1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Command Center Podcast. I'm Julie Donaldson. The 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: Commanders were active during free agency this past week, adding 3 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: depth at multiple positions. Washington resigned center Tyler Larson, defensive 4 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: tackle Den Payne a defensive end at a robata plus. 5 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:21,279 Speaker 1: They added free agents on both sides of the ball, 6 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: including quarterback Jacoby Brissette and linebacker Cody Barton. Santana Moss 7 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: and Logan Paulson joined me to look at the Commanders 8 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: at newest editions. I want to start right there at 9 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: the quarterback position. Cody Brissette comes into this room and 10 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,200 Speaker 1: all along head coach Ron Rivera has said Sam Howell 11 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: will have every opportunity to be the starter, but they 12 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: needed somebody to come in with experience to challenge him 13 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: and kind of helping grow him. Santana, what can Brissette 14 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: do in helping that qb room and Howell? I think 15 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: when you initially hear what coaches said, he's saying, Okay, 16 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: we already want everyone to know that Sam's that guy. 17 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: You brought the right guy ind and you brought a 18 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: guy in Brissette who's he's a veteran for one, he 19 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,319 Speaker 1: can be a great mentor and he already knows role. 20 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: He's been in that role. He's been in that position 21 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: many of the times. He's played this role before from 22 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 1: many different teams. So he can come in and be 23 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:08,960 Speaker 1: that great mentor and be that great leader. And also 24 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: if everything hits the fan, you can go out there 25 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:12,759 Speaker 1: and say, well, we need you to win some games 26 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: for us, and he can do just that as well. Yeah, 27 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: I just about to say, I think that's the thing 28 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: that I like about it is that not only does 29 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: he have that mentorship ability, but if it doesn't go well, 30 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:21,680 Speaker 1: he can win your football games. He's a good competitive guy. 31 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: Everyone talks about what a great teammate he is. He's 32 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: learned and studied under some of the best work with 33 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: Tom Brady. So I think getting a guy like that, 34 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: great teammate, great leader, great teacher is going to be 35 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: extremely advantageous. He came in very humble as well, I think, 36 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 1: understanding his position and to overall just make that room 37 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 1: better to begin with. But it's a little bit of 38 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: a different approach than what Washington head coach Ron Rivera 39 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: has tried to have over the past few years, bringing 40 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,119 Speaker 1: in a veteran to be that guy where it hasn't 41 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: necessarily worked out now saying we want to see what 42 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: the young guy can do. I think we're all kind 43 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: of excited to be able to see just what can 44 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: how we'll do and how does that play out. Let's 45 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 1: don't get to Cody Barton. Can he be that replacement 46 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: for Cole Holcomb as he moves on? I mean, I 47 00:01:58,320 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: think so. He's the guy that in Seattle. I think 48 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: I had a slow start. You've been sitting for a 49 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: couple of years behind you know, Bobby Wagner, one of 50 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: the best linebackers ever to do it, And as the 51 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: season went on, slowly slowly got better and you saw 52 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: elements to his game. He's a converted safety to twitch, 53 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: the explosiveness and as he got more reps the instincts, 54 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: and I think he can play Mike. I think that 55 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: green Dot will be very advantageous. He said that he 56 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:19,839 Speaker 1: enjoys that aspect of the game. So we're looking forward 57 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:21,519 Speaker 1: to him. And then when it comes to the offensive 58 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: lineman they bring into Santana, how does that adjust and 59 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: change what they could potentially do next year. I think 60 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 1: what you look at it is doing some of the 61 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: same things that we've done before. You know, we're bringing 62 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 1: in depth. We adding guys that could be interchangeable. We 63 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 1: adding guys that can be key players to what we 64 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: do best here. And when you look at one of 65 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: the guys, wildly, he's a guy that can play what 66 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: tackle and guard, but you look at him a stand 67 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: he will probably be, you know, predominantly a tackle. And 68 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: so now he can say, Okay, the guy who did 69 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: play that last year, he can go and side and 70 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: play guard because he played better at that position. So 71 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: it's great just to have those guys knowing that they 72 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: bring at it, you know, depth to our team or 73 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: to our offensive line. Yeah, I totally agree. I think 74 00:02:58,160 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: that's what you're looking for. And you're kind of guy 75 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: who's also a scheme fit with Eric enemy and Wiley, right, 76 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: he understand Eric knows how to use him, and he 77 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: knows what Eric's expectation as Wiley does. So I think 78 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: that that's very advantageous. And as a player who's been 79 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: on multiple teams, having a coach that can speak to 80 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: your skill sets is extremely valuable and they frees them 81 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: up to potentially to make more moves in the draft 82 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: of the offensive line. I don't think that they're done 83 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,799 Speaker 1: just yet. Position groups, Just give me a group that 84 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: you still want to see them build off of Santana 85 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,799 Speaker 1: line linebacker and I think I think DB's corner. I'd 86 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: like to see another guy. I think they want to 87 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: see what can Barton do and also the kind of 88 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: free up jayme and just go out there and play 89 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: his game. But we know they're far from done. This 90 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: offseason as well, Washington brought in more depth that offensive 91 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: line with the additions of Nick Gates and Andrew Wiley 92 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 1: after five seasons in Kansas City. While he's no stranger 93 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: to the Eric b Enemy offense, Logan and Santana shared 94 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: their thoughts on Washington's newest guys up front. It's going 95 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: to be exciting to see how the offensive line does 96 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: shape up with some new additions out there as well. 97 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: And we understand that this is an area in the 98 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: team that really kind of needed a revitalization. Should we 99 00:03:58,240 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: say so? I want to get into who are you 100 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 1: so are anticipating being the starters in what position group? 101 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,839 Speaker 1: Understanding more moves could be made? Logan take us on, Yeah, 102 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: so I think that you're like, as of today, it's 103 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: probably Leno, it's probably Chris Paul Nowell might start the season. 104 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: I think Tyler Larson, I'm a little bit worried about 105 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: Chasing his health coming off the injury. And then I 106 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: think Cosby and I think, um uh, and Andrews is 107 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: the kids in the Kansas City. I think he's gonna 108 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 1: that'll be the starting five. Ideally, I would probably have 109 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: Andrews moving to guard at some point and Cosby play 110 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: guard in draft to tackle, but I think that'll be 111 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 1: the starting five. Yeah, you asked me today two I 112 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 1: would say, while he at right tackle, I'm gonna cos 113 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: Me at guard. I like Chase if he's healthy, and 114 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: center Chris Paul or Gates at guard and Leno to 115 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 1: be the left tackle. But like we said, you know, 116 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: going forward, just knowing that we still have draft picks. 117 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: You never know who can you know, be picked up. 118 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: So it's gonna be interesting. Yeah, absolutely, all right, So 119 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: there still some moves likely potentially to be made when 120 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: it comes to the offensive line, but we'll have to 121 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: wait and see. A quick programming note, at the end 122 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: of the month, Command Center will be leaving NBC's Force Washington, 123 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: but don't worry. It does not mean the show is 124 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: coming to an end, we will continue to deliver you 125 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 1: fans the best content involving your favorite team. You can 126 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: watch new episodes of Command Center each week on the 127 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:14,159 Speaker 1: team's website and YouTube channel.