What are the expectations in Jayden Daniels’ return?

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What should we expect from Jayden Daniels in his return to the field? The Junkies break down the biggest questions surrounding his workload, mobility, performance, and how Washington can protect its quarterback.  Share, Thumbs Up & Subscribe to 106.7 The Fan for New Content Daily!  Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/1067TheFan Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1067thefan Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/1067theFan Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1067thefan/

Transcript

00:00But I did want to touch on Jaden for a little bit.

00:02What are your expectations for Jaden,

00:05given with the brace and with the weather?

00:09The weather, the brace, the uncertainty, and wideout.

00:11I mean, like, Stephon Diggs showing up in the injury report,

00:15also with a hamstring.

00:16That's a big recall.

00:17Eric, Eric, there's a chance.

00:19I hope it doesn't happen.

00:20There's a chance it's a disaster.

00:22What do you mean?

00:24Weather or just overall?

00:25Overall, just because of all the factors you just mentioned.

00:28It could be.

00:28You mean, like, his performance?

00:30Or a disaster like an injury?

00:32I'm not saying he's going to throw three picks.

00:33I'm just saying disaster in terms of he doesn't play as well as you think.

00:37He doesn't have the help around him.

00:39The offensive line, stinkeroo.

00:42We don't know about the running backs

00:44because they can't open holes in the run game.

00:47The weather.

00:48There's a lot of factors that are.

00:49And it's a huge game because we've talked about it.

00:52If the Giants win, they're 4-1.

00:54And then the commanders are 1-4.

00:56So, essentially, they're three games back plus the head-to-head.

00:59They'd be done.

01:00They'd be cooked.

01:01It's 1-4.

01:02They're not going to make the playoffs.

01:03To me, this is a spot where you need Jaden to elevate whatever talent is out there around him

01:08like he did as a rookie.

01:09And that may be asking a lot with him coming back with the brace.

01:13But critical division game at home.

01:16You have to win this game if you want to stay in any sort of playoff hunt.

01:19And that's the other thing.

01:20You have to win it.

01:20We don't know what to expect in terms of how he's going to handle the brace

01:24because he's not used to playing with this thing.

01:28And how is it going to affect him?

01:29I may be in the minority.

01:30I'm not that worried about the brace.

01:32I feel like he's been used to it for a couple weeks.

01:34He probably isn't either.

01:35He's used to it by now.

01:37But you just never know.

01:37I don't think it's going to be that big of a factor.

01:39You just never know.

01:39John Kahn did mention that, actually, last year when he had the brace in Minnesota,

01:45he looked uncomfortable with it.

01:47He was constantly playing with it.

01:49Right, right.

01:49That in practice, he said they only get to see a little bit.

01:54But he doesn't seem to be, like he is embracing it more.

01:57He doesn't seem to be messing with it.

01:59Doesn't seem to be bothering him as much for whatever that's worth.

02:03Maybe they've gone over extra time to make sure they found one that fits well.

02:07I know they have a sleeve over the brace.

02:12It shouldn't affect his throwing.

02:14I wouldn't think.

02:17I'd be more concerned with the fact that they're getting little to nothing out of the tight end spot.

02:21And they spent a lot of money to bring Chig in here, giving him $10-plus million per year.

02:26Now, I know that he's missed two games with a hamstring injury.

02:30He needs to have a bigger impact on the offense.

02:32Blau has got to feed him the ball a little bit more.

02:34I just don't know how it's all going to play out with the weather.

02:38Honestly, the way the footballs are, I don't know.

02:39In NFL football, when it's wet, is it slipperier, or can they grip it pretty well?

02:46No.

02:46Don't you remember?

02:48Did you watch any of the Rams-Eagles game last week?

02:51I saw Brady talking about gripping the ball.

02:53Yeah, what did he say?

02:54And you could see Matt Stafford, when he was dropping back, he was kind of turning the ball.

02:59And Brady explained why he was doing that.

03:01He was kind of flipping the ball in his hand because he was trying to wipe, kind of basically wiping

03:04off the moisture on the ball.

03:07As he's backing up, as he's dropping back.

03:09Trying to find a spot where he can grip it.

03:11Trying to find it, right.

03:12And Brady talked about it during one of the timeouts.

03:15But don't they like that?

03:16I thought they dipped the balls in water or something for some of those guys.

03:20No?

03:20Oh, I don't know.

03:21Maybe that's just what they do in practice to simulate the rain.

03:23I think they do that.

03:24Yeah, I mean, maybe it's different for each quarterback.

03:26I just don't know how much passing there's going to be.

03:28Yeah, I mean, it might be a heavy run attack if the weather does what people are expecting it to

03:36do.

03:36Like up to an inch of rain on Sunday.

03:38Yeah.

03:39Well, let's say nine hours of rain.

03:4198% chance of rain.

03:42Yeah.

03:42Nine hours straight of rain.

03:44I'm hoping that the system stays south until, you know, middle of the game, maybe late.

03:49But I don't think it will.

03:50I think it's going to get here early.

03:52What time is it supposed to come?

03:54I was watching Chuck Bell this morning.

03:55He said he doesn't know exactly, but he said it could be in the morning or it could be early

04:00morning, early afternoon, or late afternoon.

04:04I feel bad for the fans that are going to be out there tailgating there throughout the game.

04:08They're just going to be getting dumped on.

04:09Yeah.

04:10And that's not a fun way to watch any game is outdoors and the elements like that.

04:15I don't know.

04:16I just, when I say it could be disaster, I don't mean it's going to be, you know, 31 to

04:21nothing.

04:22I still think they're going to score and be competitive, but I just don't know what to expect.

04:27What does hurt when your top two receiving options are coming in either hobbled or not playing.

04:31I don't think Terry's going to play.

04:33I don't know the latest on Diggs, the severity of his injury, but.

04:37Yeah, but if it's any indication, if you tweak your hamstring, they're not just going to throw you out.

04:42A lot of times they just hold you out.

04:45Yeah.

04:46What do you guys?

04:46They're going to have to turn over the New York Giants, specifically Jameis Winston.

04:50Which is very doable.

04:51He threw a couple of interceptions in this last game.

04:54Now he did lead them to a win and he did have three touchdowns to give him credit.

04:58Here's Jameis giving a quirky Jameis Winston answer about the weather.

05:02Are you aware of the weather forecast for Sunday?

05:05Could be stormy.

05:07Yeah, you know, today is beautiful.

05:09The sun is shining.

05:12The birds are chirping.

05:13But I can only focus on now.

05:17Right now, it's a beautiful day.

05:18And when Sunday comes, I'll still be glad and rejoice in the day that God gives us.

05:25I guess that's a good way to approach life.

05:27So in his last game, he had two pickles and was sacked four times.

05:32Yeah.

05:32So there are going to be opportunities to get after Jameis Winston.

05:36Sure.

05:36Force him to cough up the ball.

05:38He's just not going to change.

05:39No, no.

05:39That's who he is.

05:40That's his DNA.

05:41Not going to change.

05:41He's going to turn the ball over.

05:42He's going to probably give you at least two or three opportunities to pick a ball.

05:46Or maybe this is a game where the defense kind of creates short fields like they did

05:50against Seattle and cause a few turnovers and makes it a little bit easier on the offense.

05:54And both of their top two offensive weapons, Neighbors and Scadaboo, come in with questionable

06:00tags.

06:01And Likely.

06:01So that's Likely also.

06:03Likely's got a groin slash hammy.

06:05So their top three offensive weapons.

06:06I mean, Likely's questionable.

06:07He was limited in practice yesterday.

06:09He may go Sunday, but he was limited.

06:11So that's good news for Commanders fans.

06:14They're coming in a bit hobbled.

06:16Or maybe Jaden goes out there and you can't even tell and he's running around.

06:20He rushes for 68 yards and a touchdown.

06:23He throws one or two.

06:24I mean, who knows?

06:25I don't think.

06:26That would be great.

06:28I don't think in his first game back he's going to be super aggressive with his legs.

06:34I'll be pleasantly surprised if he is.

06:37I have a feeling he's going to be cautious.

06:39Well, he didn't think he was going to be aggressive against the Cowboys, and he was.

06:43Now, they're not doing designed runs.

06:45He was just taking advantage of situations where he was able to scramble.

06:49I think the designed runs are largely going the way of the Dodo Bird.

06:53There'll be a couple.

06:54I just need him to start and finish the game healthy.

06:58Yeah.

06:59Even if it's a dud.

07:01Yeah.

07:01Even if it's a dud.

07:02That's the biggest thing.

07:03Just get out of the game upright.

07:05I agree.

07:06Don't come off on a cart.

07:08Don't come off holding your elbow.

07:10We need Jaden to prove he can get through a game.

07:13If he, let's just say he gets hit, he gets smashed, he has to know you can't pound the turf

07:21and take extra time.

07:24Because they're going to be, all the eyes are going to be on him.

07:26Yeah.

07:26He has to grin and bear it.

07:28A lot of pressure.

07:29A lot of pressure on his shoulders.

07:30Because I think the biggest pressure, I agree, there's pressure on the injury front, the pounding, all that stuff.

07:36The biggest pressure is they've got to get a win.

07:38So, Jaden's got to do whatever he can do to help them get a win.

07:42And that's their formula for success.

07:43That's why they made the NFC Championship game.

07:45I understand there were other players that contributed.

07:47But the biggest reason they made the NFC Championship was Jaden Daniels led them there.

07:51Don't you think it's kind of over already, though?

07:53Like, the season's kind of over already.

07:55I don't think that.

07:56If they're able to beat the Giants, you're just one back in the division.

08:00Yeah, but then you've got San Francisco looming.

08:02Okay, but you've just got to get to nine or ten wins this year.

08:04The NFC East, it's not the NFC East of two years ago.

08:08The Eagles aren't winning 14 games.

08:10The Cowboys aren't winning 14 games.

08:12This division's going to be won by a team that probably wins 10 games.

08:15And if you're at two and three, you're in the mix.

08:18You might be in the mix mathematically, but with the injuries that they're dealing with,

08:23and I know other teams have more.

08:25We don't appear to have the depth.

08:27Well, just look at the Giants.

08:28I don't know how it's setting up for a playoff run.

08:30Would you rather be, I mean, obviously you'd rather be the Giants right now at three and one,

08:33but would you rather be in the position where the Giants are going to go the rest of the season

08:37with Jameis Winston or J.J. McCarthy or the possibility of having Jane Daniels for the rest of the season?

08:44Oh, that's easy.

08:44Well, that's an easy answer.

08:45Okay, would you want your number one defensive player out for the entire season?

08:49Because that's what the Giants face.

08:51Like, I get it.

08:52The volume of injuries here seems very big, and we're very familiar with this team.

08:57But as Brian Baldinger said, that's the norm for the NFL.

09:02No, I understand.

09:03I understand where we rank.

09:05We just don't have the great depth, I don't think, to overcome it.

09:08I don't know.

09:09Yeah, but you have your star quarterback.

09:11For now.

09:11I can't count on having him for 12 more games.

09:14I think it's, you know, if that becomes the case, then they're going to have to make a decision in

09:19the future.

09:20I think it's going to be the case always with him.

09:21You're just never, you're never going to be able to say as long, and I think he'll have a 10

09:25-year career, I'm hoping.

09:26But you're never going to say he's guaranteed to play 15, 16, 17 games every year.

09:30That's the way the league is.

09:31These guys go down all the time.

09:33Lamar Jackson probably misses two or three games every year.

09:36This is what's so big about this.

09:38You're right.

09:39But this is what's so big about this game.

09:41Okay, so, yes, the Niners and the Rams are still in the next month.

09:45Okay, let's consider those losses because they're just really good teams with good offenses.

09:50That's fine.

09:51But you also have the Giants, obviously, Sunday.

09:54You have the Eagles in two weeks, or in three weeks, and they're a mess.

09:58And you lost to them by two points the first time.

10:00And you have the Giants again.

10:01So if you can just kind of focus on those three games, which are kind of must-wins because they're

10:05division games.

10:06I mean, if the Commanders beat the Giants and the Cowboys win tonight, which they probably will.

10:11They should win.

10:12They're eight and a half point favorites at home.

10:13There's four teams separated by one game.

10:17Right.

10:17That's my point.

10:19If this team can just hover around 500 until the last five or six games of the season, they get

10:26a shot.

10:27And if you think about the NFC Championship game, that season, they got on a run at the end of

10:32the year.

10:34So just kind of stay alive.

10:36Hang in there.

10:37Hopefully get healthier.

10:38Hopefully Jaden continues to play.

10:40He'll play this week.

10:42And then you take advantage of the softer schedule at the end of the season.

10:45Look, no one in the world thought they were going to beat the Seahawks.

10:51Nobody.

10:51They got that win.

10:52So if the Rams come here on, what is that, November 8th?

10:56Yeah.

10:57You have no idea.

10:58Of course, any given Sunday.

10:59It looks dooming on the schedule.

11:02They're probably going to favor the Rams and Puka and Devontae Adams against the second.

11:06Okay, but we said the same thing about Seattle.

11:08We don't even know if they'll be playing at that point.

11:10By the way, do you guys remember Ron Rivera's playoff season?

11:15Vaguely.

11:15Do you remember they finished with the losing record?

11:18Yeah, I remember.

11:18This division is not that great.

11:21It's led by a team that has Jameis Winston at quarterback that doesn't have.

11:29I'm sorry.

11:30They don't have like a superstar running back.

11:32Cam Scatterboon, fine.

11:34And they're trying to run the football and be physical.

11:37Their best defensive player is out.

11:39The Cowboys scare me if they ever get their defense right because that offense is prolific.

11:43But just hang in there in the division.

11:46And you don't know.

11:47You might not need to get to 10 wins, Jason.

11:49You might be able to win the division with 9.

11:51I'd like to get double.

11:52You might win it with 8.

11:53It would make you feel better if you had 10 plus.

11:55Of course.

11:56I just don't know how we can rack up a bunch of wins without all these guys.

12:00Without Terry.

12:01Now without Diggs.

12:02Yeah, I mean, if you have a bunch of stars on your IR or just missing weeks, then it's

12:08tough.

12:08But we can all agree that this is a must win.

12:11If they go to 1-4, it's over.

12:12Yeah.

12:12Aren't the Eagles playing without Saquon Barkley?

12:15Devontae Smith?

12:15Yeah.

12:16They didn't go down the list.

12:16They just had their best tackle just retire on them.

12:20Yes.

12:21They're a better football team.

12:22Everybody knows from day one they're a better team.

12:24Everybody knows the Eagles are better.

12:26They're not that good this year.

12:27They might not be better now.

12:28Yeah.

12:29I would still take them against us.

12:30The way things are unfolding there.

12:31I get it.

12:32But you're within a two-point conversion of pushing it to overtime the first time.

12:36To me, the season's kind of playing out the way I kind of thought it was going to be.

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