2025 Washington Commanders- All Things Defense

[Darrell Green Fan]

It was MUCH MUCH MUCH better in the last 3/4 of the Chargers game.

The question is, will that continue? Who's to say.

One thing Lattimore said in the off-season was he was still getting his technique back because he basically missed two seasons with injury. So, maybe he's rusty? He played better against the chargers than he had previously, by my eye. I don't go to PFF to look for these things, but maybe somebody else could? I know he was graded as the 8th worst CB through week 4. I don't know his grade for week 5.

Conn and skinsinparadise just had simultaneous heart attacks induced by shock, died, and went to heaven (or hell?) when they saw that request from me. I will pray for your souls.

Was it? Didn't they have several big completions, including 2nd and a mile, that were called back?

Lattimore can't use rust as an excuse anymore, he's played since the start of camp. This was probably his only good game as a Commander.

 

[skinsinparadise]

From PFF on Sunday's game

 

[skinsinparadise]

It was MUCH MUCH MUCH better in the last 3/4 of the Chargers game.

The question is, will that continue? Who's to say.

One thing Lattimore said in the off-season was he was still getting his technique back because he basically missed two seasons with injury. So, maybe he's rusty? He played better against the chargers than he had previously, by my eye. I don't go to PFF to look for these things, but maybe somebody else could? I know he was graded as the 8th worst CB through week 4. I don't know his grade for week 5.

Conn and skinsinparadise just had simultaneous heart attacks induced by shock, died, and went to heaven (or hell?) when they saw that request from me. I will pray for your souls.

the key is PFF grades and what does Jay think about it?

 

[SkinsFTW]

From PFF on Sunday's game

View attachment 12984

That PDF looks about right. Tackling was bad and Luvu and Wagner suck in coverage.

Kinlaw, McGee, Savage, Reaves, and Luvu need to spend time doing some tackling drills.

 

[Anselmheifer]

From PFF on Sunday's game

View attachment 12984

Look at that score by Jer’Zhan Newton! 80.0 overall and 79.6 pass rush! With a grain of salt because their IOL as I hurry riddled.

I hope this is Newton coming on though.

 

[SkinsFTW]

That PDF looks about right. Tackling was bad and Luvu and Wagner suck in coverage.

Kinlaw, McGee, Savage, Reaves, and Luvu need to spend time doing some tackling drills.

Yeah, by those numbers it looks like Newton is doing better than Payne.

Luvu is out there for 67 plays and is at the bottom in everything but run defense.

Martin replacing Luvu, or Preston Smith, might be an upgrade if they can play that position.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

Yeah, by those numbers it looks like Newton is doing better than Payne.

Luvu is out there for 67 plays and is at the bottom in everything but run defense.

Martin replacing Luvu, or Preston Smith, might be an upgrade if they can play that position.

There was a recent report I read or heard (can't remember the source, I feel like it was my brother telling me about one of the other Commanders news blogs or something) - anyway the claim was Luvu was being schemed in a totally different way this year. This was prior to the Chargers game. Last year, he was told to be a lot more instinctive to the backfield, and this year there was a lot more coverage, a lot more read/react dropping back - very different.

I feel like our eyes probably, for the most part, do confirm this. There is probably a weirdly much higher percentage of plays where Luvu is doing things he was rarely asked to do last year, with very visible negative consequences. I don't know all of the reasoning, I am sure there is plenty; it's always easy to armchair and say "well that's a problem" but there are usually a lot of underlying reasons. Defensive scheming, to my eye anyway, is so much more complicated and frankly difficult than offensive. I think the approach that, you are going to lose some battles and you want to be very opportunistic, is a really good approach overall. This defense has been inconsistent there, but when they are opportunistic almost at all, this team tends to win.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Was it? Didn't they have several big completions, including 2nd and a mile, that were called back?

Lattimore can't use rust as an excuse anymore, he's played since the start of camp. This was probably his only good game as a Commander.

According to the numbers, he gave up something like 6 yards the entire day. Galdi went over it. He played well.

A play with a penalty doesn't count, and you can't judge a player on a play when the other team cheats.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

the key is PFF grades and what does Jay think about it?

PFF grades are made by people who are paid to grade film.

Jay is not paid by anybody to do anything.

Which is fairly telling about how the world thinks about his dumb ass.

(As I told Conn, turned over a new leaf with PFF. It's too much to ask for Jay also. )

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Yeah, by those numbers it looks like Newton is doing better than Payne.

Luvu is out there for 67 plays and is at the bottom in everything but run defense.

Martin replacing Luvu, or Preston Smith, might be an upgrade if they can play that position.

This is where I think you have to take the PFF grades with a grain of salt. Whitt has said that the one player who's really playing well is Luvu. The PFF guys can't know exactly what he's being asked to do. But Whitt singled him out as the guy playing well. And it was unsolicited.

So I'll trust that more than PFF.

 

[skinsinparadise]

This is where I think you have to take the PFF grades with a grain of salt. Whitt has said that the one player who's really playing well is Luvu. The PFF guys can't know exactly what he's being asked to do. But Whitt singled him out as the guy playing well. And it was unsolicited.

So I'll trust that more than PFF.

I agree generally with the point.

Though not sure I always believe Whitt. Same dude who two weeks ago said the communication with the secondary is "great". And the reason why the pass rush looks good is because the coverage is blanketing the Wrs and the QB has no where to go.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

This is where I think you have to take the PFF grades with a grain of salt. Whitt has said that the one player who's really playing well is Luvu. The PFF guys can't know exactly what he's being asked to do. But Whitt singled him out as the guy playing well. And it was unsolicited.

So I'll trust that more than PFF.

I suspect this may have to do with that problem I mentioned earlier; I think Luvu's role is dramatically different this year, so Whitt is probably adjusting for the new role. Hopefully we will see improvement going forward. I don't know, though. I think sometimes it's really tough to change certain things you have learned or done over many years.

 

[DieselPwr44]

Praise for Johnny Newton from Baldy...

 

[Anselmheifer]

Magee reminds of of Kai Medrano in this. Moves like a WR. Tackles like a WR. Was that 3 missed tackles in 12 plays?

He does just move at a different speed than anyone else though. If you could scheme him as a coverage back and sideline to sideline guy…

 

[DWinzit]

Magee reminds of of Kai Medrano in this. Moves like a WR. Tackles like a WR. Was that 3 missed tackles in 12 plays?

He does just move at a different speed than anyone else though. If you could scheme him as a coverage back and sideline to sideline guy…

Yeah, so you can see why they all like him with that speed and willingness to stick his nose anyplace but his tackling is not good

 

[SkinsFTW]

Yeah, so you can see why they all like him with that speed and willingness to stick his nose anyplace but his tackling is not good

Probably not much worse than Luvu at tackling. He is All Pro at running by the ball carrier at 20Mph and totally whiffing on the tackle.

 

[Conn]

Read something interesting the other day that made me want to be a little patient with Magee (especially since he hasn’t actually played much due to injury—something else he needs to be is *available*)

 

[DWinzit]

Great point and sure hope it works out for us.
I still can't believe Lloyd wasn't selected until 27. He was one of the few players I wanted us to move back into the bottom of the round and grab a player. He would have been a great fit in Washington.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I think a general point of being patient with drafts pick is important. It used to be draft picks were given a hot minute, now if a 6th round pick isn't producing by the second half of the first game at an all-pro level, he's a bust and we have to move on.

 

[Gooseneck]