Commanders Keys To Victory | Sports Junkies

Commanders Keys To Victory | Sports Junkies

Scott Abraham, ABC7 sports director and anchor. Scott, what’s been the vibe at Commander Park all week? Good morning, boys. Um, yeah, I think they understand uh Sunday against Atlanta was not acceptable, especially from a defensive perspective and uh you just got to believe they’re going to have a bounce back and they’re they seem confident. Uh they seem ready to go. There’s certainly a uptick of energy knowing that Jaden’s going to play and he’s back in the huddle. So, uh, obviously when you have your starting quarterback and one of the best young talents in the NFL back on the field, that gives a big boost, but, um, you know, there’s certainly, you know, from a media perspective and and, uh, people that’s on the beat, there’s still a concern and question mark regarding this defense. You know, I was a little surprised, maybe you weren’t, but I was a little surprised that Dan Quinn kind of publicly said he was expecting maybe more stunts or whatever. Kind of listen, he keeps everything very close to the vest, right? I was just kind of surprised he said that. You can interpret it as a shot at at wit. I’m sure he didn’t mean it that way, but I don’t know. For a guy that’s so calculated, I was surprised he said that. He kind of publicly questioned maybe the tactics. Yeah, I don’t know if I really g that from from that comment. Um but um they seem to be in lock step. Like remember, you know, DQ brought over Joe Wit and you know, I know he’s his guy. I know that. Yep. They had, you know, long, you know, relationship. uh and coaching together at Dallas. So, um I I feel like that, you know, he has Joe’s back and vice versa. And it’s going to be on both of them to kind of try to figure this out and fix this. The problem is is uh unfortunately that the talent is not going to necessarily change. Like the guys on the field are are going to be the guys on the field and they got they got to make it work. They got to figure out um that recipe of of getting these guys um all on the same page. I was I was more intrigued by uh Joe Wit’s comments yesterday. guy guys in terms of we don’t want guys wearing the cape, you know, we don’t want uh guys, you know, you going individual and and and playing out of out of their position collectively. You got to all do your job, per se. So, I felt like Joe Whit was calling out some guys of, you know, trying to put on the cape in that Atlanta game. Um, and they were out of position in certain plays in certain moments. Scott, chunk plays have been a big problem for this Commander defense. You touched on the the problems that they’re having. Who’s going to guard Quentyn Johnson? Who’s going to draw that assignment? Because I don’t know that there’s one guy on the team that’s capable of covering that dude. I mean, I’ll counter counter that cakes. I mean, Keenan Allen, Lad Manki, Quinton Johnson, I mean, they got some really good wide receivers. So, uh, whoever matches up with Manki, whoever matches up with uh, Quinton Johnson, uh, they’re going to have their hands full. So, I I mean I I got to believe maybe Marawn’s going to start on Quinton Johnson and uh we’ll see how it goes because obviously uh hasn’t been great for Marshon and I think this is the version of Marawn that uh we’re going to be getting. Um and you just got to figure it out and put him in the best position to do uh to do as best as he can. And you know, I was high on Marawn uh in training camp. I thought he looked great, was moving well, um had that hunger of a bounceback attitude and it just hasn’t uh transitioned onto the field. So, uh that’s going to be I I think it all comes hand in hand, guys, in terms of pass rush and the guys on the back end, uh with the Chargers missing their tackles, you know, Joe Alt gone and their other tackle. I mean, this is a perfect get-right game to get Justin Herbert off his spot and making making him uncomfortable. Do you drop some more blitzes? Do you uh find a way to get extra pressure on Justin? Because I mean, I would argue up to this point of the season, I think Justin Herbert’s going to be the best quarterback you faced. Uh certainly Jordan Loves in that category, but I think Justin Herbert’s a top tier quarterback in this league. So, if Michael Penn can carve you up, uh Justin Herbert with those three wide receivers and and Hampton, uh it could be a long day. Scott, can you argue that Latimore may have looked good to you and the other media people at training camp? because the only real highc caliber wide out in training camp was dbo Samuel because Terry McLaren he wasn’t covering him in training camp like maybe he just looked good because he was covering substandard wide outs in training camp and to that point I mean they’re not big-bodied wide outs either right they’re not they’re not you know tall you know biggerbodied guys that uh you know you face with a with a Drake London or or CD Lamb or or or Malik Neighbors so they’re more of a smallerbodied Debo and and Terry obviously wasn’t out there. So, that’s a good point. But, he he’s he’s got he’s got to somehow fix this in terms of um he’s becoming uh a liability in a sense. Uh I I hate to use that strong word, but uh it’s true. These these teams are are kind of picking on Marshon and they’re going after him because they they see the deficiencies and they see um he’s not the same guy he was with the Saints. So, um it’s something Joe Jr., Dan Quinn, they got to figure it out. uh whether that’s more pressure, you know, moving guys in and out of different situations. Uh so I’ll be curious how they kind of adjust against the Chargers on Sunday because this is a big game. Scotty, what do you expect from Jaden? Because you know, even against the Giants, he came out a little rusty, right? Because he didn’t have a lot of time in preseason. Um wasn’t hooking up obviously with Terry. Um overthrew him on that one pass and you know, wasn’t hook up with Debo against the Giants and then he got hurt. Haven’t seen him in two and a half weeks. So, what are you thinking? What are you expecting, Bish? I was thinking that, you know, last night. Um, I I’m I’m honestly I’m I’m tempered here because I’m not expecting uh Jaden Daniels uh Cincinnati Bengals last year type of game. I think I think folks have to understand this is a guy that’s been out a football game action for two weeks and he had some so- so performances against the Giants and the Packers. So, I’m I I I’m not expecting Jaden Daniels to put the team on his back on Sunday. I think this is going to be a ball control. Let’s pound the football. Let’s control the clock. Let’s get those third and short manageables, long drives, keep Herbert off the field. And also be curious about just is he going to be wearing that brace? Is he is that is that brace going to have any limitations of um the way he maneuvers on the field and the way he can cut and move? Uh, will that be the same Jaden that we’re used to, the shiftiness? So, um, the juryy’s still out, but I’m I I’m I have tempered expectations on on my expectations on Jaden this first game back. Talking to Scott Abraham from ABC7. All right, this is just interpretation. Cakes has posited this week that Dan Quinn sounded down during his pressers. M Jason and I felt like just listening to the voice that it was the same. I’m a speech expert, Scott. I don’t know if you know that or not. It’s It’s part of my resume. But Scott, you’re there. You’re there day after day. I mean, you’re you got it all. You’re there day after day. You You’re there for all the pressers. Did Dan Quinn seem to you to be down? I don’t want to use your words. Is down a fair word? What words would you would you say? Yeah. Less swagger, less bravado than usual. I I would say I wouldn’t use the word down. I would say there was a a seriousness. There was a concern. More of a concern. Maybe there was an intense I I I think there is a concern, guys. I I I honestly do because you look at this stretch of games coming up and the way they’re playing. I think there is, he’s not going to say it, but I think internally there’s a concern, especially on the defensive side of the football that this could be a long season because, you know, you’re not just going to go on the the waiver wire and bring guys in that’s that’s going to fix this. These are the guys you’re kind of riding with and rolling with and this is their job, the coaching staff, to figure this out and make it work. Um, I I think there’s a there’s a there’s a point here, four games in um with the Chargers, Bears, Dallas, Chiefs. This is this is a tough stretch. So, um I I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but it could go sideways really quickly if they drop this game and then they get a Bears game uh coming up with a Bears team that’s coming off a buy. Uh but, you know, I’ll take it one game at a time. But this this is a big game. This is a I want to see how this team bounces back, especially defensively uh against a Chargers offense that that has a lot of weapons. Scott, how concerned should Commanders fans be about the Debo Samuel Heel injury that popped up this week? I I He’s going to play. I that’s that’s my gut. I I think um I I would not be overly concerned. I think it’s something to monitor, but I think I he better play. Uh my goodness, what are you going to have? Chris Moore, uh Jaylen Lane, and uh McCaffrey is your weapons. I I I that that’d be concerning, but I think Debo’s going to play. I think he’ll be fine. Um you know, going back to California, obviously he was in San Francisco, but spent a lot of time on the West Coast. So, I think Debo is going to play and he’s going to be that that guy that um is so helpful in those third and shorts and those second and shorts. They pick up a first down and you can move them all over the field. So, um, adding him u is huge and and I think this offense is also missing an Austin Eckler. I mean, we haven’t talked about that a lot. I mean, he’s he brought a lot to the offense of what he can do. So, um, but still kudos to the offense is not the problem. They they put up plenty of points in two games with Marcus Mariota, Cliff Kingsbury, uh, the running back group. Uh, I’m I’m fine with the offense. It’s it’s the defense, guys, that I have I have concerns. Uh, I’m curious, Scott, really truly concerned about this defense and and our, you know, we took a bunch of calls this week from people that were upset about Joe Wit’s game plans and uh, guys playing 100% of their snaps. And I’m wondering if you get a sense that they’re going to change anything defensively. Like I said, we had several callers lamenting Bobby Wagner being on the field for 100% of the snaps. Frankie Louvu, Marshon Latimore. Might they mix in some of the younger guys into the defense more? I think they might give these dudes that were out there in Atlanta this starting 11 one half against the Chargers and if they don’t like what they see I think you might see some personnel changes. Um it’s it’s it’s time they have to they have to shake it up. um if if they don’t like what they see and uh their their slow starts and earn a hole again on the road. Uh they started slow against Green Bay, started slow on the road against Atlanta. Um I’m giving it one half and I think you’ll see some changes in terms of maybe throwing McGee out there. Um you know, change up the defensive back alignment. Uh change up some schemes, change up some personnel. Um, I think it’s I think it’s that point where they got to figure it out because right now um it’s not good enough. All right. What’s your prediction? Yeah. Um, yeah, I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. Doesn’t sound like it. Similar situation to Atlanta where the Falcons were embarrassed by Carolina. Uh, they came back home, they were urgent, they were hungry. Uh, and they played like that. Chargers embarrassed on the road to a winless Giants team. They come back home. Uh I I don’t like the spot. Uh I know Jaden’s back, but um I still have questions on this defense. Give me the Chargers to win 23 to 20. All right, he’s in. 23 to 20. That would mean a misery Monday for the Junkies and probably be a misery Monday for you if you show up to the park after another. I want to be Debbie Downer. Hopefully I’m wrong, but um I think it’s a tough spot. Yep. We hope hope you’re wrong, too. Thank you. Sorry, guys. Have a good weekend. All right. Thank you, buddy. Oh, I’m I’m also, spoiler alert, I will be picking the Chargers to win the game. Yeah. So, you’re welcome to Vanders fans. I took the Jake off. I’m going to pick them, too. But hope I’m wrong. I hope I’m wrong, too. He’s probably right, though. It’s probably going to be like a a grounded pound. Control the clock. That’s what the commanders are going to try to do. Yeah. Hopefully the Russian JP doesn’t think so. JP thinks they’re going to roll up a bunch of points and beat him. I’ve You know what’s funny is I’ve had these arguments with my son. Like I I’ve been a Justin Herbert guy and he always says Justin Herbert’s overrated and I kind of feel like the Chargers are a little overrated. Um but we’ll see, you know. Um we’re all prisoners of the moment, right? So it’s week to week. That’s why you’re saying that. You see a game and you’re like, “Ah, maybe they’re not that good.” And then the next week they’re great. You know, if the Chargers saw that with the Rams, if the Chargers had beaten the Giants 3110 Mhm. that’s the last thing that will come out of your your mouth. This is their overrated. I think they’re actually pretty good because they started the season the reaction of how they played last week. They started the season with three games against division opponents and swept those three games against the Chiefs, Raiders, and Broncos. Now, the Raiders aren’t very good, but I think and they caught the Chiefs at a good time in the opener. The Chiefs seem to be getting better. They’re getting some pieces back. Look, every team stubs their toe every once in a while. The they clearly did that last seen with the Packers this year against the Giants. Seen it with everybody. I just feel like this this is a get-right spot for the Chargers. Who does Hampton remind you of his running style? Like, who’s he because I haven’t watched him a lot, so I don’t know. He’s good out of the back field catching balls and he’s a physical presence. It’s a good question. He’s not maybe a little McAffreyish. Maybe like him or maybe like a young maybe young young Joe Mixon injuries. He’s not as shifty as Bejon. No, I don’t think he’s that on that level, but he’s he’s got some wiggle to him. He’s got wiggle and power. He’s going to be a handful for that defense this weekend. He’s been comped. You know who he’s been comped to? Take one. Cory Dylan. Cory Dylan. That’s a bigger back, like a more physical. And I didn’t think Cory Cory Dylan was that great of a pass catcher. Hampton’s shown that proclivity in the last Maybe they won’t Maybe they won’t throw it to him this week, but he can. I mean, he can catch him. Yeah, definitely can. They definitely went to him against the Giants.

Scott Abraham joins The Sports Junkies to preview Commanders vs Chargers.

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