- 5 weeks ago
Grant & Danny discuss all of the issues prevalent on the offensive line, and they try to figure out the fix.
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00:00Commander's offensive line's a problem.
00:02It was a problem, and the only preseason action they got
00:04is a starting group against the Detroit Lions.
00:07Two dropbacks, a pressure incomplete throwaway, and a sack.
00:11And then today, apparently the O-line and pass pro group
00:13got their doors blown off by the Baltimore Ravens.
00:15So the question then becomes, if you're Adam Peters,
00:18what do you do, how do you fix it?
00:19I want to go down the line, though, really quickly
00:21and just take inventory on the five guys.
00:25Left tackle Brandon Coleman.
00:27Isn't it interesting that we have not really talked
00:29that much about Coleman being an issue since the Tunsil injury?
00:33Because if you're an out-of-towner Ravens beat guy
00:36I saw saying this today, a lot of national people are saying,
00:38since the Tunsil injury, the Commanders are really having O-line problems.
00:42And I can see how you would jump from one lily pad to the other there.
00:46Everyone heard that Tunsil was one of the best tackles on the planet,
00:49got hurt 10 days ago or whatever, two weeks ago,
00:51and now they have O-line problems.
00:54I'm not telling you that Brandon Coleman's going to the Pro Bowl
00:56are going to be an All-Pro or he's a world beater.
00:58But I actually think he's been pretty solid.
01:00In the one-on-one reps today, I got to see video of a bunch of the one-on-one
01:03reps.
01:04He might have been their best in one-on-ones.
01:06He was very stout in practice today.
01:10I didn't watch it, wasn't there.
01:12Based on all the tweets, this guy just got beat, this guy got torched.
01:15I saw one mention that Coleman had a bad play that would have led to a sack,
01:20which over the course of a game is going to color how someone views your game.
01:24But I would say Coleman is higher on the list than he is lower
01:28on the guys that you feel okay about on this line.
01:31Chris Paul, the jury's very much still out.
01:33Hit free agency, didn't have a lot of interest, came back here,
01:36and was being pushed by Coleman, who might have ended up starting over him
01:38if Tunsil didn't get hurt.
01:40Center, we've talked about a ton.
01:42That's the disaster area right now with Allegretti out.
01:45Right guard, Sam Cosme did not practice today.
01:48This is a very, very important caveat to this conversation.
01:50He's their best lineman.
01:52He is their stonewalled, entrenched, Pro Bowl caliber guy.
01:57He makes everything around him better.
01:59He was not out there today.
02:00So they were using guards that may not even be on the 53-man roster
02:04against starters for the Ravens a ton.
02:06And then at right tackle, you've got Connerly,
02:08who I think is a super important player in all of this.
02:11Connerly has not had a banner camp.
02:13Connerly has not turned into yet the Pro Bowl right tackle that they need him to.
02:20This is the essential part of this year.
02:22The anchors, at this point, last year it's forgivable that Josh Connerly
02:26is getting his feet wet and it's up and down.
02:28It should be up and down.
02:29End of the first round.
02:30Yeah, every once in a while you get a guy at the back end of the first round.
02:33I can't remember exactly where Tristan Wirfs went.
02:34I think he was right around 20.
02:36Took him a second.
02:37Now he's one of the best tackles in football.
02:38But their groin pains are fine.
02:41This is supposed to be the, we got one, year.
02:44Like, you saw some signs as a rookie.
02:46Now it's Ian Tunsil or the bookends.
02:48You could fill in in between and it kind of doesn't really matter.
02:50That hasn't been the case.
02:52So that's the part probably that's, I don't want to say most concerning
02:56because the center position's on fire.
02:58Like, that's the actual conflagration.
03:00But kind of the 1A story should be, and it's not, Connerly.
03:04Because I just think things would be different if you didn't have to, you know,
03:07worry and account for him and, you know, make sure that Bates is over there
03:11just to keep him company.
03:12You're right.
03:13It's been the fact that Coleman is solid.
03:15Because that's, you and I said this when Tunsil went down, you're ceiling lowered.
03:18But Coleman is fine.
03:19He's always fine.
03:21Like, they seem to want to do better at a couple different spots.
03:23That's their prerogative.
03:24That's their right.
03:25But every time Brandon Coleman plays, it's fine.
03:27And that's kind of who he is.
03:28He's my, ironically, the guy I'm least concerned about other than Cosme.
03:32So here's my analogy for this as I think about this.
03:35I remember the first time my wife went out with her friends after we had our fourth,
03:41okay?
03:41And the baby was, like, the most baby you could baby.
03:43Mm, she's a little bit.
03:44And she was going out for a very short time, going around the corner with friends,
03:49probably an hour.
03:50She doesn't trust me to do anything correctly, by the way.
03:52And I remember, like, this baby won't stop crying, just wailing, doesn't take the bottle,
03:58everything is terrible.
04:00And my daughter, who's seven, at the time was six, and she, like, came into the room.
04:04She'd been very good.
04:05No issues.
04:06And she started whimpering about something and doing baby talk.
04:09And I remember looking at her and going, not you.
04:12Not tonight.
04:14You are a big girl.
04:15You're a big kid.
04:16The baby is going to take all of my attention.
04:19Everything I got is going to go into this baby tonight, right?
04:22You can't be the one to give me problems.
04:24I need you to help me.
04:25You're my co-pilot, whatever I said.
04:27And my point is, Josh Connerly, dude, I can't have to worry about you right now.
04:34I drafted you in the first round.
04:36You got baptized last year.
04:39You see where I'm going with this?
04:39Yes, I do.
04:40I have to.
04:41There's a hole in the dam right now.
04:42Exactly.
04:43I can't have you not man the port colors.
04:45I am putting out a fire at center.
04:48It is a raging inferno.
04:50I've got my mask on.
04:52I've got my helmet on.
04:53I'm running up the steps with my little shovel.
04:56You're a Baldwin brother in backdraft, bro.
04:58Backdraft.
04:59I am running up the steps to put this fire out.
05:02And by the way, I already know that there are embers smoldering.
05:06It's not a fire yet, but it could turn into one at left guard probably.
05:10I'm also dealing with the left tackle thing.
05:12I happen to like Brandon Coleman.
05:13Maybe there won't be a fire.
05:15But I used to have nothing to worry about in that room.
05:18And now I do.
05:19So listen up, Josh Connerly.
05:22Sam Cosme can't be the only one that's Ronco.
05:25Set it and forget it.
05:26I need two of those guys right now.
05:29I need you to grow up.
05:30It's remember the Titans when Herman Boone told Sunshine Ronnie Bass, I think, you know,
05:36that when his mom passed away, he had 12 brothers and sisters and they were all looking up to him
05:42and he had to take over.
05:44And then they're like, really?
05:45Is that true?
05:45I thought it was eight.
05:46I thought you had six brothers and sisters.
05:48It sounded better.
05:50Whatever.
05:51I need Josh Connerly to grow up real quick, real fast and play really good football.
05:57I need him to have his, what is it, a bar mitzvah?
06:00What's like the coming of age thing?
06:02Yeah, that's the one.
06:03I need that right now from this guy immediately because I can't worry about another position.
06:08I did the thing I was supposed to do.
06:10I drafted you in the first round.
06:11I've developed you for a year and a half.
06:14You've got to go play good football.
06:15Like right now, it's time.
06:17And that kind of changes the balance of things.
06:20Because to your point, and you've made this over the years because we've seen some really
06:23smart offensive minds come through here.
06:25You can coach around a deficiency, right?
06:28Like there are games where Trent Williams missed, whether it was early in his career,
06:32marijuana suspension or a couple injuries here and there.
06:34And it'd be Ty and Secchi or it'd be somebody else.
06:36You could fill in.
06:37You could coach around something.
06:39There are a certain series of plays where, okay, we'll have maybe one less receiver early in the route.
06:44It's a chip with a tight end or we'll go jumbo with an extra offensive lineman and do this, that,
06:48and the other.
06:49There's a lot of things that you can do around a deficiency.
06:51You can't coach around multiple deficiencies to a high level, right?
06:58You can sort of do it knowing that you're going to punt a lot.
07:01But it's different if it's just, hey, one lineman isn't as strong or you've got to back up here.
07:06We can't be quite as dynamic.
07:07You can't reach the second level.
07:08But if you've got a problem at, if this is the case, center, right tackle, left guard, it's now all
07:14of a sudden more than we're coaching.
07:16You're now coaching for your life.
07:17It's different than coaching around something.
07:19This is, oh my God, nothing on this big IHOP play sheet looks good anymore.
07:23We can't order.
07:23You keep crossing out plays because you can't run that one because of that position.
07:26That takes too long.
07:27That takes too little time.
07:28He can't get there.
07:29What do we do?
07:29The evidence is just mounting.
07:31And I promise you guys, as you drive in your cars, listening to this show, and the real ones who
07:38have been around long enough to know,
07:40I'm not one of these dudes who wants to scream into a megaphone town crier style that there's a fire.
07:46Like, that's not how I operate.
07:47I'm very calm.
07:49This time of year, it's really hard to move me to any kind of nervousness or emotion or whatever.
07:55But the returns are not good.
07:57If this is election night, and I'm a campaign manager, and I'm sitting there, the race isn't getting called for
08:05a few hours.
08:06Okay?
08:06So it's not devastating yet.
08:08But I just got a exit poll that says that most of the people who are like the folks that
08:14are voting don't like me very much.
08:16It's a bad indicator at like 6.15 p.m.
08:19Yeah, that campaign party.
08:20It's playing music, but nobody's dancing.
08:21Listen, this is not going well.
08:24Right.
08:24I'm finding out that in a town where everyone has a beard, only 27% of people in the exit
08:32polls that have beards say that they like me.
08:35That's a damaging blow.
08:36And enough of that keeps piling up on my desk.
08:39I'm going to start thinking maybe when the votes come in, it could be an L for me.
08:44And each of these joint practices, preseason, three-snap game against the Lions, these are indicators.
08:52These are exit polls.
08:54Let's go to Cade in L.A. on the fan.
08:56What's up, Cade?
08:57How are you?
08:58Hey, how's it going, Grant?
09:00Danny, always an honor to talk to you guys.
09:01Hey, I just want to address a couple of things.
09:05So we're always thinking of targets being the main subject, and so I was kind of just thinking of potential
09:10targets that could be suitable options for Washington going forward.
09:14One I have is Olu Oluwatini, who's the backup for Seattle, and he's actually a DMV guy.
09:20And I think he would fit pretty well in the David Blau offense.
09:24Also looking at Lloyd Cushenberry, who's technically was hired to be the backup for Conor McGovern as he nurses an
09:31injury, and Jarrett Patterson.
09:33And this kind of all stems from how Dan Quinn has handled the center position.
09:40I don't really like that we had Julian Good-Jones playing starting center reps with Jayne Daniels for so long
09:47just for Goldman to be switched back and forth from guard.
09:51And I don't know.
09:53I just don't like how the interior of this line is panning out.
09:57And I think while we're all talking about center, we're kind of getting lost in the fact that Chris Paul
10:03has not looked good.
10:05Kind of hence why he's only got $3 million from us this offseason, because nobody else took him.
10:12So this is kind of my point.
10:14Sorry to cut you off, Cade.
10:15It's a good phone call.
10:16Well, if we're just doing a binary confidence meter, I'm extremely confident.
10:22Binary one, yes, check on Sam Cosme.
10:26I would even be willing.
10:27I think I'm alone walking into this cave with my lantern.
10:30But I'm willing to go in and check the box on Brandon Coleman at left tackle and say, I feel
10:36fine with him at left tackle.
10:37Yeah.
10:38I'm not doing that at center.
10:39I'm not doing that at right tackle.
10:41Maybe I'm in the minority there, but I haven't seen enough yet.
10:43What are you doing at left guard?
10:45Do you have a lantern?
10:46Are you going into the cave right now?
10:48I don't think I can say with confidence.
10:51After free agency spoke, here's what's rumbling around in my head.
10:57I was starting to be told and hear whispers from people in Ashburn.
11:02And when I say people, I'm talking about like team folks, not just like a guy at practice, right?
11:07That Brandon Coleman might overtake Chris Paul to start at guard.
11:10That that could be the way it was trending as a plan.
11:12And then he had to move to tackle.
11:14Well, if that was happening, why?
11:16Is it just that Coleman's that much better that he had that great of a year since being benched for
11:20Paul last year?
11:22Or is it a Paul thing?
11:23And when I see how they performed and I see how free agency went and then he came back and
11:27it didn't pay him a whole lot on another one year deal.
11:31There's enough reason for me to think maybe it has something to do with Paul, too.
11:34Are you allowing?
11:36Again, I'm in Dan Quinn speak mode.
11:38Are you allowing any space in this conversation for in that space in that space to go to go?
11:43Well, let's let's throw a good take on this that.
11:48There still needs a little bit.
11:49We still need a little bit more time here.
11:51This isn't just a talent issue, because as soon as everyone's a little bit more comfortable in this scheme, they're
11:57there.
11:57You know, if let's say Paul right now is a three out of 10, but in in a month, he'll
12:02be a five and a half.
12:03And that doesn't sound like much, but it's but it's infinitely better.
12:05Well, I don't think I guess my answer succinctly would be yes, but I don't think they should be going
12:11out and trying to add a new starter at various positions.
12:15Connerly, it needs to work out.
12:16He's a first round.
12:17That one has to work.
12:17I mean, you don't you don't go upgrade like in this second right now.
12:21Could DJ Humphries play a better right tackle than Josh Connerly?
12:25I don't know the answer to that, but if the answer which is alarming, by the way, if the answer
12:29is yes.
12:29OK, let's just say in a world where it's yes, I still wouldn't play him there because Josh Connerly developing
12:35is the most important thing.
12:36And I think there's a world where he ends up being outstanding, where he ends up being a 12 year
12:40right tackle, excellent athlete.
12:42And he is one of the better players on the team.
12:44And he's a second, third contract guy.
12:46But they shouldn't be trying to upgrade that.
12:48I wouldn't be hunting for a new starting left guard right now.
12:51I guess if something presented itself and like bumped into me, I wouldn't hate it.
12:55But I would be fine.
12:56Like, it's one position.
12:57The problem is, as the caller just said, when it's it's just one position turns into four positions.
13:03Yep.
13:03You know, I don't think they should try to sign Decker over Coleman.
13:06I'm fine with that.
13:07I don't think they necessarily should get a left guard over Paul.
13:10I'm fine with him.
13:11The one area where they do need someone that's not on the roster is center.
13:14And whether that's Allegretti and whoever gets cut that they bring in here or just that guy and Allegretti is
13:19not back and that guy starts, fine.
13:21But I would sign a starting center caliber player to push Allegretti or maybe start when he gets back, whatever,
13:28until he gets back.
13:29And I think otherwise, you're kind of back to your question, hoping that those other guys come along.
13:36Connelly's got the potential.
13:37Paul was a top five graded pass blocker via PFF last year among all guards.
13:43And that's why I bring that up, because I wonder how much is this is a slow learning curve, and
13:47that's why Coleman overtook him.
13:49You know, listen, these guys work hard in the offseason, obviously, but I don't know that Coleman went to get
13:54good at guard camp and all of a sudden became a better guard than Chris Paul overnight.
13:58Again, everybody's working.
14:00I'm sure he's a lot better because, remember, he hadn't played a ton of guard.
14:03He's now had a year to work at it.
14:04He's a good football player.
14:06Sure.
14:06Stands to reason he could overtake.
14:07And so that could happen, but my guess is the thing that's pushing him is because different things are being
14:13asked of these linemen that maybe last year fit Paul better and this year might fit Coleman better.
14:18That, to me, was my first thought.
14:20And I'm sure Coleman worked at it and improved, but is it to the point now where, you know, Paul
14:26was up, again, I'm making these numbers up, a six out of ten in Kingsbury scheme and is up two
14:32out of ten in Blouse.
14:33I have no idea.
14:34I mean, someone much smarter than me who breaks down tape could tell me why, or if that's bogus, that's
14:38nonsense.
14:38But Coleman maybe seemed to be a better fit.
14:40Now he's got to play tackle and you're like, hey, we loved y'all along, Chris.
14:44You've always been our guy, left guard.
14:46It may be that it's just not a fit, and it may be that they could go into free agency
14:50and sign a Zeitler or a Beckton or somebody like that.
14:53My other question would be, going back to center for a second,
14:59we keep saying, this guy's available, or you could sign this player.
15:05Should Adam Peters just make a trade for a decent center?
15:08I would.
15:08You know, a pretty good one.
15:10Now, those guys aren't always available, and maybe you'd have to pick a quality center on a really bad team.
15:15This late in the game, I think it's hard to get a, I'm just making this up, like a Browns
15:19team or somebody,
15:20to give up a center going into the year, even if they already know they're not going to be very
15:23good
15:24or they're in the beginning of a rebuild.
15:25The Dolphins are one of these teams that's going to be picking in the top five in the NFL.
15:30But if you give up a mid-round pick and you get a solid center, is it a game changer?
15:36It is important enough a season, I think, for Peters, for Quinn, for Daniels,
15:41and especially for Daniels in year three, that I think it is well worth doing that.
15:46I know they don't want to be in the business of continually just giving up picks,
15:50for now, but if they feel like, I don't know how they feel.
15:54I know what the feeling is among the media today.
15:57I know what the feeling is among a lot of fans, but that doesn't matter.
16:00How does the team feel?
16:01Maybe they think they're fine at center.
16:03If they feel like the center position could derail the early part of their season,
16:07then you probably need to make a trade.
16:09It's not good enough to just say, we'll find a guy that gets cut, a Noah Brown type,
16:13that's a fringe roster guy.
16:15You might need to give up a third or fourth round pick or something
16:18and go get a guy that's started a lot of games recently.
16:20Which you don't want to do, again, to come to your point,
16:23but you have to find that sweet spot.
16:24Again, it takes two to tango.
16:26You trade for a guy that's a starter, but the team that you're trading to goes,
16:31you know what, we've got a young draft pick or a backup
16:33that may be able to take a spot and do just as well.
16:35We're better off long-term with the backup and your fourth rounder
16:39or and Luke McCaffrey or and somebody that we think could help us
16:43from your organization.
16:44That's hard.
16:45Or you go get the backup, right?
16:46You go get the guy that isn't going to play for them,
16:48that they're willing to part with.
16:50Tim's waiting in Alexandria.
16:51It's Grant and Danny on the fan.
16:53Tough day for the commander's offensive line
16:55in a joint practice against the Ravens.
16:57Tim, what's up?
17:00Hey, guys.
17:01Thanks for taking my call.
17:02Can you hear me?
17:02Yes.
17:04Yeah.
17:05My question is, it's kind of a comment,
17:07but it's kind of double-clicking on some of the things you've said,
17:09but especially in light of the narrative that Tyler Lindemann was overpaid
17:15or grossly overpaid,
17:17should we be putting more of a priority on the center position?
17:20In 42 years of being a fan,
17:22I've never heard of a team season being derailed this early by a center being out.
17:27Agreed there.
17:28You know, maybe a left tackle, maybe a running back.
17:30And it's a little bit,
17:32almost seems like organizational malpractice in some way to go into this.
17:37Like, the season with a center position this thin,
17:41and there's nobody available to fill it.
17:44I mean, a left tackle, we lost probably,
17:47but like you said earlier, nobody's talking about Coleman.
17:51Nobody's really talking about that position being the one that needs to get upgraded.
17:55So I just, I don't know, just curious as far as roster construction goes,
17:59maybe we should be paying more for centers.
18:01Well, it's an awesome question.
18:02Yeah, that's cool.
18:03Well, that's where I come back to,
18:06I don't think we know exactly what the problem is yet.
18:09I think we're still dissecting, like, why the water pressure is low.
18:12We haven't found the rock in the pipe just yet.
18:14But if their O-line is in shambles solely because of the center problem,
18:19then you're right.
18:20You can't then tell me at the same time,
18:22center's the fifth most important and just doesn't matter that much.
18:25Because I know that that is how a lot of teams view it now.
18:28Feels like maybe they're one of those teams based on the offseason.
18:31But when I covered the Redskins from 10 to 13 with Mike Shanahan,
18:36the amount of times that they would talk about guards,
18:39like they're just furniture in the room.
18:42They're water boys.
18:43I mean, it was 150 times where I'd be like, but what about this?
18:46They got Corey Lichtensteiger, who was 30 pounds underweight
18:49and hadn't played in a year or whatever.
18:51He was out of the league.
18:52They had him in Denver as a guy that they liked in their zone blocking scheme a little bit.
18:55And so they just called him, and he was like the first move they made.
18:58And he was their guard.
18:59And next thing you know, he was supplanting,
19:01I can't remember who it was that he was like splitting time with almost immediately.
19:05Derek Dockery.
19:06Draft pick out of Texas?
19:07Yeah.
19:07It was like a big dude, former third-round pick, really good career.
19:10And they knew what they wanted.
19:12And they just didn't think guards were that important.
19:13They needed to be able to move laterally.
19:15He could be a little undersized and quick.
19:16They wanted to pull you and get you in space.
19:18They just did not prioritize the position they weren't going to spend on it.
19:21Remember the famous Jay Gruden quote?
19:23We got one guy that we drafted that we hit in the first round, and it's a guard.
19:26Guard.
19:27In like this disrespectful way.
19:28Yeah.
19:29So that's how the league viewed guards 10, 12 years ago, right?
19:32That's changed now.
19:33But I do think to some extent it's how the league views center a little bit.
19:36Because on almost every play, you get help.
19:38Or you're like the guy that's moving to your left to double the nose tackle.
19:43The defensive tackle.
19:44The three-tech.
19:45You're almost never just like one-on-one with this 370-pound nose tackle anymore.
19:51And because of that, I think teams feel like that can be your weakest offensive lineman
19:56as long as they're very smart.
19:57And the commanders are going with this very smart philosophy with Nick Allegretti, obviously.
20:02But I think the caller's on to something.
20:03If the problem is the center position and that's how we got here,
20:08then we need to reevaluate how important it is.
20:10I think that's fair.
20:10I just think there's probably a lot more to it than that.
20:12Yeah, and that's where I wanted to go.
20:13It reminds me again, I think our buddy KB tweeted this at us.
20:16This reminds me of the Will Harris conversation from last year.
20:19A guy, ironically, that they cut just yesterday or the day before.
20:22Where, well, we can't have a secondary.
20:23No Will Harris.
20:25This veteran is so important for us.
20:27He's indispensable.
20:28Turns out he was dispensable.
20:29We're now talking, again, like Nick Allegretti is the key to this entire thing.
20:33This is not a first-ballot Hall of Fame superstar that's going to make everybody go up seven ratings.
20:40It's just not.
20:40I mean, they don't have greatness at that spot.
20:43But I think this is more about the collective unit than it is just about the center.
20:47The center is the burning conflagration.
20:48That's on fire.
20:49That's a problem.
20:50That's bad.
20:51But, again, we've already talked about right tackle is an issue.
20:53Left guard might be an issue as well.
20:55And when you don't have, you know, a Trent Williams or a Laramie Tunsell just to sort of make a
20:59lot of things better and, you know, and kind of solve it all, we like Cosme.
21:02We like Coleman.
21:03But three-fifths of it ain't particularly good.
21:05In fact, it might be bad.
21:07So that, to me, is the larger point.
21:09It's also tough because I think they did such a good job putting together other areas of the roster.
21:14Like, I have been so impressed by wide receiver out there.
21:18I think the linebacking group, Adam Peters sunk his teeth into that, completely fixed it.
21:22The edge position when they're healthy with Chase on and with Owe was dominant in training camp.
21:27So many of the spots where you said, Adam, get to work.
21:31They've crushed it.
21:32Center is curiously gone in a different direction.
21:35You wonder how and why.
21:37Next, we've got a big announcement for you.
21:38We will make it on Grant and Danny.
21:41Plus, I want to let you guys hear a clip from Take Command.
21:45I want you to react to it, Danny, because I had talked to Logan about all the concern people were
21:49having out of the Lions game.
21:50And he had some interesting thoughts on that.
21:52And we'll get to that next.