Daily Slop – 10 January 2025 – Commanders pass rushers have to finish the job they started in Week 1 vs Mayfield

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders

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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

Playoff Preview: Buccaneers pressure packages

Previewing the Bucs pressure packages ahead of the Commanders playoff matchup against Tampa Bay

The biggest question facing the Commanders offense in this game is how they can handle the Bucs pressure packages. Staying ahead of the chains can help but we’ve seen the offense have some poor runs and penalties that get them backed up, which is when the Bucs will go into attack mode. Being able to identify and pick up the various blitz schemes the Bucs will throw at them will go a long way to determining the outcome of the game. So what kind of blitzes can the Commanders expect from Tampa Bay? The short answer is anything and everything, but let’s take a closer look at a few examples.

Here we have an example of a fire zone blitz from the Bucs. Offenses are often taught to associate blitzes with man coverage behind it, and the Bucs certainly do plenty of that, but a nice change up that the Bucs will mix in are these fire zones. Fire zones are a five-man blitz with six defenders dropping into zone coverage behind it. The five rushers can come from anywhere and the six zone defenders can come from anywhere, but typically the coverage defenders drop into a three-deep, three-under zone scheme.

That’s what we see from the Bucs here, but the advantage of these schemes is that every role is interchangeable, making it tough to diagnose pre-snap. On this occasion, the Bucs have a safety and linebacker blitz while the other linebacker and a defensive end drop off into coverage. You can see the three-deep, three-under zone coverage while still getting an overload blitz to the left side of the offense. From the end zone replay angle, you can see how hard this is for the offense to pick up. The defensive tackles stunt to occupy specific blockers and open up lanes for the blitzers coming behind them.

Part of what makes the Bucs blitz packages so difficult is that it’s not just about having the bodies to pick them up, but it’s managing the stunts they add on top of the extra rushers.

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Commanders.com

Practice notes | Commanders looking forward to second chance at sacking Baker Mayfield

The Commanders were one of the teams that struggled to bring Mayfield down in their first matchup with the Buccaneers. They had six opportunities to sack him in the 37-20 loss, and all but one of them ended with him breaking tackles to deliver explosive plays downfield.

That likely isn’t going to be enough for the Commanders to pull out a win on Sunday against the Buccaneers’ third-ranked offense. The best way to stop the Buccaneers’ offense is to figure out how to harass Mayfield and get him on the ground.

Mayfield’s physical stature makes him better suited to take and evade hits compared to other quarterbacks. He’s 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, and his bigger frame gives him a better chance at shrugging off defenders. He has five broken tackles this season, which ranks near the top of his position.

But Mayfield also has the quickness in the pocket to flat out avoid defenders. Facing a third-and-13 in the first quarter of the Week 1 game, Mayfield stepped up and narrowly missed a tackle by Jonathan Allen and scrambled for an eight-yard gain.

The Buccaneers have given up 40 sacks this season, which is tied for 15th in the league. However, Mayfield plays behind a talented offensive line, led by tackle Tristan Wirfs, who has the fifth best pass block win rate.

If the Commanders do manage to get to him, there will be some opportunities to influence the game. Although his 41 touchdowns are tied for second in the NFL, he also paces the league alongside Kirk Cousins with 16 interceptions. As expected, Mayfield’s aggressiveness can lead to game-changing moments, whether it’s for his team or the opponent.

Mayfield has also fumbled the ball nine times — the most for his position and all rushers. He’s only lost one of them so far, but history would indicate that he will give Washington the chance to generate turnovers, which has been a point of emphasis for the team all season.

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ESPN

How Kliff Kingsbury found renewed joy with Washington Commanders

After being fired as coach of the Arizona Cardinals in January 2023, Kingsbury traveled the world while he pondered his next move. He enjoyed the white sand beaches of Thailand with his girlfriend. He joined friends in Costa Rica, where he tossed Frisbees along the Pacific Ocean, worked out and observed as his friends closed nine-figure deals over video calls.

Kingsbury, who is being paid through 2027 by the Cardinals thanks to a five-year contract extension signed in 2022, could have turned the layoff into a leisurely lifestyle. Instead, three months of traveling brought him to a different conclusion.

Retirement sucked.

Kingsbury has found a renewed joy for coaching — one that possibly could lead him to another top job. With the Commanders, he has been free to focus on what he loves to do most: running an offense and building relationships with players. He said he has been more comfortable and open in meetings. He has built trust with players and helped design an offense centered around rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. This has been pivotal to the franchise’s turnaround in Quinn’s first season, which continues in the wild-card round on Sunday at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8 p.m. ET, NBC).

From watching Quinn work, Kingsbury also has reflected on what he’d change if given another head coaching opportunity. For now, however, he said he is putting any talk of his next move on hold. He has found comfort and clarity on the field and in the meeting rooms with Washington.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had a more enjoyable season than I have this year,” Kingsbury said.

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NOLA

Saints request interview with NFC offensive coordinator who works with Jayden Daniels

The New Orleans Saints put in a request to speak with Kingsbury about the team’s coaching vacancy, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. Kingsbury has become part of this year’s coaching cycle after helping develop rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and coaching a Washington offense that has surprisingly been among the league’s best.

A former quarterback, Kingsbury was once a member of the New Orleans Saints when he spent the 2004 season on the team’s practice squad.

Because the Commanders play Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs, Kingsbury wouldn’t be eligible for an interview until next Wednesday if he agrees to be interviewed. The Commanders must also grant Kingsbury permission to speak with the Saints since he’s under contract.

Kingsbury has also reportedly received a request from the Chicago Bears, who have quarterback Caleb Williams. Kingsbury helped coached Williams at USC in 2023.

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Riggo’s Rag

Insider expects Commanders to extend Terry McLaurin ahead of time

Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated hinted that the Commanders will reward McLaurin with another long-term deal when their playoff quest ends. He’s got one more year remaining on his current agreement with the organization, but getting things sorted ahead of time seems like the smart move for all involved.

“It’s fair to say he might have something else—a new contract—coming his way soon, too.”

Albert Breer, SI

The wideout is set to count $25 million against the salary cap in 2025. McLaurin is a franchise cornerstone in every sense of the term. Washington needs more in the receiving room to maximize Daniels’ rookie contract. But the two-time Pro Bowler is a huge piece of the puzzle until further notice.

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Washington Post (paywall)

The Samoan card game sweeping the Commanders’ locker room

Shuffle up and learn Suipi, the game that has helped the playoff-bound team build its bond off the field this season.

During the dog days of training camp, when they had more time at the facility than they knew what to do with, Marcus Mariota suggested the Washington Commanders quarterbacks play a round of an old Samoan card game called Suipi (pronounced “sweepy”).

Using a standard deck, Mariota laid four cards face up in the middle of the table and dealt six cards to each of the four players. The goal, he explained, was “matching and adding” — for him and his partner to capture the most points by building stacks of cards.

Over the next four months, Suipi swept through the facility. Most of the roster learned how to play, and games popped up in the locker room, lounge and sauna. Several players said tight end Zach Ertz is one of the team’s most prolific competitors — he’s involved in multiple series with multiple partners, including left guard Nick Allegretti — and during a practice week, many players will “get out of meetings and be like, ‘You want to play Suipi?’” defensive tackle Sheldon Day said. Those games can last for an hour or three after work.

In past seasons, defensive tackle Daron Payne said, there would be “like one, two or three guys” who would stick around after practice to hang out. “Now it’s like the whole locker room,” he said.

While learning, other parts of Samoan culture rubbed off on the team. Some players now refer to teammates other than Luvu — whose nickname is “Uce” — as “uce,” which is Samoan slang for “brother.” “I learned it from uce,” undrafted rookie tight end Colson Yankoff said, meaning Mariota.

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Upcoming opponent

Pro Football Network

Is Antoine Winfield Jr. Playing In Wild Card Round? Examining Whether Bucs Safety Will Return From Injury vs. Commanders

Winfield signed a four-year, $84.1 million contract before the start of the season that made him the highest-paid defensive back in league history. However, Year 1 of that contract hasn’t gone according to plan as Winfield has been forced to sit out for multiple stretches with injuries, playing in half of Tampa Bay’s games.

His most recent injury, a knee sprain, came in Week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders, which forced him to miss the rest of the regular season. He has since been on the injury report, hoping his knee heals in time for the playoffs.

When Will Winfield Return?

Both Winfield and the Buccaneers have had Sunday circled on their calendars since officially punching their ticket in Week 18. With his knee holding him out of action, there was uncertainty about his availability for the Wild Card Round against the Washington Commanders.

However, Wednesday brought some optimism for the fanbase. Head coach Todd Bowles announced that Winfield was a full participant in practice, which puts him in line to make a return during Wild Card Weekend.

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Podcasts & videos

Commanders vs Buccaneers Wild Card Preview | Jay Gruden

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Commanders Locker Room: Frankie Luvu “sharpening the sword” for Bucs game

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NFC East links

Athlon Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles Are the NFL’s Man Coverage Champions — On Both Sides of the Ball

As they head into the 2024 postseason, the Philadelphia Eagles have decimated their opponents both with, and against, man coverage.

In the 2024 regular season, no team was better when facing man coverage than the Philadelphia Eagles, and no team was better when playing man coverage than the Eagles.

When facing man coverage this season, quarterback Jalen Hurts has completed 82 of 118 passes for 1,224 yards, 612 air yards, 11 touchdowns, one interception, and a league-best passer rating of 130.8. Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions ranks second in passer rating against man coverage at 126.3.

And when playing man coverage against enemy passing games this season, Philly has allowed 70 catches on 135 attempts for 829 yards, five touchdowns, eight interceptions, 19 passes defensed, and an opponent quarterback rating of 58.5, which is also the NFL’s best — the Minnesota Vikings rank second at 64.4.

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NFL league links

Articles

NFL.com

How did NFL kickoff units approach the 2024 Dynamic Kickoff?

In the NFC, the Washington Commanders were most aggressive, placing 60% of their kicks in the landing zone. The New Orleans Saints (51%), Dallas Cowboys (42%), and Carolina Panthers (41%) were also relatively aggressive in kicking the ball short. The Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals showed little variety in their kicking strategy — both teams aimed most of their kicks into the back middle of the end zone.

Under the new rule, there were 332 more kickoff returns in 2024, which translates to an increase in the kickoff return rate to 32.8%, up from 21.8%. We also saw 59 big play returns — returns of 40 or more yards — the most in the league since 2016.

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The Athletic (paywall)

NFL All-Rookie Team: Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and more 2024 draft picks who shined

Based on the rookie film, last year’s draft class certainly hasn’t disappointed in the NFL. Here is a look at The Athletic’s All-Rookie team:

Quarterback

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (Round 1, No. 2 overall)

Because of the season Bo Nix had, this was a much closer race than anyone expected. From start to finish this season, though, Daniels was the best rookie quarterback.

He engineered a dramatic franchise turnaround, leading a Commanders team that won just four games a year ago to a 12-5 finish. Daniels passed for 3,568 yards and accounted for 31 total touchdowns, finishing No. 1 among rookies in completion percentage (69 percent), yards per attempt (7.4) and passing first downs (204).

Daniels is a high-completion passer, but it’s what he brings with his legs that separates him. He set a rookie QB rushing record (891 yards) and finished 10th in the NFL with 28 carries of 10-plus yards. He also scrambled an NFL-high 75 times, so it will be interesting to see how that number fluctuates over the next few seasons.

A common thread between Daniels and Nix? Both were five-year starters in college, and that experience certainly played a part in their successes.

Second team: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (Round 1, No. 12)

In most years, Nix runs away with Offensive Rookie of the Year. His finished the regular season with 3,775 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions, adding 430 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. And, like Daniels, Nix played a critical part in leading his team to double-digit wins and the playoffs.

Running back

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Round 4, No. 125)

Just four running backs rushed for 1,100-plus yards while averaging more than 5.0 yards per carry this season: Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Jahmyr Gibbs and … Irving. He played only 45.2 percent of Tampa’s offensive snaps and had single-digit carries in eight of 17 games, but Irving proved to be a valuable part of the Bucs’ run to an NFC South title — Tampa finished 6-1 in its final seven games and Irving averaged 119.1 total yards per game during that stretch.

The sixth back drafted in April, Irving finished No. 1 among all first-year running backs in rushing yards (1,122), rushing touchdowns (eight) and receiving (47 catches for 392 yards). Some soured on him during the draft process due to his average testing (4.55-second 40-yard dash and 29.5-inch vertical, at only 192 pounds), but his instinctive run qualities and pass-catching skills made it easy to appreciate Irving’s skill set.

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