NFL Week 4 Recap: Commanders Fall to Falcons 27-34 | Booth Review Podcast | Washington Commanders | NFL

London Fletcher and Logan Paulsen join Bram Weinstein to discuss what happened down in Atlanta as the Commanders fall to the Falcons 27-34. They look at the bright spots from the offense as Marcus Mariota kept the game in control. Then, they discuss how the special teams could be the best in the league right now. Finally, it's all about the defense where London and Logan have a pretty strong disagreement over how to stop a Tampa-2 coverage. Hosts: London Fletcher, Bram Weinstein, Logan Paulsen Get Your Commanders Tickets Here: https://bit.ly/4jfZA45 The views and opinions expressed by our analysts and/or hosts are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Washington Commanders or any of their representatives.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
On this edition of The Booth Review, Earth Wind and
Fire gets mentioned a number of times.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
And Earth gets scorched by fire. I think you can
run two slants in the cover two Fletch.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
Okay, and I also think you can get aheadache. But
this is Tell the Truth Monday on the Booth Review.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Welcome into the latest edition of the Booth Review podcast.
I Bram Weinstein with Big Fletch London Fletcher. We're brought
to you by Microsoft Surface co Pilot plus PC and
I am in the Big Bear AI Command Center Studio.
London is joining us remotely, so we will have our
Tell the Truth Monday, and there's a lot of truth
to tell today, London.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
There's a lot of truth to tell coming out of Atlanta.
Would have lost two or two didn't wasn't our best game,
but I felt like the offense dies some good things
kept us competitive. But as you mentioned, this is tell
the Truth, Tell the Truth Monday. So we got to
tell the truth and say, hey, let's get down to
the bottom of while we lost that ball game.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Let's talk about just the emotions of losing the way
that they did yesterday in Atlanta. If you're in the
locker room, what are you talking about with your teammates today?

Speaker 3 (01:09):
Anytime you lose a ball game, you have to obviously
look at yourself first and foremost say hey, what can
I have done better? That's on the coaches, the players,
everybody has to kind of have that mindset first and foremost,
look at the film, be critical of yourself, say hey,
what could I have done differently in that ball game

(01:30):
to change the impact, change the outcome of that ball game.
And that's one of the things that I'm really pride
of my celf phone is especially in losses, what could
I have done better? And it could have been a
situation where I may have had fifteen or sixteen tackles
in the ball game, but I might have missed one.
So it's like, oh, man, if I make that one tackle,

(01:51):
maybe that's something differently. Could I've changed the defense to
put us in a better position, stuff like that. So
that's the thing that you really want to do, first
and foremost, be accountable to yourself, Listen to the coaches,
the coaching points and was.

Speaker 4 (02:07):
I paying close attention to the details.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
Things like that, And that's really the mindset and conversations
you need to have. But also let's keep things in perspective.
This is week four, you're two and two after the
first quarter. This is a seventeen week season, seventeen game season,
I should say, So let's not feel like the sky
is falling. We're disappointed, but we got to go out
and play the Chargers on Sunday.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
All right, I'm going to focus on the offense with
you in a minute. Logan's gonna join us in a
little bit to kind of go through the defense, which
I do think is kind of the story of what
happened yesterday in Atlanta. But before we get to the offense,
I just want just a general overview of just defensively,
when you think about what happened in Atlanta, how do

(02:52):
things kind of collectively get better from here.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
I've watched a film actually a couple of times already,
and it's it's as you see it happening in real time.
You're like, man, this is awful. What's what's going on here?
While we're giving up so many, so many big plays.
I think first and foremost, there was a couple of
communication situations that need to be cleaned up between between
some guys on the back end.

Speaker 4 (03:17):
Not nothing major. You don't want to have those.

Speaker 3 (03:21):
Especially your four weeks into the season and you have
those those communication issues. But I think the biggest deal
is playing greater attention to detail, just really harping on
the small minute things of the details within the within
the defensive call, whether it's a lever standpoint where it's

(03:42):
you know, I discipline, whether it's understanding when you can
go for an interception and when you have to kind
of just play play, you know, a little bit more safe,
safe type of defense. There's a there's several instances being
better on third down. That was a I thought DQ
touched on that lot on that a lot yesterday about
the third down defense. That was probably the most disappointing piece,

(04:05):
especially when you consider we came into that ball game
the number one ranked third down defense international Football League.

Speaker 4 (04:12):
That was truly our strong soup.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
So the big takeaway, especially late in that ball game,
Pennix was able to in the file because they were
able to convert three third downs when we had got
it to a one score game late he had to
scrim before on a third and four picked up a
first down, and they converted two more third downs on
that drive before eventually scored another touchdown.

Speaker 4 (04:37):
But it's those.

Speaker 3 (04:38):
Things that, hey, we know we're a really good third
down defense. Let's play a little bit better attention to
the details, maybe just a little small nuances that those
these things happened early in the football season. So I
know the fans are kind of panicking.

Speaker 4 (04:52):
Y'all. Loved this defense last.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
Week against the Raiders, loved them week one against the Giants,
hated them against the Packers. And now you're ready to
get rid of everybody after the Falcons game. Just com now,
pop the brakes. Let's see, let's allow these gas to
really jail as a unit collectively.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
Well some of this too, like last year was all
lollipops and sunshine, and so people forget this is hard.
You're not in Kansas anymore, you know, I mean that's
the reality. Like this is hard. They are two and two.
There's an interesting thing that you brought up about the
third downs, and I want to revisit with you and
Logan later, which like they had not and this is
typically low percentage anyway, but they hadn't given up a

(05:34):
third and ten or longer a conversion yet.

Speaker 5 (05:36):
It was like, oh for fifteen coming into it.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
But yesterday on second and long the Falcons converted like
five times on a second and ten plus. So that's
something I want to revisit with you because it falls
into the category of when you get them behind the sticks,
you're hoping that you're going to get different outcomes, right.
And there's one other thing I just kind of want
to talk to you about, just just a general overview
and just how you think about this. I think you

(05:59):
and I both before or the game, we're kind of
talking and feeling like, look, this is a road game.
They have like top tier and in some cases they're
running back all pro level talent on that side of
the ball, but they hadn't played very well to this point,
and I think like expectations matter. Washington's missing a lot

(06:20):
of people on offense. And there are two types of
teams that when I get ready, you know, to call
the games with you, that I don't like to get
ready to play. One is the white hot, red hot team,
right like we caught that with the Packers week two.
Short week the way they played Week one heading into
week two, you knew this was going to be a
very difficult matchup. You also never want to play the

(06:41):
team that was embarrassed and that team was embarrassed, and
the whole week they're hearing it from their fan base.
They got to fire this person, They gotta fire that person.
They have a quarterback controversy, they fired a coach. The
coordinators coming down from.

Speaker 5 (06:55):
The booth, like you knew it. It's just human nature.

Speaker 1 (07:00):
That's a good team with good talent, and you were
going to get a different performance out of them yesterday.

Speaker 3 (07:04):
Absolutely I knew that, just having spent sixteen years in
the NFL locker rooms, and when you have a subpart
for performance collectively as a player individually, all week you're
just hearing how bad you are, how how you know
you need to replace this guy? What's going on? And

(07:27):
they were hearing that all week long in Atlanta. Hey
is Raheem Morris the right guy? They lose this ball game?
With Marcus Marioda coming in here, should he be fied?
The offensive coordinator? He was under attack, Michael Pennix was
under attack. And they went out and to the Falcons credit,
they played a phenomenal offensive game. I thought the Zach

(07:49):
Robinson did a lot of creative things.

Speaker 4 (07:50):
He schemed up. He schemed up some explosive plays.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
When I think about one that comes to mind as
the the b Jon Robinson seventy was a seventy catcher
whatever it was. That was a schemed up play where
get into three tight ends in the ball game, trey personnel,
thirteen personnel, whatever you want to call it, and then
they spreading them all out create a look where it's

(08:16):
almost like a four.

Speaker 4 (08:19):
Wide receiver setting.

Speaker 3 (08:21):
We end up being in a man and man type
of defense, and they created some traffic issues for Bobby. Hey,
you take your hap off, Tip your hap off to
those guys. They did a great job scheming up that play,
and that's that's oftentimes what happens, as you mentioned, when
you're playing a team that's been embarrassed. We didn't play
our best game defensively at all. I think the tackling

(08:45):
wasn't what it needed to be. B John Robinson is
an excellent running back, but there was some of the
tackle stuff that has to be on us where in
terms of where you're saying, hey, was I in a
position to make the tackle, make the play, and a
lot of times we were, but did make the play,
didn't make the tackle. He's in a loosive bat. You
understand that he was going to be a difficult tackle.

(09:05):
But what we're doing the fundamentals the way they needed
to be dumb and I think collectively and yesterday's ball game,
we didn't play sound fundamental football enough to win that
ball game. Wasn't disciplined enough like we needed to, and
we had some small minute, some all attention to detailed

(09:27):
things that we didn't execute at a high enough level,
especially on a road, to win that ball game.

Speaker 1 (09:32):
All right, so we'll revisit all the defense with Logan
in a little bit. Let's get into the offense here
a little bit. It's been an interesting hand that Cliff
Kingsbury has been dealt the last couple of weeks because
of all the injuries. Jamee Daniels didn't play the last
two weeks. So it's Marcus Mariota, who I thought played
very well, maybe with the exception of one, you know, interception,
played very well. Again, they had made changes on the
offensive line. Noah Brown's out, John Bates is out, Austin

(09:56):
Eckler's out, now, Terry McLaurin is out. Tell you what,
twenty seven is a heck of a number for that
group to put up almost seventy in two weeks. Collectively
as a group. I will say this, for being dealt
a very difficult hand, Cliff and company and all those
players played it very well, including yesterday, and I don't

(10:16):
want it to be undersold in what happened. We'll revisit
the defense, which I think is the story, but I
think we need to give Cliff and the offense some
credit here for having half of the starters out there
and putting up the numbers that they put up.

Speaker 4 (10:31):
I agree.

Speaker 3 (10:31):
I thought I thought that once the offense kind of
settled in after the first series or two after the
first series, I mean, heck, before you knew it, they
were down to nothing. But I thought they settled in,
they really got to the run game kind of. I
was talking a lot on the boot on the broadcast
about wanted to come more downhel against this that Falcons

(10:53):
defense running some more counters gap schemes because of that
fast those fast guys on a defense going later was probably,
you know, maybe not the best way they attacked him
from a run game standpoint. Uh Rodriguez, he breaks off
the big forty nine yard run. They overcame a lot
of penalties too. I think one of one situation we
were first and thirty overcame that and was able to

(11:16):
get points out of that drive. So collectively, as an offense, yeah,
you're gonna be disappointed in some of the penalties. I
thought Cliff did a nice job, really nice job of
scheming up some explosive plays, but we had a couple
negated by penalty. He had he schemed up a big
exposive play to Jalen Lane that sent it unfortunately had

(11:37):
the penalty on ye. There was another another couple other
instances that happened where this penalty has just kind of
kind of started us out a little bit. But collectively,
when you look at what the offense was able to produce.
You mentioned the twenty seven points, I think that was
a that was, I mean, outstanding job by them. And

(11:57):
they'll look at the film and even and be disappointed
with the twenty seven points because they'll say, man, there
were actually more points to be had in that ball
game if we just hey, small detail here, correction here,
stuff like that, if we can just hold this block
a little bit longer. I think about the there was

(12:19):
a third and seven zach Hurst wins, but it was
a little bit of pressure in Mary Olda's face had
to get the ball a little bit highest off target,
that puts us first down in a low red zone.

Speaker 4 (12:30):
Instead we had to kick a field goal.

Speaker 3 (12:32):
So it's stuff like that that they're gonna go back
look at the points, look at that game and say, man,
we put up twenty seven, but we could have put
up probably forty if we if we cleaned up a
few more things here and there.

Speaker 1 (12:44):
You know, there's there's been a and Logan talks about
this a lot too. There's been a misconception with Cliff
that like it's all air raid and they're gonna throw
the ball a million times. It really that's not been
the crux I think of his offense. Are really the
one here going into the game yesterday, only Baltimore had
as many eight plus two hundred plus collective rush yard

(13:06):
days as Washington over since the start of twenty twenty four.
They had two of them already this year, and they
were close to I think if they weren't playing from
behind the whole time, they might have been able to
kind of get to that number again. They had three
players yesterday with over six yards of carry, three including

(13:27):
like Mariota's one of them, and one was a long
scramble on that first and thirty that you referenced. He
got the fifteen sixteen yards on that one scramble that
got the third down. But there's two other running backs
averaging over six yards of carry. The team combined averaged
seven yards per rush, and frankly, with the receivers that
this team was missing yesterday, the fact that they were

(13:49):
able to be that effective against a defense that had
to assume that this was going to be a run
heavy team yesterday is a mark of they are very
very very he well schemed.

Speaker 3 (14:01):
Very very well schemed. They blocked really good on the
on the next level too. As my dog starts to bark,
the dog wants to wanted us to run the ball
more too.

Speaker 4 (14:11):
Let me get this dog out of control really quick.
Hold on Brown. Yeah, no, they are very well schemed.

Speaker 3 (14:16):
As you mentioned, I thought they got some really nice
blockings on the second level, being able to to seal
on that on that Rodriguez run was I think it
was Andrew Wiley had a really nice second level block
being sent and had a nice block to seal and
help create a crease for for Rodriguez on the run,

(14:37):
got a nice block downfield. Think about Deebo and and
Rodriguez he broke a tackle too. So those are the
types of things that these backs were able to do.
Bill Crosskey Marity he had some nice runs. So as
a run team, as Atlanta had to say, hey, we're gonna,
we're gonna, we expect Washington come in here and try

(14:57):
to run the football against us. And they still couldn't
effectively stop us from running the football. And even with
the with us rushing for what I think what one
something for forty seven or something forty seven? Yeah, yeah,
we still could have probably rushed for a little bit
more more yards if you, as you mentioned, the game
was a little bit closer, it didn't have to abandon

(15:17):
it as much, and and and you know, throw the
football a little bit more than probably you wanted to.

Speaker 4 (15:22):
But to even pass the ball as well as we did.

Speaker 3 (15:25):
Against the the number one ranked pass defense in the
league to be able to create some players and some explosives.
I know, Marioda he'd love to have that interception back,
the one that that he ended up throwing. But all
in a man, there's a lot to a lot to
kind of take from that ball game from from a
positive standpoint, when you look at the offense.

Speaker 1 (15:46):
Yeah, Like the the rushing yards aer to me really
stand out too. Here's a team that was playing from
behind early. They only had the ball for two plus
minutes of the first quarter because Atlanta had a couple
of really long drive was watching it at a three
and out to start, so they had the ball for
the bulk. I remember reading the stat at halftime that
they'd only run twenty something plays, like they'd barely really

(16:09):
run a lot of plays. And to end up with
that many rushyards with the other team knowing that this
is going to be your focus, I agree, is a
good sign moving forward that you have answers when you
need it, you don't have to extend yourself in a
way that makes you uncomfortable. And they're doing it with
a variety of different players. Like I said, it's three

(16:31):
different players at six plus yards of carry, all of
them with very different styles. Mariota is not Rodriguez is
not crosskey merit. So it's very interesting to watch how
they're able to kind of utilize all of the parts
and get a collective that puts a result like that.

Speaker 3 (16:48):
I was on a sideline pregame with and I happen
to be talking to Evan Washburn, who's a sideline reporter
for for CBS, who did the game yesterday and Bill
By and I guess he had did a interview with
Bill during the week and they finally introduced themselves, you know,
face to face, and and uh, Evan was calling it.

Speaker 4 (17:10):
He's like, I got a nickname.

Speaker 3 (17:11):
I'm calling you guys, earth Winding, Fire and so I
don't know if he even got a chance to say
it on the on the TV broadcast or not.

Speaker 4 (17:19):
And uh, he was calling I'm trying to remember who
he called. Bill. I can't remember. He was the I
think he.

Speaker 3 (17:27):
Might have been the fire part of it, of the group,
and maybe Rodriguez was the the Earth because you know,
a little bit more steady power back and he had
he had muh he had McNichols as the as the
wind part of it. And Bill's like, what's the wind part?

(17:50):
He's like, because he's fast, stuff like that. So I
think Bill wanted to be win a little bit, just
just how they were. I think he wanted to be
called the wind part of Earth, Wind and Fire.

Speaker 1 (18:00):
I feel like I think that's our booth. I think
like uh, Logan his Earth I'm wind and you are Fire.
I think I steal it for us.

Speaker 3 (18:11):
Yeah, yeah, but no, as you mentioned though, those those
guys did a really nice job running the football. There
was a you know, they had to do some things
in past protection as well, and there there are things
that you're going to continue to get better at. After
every ball game, win or lose, you're gonna be critical
of yourself, especially in losses. Yeah, you're gonna say, hey,

(18:34):
Rodriguez may be like, man, if I only could have
got to the zough, Well, man, you did it.

Speaker 4 (18:38):
You had a hell of a run on that on
that forty nine yard run he did.

Speaker 3 (18:41):
You just always are looking at how can you improve
the things you can do better, whether with the ball
without the ball in your hands, and and that's.

Speaker 4 (18:49):
The that's the way it is should be. That's that's
the National Football League.

Speaker 1 (18:52):
So overoy, earth wind and Fire has had a run here.
It's it's made it to our team. The week before,
Jenna Lane, who covers the buckets for ESPN, put the
Earth Winded Fire September soundtrack underneath Aaron Glenn doing that
dance when the Jets had their special teams play a
week ago against Tampa Bay because it happened on the
twenty first of September, which is one of the famous

(19:14):
lyrics of the song September from Earth Wind and Fire.

Speaker 5 (19:16):
So what a comeback for the seventh Fire.

Speaker 3 (19:20):
Yeah, you know, the Grammys just did a tribute to
Arth went wowire within it had to be.

Speaker 4 (19:27):
Two weeks ago.

Speaker 3 (19:28):
Yeah, maybe last when I said it might have been
last Sunday.

Speaker 4 (19:33):
Yeah, it was.

Speaker 3 (19:34):
It was amazing. It was freaking amazing. Yeah, it's definitely
worth going to see.

Speaker 1 (19:40):
So talking about comebacks, Marcus Mariota made his first start
last week against the Raiders for Washington. The previous start
he had was in Atlanta twenty twenty two. We were
talking to Westurham, the voice of the Falcons, before the game.
He was wondering what the reception would be, the perception
among the fan base. So Mariota is not very good.

(20:02):
The quarterback series that was done that was put out
post the season, where he was one of the profiled quarterbacks,
painted him as someone who had quit on that team
and like, no one really knows exactly what was going
on at the end of that, but that's how it
kind of was painted. And then so Mariota's had this
kind of resurgence of his career. He went to Philadelphia

(20:22):
as a backup then of course has come here. He's
been outstanding really in the limited appearances he had a
year ago and now two starts the past couple of weeks.
Yesterday it was sixteen of twenty seven, one fifty six
through the air, two touchdowns, twenty rush yards, did have
a pick. The fourth down throw to Deebo Samuel really
saved the game at the time for them, where they
went forward on that it was a perfect dime to

(20:43):
keep them in the game there. I was talking to
Dan quinn last week about him because he had mentioned
and Cliff had mentioned this that not only is this
a really good fit offensively for them, and Cliff had
talked about how he'd wanted to work with Mariota in
the past because he thought the offense would really work
for him and his talent and stuff that would fit
for it. But quinnin talked about he'd been openly saying

(21:05):
like the players are going to really support him in
this role because he's been so supportive of them throughout
this and told a story that I'd like to share
here that I couldn't do the other day because the
game flow just didn't allow for it to happen.

Speaker 5 (21:20):
But I had hoped to share it.

Speaker 1 (21:22):
But last December, his wife and he had a son,
and so of course he you know, flew home to
you know, be with the child. But he came back
early and he was and dan Quinn was telling me
that he was like running through two minute scenarios with
the coaching staff and lo and behold he's playing. It
was the last game of the year against the Cowboys

(21:43):
where they made a decision, So here he was in
the midst of this kind of family time. Jayde Daniels
isn't hurt, so they're not you know, there's no reason
not to believe that he has to be back. But
he came back, showed the effort. He's been really resilient
in his career. He has been extremely supportive of everybody
around him, and he's been rewarded for that. And honestly,

(22:05):
the last couple of games, as a quote unquote backup
quarterback Washington couldn't ask for really much better than what
they've gotten out of him.

Speaker 3 (22:13):
I don't know anybody who's met Marcus, especially since he's
been in Washington and not been just impressed with him.
I can remember when I met him last year and
just the humility that he has that he displays, and
you're just like, man, he's just he's perfect. Cliff talked

(22:33):
about him being perfect for the office and offense being
perfect for him, but he's also perfect for the locker
room and especially the quarterback room when you think about
him being a guy who's a veteran quarterback can go
out and get it dumb. Yeah, he's in a back
of row and he understands that. But he's so supportive
of not just the players, but just with Jaden and

(22:54):
how he's able to He's a guy who's walked the
same path as Jaden has. Heisman Trophy winner, number two
overall draft pick, had to be a starter early in
his career, so he could share with him a lot
of his story that nobody else. There's very few people
that can share that same type of story and journey

(23:16):
that him and Jada shared together. And his knowledge of
being a quarterback and understand, hey, given Jay and hey
this is what I see from the sideline standpoint, then
what he's called upon to go out and produce, He's
produced at a high level.

Speaker 1 (23:30):
Yeah, and we'll find out this week about Jayden Daniels.
You know, dan Quinn is going to speak later today
as we're taping this. By wednesday, I think we'll have
a better idea, but I think the hope is that
he is going to return. But clearly they're in good
hands with Mariota if necessary, and so that's that's been
a really good sign Here one other player.

Speaker 5 (23:46):
I want to talk about an offense with you. I
think it was signaled early.

Speaker 1 (23:49):
I think we called it out on the opening kickoff
when Deebo Samuel was not back to field. It it
was pretty clear that he was going to have an
expanded role on the offense. And that makes a lot
of sense. Terry mclaul out. Noah Brown's out. You got
to rely on some people, and Debo's the most reliable
veteran that's going to be walking out there to try
to extend the passing game. They still in the end

(24:09):
had a big kickoff return anyway, They had walked in
with the number one kickoff return team in the NFL.
But Deebo six catches seventy two yards another touchdown, key
catch on a fourth down, key catch on a conversion.
Earlier on the near sideline for us as well. Three
touchdowns in four games for them. He's kind of been
everything I think they had hoped for when they acquired him.

Speaker 3 (24:30):
As well, and probably more especially as a receiver, and
I'm talking about a true route running receiver. The touchdown
catch was a great route round by him. The pass
interference late in that game as well that he didn't catch,
but if the guy doesn't interfere with him, he's gonna
probably have another big explosive catch. I was impressed with

(24:53):
his ability to separate at the top of his routs
and also make touch.

Speaker 4 (24:57):
There was a catch.

Speaker 3 (24:59):
And I'm I'm thinking you're talking about the same catch
where he caught on the sideline.

Speaker 4 (25:04):
You know, great catch.

Speaker 3 (25:05):
He was able to get able to get his feet
down in bounds. So, just because this was early in
the game, Raheem Morris was thinking about potentially challenging that catch,
but after review they was like, man, he didn't challenge it.
But after they saw the TV copy, the Falcons coaching
staff had to say, he caught that ball, but Deebo did.

Speaker 4 (25:25):
He did an excellent job.

Speaker 3 (25:26):
There was a couple I'm sure they had more plays
designed to get him the ball, but just with the
Florida game, you know, sometimes or he may have been
the initial primary guy and maybe had to based on
a coverage or or some other things, Marcus may have
had to go to a different guy.

Speaker 4 (25:45):
But debos he's been outstanding.

Speaker 1 (25:47):
Yeah, he has, I mean most of the role here offensively,
at least early. He's either getting a couple of carries,
one of them ended up being a touchdown in week one,
or it's a lot of underneath crossing patterns. I wasn't
surprised yesterday based on who was missing out of the
lineup that there was a little more downfield for him.
He's capable of that. He did it in San Francisco.
He is a utility knife and they're finding ways to

(26:09):
utilize him. And obviously based on need, it's been necessitated
and it was signaled early the second he didn't walk
out there for that opening kickoff.

Speaker 5 (26:16):
I'm like, he's got a huge role here today.

Speaker 4 (26:20):
I mean, that's just he was his his role was
gonna be too valuable.

Speaker 2 (26:25):
You knew that.

Speaker 3 (26:26):
You just knew that couldn't have it with given our
issues at receivers and injuries that we had. No No Terry,
he just knew he was gonna be his role on
the offensive side of the ball was gonna be too
valuable to also add that that element of it. I
would have loved. It would have been interesting. You know,
you get late in the game and maybe we tie

(26:47):
the ball game up and there's a late kickoff return
that you gotta have a big return or maybe a down,
you know, three points or whatever.

Speaker 4 (26:58):
I would I would have loved it would have been.

Speaker 3 (27:00):
Interesting to see if he was the one who tried
it out there, like, Okay, this is a critical one.
I'm gonna go out here and return this this kickoff,
Like you'll see some guy I could think of sat
Tanna Moss, who was the primary punt returner. We're playing Detroit,
needed need to have a play. He goes back retards
the kick, retards to put four test now, so I'm

(27:21):
sure they probably had that.

Speaker 4 (27:22):
Hey and a guy to have.

Speaker 3 (27:23):
A situation debo, you're gonna be the guy back there
returning this this kickoff.

Speaker 1 (27:27):
All right, let's get Logan Paulson in here, Paulson from
the Pine, and while he's making his way into the studio,
let's just stay on special teams just for a moment.

Speaker 2 (27:35):
London.

Speaker 1 (27:36):
Luke McCaffrey is a fifty eight yard kickoff return. The
team walked in number one kickoff return average in the NFL.
And then you and I loved the Larry Izzo pulling
the referee aside to make sure that he understood there
was an illegal formation on a kickoff return that was
set up by the Falcons that caused the penalty. Special
teams again and then Mac a solid yesterday. They put

(27:58):
a lot of trust into him. He was they needed him.
He came through the special teams yesterday.

Speaker 5 (28:03):
I think had a good day as well.

Speaker 3 (28:05):
The special teams had had a really good day. Some
of the coverage unit, man, it was the beginning on
out there, the logan that I we were talking about
it and you as well, some of the collegions that
took place on those uh on those coverages, and it
seemed like every every time you turn around, somebody was
needing to be seen by the medical staff. Up Matt
Gay had had a really good day kicking the football,

(28:27):
made made the fifty two yarder and some other clutch
field goals and I'm sure that was great for his confidence.

Speaker 4 (28:32):
And and d Q just and.

Speaker 3 (28:34):
Larry Iso expressing publicly there. They're confidence in him and
belief in him. Yeah, it was the the whole Larry
Is stuff. That's something obviously they've seen on FAM. He
saw it before the ball was even kicked. Yeah, hey,
this is illegal formation, pointing it out and they threw that.

Speaker 1 (28:55):
Well, the best part of it was is Logan's here
the referee through the flag that ISO basically told him
go pick it up because it hasn't happened yet, and
what was pointing at it, and he was like, it's
not a pedalty until the ball's kick because they're only
an illegal formation until the ball's kick. Then it was kicking.
It immediately came out. That was one of my favorite.
That was one of my favorite moments of the game.

Speaker 2 (29:14):
It was really great. It's good rules, you know.

Speaker 4 (29:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (29:18):
Well, the fact that I don't know if you saw it,
Logan like he literally like threw his flag out and.

Speaker 2 (29:24):
I couldn't see, but I heard you guys talking about it.
You guys were talking like you were narrating the whole scenario. Yeah,
well he flags out to pick the flag up, all
the flags out of you.

Speaker 1 (29:33):
Well, at first, like he the flaggy met it almost
looked like it was a mistake, like at his hand
in his back pocket and accidentally did he ran and
picked up I think is oh told him it's not
a pedalty yet, it's about to be, and then waited
for the kickoff and then made him through the flag again.

Speaker 5 (29:46):
It was actually pretty good.

Speaker 2 (29:47):
That's funny.

Speaker 1 (29:47):
That's all right, let's not bury the lead. Logan wants
to talk about the defense too?

Speaker 2 (29:52):
Do I want to talk about everybody.

Speaker 5 (29:53):
Wants to talk about the defense?

Speaker 2 (29:54):
The hat, Oh, it's only for only for wins manly,
that's all I w I could take this more seriously,
that's right. That's right. Yeah. So I mean, you have
any specific questions about the defense, it's gonna go over there.

Speaker 5 (30:09):
So I think there's a lot to talk about it.

Speaker 2 (30:11):
So I think there's like this perception and fletch, you
can like disagree with me if you want, but like that,
it's all the explosive plays that they gave up over
the course of the game. And to me when I
went back and watched y'all twenty two, yes there were
explosive plays. There were chunk plays, no doubt, But I
think the thing that really kind of eroded the defense
was the five yard gain on first down. Yeah, here's
the choice route on second and five or third and

(30:34):
five that gets completed to you know, Drake London or
b John Robinson. And it wasn't like obviously it sticks out.
It's glaring, like the completion of Drake London on the
sideline and the you know, the the touch the big
completion of Bejon Robinson, and those are huge plays obviously,
but I think it was the other stuff, like you know,
watching the outside zone stuff back fletch, like watching how

(30:54):
close some of those runs where we get Kinlock kind
of you know, chin in the guard. He's trying to
play as his face, but then the last second kind
of peeks back door because Bijon set it up. The
double team just sinks a little bit, you know, gets
a piece of Bobby Wagner at the second level, and
Bijon just did such a good job of like hunting
and pecking falling forward for five. And like you know,

(31:14):
there wasn't a ton of explosive runs in the game.
There were a couple. I think there was one, you know,
down the red zone for his touchdown or whatever.

Speaker 1 (31:20):
But actually the Atlanta rush average was about under four
yards of carry and I believe it or not.

Speaker 5 (31:24):
I know people don't think of it.

Speaker 2 (31:25):
That way, but it was. But I think when you
look at and you say, like, man, like if you
could be a little bit more efficient versus that outside
zone run scheme, like you get more second and tens,
I think Joe Wood Junior could be more aggressive from
a pressure package. I also felt like Joe Wood Junior
to a sort of extent, like felt the loss of
Will Harris. You know, I think people sleep on what
he does from a communication standpoint. How he you know,

(31:47):
like again in the communication, the physicality, the tackling, the
man coverage ability on the tight end and kind of
overcoming that loss. I think it was a big deal
for him. But ultimately I came away thinking, man, it's
closer than it is far away, even though that doesn't
make it any less frustrating to kind of watch that
game back on the All twenty two.

Speaker 1 (32:05):
But I will say this and like, because people are
gonna hear closer than it is far away, I'll read
you the numbers of all of their stars because it
wasn't one person, right, so it's one thing when oh,
well Jon Robinson went off, Well he's an All Pro
running back and maybe the best running back in the NFL.

Speaker 2 (32:19):
So before before you go, so one of the things
that going in and I talked to Fletch about a pregame,
Mike he was the guy that I was most concerned
about because he's the toughest guy in the league in
my opinion, to match up with. He he's like the
toughest player. He is what Christian McCaffrey was five years ago,
right where he could win versus the linebacker, you can
win versus a safety shoot in some instances, I don't
mind him in a quarter situation.

Speaker 5 (32:38):
And we see him three years in a row outside
of their division.

Speaker 1 (32:41):
Teams were the ones that have seen every year he
gets better and better and better and better, and so.

Speaker 2 (32:44):
Like that to me is not surprising, like he's gonna
find They're gonna find ways to have an explosive opportunity
to him, because again, like it's the same thing you
run into and you have a good tight end, you're
gonna draw a bad coverage matchup, like you're gonna get
Like if if I'm Kyle Pitts or if I'm Bijon Robinson,
I'm gonna get Bobby. I'm gonna get Frankie Luvu and
those guys are good football players. But I'd show me

(33:05):
a linebacker in the NFL fletch. I'll wait if they
can cover him one on one. I don't think there
is one. Maybe maybe Warner up in San Francisco, but
he's gonna get his explosive plays. I think the other
players are a little bit more surprising, but we can
talk about them. But I just had to get that
off my chest about Jon Robinson, like he was gonna
have these opportunities. He's had opportunities since Week one until now,
so like it doesn't surprise me. It's just how the

(33:26):
offense was able to kind of flower with these other players.

Speaker 1 (33:29):
Yeah, do you want to say something about London, about
Bejon because, like I'm with Logan here, I think he
might be the best running back in the NFL going
right now. And guess what, those people are hard to stop.
So you want to you want to talk about Jon?

Speaker 3 (33:42):
What they what they did yesterday that they hadn't showed
a whole lot of Is they really utilized him in
the third down receiving game. That's they they they had
a great scheme change when they put the tight end
as the back as the block back and to in
case we brought pressure and they flexed him out. Basically

(34:04):
like as a wide receiver. He had a bunch of
different option routes things like that, and sometimes it might
have been against his own coverage and you're you're you're
having to they're high low on you, so you gotta
you're gonna you want him to throw the shot, the
shorter route so you don't give up the big throw,
and him and his loosiveness being able to make that
catch and pick up some some key third downs. I think,

(34:27):
I think, really that's where he probably made his the
most hay and I'm taking the that's seventy that's seventy
five yard or whatever it was.

Speaker 4 (34:35):
I can't even remember how many yards. That darn play was.

Speaker 3 (34:38):
The pass reception, the big one, but there was a
bunch of other plays that was just as backbreaking because
they happened on third down, like a third and five situations,
third and sixth situation where you think you're gonna get
off the field. And as I mentioned earlier, we had
been a number one ranked third down defense and they

(34:59):
were able to convert at over a fifty percent clip
on third downs and that's where I think you'll probably
go back. If you're Joe Whitten, say, hey man, maybe
we should could did some different things from a schematic standpoint,
not even schematic standpoint, just like okay, this is kind
of like okay, different answers to what the Falcons were doing.

(35:22):
And again, attention to details a little bit better, whether
it's from lever standpoint, just understanding situations down and this
is all those types of things. Those are things that
are the difference between you winning on the third down
losing on the third down.

Speaker 4 (35:37):
Logan you mentioned the.

Speaker 3 (35:39):
First first down plays against the outside zones. Hey, stand
in your gap a little bit longer. Don't let bijob
kind of dip in get you to get out of
your gap. Now now you allow those lining to get
angles on you. Stuff like that. So those are the
things when I talk about being been a great a
little bit greater attention to detail, a little bit more discipline,

(36:00):
especially when you got a special bat because they will
become their all blocker.

Speaker 4 (36:05):
You mentioned we even a dip and a dodge and
stuff like that.

Speaker 3 (36:08):
He was able to set up a lot of his
blocks because of his ability to get bounce in and.

Speaker 2 (36:13):
Out yeah, And I'm really glad to bote the third
down stuff because I think this team is kind of like,
I can't think of a better word, but like the
perfect third down team. What I mean of that is
they got a bunch of guys who can win one
on one matchups consistently, Like Kyle Petz, Strakelan and Bjon
Robinson are all guys you feel really good are going
to draw really really good matchups. And I think the
way they called this game like lends itself to that.

(36:36):
So like their third down stuff, they basically ran a
version of the same play like ten times nine and
a half. Right, I'm gonna give a half because they
kind of ran a half.

Speaker 4 (36:45):
Absolutely. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (36:46):
So they ran choice or CEO. So choice is like
the inside receiver gets to run in out or sit
down versus owne, and then the other side guy runs
a corner and a CEO. It's a mandatory out by
that guy running the choice. They ran that concept on repeat, right,
and it's just because you have guys who can run
the choice. Drake London's a great choice runner. He reminds
me a lot of Jordan reading that capacity. He reads

(37:06):
it well. He makes good decisions. He can win versus
man coverage. These are Robinson had a couple, Kyle Pitts
had a couple. A couple of Kyle Pitts's big completions
are on the choice route where he draws a good
leverage matchup on a guy breaking down on the choice
route and hit him in the corner over top. So
it wasn't like this crazy nuanced thing.

Speaker 3 (37:23):
But you got guys, here's the thing that here's the
thing that I will say too where there's a there's
also the disappointment and on the third down stuff. And
I would say even consistently throughout the day, the pass
rush was never really didn't really affect Pinix. So on
these choice routes, there's times where he's waiting to see

(37:46):
which way the back of the receiver's going to break.
But because he was so comfortable in the pocket, you
never he never really didn't get him off his spot enough,
didn't get him uncomfortable. He didn't feel enough pressure. I'm
a pass rush standpoint, So rushing covered. We talked so
much about rushing coverage working together. It wasn't. It wasn't

(38:06):
to the point and to the level that it needed
to be. I guess an offense with so many skilled receivers,
skilled guys that can go out and win one on
one matchups and man versus man and also you guys
guys who know how to find open lane, open holes
and zones.

Speaker 2 (38:25):
Yeah, and like again to piggyback on that pass rush point,
like you talked about, we haven't talked about Drake Lennon
let who had a really good day. Most of his
stuff has kind of been what it's been like near
the line of scrimmage except for that big out and
up and on that out and up, like Kyle Pennix
is hitch hitch throw. It's a three hitch thing, right,
And so when I look at that film, I'm kind

(38:45):
of like, you know, he's in a good position to
make the play here on the out right, which is
on the second hitch. So if I'm the dB, I'm
thinking the ball has got to be out, the rush
has to get home. And again that's just a really
good example of when it doesn't win the things that
play is talking about. When the rush doesn't like connect
fully with the coverage, you run into some of these
issues in the back end where the corners are going

(39:07):
to be more stressed zones are more stressed. We saw
that a little bit against Las Vegas last week, where
the rush doesn't quite get home. And I think we've
had a pretty consistent pass rush, especially when we're blitzing,
but when it doesn't hit zone stretch man coverage, pitch
principal stretch, and I don't care how good you are
on coverage, you're not going to win that one on
one matchup. So I think that's something that I would
just point to, is just like, for whatever reason, it

(39:27):
didn't seem to line up in a way that's going
to be effective. And you know, football is the ultimate
team game, Like you need both sides of that coin
to work really, really well to execute the defense the
way it needs to be excepted.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
I want to go back to one of the first
things you said, and it focuses on Bejon a little bit,
which is I kind of felt this way going in
Atlanta's one or two in four plus yards on first down.

Speaker 5 (39:48):
That's the Bejon effect.

Speaker 1 (39:49):
Right, He's just tough to stop and he puts them
in really good situations. Oddly, over the last few weeks
or the first few weeks of the season, Atlanta wasn't
taking advantage of that. They were one of the lowest
scoring teams of the league. They weren't finishing drives, and
only they can answer what in the world was going
on when they're in second and manageable on every set
of downs. Right, I felt like coming in if we could,

(40:09):
just because the Washington rushed events had been improved, starting
running backs ravaging under four yard to carry. They're not him, obviously,
but they're different. If these were two three yard gains
not four five yard gains, you could potentially induce more
passing out of them, and that ended up not mattering.
So both things were actually happening yesterday to your point,
when they did get into second and manageable took advantage

(40:30):
of it. But on a number of occasions second and
twelve plus okay, five times this happened, they converted on
four of them, and a fifth got a conversion because
of a defensive holding, So on both sides of it,
Washington did not have an answer for it.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
Yeah, and I do think there's some context associated with
that too, Like just for example, like let's take the
first one on this sheet. It's a second and seventeen,
they get fourteen yards. They're in Tampa two the Washington Commanders,
and they run basically lions. So like both slants week
and some type of spot concept to the offensive left,
so I think sit corner type type deal, and then
two slants to the offensive right in cover two. Like,

(41:09):
that's the call you want, is two slants right. Drake
Lindon is an excellent slant runner. That inside slant's gonna
pull that hook player away, He's gonna the outside center
is gonna inside release on the Cover two player who's
a flat player, and then gonna wash inside. There's no
nobody for that inside hook player to pass the ball
off too, because it's Tampa too. The MIC's dropping to
the middle third. So if I'm an offensive quarter, I'm like, yeah, man,

(41:30):
this is perfect. This is exactly what I want. It's third,
it was it, it's second and seventeen. I had a slant.
Let's say we get ten yards on a slant hymn
falling forward, it's third and seven. We're okay. Drake London's
a beast, He's a big dude. Ends up being a
more explosive play. And again, like that's good offensive play calling,
and that's that's a little.

Speaker 3 (41:48):
Bit just so that cover tune. I know, we we
rarely talk scheme, scheme, get real in detail.

Speaker 2 (41:57):
Yeah, actually.

Speaker 4 (42:00):
So much cover to in my life.

Speaker 3 (42:02):
You are praying for slants versus cover two if you
understand how to play it, especially in that situation. It's
a Again, this is a coaching point that they'll get to.

Speaker 4 (42:15):
You run those double slants.

Speaker 3 (42:16):
Hey, hook player, you let that first sat go to
to the backside player. Now I'm breaking on that outside slam,
So that's either collision or it's an interception. Now this again,
these are attention to detailed type of things that hey,
this is this happened. Now let's let's correct it. So
moving forward, we won't have these situations again. So no,

(42:39):
you shouldn't be getting ten yards on the on the slip.

Speaker 2 (42:41):
So what I'm saying headache. And so what I'm saying
is based on the formation. And because it's Tampa two,
the MIC is the thirds player, right, so the so
yeah yeah, so the SAM, the SAM has to push
to the three receiver side, right. So if the player
the way the way we were, the way we always

(43:02):
coach Lion like, which is the two or two slants,
is that you run through the inside shoulder of the
hook player, if the hooks, if the hook player vacates,
you stay vertical and basically runn a seam and the
quarterback will draw you on the ball. So like that's
where to me, like that concept feels right because you
that side is in conflict. If I run my routes
correctly and Drake London again versus Minnesota, they ran the

(43:24):
same concept on the second along.

Speaker 4 (43:26):
That should be a headache logan.

Speaker 2 (43:28):
But I'm saying, how do you get there? Fletch? You
can't get there. I know you're not Superman. You got
to drop to middle third and you're gonna give the
guy an ache.

Speaker 4 (43:34):
Come on, man, listen. If you're a if you're a
hook player, you're a hook player.

Speaker 3 (43:42):
You're you're responsible for two yards outside and number whatever
the case might be. That first slant, that inside slant,
the slot he goes, he's not your guy. Especially if
you're reading the quarterback. You're looking at that al cyberge,
You're looking at the release of the outset the number
one receiver. He runs a slant, that's an interception or
incompletion he's gonna get if it doesn't.

Speaker 2 (44:04):
That's what I'm saying is if you push through the slant,
the seams going to catch the ball. So it's a
to me, it's a good offense. So it's an inside slant. No, no,
but so the way. So let's listen, let's let's know
what I'm talking about. Fletch. Show the inside slant. So
the outside slants, running slant, the inside slant like on
a lion concept. Inside slant. I'm not taking it like.

(44:25):
I'm not taking it like a slant like where I'm
running at a forty five degree angle. All I'm doing
is running through the hook players inside shoulder. So the
second the hook player attaches to me, I've done my job.
We can throw the outside slant if the if that
player pushes through and the outside shoulder, I just I
just dude. Check it out, Fletch. Check out the all
twenty two baby, check it out. Offensive players. We got

(44:48):
the answers versus Cover two.

Speaker 3 (44:49):
Apparently I watched this. This is TAPA two dream. You
want double slats against uh cover two. You are going
to knock that number one receiver out interception or knock
him out.

Speaker 2 (45:03):
I'm just telling you, we run.

Speaker 5 (45:05):
I'm not sure you.

Speaker 4 (45:06):
Give me your offensive perspective.

Speaker 5 (45:08):
We're giving out the belt this week. I don't know
to who you or him. I haven't decided.

Speaker 3 (45:13):
Defensive perspective plan that scheme for sixteen years. I'm just
tell you I know what you want to do from
an office step point. I'm telling you what we how
we're coach to do it. From a defensive perspective.

Speaker 2 (45:30):
You're gonna squee's that at a.

Speaker 3 (45:33):
Corner and you're gonna you're gonna vice that. That should
be a headache. It should not be a ten yard game.
I'm sorry.

Speaker 1 (45:41):
All right, let me ask a global question again, okay,
and London, I want you to answer this now.

Speaker 4 (45:45):
You deal with that, Jason.

Speaker 1 (45:48):
Let me ask the the global question here, okay, because
you're gonna people are gonna look at the numbers today
and they're gonna go all right. John Robinson had a
huge day.

Speaker 4 (45:56):
You know.

Speaker 1 (45:56):
It's actually career high one hundred and eighty something yards
you know in total, four through the air, one of six,
especially including the big one. Michael Pennock's career high day
twenty twenty six, three thirteen, two touchdowns at the interception,
high quarterback rating Drake London by far best of the season,
eight for one ten He was averaging fifty three, had
his first touchdown catch of the season. Kyle Pitts five receptions,

(46:18):
seventy yards, touchdown. I think it's one thing when you hear, well,
one guy had this humongous day and he's an All
Pro player, and what are you going to do? Sometimes
they have days like that. But John Robinson might be
the best running back the NFL. It was everybody lud
did I mean it was You can't really point to
like they found ways for all of their key players
to contribute. So how are you kind of thinking about

(46:38):
that today?

Speaker 3 (46:40):
Everybody has playmakers. Man, you have to harp on the
details every especially I mean not not even especially defensive,
just offensively defensively. A lot of time logan you'll test
it is a lot of times the difference between a
play band successful and unsuccessful or not as successful as
it could be. It might be a small, like minute detail,

(47:03):
whether it's when I say my new detail, just making
sure you have your proper leverage, maintain your proper leverage.
I understand what the weakness is of defense. If I'm
supposed to stay outside leverage, stay outside leverage. If they
beat me on the end breaking route, you just take
your hat off and say, hey, you beat me, but
don't get beat to what should be your strength of

(47:24):
that defense. If it's certain calls, you're going to have
a leverage. Every call has a certain leverage that you're
supposed to play. I discipline. Hey, whether it's a knowing
if you're when you can jump, when you can jump
a certain route, when you can't jump a certain route,
when you need to play tighter from a down and
distance standpoint, whether it's a certain situation on football, all

(47:44):
these things come into play that are the difference between
you winning a down, losing it down, getting off the field,
or allowing that team to extend a drive from a
defense standpoint or from an office standpoint.

Speaker 4 (47:58):
Hey, make it sure.

Speaker 3 (48:00):
It might be your line as standpoint, might be the
depth of a certain route to just draw draw the
attention of a of a hook defender or its own
defender or whatever to open up an end breaker route.
Things like that, those are the thing that you really
have to harp in, hop on and hone it to
even more. It isn't wins and losses is just more

(48:20):
glaring when you lose a ball game.

Speaker 2 (48:23):
No, I think that's right. I mean Ultimately, that's what
you come back to, is like what, like what's the
simplest thing we can do to make a big correction
and a lot of it like even like like I
understand the run game really well coverages sometimes, like you know,
I've got some type of match prints on the back side.
It looks like it's covered through you know what I mean.
I don't know exactly the details, but when you look
at the just as a run game as a microcosm
of the whole defense. For example, it's like you're like,

(48:45):
what is your leverage on the block? Like where should
your hat be in relation to this blocker? Where am
I trying to force the football? And I see guys
as you watch the course of the game, it's not
guys aren't trying. It's in some cases they're overtrying. They're
not playing within the context of the defense. And it
leads to the five yard gain twelve yard gain as
opposed to being attacked for loss. And it's that it's

(49:05):
again focusing on like I had a coach tell me
one time, like sometimes when you get out there and
things are going really faster, like what do I need
to do to get it right? But it shouldn't be that.
It's like, I know what it is. I need to
shrink my aiming point, shrink my focus, focus on the details,
and it gets you there. And so it's interesting like
talking about the Drake Lendon statistics, like what was it
a forty five yard completion that he had on the

(49:26):
end up, Like you take that out and he's like,
write at his normal average for the week, Yeah, seven
for about fifty And so that's where like he did
what he did prior to this, plus an explosive play
that we just talked about where the rush and the
courage on. Yeah, and we and we're talking about you know,
Kyle Pitts and we and I think I talked to
Fletch about this pregame, like I felt like he was

(49:47):
coming along and looking good. But some of those are
literally like some of them are him beating man coverage
and he's gonna win those. Some of those are also
just communication errors of new guys working together a defense.
So going back to Utch's point, the very.

Speaker 3 (49:59):
First actually had was a communication yeah between the young
guy and uh, you know another safety. So that's just yeah,
them them communication that you can get corrected.

Speaker 2 (50:09):
So going back to the fletch is the original point.
It's like, how can I how can I be on
every detail in the run game. How can I make
sure this communication is cleaning the past game? Because they're,
like we just talked about they're going to get theirs,
Like they're a good football team, they got good athletes,
they've got a pretty solid offensive line up front, Like
they're going to make plays. But how do I mitigate
the plays that they do make? How do I rally

(50:31):
to a tackle? Like you know, on Vijon Robinson's touchdown,
Like there's two there's a free hitter in the hole
who's trying to play the ball. That's right, It's like,
let's make the tackle. Let's go back to the thing
we did when we were in pop.

Speaker 1 (50:42):
Worter Yea and Algier in the backfield he scored a touchdown.

Speaker 2 (50:44):
Yeah, well, and so I look at some of that
stuff and those are the things that take you from man,
that's a pretty solid defensive performance to the conversation we're
having now, which is a lot more frustrating.

Speaker 1 (50:53):
Yeah, And this was really, absolutely, absolutely the first game
where the team had multiple opportunities to turnover balled it
and bounced their way a few times. They did get
one takeaway finally waited a month for it, but there
was an early fumble by Vijon that Pennix happened to
be in the right place at the right time was
able to get it back. The ball is out for
both teams a number of times in the first half,
but there was opportunities here for turnovers, and that's the

(51:16):
quickest way I think to change momentum too.

Speaker 5 (51:17):
It did not happen.

Speaker 1 (51:18):
And there's one other play I just kind of want
to bring up because I one, I want to laud
Jeremy Reeves for the hustle on it, but it's a
momentum play too. When Bajeon Robinson caught that pass out
of the backfield was streaking down the sideline, I didn't
think anybody could catch him. He was gone right Reeves
sprinted fifty sixty yards the opposite direction had caught him

(51:38):
inside the ten. This is the moment, momentum wise. I
think if the defense stands up and stops them and
holds them to three, it's a huge, huge, huge.

Speaker 5 (51:47):
Moment in the game.

Speaker 1 (51:48):
The very next play is a touchdown. Yeah, it was
one of those moments, like I felt it like we're
going to look back on this that Jeremy Reeves saved
the game if they hold him to three here. But
they did, and they just could never really find defensively
the momentum even when they had these like I know
that was a terrible play at a big chunk play,
but Reeves saved what looked like a surefire touchdown on

(52:10):
a hustle play. Unfortunately they couldn't back it up with
a stop in the red zone.

Speaker 2 (52:14):
Yeah, and as a fan of football, like I love
that play at Fletch, Like I got like that. Those
are the plays that you like when you watch in
games that you love to watch. Is Jeremy Reeves making
that play?

Speaker 5 (52:24):
But the one we go back to and go that
saved the game?

Speaker 2 (52:26):
Right?

Speaker 4 (52:26):
But he did that.

Speaker 2 (52:27):
But I think the thing is, like we were then
that's the first piece, right, you took a bad play,
you saved it. You gave the defense an opportunity in
a gold to go situation to kind of make a stand.
They got to make a play right, right, And you
look at some of the details and that on that
next play, like that's a play that Green Bay ran
against us, right, you know what I'm saying In terms

(52:47):
of like we're kind of slamming the tight end the
safeties and run conflict. He's flipping the inside gap off
the play action fag the tight ends to the flat
Like those are things that I think, again to Fletch's point, detail,
like how detail hell can I be with my eyes?
How can I study film and watch to make sure
that I'm in the right position that I've seen this before?
And so I think those are things where it's like, yes,

(53:08):
the Reefs play was tremendous, like love that play by him,
but it needs to set up three subsequent plays that's right,
that allowed the defense to finish that.

Speaker 1 (53:16):
And this is where that field goal feels terrible for
Atlanta if it ends up happening and hopefully flips the
momentum for everybody. It's a flip the momentum moment. Unfortunately,
thirty seconds later they're walking in the end zone.

Speaker 5 (53:26):
Anyway, Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 (53:28):
Yeah, that play right there.

Speaker 3 (53:30):
I know it didn't turn out where we end up
stopping them, but that's the play that you hold your
you you show that you showed a hustle part of
it the rest of the year, like this is who
we can be and you defend Nick Lebo, who was
a Hall of Fame. He's a Hall of Famer as
a player, could go on in the Hall of Fame

(53:50):
as a as a defense coordinator, one of the greatest
defense COORDINATORD, the greatest defense of mine I've ever been around.
He talked about he talked all the ways about in
every blade of grass, and basically what he's saying is,
until they cross our end zone, I don't care if
it's the one millimeter yard line or whatever they came in,

(54:11):
We're going to defend every blade of grass. And that
hustle play that Jeremy Reeves had put us in position
to Yeah, this was explosive play. But now let's see
if we can hold him to a field goal, and yeah,
we don't want to give up any points, but at
least we're holding to three as opposed to seven. And
to your point, Atlanta, they did a nice job scheming

(54:33):
up some plays and there will be things where you
might say, hey, let's let's all right, this is the
tweak we'll make so we don't have these type of
conflicts things like that. So there's so much things that
you can do that you from a d saying okay,
what can we do differently and often as well? Hey,
all right, this block may be a little bit better
against this type of front, so they'll be they'll be

(54:56):
tweaks to improve in all those areas.

Speaker 2 (54:58):
Yeah, And I think that's the one thing that I
take away is like, was it clean? Was it pretty?

Speaker 4 (55:02):
No?

Speaker 2 (55:02):
But the great thing about the league, though, the worst
thing and the greatest thing about the NFL is that
we get an opportunity to get right today. You know
what I'm saying. We get an opportunity as a team
to go make those corrections and watch that film and
get better and say, man, like, this isn't who we
want to be, This isn't who I want to be
as a player. And I don't have to wait six
months for the next game. I just have to wait
a week. We get to go to La play a
really good football team and test our metal and make

(55:24):
sure we get the corrections made right. So in some ways,
like it feels like, oh my gosh, there's so much
to correct, But on some of the stuff we're talking about,
we're talking about little detailed stuff that can get corrected
in a practice, in a meeting, And I think like
that's the thing as a player, as an analyst, as
a fan that I get super excited about. I'm like, yeah,
this was gross, but ultimately, like, the great thing is
we get a chance to prove everybody wrong here in

(55:46):
six days, which is the thing that is really cool
about the league.

Speaker 1 (55:49):
I listen, things change really quickly. I mean, after that
game against Green Bay, would you have pictured them one
and one in their next to against Dallas and Cleveland.
I don't think anybody would have seen it coming. And
the reality is they're two and two. Like nothing's been
settled here.

Speaker 2 (56:04):
The commanders you're saying, yes, they're two and.

Speaker 1 (56:06):
Two, And I like, these losses are hard, They're all hard.
The green Bay one was hard, all of these we
all feel them. They're hard. But they're two and two.
There's it's September. There's a real long they're not on four.
There's a long, long, long way to go here. And
I wouldn't even describe it that they're in a hole
they can't get out of.

Speaker 5 (56:22):
They're far from anything like that.

Speaker 2 (56:25):
Yeah, And I don't know one of the things too,
Like I think back to that twenty twelve season Fletch
and like some of the adversity early in the year,
because what were we three and six or something going
in the bye week? Is that right? Do you remember that.

Speaker 5 (56:35):
When you went on the run with Robert?

Speaker 4 (56:37):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (56:37):
Yeah, kare and six. A lot of that taught the
coaching staff taught the players, like the level of detail
that would be required to be good and win against
good football teams, and so like, it didn't feel good,
but we did a lot of self reflection. We learned
a lot, and we were ultimately able to like become
something more than some of our parts because of the

(56:58):
adversity we face. So I'm not saying again they're in
this disastered hole, but sometimes like flesh and speak to
this better than me because he played for sixteen years.
But sometimes those losses, man, they make the learning that
much more acute and that much more specific, And so
you're not going to forget it the next time.

Speaker 4 (57:13):
Oh, you definitely don't.

Speaker 3 (57:14):
And even just think about this, even if we were
had we won that game, we're three and one. You
still got so much more football left, and we feel better.
We feel better about Booth reviewing. Logan will have his
hat on, not have have the giving it out, But
you still we still be just three and one. Need
to go win the ball game against the eve La Chargers.

(57:36):
And that's the beauty of this game is you get
an opportunity. Now at some point you're going to run
out of opportunities. But with the with Q and the
way they run their operation, the coaches, the players, and
the accountability, I'm a thousand percent convinced that we will
get our ball correct. We will be a really good

(57:58):
football team and every facet in every phase of the
football field.

Speaker 2 (58:03):
And it's so funny, and it's so funny. How many
times have you seen a three and one team like Melt,
you know, Melt through the mid season and not figured
out missed the playoff it did. Like this is so early,
so it depends, I think to Fletch's point, like I
trust this staff, I trust this organization that they're gonna
be like this is a learning moment and we will
get better, just like they came out of the Green
Bay game and we're better against Las Vegas. I think

(58:24):
this is the same type of thing. How do we
get better moving forward?

Speaker 1 (58:27):
The team that they're playing this weekend is three and one.
They just lost their second tackle. That's Crez this summer.
I don't think Joel who knows. I don't know what
exactly is, but Rashaun Slater's out for the year. Joel
just got hurt in New York yesterday. Najie Harris is
already out for the year. So they're dealing with injuries too,
like everybody else. They're three and one right now. People
looked at them like they see the hot start. You

(58:47):
know what division they're in. Things change, like things really
for everybody.

Speaker 5 (58:51):
Thanks changing.

Speaker 1 (58:52):
In fact, yesterday, name the person who thought they were
going to lose to the Giants, you know, like things
could change very quickly.

Speaker 2 (58:57):
Cow about the Baltimore Ravens man not on my Bengo
cards coming into the season, like one and three like that.

Speaker 1 (59:04):
Granted they've played the Lions, Bills, and Chiefs, but they
got two of them on the road.

Speaker 5 (59:08):
Okay, schedule as anybody.

Speaker 2 (59:10):
They got thumped by the Chiefs though, you know what
I'm saying, and that's not what I would have expected
from that team. But again, like that applies to them too.
A lot of football still left to go and people
want to like, you know, crown and light people on
fire at this time of year, and we still got
a lot of game, a lot of opportunity.

Speaker 1 (59:25):
I mean a week ago everybody had the Colts in
the Super Bowl, so it'll get it, like right, you
know so, and then then they lost, yes, right, so
we do have a long way to go.

Speaker 5 (59:33):
It's two and two, all right, everybody.

Speaker 1 (59:35):
Hopefully next week we'll be doing a victorious one at
the Angel with the hat and the belt. We'll all
be tired, dude as well, all right, first West Coast
trip of the year next week.

Speaker 5 (59:44):
That'll do it for the Booth Review.

Speaker 4 (59:45):
Receive next time.

Speaker 1 (59:47):
Booth Review was filmed at the Big Bear AI Command
Center Studio. Big Bear AI offers mission ready AI for
a rapidly evolving world, proudly protecting the Washington Commanders and
its fans.