- 2 days ago
It’s been a wild couple of weeks for the Washington Commanders and several other teams around the NFL. Mike Jones is as plugged in as anyone, so he’s the perfect guest to break everything down. What’s been your favorite NFL storyline to follow since training camp started?
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Just learning how things are coming together.
00:03I think probably my favorite stop so far has been when I went to Nashville
00:07and sitting in the office with Brian Dable
00:09and learning about how he's building that offense around Cam Ward
00:13and then talking to Cam Ward about the relationship they have
00:16and how they're trying to make this thing work.
00:19So that's the fascinating part this time of year
00:22is how they're pulling those puzzle pieces together,
00:23and then we'll see in a couple weeks if things are going the way teams envision
00:28or if they wind up having to go back to the drawing board.
00:31Mike, for some reason it just triggered in my brain when you talked about that.
00:35You know, because sort of in baseball, spring training, hope spring's eternal.
00:39You never know it's going to be your year.
00:41I'm not asking you to name names. I would never do that.
00:44Have you ever been to a camp where he sits you down in the office and goes,
00:47listen, it's going to be a rough one.
00:49We suck here. This guy sucks. This guy sucks.
00:52Like, honestly, like in all your years, you've covered this league for a long time.
00:56There's got to have been somebody who said, you know, it's already known off the record.
01:00You don't even have to say off the record.
01:02He just tells you, listen, it's going to be tough, and that guy sucks.
01:06I haven't heard anybody ever say that guy sucks,
01:10but you definitely get the sense that they are trying to temper expectations
01:14and let you know, like, it's a process, and, you know, this has got to come together,
01:19and we're trying to get this guy here and there.
01:23I mean, I don't know.
01:25Like, even Jay, I'll say it.
01:27Even Jay, Jay never says.
01:28I was just about to say Jay Gruden.
01:29I was just about to say, he probably was the most blunt of anybody
01:34when you talk to him off to the side.
01:36It's like, well, you know, I mean, he still can't, you know,
01:38figure out how to read a cover, too.
01:39I mean, like, you know, he was the one guy that really, like,
01:44and I guess maybe it's because you're out there every single day
01:46when you talk to him on the side.
01:48He didn't really mind, you know, kind of putting things where it were.
01:52Now, there have been guys that you ask questions,
01:54and they're kind of like, well, you know, we've got to see.
01:58But nobody ever thinks they suck.
02:00And I think that they have to look at, okay, this is where we're trying to get,
02:06and we have to focus on that rather than what we aren't,
02:09because it's their job to try to help guys fix what's wrong and get to that.
02:15Now, they might know when they're laying down in their bed that night,
02:18man, this is going to be a long run.
02:19But they don't let themselves verbalize, we've got no chance.
02:24Mike, do you feel like it's going to be a long year for Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta?
02:28I mean, he had a rough last two years in Cleveland, winning three and five games.
02:32He reemerges back in Atlanta as the head coach there.
02:36Now he's got to deal with Tua, who hasn't looked very good in the preseason.
02:39He's got Penix recovering from an injury.
02:41And now he's got two critical injuries on the defense.
02:44Well, one injury and one suspension on the defensive side with Jalen Walker being out
02:49and James Pierce, you know, one of their top pass rushers they drafted last year,
02:54being suspended for eight games.
02:55I feel like it's going to be a rough go of it for him in year one, at least, in
02:58Atlanta.
03:00No, yeah, I think so.
03:01And, I mean, just he probably was like, damn, I thought I got away from this.
03:05Because, you know, another bad quarterback situation.
03:08But, I mean, when you get tag coaching jobs, and I know they don't come around all the time,
03:14but, like, sometimes you wonder why guys aren't a little more selective.
03:17Because he was going into a situation where you just left a bad quarterback situation,
03:22and now you're stepping into another one where the team has two left-handed,
03:27injury-prone quarterbacks as their best two options.
03:30And, you know, the one hasn't been able to really fully get back on the field,
03:34and the other one that's been on the field, which hasn't had, like,
03:37a healthy season in a while.
03:38He has looked awful.
03:40And so you're trying to piece this thing together.
03:43You're just hoping, if you're him, that you get enough time and ownership to have patience
03:49and realize, okay, our quarterback is not on this roster,
03:52and we're just going to try to continue to get everything else around us.
03:55But it's going to be a long year for him, I think.
03:58You know, and I think we'll see.
04:01Arthur Blink's going to see that Raheem Morris, to have them 8-9 two straight years,
04:05was actually doing pretty well with this roster,
04:07considering some of the deficiencies and the, you know, misfortune that they have.
04:12Hey, Mike, we were kind of talking about it last segment when we were recapping the two games last night.
04:18And obviously, you know, in the Raiders-Texans game, you want to see Mendoza play a lot,
04:23and he did.
04:23He wasn't great, but C.J. Stroud played for the Texans, I think, for a couple series.
04:28But the Chargers started Herbert and played him for three snaps.
04:33What's the point?
04:34I mean, what is the point of that?
04:36I think that the one thing that they accomplished by that is, okay,
04:40so he's been getting plays in his helmet at practice.
04:45Right.
04:45This was allowing him to hear Mike McDaniel in his headset do the play calls in a game atmosphere
04:53with the noise, with everything else, the snaps and everything.
04:57So they were probably hoping that series was going longer than what it was.
05:00But they were like, okay, at least we got the little pregame and the in-game logistics and technicalities.
05:08We got that worked out.
05:09Okay, let's get him out.
05:10We're okay.
05:11So that way, week one is not the first time that he's actually hearing and experiencing all that stuff.
05:17Okay, I'll go with it.
05:18Why not just put him in?
05:19If they went three and out in the first series, put him in for the next series.
05:23I would have, too.
05:24I would have, too.
05:25But everybody's so super cautious as if for generations they didn't play two series,
05:32three preseason games before you go into the regular season.
05:35But that's kind of the way we are now.
05:37Yeah.
05:38All right, so let's get to the Washington Commanders.
05:41I want to hear what Mike Jones would do.
05:43How much would you play Jaden Daniels?
05:46I would play him at least two series.
05:49I would, you know, it would be great if you could get a quarter's worth of action out of him.
05:54I just think that he hasn't played enough in his career.
05:57In the last two years, you know, obviously his rookie season was great.
06:01But last year, I don't think, what is it?
06:04When was the last time he played?
06:05Like October that he actually, you know, had a full game?
06:08So I would get him out there because just like we're talking about the whole process
06:13with Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel, new offense coordinator,
06:16he hasn't gone through this stuff with David Plow.
06:18David Plow hasn't called plays for him in a game.
06:21He's called it against their defense, but not against a different defense.
06:25And I know they're not game planning, but I think it'd be good for Jaden Daniel
06:28to get out there and, you know, fling it around and deal with, you know,
06:33getting hit and, you know, having to adjust and things like that.
06:38How good do you think this offense can be with the addition of Diggs now
06:42to pair up with Terry McLaurin, with Chig taking over Zach Ertz's role at tight end?
06:48What are your prospects for the commander's offense in general?
06:52Well, I mean, we're going to see what happens with their offensive line.
06:55Losing Larmy Thompson was big.
06:58You know, they kind of banged up that unit they were hoping was going to be much better.
07:02But as far as weapons that you have, you've got a lot.
07:05And I was out there for a couple days with it two weeks ago,
07:09and it did look like David Plow with his motions and the spacing and the routes,
07:15the way he uses them, he's able to get guys open.
07:17And there were plenty of times that you had Diggs cutting across the middle
07:20or Terry McLaurin running in space or, you know, McCaffrey or Chig that were getting open
07:26and Daniels was distributing the ball, had plenty of guys to go to.
07:29So I think that if they can stay healthy, this offense can put up points.
07:34And I think they'll have better support from their defense.
07:36But, you know, it's all about protecting Daniels, positioning him for success,
07:42keeping them in manageable situations.
07:43We'll see what happens with the run game.
07:45It's always hard to tell.
07:47But the little showing we had last week in that preseason game,
07:49it looks like they can be able to pound the football a little bit.
07:53Mike, I read your article on The Athletic about Terry McLaurin.
07:56He's very forthcoming about the struggles he had last year with the contract squabbles,
08:00the injury.
08:00His quote to you was, I've been somebody who's kind of struggled with worry,
08:05struggled with anxiety, sometimes not feeling good enough.
08:07So when you go through contract stuff, when you go through injury,
08:10it can kind of make you feel insecure at times, end quote.
08:14Like, you would never know it from sitting down with him.
08:16We were able to sit down with Terry for a few minutes just last, was it earlier this week?
08:21Tuesday.
08:21Yeah.
08:22Yep, Tuesday.
08:22And, like, you would never know it from, you know, the way he talks,
08:25the way he presents himself.
08:27But different Terry McLaurin in camp this year, obviously.
08:31Yeah, and he's just happy to have a return to normalcy.
08:35That last year was his first, as Bobby Ingram, when I talked to him,
08:38he was like, you know, he hadn't dealt with the business side of football yet.
08:41And so it kind of can mess with your mind.
08:43And so he's happy that, okay, that stuff is all out the way.
08:46He feels, you know, he was conflicted about staying off the field.
08:52And while they're negotiating, he wants to be out there with his guys.
08:54And so he's able to be back on the field, be working, you know, full force
08:59and working towards this thing.
09:01And so I do think we're going to see a bounce-back year for him mentally, physically.
09:06It should be a good situation.
09:08Mike, what do you think about the Giants this year?
09:12They're obviously a new coach and staff, experienced, really good head coach.
09:16But they still have a young quarterback, and he tends to kind of stand in there
09:20and take hits.
09:20He took a pretty big hit in the first preseason game.
09:23Had to leave the game, I think, for a play or two.
09:28But your thoughts on the Giants this year, how are they going to protect Jackson Dart?
09:33Yeah, they're a young team.
09:34I think they'll play hard.
09:36John Harbaugh knows how to get guys to play hard with physicality
09:39and do things the right way.
09:40But they're still trying to learn how to win, and that's going to take some time.
09:43And it's a little concerning when you hear Jackson Dart talk, and he's like,
09:46I still am just, like, so confused.
09:48Why do I keep winding up in the blue tent?
09:50Dude, you hold him to the football too long, you know?
09:53And so you're wondering about his processing.
09:56It's going to take some time for them to help him figure out how to speed it up.
10:00And, like, when he got hit really bad last week, he never saw that guy coming,
10:04even though he was holding the ball for a while.
10:06So he's got to see it quicker and pull the trigger faster.
10:12We'll see.
10:13But I think defensively, special teams, you know, they're going to try to run the football,
10:17but they're only going to go as far as Jackson Dart takes them.
10:21And that could be, you know, I don't know if they're going to win a lot of games.
10:24I think they'll make things interesting for opponents.
10:28But it's going to be a process.
10:31What's Aaron Donald?
10:32He's going to be – I think the story is he's going to continue workouts with the Rams.
10:36When are they going to make this official?
10:40Once the preseason is just about over.
10:42Oh, yeah?
10:42Okay.
10:43You know, I think he wants no part of training camp.
10:47So the training camp phase is just about over,
10:49and now they're, you know, in the game week type of thing.
10:53Obviously, he's not going to play in the preseason.
10:55Right.
10:55So they don't really have to.
10:57And so he'll wait until, you know, right after the third preseason game,
11:01I think that we'll hear that, okay, boom, he's back.
11:03And then it's not like he's not working, not preparing himself.
11:08He's probably sitting in on meetings, you know.
11:10But why can't they just sign him and just make it official
11:13and then just not play him in the preseason?
11:15Yeah, well, I don't know if that's him holding off or, you know,
11:18if they're waiting because, you know, different contract stuff or whatever.
11:23But it's kind of like everybody knows he's coming back, it seems like.
11:27I don't know why they're holding off unless there's a little bit of doubt
11:30in his mind whether he wants to do it.
11:32But being that he's still doing this this long, I think that, you know,
11:36and every time they ask Sean McVay about it,
11:38he kind of makes it sound like he thinks he's coming back too.
11:42Mike, I consummated a bet with EB that there will be an international team
11:47playing in the NFL within a decade from now.
11:50Am I going to win or lose that bet in the wake of Roger Goodell's comments recently?
11:55I think you lose that.
11:57Maybe 15.
11:5910 seems a little fast.
12:01About 15.
12:01There's a lot.
12:03No, I'm not going to pay you now.
12:04I'm not going to let things play out.
12:07I mean, I'll consider.
12:09I'll go into consideration phase.
12:10Go ahead, Mike.
12:12Yeah, there's just a lot that has to go into being the place for that to happen.
12:17A full-time football stadium, not a temporary place.
12:21There's a whole lot that the NFLPA and the NFL would have to negotiate
12:25and things like that with the CBA.
12:28So, yeah, he can say that, and he knows.
12:32He's masterful at saying what people want to hear when they want to hear it.
12:35So he's there at this international event, and he says what the, you know,
12:40obviously they would love to see it, but eventually it could mean 50 years from now,
12:4315, 20, you know, whatever.
12:45However, it's not happening anytime soon.
12:47They were hoping when they started up these international series years ago
12:52that in 15 years they would have had a team somewhere, you know,
12:56and we didn't know if it was going to be the Jaguars going to London.
12:59It's been, you know, more than 15 years now, and it hasn't happened,
13:02so it's going to take longer.
13:03Man, I was really expecting you to say, yeah, that's going to happen within a decade.
13:07That was not the answer I was seeking.
13:09But what are you going to do?
13:10All right, Mike, good stuff.
13:11We'll talk to you soon.
13:13All right, thanks, guys.
13:14I'll talk to you.
13:15Thanks, Mike Jones, NFL writer for The Athletic.
13:17Speaking of writers, our next game is called Writer or Racer
13:21in honor of the big races this weekend, including the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
Comments