THE QB in DC: Jayden Daniels | Command Center Podcast | Washington Commanders

On today's episode of Command Center Podcast, jayde and Daniels Quarterback one surprise, Yeah, and then we do a Miami review and a New England preview, and then Fred versus a gorilla who wins it all.

Starts right now. Welcome to the Command Center Podcast.

I'm Logan Paulson here with Fred Smoot and Santana mos. Hey, guys, I got something I've been wanting to ask you for a while.

Now.

You guys like gorillas, you guys in on gorillas?

Oh yeah, really yeah, this is a.

Good question for you. Okay, So I started this thought experiment. I asked b Mitch this over the weekend, and it was B Mitch's birthday, so you can imagine how his answer went.

And my son birthday. Yeah, oh really yeah, it's.

A happy birthday to your son.

Yesterday with bothday birthday you're which.

One you're you're ninth grader or yeah, my ninth grader. Happy birthday to Fred's son and Mitch. So basically, in this room, there is a wild gorilla. We are in this room, or there's people in this room.

Right.

You cannot use any weapons, and you are like kind of like just like not naked, but like you don't have anything with you, you know, shoelaces, no, nothing, right, right? How many people making it out of it would it take to defeat the gorilla?

Well, a gorilla literally has what five times the scrint of it ten times.

To scrint of a human being.

Yeah, it's ten times to scrint.

So I would say it'll take one person each other, five of us.

That's it.

Five, just five, because I'm going one person each limb okay, and I'm going with the eliminator that's the last person.

Who's are they? All? You? Are?

They?

Like?

Who who you got?

Who's on your.

Te I'm gonna take be Mitching there with me.

Dude, B Mitch, I'm telling you. B Mitch was was feeling pretty good about himself and he was like, I will beat the gorilla and genuinely being serious.

Yes, take be Mitching there. I'll take London in there with me. Also, Yeah, I take Bluefoot in there. Maybe they could talk hen what may make that they they can we can talk this out. We don't have to do no violence, right, So I'm gonna take a couple of.

Guys in there with Strint, all right.

I was gonna say the same thing about you. I'm taking you trying to talk and they can lay on.

But the gorilla gonna mess us up because unlike us, he don't got no restraint.

I control, that's what.

Yeah, Like you said, the five people.

Were not we're not defeating that gorilla, man, So the best thing to do is to do something with them.

You're trying to you trying to break a deal. We did that.

You want him one of a gun because you ain't fighting that gorilla and you ain't trying to get it out of there. I mean, you know how some people say go out without it. I mean, I ain't going out without a fight. Yeah, you better trying to.

The question is at what point does the gorilla get tired? Because we gonna get tired. What point was he said? You know what I need?

You're tired and one hit, one hit, Yeah you're out.

O one time is a rap.

I think about this probably more than I should. And like the first person that gets absolutely smoked by that gorilla, like you could have. You could have one hundred people in here and they're be like, nah, you know what I mean?

Like, well, you know, hippo hippo bottom is is more dangerous than right.

But I'm saying there's no there's no physical way for us to kill a hippo bottamus.

Well, hippo bottom is kills more people per year.

I'm aware of most. I'm aware of that. But how but we couldn't at least with a gorilla. There's a conversation, you know, maybe we could choke it out. I don't know, like but they got no.

Can you sit at home thinking about choking the gorilla out? Like all right, let me ask you this, what wrestley move are you going to?

Like?

I need to stabilize this gorilla.

What moves sounds like the hitlot step on his toe?

I just think this may I think about this too also because I remember one time I tried to break up a fight between Trent and a defensive tackle and Trent calls himself the silver back, make silver back on

So when I think.

About someone who's ten times stronger than Trent, yeah, like there is no move. There's no move that I think a.

Great thing about it.

I'm the idiot to go try him first, So I get tossed over there.

So once y'all see me get tossed against the wall, you're gonna try it first? What would you like? You're not just I'm just gonna go and get it over with. Like at one point, you know, if we say we hit again.

So when the gorilla killed him from that, what's that, I'll lay next to him, put his blood on me.

Hey, hey we're going down.

But but that's an interesting thing because like what if I went over and like you got a broken bone, I just took your bone out and then I could stab the gorilla. So you really would save us, you know what I'm saying, So like you going first would save and well, and we'll have a really nice memorial for you. We'll be like man.

Eat everything he could to save us, and we got your bones hanging out.

People don't think about the thing. But if you was in the jungle, you have to take on these animals.

And but the thing is that I think this is why I like the thought experiment and leave a comment how many people would have take the defeat gorilla in a room.

I'm gonna take my chances of freezing and getting knocked out and then trying.

To fight and get knocked out. But think about it.

If I if I said here's here's a knife, everyone gets a knife.

Yeah we can we can stop doable? Yeah, spear way doable.

Yeah, even if I gave you a plate like a metal plate from the weight room, doable.

Give me a number two pencil doable?

This guy like my guy over here. But yeah, So if you want to leave an email about how many people would take the defeated gorilla in a small room, go to that hawk outside at gmail dot com and leave an email, or you can leave a comment here.

If they hawk ca him down, I would grab his foot with the hawk and how could be outside?

Yeah, so I love that. That's a good thought experiment.

It is not I'm gonna go home and think about fighting the gorilla myself.

Tanna had the best answers, though he's hiding under the curtain back there.

I'm not I'm not thinking about it because I ain't even.

It would just chance.

Just so much pain, just so much pain, says I.

Can see us just having him like one of them, each one leg each and and you got him in the head locking.

You ever wrestled like a bunch of you got a lot of kids, You ever wrestled like a bunch of five year olds, and you're just like, that's how the girl would be with us.

So don't worry about it.

Knock him dance all right.

In addition to gorilla conversations, we also talked about football, we also have the hail Tails podcast, which is talking more Carlisle stories carl Isle, Carlyle or car Isle, depending on where you're from, And we have a special appearance from one Fred Smoot.

I go by Frederick Man, Frederick Smoot, Thank you, Fred.

What did you talk about on this show?

I talked about my trials and tribulations in Carlile.

I talked about my rookie season.

When I got there, I held out yees, so I held out three days.

Is this where they put all your stuff outside?

No?

No, I held out for more money before I reported the camp.

Good move. Yeah, I wanted to be paid like a first round and like I was.

And they paid you.

So yeah they did.

That's a pretty big time.

And when I got there there first day, it was like downhill from the town I got.

They put me in middle linebacker.

Dude, Yeah, you told this story before. This is one of the c I would have probably quit if they would have been like, Logan, go play even if I go play middle linebacker at Tenna. If they said, hey, Tanner, go play middle linebacker on goal line. Yeah, having seen goal line period.

And then having Stephen Davis as a tailbag, I've been thrusting a similar situation. But I was in the Little League, ok And I was playing one twenties one hundred. Okay, yeah, so I was trying to make.

The team and one day, like I was on another team.

And my dad didn't want me to. They gave me a spot on that team when I was sick. So I say, my dad told me I couldn't play that yet because I didn't work.

For my spot.

So I rode my bikes and runs on team working out or playing and practicing, and I'm like, I'm gonna try for this team since he is, he said, I gotta earn my spot.

Yeah.

It was one hundred and twenty pounds.

I'm only ninety.

So they gave me the ball running back like three times and I'm like coach receive and they were smacking me like the third time. I just like, man, I'm outrunning. Everybody hit the sideline, give them, give them uniform and made the team. So thinking about that and you having to play lineback up the cone.

Yeah, and they just they just jammed it into me to play out to play out to play.

How many playschef do you remember?

Had like five plays consecutively.

And I remember me going to sleep that night that first night of training campt completion.

And I was like, I got the wrong job, Like I should.

Have been a layer, maybe an actor, I don't know, maybe a hand model.

So commercially, I don't know, Like I.

Really thought in my head like she had a couple of million dollars to go with it.

Oh yeah, no, No, that make me say you better stay in here, baby.

So that's what you the story you're told on the I.

Told this story, but I told a lot of more story. I told how my my rookie hazing happened, all.

The stuff I had to go through there. Talked about the ice cream, the famous ice cream shop.

I talked about how you could just sniff in the air and you could smell.

Hershey, Pennsylvania, all over the state of Pennsylvania, just chocolate everywhere.

Nice.

Yeah, I can't what I mean. So obviously, if you want to hear more Carls stories from that era, that kind of golden era of the Washington Commanders, are you part of the Golden Area? Uh no, No, that's what I thought. I thought, you're you're gonna buy it.

But at the time FDIX was still rocking. Yeah, everything was still Yeah, we were still in place. Now, we still we had hope. I hope was still there. And so that's always a great show. Obviously, Hannah and Jason does a great job on that show. And so make sure you check it out if you're a fan of this team and this team's history, it's a must listen. All right, But now we're setting kind of recent history, no current history. Yeah, current it's not even history.

Yeah. Can it be current history?

Yeah, it can't be current history. Dude, Look at you with the vokeb over there knuckles. Yeah, all right, current events. And we just had a game against the Miami Dolphins in the preseason. We lost, and I'm pretty bummed about it. No, I'm not.

I don't care. I'm gonna say it's a preseason game.

Yeah, So, like I mean, we talked about this last time. Does it matter? I know a lot of fans get worked up about it. Like it's crazy to me that fans still ask me, like, does it matter? It's too bad we lost that game? Like this is this is for something different, And I feel like fans don't have don't really get that sometimes.

First of all, it's a pillow fight preseason, not played, not schemed, not the best players on the field. No one cares who wins the game. The the end game of this is to get out of there healthy and to get some good work. Other than that, and I much remind y'all, we went three and oh last year in the preseason.

You know how that turned out?

How to turn out? And I'm just kidding, No, I.

Feel the same.

I think one of the things about it, I think as players, we wanted to win in a sense, just to have that you know what I mean that you know how that feels when you have to practice the next week or the next day and just having that l hanging over you. But not only for yourself. You did it, you wanted to do it for those guys who was trying to make the squad. Yeah, those guys had now because getting that win will give them a

Man?

You know, we're just trying to get ready. It's a glorified practice if you ask.

Me, you know what I mean.

It's practice with people bingo is having a game experience at practice.

Yeah, no, I think that's one hundred percent right. I couldn't have said it better myself, Like it's it's it's it has a purpose. And so in the same way you practice with a purpose, you practice to see how your new two minute looks. You practice to see how your goal line looks. You're practicing that, but you're practicing it for the coaches. So the coach has to call plays. We have to work on subs, we have to work on the communication from the sideline. Those are all things

It's easy, actually because we're playing so green and our calls are so blah, meaning cover two, you motion, we still in cover two, Cover three, you motion, were still in cover three.

Like it's fine.

They didn't, but they didn't game plan. So I felt like there was a couple of times watching it back where it's like, oh, that's a bust. We didn't get that communicated or we didn't handle that correct.

Because it ain't that ain't in that playbook. Yet we ain't.

And that's why I say, coach won't to see play us in some bad positions. I like to see how they work theyself out. That was a perfect thing to go against the Miami team. There's gonna motion, not every other play. Every play somebody's gonna be in motion. So he wanted to see with them stand up to that play. Discipline play, You'll reach your keys, understand what's going on.

And don't get food with that window dressing. That's all it is is window dressing.

So at the point, I think because the defensive coordinator was calling such a blocking it hilped the amount against the motion.

Yeah, I was gonna as because you've played against I'm sure defenses. Guy, I was with you at the time where you're in like the first second preseason game and someone brings like zero pressure. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, And like, can you speak to like how that just throws a wrench because you haven't prepped it. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like.

It throws a wrench.

And I think it also shows the coaches you know who you have at quarterback. I think that's one of the things that I took from it, when you're watching yourself in those situations offensively, knowing that all we only have a hand for the plays that we're gonna run or formations that we're gonna show. And then the team you saw a corner blitz and I'm sitting there talking about cat Yeah, and we like, but but see seeing what the quarterback does with that opportunity will tell you

That's what we did.

We ran what were gonna run and rather you was. It helped us offensively just to be ready come week one. We weren't trying to go out there and run the whole playbook, but we had a set of plays that we want to be efficient enough on to say that we won. We're going to see this, We're going to probably you know, go back you know through these do these same plays. So I was kind of pleased to see our defenses to be kind of simple and boring and.

Still with it.

You saw a couple of guys here and there open you know, and those base coverages, but the same titles. Guys flew around and they was it was every man to the ball, you know what I mean, like they should be.

And that's why you're the Mantana because that's the one thing that I took away too, is like, you know, I watched a ton of film and every person is playing with that energy the juice on that defensive side of the football, and it's crazy to watch because like just how that covers stuff.

Up for you.

You know what I'm saying, All this, dude's open, but we are hauling to the ball.

And we gonna get there. We're gonna get there by them like this.

What great defenses are organized chaos its finest and the one thing about defense and a good defense, we got each other back.

So if you file short, I feel in the gap for you.

Yeah, And I feel like that's a really interesting like comparison to what Cliff has in right now because like Miami, it was like every play there's a motion, we're trying to get angles, we're trying like you could tell they let me just say, that's right, not that they don't have their whole offense end, but they game planned for us.

No, No, you can tell that everybody in their offense been there in that offense for years. They're not storing from zero like us, from scratch, like they're just and to what they already. Have they got the same quarterback into same running backs, same wide received they just add to a playbook where we stow it in the playbook.

Yeah, the a lot of ringles. And I feel like with Cliff it was very simple is the wrong word, because there was an element of complexity in there. But they're going hurry up, they're finding good matchups. And I felt like just watching it that after watching practice too, that he's playing something close to the vest. You know what I'm saying.

I saw hitches from the outside.

I saw slip screen.

I mean, if that wasn't vanilla, I don't know what it was, you know what I mean? I mean I was watching them complete passes with the basic one on one you know, first day of pre season or first day of camp.

You know a route, route tree, you know.

Which, which I think is great because it speaks to I think a couple of things. One Jade Daniels accuracy that just jumped out to me when I was watching it, like his ability like to for you to run a hitch good coverage and then the timing and the ball placement,

And they had a lot to do with that hurry up. Like the one thing about.

Hurry up, man, give me how it transitions, and it makes us say play cover too, And once he sees that, once Jaydon sees that his reads are cleaner, and if you speed the game up, we're always gonna be able to force to play something easy, something fast, something smart.

But guess who else knows we're in that. That quarterback knows that we're in that, and they're just Brady did this at a high level.

He would literally force us, they'll go hurry up, force us to play cover two or cover for whatever your cover, whatever your hurry up check is. And he would throw it to the same player five times and real like that's how disciplined he was. And they go to week spot. I ain't going nowhere, And that's what Jane's gonna have that clear reed.

Or Wes welcome you to sleep like over and over here for that dude, get ten catchers in the same drive, Like, bro, we ain't stopping that play.

V unbranch you to deal, all right. So yeah, that's what hurry Up does.

That's what uh Barron Lovewood said about him, is he's okay being boring. Yeah, he's okay, just doing the right thing.

It was the same way those guys, I mean, Regine was still on the outside of the numbers and just sit there. Yeah, and they knew the players because he calling numbers and they knew, okay, number five, I gotta do this, all right, he called them red red, I gotta do this. So when you get to that part of your game, that's when you like, I mean you

Yeah, I totally totally agree with that. I think the other thing I wanted to point out too, is just how Cliff called the game. You mentioned the screens, you mentioned the runs. They had a couple of second and longs. He didn't try to go for a big chunk play, gets into a third and five, third and four, third and six, much more manageable, and they just did a great job being efficient even though it was kind of basic.

Joint practice more important? Because joint practice they was called in plays. They was scheming each other, they was attacking each other, They was running stuff that they're going to run in October, they was running stuff that's gonna be ran in December. It was ones against ones. It was your peak talent against my peak talent. We gonna do situational that tears me.

A lot if him going five for five.

In those situations tell me not only is he processing quick, he's learning to have too complete plays.

In a short window.

I love checking people in the red zone because your speed don't.

Matter no more, nothing matters.

But can you make a play in the tenth of a second that I cannot make?

So that means micro managing him in that situation.

That's to me. Playing in the red zone is harder than playing in open field. So therefore, if he can major, he can major in that. In red zone, he already step ahead.

Yeah, joint practice stands out more, I think, just for the standpoint of being able to kind of like run your plays and now not have to worry about somebody's you know, looking at or watching them the study or the wrong eye seeing them. But yeah, but you know, I heard all the praises that Jaden got from that practice, and I wasn't shocked because you saw that here the first couple of days when we got the red zone look,

That's why I said that.

You know, it's not it's not a coincidence that he's gotten the NOD, But you heard some of these whispers from day one about how efficient he is, how precise he is, and just he knows what to do before.

Yeah, what, I gotta say this too.

Since we in the quarterback room, I got to get Trace mcshare and some props coming off the couch that was listen to me. I'm gonna get that guy some props. Local kid here. Uh, that's hard to do, and I don't care about him.

Knowing Cliff Kingsbury plate book, it's still hard to it's hard to do to come in there and handle itself. The way he handled hisself, and.

Let's be honest, we still almost won that game, like we got the last drive to end the game.

Kudo to you, my friend. Not an easy thing to do.

Absolutely, and anybody else telling you want to shout out from the game that you thought stood out?

Oh man, what's the kid name is?

I just talked to about the safety Tyler?

Tyler Mer.

He's telling somebody you might need to get crank up their U haul because I want a job.

Tyler Ones If I'm pretty sure he's probably gonna get the run up, all the action this this next game. Yeah, if he can continue out, if he can finish this game this preseason out the way he started with these first two preseason games. Yep, go ahead and get him his number one, whatever number he's who's going to not be here.

Yeah, what about Wiley? Michael Waller is running.

That he's arguably saying he's running back three already.

You know, he know he wants to see me. It feels their way to me. So it's it's some guys that's sticking out. Jamie Davis got his first second rushing the passer. So it's guys out there making plays. Now, Man, this is what I can say. It ain't not one guy. Can I see him say, you know what, he's over all head, just a bad, bad camp.

I don't think it's one guy on this team. I can see him say that about.

Yeah, and I'd say Tyler Owens, McSorley, I'd say Dominic Campton, Luke.

McCaffrey, who made some play tough catches. Yeah.

Ben Sinnett has just shown up each and every game in the pre season.

Give based some credits, sucking well the.

Businesm made the two wheels behead. Ain't that the truth?

Man?

Ain't that the truth? Yeah? So I think obviously we talked about another guy that impressed me obviously, and he impresses me every time he out there as Jade and Daniels. This week they made the announcement that he will be the number one quarterback. And I can speak for us all when I'm saying we weren't very surprised by that. Oh yeah, But I think the question is why we weren't surprised by it.

Probably because how he's carried himself like we could. We know, because you drafted high, we ain't gonna just give you the job. But how do these guys, carry hisself and doing all the right things, pushing all the right buttons, saying all the right things. We knew it was a short time. And then I could always tell by talking to your teammates. Because talking to his teammates the layed a couple of weeks, they already.

Felt like he was destroyed.

So by them feeling like that, that tells me he already earned their respect that half the battle.

It didn't shock me.

He's just ready, man. I mean, you look at it from day one.

That's been the first thing everyone has said, from.

The first practice.

And I think also too, you know, you give a little credit to the coaching staff for not forcing them to go out there and say, well, this is your job. Let's go, you know what I mean, take us to the promise land. They allowed him to gradually go out there and you know, go with the two sometime in practice and get used to what he was seeing.

And I guess over time.

He just showed him like, hey, I'm a little ahead of the curve.

So whenever you guys.

Ready, I'm ready, you know, get ready, I'm ready.

After that first preseason game and when he checked off and he looked to the sideline and gave him that little wink and gave him that point that tells you you know where he's at, confident wise, you know, and how he sees the game. And Terry's one of those guys.

Yeah, and for me, I I agree, Tanna, Like the coaching staff did a great job, you know, the composure that he showed, the mature that he's shown. But every single opportunity he's had, you know, mini camp, preseason, okay.

In practice the other team, he's.

He's just answered the call man. Yeah, like, oh, I know this coverage, I know where the ball needs to go. The foot speed that the physical talent has been on display, mental talent's been on display, the leadership has been on display, and you know, like, I got a lot of respect for Marcus Marrio and now he's handled this process. But to me, it was it was very obvious that he was very, very talented football.

I was.

I was at this question and I had to seriously think about it.

You know, they say the.

Best quarterback class of our time is that eighty three class.

Which is that Marino Marino, all those guys. Uh? Could this I.

Call this the old man class because this class has started more starts than any quarterbacks in college history? Could this be the best quarterback class of all time?

The new one?

What is it?

Twenty twenty four for this class with Kayle Williams Jaye dalliels like, is this the best boat?

Nick's over there looking like the next coming to John Alway? Could this be when we look back twenty years from now?

Yeah, the best quarterback class.

It's a bit premature, but it tends to lead to you saying, hey, I'm gonna keep my on it. Yes, we don't know if all these guys are going to probably you know, start, but they had more college starts than any Yeah, that tradule waiting class. Eft, Like there's a lot, and the one that had the less starts, it's Drake May. Yeah, he's the one that's starting off a little slow out the door, but he's starting to catch it.

That tells you a lot.

To me, they got a lot of talent.

Now, yeah, what I will tell you, Fred, is the preseason a lot of you football.

I'm not I don't care what they do in the preseason.

I'm just talking about these guys and how many quality starts they got, and they are processing the pro game to me, a little faster than some quarterback because I've seen Mark Sanchez coming here one one year, started in usc and he's still trying to figure it out. While he in the league. These guys were talking about COVID baby.

Say two when Mark Sanchez, those guys went to the Division round.

Yeah, two years back to back, two or three years back to Judson.

You know what I mean?

So who knows? You know.

I guess what I'm saying is like, obviously the highlight throws we've seen from this class or tremendous. But yeah, I mean, think about Zach Wilson.

Soon, it's gonna be look like that dude in the preseason.

Remember, no, I never felt like he looked good in the preseason and all of a sudden his made his brain melted it. So I'm gonna wait till we see some real football.

But you were seeing ghosts. Man, I'm with you, But that happens.

Though, that happens.

I guess what how many years DoD Z that Wilson start two?

Yeah, but also j J McArthur good in the preseason start.

I'm a JJ believer, Like I believe what I seen from j JJ threw the ball mode in one preseason game and he threw his whole c.

And me, I'm a JJ believer.

Oh goodness me. Real quick question before we get off of this. What is Marcus's role now that jameson starting?

Oh?

His role the same role he been held. I'm a nurturer.

I'm a pinioned I'm a teacher like he was, Like, who better else to tell your Heisman winning number two pick what's coming for him? And what the future hold then? A former number two pick, a former Highland Trophy. Women, some did they have been through that with the same skill set he was brought here to be a teacher. I wish I was a quarterbacker, could have been a backup for like the last five years of my life

They ever tell you the story about me, this funny story. So I was when I was in uh Atlanta, got cut right and I was like, looking to resign. I think I'm the only one here. He has been cut more than once anyway, so kudos to me, well done.

They didn't do it.

Yeah, but the but so I went to Houston and they were like, oh, you know, we want you to kind of mentor some of the young guys. And I am not kidding. All I did was practice and run meetings with the young guys. That had two young guys that were crazy talented. I never dressed for a game. I took notes on the sideline, got paid veat minimum, which at the time was it was a million bucks.

First of all, I would have loved in my career doing it.

Like for defense, we don't get them.

I never I never even heard anything like that. Like I would run meetings with the young guys. I'd stay, I get there early, we'd meet, we'd go through practice review, I'd meet after practice, we'd walk through some stuff and that's all I did.

No pressure on Sunday. No pressure, That's what I said.

Like the backup quarterback position, it's the best position. Yeah in football, all right, we don't need you till we need you. You play probably six games and ten years low. Would you bought those six games? You got a twelve year career most of that.

Teaching love that though.

I mean mine was similar to that my last year because they didn't really want me to practice with the scout team.

But you know me, my hard head behind, like you.

Even have me out here on the New York Yeah, just not doing anything to go practice with the scout team. And then week six he's like, oh, well I dropped the ball on each out there.

I'm like, well, I checked out. I just went and got a sleeve on my leg.

I'm ready to go ahead and go to the offseason.

But no, I mean no, I would have loved that position, you know, as far as just being a veteran knowing that you know, hey, I can just get a check and coach these little ones up, you.

Know, yeah, because I will say the job in football, it was. It was pretty sweet.

But so yeah, I think you know again, like when he comes on the sideline for the game doing the radio stuff. When when Jayden comes off, like Marcus is right there like he's got the book and he's talking there and stuff, and so I think that's exactly what it is. It's a guy he can win you some games if something happens.

I was gonna say that Marcus is a guy that's proven that that he still can play, you know, and.

You know, don't have to change the playbook.

Yeah, they don't have to change.

And then you get like a guy that knows the offense and that we I guess you could say the coaching staff can trust to say, at worst, he can go out there and run us. You know we can, we can run them. We can run this whole playbook with him.

You know what I'm saying is drift school too. It looks that way. Yeah.

I mean he's played like everyone that's oh, Jeff driscoll, he's played NFL.

He's a very good backup, and he's a guy that I don't think I ever seen him play like. I got to see him play preseason game out to seen him fill in for guys and he always plays well like he's one of those guys that, like, I just can't cut Jeff Driscoll.

You don't understand how valuable the backup quarterback is in this league though, you know what I mean.

You see what the Cleveland Browns did.

They had a guy who the guy name was. He played here one year, Josh Jones after Chase Daniels. Yeah, Chase thing's been a backup and getting big money changed down in time.

Didn't really rob the bank. Yes, he is.

A valuable backup, Like you get him in the game and he can throw the ball, he can run your offense. I mean, so it's one of those situations we've seen. There have been years where like multiple starting quarterbacks went down.

Last year, you know what I mean, Tim Starter's guy. Think about it.

The Browns signed James Winston and they signed Hunt from Baltimore. They making sure, yeah got somebody, they got somebody in the house.

The other thing about the backup quarterback, and people don't maybe know about this, but like they help get the.

Quarterback ready to go.

So when I was in Atlanta, so Matt Ryan was a starter, Matt Shot was the backup from Newton, and so they'd get in on Tuesday morning. I'm not kidding like five thirty and they and Shot would do like red zone breakdown for the week. Matt would do first and second down. The third string guy would do I forget, maybe two minutes and then they'd come in and they would give the reports to Matt and then Matt would take the reports to the head coaching staff.

Right.

So getting two guys who've been it, have done it, can help support your quarterback, I think is extremely important. Now, last thing I want I asked about this before we move on, is is this important for the team to know who the starting quarterback is? Because you look at like a team like New England for example, No, no, yeah, and they've said no, does it matter. I've been I've been a part of teams that have done it both ways. I just wanted to get.

Down a little bit.

But I think honestly, you know, when it comes down to you want the guys that's going to be playing with that got to know. But I think these guys kind of new you know what I mean, you're here that Yeah it was. It wasn't addressed, I guess publicly, but those guys on that staff new, like, hey man, this didn't.

He's the real dead. Yeah.

But I think it just get an elephant after room, like the elephant after room after building.

He the man, let's move on to the next thing.

I was just saying because it gets guys like us not talking about it, you know what I'm saying. In season, we'd be talking about it if we're going right up to the thing, and then the players get asked about it. It's just like, hey, man, we're all down with this. This is the starter.

Here you go.

If you don't answer this question, now, we got to keep answering the question why, like and I can't fill in.

The why all the time. So that's what it does. It literally takes the why.

And that also allows those guys who fight for that second and third job to really now know that this is where.

This is where I got it, this.

Is where you know where the the ball lies. Basically for me, I got to go out here this last preseason game and I'm fighting to the end for this second.

And third year, and I'm putting on some feel for somebody else either.

Yeah, and so that's a really nice segue. Do you do that on purpose?

Oh? It's good.

It's a good segue into our next segment, which is the third preseason game, and obviously we're playing the Patriots who haven't declared a starter. Let's start with our team. What is the expectation for us? I think you kind of already alluded to it. And what do you want to see in the third pieces? Like I don't think. I don't think Jane Dane's gonna play?

Yeah?

For what does Marcus play?

Probably not right?

He's a market because be drisl and Trace mcsword.

Yeah.

Do you think is Sam Harman going to be healthy by that?

Oh?

I forgot about I don't know.

That would be nice if Sam got a little burned because he knows the offense really well.

No, he does, and he looked poised out there. He looks like, you know, it's something to him, you know.

Because they've they've talked about him in press conferences saying basically like they love his composers.

I hope that he's one of those guys that we can see as a second or third guy.

But it's a tough it's.

A tough quarter, right. You can bring him back as the practice quad. Yeah, yeah, you can bring him back.

Quite frankly, I think Driscoll and Hartman if if that's what they decided to do. Could be practice squad because you couln ele of one of those guys. Yeah, because it could be a Vegrian, right, And so I think that that'll be really interesting. But yeah, I think what we're watching for in this third game is I don't think Jane's gonna play. I don't think anybody who's gonna make the roster.

Nobody's playing. Were not going to play.

Guy's not gonna play. So they might be trying to troubleshoot a position and like we.

Need more riff to see who won is like like, like what position you got an example.

That defensive line de tackle to be pacific? Yeah, all right, that's a log jam. Yeah, where they like we can't just close eyes and pick y'all play for Darien matthis play your way out through here.

And we didn't talk about this, but the big Phil played well in this last game, like this the best I've seen him play, and like that, to me, I was like, Phil is gonna be gone. Don't know what they're gonna do it now. All of a sudden, I'm like, shoot, he's he's in the race. You know what I'm saying.

Think about it. If I'm for Dari and Mathis. I want to play. If I'm Chris rod Reevez, I want to play, If I'm Cole Turner, I want to play.

Like it's some guys on here.

It's a lot of guys that going, yeah, they're playing, but we're talking about the main guys, the guys that's going to that that first twenty two ain't playing.

I would say, out of the wire receiver, that a crazy story for you about I would say, out.

Of the wire receivers, I just see Terry being the only one that not playing. So no about that.

So when I was so when I was in Atlanta in two thousand, must have been seventeen that season that offseason, anybody who they thought was going to make the team. I'm talking forty five dudes did not dress for this last preseason like the Rams do this saying Fran does this, Like basically, if you are in that mix for that starting thing there, like you're not going to play. And so I wonder if it's even deeper than we think. It's like the too deep, you know what I'm saying.

With the free ages we have, not with the new coaches. I just think it's too new to be comfortable, like to be comfortable.

Yeah, so we could be surprised too, So you never know, you know.

But I would I would think that more people than you think won't play meeting those position battles that we're talking about. If you do see big field playing like he's on the line, safety playing right like they're on the line, and like that's the last data point because it's only going to be a couple of guys.

Yea, even if even if it's just the starters.

What I look at it too, man, and I ain't trying to go out there and throw them on in the bus, but you look at certain positions might need more says that it's real. Some starters that didn't play a lot in the first game played a little bit last week and then then didn't turn out. We didn't turn out well, so you never know, they might get thrown out there for another quarter for another series.

So de tackle room is packed.

You heard it from me, but you know the safety room.

Is also packed.

Yeah all right, so if you default, you won't if you Butler.

I think Percy's in what do you think.

Special teams too? I don't I think he brings them to the table special teams.

Was he's looked good, he's at a good preceston safety room.

Yeah, it's safe to me.

I think that's one of the reasons why they're moving to your point where they move Dominicqumpton the linebacker in addition to injuries and the guy who played well.

And it's a little crazy how I saw.

I saw who we thought was going to probably be a starter, and up he played longer in the second half at corner. And that's your boy, Mike David kind of like oh man, but still a right now, like he's a starter at the corner. Yeah, and playing pretty well.

Know, just playing with that consisty. I keep saying, run Dave, Bob.

I guess what we're saying here kind of a round about ways. You want to see the final touches of the roster. Yeah, and this is your opportunity, your last opportunity if you're a player like I played in this game almost every year of my career.

Yeah, it is play too.

It's the last one you got for one or two, you know what I'm saying, last one you got. So let's make it work. Let's make it happen, and then let's talk about are we expecting to see Drake may I think that's another Oh.

Yeah, we go see Drake May. We only a quarterback.

No, because I heard Mayo say, Jacob said he is playing. Really, they're going to play their staughters.

So do you think if they play their starters, will play our shorter.

No, We're not finna match their stink. The thing about it is they understand.

I like how you said they stink because they held their starters out in seventeen and now they stink because they're playing their starters.

No, they playing, they still cause they don't even know who start. That's why they playing. They like they at rock bottom, rock meat Bottle, that's where they and they're just trying to understand where they're at. So I can see Joe, Jacoby said, playing and think about this, Joe Milton been playing very good. Like they got an RG three Kirk Cousin situation over there. So if I'm a defensive court now, I'm like, I'm happy to see these three quarterback.

That's a good test for my younger guy. I will say.

The Joe Milton thing, the Kirk Cousins comparison, he's not quite there yet, but I think he's shown enough where I'd put a package in for him, like kind of like a tayso some hell like short yard or something.

So, but what you're saying is you he'll end up playing some plays before Kurty because Kurt had to wait.

Yeah, Kurt had to wait. So that's that's how I would do it. I've always thought of that. Like coaching high school football is totally changed my perspective on this. If you were really dialed in and you had a guy like Joe Milton, it's hard to find guys like Joe Melton, and you put in like a wildcat package with it like a small, like heavy package where it's like he can run and there's a couple of passes option to maximize your short yardage and steal first downs.

It's something to that because now we are forced as a defense prep to prep.

Now get you're.

Taking time away for much worrying about Drake May. Yeah, and we got worried about this dude. And every time we see him come in there, first thing will come to your head. They find run it with him, you know, will we not?

Yeah?

And you get you don't get man coverage. Yes, he's got a win, man, he just picked your matchup throw.

That he could throw nine yards with that looking he's a beast.

So yeah, I mean the New England quarterback battle is interesting. Like Drake May Perseett. I mean, I expect for Sett to absolutely deal in the fourth ree season game against a bunch of backups.

But I just we know eventually this's Drake May's job. But Drake May look good the last game. But does it?

But is it indicative of something that they haven't declared it yet?

Yeah, I don't think it's just good.

Yeah, Dacobe's good man.

Yeah, Jacobley. But at one point.

When the season is old, I mean, going with your young quarterback with a team that's not complete.

Yeah, but you gotta go and let him get used to it at one point eventually put him in the game.

Eventually, but not not the first couple of weeks, I don't think.

Yeah, I agree. All right, let's do the game predictions.

Now.

This is an unusual game prediction because we're not predicting a score. We're not get going to predict who's gonna be are you?

Yeah, let's score school is going to be twenty nine to twenty, boy line twenty Yeah, twenty nine to twenty. How we gonna get to twenty?

I don't know. Jason's like sure whatever, Yeah, twenty nine to twenty.

That's gonna be the preseason score, the last preseason game.

Yeah.

So obviously Fred's predicting a score. I'm just predicting, like I, this is like where I want to see the Chris Rodriguez, the Bryson Tremaine. Yeah, you know, the Bennet Puttie.

The uh oh, I've been saying his name wrong.

How do you say?

I don't say potato, I say, I say it, don't.

Say mess me up?

Yeah?

Oh god, this guy, you shann't say Andre Andre but Andre but Jamon Davis. Those kind of guys, those like fringe roster guys, guys that have had good either offseason practices or have been the little blackluster or switching positions. This is all the chips are in. If you put your stamp on and say I played well in this game, I deserve it. Like there's five dudes, five dudes, Tanna that'll make the team off this game. You think six dudes, maybe six, six, seven dudes, six seven dudes.

This game is always interesting to me because I think you get you get a chance to see those kids from college that just go out there and look, they had nothing to lose, so they're going to probably put up points.

So I say it'd be a fourteen thirteen game.

I called this the Victor Cruz time of the year. Yeah, you love that.

I love it because I've seen this dude come in and they like, he ain't gonna make the team and he ended up being a number one receiver.

How many times did that happen.

It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. Like that's his story. I remember playing against him. I was that was my rookie year and he was with the Jets just being like, who the heck is that guy? Yeah, and everyone's like, oh, it's Cruise and like no one knew who it was like doing had any context for it.

But yeah, they were doing the salsa for years afterday. Yeah.

So that's my one thought on that is just make it, dude, if you're close, make a pushkas Allen return a kick, somebody do something. Let's make it happen and.

Uh Brian make a play. That's who I'm pulling it. Brian, Yeah, my tab is Brian. Oh yeah, go make a play.

I got a funny story about the fourth preseason game, which this is like replacing it.

It sounds like nineteen eighty three.

I remember I came in with d Y, the fullback there, all young, and we're gonna watch a little bit of film of we were playing Arizona and we're getting ready to sit down, and Bobby Turner remember the old running back though, He goes, what the hell you guys doing in here? And we're like, oh, we're just getting ready for the Arizona game. He's like, no, I gotta watch film of whoever the Week one opponent is. You guys gotta get the hell out.

Of what you're doing in here. That love possible hell out of here.

Get you're not gonna make the team, Get out, shoot sho shoo shoo.

I remember we cut d Y as a linebacker and brought him back as a full back.

He crushed it. Man, did he come here as a football.

Line back from Vos playing linebacker?

Bro I did not know that he left.

I was like, man, the dude has so much potential, Like you know, you saw him fly around. I didn't watch him, you know, you know, as a linebacker, but you saw him fly. He became a robot. Knew that room was kind of packed. But when he came back as a full back, I'm like, I didn't even know he had that inny, like quarterback you put pressure on because I think I think Mike was his still Instantly he.

Was like, oh no, they're saying a lot of goals the blueprint there with.

A full back. He's young and hungry, you know.

And you know Waller was at the end d wash smashing heads like he didn't care, you know what I mean.

So wow, that's good to know.

So who's gonna be the this year's d Y. Who's gonna be this year's Victor Cruz? I can't wait to find out. This is the I have a lot of love in my heart for this game. I'm gonna watch it very closely because this is where some dreams are made, and this is the last this is the last time some people are ever gonna play football. So that's gonna do it for today's show. Thanks ver much for for watching.

And that's it.

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