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Former Redskins head coach Jay Gruden joins Grant & Danny to break down Commanders Eagles, which saw struggles for the Commanders' offense, but an improved defense.
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00:00Let's talk to our buddy Jay Gruden. He's going to be on the show every Monday to break down the
00:03Commanders game, go around the NFL with us all season long. Jay watches the tape, gets us some
00:09details and analysis on why the result happened. Jay, it's good to have you back on, man. How are
00:14you? I'm doing good. Thanks for having me back. You got it. So big picture, what'd you think
00:19yesterday? There's some ugly parts. The good thing is they kept fighting and kept it close
00:26and had a chance at the end. Not much more you can ask for. Unfortunately, a two-point play
00:29didn't work out, but I thought they're competitive on defense. Offensively, that was
00:34struggled. They didn't really pass protect very good. Didn't really move the front very
00:38well, but somehow got 22 points. So, you know, I thought Jayden played okay. I just
00:43didn't think he had a lot of help with the protection. Yeah. Go into that. For the first
00:47three quarters, it seems like there was nothing doing it. Philadelphia's defense is really
00:49good. I think they might do some of that to a lot of teams this year, Jay, but kind of
00:53what were you seeing? Was it a combo of nobody's open? Maybe some things were missed? Just sort
00:57of what, what, what, what, what did your eyes tell you? Well, the running game, I think
01:02Bill had a one 11 yard run. Other than that, it wasn't really helping. There was no explosive
01:05plays whatsoever. And then the passing game, I felt like either the right guard would get
01:10bull rushed, the right tackle would get bull rushed, the left tackle would whiff, the left
01:13guard would get bull rushed. Just, it never was a clean look for him to set his feet and make
01:18reads down the field. He either had to check it down right away or step around and scramble.
01:22It just wasn't a very pretty site for pass protection. I think he was pressured on half
01:28of his throws and the other ones, he was probably quick game. So any drop back he had, he was
01:32pressured. It wasn't, it wasn't pretty. Jay Gruden on G and D. One of the things Tom Brady
01:37talked to a bunch about on the telecast. And when I went back and watched the all 22 that
01:40I agreed with him on was even though the pressure count was high that you're referencing, it didn't
01:45feel like there were quick pressures all that often. It felt to me like, you know, he's holding
01:49the ball, not his fault always guys aren't open, but like after three seconds or sometimes
01:53four seconds, yeah, there's pressure and now it shows up as a pressure. And so the pressure
01:57percentage is high, but it almost felt like we talk about coverage sacks, like coverage
02:01pressures. What do you make of that?
02:04Yeah, that's true on some of them. I mean, if you're, if you have third down and 10 or third
02:08down and 11, you have to wait for the plate to develop. So you got to hold the ball a
02:11little
02:11bit or you got to get rid of it quickly, throw it to the flat. That's a loss of her
02:14skin
02:14of three and you're punting. So, I mean, there's some proof to that, but there's
02:18also the fact that you have to hold the ball a little bit longer to let the plays develop
02:22to hit the big play. Like when he hit Williams on the deep crossing route on third and 15,
02:26he held the ball in, he had decent time to throw it, stepped up and made a hell of a
02:30throw. So it's just, you know, it was just hard. It was just not a very good, not a very
02:34good day for the offensive lineman, in my opinion, in either the running game or the
02:37passing game or your tight ends for that matter, in the running game or passing game.
02:43Talking to Jay Gruden on Grant and Danny, former play caller, head coach in the NFL.
02:48Speaking of which, David Blouse, maiden voyage, calling plays as an OC, making the leap from
02:52an assistant quarterback's coach. What'd you like and what didn't you like?
02:58Well, it was tough for him because he never really got any rhythm. There weren't many
03:01multiple first downs made until the very, very end when they made the two touchdowns in the
03:05fourth quarter. It felt like it's just, they were treading water. They're trying to get the
03:08ball down the field. They couldn't do it. They were trying to make a big play in a running
03:11game. Couldn't do it. He's trying to get two tight ends in there. Three, you know, he tried to mix
03:15and match the personnel and try to hit some play actions. He did the best he could. He
03:19just couldn't maintain any drives. And that's the hardest thing as a play caller. What do
03:22you are punting on third down or on fourth down? And you're not getting that first down
03:27that you're not able to get to some of your critical calls on your call sheet next season
03:31quick. So I just don't feel like he really got in the rhythm. He wanted to, or he first
03:35saw before the game. So he's kind of handcuffed a little bit.
03:39But what did they find in the fourth quarter, a couple of touchdown drives and all of a
03:43sudden, you know, I think triple the passing yards from the first three quarters.
03:47Yeah. They had a really nice play drawn up to Diggs, a little option route out of a bunch
03:52set. He, he made a really good move on Cooper DeGene. And then, like I mentioned, the high
03:56cross to Williams was a nice play. Then he had some quick games. He had a shallow cross.
04:01Terry McLaurin finally got him the ball. And then the quick, the quick flat stick flat combination
04:06to the Williams for the touchdown. So, you know, they did some pretty good things in
04:10the passing game. They're late to get back in the game and almost tie it.
04:14You mentioned Antonio Williams, a couple of the routes he ran. What'd you think? Four
04:17for 64 in his debut?
04:19Yeah, I thought it was good. You know, I thought it was good. I think you'll see more of him.
04:22You know, I just, I just feel like him and Stefan kind of do the same thing in the same
04:27spot.
04:27You know, the touchdown that Stefan had that easily could have been Williams running the same
04:32route. You know what I mean? So, um, I think, you know, I think, you know,
04:35I think as the season goes on, you'll see more of Williams, um, and probably less of digs,
04:39but who knows what's going to happen with these guys. They need somebody else to step up, um,
04:43to help, um, get some big plays. You know, they try to hit them on Deami Brown on a go
04:47ball.
04:48They tried to hit him on a base on a big dagger and he fell down and just, just, I
04:53don't know.
04:54It wasn't pretty with the chunk plays. The chunk plays were lacking big time.
04:58So you mentioned offensive line and some of the struggles and always, it felt like,
05:01I guess to you not to put words in your mouth, Jay, but it was like a different person each
05:04time,
05:04right. Where something wasn't quite perfect. Is that correctable? Is that as we go,
05:09it'll get better. Or was that because Philadelphia's front's really good. Just how do you see that?
05:14Well, Philadelphia's front, Jalen Carter, he's pretty good. Yep. Jordan is a kind of a run
05:18stopper. He's not much of a pass rusher. Their defensive ends aren't that great right now.
05:22Um, I'm concerned big time. Yeah. I just, I think they're soft right now and they're not very
05:26athletic. You know, they tried a couple of plays screens in that nature and the left guard couldn't
05:31get out. He almost fell down and I hit the running back right in the face screen pass,
05:35you know, the shovel pass at the end. You're asking your two worst athletes to be pivotal
05:39players pulling. And, uh, yeah, it's just not good. They're not very athletic and they're
05:43not very strong. So I don't know. I'm just worried about them a little bit. Hopefully
05:46they gel a lot better. Um, get to know the positions a little bit more better. Paul and
05:51Coleman playing together. Hopefully they get better as the season goes on. And I think Cosme's
05:54got to really help Connerly play a lot better. And then now Grady's got to play better
05:58for God's sake. It's not, I mean, Cosme's probably the best of the bunch right now.
06:02Um, so there you have it. What did you, what's that? He's a right guard. He's the best of
06:10the bunch. Yeah. Guard. He's a guard. Guard. He's a guard. Jay Gruden kicking it. That's
06:17a great Jay Gruden, Jay. That's awesome. Jay Gruden doing your best player on the offensive
06:21line to be a guard. You don't, that's not ideal. No. Uh, what did you make of the two
06:26point conversion call? You know, the call was, if you draw it up on the board, it's
06:31a great call for the defense that they got. I mean, they really had two players for one
06:36guy. And then, uh, and then the three technique just spun off without Grady. You know, just
06:41my problem is you're having two really bad athletes be pivotal, pivotal in the play.
06:47Your left guard has to chip the nose guard and go up and get the linebacker. And he whiffed
06:52anyway. I think, uh, a number 11, whatever his name is from Alabama, he would have made
06:57the tackle anyway. Cause you know, Paul whiffed on Jihad Campbell. And then, and then your
07:02right guards pulling in there. He's, he's, he's got no one to block. He doesn't know what
07:06he's looking for. His linebacker is out in coverage. So if you just stick his foot in the
07:10ground and helps backside, they might have had a chance, but schematically it was great
07:14play. I mean, it should have worked. The defensive end went up the field, Jayden flipped it.
07:17Um, but you're having two bad athletes make the most important play of the game. And that's
07:23the only reason I don't like it. Yeah. I was going to say philosophically, it's, it's the
07:26type of thing that when it works and it's cause it's no one's expects it. Like no one expects
07:30the Spanish inquisition. It's a great play. But of course, when it doesn't work, it's like
07:33they're giving the ball to John Bates who moves like I do after playing pickleball, you
07:37know, like if it's one of those things for you as a play caller, do you weigh that sort of
07:41thing? Right. Where you're going, I got a whole bunch of highly paid studs and it ends up
07:46going to a guy that's, that's here to block. Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent. You got to
07:50let Jayden have the opportunity and he did have the opportunity. If the defensive end
07:54would have crashed down, then he probably would have kept it on the outside and throwing
07:57at the, um, what's his name? Rashad White for a touchdown. Um, they might've got an
08:01legal man downfield, but that's a risky take on that play. Hopefully it happens fast enough
08:04for the end crashes down. Then you just flip it out to Rashad White for a touchdown. So
08:08there was a part where Jayden did have an opportunity to make a play just the defense went
08:12up the field. So he had to shovel it, but yeah, I a hundred percent would not want the game
08:15in my hands to be on John Bates. Nothing against John Bates. Maybe him as a backside cutoff
08:20blocker, but not as a ball carrier on the most important play of the game.
08:24Stefan Diggs got penalized after a touchdown and negated an opportunity to go for a game
08:29tying two. And Daniels to his credit, he's such a good leader and just a mensch after the
08:34game basically took blame and said, I should have reminded him in the huddle that we're likely
08:39going for two if we score. So let's not get a penalty, but I don't know if that's really
08:42a thing. I mean, guys shouldn't get penalties anyway, but I guess what I am wondering is
08:48how soon into that drive do you know you're going for two? And is that something as a coach,
08:54you either related the huddle in the timeout or to your quarterback to tell guys if we score,
08:59we're going for two so that it is front of mind. Yeah. You let them know for sure. It's in
09:03the
09:03fourth quarter, you're down by eight. You're going to tell your quarterback, Hey, that way you're not
09:07running off the sideline, high-fiving with people. You know, you make sure you get them out there,
09:11make sure we get the right personnel. And it's very, very important to know if you're going for
09:15two or not. That should be a whim thing. Hey, we're going to go for two, everybody. What are we
09:19going to do? Kickers are running on the field. The holder's running out there. They're running back.
09:23So you got to let everybody know beforehand that you're going for two. Then when you score,
09:26it's they're ready to go. And to that point, I said this earlier, I'd imagine, especially game one
09:31for Blau, like you're also bouncing that play off of some other people maybe before you call it like,
09:37Hey, do we like this? Everybody good. There's a timeout beforehand. The whole drive, you're going
09:42down there thinking you need it too. Like when you call something gimmicky down there, don't you think
09:47you, there was a chance for some people to veto that on headset or no? Well, they, they reviewed
09:53the touchdown for a long time, right? Yeah. That's what I'm saying. So yeah, he had a ton of time
09:57to
09:58figure out the best place. So obviously the rest of the staff was on board with that. I'm sure coach
10:02Quinn probably didn't know because he probably doesn't have a lot to do with the offense, but
10:06yeah, I think the whole staff, there's probably going to be one offensive coach in the locker
10:10room after the game, shaking his head. I knew that play wasn't going to work. You know, one of those
10:14guys like Bill Callahan would have done to me, but yeah, I think, I think everybody had to be on
10:21board with that call. It was a good call, man. It really was. It's just, just the guards aren't very
10:25athletic, aren't athletic enough to stay on those blocks and get, get up the field and change direction
10:29and all that stuff. They're just, they're just not. Jay, one thing I want to call out in a good
10:34way, this team for all three years, even when they were bad last year, and even in this loss today,
10:39their kick coverage units are outstanding. I mean, that Tyler Owens rep is now like, you know,
10:45more viral than a Kardashian video. I mean, it's unbelievable how, how everybody now knows this
10:50guy's name, but that's kind of what we've come to expect. How do they do that? I mean, how much
10:54is that
10:54is, is is so how much that is personnel, just, just your thoughts on how good they are coverage.
10:59Uh, both personnel and the special team coach has to have a lot in the head coach. He has to
11:03make
11:03an important, and that's very important for the head coach to make special teams important
11:07in practice, obviously walkthroughs, everything like that. And then you can try to get the right
11:10people, some length and some speed that can help you, uh, not only secondary guys, but linebacker
11:15guys, and maybe running back, maybe a third tight end or whatever it might be. So yeah, everybody has
11:19to buy in personnel has got to be good, but the coach has to be really a good motivator. And
11:22the head
11:23coach has to make everybody understand that this is the third phase. This is just as important as
11:27offense and defense. Defensively, it was a mixed bag. They, they, 10 tackles for loss, bunch of
11:32pressure, blitzed over 50% of the time, but they did give up some real big ones. 64, 43, 42,
11:3831 yard
11:39gains. How'd you feel? Um, not great. I think it's, I think, uh, they're, like you said that you said
11:45it perfect. They did some really good things. Um, however, you can't give up big plays. And I think
11:50that's the difference in the game. Philadelphia is able to manufacture some big plays and Washington
11:53wasn't. That's why the score, uh, was Philadelphia on top. But, um, I think Philadelphia really looks
11:59very, um, average to me overall, both offensively and defensively. Um, so yeah, I think it was a
12:06great opportunity to upset them at a good time. First game of the year when everybody's kind of
12:11feeling their own way with the new offensive coordinators and things of that nature. So
12:15unfortunately it didn't work out, but, um, yeah, the big plays were costly and a big scramble.
12:20Jalen had a couple of big scrambles on third and 18. You can't let the quarterback run
12:24for 18 yards on third and 18 for God's sakes. That's one of the things I wanted to ask you
12:27about, Jay. It's like, if you, I don't know, if you take the 55, whatever was number 60 total
12:32plays, there's a whole bunch that were good reps, right? Where there are tackles. There's
12:3610 tackles for loss this game, three sacks, a bunch of quarterback hits, forced incompletions,
12:40uh, you know, stuff runs, a whole bunch of really good for this defense, but then there are
12:43those big plays. Do you feel like that's a kind of an inevitable thing because they're
12:48going to be so aggressive because they're going to blitz so much that every once in
12:51a while it gets picked up and you get beat or do you, do you see that getting cleaned
12:55up as time goes? Yeah. You know, that's the risk you take when you blitz, you're going
12:59to be short in coverage. So I don't know if they were all, all the big plays were on blitzes.
13:02I know the run wasn't Saquon had the long run. That wasn't a blitz. I don't think
13:06that's a couple of missed tackles in the hole. And, uh, but yeah, you, you have to pick
13:09your poison. You don't want to just sit back there and let Saquon run for four, run
13:12for five, run for six, and just eat up the clock like the Giants did against the Cowboys
13:16last night. Um, you want to try to be aggressive for some turnovers. I think they did a really
13:19good job. I think the defensive plan was good. I really do. And I think, uh, just, just clean
13:23up the big plays. And I think there might've been a little, um, with the heat out there
13:28in Philadelphia, they might get a little tired there. And some of those reps, like the third
13:31and 18 scramble by, uh, Hertz look like Sonny Stiles was gassed. I mean, he couldn't even
13:35change direction and run after him. He was so tired. So, um, I think the heat probably
13:39had a little bit to do with it, but overall, I think their performance is something really
13:42you can build on. Jay Gruden on G and D. All right, let's go around the NFL here in our
13:48final few minutes with you. We'll start with the bears kicking off year two under Ben Johnson
13:53scoring 59 on Carolina. Their top two backs, Swift and Manunga went for 224 on the ground
13:59and four touchdowns. And Caleb Williams threw for two and ran for two. What a day for Chicago.
14:05Yeah, it was whatever they wanted to do. Uh, Caleb really played good. And obviously when
14:09you were in on the ball off, that's what we're talking about. They had monster runs,
14:12Managi, what am I? Mahogany, whatever his name is. Right up the gut. Swift had some big runs
14:19and blocking well downfield. Um, the bears off at the line is pretty good. They're very
14:24big and powerful. Get up to the next level, get their hands on you. And Carolina had no
14:27answer. They couldn't get off blocks. They couldn't tackle their safeties were like
14:31hit seeking missiles, just diving into the ground. And God, it was brutal. Um, but yeah,
14:36the bears look fun to watch. They're fun to watch. That's for sure. Ben Ben is, I think one of
14:39the top
14:39coaches in the league, obviously only in his second year. Let's go to your former stopping
14:43grounds in Cincinnati. It's a big win to start the season. I say big because they usually start
14:46out really terrible, uh, and have been in a lot of holes over Zach Taylor's tenure. They beat a
14:51pretty tough, uh, Tampa team there at home. What'd you see from them? I was impressed. You know,
14:56they only got the ball to Jamar chase twice. You know, a lot of people complaining about Terry
14:59not getting the ball. So it happens, you know, at Tampa Bay, obviously made it a plan to not
15:03let chase beat them. And unfortunately Gusecki beat them and, and, uh, chase Brown and they did, uh,
15:08Joe Burrow did a great job of taking what the defense gave him. T Higgins made some good
15:11plays defensively. They were, um, opportunistic. They had a, a fumble. They forced Baker to fumble
15:16in the end zone. They got another pick six. So, um, I liked the way the defense came out
15:20and played. And obviously Joe Burrow is very important for Zach Taylor to start fast this
15:24year. He couldn't handle another loss on week one. He would have gotten hammered.
15:29The Lions survived the Saints in overtime 31 30. New Orleans in the loss is actually more
15:34interesting to me. Tyler Shuck started the game pretty terribly, but his numbers in the end were
15:39crazy through for four, 10, three touchdowns, overcame a couple early picks. What was your
15:44eval on him last year? I think a lot of people liked him. I mean, those are pretty gaudy totals.
15:49Yeah, they got, they got better at the end of the year. They've had a really, uh, uh, pretty easy
15:53schedule. The teams that they played weren't very good. So it was hard to tell if he got better.
15:57The teams they played were terrible. Um, but I think he's going to get better and better.
16:00They got a really good receiver. Grisalave. He's really good. I think a chain is a good
16:04running back. So they have some weapons. Johnson's a really good tight end. They did struggle early.
16:08Um, and they did play against the lions whose secondary is absolutely abysmal. So in fact,
16:13the NFC, NFC North, the entire defense is other than Vikings. I think are really pathetic right now.
16:19I mean, I mean, look at the lions gave up, uh, 30 to new Orleans and then Carolina scored 37,
16:23I think against Chicago and green Bay just couldn't stop a backup quarterback. So, um,
16:28um, I'd play a lot of high scores coming up in a NFC North. If I were you guys.
16:32Jay, I got to ask you one thing about that Detroit, New Orleans game.
16:35If you were coaching and that touchdown in overtime or, uh, or in the game got taken off
16:41the board when Jared Goff fumbled or threw it backwards, it doesn't matter.
16:45And they somehow called it an incomplete pass. What would you have done? Would you have
16:48gotten thrown out?
16:50Yeah, probably. I, I, I, I can't stand it when they have all these rules and all these
16:55replay officials and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, going to New York and all that.
16:59And everybody can miss that. I don't understand it. How the entire world can miss a call like that.
17:05Well, they still claim that they called it right. I'm not saying they missed it.
17:08Yeah. They're saying because he was trying to throw it forward.
17:12Essentially, it doesn't matter. Then it went backwards.
17:14I think it matters so much. Yeah.
17:16Stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life. I wasn't trying to fumble, but I fumbled.
17:20So it doesn't count as a fumble.
17:21I meant to throw it. Uh, is every interception under review? No, I didn't mean to throw it to
17:25that guy. I meant to throw it somewhere else. I could not believe that everybody's patting
17:29themselves on the back. Oh, we did it guys. Hey, another place where you coached and called
17:32plays Jacksonville. My goodness was Trevor Lawrence dynamite yesterday, two 45, four touchdowns.
17:39Jacksonville is awesome. I'm telling you, they're really good. They're, they're, they're,
17:42they're legit. Their offense is really, really good. Liam Combs, Liam Combs did a really good job.
17:46Parker Washington is really good. Jacoby Myers is really good. Ryan Thomas can take the top off.
17:51Their backs are okay. Tootin can run a little bit. They had a good tight end and a stranger
17:54offensive line is good. Then they got to these big edge rushers on Allen and Walker. They're
17:59awesome. Uh, rushing the pastor. These guys are going to be good, man. They beat the hell out of
18:03Cleveland. The game money. That game should have been like 63 to three. They took out the starters
18:07with, uh, I think, uh, start of the fourth quarter. There was, it was 31 to nothing, three minutes
18:11into the second half. And they kind of called off the dogs. Yeah, it was, it was, it was brutal.
18:17And Cleveland's awful. Similar. The Ravens up 28 to six and, you know, ended up being 41,
18:2223 final, but it wasn't that close. They were dominant there at times. Again, it's week one.
18:27It's early. You don't want to overreact to stuff, but you know, everyone kind of just said, yeah,
18:30they'll snap their fingers and be right back to being elite. I kind of didn't buy it. Maybe I was
18:33wrong. They looked incredible. They got a question for you guys. Would you rather be a season ticket
18:38holder for the Dolphins or Cleveland or, uh, yeah, or, um, um, Atlanta? So I joked yesterday.
18:47I actually texted my buddy. I think yesterday the Falcons would have been the worst team in
18:51the NFL to be a fan of because it's your week one and Cooper rushes your starting quarterback.
18:55Just feel so hopeless. And they just, they stink. But I mean, the Dolphins are dreadful. I saw them
18:59in the joint practice with Washington get eviscerated. The Raiders basically played with their food
19:04all day. Didn't even play that well and beat them by two touchdowns. Uh, the Browns, I mean,
19:08you're watching Deshaun Watson just go down his leg. I don't know. Yeah. Maybe just cause I live
19:13in Miami. Maybe that's my only default there. Yeah. Yeah. There's, there's, there's some bad
19:18ball out there right now. You gotta, uh, you gotta be grateful. We have a good quarterback here
19:23with Jaden Daniels and then it looks like they're going to be functional and competitive every week.
19:27That's for sure. How about the cam ward? I always try to be super patient with young guys. And I
19:31watched that quarterback show on Netflix and I really became a fan of his as a personality
19:37and as a worker. I just, every time I watch, there's never the thing I'm looking for. Like
19:42it's never overly impressive and you never know, is it a bad team and a bad cast, but he's
19:47got more weapons now. What do you make of him? Uh, it's not good. It's not good. He's
19:52not making improvements. It's only the first game of the second year. So he's got a long
19:56way to go. Um, so get some people around him, get some protection, but I I'm not, I'm not
20:01convinced that he's the guy, um, that they want moving forward to carry their franchise for the
20:05next 15 years. That's for sure. He's got a lot to prove still. Um, yeah, that really looked
20:09anything like the first overall pick should look, in my opinion, there's no quality that I've seen
20:15so far. Now, hopefully it'll come with the emergence of a rookie receiver that he got
20:19some of the other players that have around them. Hopefully it'll come first game jitters and
20:23maybe it'll get better. Who knows? Jay, my last one for you tonight, Broncos chiefs,
20:27a nice way to cap off week one. How do you see it? Yeah, I think the chiefs are starting
20:32a rookie
20:32left tackle. So good luck. So they're going to have tackle those again. And, uh, Benito might
20:37have six sacks tonight. I'm thinking that she, uh, the Broncos, I think of the emergence or the
20:41addition of Jalen Waddle's huge and 51 of the 53 players from the Broncos are back from last year.
20:46So, um, I think that continuity going into week one will be very, very important. Um, and Patrick
20:52coming off an injury, we'll see how he does. Jay, the best buddy. We'll talk to you next Monday.
20:56All right. Thanks guys. See you, my friend. Thanks Jay. Stefan Diggs had a big touchdown.
21:01Then he got penalized. We'll talk about that. And what we thought about Diggs' first game in Washington.
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