Welcome into the NFL Report, James Palmer, Steve Whites with you. We're gonna be joined by one of the best young running backs in all of football, Brian Robinson of the Red Hot Washington Commanders.
Can't miss that interview coming up.
But we have to start, Steve with the big story out of the Midwest. As you're sitting there, as I see the backgrounds people listening can't see it.
Here in Santa Clara right.
Now as we do this, Yeah, Thursday night football, you know. Otherwise, Notice the day after the meltdown in Chicago, we're gonna have a lot on this. You know, we're gonna talk about this. We're gonna have Brian Baldinger come in and actually do some film breakdown to help us out with this.
But JP, you know, yesterday it was just an absolutely you know, we've all had chaotic days in our journalistic careers, but what went down in Chicago started with quarterback Justin Fields at a news conference saying this about his erratic place.
You thus far, I felt like, you know, I wasn't necessarily playing my game. I felt like I was kind of robotic and you know, not just not not not playing like myself. So you know, my goal this week is just to you know, say effort and just go out there and you know, play football. How I know how to play football?
What do you say, thinking less?
What do you think was causing you to think so much?
Think much?
You know, coaching, I think. But you know, at the end of the day, it makes it. You know, they're doing their job when they're giving me, you know what to look at when the game comes, it's you know, it's it's it's time to play free at that point. So you know, just thinking less and you know, playing more.
Oh boy, oh boy, the coaching, that's not working right. But then the Bears went out to practice JP after all of the chaos, after all of us were like, what is justin Feel's doing.
You just rolled Luke gettius Oci under the bus and.
Then did this rarity as he reconvened the me in the locker room post practice.
You guys' jobs are to get clicked.
So it's like when you take my quote out of context, when you just say that, if you paint the picture on the inside out, like y'all are trying to split us up as a team at I'm not blaming anything on the coaches. I'm never gonna blame anything on the coaches, never gonna blame anything.
On my teammates.
I will take every whatever happens in the game, I would take all the blame.
I don't care it's a drop pass, it should have been a pass.
Put it on me. I need to play better.
That's it.
Point blame if y'all that's what I should have said in the first place.
A whole lot to unpack here, JP, a whole lot.
And just to add to a general manager, Ryan Poles came out Thursday and said, there's not one person in the building, including the coaches, that think Justin Fields is finger pointing. But let's take this from the top. The initial thing. Look, we've seen Justin Fields. He has been a erratic.
He is sometimes look.
Fantastic, other times just looked completely lost.
And when you hear the comments.
Too much information, too much going on, it could be coaching take us, take us where your thoughts went, because there is a lot to analyze and decompress here.
Yeah, I think Steve the biggest part that I got after that initial comment, and everybody just really clips that first part off, right. I think coaching send that tweet out. Send that tweet right away, and then we'll let Twitter explode. I think later in the press conference when he was talking about I'm trying to process so much information and
I'm just trying to simplify it in my head. To me, that actually tells me he is taking the coaching right because he's listening to all of this and he's trying to process all of it. So to me, some people said, well,
he doesn't like the coaching, he's not coachable. I don't think that's the case, because it sounds like he feels overloaded to where he is taking all of this information, and I think that's the part that he thinks is not allowing him to play extremely fast on Sunday, because you're right, we've seen him play really really good football at times, and we've seen times where you're just wondering.
We'll talk to Brian Baldinger later in the show about some of those plays that make you scratch your head.
Steve.
I think Ryan Poles on Thursday when he said, I think Justin's trying to find that balance between last year when we had a subpar lineup and a subpar roster where he had to put this team on his back at times and carry us. And now we may have a better roster. We'd like him to play from the pocket, do some more things like a quarterback. He's trying to
find that balance between the two. I think this is all going on in Justin Field's head because he's trying to grow in an aspect, but it's not actually clicking early on.
Yeah, I mean, look, clearly something was lost in translation. Not even so much with his message to the media, but what's going on with lu Getzy, his play caller, And that's where the communication probably should have said. You know, he should have said, coach, you know, look, there's a lot going on here.
Right and Luke getsy. He also spoke on Thursday.
He didn't come out and go Sean Payton say, you know what, we're gonna work on some things to simplify it, because maybe we are overloading him.
Maybe there are too many voices in his head. So they still have some things to absolutely break through.
But whenever a player comes out and talks about coaching. The bigger picture of this right now is this Bears offense better come out and play well because Luke Getzy automatically is gonna.
Yeah, they got the Chiefs, right.
They have the Chiefs this Sunday, So we have to come out and ball out, right, we got we got this guy to compare to Patrick Mahomes.
On the other side, our offense has to come.
Out and look good against the defense that's played really well thus far. But again, when you come out and you start cigning your coaches and you are the projected franchise quarterback, that makes the coach say, well, honey, you know this house we like here. We may we may want to you know, we may be in a situation where we might not be here next year, and then whoever might come in might also have to say, like, well, you know, we've got this quarterback, got one coach, let go.
I've got to find a way to make it happen, because if they're committed to him, they're not committed to us JP all right.
Also, on another note.
Since we're talking about quarterbacks, especially mobile quarterbacks learning a new system, we have seen Lamar Jackson come under with Todd Monkin the new offensive coordinator, and in two.
Games look really really good.
And also James by virtue of what happened Monday night, the Ravens look like They're in a really good position to jump out in the AFC North early on.
This is steve the toughest division in the NFL. And when you start too and zero and you look at the rest of the teams in the division in what they're dealing with. We saw the devastating injury to Nick Chubb on an offense that is based around his running game is arguably the best I'll do. I'll lose arguably the best running back in all of football. That changes
things for Cleveland. We know Cincinnati is zero and two, oh by the way, oh and two in the division and Joe Burrows still dealing with the calf injury to When I talk to people in Cincinnati, they're not sure how long that is going to.
Continue to nag him.
And this is still very early in Kenny Pickett's career as a starting quarterback. So to jump out to a zero and get that win against Cincinnati, And now that you see this offense built the way it's built, we know that it is built off of the run in the past, and we know that it's been built off of Mark Andrews. He has had a larger percentage of any team in the NFL se even terms of a tight end catching the largest percentage of their catches, their yards,
their receiving touchdowns. Now he has receivers on the outside to help him. When I had a chance to talk to him, every receiver goes, oh, great tight end helps me out on the outside.
Flip it.
Great receivers in the outside make life even easier for a better tight end in the middle to maybe one of the best tight ends in football play even better. And the part that jumps out at me the most is this, with this passing game with more weapons, will we see a healthier Lamar Jackson down the stretch if they can play in this style of offense throwing the football as accurately as he had in Injuries at the end of the season have been an issue for Lamar
Jackson and the Ravens. Could this style of play there in now Steve help them to have a healthier Lamar Jackson at the end of the year if they're rolling this.
Early, Yeah, I mean it really could.
And look in the fact that they're rolling with a lot two starting offensive linemen and they're starting running back JK.
Dobbins. That's got to be super encouraging. But JP just.
To bring it back because we're talking quarterbacks in this division. To Shaun Watson, he has got more.
Pressure than ever. I mean, their contract is what it is about Nick Chubb. He really has to deliver.
Especially with a team like the Ravens figuring it out pretty quickly and evolving and the Browns looking like they're somewhat stuck in mud a little bit, especially with not having Nick Chubb.
That's huge.
And we know their defense is going to be better than it was a season ago now that Jim Schwartz is running that group. But you mentioned the injuries, and you're right, Tyler Linderbaum their center, and Ronnie Staley, they're going to be coming back. They didn't play a game yet with Marlon Humphrey their number one on corner they haven't played a game with yet, and their star safety, and Marcus Williams has the peck injury. He is not going to be done for the season. Might have to play.
You talk to me about it. Maybe with that harness you know, in the middle of the field. But he's head of the communication for this Ravens defense. And Juno Stone comes in and plays in his place and plays great. They haven't been healthy but they've been rolling early too. And oh and that might give them a great advantage early on in the toughest division in all of football.
There's another division. How about the NFC East Steve that has three teams sitting at two and oh, one of them being the Dallas Cowboys.
Listen to this, Hey, we can't want a message.
It's Captain Chew and we don't.
Capture the Cowboys special team is the first start here?
What perfect row here by Dad Prescott?
Right Martins, Martin's got it.
Right.
You do not run out of pools the champaign.
Tony Pollard walked the dog and scoring his second touchdown of the night. The Cowboys win to shut out.
That was a beating, all right.
That was the video of the Cowboys Week one.
They come back week two against the Jets and they stake further ownership in the state of New Jersey and beat them thirty to ten.
JP.
They're allowing this defense five points a game, all right, five points a.
Game out of the gate.
Oh and they've got the Arizona Cardinals this week.
Don't you think it's funny? We spent all off season.
On DAK is gonna be this DAK can't play those too many interceptions. Yet the first two weeks of the season, we're not talking about Dak.
We're talking about the side of the ball that starts with D.
It starts with D and d Ware also told us on this show that if Micah Parsons has the type of season this season and several of them moving forward, he's gonna break d ware all time Cowboys sack record. And he said, if this d plays like this on this show, the Cowboys are going to the Super Bowl. Micah Parsons. When I took to Jets coaches after this game during the week and then went over the film, they said, Steve, he just did whatever he wanted to on the field, like he could do whatever he wanted
to do and attack us however he wanted. He had four tackles, three of them for a loss, two sacks, four quarterback hits, a pass defense to forced fumble, a fumble recovery. He really, sir, Popcorn, he did everything in this entire game. And he's kind of the lynchpin of this entire defense that is so deep, able to pressure
you from a variety of spots. And now that Dan Quinn remember pull his name out of head coaching searches each of the last two years been able to mold this defense into exactly what he has wanted with a rush and cover aspect to it. Don't forget Stefan gilmourrise your number two corner Like this team is deep an ability to do a lot of different things to you. As a full defense, this might be the group that
carries him. And we'll see what Dak does playing second fiddle in a sense to making sure that nothing hurts this team in a sense changing their style offensively a little bit.
Well, I mean, and look, JP, I love this defense, I love the personnel, I love their depth, I love what they're doing. But can we really sit here and say they're the bosses? Because again they played the Giants forty to nothing, they played the Jets, they played Arizona this week, and then they played New.
England in Week four? Right? This always continue this trend for too more?
Oh well, that's when things get really interesting, right, don't they have the run.
Of the Niners, the Chargers, the Rams.
There's another one in there, another offensive team that we're going to figure out.
I think the Eagles are in the mix as well.
So this is where We're really going to find out about the defense, but they have two more games to solidify themselves even further before staking their claim, possibly on top of the NFC East, say Pe, you know.
Who's getting it done. The Miami Dolphins are getting it done.
And coming up next, Cameron Wolf is going to say the key reason why has everything to do with the backfield in motion.
Here on the NFL.
Report, our back of the NFL Report.
We're getting ready to head into Week three of the NFL season. Steve White, James Palmer now joined by Cameron Wolf and Cameron the Miami Dolphins. Their offense looks more dynamic than ever the Tua Tyreek connection. Besides familiarity, what's kind of the secret sauce brewing between these two?
Yes, Steve, they have the quickest time to throw and the largest yards per attempt, which those are two stats that don't typically go together. They're getting the ball quick and they're throwing it deep and really a key core that has been the Dolphins motion, and this week I wanted to dive a little deeper into what makes that motion go. And when you look at some of the the elements they do, they adjust to what the defenses
give them the motion stuff is not new. They did it a bunch last year, but this year teams crowded the middle of the field where Tua loves to throw the ball, and you've seen them, particularly with Tyreek Hill, have a wheel route on the back of it. They've had a short motion on the back of it. Anything
to get Tyreek in motion. And Frank Smith, their offensive coordinator, told me every single motion they do has a purpose and it's not like a lot of teams where they do it as window dressing or to show if his manners own, he says, no, we do things directly based off of how they react to the motion. For example, if their defense will crowd the middle of the field, we'll throw that real wheel route on the back of things. And so I think that's been a huge key to
while the Dolphins have been so successful. Tua also told me they see the chaos on the field. They force defenses to communicate to extreme and it makes mistakes and they take advantage of it.
Well, love cam is the way they use motion is it's not a guy just you know, running across the field. Do you remember a good junior and Jerry Maguire coming across with the two hands up, just.
Like real slow across the back. No.
I mean Tyreek Hill is moving in a lot of these motions and he is really really moving. And Sean Payton said an interesting thing this week when he stated one of them underrated aspects that makes Tyreek Hill so dynamic is his stamina. He can run for days and this is kind of adding to it in a sense.
But how do they go about all of this work within motion?
You talk about how they do it differently, what do they do differently during the week to allow them to have this success though.
Yeah, James, there's a lot of behind the scenes elements, including their wide receivers and their running backs. Having specific elements of their meeting focus solely on motion, they will just have those still position groups who come together and say, hey, these are elements that we want to focus on this week.
We're going to do a lot of short motion and so we're going to spend fifteen to twenty minutes of this meeting just focused on this motion and getting it right because there are a lot of details that we may not see in the finished product. I was talking to Eric Judisville earlier today and somebody mentions to him that it looks like the CFL with Tyreek Hill running, and he's like, wait, wait, wait, it's not the CFL because the CFL they move forward.
That's against the rules.
We follow the rules here, right, and so the rules are element here because Tyreek's running fast across the field, but he has to be careful not to go forward.
And so that's where the.
Track element comes in. They have a bunch of track news on this team, including Tyreek and it's almost like he's running a curve. He's running horizontal at line of scrimmage and once the snap hit he goes vertical. And it's hard enough to cover Tyreek Hill when he's stationary. Imagine what it's like for defenders when he's already on go fifteen sixteen miles per hour going towards the field.
Well, and Cam, there's also with this thing too, right, Mike McDaniel comes from the Shanahan scheme. So when you have someone like Tyreek Hill, right, they do two versions of their emotions too, well, several, but you've got the straight line across the center's butt all the way through and then sometimes he bows behind the quarterback, especially if Tua is in pistol. So what's the first thing the defense is gonna guard against, especially someone that fast that is the jet.
Sweep or when he does the bow, the quick toss or the quick screen.
So the first thing that edge defender has to do is guard the outside and that will be a tell because if they don't, they're gonna pop that ball out there. And if they do, then that's when the middle of the field opens up because there's all kinds of strategic ways with the ways they use their motion, whether it's that straightway or kind of that Boeing way which leads to the CFL kind of eye candy.
Yeah, we cheating camp, They're trying. They're not cheating.
They're not cheating.
But I will tell you me and you were talking about this, James. It kind of reminds me of Dwan Taylor with the with the Chiefs earlier this year.
Were right.
On the line of what you're supposed to do. And that's where that meetings and the practice comes in mind. You have to do it right so that it's so close that the rest won't call it, but that you use every advantage. The coaches have told me all week that is our advantage. So we're not going to give you the secret sauce of how we teach them and why.
You know why the intricacies are so important, But these guys are taught specifically when they can start to go forward and it is on the line, James, it is.
I love it, camp I love it. Good stuff, but good stuff.
See on TV on Sunday down there for Broncos and Dolphins on NFL Network.
See you, buddy.
We're going to bring in somebody that was there for the first time we saw this Dolphins offense explode, and that's Bridget Conon, who was there for that Chargers Dolphins game. It's interesting, Bridget. We know what Justin Herbert can do. I saw this stat today that.
Blew my mind.
There the first team, Steve in the history of the NFL to start zero to two with more than fifty points scored and zero giveaways.
Has never happened in the NFL.
For a team to do that offensively, Bridget, what is going on on the other side the ball?
Yeah, James, what's the problem. It's the defense. There's so many layers to this. Let's get into it. The Chargers defense is the worst in total defense right now, right they've given up the most explosive plays of anybody. But let's talk about this. I've covered this team for a couple of seasons. Now they bring in Brandon Staley, who is said to be this defensive guru. They signed Khalil Mack,
they signed J. Jackson. The Chargers are the only team that have allocated more than one hundred million dollars of twenty twenty three cap space to their defense, and taking that further, they've allocated the third most cap space this season to their secondary And that's the big issue. Right They finally seem like the defensive line has started to figure it out that was an issue last season with all these injuries. They've stopped the run better this season
so far than last season. But they have four guys that are rotating in and out of corner positions. Michael Davis, J. C. Jackson, Jasir Taylor, and Asante Samuel Junior. Brandon Saley. He did say yesterday that Jasir Taylor is now the new starter at Star. But you have those three other guys rotating in and out of that corner spot, you can't get confident, you can't get a rhythm down. So I don't really
know what the plan is for Brandon Staley. You guys, how I wonder if a little bit of this is about j C. Jackson, Right, You signed this guy to a five year deal eighty two million dollars. He gets hurt or has ankle surgery at the beginning of the last season, plays a couple of games, then has that knee injury. Now this whole offseason is okay. JC Jackson's got to get back better and be smarter, be faster.
He's not. And how much are they trying to make that work versus just using Michael Davis and a Sante Samuel Junior.
Well, that's an issue.
I mean, if you've got a player out there who can't go and it's harming his team, and the fact that they're trying to get him out there to justify his signing, that's an issue. I don't know if that's necessarily the case. I mean, could be the way that they've schemed these teams, But the fact that they've given up six pass plays for more than thirty yards, that's second most in the NFL. That's something that they have to fix because now teams are gonna start going over the top.
Like you said, Bridget.
Some things upfront stopping the run have gotten better, but they're not getting to the quarterback as much either.
So the fact that the quarterback.
Is having more time to sit back there and pat the ball goes to show you that the coverage and the rush up front aren't the issue.
And so this is another week.
They're playing in Minnesota Vikings this week, Bridget. Justin Jefferson is the best wide receiver in the NFL, arguably other than Tyreek Hill. What can they do to try to keep Justin Jefferson from adding to those explosive pass plays.
I think it's gonna come with stability, and Derwin James was asked about it. I mean a lot of these guys were asked. I was in the locker room yesterday about rotating in and out, and of course they're giving us the answer like, oh no, I think because you know, it's a good thing because we have depth and it guys get fresh legs. But Michael Davis was more honest Sunday after the game and said, I can't get in
a rhythm when I'm coming. You know, you're playing drives and then you're out your bench for a little bit and then you're coming back in and Darwin James was asked about this yesterday, he kind of gave a smirk and was like, we're figuring it out, so I anticipate that they're gonna have more stability. And also this week in practice, they've kind of been taking this scheme out of it and getting back to the technique because something
isn't working. Something has to change, and whether whatever they're doing is too complex for these players to maybe grasp this early on in the season. They got to make it a little simpler for them, right until they can just get back to the basics and try and stop some of these receivers, because yeah, it's Justin Jefferson this week, then it's DeVante Adams next week. Then you could potentially be zero and four going into a buye.
Yeah, JP real quick.
And it's not just it's just not Justin Jefferson, it's also Jordan Edison who comes in as the first round pick.
Also, this steve really quickly.
When you pressure a guy like Ryan Tannehill on seventy percent of his third downs and you have pressure and you're still not slowing down Ryan Tannehill, that's an issue in your secondary.
That's not good. That is not a good thing.
Kind an interesting theme here, some teams having to figure out things schematically and some.
Teams like the Ravens figuring it out.
You know who else has figured it out, the Washington Commanders in a lot of the questions about thefts have been answered after the break. Brian Robinson, the standout running back for the two and zero Commanders.
Joins JP and I on the NFL report.
As we got it rolling. You guys play to your buildings and that's what you're capable of. That's the largest road come back this organization.
Has ever happened on the road.
So understanding on the road. That's to help his job, guys.
And it's all on you guys.
But there's one guy in here. He's got one hundred wins.
Wha fifty coaches ever and like active coaches, Ryan Barra man.
Hey, thank you all for being part of this.
It's really special just knowing that you guys all help me get to where I am today.
Thank you guys, thank you.
We're joined by now one of the one of the people, Ron Rivera was thinking there saying thank you guys. That's Brian Robinson, the star I'll say star running back for the Washington Commander Steve joins the NFL report Right now I'm seeing that room, Brian. What is the plane ride home after the biggest comeback in franchise history?
What goes on on the plane ride back.
To d C?
Well, you know, guys like me, you know, play so many snaps. I'm relaxing. I'm trying to you know, trying to just you know, keep I'm sore and all types of stuff. But more than anything, the image is just great.
You know, everybody happy, excited, you know, just want to talk about, you know, the game and talk about you know, how we can you know, play better, you know, so that you know, we don't you know, end up at games where we're trying to scratch and cloth and then you know the whole second hal to get the win, but appreciating the you know, the hard work that the whole team put in to get the win, but also you know, trying to already you know, get a step ahead on what we can do, you know, to just
play better as a team overall.
Ran you ando the city, you know, I used to live in d C. I know that fan bation, how much they love that club. The city has sold out another home game. Can you explain to everyone just what the atmosphere is like now with this club that you guys are off to this great start.
The atmosphere you know, just starting off has been electric, you know, and uh, you know that's something that you know, us, us in the locker room, we feed off of that, you know, and we appreciate you know, everybody who you know, you know stick behind us as you know as we go out and compete every weekend. Uh, you know with that, you know, with that atmosphere, you know that they bring
it to us right now. It's just it's exciting, you know, it's give us, you know, more reasons to want to play for them and more reasons to you know, want to bring wins to this, you know, to this organization.
Let's talk about you personal a little bit because you lead the team. I don't know if you know these stats. You lead the team in scrimmage yards right now, you lead the team in scrimmage touchdowns so far this season. I know you talked a lot about this offseason. You're not just a between the tackles power back. You can do a lot more in this offense. We're only two games in. But where where can we see you making an impact that we maybe didn't see your rookie year within this Eric Enemy offense.
Uh, Like I said, you know, we're just scratching the surface right now, you know, especially me, you know, you know, being able to show you know, the more I can do, the more opportunities I get. And you know, being to me, he knows, you know, he knows what type of player I am. He knows what I can do, and he's going to continue to give me opportunities to showcase my skill set. And the more he does that, I continue
to show, you know, my ability. You know what all I can do, you know compared to you know what people think. You know that I can do, you know, and and I'm excited, you know, to continue to put it out on tape and you know, show that I'm more than just a one dimensional player.
All that point.
You mentioned Eric b Enemy right, a former former running back coach running back. He's been an offensive coordinator, not but now he's in charge of designing it's gaming and play calling. What is Eric B Enemy done to kind of revamp this offense? From everything from helping develop Sam Howell to helping enhance the run game.
Uh, you know he'd be he completely came in here and flipped the script. You know, his energy is contagious.
You know, it's easily something to you know, you know, I want to work for it and want to pick up for it, like you know, if you're a winner, what that type of mind sat it's easy to really you know, listen to him and you know take the tips and kids that he give you, you know, for success, and uh, I appreciate you know, everything he's you know, it's still in me since he's no gutten here, you know, on and off the field, and you know, we're just
going to continue to make strives in the right direction of building this thing up.
I want to kind of push that one step further, Brian, because I've heard multiple players on this offense say he's made them already this quickly smarter football players.
Is there something that stands out.
Early in a conversation maybe you've had with eb where you're just like, oh, he knows running backs and I didn't know this about the position already, this has made me a better back.
Well, his mind set just so strong, you know, and uh, he's just he's real big on you know, taking advantage of, you know, the opportunities that you get, you know, because you know, because of the short window in his game, and then it's real and he made sure he give us, you know, real tips and advice you know, to you know, just the life of you know, this game, and just making sure that we take advantage of, you know, every
single opportunity that we get. And uh, you know, I just let that, you know, kind of stay in the back of my head. You know, every time I get an opportunity, I just want to make the most of it.
Brian, you tell you about short window of this game. You know, you're running back, he plays position. I just got to get your take on Nick Chubb and when we saw Monday night and that injury.
Now, I'm a huge fan of Nick Chubb, been watching him for years.
Uh.
Nick Chubb probably one of the very very few few guys, especially running backs in the league that you know tape I watched year round. So tremendous amount of respect for Nick Chub. You know, I hate hated to see him go through that. Uh, but you know, it's running back. You know, running back is a very very scared position, you know, and going, you know, watching the guy like Nick Chubb go down with something like that so significant, it's like, you know, you got so much respect for me.
You just want to see him on the field. You want to see him be secure. You just want them to have all the opportunities, you know, in the world. And uh, I don't want to really get into, like, you know, what's fair and unfair for the running back position, because you know, you know, it's something that everybody is,
you know, kind of talking about. But uh, you know, that's one guy that has a lot of respect for me, and I wish you know he can you know, recover and come back from this stronger than ever.
Well, I know your your organization likes to focus on the run. That makes a running back happy. I think you've rushed for more first downs than any player in football so far.
But I want to talk about your quarterback real quick.
Take me inside the huddle during this comeback when Sam Howe was making his first road start in the NFL.
You guys are down. What was going on in.
The huddle that stood about your stood out about your young quarterback during this comeback in the second half?
Uh No, what stood out to me the most was. You know, he never really got beside himself. He knew, you know, what he needed to do, you know, personally, you know, to just step up for this team. And uh, you know, I'm pretty sure every guy in that huddle was thinking, you know, what they needed to do personally to you know, help you know, bring this team together.
And uh, you know, Sam, his poise is amazing. You know, he never really you know, just put his head down, and uh, he just continued to fight, continue to play. You know what type of guys he have around him, what type of play makes he had around him, And uh, you know, we just stay on the same page, you.
Know, through it all.
You know, even when I'm back against the wall, we just make sure we're on the same page. And uh, he's a fighter and I just, you know, I just love playing with him.
Ranie.
Have the Buffalo Bill's coming up this weekend, and a lot of folks will probably say, Okay, this is gonna be the measuring stick game for Washington so far. Tell us tell us one if you think that's the case, And two, what type of challenge they present for a team that thinks, okay, we're really good right now?
Well, you know, They're gonna be real fast to say it's a measure of stick for us, but it can be a major of stick for them too. You know, it's just another week for Yeah, we know you know what type of team it is. You know, we know that, you know they're a great team. You know, also, this won't be the first time we line up against a great team. So you know, we just gotta you know, prepare, prepare to win, you know, prepare like you know, like champions.
And uh, I think once we take the field, you know, we just gonna gonna take them like any other opponent that we want to beat. And uh we we understand that they are good. They're going to play hard, you know. Uh they got some great players over there, and we just got to play at the top of our game, all.
Right to close this out, Brown, I got a two parter. You guys have a lot of great players on that defensive line. You've gone again sitting in practice. We saw the seven sacks in Denver this past week. Just describe that group from an opposing offensive players mindset when you see all of them healthy, all of them coming at you. And the second part is is the Alabama dynasty over.
Well, I understand.
That front line we got right now.
They relentless, man, A whole bunch of dolls over there that feed off each other. You know, they feed one one person get a sack the other one one one and uh that's a that's a strong group that you know, easily feed off each other. So you know, I could just if one word, like in one word, if I
had to describe them, I would just say relentless. Yeah, our defensive and I love competing against them guys, man, I love, you know, just practicing against them and just polishing up my game and just going up against guys of that caliber to just have me prepared for you know, every Sunday Alabama.
Yeah, yeah, what's I feel like we're making up? Are you nervous?
I'm not nervous at all.
Man.
I didn't like the game.
I lost the game in the season and still played in the National Championship, you.
Know, Uh, okay, good point thinking over, I.
Just think we were struggling some you know, in some areas, you know, which is common most you know, all teams struggle, you know at some point you know where you have a great team for so long and so many great players in and out in and out, in and out. You should expect, you know, at some point, you know it's gonna kind of you know, hit a hit, a fall.
Like even my last two years in school, they were saying that we were rebuilding, and I still ended up playing and you know, two back to back national championships.
One one in a low well pretty good rebuild.
So you know, we could easily say, you know, it's a rebuilding team again. But hey, if they playing in the National Championship this year, then are we going to continue to say, oh, that was just rebuilding. You know.
Hey hey, Brian, okay, hey hold up now, Brian, I'm glad, I'm glad you. I'm glad you told James that because you were James with the school Ohio State.
He's coming for you, right.
So he's barking about that buck Eye business, knowing at the Crimson Tide been ruling the roost.
No, that's not the case. I'm just terrified about my program right now.
We're not where I want to be either with the buck Eyes, and we got Notre Dame on Saturday.
I'm nervous.
I think I'm undefeated against the buck guys, and last time, yeah, you are the last time I played you are the you know, I think I won that championship that year.
There we go, Brian, Yeah.
Yeah, perfect, beautiful way to close this out. Brian, We thank you so much. We're joining us here at the NFL Report. Good luck this weekend against the Bills.
Man, thank you. I appreciate so roasting my Buck. Guys, that's all right.
Coming up in the NFL before, we're gonna talk about another former Buck guye in Justin Fields. Brian Baldinger had a video about him on Twitter that got millions abuse.
We're gonna break that down coming up on the NFL Report, the.
NFL Report giving you the latest, and James Palmer got some news coming down. And Bryce Young, the Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback, might not be playing Sunday's that problematic ankle sneaks up so could be Andy Dalton, a veteran in the quarterback sneak specialist, going for the Panthers on Sunday. Also, Cowboys corner Trey Diggs was seeing on crutches after practice Thursday.
He's scheduled to have an MRI exam.
We'll be keeping an eye on his availability for Sunday as well.
Yeah, let's hope he's all right. That defense is rolling.
And you know who is availability we have now, Steve, we have Brian Baldinger. I think he lives in that room. Baldy, I think you lived there, But you live on this show on Thursdays. I know that you live in this show on Thursdays. You're coming out with these Baldi breakdowns. I watch them all and I'm not the only person that watched the one on Justin Fields, Baldi. I mean, it's got millions of views already. Steve and I talked at length about Fields in the start of this show.
I need your take to take this a step further. I guess my biggest question, Baldi is when you see this, is it correctible or is it not correctable.
It's correctable, James, It's cricticable because all you have to do is see the evidence of the opening drive, six plays, seventy five yards touchdown. You know DJ Moore, Chase Claypool in the end zone. You know fourth quarter eight plagues ninety yards right down the field.
So it's correctable.
But what frustrated me and why I posted the video was I just didn't understand look, that's the very end of the game.
Shack Beart jumped up from the screen. That stuff can happen.
But what frustrated me he was, what is he What doesn't he see when he's got great protection and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blow the protection and they're basically just scheming to stop him from running and he should make the throw because he can make the throw. And that's what frustrated me. He took seven sacks the other day. Three of them were on justin field, just holding the ball and not really knowing what he was looking at. I believe it's correctable, and I don't think it's just
I'm just gonna play my own style. Like this thing is. This is precision offense. It's got to be precise. You know, the defense dictates where you go with the ball, and not every play that anybody ever calls is the perfect play. Sometimes you got to make the play right. Sometimes you've got to fix it at the line of scrimmage. I mean, all those things are in the hands of a quarterback.
And so I've seen plenty of evidence of justin reading the field, scanning the field, making the right throw, hitting Dj Moore time after time, on Sunday with great throws. We just have to see it more consistently, and we can't see the freezing of the process behind the line of spirits like we saw a couple times.
Yeah, balldly, real quick.
I mean just your experience as a player. You know, you've been with a lot of different quarterbacks. He said that there's sometimes just too much information and sometimes I have to play off my instincts.
To go back to your point about instincts.
Can a quarterback get overloaded trying to process things instead of being instinctial and just getting the ball out from what he sees.
Oh, without a doubt, Steve, without a doubt. I've seen plenty of quarterbacks that have had too many voices in his ear, too many suggestions, too many coaching points. There's no question it can be an overcoached position. But I but you know, I see receivers that look awfully frustrated, you know, when they get their hand in the air
like I'm open. Okay, not always, but sometimes and then I'm watching like DJ Moore in the middle of the field give a little clap like let's go, let's let's get me the ball all And so you know, I think it's you know, it's it's it's uh, it's it's a collaboration really amongst players, the coaches and and and justin and it's it's it's correctable.
It just is.
And so uh, if he feels like he needs to kind of free himself up from a lot of people in's ear or the coaching points, all right, but you can't get too far away from design to plays and where the ball should go and what the defense is doing and understanding what the defense is going to dictate where you go with the balls.
Agression right, go ahead.
I was just gonna say real quick, but there's a progression of angry receivers. First there's the hand up, then there's the hand wave, and then when they start jumping that's when you know, there's massive frustrations that when they when they start jumping up and down, that's that's that's when they got to the X level.
You know this, Sunday, Hey and Bald, you know this. No one could show more frustration than good old Joe Horn when he.
Wasn't getting the ball real quick.
So let's move.
We're gonna move on where there's where there's no frustration except for by us because you've got this question, Mark Baldi, why aren't more teams following the Philadelphia Eagles push push on short yardage situations where they surround the quarterback in the cocoon and just push forward.
You know, Steve, I posted something last year when the Eagles started perfecting this, and I said, every not just the NFL, college, high school, like everybody should do this. The rules legal We talked about it in the seminar of the summer of what how they're officiating the play. Not many people, not many quarterbacks get deadaloe six one hundred and fifty pounds like Jalen Hurts does. Now, that has that kind of power. But I was in Jacksonville
last year. Last week, Steve against Kansas City, first and goal at the one, they lost four plays on a silly pitch. On the first play, they never got the Baldi end zone. Iver Lawrence should be pushed into the end zone, get some tight ends behind him, get a running back behind him, and you know, follow Brandon Sheriff at right guard, Luke fort Nert center and put the ball on the end zone. Stop fooling around, like everybody should be doing this right now. The rules are made
for it. Take advantage of the rule. I see too many teams right now across the board, Steve in short yards and goal line situations, trying to outthink. I see teams on fourth and one at the goal lines are throwing the ball third and one at the goal line, like get get on with the toush push.
Just take advantage of the rule.
So boy, I want to follow up on that because it was interesting quote from Andy Reid this season. Already in this season going, I'm watching all of these short yardage plays and teams are not very good across the board and third and one and fourth and one, and Andy Reid's mind, he said, you know there are actually one of the teams that has struggled.
With it as well.
We know I was at the game when Patrick Mahomes dislocates his kneecap. That's just not in Andy Reid's playbook right now. But when you have I bring him up because when you have so many different creative offensive minds across the league that can do so many different things with their offense, when they see something that, as you're describing, is so clear cut an advantage, do they just not take advantage of it? Because of their personnel or they outthink.
Themselves day I'll take themselves, James. This is not this is something honestly, that you can install on Friday and operate on Sunday. It's just I mean, it is just pack it in. You know, the quarterback gets it started, he's he could give you the signal where he's going straight, right, left, and then you just get behind him and you get
to keep the momentum going. Like it's just almost I've talked to defensive coordinators James across the league, like how difficult this thing is to stop, Like the only thing you can do is get five guys to submarine below the offensive lineman and get four guys coming over the top. And honestly, it's not really a safe play diving over the top of these piles to try and stop the quarterback.
You're just gonna get these midair collisions that you know, somebody's probably gonna get hurt if you do it often enough. We know players, you know, don't have fear about that stuff, but you know from the outside, there's a fear factor flying over the top to try to stop this. But
it's a very difficult play to stop. And I just don't understand why if you're Tennessee with King Henry, like, let's just have him push Tannehill him behind, like you're gonna get in the end zone, you're gonna get the first down.
Yeah, well, tight end Dallas got her to the eagle, said, if you don't want us to do it, don't let us have third and one or fourth and one.
Then we won't run the play. If you don't put us in that situation.
Let's talk about you know, the Browns lose a back that there's probably not even a need for a push push on a third and one with Nick Chubb if he's in your backfield, what do you see now moving forward with Jerome Ford kind of running that backfield and they bring in Cream Hunt behind him, Baldy.
You know, Jerome Ford was a fifth round pick last year from Cincinnati, but he started at Alabama, like that's where he started his college career and transferred to Cincinnati. He went to the finals with him.
Like he's a talented back.
You saw him change direction right here and go you know, basically seventy yards got stopped right at the six inch line. You see the speed, But I saw him The only thing I would say, is he took a couple of plays where he went backwards to go forwards like on that one. Sometimes that doesn't always work. But he catches the ball well out of the backfield like he does here. I'm just a little you know, Texas route hooked up over the middle, but he pushes the pile like he does here.
He runs with power.
I mean, I know they signed Kareem Hunt, but I would say Jerome Ford should certainly get an opportunity to be the starting back right now in Cleveland. You know that's Kevin Stefanski's MO. They want to run the ball, play action, pass off it. Like the lineup front is really good, especially with Dwan Jones at right tackle. Right now,
they're pretty good up front. So I would expect Jerome Ford to continue to be the starter and Kareem Hunt come in and be that change of baseback the way he was with Nick Chubb.
For Yeah, I believe that Baldi because in the AFC North, I mean, with the weather and everything, you've got to have that type of slugger that we saw Ford show that he was in that game. Speaking of the AFC North, and I guess the AFC South baldly, you said, and it's a game match up this weekend the Ravens and the Colts that Anthony Richardson has a ton of Lamar in him, and Lamar said the same, listen to this.
You want me to be honest?
Right?
That made me feel old and I'm only twenty six. Like comparing me himself at CAM it was like, I'm like, dang, compare yourself to me, and I'm still, you know, young, But you know, I appreciate stuff like that. And I did see him a couple of times in college. He played phenomenon and as his first two games he has to.
Paldi. Richardson's look good in his first two starts.
I mean for a rookie, and you've done some great breakdowns of him. What have you seen, especially as it is a kin to Lamar Jackson's.
Well, you know, he ran for two touchdowns in the first six minutes of the game last week They're up fourteen to nothing. I mean, like the design of what Shane Stikeen is doing is beautiful. It's not what Jalen Hurts has did. But there's an RPO game. I haven't seen him get flustered yet. Steve like I see a free hitter, I see a Lua Kwan coming right at
him as a free hitter. In the first week against Jacksonville Man, he hit Josh downs like he'd been doing it for the last six years, like nothing looks like it surprises him, and he plays with incredible poise. I was so I was disappointed that he only played eighteen snaps last week because I loved him in Week one. I love the way he started last week. The concussions, the concussion Minshew played great. The Colts are. He's much better at this point than I ever imagined imagining him
to be. Like he's He's played really, really well, and I think there's a reason to be really optimistic going forward in Indianapolis.
With Anthony Richardson, Yeah, have we.
All the good stuff up right there as usual. We're going to see you next Thursday and on Sunday. We might see more defensive trickery as we're seeing the two point stance become something used not just on the edges, but over the center and other places on the field.
James Palmer at more on that. We're back here at the NFL Report.
Welcome back to the NFL Report.
James Palmer Steve Whitch with you, and Steve say, isn't what you want to hear during a practice week.
We're taping this on a Thursday.
And Trayvon Diggs signs a big, almost one hundred million dollar contract in the off season, ends up suffering an ACL injury in practice, confirmed on the MRI by two of our insiders, and Rappaport and Tom Pelasero, a massive blow to a Cowboys defense that now appears will probably lean even more heavily on that group up front to give a secondary that's now a little bit thin with one of the best corners in football a little less time than they're going to have to cover on the back end.
Yeah, I did, b Look, the one thing the Cowboys do have a lot of depth, right, They have a ton of depth in that secondary, But we know Tredy Diggs one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.
But like you said, what they're doing up front helps on that back end. And you've done a little study.
On some of the things the trends that the Cowboys are showing that's helping this defense function as the number one defense in the NFL after two weeks.
Stee, we have these rare athletes up front. I had a rare one a while ago when he played in Dallas. Was DeMarcus Ware Remember when he was on this show and he told us I'd have to change my game if I played in today's NFL. Well, we're seeing some of these guys with freak athletic ability, like Michael Parsons or Miles Garrett lining up over the center where they
have a distinct advantage standing up. You saw Miles Garrett crossing them up like AI trying to come and decide which side he's going to go to and keep the center guessing. It's reminded me of a conversation I had back with Jenemi in twenty eighteen when he lost some of that bend after his microfracture surgery and Romeo Crenell started lining him up almost Steve with a running start. He was a middle linebacker moving around finding those gaps in the front, and it makes it so difficult on
the interior part of the defensive line. You saw Micah Parsons do it against the Jets, and what did it do with forced an interception? Because these guys can get there like that with their athletic ability.
It's really really cool to watch.
Yeah, Jay, A lot of Eve's done that over the years to take advantage of favorable mismatches. We've got a favorable match right here with you and I and this edition of the NFL Report will see you on Monday after Week three.