NoCalMike

Well here we are again. Going up against a bad team that is injured all over the place, good chance a back up will be starting. It's "prove it" game infinity for the team that wants the world to give them respect. Should the Commanders win? If they are close to the team we think they are yes. I've given up expecting the team to win these types of games. If anything, the fact that this isn't on prime time and not getting much media attention despite being a division rivalry game, I think actually bodes better for our team. Ah, what the hell I've been suckered back in........ Commanders 27 Giants 17

One thing I've been a little (maybe more than a little now that we are almost done with second month of the season?) is that we aren't seeing the short crossing routes that take advantage of the route running of Terry & Dotson. One of Dotson's best attributes as a rookie was his ability to create space off the line of scrimmage immediately with his first couple of steps. It seems like so far, so much of the short passing game has been to stationary targets just sitting in a zone waiting on their 4-5 yard completion with zero opportunity for YAC. When they have ran some crossing routes deeper on the field, they've worked. The one Dotson dropped against the Falcons is likely a TD if he catches it. I want to see more plays where they are designed to get the ball to the WR's while running in stride and not just on deep passes.

My POV on QB's in the NFL is as such....You've got your Top 3-5 QBs in the league that are so good they elevate JAG players around them. You've got your Bottom 3-5 starting QB's in the league where no matter how much help you give them, their play does not rise to being NFL level and they are usually replaced as a starting QB ASAP. Then you have the vast majority of QB's that make up the middle 2-3 tiers who are good enough to win with, but not necessarily win because of. That is just how it is. Unless you strike gold and end up with one of those Top 3-5 QB's then the roster around the QB is going to determine a lot of what you can expect to get out of the QB. Just this past weekend, look at how different Purdy & Hurts looked when they faced defenses that could actually pressure them. They didn't look terrible necessarily, but it definitely made a huge different that Hurts didn't have all day to drop back and survey the field before deciding to pass or take off running. Then with Purdy, once CMAC went out with an injury and he no longer had the safety of throwing a 3 yards pass to CMAC who would take it for 15 yards every time, suddenly Purdy had to actually drop back and go through more progressions and he didn't look like the world-beater QB that we have been told his record as a starter showed him to be.

It's hard to believe the game was 24-10 at one point and it felt like Atlanta was ready to roll over and mentally check out if the offense had managed to score any more points, but then for whatever reason they went into a shell. It seemed like the right time to start using the run game to bleed clock, but EB went back into pass happy mode and it helped Atlanta's defense in their plan of attack. The defense forcing turnovers really masked the fact that they once again gave up a ton of yards.

Today is the best proof that JDR absolutely must figure out ways to pressure the QB in obvious passing situations. The pass defense did not have a good game, but I didn't realize how mediocre it was until I saw the stats after the game. The turnovers are what made the difference (and Crowder's punt return). They needed every bit of those 3 turnovers to stop Atlanta from scoring more points. It's a positive sign that when they can pressure the QB, the coverage can get picks, but the bigger issue it that the majority of the time the pass rush just isn't a consistent presence. It doesn't matter what caliber of QB you are facing in the NFL, the QB is playing in the NFL they are going to complete passes when they have all day to throw. As far as the offense goes, I've said it already but I will repeat it, I am not a fan of how EB uses the run game so far. It feels like he uses rush attempts as a change up to the pass, but it doesn't seem to match the personnel on the team which need to get into a rhythm with some volume of attempts. I appreciate how much trust EB has in Sam's arm and mind, but the O-line is not very good when they are constantly trying to protect the passer. Up 24-10 in the second half, would have been a great time to start wearing on the Falcons defense with the run. Nice to see Crowder with the big play, it was much needed.

One thing that frustrates me when going over analysis of Howell's play is that people expect him to escape the pocket like some of the other QBs but the difference is when QB's like Hurts or Josh Allen are escaping, a lot of times it's not because the pocket is collapsing and they're running for their lives, but because they drop back, have all day to find someone open, the coverage is good but their O-line is also still holding their blocks so they actually have open running lanes and nothing in the middle of the field to stop them. When Howell drops back, the O-line is usually collapsing around him in multiple directions so the idea that he is just going to just juke his way to freedom is unrealistic. If anything I would agree that he should be throwing the ball away when needed more, but I also understand why a 1st year starter is going to try and hold on until the absolute last second to salvage a play. That is the trait of a young QB. I think Howell is great on the move when it is designed and/or when he has time & space to create extra time with his legs, but he isn't the type of QB that is going to juke out an entire pass rush when it's surrounding him on all sides.

Defense gave up 40 points to The Bears......so I am done hearing about what Howell needs to do better for the time being. Of course he has things to work on, he's in his first year as a starter, however he hasn't really been the problem and hasn't played bad outside of one game where the entire team laid an egg (Buffalo game).

Another game that is going to come down to whether the defense is ready to transform into something different. I am good with what Howell has shown so far, but the formula for winning games this season is not Howell having to drop back and pass 35+ times. Having Howell pass like that, when the team is continually down by two or more possessions, and expecting him to not make mistakes when he has barely over 5 total starts is just straight madness. If the Defense holds Atlanta under 24, it's a win, if not, it's a toss up depending on whether the game is back & forth or the offense is fighting their way out of a hole the entire second half.

I still think JDR can't be leaving the rookie on an island like that if he sees him struggling. There was no other WR on the Eagles having any type of impact in that game, AJ Brown was basically being used almost the way a TE is when the QB is in trouble and needs to just toss the ball out there. I could see if the Eagles had a WR tandem that you had to pick your poison for, but it was literally just the AJ Brown show so where the hell were the adjustments after halftime?

The last time we played the Bears, Fields did little more than run his way around the field into keeping the game close. Our own offense's ineptitude also allowed this to happen. It looks like due to injuries The Bears will have two rookies out there in the secondary, so I need the O-line to grow up for at least a week when we will be featured on prime time, and buy Howell enough time to sit in the pocket comfortably and show off his arm a little. Couple that with a heavy dose of the running game and just do your ******* job against a bad team. For once, win comfortably.

This is probably the first game on the schedule that while technically not a "must win" mathematically.....it is definitely a "must win if you want us to believe the team is turning the corner on it's usual self" Games like these, in the first half the season have been thorns in Rivera's sides. Offense & Defense need to go out and do there job and handle a bad opponent.

I honestly have no idea, it might differ player to player. Then again, in the NFL things can get weird too, remember Carlos Rodgers? We called him Carlos Dropdgers and Hands of Stone because he couldn't ever hold onto intereceptions thrown right into his hands/chest, but then he goes to the 49ers and has a pro bowl season because out of nowhere he is holding on to everything. I think with Forbes, for now, the important thing is that his coverage on a lot of the short stuff and comebacks is pretty solid. His instincts are good and he is in position to make a lot of impact plays despite having only come down INT. His scouting report out of college was pretty accurate as it said he was susceptible to the double move and so far it seems like every single team we face is going to test him on it throughout the game. AJ Brown is prob the best 1 on 1 test he has had so far and he got taken to school on a lot of plays, but also was in position to make 2-3 INTs.

Forbes was picked because he was a ball hawk in college, and so far in the NFL while he only has 1 pick, he's had his hand on the ball at least a dozen times. Does he need to start coming down with those in order to offset when he gives up yards? Yes, of course. Despite giving up all the yards to AJ Brown on Sunday, he also likely has a pick if Brown doesn't play mid-air linebacker on him, and he nearly had a pick 6 earlier in the game. If anything, right now I am looking at JDR for leaving the man on an island. You know Forbes is a smaller CB, so why is he on an island against a #1. You also have BSJ who is bigger and more physical, and was able to disrupt Brown's timing at the line when matching up with him previously. If I am JDR, after biting on the second double move I am making an adjustment.

Yes exactly, and what was up with one of the times they did it today, it was like the official walked into that scrum to personally hand them the ball to place it down there? Like nah man, you put the ball down on the ground first and then make them get into that formation. Another issue I have with it is how inconsistent the officials are with who/when they want to give the benefit of the doubt to on the close ones. The AJ Brown bobbling "catch" really had no business being called a catch live, even if it was ultimately ruled a catch on replay (IMO, it wasn't a catch as the nose of the ball seemed pretty clearly on the ground as he tried to secure it) but since the officials called it a catch, it made it nearly impossible to over turn.....so why is our #1 WR who IS KNOWN FOR HIS CONTESTED CATCH ABILITY not afford the same benefit of the doubt and if they want to take a closer look after ruling it a catch, fine go ahead.

I am over JDR the way I was over Scott Turner. Seems like JDR is content to just sit back and say "well, they were 1st rounders" and let the chips fall where they may. You can't call an entire game based on what a draft position was. If the front 4 is not getting consistent pressure, you send help. If Forbes is getting burned on the double moves, you either put a safety over the top, or you switch BSJ to cover Brown who is bigger and physical and can disrupt that timing. I am not down on Forbes overall, he still is in position to make a lot of plays throughout the course of the games, however due to his size he has some weaknesses he has to work on, and other teams will keep attacking those until JDR does something to help him or change the match ups. There are a ton of quality DBs that weren't being asked to cover the 1's in their first season, so why is JDR adamant about leaving Forbes on an island all game long.

I've read before that the replay officials have access to every replay and angle we are seeing at home. If that is the case then it is absolutely infuriating that they didn't overturn this call. The hell with "they just went with the call on the field" because that sideline camera clearly shows the foot down in bounds. I swear I have been saying this for a handful of seasons now but I really think the NFL should switch to how MLB handles replays to where the umps at the game aren't the actual ones reviewing anything, they have replay teams that comb over every possible angle and freeze frame back in their studio to make sure to get things correct. I feel like the NFL has the opposite objective with their replay approach and instead do everything in their power not to overturn the call. That catch earlier by AJ Brown, could have just as easily been overturned when it looked like the nose of the ball was clearly on the ground and his arm/hand was around it trapping it.

I think what the good teams have been doing on the TNF games is play a very disciplined (conservative) first half, going into halftime with a small lead or perhaps tied, and then lean on their physicality in the second half to pull away. I 100% do not think the team should take any opponent lightly because they haven't shown themselves to be good enough for fans to believe they are steam rolling anyone yet, but that is also sort of my bigger point, this team for almost the entire time under Rivera is the kind of team that can go toe to toe with a team like the Eagles, then the very next week either lose or barely beat a bad time. Some of the baby steps in the process of becoming good I feel like we should have seen by now, yet we haven't really seen this team win many games comfortably in the Rivera era, even when they appear for short stretches to be getting better.

Not only did Howell drive that offense down the field as the game closed, but he also got absolutely robbed of the completion to Terry in OT where the sideline camera clearly showed his foot down with green turf between it and the OB white. I was so confident after that replay angle it would be overturned despite understanding why live it was called OB. I am think both defenses were gassed and once call was overturned, we were at least marching down for a FG if not a winning TD.

I'll have to come back later for more fully fleshed out thoughts, but what I will say for now is that games like today would have me feeling a lot better about the team if they also weren't playing coin flip games with teams like Arizona & Denver. Looking at the schedule going into the season I knew for sure the Eagles, Cowboys, 49ers, Bills, etc etc....would be absolute slugfests, having to play very well to win, but if that also extends to teams like Denver Arizona (so far) and now The Bears & Falcons coming up, then to me it means that while we might have a QB1 in Howell, the team overall still has a lot of replacing/upgrading to go. I look at this Thursday against the Bears to be a "prove to me you aren't the same team we've seen every season so far under Ron Rivera" game. The Bears are bad, Justin Fields is bad, etc etc.....there is no way we should be in a game that comes down to the final drive against the Bears if we are supposed to believe the team is better. ...to be continued...

The question I have is whether the what Sam is doing is different from what the majority of QBs are doing at that age/experience level or is it a Sam-specific issue. I am sure there are a handful of elite QBs that look great from Day 1, but to me the coaches have done Sam a disservice going into the season with this O-line and EB has done a disservice to Howell so far with using the (working) running game so sparingly. That doesn't mean Sam also isn't making mistakes, but I think there are certain growing pains you expect with a young QB regardless, so why not try to help him out during the growing pains times?

When I look at our offense, I feel they are struggling to have an identity. Part of that has been due to play calling. I think EB has been play calling as if Howell, behind this O-line, can turn into a poor-man's Mahommes with now barely a month of NFL experience. Going by the first 3 games, there is one thing the offense has done consistently well and that is run the ball. The pass game has also been a lot better when they run the ball. I expect that out of nowhere we are going to get to a game where the balance between the run-pass gets a lot closer to 50/50 and I am crossing my fingers that it is this week because we have a WR in McLaurin who has mostly OWNED the Eagles secondary and it would be terrible for him not to get the opportunities on Sunday to further put his ownage on display. I feel like if we run the ball a whole lot more this could up a 27-24 kind of game with it being a coin toss who wins. I will go with my heart on this one and say we shock the world in Philly for the second straight time. 27-24 Commanders.

I am not sure if EB/Ron trust Sam so much that they are throwing him out there expecting to work magic already, but if you ask me, when these defenses are rushing 4 and dropping 7 into coverage, we should be running the ball. I feel like EB is reminding me of Kyle Shanahan early in his career where he would get some kind of rhythm going and the offense was driving and then for no logical reason decide it was a good time to go away from what's working. Howell isn't going to shoulder this offense in 2023. Yes, he will (should) look better in December than he does now at processing and getting through his reads, throwing the ball away, taking off out of the pocket when needed, but for now, he is in his 5th start and these defenses are damn near conceding the running game if we would just take them up on their willingness to let us do it. The way defenses are being called against us, they are anticipating a heavy skew towards the pass and we are giving them exactly what they want.

It's not just a problem at Fed Ex. Ever see what Dallas looks like when the 49ers come to town? Ever see the "home" crowds in Vegas, Arizona, or Los Angeles? The fact is that this isn't the NFL of 30 years ago, it's just way easier to get into any stadium for the game if you can afford it because so many seats are bought up by the secondary market websites specifically to sell to whoever. Very few stadiums have a rock solid home fan base the way some of us older fans remember seeing growing up.

People continue to look right past the fact that the offense was looking fine when they were running the ball on the first drive and then for no logical reason they decided to drop back Howell 3 times in a row once they were just outside of the red zone. The first half running attempts this season so far through 3 games are single digits in each game.....you don't think this has a lot to do with the over-aggressive pass rush the O-line is having to deal with? BRob went for 70 yards on 10 carries, how does that average ypc work out? Even Gibson was getting decent yards......outside of that fumble. We beat a better Eagles team last year with Heinicke behind an O-line that was just as bad if not worse because we utilized the run game, (with BRob who wasn't even 100% at the time) ball control, and tried to limit Hurts rushing yards. And the passing game picked it's shots based on how Philly's defense was reacting to getting run all over. Terry owns this secondary and if you commit to the run, it will force extra help and leave some of their secondary exposed in 1 on 1 match ups. This isn't rocket science. I am not saying that if we stick to that game plan it means we will win the game, but it will make the game competitive because that is the current makeup of the team and it's personnel. We don't have an O-line where a QB, let alone a QB in his 5th start can sit back there and scan the field while something develops. Hell, tonight Hurts was getting 5+ seconds to throw dump off passes in the flat. I know EB's scheme isn't Scott Turner's scheme, but EB has plenty of run plays in his scheme too and he needs to start utilizing more of those when the match ups call for it. Tons of stuff went wrong in that Buffalo game, but it starts with the head-scratching play calling for a lot of the game.

Rushing 4 with no spy or at least a linebacker for containment on the run lanes up the middle is basically conceding a 1st down run by the QB in today's NFL. Even the non "running QBs" are now athletic enough to take off up the middle when the openings are there. JDR relies on the front 4 almost too much. Yes they are a good front 4, but the entire middle of the field is left exposed for a QB that can use his legs. It's just asking to be exposed on those kinds of runs over and over again without extra help there.