- 1 day ago
The Commanders face the 49ers in a pivotal part of their season. Former Redskins TE Logan Paulsen feels that Washington has what it takes to upset the 49ers on MNF. Jayden Daniels is a big reason for hope, and Logan believes he can lead Washington to victory.
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00:00Hopefully you listen to Take Command.
00:02We drop the pod three times a week, myself and Logan Paulson,
00:05breaking down the last game, looking ahead to the upcoming game,
00:08and then right after a game discussing what just happened.
00:12Looking forward to hopefully a victorious Take Command pod.
00:16After tonight's game, Logan joins us out in San Francisco,
00:20where he's getting ready at the stadium for the Niners and the Commanders.
00:24Danny will like this.
00:25I got a picture sent from Logan's hotel room last night
00:28where he had a little PFF and tape going on the laptop,
00:32and then he had an entire crushed rotisserie chicken,
00:36just bones left on the table.
00:38That's our Logie.
00:40We went Roto Chicken last night, did we, Logs?
00:43We did have to, man.
00:44I'm a simple man.
00:45Just need the protein, need the macros, and had to watch a little tape,
00:48so it worked out perfectly.
00:49Yeah, no flavor protein and tape.
00:51That is your perfect evening.
00:53Put that on a T-shirt.
00:54Did you have a side with it, or was it just the chicken?
00:58I had some popcorn with it, because it's got a high fiber,
01:01and it keeps pretty well in the hotel,
01:02so when you go grocery shopping, you can't get a bunch of bread,
01:04so popcorn was my carb for the evening.
01:08I'll accept that.
01:09Popcorn gave me delicious fiber.
01:11A little skinny pop from Logan.
01:13All right, so here's the thing about tonight.
01:16I don't have great reasons why I can try to make the case analytically
01:20and statistically if you want me to,
01:22but I am feeling a little bit better about tonight the closer we get to kickoff.
01:26I will also let you know that the two times the Commanders have played teams
01:305-0 or better over the last seven years, they've won both of those games.
01:36This is kind of just what they do.
01:38When it seems like the walls are caving in, they seem to come out swinging.
01:41How do you feel about tonight?
01:43You know, I kind of feel the same way.
01:45I think I look at the last game the 49ers played against Seattle,
01:47and again, that was a physical big moment for the team,
01:51and it just feels like, I don't want to say let down,
01:53because I don't think this 49ers team has a lot of let down in them,
01:56but it just kind of wears on you mentally, wears on you physically.
01:58I think the Commanders are hungry to kind of prove something.
02:01It just kind of feels like all the soft science of the NFL
02:04is coming to the forefront here in this game.
02:06I think the Commanders have a good shot to put the dub up.
02:09What's the most important thing to get done tonight?
02:11I mean, athletes, you guys who play in the NFL,
02:14you're wired differently than regular human beings.
02:17A lot of folks can't stop thinking about the end-of-game gap,
02:20but players don't.
02:21They're on to the next.
02:22I think this coaching staff does, too.
02:24It feels like maybe a rallying cry time
02:26when nobody's giving them a chance tonight.
02:28It sort of feels like, A, I'd love for you to talk about that,
02:30being able to harness that,
02:31but B, what's the most important thing they have to do tonight
02:34to win the game?
02:35Yeah, I mean, it's probably multifactorial,
02:37and to that point about moving on,
02:39I think the players probably felt that.
02:40No one likes that feeling,
02:42but I do think the NFL work week kind of is conducive to moving on.
02:45You've got practice on Wednesday.
02:46Everything's moving forward.
02:48Everything's clicking along forward.
02:49You can't really sit in that icky feeling of that end-of-game scenario.
02:54I do think that tonight the most important thing
02:56is there's going to be a lot of adversity tonight.
02:58This defense is fast.
02:59They're physical.
03:00When the plays can be made, they need to make them.
03:02Defensively, you need to play 60 minutes of football.
03:05So it's kind of, again, this soft science of football here.
03:09When the plays have to be made offensively, you can't miss them.
03:11Like I was going back and watching the Arizona Cardinal game last night,
03:14and I felt like they had some really good, schemed-up opportunities,
03:17and they just didn't hit them.
03:18And so when those come tonight against the 49ers
03:21and this defense with as fast and physical as they are,
03:23Jaden Daniels, whoever's on the other end of that pass,
03:25needs to make that thing go down.
03:27And then I look at, again, defensively,
03:29this team, this commander's defense has done some really nice stuff,
03:31but you've got to play through four quarters.
03:34And Kyle Shanahan, this offense, Brock Purdy,
03:36they're going to make you play four quarters,
03:38and can you step up to that challenge?
03:39I think that's a big story in tonight's game.
03:42Logan, Brian Flores' defense gave Kyle fits
03:46when Flores was in Minnesota against the Niners
03:50over a couple of match-ups.
03:51And even when he was in Miami, if you go all the way back to that,
03:54they had a really good game against Kyle Shanahan.
03:58A, why is that?
03:59That it seems like the match-up goes favorably well
04:02for Washington's type of defense.
04:04And then can Durante Jones watch that tape
04:07and expose anything there?
04:09Yeah, I think the thing that, again,
04:11the Flores' defense does so well is they are obviously,
04:13they're going to throw that pitch of the all-out pressure
04:16and really kind of confound and accelerate the offense.
04:19The thing that Durante Jones has done a great job,
04:21even this year, even when he's blitzing at close to a 90% blitz rate,
04:24and we talked about this on the Take a Man show,
04:25is the change-up pitch.
04:27It's like in this critical moment, it's third and eight,
04:29everybody in the stadium is expecting them to run all out,
04:32and they run some type of simulated four-man pressure,
04:34and there's a zone dropper right in the window
04:36that the quarterback's trying to work.
04:37The quarterback has to pull the ball down,
04:39and you get a sack.
04:40So to me, yes, there's a ton of stuff that Durante Jones can look at
04:42from this Brian Flores tree and say,
04:44man, I can be better with some of this stuff.
04:46But it's that feel in those moments,
04:49those critical moments of saying,
04:50hey, we've shown all out twice in third-down situations.
04:53What's our change-up pitch?
04:55And 10 on that change-up pitch, can we get a strike?
04:57I think that's really what it boils down to
04:58when you're watching the detail
05:00that that Minnesota defense plays with,
05:01and again, the feel that Brian Flores has
05:04when he's calling those games.
05:05Our guy, Logan Paulson, with us here on G&D.
05:08Tight ends have been a bugaboo since,
05:10regardless of staff here over the years.
05:12You're talking about defensively.
05:13Tight ends have kind of run roughshod.
05:15This year's been no exception.
05:16Kittle presents a challenge to anybody,
05:18let alone a group that hasn't covered him well.
05:20How do you slow him down,
05:21and how much of a priority is it?
05:23Yeah, I mean, I think this is going to be
05:24a little bit different than the last week
05:26against Isaiah Likely.
05:27Isaiah Likely is this great, creative,
05:29nuanced, receiver-esque type of route runner.
05:31Kittle's going to get open
05:32in the context of the offense a little bit more.
05:34Now, he's still going to get open,
05:36and I think it just comes down to
05:37really knowing your rules
05:39and really knowing how Kyle's going to stress you.
05:41Like, just for example,
05:42Kyle does such a great job of finding those matchups,
05:45getting people, getting Kittle specifically,
05:47lined up on a linebacker
05:48with great leverage toward an out-breaking route,
05:50or we can isolate him and he can run the choice,
05:52and Kittle is a special player.
05:54Again, I think it's a little bit more familiar
05:56to what we've seen in terms of the type of routes
05:58he's running, the style of route runner that he is,
06:01so I think that makes it a little bit easier,
06:02especially when you've got a guy like Sonny Stiles,
06:04but again, it's going to be a tough out.
06:05He's a good football player,
06:07and the other thing that makes it tough
06:08is there's so many other weapons
06:09on this offense that need to be addressed.
06:11You can't really focus on him
06:13the way you would with some of these other offenses
06:15where the tight end is the number two playmaker
06:16in the system.
06:17So I'll stick with the theme
06:19of how they defend San Francisco for a second.
06:21A couple of other guys
06:22that I want your thoughts on.
06:24Mike Evans has feasted on this team.
06:26He averages five for 109
06:27and over a touchdown in his career.
06:29He's had a 200-yard game on the resume.
06:32He's just dominated Washington.
06:34How do they defend him,
06:35and what would your plan be?
06:37Also, McCaffrey seems to be a guy
06:39that they're using a lot less
06:41to try to keep fresher for the long haul.
06:43There's going to be a game eventually
06:44where they hit the gas pedal with him.
06:46Hopefully it's not tonight.
06:47But who do you see running with him in space,
06:49and how does Washington match up there?
06:52Yeah, I mean, I think both of those
06:53are really good questions, Grant.
06:54I look at Mike Evans,
06:55and I kind of say Rasul Douglas
06:57maybe is a little bit better matchup there
06:59for the physicality.
07:00Because when you watch Mike,
07:00like you said, man,
07:01his production reflects how he's been playing.
07:03Physical at the catch point,
07:04physical at the line of scrimmage,
07:06still has enough giddy-up and vertical juice
07:08to make you wrong as a DB.
07:10And I think the other thing
07:11that's really tough to watch with him
07:13is, again, like, Brock Purdy
07:14just seems to have such a great faith in him.
07:16So in these critical moments,
07:17Mike just seems to be making a play.
07:18We talked about how that's important
07:20offensively for the commanders
07:21in a game like this.
07:22Like, Mike just has that feel.
07:24Mike and Brock have that feel.
07:25So in those pivotal moments,
07:26to me, the way to disrupt Mike Evans
07:28is to disrupt Brock Purdy.
07:30Can we get pressure?
07:31Can we have good rush lane continuity?
07:33Can we keep him befuddled
07:35and a little bit unsure
07:36and just prevent him
07:37from making those decisive throws
07:39down the field?
07:39The Christian McCaffrey thing
07:40is a little bit more confusing to me.
07:42Because, again,
07:42he's one of the best receiving backs
07:43in the NFL.
07:44They haven't really used him that way.
07:45And like you said,
07:46they can probably turn that up
07:47or turn that down
07:48whenever they want.
07:49But in terms of matchup,
07:50I think you're probably looking at
07:51like a cross kind of matchup,
07:53some type of safety on him.
07:54Because, again,
07:55you don't want to mess up
07:56your run fits
07:56by putting a defensive back on him.
07:58So I'd say safety,
08:00linebacker probably.
08:01I'd probably say
08:01Sonny goes with George.
08:03And then probably one of the safeties
08:04ends up matching up on Christian.
08:06But, again,
08:06not an easy matchup,
08:07especially when Kyle's in his bag,
08:09scheme that guy up.
08:10And, again,
08:10he hasn't done that
08:10the last couple of weeks.
08:11But that's always a club
08:12that they have.
08:13Speaking of cornerbacks,
08:14Trey Amis makes his return.
08:15What do you expect?
08:16And, you know,
08:17kind of what's his role
08:18going to be maybe tonight
08:19then going forward?
08:20I mean, honestly, dude,
08:21I have no idea.
08:22Like, I can't imagine
08:24being in his situation
08:25and having not played
08:26a lot of football
08:27over the last six months
08:28of this offseason
08:29and into the season.
08:30And just what kind of
08:31condition are you in?
08:32What kind of awareness do you have?
08:33How much film
08:34have you been studying?
08:34How do the feet,
08:35calves, and ankles feel
08:36with all the changes
08:37of direction
08:38that you've missed out on?
08:38Like, where is the body
08:39in terms of physical callus?
08:41And then, again,
08:42you're going against
08:42a really tough matchup here
08:43in Kyle Shanahan
08:44and what he can do.
08:45So I think this is
08:46a really, really tough deal,
08:48to be honest with you.
08:48And I have no idea
08:50what they're going to do.
08:50Maybe they slow roll it.
08:51Maybe he's got a package.
08:52But it's going to be
08:53a tough out for him tonight.
08:54And again, he's a great competitor
08:55and he's a good football player.
08:56But there's just so much
08:57that he's missed out
08:58on this offseason.
08:59Logan Paulson
09:01on Grant and Danny.
09:02Here on The Fan.
09:03Check him out
09:03on Take Command.
09:05All right, I want to go
09:07to Daniels.
09:07I'm going to read you
09:08kind of a tweet I sent.
09:09This is something
09:10I was thinking about
09:10with how San Francisco plays D
09:12and why I like the matchup
09:13for him a little bit.
09:14The Niners are not
09:15a blitz-heavy team.
09:16They're 20th in blitz rate.
09:17They also don't run much man.
09:21And you and I have talked
09:22about this on Take Command,
09:23but Daniels has struggled
09:24against man.
09:25He's picked zones apart.
09:26They run the fourth highest
09:27pretty traditional zone rate,
09:29how they line up and play.
09:31I think that those are
09:33two different kind of matchup areas
09:36that I think he'll take advantage of
09:37that I like for him.
09:38Now, someone might say
09:39they've done a really good job
09:40on keeping quarterbacks
09:41in the pocket,
09:4228 scramble yards,
09:43second lowest in the NFL.
09:44But they've played Stafford,
09:46Brissette, Darnold,
09:4760% of their games.
09:48I think that's more about
09:50maybe who they've played
09:51than how they play.
09:53I kind of like him
09:54against this defense.
09:55What are your thoughts?
09:56You know, it's funny.
09:57I was kind of early in the week,
09:58I thought this was going to be
09:59a great matchup for Jane Daniels.
10:01But the more you watch
10:02this 49ers defense,
10:04I think the more impressed
10:05I get with how well coached
10:06they are.
10:07You know, you talked about
10:07the low man rate,
10:08but they do, again,
10:11Raheem Morris has a great feel
10:12for kind of when to throw
10:13that man pitch in there.
10:15Because it's funny,
10:15I'm watching film
10:16and it's like, okay,
10:17here's their quarters,
10:18here's their cover two,
10:18here's their cover six.
10:19Those are kind of their
10:20main rotation zone coverages.
10:22And all of a sudden
10:22you get this man coverage
10:23and it's jarring
10:24because it's from
10:25the quarter's safety.
10:27It's from that quarter's
10:28look that they're talking about.
10:29And so obviously
10:30when you get those looks,
10:32they're demanding a turnover.
10:33They're kind of looking
10:34for those opportunities.
10:35So to me,
10:36this is a great opportunity
10:37to kind of see like
10:38where Jaden Daniels is at
10:40from a recognition standpoint
10:41because they're going
10:42to challenge him tonight.
10:45Logan,
10:45why has Daniels,
10:47in your view,
10:47struggled against man?
10:48Those numbers seem
10:49counterintuitive to me.
10:50The defense turns its back,
10:51he can run rough shot.
10:52It seems like,
10:53you know,
10:53he's so good with ball placement,
10:55fitting stuff in there.
10:55It just doesn't seem to be
10:56the thing you'd expect.
10:58I think that's a little bit
10:59spuriously correlated
11:00with who's playing
11:01receiver for him last year.
11:03Those numbers,
11:03those man numbers
11:04are predominantly from last year.
11:06And again,
11:06think about the guys
11:07that are throwing him
11:07the football.
11:08It's guys that aren't
11:09on rosters right now
11:10that weren't on rosters
11:11at the beginning of the season.
11:12So I definitely think
11:13that has something
11:13to do with it.
11:15Logan Paulson on GND.
11:18Hey,
11:18I know you got to jump
11:19in a second.
11:19I want to know real quick
11:20on the running game.
11:21It sounds like they're
11:22practicing the anthem
11:23or something,
11:24so don't worry.
11:24This is crazy right here.
11:25Sorry,
11:26boy.
11:26No,
11:26you're good.
11:27And for people listening,
11:28it's not like it's
11:29the real anthem.
11:29So we don't have to stop
11:31and Logan doesn't have
11:32to chill.
11:32Just practice.
11:33Be quiet.
11:34But the run game
11:36with Bill on IR,
11:38little deal,
11:39big deal.
11:39I mean,
11:39he has not been great,
11:40but he is the one guy
11:41that seems like he can
11:42hit the ball over the fence
11:43with this group.
11:44Yeah,
11:45I mean,
11:45I do think it's a big deal
11:46because,
11:46you know,
11:47Austin Eckler's in a
11:48non-contact jersey
11:48this week.
11:49White's in a non-contact
11:52jersey this week.
11:52So I look at that
11:53and I say to myself,
11:54kind of your three top
11:55runners,
11:56the guys who get
11:56the most touches
11:57have been banged up
11:58this week.
11:58And so when that happens,
12:00that's never a good sign.
12:01And today,
12:02man,
12:02this run defense
12:03is outstanding.
12:04The safeties are physical.
12:05The corners tackle.
12:06The linebackers,
12:07obviously Fred Warner
12:08makes plays
12:08and they've got enough
12:09penetration to make it
12:10complicated.
12:11Nobody has hit an
12:12explosive run on this
12:13team all season.
12:14And I credit that
12:15to their tackling.
12:16So who's ever carrying
12:16the ball tonight,
12:17and again,
12:18I'd like to see Bill out
12:18there because the
12:19explosiveness,
12:20the twitch,
12:21the ability to make
12:21people miss,
12:22I think that's part of
12:23what makes him so good
12:24in these moments.
12:24But yeah,
12:25whoever's got that
12:26opportunity tonight is
12:26going to have a lot
12:28of work to do.
12:29they have the fewest
12:2910-plus yard rushing
12:31attempts allowed
12:32or rushing plays
12:34allowed this season.
12:36What's your prediction
12:37for tonight?
12:38How do you see it going?
12:39Man,
12:40I kind of,
12:40same as you,
12:41Grant,
12:41I don't have a great
12:42reason as to why,
12:43but I think they're
12:43going to win this game.
12:44It's going to be a rock
12:45fight.
12:45It's going to be ugly.
12:46There's going to be
12:46some adversity for both
12:47sides tonight.
12:48And the team that rallies
12:49and kind of adjusts to
12:50that the best is going
12:52to win this football game.
12:52I just,
12:53I can't get over it.
12:54Maybe I'm fanboying a
12:54little bit here,
12:55but I can't get over
12:56Jaden Daniels and what
12:56I've seen from him in
12:57the two outings he's
12:58had this year.
12:58And I think if,
12:59I think he can be
13:00something special,
13:01I think he's going to
13:01do something special
13:02in a primetime moment.
13:03Logan,
13:03thank you as always,
13:04buddy.
13:04Enjoy tonight.
13:05Thanks guys.
13:06Appreciate you.
13:07Got it, man.
13:07There's Logan Paulson on
13:09GND.