00:01ESPN Commander's Reporter. Hey, John.
00:02J.K.
00:03What up, guys? What up?
00:04We have posed a question to our listeners,
00:06and some people don't even want to answer it
00:08because they want to make it a larger issue,
00:10but do you think Dan Quinn outcoached John Harbaugh last night?
00:17Oh, I don't know.
00:19I mean, I guess I don't know that I thought that deep about that part of it.
00:25I think these guys finally made some plays in the end.
00:29But I'd have to – I haven't thought much about that part.
00:34I think J.P.'s evidence –
00:36What's the rationale about it?
00:38His rationale – J.P. can speak for himself,
00:40but I think partly he thinks that Harbaugh should have gone for it,
00:43got too conservative there in some instances.
00:46On that fourth and one at the 12?
00:48I'm not sure if that one – is that one you thought?
00:50I mean, I think combination, the fourth and one at the 12,
00:54not maybe running a play-action pass, playing last.
00:56He went conservative, and meanwhile, the commanders were aggressive,
01:00and kudos on use of timeouts and giving Jaden plenty of time.
01:06Like, we've criticized him for clock mismanagement.
01:09Here, there was good use of the clock and also the challenge.
01:14Yeah, but instead of – do you get credit?
01:16If you didn't poop the bed, you pooped in the toilet like you're supposed to?
01:19Do you get credit?
01:20Sometimes.
01:21You just pooped in the toilet.
01:23Yeah, and I also think, too – so I would say, like, you know,
01:27they scored at the end of the half, end of the game, right?
01:30So that's good, and the clock manager was good.
01:33But it kind of – like, the way they used the clock late in the first half
01:38was pretty good, obviously.
01:39But the sequence of players was a little bit – you know,
01:42they got a little bit fortunate.
01:44And then I told people at halftime, I was like,
01:46well, on the play sheet, it's a good series for them.
01:49It's just that it was a little bit more stressful
01:51than you would have liked for them.
01:53Right.
01:53But I also – you know, even, like, the run with McCarthy,
01:58like, we've seen Alex Smith in the – like, years ago,
02:02would run that kind of a play, just a power sweep with the quarterback.
02:07And, like, that's – Alex Smith scored a touchdown on that,
02:09I think, in the championship game, or some – not championship game,
02:12some playoff game for the Niners years ago.
02:13So, we've seen that here.
02:15So, I don't – like, is that a conservative play?
02:18But I think where I look at it, too, is Sonny Stiles' diagnosis of the play
02:22and his ability to make the play more than the call.
02:26Although, you know, I will say, like, I don't know.
02:29I think these guys made the right moves.
02:33Whatever John – whatever Harbaugh did,
02:35these guys made the right moves last night.
02:37And, J.K., I'm not going to – J.P.'s pointing out the fourth and one
02:40at their own 11.
02:42I'm not going to kill him for not going for it.
02:44Up four at their own 11, and he wants to punt it.
02:48He's just trying to draw them off.
02:49How many coaches are going to go for it in that situation?
02:52Maybe Dan Campbell.
02:53Dan Campbell did it a couple weeks ago.
02:54Okay, but it's stupid.
02:56When you're up four – if you're down four, you go for it.
02:58You're up four, you don't go for it on fourth and one from your own 11.
03:02Yeah, and so I didn't – yeah.
03:05I can't kill him for that.
03:06I probably would have maybe admired that just because, like, it's a ballsy move.
03:14But, you know, you probably get it, but you probably thought you'd get the previous one,
03:19and you didn't.
03:20And so, you know, I guess nobody let the dogs out on that one.
03:25Hey, John, I mentioned your tweet from 1.50 a.m. this morning about how Jaden was pressured
03:31on just under 18% of his dropbacks on Thursday, the second lowest pressure percentage faced
03:37in his career.
03:38So that tells me Allegretti played pretty well.
03:40And I saw a stat that Coleman gave up zero pressures to Abdul Carter.
03:44So that offensive line was really playing well last night.
03:47Really well.
03:48Well, and the other thing, like, I'm losing track of my day.
03:52So it's Thursday, so I guess it would have been Wednesday I was talking to one of the
03:56offensive guys about, like, the first game and the cover zero blitzes that had a lot
04:00of success for the Giants.
04:02And they hadn't shown a ton of that.
04:04They clearly had, but not as much as they had against these guys.
04:08And they felt like they had the answers in.
04:11And that they felt really confident that they had the answers for that look this time.
04:16And they clearly did.
04:18And, you know, what I wondered would be, like, OK, New York's going to know that they're
04:24going to try to, you know, adjust to that.
04:26Like, what is their curve with that?
04:28And they never could get it going.
04:29So I think they, I mean, sometimes it was, you know, just the play calls, some quick throws,
04:34et cetera.
04:35Like, that always helps that as well.
04:38But they were terrific.
04:39And that was a big reason why they were able to come back.
04:42Also, you know, the third down conversions were big last night because, you know, they
04:47came into the game last in the league in conversions.
04:49They were seven for 14, so 50%.
04:51Much better.
04:52And they only had four penalties.
04:54So, you know, they weren't putting themselves in those third longs.
04:56That was a big thing.
04:57Right?
04:57They still had the false start.
04:58Brennan Coleman's got to get his false start in.
05:00Yep, yep.
05:00But, yeah, that was huge, too.
05:03And that's two of the last three games they've been better with penalties.
05:06The one they weren't, they lost.
05:08Right.
05:08And I don't think this team has, especially on offense, they don't have enough margin for
05:12error to put them in arrears that often.
05:15So that was a big step.
05:17You know, Sinnott was somewhat lucky.
05:19It could be a game changer for him career-wise because, you know, Yankoff is out.
05:26She goes to the, I don't know, the Blue 10 or wherever he goes, you know, and he's off
05:30for a little bit.
05:31And he's the only guy left that can run these routes.
05:34And he takes advantage.
05:35And he shows, if nothing else, I'm sure the team knows.
05:37He showed the fan base, the athleticism, and the skill set that is there.
05:43And, you know, they haven't used them for whatever reason.
05:46But there is something there.
05:49There is.
05:50They have used them.
05:51You know, you've got to put, you've got to make yourself more available.
05:55And that's, we're talking over three years now.
05:58Now, what I will say with Ben, like, first of all, he's developed into a very good blocker.
06:03And then second, so a lot of his stuff is off of that.
06:06And so he might be going on routes, but it's really not designed to really get him the
06:10ball.
06:11Right.
06:11I think one of the things that surprised me in this offense, and it surprised a lot
06:14of, well, going back to camp, I know Ben and the other tight ends were excited about this
06:19offense because they felt like it would allow them to run more of routes that were favorable
06:23to them.
06:24And that the play action would help them because, you know, just freezing the linebackers, he's
06:31athletic and fast, but he's not going to beat you with his feet like a Zach Ertz was.
06:35Right.
06:35You know, so he's not just a off the line, you know, run a little route and you're going
06:39to jab step and go.
06:41Right.
06:41That's not him.
06:42He's got, you know, he's better when he can get open up a little bit.
06:46And that's on crosses against, you know, off of play action where maybe the linebacker's
06:50fooled for a second, whatever.
06:51So like, that's where he really is good.
06:54And so I think, you know, we, I thought we'd see a little bit more of that this year for
06:58him, but it was good for him to see it.
07:00And, you know, I mean, he, I'd say he was pretty pumped up afterwards.
07:04He got to go to the podium after the game, which is reserved for people with big plays.
07:08And he was pretty jacked about that.
07:10But yeah, no, it was, it was a big night for him and shoot that touchdown.
07:15You know, I don't know.
07:18I don't know that it was really going to him, but he was there in the right spot.
07:21Well, we would have killed Blau if they don't score there for the play calling because all
07:26they needed was six inches.
07:27And we talked about a couple of segments ago.
07:28So all you need is six inches.
07:30I don't care if it's JD and a quarterback sneak or a tush push or just give it to white
07:34or
07:35whoever.
07:35I hate the shotgun there, but shotguns on three consecutive plays when you only need six inches.
07:42Well, it's also sometimes going empty in that too.
07:44That's the other part.
07:46So like, that was the other thing.
07:48Sometimes with the, like the gun versus under center, some of the philosophy is like you're
07:53under center, obviously you're closer.
07:55So you have the sneak alive at least, but you're also going back.
07:59And so the back has to wait a little bit.
08:01When you're in gun, you have a little more of a chance to read the hole a little bit.
08:04That's, you know, it's, but whatever, like I agree.
08:08I agree.
08:09Like I, that was, like I said, on the play sheet, it's a touchdown.
08:12Um, and very unsettling to watch, listen, I've had drives in golf that were 280 yards, but
08:18they were terrible.
08:19They just rolled, you know what I mean?
08:21And, but on the sheet, it's like, yeah, it's 280.
08:23But look, he could have hit digs on the touchdown on the second place.
08:28I'm not going to kill him for that.
08:29And remember, he got stepped on twice this year under center.
08:32So I think that they went with what, what he's comfortable with.
08:36Yeah.
08:36And I would say the under center stuff, I don't know if you guys have noticed the last couple
08:38of weeks that the splits are wider, but also the way James stands at the under center is
08:43different.
08:44So in the first few, the first part of the year before the giant, through the giant first
08:48giants game, his feet would be more even, right.
08:51Even across like, you know, like you're standing normal.
08:54Right.
08:54And Chris Paul would have a tight split and he'd step on him.
08:57And so like, that was a bad combo.
08:59Now the splits a little bit wider, but James left foot is back.
09:02And that's how Marcus Mariota stands as well.
09:04Others from quarterbacks do it differently.
09:06And Jade was doing it differently.
09:07But since then his foot is back.
09:09So there's, there's no danger of that anymore.
09:11Hey, real quick.
09:12Even my daughter noticed, and you know, she's young and she's just really understanding
09:16football for the first time in these last couple of years.
09:19She's like, why does it seem like even when Terry's there or now with digs, it takes so
09:23long to get those guys involved.
09:25I mean, digs ended up having a big game, but I just would like to see them more involved
09:30earlier.
09:31Well, I think when Terry, with Terry, especially, it makes a difference.
09:36You know, and I don't know that I have a good answer for it.
09:39Cause you have to go back sometimes and just watch.
09:41And sometimes when you're just have to be aggressive, you're looking for certain guys.
09:45And then other times, like, you know, teams, these guys don't have a Puka Nakua, a
09:51Justin Jefferson, Jamar Chase, guys like that.
09:53So it's, it's, it's not as, you know, they have to do their part too.
09:59Um, but that's just a general statement.
10:01Cause I, I can't say, I don't know.
10:04I know with Terry was a big deal.
10:06Cause with Terry, you'd always look at it and say, okay, when he gets just a few, it
10:09doesn't have to be a lot, but get a few targets, touches early.
10:13Things are just, things were different for him and for them.
10:15Um, and because like what the energy he brings, et cetera.
10:18But, um, I don't know last night with Diggs, but yeah, I mean, I, I think it's, I think
10:22it's also a function sometimes of, and I know they'll say like, you know, you don't necessarily
10:26you're calling a play and sometimes the coverage takes you somewhere else.
10:30Um, that's it.
10:31But then, you know, and so, like I said, they don't have Puka.
10:34Um, not many do, but maybe that's, that's, I'm sure that's a little bit of part of it.
10:39JK, you get two weekends off really.
10:40I know you still work, but you get the weekend off this weekend and sleep some, you get to
10:44sleep a little bit next week.
10:46Well, next weekend they practice on Saturday.
10:48So that's not a weekend off.
10:49Oh, okay.
10:50All right.
10:50But, but that's okay.
10:51This weekend, I would say it's the alternative this weekend would have been a lot different.
10:58Right.
10:58Yeah.
10:59It was going to be gross.
11:00I don't know.
11:01I don't know.
11:02Yeah.
11:02I don't know that anything would have happened, but you know, I don't, I don't, I don't
11:06think I was going to be miserable.
11:07Nothing else.
11:08It would have been terrible.
11:08It was just going to be miserable.
11:09But it would have been like a terrible scene around them.
11:12Cause the season would have been whatever it would have been a wrap.
11:15We all know that it would have been a wrap.
11:17That was big.
11:18All right, John.
11:18Good stuff.
11:19Thanks.
