How good was Tyrice Knight vs the 49ers? Brian Baldinger breaks down his play

How good was Tyrice Knight vs the 49ers? Brian Baldinger breaks down his play

The Seattle Seahawks underwent massive midseason overall at their linebacker position. They began the year with Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker starting. Now, neither men are still on the team. Replacing them are Ernest Jones IV, and rookie Tyrice Knight out of UTEP.

Jones and Knight have been a revelation, presenting clear upgrades. Against the 49ers, the two combined for 23 total tackles, which easily led the team. But we should look at Knight’s performance in particular, which is what film guru Brian Baldinger did in one of his beloved “Baldy’s Breakdowns.”

It would appear the Seahawks have found something special with their fourth round pick from last spring.

Knight had 10 of those 23 total tackles between him and Jones.

The Seahawks will have another critical test this weekend against Kyler Murray and the explosive Arizona Cardinals offense. Seattle’s defense seems to have turned a corner, but it is just two games. If they can find a way to slow down Arizona, this unit might just truly be on its way to being fixed.

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NFL Network analyst breaks down Patrick Queen’s performance in Week 10

Patrick Queen’s dominant Week 10 performance, highlighted by Brian Baldinger, showcased his elite skills and playmaking ability.

The Patrick Queen redemption tour seemingly started to take shape in the Steelers’ Week 10 contest against the Washington Commanders.

While the Steelers’ initial acquisition of Queen this past offseason was met with excitement from fans and players alike, his performance through the first eight weeks of the season had been inconsistent, to say the least.

However, Queen’s elite Week 10 performance caught the attention of fans and analysts alike, as NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, host of Baldy’s Breakdowns, highlighted what made Queen so special against Washington on Sunday.

Wherever the ball went, more often than not, Queen was following. His speed and spectacular tackling ability were evident on several key tackles on Washington’s QB Jayden Daniels, WR Terry McLaurin, and RB Austin Ekeler.

Queen’s play recognition will surely be of great use in the team’s Week 11 contest against the Baltimore Ravens, where the Steelers will need every physical and mental ability sharply tuned to stop his former teammate, QB Lamar Jackson, from taking over the game.

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Watch: NFL analyst with high praise for Commanders’ rookies not named Jayden Daniels

The Commanders’ rookie class continues to stand out.

In his latest edition of “Baldy’s Breakdowns,” NFL analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Brian Baldinger had some high praise for multiple members of the Washington Commanders’ 2024 draft class.

While Baldinger is a huge fan of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, he highlighted the performance of both of Washington’s third-round picks in last week’s win over the Cleveland Browns.

Left tackle Brandon Coleman made his first NFL start, splitting half the snaps with veteran Cornelius Lucas. Both played well. But most impressive is that Coleman’s assignment was defensive end Myles Garrett, arguably the NFL’s top defensive player.

Baldinger came away impressed with the rookie tackle.

On one play, Baldinger highlights how the Commanders’ other third-round pick, wide receiver Luke McCaffrey chipped Garrett, allowing Daniels to hit Dyami Brown for a 41-yard touchdown. It was a beautiful play from start to finish.

Baldinger also highlighted McCaffrey’s receiving and blocking, but most importantly, his willingness to do whatever it takes. Baldinger praised McCaffrey’s route-running.

McCaffrey helped spring running back Jeremy McNichols on his touchdown run last week.

It’s early, but it looks like first-year general manager Adam Peters hit a home run with the 2024 draft class. Daniels, McCaffrey, Coleman, Mike Sainristil, Ben Sinnott and Johnny Newton all showed flashes in five games.

As Baldinger said, there is “lots to be excited about in the capital city.”

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels’ 3 best plays from Week 2 of the preseason

What were Jayden Daniels’ top three plays from the Week 2 preseason game vs. Miami?

Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was phenomenal in his preseason debut for the Washington Commanders. While Daniels only played one series, he completed two of his three attempts for 45 yards, including a 42-yard completion to wide receiver Dyami Brown.

The most exciting part of the completion to Brown was that Daniels changed the play. Daniels didn’t like what he saw and switched from a safe screen on third down to a downfield shot to Brown.

He later scored to put a perfect end to his first NFL appearance.

What would he do for an encore?

If his performance in Thursday’s joint practice was any indication, Daniels would follow up his first preseason performance with another strong showing against the Dolphins.

In two series, Daniels completed 10 of 12 passes for 78 yards and rushed for 13 yards on two attempts. It was another outstanding effort from the rookie. We shared every Daniels throw and run from Saturday’s game.

Brian Baldinger, one of the best NFL analysts, was also impressed. In the latest installment of “Baldy’s Breakdowns” on X, Baldinger named Daniels’ three most impressive plays from Saturday’s game — in his opinion.

The first play was his completion to wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Baldinger loved the ball placement. The second play was his ball fake to running back Austin Ekeler before throwing a quick dart over the middle to tight end John Bates for an easy 16-yard gain.

Remember when they said he couldn’t throw across the middle?

The final play was the run where Daniels didn’t slide, earning some “double secret probation” from head coach Dan Quinn.

There’s a lot to like in those three plays. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is excellently protecting his offensive line and his quarterback, and Daniels executes to perfection.

The Commanders host the Patriots in the preseason finale next week, but it’s unclear if Daniels will even play.

Brian Baldinger sees big things for Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn in 2024

Baldinger sees big things for Jeremy Chinn in 2024.

Jeremy Chinn looked like he was on the verge of stardom in 2020. The runner-up to Chase Young for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Chinn finished with over 100 tackles as a rookie safety in Carolina.

While he also went over 100 tackles in 2021, injuries and multiple coaching changes ultimately impacted Chinn’s final two seasons with the Panthers.

Chinn’s size, athleticism, age and upside made him an intriguing player in free agency. While he had other opportunities, he chose the Washington Commanders after seeing what head coach Dan Quinn had done with players with similar skill sets. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Chinn is expected to play a hybrid role in Washington’s defense. He could play in the box or at safety.

Former NFL player Brian Baldinger, who works for multiple media organizations such as Fox Sports, the NFL Network, and Audacy, sees big things for Chinn in Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt’s defense.

In an offseason version of “Baldy’s Breakdowns” on X, Baldinger offered the following analysis of Chinn:

Chinn signed a one-year deal believing one year playing for the Commanders under Quinn and Whitt could make him worth much more in 2024 free agency.

Baldinger believes so, too.

 

NFL analyst Brian Baldinger impressed with Sam Howell’s performance

Baldy came away impressed with Howell’s first performance.

Former NFL offensive lineman and longtime analyst Brian Baldinger does an excellent job on Twitter with his “Baldy’s Breakdowns” segment each week during the NFL season.

Now that the preseason is back, so is “Baldy’s Breakdowns.”

One particular area of interest from Week 1 of the preseason for Baldinger was the performance of Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell against the Cleveland Browns.

Baldinger was impressed.

Here’s his clip on Howell.

Like everyone else, Baldinger recognized the protection was an issue for Howell. He liked Howell’s ability to escape pressure and pick up the first down. Baldinger also loved the throw to tight end John Bates that was dropped.

But the play that stood out most was one we highlighted on Monday morning. It was Howell’s fourth-down completion to tight end Cole Turner.

Howell wasn’t perfect in the preseason opener. Baldinger pointed out the sack he took on the first drive. But, overall, Howell continues to show everyone why the Commanders are so high on him as the quarterback of the future.

Watch: NFL analyst Brian Baldinger highlights Saints WR Rashid Shaheed

NFL analyst Brian Baldinger highlights New Orleans Saints second-year wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, says he “didn’t see him drop a ball”

Talk about a diamond in the rough. The New Orleans Saints signed Rashid Shaheed as an undrafted free agent coming off a season-ending ACL injury, and the move paid off in a big way. He was one of their most consistent big-play threats and winner on critical downs in December and January, and his feats caught the eye of NFL analyst Brian Baldinger.

Baldinger highlighted Shaheed in his latest “Baldy’s Breakdowns” video series on social media, saying of the former Weber State standout: “First two touches were two touchdowns. You know there were 28 players drafted in the NFL in front of Shaheed, undrafted. But he’s got speed and he’s got moves.”

Shaheed finished his rookie year with 488 receiving yards in just 12 games, having converted a first down on 18 of his 28 receptions. Even if it’s a small sample size, a catch rate of 82.4% on an average depth of target at 11.6 yards is nothing to sneeze at. Shaheed has real playmaking ability. And, as Baldinger observed, he never dropped a pass on 34 targets.

“Like you watch him play and you go, ‘This is what you get when you’re undrafted?'” Baldinger said in disbelief, highlighting a 40-yard catch against cornerback Jamel Dean in coverage, who signed a $52 million contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason. Shaheed has the size to compete in the NFL at a listed 6-foot-flat and 180 pounds. He just needs to show he can give the Saints a full 17 games.

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Brian Baldinger loves what Kevin O’Connell is doing

Brian Baldinger believes O’Connell has this offense humming

When the Minnesota Vikings hired Kevin O’Connell to replace Mike Zimmer as their head coach, the idea was for him to fix the offense. So far this season, the offense is performing well averaging 23 points per game and making things easier for quarterback Kirk Cousins.

It hasn’t been without its flaws. They have had periods where the unit has stalled and not been able to deliver results in the middle part of the game.

Despite the flaws, the positive aspects of the offense and scheme have caught the attention of national analysts, including NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger.

The four plays that Baldinger broke down, which he said might have been 40 for how well they are executing this offense, were as follows.

  • Dalvin Cook’s first touchdown run
  • Justin Jefferson’s “Spray Fade”
  • Jefferson’s double pass to Cook
  • Jalen Reagor’s pop pass touchdown

All four plays had excellent precision and great execution. In the words of Baldinger, “O’Connell has this team humming.”

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WATCH: Baldy’s Breakdowns highlights Marshon Lattimore’s game-winning stop

New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore was highlighted on Baldy’s Breakdowns and NFL Next Gen Stats for his Mike Williams tackle.

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Few football games were decided by inches as strongly as the New Orleans Saints’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night. The Saints needed a couple of bounces to go their way to pull it off after trailing L.A. 20-3, almost literally — a would-be game-winning field goal for the Chargers instead bounced off the upright, ending regulation and sending the Saints to overtime.

And Marshon Lattimore came up with the day’s biggest tackle in the final minutes, stopping Chargers receiver Mike Williams just shy of converting a first down. NFL analyst Brian Baldinger talked up the highlight reel-worthy moment in his weekly film study, pointing out the size disparity between Lattimore and Williams and saying, “The part of this play that’s amazing is he’s not even going to let (Williams) move forward. He’s driving him backwards, slamming him into the turf.”

“It’s like vectors,” Baldinger continued. “Mike Williams can’t get north-south when Lattimore’s driving him east-west. And then (Lattimore) changes his body to slam him backwards. That’s a great tackle, helps preserve a win for the Saints.”

Just how impressive was that stop? NFL Next Gen Stats gave Williams a 73.4% percent chance of converting a first down after he caught the ball, which would have extended overtime and given the Chargers a shot at winning the game. But Lattimore came through with the play of the game to send his team into the bye week with a win:

It was a great play, but Lattimore must start playing better before it’s time to tackle his opponents. He’s given up too many passes in coverage with lapses win focus or miscommunications with his teammates. That’s been an ugly trend throughout his NFL career, and he’s quickly running out of time to get it corrected. Hopefully the Saints make it an area of focus when they come out of their Week 6 bye.

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