Dawgs By Nature
We ask about Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels, how their defense has performed so far, and more.
This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns remain on the road as they take on the Washington Commanders. To help preview a few topics from the Commanders’ perspective, we reached out to Andrew York from Hogs Haven and exchanged five questions with him.
Chris: “Jayden Daniels is off to an incredibly efficient start to his NFL career. In particular, I’m in awe of seeing 80%, 91%, and 87% completion rates from him the past three weeks. It doesn’t seem like it is just dink and dunks with him, but correct me if I’m wrong. Tell us about the offensive gameplan the Commanders have been deploying for Daniels.”
Andrew: “The gameplan has evolved as Daniels gets more used to NFL speed. In week 1, it was almost entirely screens and RPOs. More recently though, it seems to be taking shape as a full-throated NFL offense with a good mix of routes and passing concepts and multiple reads. What has stayed consistent is that OC Kliff Kingsbury has gone run-heavy with his playcalling, as Washington has the 3rd-highest run rate in the NFL (though that includes QB scrambles). Another constant is that Kliff likes to go no huddle and hurry up to prevent the defense from making substitutions and wear the defense down over the course of a drive. Using heavy personnel (multiple TEs) with a credible threat of run and then going no huddle also traps defenses with personnel better suited to defend the run, helping to set up the pass on 2nd and 3rd down.”
Chris: “While the Commanders’ offense has been efficient, their defense ranks 27th in the NFL. Even though Cleveland hasn’t even been able to get 20 points in a game this season, if the lightbulb finally clicks on offense, what area appears to be the most vulnerable for Washington’s defense?”
Andrew: “New GM Adam Peters has prioritized “building the team from the middle”, which on defense has meant prioritizing the DT and LB groups. As a result, our boundary CBs, Safeties, and Edge defenders looked extremely vulnerable through the first 3 games. However, they improved their play quite a bit in week 4, allowing only 14 points to a Cardinals offense that had the 4th most points scored through the first 3 weeks, so we’re hoping that’s a sign the defense has finally figured things out. If the defense has actually not figured things out though, passes to the boundary and runs to the edge were the most effective ways of attacking this defense in the first 3 weeks.”
Chris: “We’re always interested in who Browns DE Myles Garrett will line up against at left tackle, and for Washington, it’ll be rookie third-round pick Brandon Coleman. How has Coleman performed through four games?”
Andrew: “First, it’s important to note that Brandon Coleman has been splitting time at LT with veteran swing tackle Cornelius Lucas, as Coleman was recovering...
