The third episode of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ In-Season with the NFC East on Tuesday night focused on Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz and his recent injury. Ertz, on crutches, was back in the meeting room, helping second-year tight Ben Sinnott in preparation for Washington’s Week 15 game against the New York Giants.
Tuesday’s episode also gave us a glimpse of the Commanders preparing for the Giants. The last time Washington played New York in Week 1, veteran Russell Wilson was under center for the G-Men. On Sunday, it was rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. While the Giants haven’t won much, Dart is showing signs that he can end the franchise’s search for a franchise quarterback. But, like Jayden Daniels, Dart takes risks running the football.
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‘Hard Knocks’ showed a scene in which head coach Dan Quinn spoke to his team about defending Dart. He made it clear what the mission was: hit Dart.
“He is a running back first, so this is a good hit by (Patriots linebacker Christian) Elliss on the sideline,” Quinn said, showing a highlight from New York’s previous game against the Patriots. “He is not looking to, alright, to go down and get into the slide. So, you gotta go out and hit him, fellas.”
After Quinn, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. offered a similar sentiment.
“The quarterback is a very competitive dual-threat guy,” Whitt said. “He will try to run the ball like a running back. He will try to run you over, try to stiff-arm, he doesn’t really run out of bounds, he doesn’t slide a whole bunch. We can get the ball off of him.”
The strategy saw mixed results. Dart had success running the ball when things broke down, finishing with 63 yards on nine carries. Dart also had to leave the game briefly to get checked for a concussion. He was cleared and quickly returned. Dart did turn the ball over once, but it was an interception, not a fumble.
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You can bet Washington’s opponents likely say the same thing when preparing for Daniels.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Hard Knocks reveals Week 15 plan vs Jaxson Dart