Tag: 2024 Commanders Preseason

Some Commanders’ bright spots against the Jets

We look at some of the Commanders’ bright spots vs. the Jets.

The Commanders lost to the Jets on Saturday, 20-17, at MetLife Stadium.

However, what were some of the bright spots?

Jeff Driskel

Third quarterback Jeff Driskel made some nice plays, passing and running. He completed 7 of 15 passes for 87 yards, with a 16-yard run. Was Driskel the second-best quarterback for Washington on Saturday?

Ben Sinnott

Rookie tight end Ben Sinnott and Driskel hooked up for the longest gain on Saturday. It was a 44-yard pass, and Sinnott demonstrated that he might be a tough ball carrier to bring down in the regular season. Sinnott finished with three receptions on three targets for 57 yards.

Jamin Davis

Jamin Davis knew he needed to make some plays. When he first entered the game, he made two stops on running plays, with the runs totaling only three yards. He displayed quickness and energy on the edge. There was one play where he decided to battle OT (Fashanu) and did not seal the edge, resulting in a 24-yard run.

Dyami Brown

Dyami Brown was covered well, yet he made a nice catch for a 42-yard gain. Later, Brown made another nice catch for 13 yards from Driskel. Brown is in his fourth year and the first three have been disappointments. This was a good start for him today if he is to make this team in 2024.

Cole Turner/John Bates

Did you see tight end Cole Turner on Daniels’ touchdown run? Turner lined up on the right side and drove his man to the back of the end zone. Tight end John Bates also took care of his man. Daniels was able to jog in for the score because these two did such a good job on the play.

Tyler Owens

Punt return coverage is a place where players can make an impression with their hustle and or a tackle. Such was the case today for undrafted safety Tyler Owens (Texas Tech). He is 6-foot-2, 213 pounds.

Tress Way

Also, there was a punt return that started right; the returner then reversed his field all the way left, and there was Tress Way. He came up and made the nice, clean tackle. I noticed the bench really reacted to Way’s tackle/effort. Don’t you know the coaches loved that as well when an older punter is hustling?

 

Commanders prep and rest for joint practice vs. Jets Thursday

Joint practice presents an opportunity for the Commanders.

Having scheduled a practice/scrimmage against the New York Jets for Thursday, the Commanders coaches made Wednesday an off day.

Most fans will be looking ahead to Saturday’s preseason opener vs. the Jets, and that is certainly understandable. However, the coaches are just as interested, if not more interested, in this joint practice/scrimmage session on Thursday.

Take rookie offensive tackle Brandon Coleman, for example. He has looked good in training camp thus far. Yet, remember that he is working against the same Washington Commanders teammates day after day. Coleman is not stupid. Thus, he naturally begins to learn those players’ tendencies and techniques over time.

Suddenly, on Thursday, he will be going against players, first of all, who are not teammates. Secondly, he is going up against players whose moves and strengths he has not yet seen in training camp. Consequently, in just a couple of plays, Coleman (or any other offensive lineman) could be embarrassed, and ball carriers exposed to Jets defenders.

Remember also that the Jets had one of the better defenses in the NFL last season. That is to say, the Commanders’ offensive line may see much more penetration than it has thus far in training camp.

Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels may, therefore, see a stronger pass rush than he has thus far. If so, how will he respond?

NFL coaches realize these joint practices provide them the opportunity to work on various situations in a much more game-like atmosphere than their own teams have experienced thus far in training camp.

In fact, during this 2024 NFL preseason, only two teams (the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders) do not have a joint practice/scrimmage scheduled.

So, when the Commanders and Jets meet Thursday at Florham Park, NJ, it will be an opportunity for first-year players on each team to become a bit more enlightened regarding competing at an NFL level. Coaches will be looking to see how their players respond when things go wrong, assignments are missed, or mistakes are made.

Joe Theismann: Jayden Daniels shouldn’t play in the preseason

The Washington legend spoke about Jayden Daniels and the preseason. He had some interesting thoughts.

How many snaps should Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels get in his first preseason?

Joe Theismann knows quite a bit about playing in preseason games. In fact, when Theismann entered the NFL with Washington in 1974, NFL teams played six of them.

On Thursday on “The Craig Hoffman Show,” Theismann said the team has so many new faces and “Jayden Daniels isn’t and shouldn’t play in the preseason.”

The former Redskins quarterback (1974-85) continued that he understands Daniels was the Heisman Trophy winner and had a great final season at LSU; however, the NFL is much more advanced than even the SEC.

“I’ve watched him work; I’ve been at practice. I’ve sat and visited with him. I like him a lot. But our business is a tough business to learn,” said Theismann.

Theismann knows Daniels will have his struggles when the regular season begins. He recalls his own struggles with inconsistency, which resulted in his losing the job to Billy Kilmer for two seasons before being named the starter in the 1978 season.

When Theismann said Daniels “isn’t” playing in the preseason, was he revealing that he knows something that coach Dan Quinn or GM Adam Peters may have told him?

This was probably nothing more than Theismann’s way of saying Daniels would see very little action. In fact, Theismann later stated he thinks Daniels might play only a couple of series in the first two preseason games.

The Commanders will face the Jets (Aug. 10), Dolphins (Aug. 17) and Patriots (Aug. 25) in the preseason before opening the regular season in Tampa against the Buccaneers on Sept. 6.