Tag: The Team 980

Who does PFF analyst prefer the Commanders take at No. 2 overall?

PFF analyst discusses the top three QB options for the Commanders.

Sam Monson was a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” and discussed the top quarterbacks available when the Commanders are on the clock, Thursday night, for the second overall pick.

Here are some selected quotes from Monson.

Each of these guys (quarterbacks) has something that scares you:

“Drake Maye misses way too many of these layups…it’s true, why is it there? And can we fix it?”

“Jayden Daniels’ great season was when he was throwing to multiple first-round receivers. That is absolutely a factor…He, for his career, has had a really concerning, problematic pressure to sack rate…generally, that data translates well to the NFL.”

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“J.J. McCarthy has a real lack of tape. He just didn’t have the same responsibilities and requirements of the other top quarterbacks. He was on a dominant national championship team that didn’t want or need him to throw the football.”

“Maye had the most big-time throws of any of the other quarterbacks the last two seasons…he has an incredible volume of big plays and the capability to do special things.”

“Michael Penix has a lot of talent, and coaches love that guy. Whatever are the intangible things they are looking for, he’s got them…He has the arm to make things happen. He has the athleticism, way more than he ever deployed in college. Maybe extending plays and scrambling can be a bigger part of his game at the NFL level.”

“The conversation (Commanders pick) has been a lot about Daniels; the narrative on Maye has been overwhelmingly negative. Be prepared; the NFL likes that guy (McCarthy) more than anyone else does. He is going to go higher than you think he will. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that McCarthy goes No. 2.”

“He (Daniels) needs to change the way he plays in that regard (running). He makes special things happen, but come on, we need you to slide at the end of this play. We need you on the next down. Jayden takes some of the most ridiculous hits for a guy his size and ability.”

“He (Daniels) plays the game with this Josh Allen recklessness, only minus 35 pounds. That can’t work at the next level. You need to be more cognizant of protecting yourself.”

If he were selecting at No. 2 overall, Monson said he would select Drake Maye.

Commanders should sit Drake Maye for a least a year

If the Commanders draft Drake Maye, should he sit for one season?

Thursday, Logan Paulsen said he strongly feels the Commanders should draft North Carolina QB Drake Maye if they keep the second overall selection in April’s NFL draft.

Should the Commanders start Maye at quarterback in 2024?

If not, would they start Sam Howell? Or might they start another veteran?

Friday, on the “Pat McAfee Show,” ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky offered his thoughts on Drake Maye starting in 2024.

“I think Drake Maye has to get the Jordan Love treatment. You have to sit Drake Maye for at least a year or two. Orlovsky recalled Tar Heel coach Mack Brown telling him, “Mechanically, Maye is so raw.”

Orlovsky continued, “If you sit him for at least a year, you have a chance to have a really good player. But you can’t play him early.”

Both Orlovsky and The Team 980 show host Craig Hoffman voiced on Friday that Maye really needs work on his feet. Hoffman went as far as to say that the UNC offensive line was not very good, and thus, Maye, unlike Jayden Daniels, couldn’t be as smooth due to the pass rush he was facing often last season.

Hoffman also feels that Love learned and improved his footwork, sitting, and learning from watching Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

Hoffman suggested that Maye needs a veteran (other than Sam Howell) from whom Maye can learn footwork. He suggested Ryan Tannehill, Jacoby Brissett, and Tyrod Taylor.

If the Commanders hope to get the most out of Maye in 2025, perhaps the most effective method will be to spend the 2024 offseason and regular season being prepped daily, on reading defenses, mastering his footwork, while avoiding the fire of NFL pass rushes and blitz packages.

Rodgers, Love, and Patrick Mahomes are very good examples of current quarterbacks who have sat for at least a season and reaped the benefits.

Logan Paulsen: Are the Commanders taking Daniels or Maye at No. 2?

Logan Paulsen weighs in Drake Maye vs. Jayden Daniels. He likes both a lot, but has a preference.

The Chicago Bears take USC quarterback Caleb Williams first overall; who does Logan Paulsen feel the Commanders take at No. 2?

Paulsen discussed the Commanders’ choice with Craig Hoffman, kicking off hour 3 Thursday of Hoffman’s The Team 980 show. As always, Paulsen provided much thought-provoking content in comparing/contrasting quarterbacks Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels.

Drake Maye:

“For me, Drake Maye is a guy I was not very high on when we started the process.”

“When I watch the film, the throws Maye is making are to me, more NFL translatable. Go to YouTube and watch Drake Maye highlights 2023. You will see throws over the middle of the field, fades, comebacks, timing throws, off-schedule stuff.”

“He is a good athlete, a good leader. His interviews went well at the Combine.”

Jayden Daniels:

Jayden was so dynamic, the best player in college football. His ability to extend plays, create off-schedule, to run, his deep ball, is very intoxicating.”

“I like Jayden a lot, but the complexity of the offense (LSU) isn’t there.”

“There were opportunities with Daniels with what I would consider NFL-open throws, that he is turning down and running. I don’t want to knock him for throwing to good receivers or speaking to his skill set. But I do feel I have seen guys with that ability turn down NFL-open throws and never develop into NFL passers.”

“(When you watch his 2023 highlights), you see explosive runs, and you see box fades, some of the most beautiful box fades you have ever seen thrown in your life. But that is not viable consistently at the NFL level.”

Paulsen, Whom do the Commanders select at No. 2 overall?

“When you look at his big-time throw ratio, pressure to sack ratio, throws over the middle of the field, big-time throws over the middle of the field, all of those numbers favor Drake Maye pretty dramatically.”

“I understand they are different football players, and Jayden Daniels finds explosive plays outside of just throwing the football. He runs and that’s another way he beats blitzes.”

“The way Maye looks at the field, handles protections, it seems like an easier jump to say he projects better to the NFL level. I still like Jayden Daniels quite a bit. But I think Maye is a more NFL-ready product. His arm is not Justin Herbert but it is still pretty good.”

“I think that is the pick at No. 2, quite honestly.”

Commanders’ Dan Quinn: ‘It’s not just a job’

Dan Quinn talks why he loves coaching so much.

Becoming an NFL head coach did not come easily or quickly for Dan Quinn.

The Commanders new head coach spent some time Friday with The Team 980 show host Kevin Sheehan.

Quinn has certainly put in his time in 11 previous coaching jobs. As a result there has been much learning about football and also working with people.

When Quinn wanted to enter the coaching profession, his first opportunity came at William & Mary (defensive line) in 1994. From there, Quinn has held jobs with VMI, Hofstra, the 49ers, Dolphins, Jets, Seahawks, Florida, Seahawks, Falcons, Cowboys and now Commanders.

Sheehan asked Quinn when he was interviewing for this job, “What was the most important thing for you to get across to them?” Quinn responded, “Number one, I wanted to make sure they knew that over the time I left Atlanta and went to Dallas, I had time to really dig in and recognize the things that went well leading to success, but also wanted to make sure I learned from the adversity too.”

Quinn offered he conveyed in the interview that since his first head coaching job with the Falcons, he knew he was much stronger for this opportunity.

Sheehan inquired as to why Quinn thinks he is so well-liked and well-respected. Laughing, Quinn thanked Sheehan for saying that but also admitted he didn’t know about that being true in all cases.

He then added, “There are a lot of things I love about coaching. The relationships with the players and coaches, front office and personnel, those are the things you do, I just love being part of a team, man.”

“You get those experiences, and you map it out together. That’s what it is all about. You have these really competitive moments that bring you together. You just get closer and tighter, Kev”

“It’s not just a job when you are competing at the highest level. There is a loyalty there that goes way past the job. There’s a brotherhood that can connect you forever. I love that part of the game and the relationships that come out of it. But at the end of it, pushing one another to get better, that is probably one of the reasons.”

The Commanders have not had a winning record since Jay Gruden was the head coach and Kirk Cousins the starting quarterback in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The franchise has not won a playoff game since the 2005 season when Joe Gibbs (2.0) was the head coach and Mark Brunell the starting quarterback.

Getting better and winning certainly sounds good doesn’t it, Commanders fans?

Commanders’ OC Kingsbury called ‘the biggest fraud in football’

One radio host seems to have issues with Kliff Kingsbury.

CBS Sports Radio show host Damon Amendolara apparently doesn’t like Kliff Kingsbury very much.

Amendolara was in Las Vegas Friday for the Super Bowl week and took a few moments to speak with The Team 980’s Craig Hoffman. Hoffman himself admitted initially he was not too excited about the Commanders hiring Kingsbury to be the offensive coordinator. However, since his initial reaction, Hoffman has “begun to warm to it a bit.”

Hoffman then asked Amendolara where he stood on the hiring of Kingsbury, to which Amendolara responded, “I think he is the biggest fraud in football. Because he has not succeeded anywhere he has been to any significant degree.”

“When he gets the head coach job at Texas Tech he never had a winning record within the Big 12.” Amendolara pointed out that even with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback, the best Kingsbury could do was 7-5.

“Then he somehow fails upward to get the head coaching job at Arizona. Every year is the same thing: they start out hot and collapse down the stretch. The one year they go to the postseason they are completely ill-prepared. They take on that Rams team and were down 21-0 at the half, 28-0 in the third quarter.”

Amendolara continued to pile on Kingsbury. “His team is known for penalties, poor coaching and sloppy play and slow starts or fades in the second half of the season.”

Amendolara insisted that Kingsbury going to USC also resulted in Caleb Williams having a worse season than previously for the Trojans. That is actually not easily determined nor debated. For in fact, it was the USC defense who really struggled much more in 2023 than they did in the 2022 season.

“This guy has never proven anything. He just keeps getting plum jobs.”

Hoffman countered that at both Texas Teach and USC, Kingsbury was losing 50-48 games, and secondly, Kingsbury was not hired to be the Commanders’ head coach, but only the offensive coordinator.

We don’t know yet how Kingsbury will perform or function, but it is noteworthy, that many in the sports media field, have felt the need to criticize the Dan Quinn and Kingsbury hires.

Dan Quinn wanted the Commanders’ job before it was open

One source told a local radio host last month that Dan Quinn badly wanted the Washington job.

On Thursday, a local radio show host took great joy in being right about Dan Quinn being named the Commanders’ new head coach.

Chris Russell, the Team 980 host (1-4 pm, M-F), began his show with a bang. “We have something to be excited about!” Russell howled. “The Commanders have hired themselves a great head coach! That a boy, Adam Peters! That a boy, Josh (Harris), Magic (Johnson), Mark Ein, Mitchell Rales!”

Russell then reminded his listeners that he needed to be honest, admitting that Raheem Morris was his first choice when the process was launched. “Raheem Morris was No. 1 on my list. But Dan Quinn, as soon as Raheem Morris was off of the board, was the guy that I was hoping would get this job.”

“I told you guys, the day after the Dallas Cowboys game, the final game of the season, that I was told by someone in the Dallas Cowboys organization that Dan Quinn wanted this job and was very eagerly anticipating a call from the Commanders. He got it the next morning and wanted this job in the worst way.”

“Yelling into his microphone, Russell continued, “Boy Wonder, Ben Johnson did not want the job! The hell with him! Mike Macdonald didn’t want the job! The hell with him!”

“Dan Quinn wanted the job! (He) was aching to be the head coach of the Washington Commanders! And yet, some of you are already poo-pooing that, like you got a piece of discarded trash! People, adjust your prism. That’s absurd.”

Russell then reminded his listeners who were criticizing Quinn’s hiring that Quinn did not come to the Commanders because he would have all the power. He is not; he is working for Adam Peters, the GM.

The afternoon host then reminded his listeners that Quinn has much experience, having won an NFC Championship with Atlanta and gone 10-6, winning a playoff game the year after offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s departure.

His opening closed with Russell challenging his callers to call him and say why they do NOT believe in second chances for Dan Quinn when they certainly believe in second chances for themselves and their family.

Commanders Wire welcomes Dan Quinn to the Commanders. Hope you can get this thing turned around and enjoy a decade of success here, Dan.

Jay Gruden on Commanders: ‘It was hard to watch’

Some good perspective from a former quarterback and head coach.

The Commanders took major steps backward in Sunday’s Week 3, 37-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills, according to Jay Gruden.

Gruden was appearing for his weekly appearance on “The Chris Russell Show” on The Team 980 weekdays from 1-4 p.m ET.

“I really didn’t see a lot of separation by the receivers; Buffalo did a great job of matching the routes, playing tight coverage,” added Gruden.

Gruden expressed that for a young quarterback who is getting his first starts in his career, it is difficult for them not to get stuck on a receiver. Thus, when the coverage was as good as was the Bills, Sunday, Sam Howell was then holding the ball, resulting in more sacks and quarterback hits.

For the record, the Bills sacked Howell nine times. When they didn’t sack Howell, they recorded an additional 15 quarterback hits and also intercepted him four times.

The former University of Louisville quarterback stated that during the game, when the coaches are talking to Howell through the helmet technology, they should be reminding him often to “check down.”

Gruden clarified, saying you might not need to do this with an experienced veteran, but you really should be proactive in your communication with an inexperienced guy like Howell.

The former Redskins head coach (2014-19) pointed out there are different ways to help protect your quarterback, saying, “You keep a couple of extra guys in to protect, which means you will only have a two and three-man route. You can also come up with three-level throws. You can double-team a defensive end from time to time to give your outside lineman some relief from time to time.”

The former Bengals and Jaguars offensive coordinator admitted, “It is a head-scratcher because it is not like Robinson (Brian) was getting stuffed each time he ran the ball. He was getting four and five yards.”

“When you have a young quarterback, you have to take some pressure off of him, throwing a screen pass, throwing a bubble screen, getting back to some of those RPOs they had some success with in the third quarter.”

“Really, the biggest problem I had was when it was 30-0, and they kept him in and kept getting him killed. It’s not the best way to build a young quarterback’s confidence… it was hard to watch.”

How DC radio questioned Commanders’ Rivera again Tuesday

Ron Rivera has built a good roster. Can he coach that roster into the playoffs in 2023?

“You are good at building, but are you good at coaching?”

That was a question Craig Hoffman asked concerning Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera during the first hour of his The Team 980 Tuesday drive-home program.

Hoffman spoke of the dream of many Commanders fans being that Ron Rivera will not have a job at the end of this 2023 Commanders regular season. Couldn’t one respond logically and rationally that many more Commanders fans are hoping there is much winning this season?

If a winning season at, say, 10-7 would earn a playoff birth, resulting in Rivera returning for the last season of his contract, might the majority of Commanders fans take that instead?

Hoffman transitioned to how he likes assistant head coach Eric Bieniemy’s organizational skills and his attention to detail and thinks Bieniemy could really benefit as a head coach from those attributes.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, so back to Ron Rivera.

It is true since becoming the head coach in charge of football operations, Washington has drafted several very nice pieces to the puzzle of their roster. Kam Curl and James Smith-Williams were both seventh-round choices in 2020. 2021 brought Sam Cosmi, Benjamin St-Juste, Dyami Brown,  John Bates, and Darrick Forrest. And 2022 may become a very solid draft with Jahan Dotson, Brian Robinson Jr., Percy Butler, Sam Howell and Cole Turner all being selected.

Hoffman lauded Rivera as one who has drafted well, and Hoffman was also asking if Rivera can take this team to the next level. One step Rivera has taken is turning to a new offensive coordinator whom Rivera recently said knows how to get the ball to their best skill-position players quickly.

Both Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke really struggled at times in 2022. Is Sam Howell, the quarterback Washington has been desperately needing since Kirk Cousins led Washington to its last winning records in 2015 and 2016?

Howell has exhibited an ability to extend plays and throw on the move. But of course, this has been the preseason. It does us good to remind ourselves that though Washington won all three preseason games this year, they still don’t count. On the other side of the coin, I have always remembered how in 1982, Washington lost all four preseason games and then proceeded to have the best record in the NFC and win Super Bowl XVII.

There should be no debating that Coach Rivera has helped the culture of the team, the bonding of the team as they have played for one another as a united front behind Rivera. He is to be commended for that.

Yet, this is his fourth season, and not having a winning season record since 2015 and 2016 is frustrating and getting old.

It’s time for a winning season in Washington.

 

 

Was Friday the worst for the Commanders offense?

Local radio host evaluates what he saw from Washington’s offense.

“OMG, this offense is going to rank 44th in a league of 32 teams.”

That’s how The Team 980 host Chris Russell saw the Friday morning practice. Russell said in his first hour Friday (1-4 pm) that anyone going to that practice may have left practice with that thought in mind.

How bad was the Commanders offense Friday? Here are some select quotes from Russell’s opening monologue of that first hour of his program.

“There is nothing to hide here. Maybe it is because of a really good defense, or maybe because it is a really bad offense that is still learning what the hell they are trying to do. The offense is light years behind.”

“Listen, it is practice. They are going against a good defense. They are learning a new system. I am sure they are tired. I got it. Be better, do better. It was wretched.”

“In every way, shape, or form. The quarterbacks all stunk. The receivers stunk. Too many dropped passes, too many non-catches, too many falling downs, too many balls not fought for correctly, too many balls not held on to.”

The bottom line is the parts I saw (2+ hours) were horrific. A lot of it was of the unforced error variety. I wish I could just attribute it to, ‘Man, the defense was cooking today’. But that wasn’t the case.”

“It is still a work in progress. But we can all be responsible, grown adults and say, ‘They (offense) sucked today.’ And it has been a week since I thought the Commanders offense looked anything close to ‘above average/good.'”

“Since last Friday when Jake Fromm clearly outplayed Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett, and the offense was sloppy in general (paused) and last Saturday in front of 10,000 fans and all three quarterbacks sucked, and the offense sucked as a whole, but it somehow didn’t stink as bad as it did today.”

“Today just made you want to barf.”

There was more, but we only have so much space…

Here is the audio link if you wish to listen to Russell express his frustration with the Commanders offense.

Commanders have shown some real progress in two areas

Emmanuel Forbes continues to be a bright spot for the Commanders.

A local reporter believes confidently the Commanders have made real progress in two key areas of the roster this offseason.

The Washington Post Commanders reporter Sam Fortier went as far as Thursday on the Craig “Hoffman Show” on The Team 980 to suggest that if the Commanders were playing the Vikings and wanted to shadow wide receiver Justin Jefferson, it would not be Kendall Fuller, given the assignment. It wouldn’t even be Benjamin St-Juste.

No, Fortier declared it would be rookie Emmanuel Forbes who has yet to play his initial NFL regular-season game. “If you want to be CB1 by that definition, then I think (Forbes) is your guy right now. He has been impressive. In terms of minicamp for a rookie? He has looked pretty dang good.”

Hoffman then transitioned, “The offensive line is still a massive area of concern.” He asked Fortier, “Have you seen anything to ease your concern in that position group this Spring?”

Fortier’s response was noteworthy. “If you want to say that they are old, unathletic and immobile like they were last year at guard with Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner. Then, I have seen things to boost my confidence. Saahdiq Charles looks bigger and stronger, and Sam Cosmi is going to transition nicely into guard.”

Fortier continued; however, he did not feel Rivera was as confident in the offensive line as he would like to be. Hoffman referred to how confident coaches were in 2022 of their offensive line despite its ability being much less than in 2020-21. Hoffman suggested this is good in that it shows they are more aware of what they actually have and don’t have on the offensive line now than in 2022.