gonna beat your press and get inside of it. See what I'm saying. So, but what you're saying is as the quarterback needs that slint now he needs that, he don't.
He don't want those. And that's what I'm talking about when I talked about the other day about.
Like when you have when you don't have time, it don't matter who you got out there press, It don't matter when you don't have time, that guy got to go elsewhere with the ball.
But that's why that press in it and that rush goes together. I got to put my hands on him. I'm not going up there to press him to run with him. I'm going up there to one Mississippi in the two Mississippi. I'm trying to get this play over with.
You're trying to disrupt me on my route and also make the quarterback pick somebody.
And while doing it, I'm also trying to not undress the coverage. That's what I do level about press man to opposite to offman, like you still I can press you in cover full like. And the one thing about zone is zone is actually route reading. Like when we in zone, we really reading number two. We never read number one. Number one being the whitest guy, guy.
Reading the slot received while we're reading the tight.
End, because that's going to tell you the high tell me if this slide receiver go now to that side, the other the dude coming inside.
Everything is a combination.
So once I read number two in zone, it's up to me to blurt out and communicate to my safety in my back of what's going on. So we got to talk more in zone and man and man is more of job pace tempo. This is what we want In man like and man, we're fina force you. We're fins trying to force you to do something that you're not comfortable with.
And also I think maybe I'm wrong Ford, but also think of coverage is a time where like we're trying to get the rush home, we're trying to bring five, we're trying to get trying to get home, so you don't have to cover very long. I think about Pittsburgh did this for a long time when they were in man coverage. It was they were coming to heat you up a little bit. Yeah, and I think that they bring an element of that here and uh, then they can bring an element.
Of that now. I remember we ran a couple of those.
I think Fred was gone by that time, but Mike used to love calling that zero both.
The rain rain, Yeah, damn London gre especially if you don't have the right right personality Russian. We played so much zero.
But we would do it in this wild Zero means there's no safety, no help and me and you.
And we ran it in the red zone, oh like, and we ran it over and over the work.
It always worked. We was the number one defense in the league. Like it was, We're gonna heat you up. Quarterback gotta make a he got to make a decision now.
And actually I always tell quarterback this, if they don't make the decision pre snap, we already won. Like they need to make that decision before the ball to snap. So when I seen them not checking.
I dig in Like now, I'm like, I'm ready now because all I gotta do is touching.
But long once I touch him, now we didn't already won this down, like, but once he checked the line, now I'm looking now, I'm like, I wonder what he checked to. Then I'm looking at town and see the tanner just moving side that number. Did he move outside the number? Like I'm trying to get any key I can get.
Yeah, I wonder if they do. They didn't run a ton. They did not run a town of zero last year.
I don't know. They did a little bit in Dallas. I can say, I don't last year won the year to run zero?
Yeah, Yeah, the coverage, the coverage wasn't Yeah, that's that's what you gotta really.
You got to trust the other. You got to be good.
I saw I saw Wes Welgan run thirteen routes on D Hall. I met d Hall in the field, Like, it's not your fault, brother, we can Brady's back there tapping the ball so much.
The eyeline was sitting there there just playing with this windmilling and there.
They didn't get nowhere, bro, And it's like it hurts the dB, especially when you have great defensive backs. Yeah, he cannot cover that long, you know, I mean it's impossible, and it's zero coverage. You got to get out to the quarterback.
Yeah, And it's intertme thinking about zero, thinking about man coverage and again they're not gonna only play man, They're not gonna only play it four down. They have some flexibility, have some variety. Just to be clear, this is I think what they want to be doing specifically on third down.
How you want to dictate yourself as a defense, right, It's only one way for us to dictate the offense.
And it says the tech. Yeah, like if we don't tach, we siting and taking punch.
And so when I hear when I think about this, man probably a little bit more pressure, you know, like on third down specifically, man pressure is whatever fire zones, different things like that to kind of disrupt the offense. How important is a guy like Will.
Harris to that' Hey, first of all, Will is this He's in mouth and I will not underestimate communication.
If we ain't on the same page, we ain't got a chance. All right. We are a boy band.
We ain't spinning at the same time the four tops, I ain't selling no tickets.
We have to communicate because that allows us to steal.
Like the one thing I used to love having shun on Taylor is my free safety receive.
We just ain't trying to go over the middle. So guess what I stopped playing posts posts in Niggs.
I don't play them no more. And if I won't, if i'm if I tell Shun check this out. If he know I'm tapping the back of my thigh, I'm telling shut I'm not moving. I'm not going to back pedal. I feel like they're gonna do some short and I'm finna go get it. So it's just inner link communication and that's what we Harris brings. He's a yapper that loved to take on information and it's fit it back out like I love people to take in with the office is showing me and regurgitating to me. I don't
care if it's just a simple motion. Man, you're buying yourself or whatever. Communicate with me that allows me to play faster.
Have you seen that I have.
I've seen them moving around, I've seen them yapping, and I've seen them like I'm always.
Looking for the head turns.
Like when I see a coming back head turn, that mean he taking in information. Last year, I never really seen Benjamin Saint Jud's head turn a lot.
He was locked in. He was just I'm there and I got a job to do.
No, I need to I need to see you taking in constant because the play constantly changing, and I know good safeties And the one thing about it is Qun is a good communication.
Wa Harrison is a good communicator.
And when you got that in the safety position, they giving me an ah over the colon, I mean over the wire, SI that I can't get with that, damn.
They also think he brings like a versatility, yeah, like a like some more flexibility if you want to play man coverage. Yeah, I feel comfortable about him doing that. I think he's he's good in coverage. He's a really good blitzer.
Yeah right.
I think he's good against the run. So if you want to play that like Nickel Nicol, he can do out with that guy kind of in the box, that overhang player, Like that's a great fit for that.
So I don't know.
I just think it's like when I look at the defensive line, I'm like, man, they really brought in a lot of pieces that fill in holes from last year.
Yeah.
And when I look at that addition specifically in the secondary, shoot like Jones, right, Jonathan Jones, like also just bringing in depth, bring in some flexibility, bring in guys that have played man coverage that can't play man coverage. I think it's extremely important and I would imagine it gives the defensive coordinator a lot of confidence.
I don't know. I don't give me a lot of confidence.
I'll tell you I watched the defensive backs primarily when being a receiver, being a former guy that had to go up against these guys and nause them in. When I used to watch us, I used always, you know, we be watching the game, I go to shake my head like I already see something that's gonna happen. And it's not even about because you know, the player is
never over, intil the players over. But when you see a corner that you're not confident in that or he's not confident, that's that's a weak link, and that makes everybody weak.
You see what I'm saying.
So you know, think about it in those games where we want a couple of them, but it got in the game where we have to lead and one, one or two guys might pass in the ference because they just can't cover. Now you bring in guys that know I'm the cover this dude, I ain't gotta play.
I ain't got a pity pat you know what I mean?
I ain't got a panic, they gonna be, they gonna they gonna think twice the thrown.
Has ball to me because of who I am. You see what I'm saying, And.
That's what a guy like Harris brings now to that secondary along with the added corners, because now you have guys but that that can actually cover, and then you have guys in safety that you can't even read.
You don't know if he's at safety, don't want to.
And so that's why I like about just seeing what we added to the secondary, just knowing that, man, I can rest assurance say went in doubt, it won't be no more pistsburghs what happened to us last year the last player of the game where I'm not reading down in distance, I don't know that I can.
I can't give up a go route right now.
It's a down that I just can't give you.
This in front of you, But I ain't.
Giving you that. You see what I'm saying. Now you have guys that understand that part of the game.
And I was gonna say, Tanna, like, Uh, You've played against all different types of cornerbacks. You play against young guys, old guys. Do you find the Guys with more experience are better in those moments because they've just seen it.
And so now again, like I go back to the ads right there, dudes with a lot of experience playing a bunch of different defenses, like and it just seems like, I don't know, when I played against dudes that knew a lot of stuff, it made it hard for me to be successful because they don't waste.
And not only that, I mean you got to think about it. I was here, I was tell you how long I've been playing. We had a guy inly was so young and so so you know, he was just raw. You know, it was like he wasn't here he athletically he can go out there and cover the best of them. Then you put a guy like d Haul in his ear and tell him, no, bro, look at this. Do this bringings to come pick my brand?
Twner?
So what you saw on that man, oh man, man's man, and man, I'm gonna kill you because you're not thinking about the down and distance and pretend to.
Think about where your healths at. I got you because I know you're thinking about it. I ain't. I'm just trying to run with this guy. I'm trying to make sure.
I'm gonna give you all kind of moves and the thing I'm I'm gonna give you a different route and beat you. And then you get him a year or two or not even a year. In the middle of that season, I watched his game tremendously changed because he's checking somebody in practice every day with me that's playing and that's talking to him. And then you got a d haul on his team that's telling them, Man, before
you know it, he wasn't fooled by nothing. So just to get back to your question, when you have veterans, when you have guys that just know, man, look here, I ain't got to go out here and work too hard, working smart? Yeah, why should I should out here and go I'm gonna take what I see the deep, what the offense is trying to do. I'm gonna take that away and then now use my help. And even when
you and man, you can use help. Yeah, you still got a safety, still got a safe in the minutefield, or you have the sideline, and a lot of these dbs on they don't use the sideline. We talked about that all that ship like that's a that's show, that's your friend back.
Now I am ride him on that sideline. It's tough for us to you know, be able to get away from that.
And thinking back to some of those conversations we had in the season last year about guys not playing seemingly not playing that we don't know the defense you don't get.
But not playing to the strength of the coverage.
We knew the new the coverage, we didn't know what they was doing though.
Yeah.
So I think there's there's a lot of really cool additions in the secondary. I think about the leadership those guys provide, like ten of That example is perfect because it's like the linebackers had some the defensive lines had guys like that, but the secondary hasn't really had that guy to be like, hey man, I'm a veteran, I've been here before.
Yeah, and I don't know Fred if.
Udiver had anybody in your career, I guess when you first got in.
Say, I had guys from the time I got in sometime. Damn, guys, let's not talk about the first group.
You think about them, Me the Hall, Collins, Rogers, shun Springs, Me and Toine Winfield.
I have always been.
Paired another good cone I was gonna say, you probably don't even talk about the other guys because of the other hall of famous.
Like the border hall of famers you just mentioned.
So you came back here with the Blue. I know, we get Blue for a lot of black Man. That boy, that boy was smart. No, No, Blue the game like Blue in his size, yes, like bro Like I look at him like all right, I'm finna just go go gadget legs and I'm gonna beat him because I know I'm I'm faster. You see what I'm saying. But if I let him just go out there and think about what I got going on?
No, he did, No, he did.
Didn't realized Blue led us one year in sex and me and him tied in interceptions. So he was lean the team in sex and tied in with interceptions, like how many corners do that? And he played the nickel, he played inside.
He can arguably be being a damn strung safety back like he was that big playing con ain't can run with you.
So fred Man, you're so lucky you get to play with some really good football players. So that's obviously where we think the defense is act currently, And this is maybe a better pressure question for FREA because I really have no idea, like what kind of changes would you have made in an off season from one off season to the next, like in terms of evolving the defense, or is it like this is who we are and we're gonna add a little sprinkling of layer cake.
I'm just fna layer the cake what we did. Yeah, I'm gonna do the same thing we need. We're gonna get better at what we do and I'm gonna answer more because now I got some guys that I trust.
So what's an example of something you could add, Like are you adding blitzes? Are you adding coverages or rules?
And situational football where we weren't where we where we try to just survive on third down.
Now we're gonna thrive on the third.
Down, Like that's the down, that's the down of all downs. Third down is the down all down. We're gonna start to dictate third down instead of being dictated to like last year we got dictated on third down and we just we'll take a punch out, we will dodge the punch.
Now we're gonna throw punches. We're gonna throw punches because now I.
Am freed up to play man and man on third down, I am freed up to go zone blitz.
I am freed up. I can go zero if I feel like it. And I'm sure Joe what Junior would is gonna be better at calling game.
Like, Hey, like I showed Man this last time, Let's show man disguise, but it's really tampatu or man.
Let me put Frankie Louvu on the right. Let them think I'm coming from the right. I'm coming from the lift. So that I'm gonna say he's gonna play some Jedi mind tricks with some offenses.
Now he's more experienced, he's.
More experience, and then got guys that he can back in, like.
The one thing you cannot do is a defensive coordinator is called the defense you want with doctor back end, like knowing my back even gonna take care of that.
You got to think a lot of times we didn't show it a lot because our defense was just ferocious together. Them boys was they They was hungry every time, every down. But at times you can see, especially being a being a formal receiving is league, you can see that. Ah he we we we don't want to We don't want him to get beat over.
There. We don't want to leave that.
We run this cover. Were running this coverage because we're trying to protect someone field. So when you can see that us, when we can sit in the box and see that, just think about what that oc doing in the box.
He seeing too.
He don't want him to get beat. So I'm gonna do something. George still find a way to get this ball off. But now they're gonna protect him and lead this guy over here. You see what I'm saying.
So yeah, absolutely, And so we've talked a lot about, you know, scheme evolution, player evolution because of free agency, and I think this is maybe a fun one of the fred You've bringing this up every time we talk about it. It's like, who are the guys that got to take the next step in the defense for them to go from like I think they're gonna be pretty good. I think they'll be goo and I got pretty pretty good. Could be anywhere from in my opinion, like nineteen to.
Eight, top half, top half of the league, top half of the league.
But like, is there a guy You're like, hey, these guys got to take the next step, and then then they're in the top half an hour, top ten, top fifteen.
I won't Vintage two thy twenty two pay too. We all want to. I won't, and I feel that it's finna half. Yeah, like two thousand and two vintage. I'm a home grd dog with Raby. I think.
I think just what you're saying is gonna be. You're gonna see him and him and Newton competing because I think Newton just a full full off season, not have to worry about rehabing that foot, and just to see the little snippy we saw last year from him being a being a rookie, Like that's a rookie that we didn't talk don't We haven't talked a lot about this off season that that showed big highs, you know what I mean?
Like last year was amazing.
He was on My Get last show and he had this smile on his face. He was like, man, I'm so happy.
I feel good. I'm ready right now, like y'all, Finn to see the real meat.
And like you think about it, his jump, his first step is almost sappish. Yeah, he might not be as big as scept he's like height wi Mike, Mike got him in the height area. Yeah, but like you know, size body type the whole man. I mean, he had that explosiveness and by hisself.
So it's funny we started talking the show off and Frederick the interior guy. Even though we were trying to protect the edges of the defense, the interier guy is really important. And I'm and we did this on the last show, but I feel.
Very strongly about him.
I am so bullish on Doran Jerson and man, I am so bullish on those guys right now.
I'm just like, if they.
Like all four of those guys, why and why is this gonna play both? And Holmes is probably gonna if he makes the team to play both. So I looked at him like, man, this could be that that interior yes, can cause problems.
Problems, It could like rock the good of an offense.
If you want to ride up an offense, you got to do it right up the middle of the field.
I have to kick that.
Center's face in every play. If you want to dominate the offense, put that center in the lap of that quarterback. I don't care if you're a runner or not. I dominate your defense. And I told you we went from a third down defense last year to a first down defense this year. We are built for first down, We're built on third We're built to conquer first down.
Yeah, which I mean it's going to be really exciting. And so again, I think those guys are ready for a step forward. I think Kawan Martin ready for a step forward.
I think Kwan Quinn. I think Kwan want to go to.
A all start Pro Bowl type level.
I think he's ready to take that step. Yeah.
So I think there's a bunch of guys and obviously the backup kind of guys. Can McGee find a role and you know, do some of those.
You think Jee McGee is waiting his time, you know what I'm saying, He behind.
The bits of all day, he getting so much nonedge.
I'm gonna say he might not even got the axes guy none, just watching them just I'm pretty sure he's been learning from.
He's just there. Yeah.
But I think about specifically that defensive line, how that helps Bobby. You know, Bobby at the times last year was getting kind of again caught caught up in the wash, you know, having a.
Hard time getting the edge.
We're not we're not setting the edges, you know, we're not too We're supposed to do now you got those guys in the interior.
That's because you had the age Russian rushing up field on a run though it's sure right now, like no, what are you doing?
Yeah?
No, So I think that's something I'm really excited about. So I personally think again, I think schematically, they like Fred said, they're gonna layer it.
It'll be a little bit.
A little bit of tweak here, a little bit tweet care, a little bit more experienced calling the defense, a little bit more experienced with the guys in the back end, but it's gonna be a lot of the same. And I just think they've done a great job of getting the right types of people in the right spots to really make big impacts on this defense. Yeah, and so that's something I'm really excited about. And unfortunately we got to wait till August to see it kind of all come together.
August is already here. Last week while was at Mintica, around the corner just made the grass. When was that grass? Does something that that that Virginia creeper out there?
Listen, I don't know what it is, but when I walked out there, like damn, I want to play football.
I can't, But did I tell you this. So when I came out and did the show with you, they Camp show. The night before, I had a nightmare that I was in Atlanta and dan Quinn was cutting me.
You did did you wake up into college?
I woke up in a cold sweat And it was one of those ones where I was like, do I have to go.
Into the facility right?
Like I got to get my play I don't even know where my playbook is. Like I was told my wife was like are you okay. I'm like, I don't know, man, I think I just got it was like and she was like she's like, yeah this babe. She's like ever play football for about six years. And I was like, it was crazy, bro, But it was it is the season?
Is the boy year. The alarm in your head was it.
Was like you couldn't. It was like it's time.
No, Because when I went out there, I was like, oh, like I got a little adrenaline like staring a pumping.
I was like, dude, come down, You're not going to do anything.
Like I told BC the same thing that when I was out there, I feel like I feel like the hairs ending up and I'm like.
Damn, what is it? About being here today. We out here all the time, but something about that day just gave me that little feeling, you know.
So that's third day's away. We can't we can't wait. We just wired like that for life.
We lost in. Can't be having weird nightmares like that. I hope he not wired like that. I would love to be in the.
Co So we can't wait, can't wait to watch this defense, and then we'll probably do another update on the Defense when Trading Camp starts, and we'll do live shows on the Command Center Show, which we can't wait to do so. But in the meantime, right now, right, I forgot right there this one right there we go and she hit that thing and buy those tickets there really helping, really appreciate it.
But that's who doing for today show. Thanks, I used That's it.