Daily Slop – 19 Nov 24 – Film breakdown of CB Mike Sainristil’s strong game against the Eagles

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The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders’ Dan Quinn: Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels ‘is not injured’

“I want to first start off by saying clearly and honestly — Jayden is not injured right now,” Quinn said.

The compulsion to make the matter-of-fact statement comes after Washington’s back-to-back loss to the Steelers and Eagles, and the rookie quarterback’s drop in production compared to a sensational opening seven games. The dual-threat accounted for one touchdown in the losses and a paltry 23 rushing yards combined.

Hints of uncomfortableness, whether physical pain or tackling defensive adjustments, became more apparent over the [recent] weeks. The quarterback, who set an all-time record with an 82.1 completion percentage through the first four weeks of a season, ranks 28th in completion percentage at 59.5 over his last four games.

Quinn attributed the injury and some decline in Daniels’ passing accuracy to the offense losing “valuable practice time” with the quarterback. Because of his rookie status, “We don’t have banked rep” with Daniels,” Quinn continued.

“Rhythm and timing is a big piece of it too. You have to be able to (practice) full speed,” Quinn said, to ensure the linemen and receivers are where they need to be on the field come game day.

Injuries have spiked, leading to a rise in miscues. Starting in Week 6, Washington lost defensive tackle Jonathan Allen for the season (torn pectoral) and played without leading rusher Brian Robinson Jr. for three games. The top three offensive tackles were all sidelined for at least one game, further hampering the young quarterback and favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Daniels, who suffered a cut on his throwing hand against the Eagles, pushed back on any injury talk postgame.

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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

Mike Sainristil provides bright spot for Commanders defense vs Eagles

Breaking down rookie CB Mike Sainristil’s performance against the Eagles

The undersized Sainristil was drafted to be the long term slot cornerback for Washington, but he had some struggles to start the season both in coverage and handling the run fits that come with playing in the slot. The combination of his struggles and the struggles of Emmanuel Forbes on the outside led the Commanders to moving Sainristil outside, where he has quietly developed his coverage skills. That development showed up big time in this game as he made a number of key plays in coverage.

On this play, the Eagles line up receiver A.J. Brown on the outside with DeVonta Smith in the slot. As the outside corner, Sainristil initially aligned opposite Brown, but before the snap Brown motions into a stacked set with Smith. At the snap, the receivers execute a switch release, with Brown working inside and Smith working outside. That means Sainristil’s assignment changes, going from initially focusing on Brown to suddenly having to cover a very different type of receiver in Smith.

Sainristil doesn’t miss a beat. He changes his leverage with the motion. When Brown started outside, Sainristil had his hips open to the sideline and positioned himself with heavy inside leverage, but once Brown motioned inside, Sainristil flipped his hips and played with outside leverage. He gets his eyes in the right place and as the receivers switch their releases, he locks in on Smith. Smith takes his route outside, widening his path. As Smith gets closer to the numbers, Sainristil changes his leverage again, re-opening his hips to the sideline and taking an inside position. This closes off Sainristil’s vision from the quarterback, but enables him to focus on the receiver and funnel him to the sideline, cutting off any break back inside.

Smith then uses a double move, stuttering at the 10 yard line before bursting to the back corner of the end zone. Sainristil responds to the fake, stopping his feet ready to break on the route, but he maintains his cushion instead of biting too heavily. This enables him to stay on top of the route and buys him time to get his feet going again as Smith looks to burst by him. From that point, Sainristil is level with Smith and knows there’s only one place Smith is going, to the back corner of the end zone. So Sainristil continues to try and funnel Smith to the sideline while also looking back for the football. With the ball in the air, Sainristil is able to show off his skills from being a wide receiver in college, tracking the ball well and reaching his hand up to the catch point in order to break up the pass.

It was a strong rep by Sainristil, but it wasn’t his only strong rep on a double move down in the red zone.

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Commanders.com

Players return from ‘mini-bye’ looking to get back on track

There was frustration mixed with the disappointment following both losses last week. Despite the list of mental errors, the Commanders had a realistic chance of winning one or both matchups. The frustration stems from the evidence of what Washington can do when it’s in a rhythm. They had a top five offense heading into the Steelers game, ranking third in points per game and fourth in third-down conversion rate. Their defense had risen from near the bottom of the league to put up more respectable numbers while sporting the fifth-ranked unit against the pass.

Last week was a brutal reminder that the team is still a work in progress. An offensive unit that started the season methodically picking apart defenses produced its two lowest production totals of the year with just 506 combined yards (they nearly hit that total almost a month ago against the Chicago Bears with 481). There are a number of contributing factors here, from Daniels making uncharacteristic misses in the passing game to the Commanders simply going against better defenses. The players aren’t making excuses; they know it’s not good enough.

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Commanders.com

Positive news on Marshon Lattimore

The Commanders made waves around the league when they made the trade for four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Up to this point, however, he has yet to suit up or play in a game for the Burgundy & Gold.

That might be changing soon.

“I’m hopeful that he’s able to see the field some, he’s trending in the right space,” Quinn said. He’s still working really hard from the rehab spot to see where he can go.”

It’s certainly a positive sign for Lattimore and the Commanders. They will need him as they try to make a push for the playoffs. His hamstring injury, plus the need for him to get up to speed on the Commanders’ terminology, are the main factors that have kept him out of practice and games so far.

On the latter, Quinn said Lattimore is learning “as quick as he can” to add his talents to the Commanders’ secondary. As for the former, the reality is that soft tissue injuries are tricky and sensitive to manage. There’s no doubt the Commanders could have used him against the Steelers and Eagles if he was healthy, but his long absence is not a surprise to the team. As they have stated before, they take all player injuries seriously and put their health above everything else.

“We’re just not going to take the chance if it’s not all the way ready, and good news, we’re trending in a really strong way and we’ll see what the week looks like, but we’re moving in the right way, that’s for sure,” Quinn said.

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WJLA.com

Senate committee to hold hearing on RFK Stadium bill Tuesday

On Tuesday, the discussion on Capitol Hill will continue around the bill that would allow D.C. to take control of the federal land where the old RFK Stadium site currently sits, while residents living nearby are split on whether or not they would like the team to move back to their Northeast neighborhood.

The hearing, which was originally supposed to take place in September, will be with the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

If approved in committee, the full Senate would still have to approve the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, which would transfer control of the federally-owned stadium campus to D.C., allowing the city to use the land for the following purposes:

• Build a stadium.
• Commercial and residential development.
• Facilities, open space, and public outdoor opportunities.

Approving this bill would pave the way for the city to lure the Washington Commanders — which played at RFK Stadium before moving to their Landover, Md., stadium in 1997 — to move back to the nation’s capital.

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan bill in February, but Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., previously signaled during a May hearing he will block the bill.

This bill needs either unanimous support in the Senate without a roll call vote or be attached to a bigger bill, which is why a single senator can block the bill.

The senator’s opposition is rooted in his push for the NFL and Commanders to restore the original Native American logo, which was replaced after the team retired the Redskins name after the 2019 season.

Daines, who has said he is not looking for the team to restore the Redskins name, has demanded the team either use the original logo depicting the early 20th-century chief from Montana’s Blackfeet Tribe or meet with the family of the former logo’s designer to work out a way to honor both him and the chief.

The team has already met multiple times with the family of logo designer Walter ‘Blackie’ Wetzel, as well as

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Upcoming opponent

dallascowboys.com

Game Recap: Depleted Cowboys lose, 34-10

So it continues. The same struggles that have plagued the Dallas Cowboys all season led to a 34-10 loss to the Houston Texans in a prime-time Monday night showdown. In dropping their fifth home game of the season – all by double-digit deficits – the Cowboys were hard-pressed to put points on the board, were hampered by penalties and turnovers, and had difficulties stopping the run.

And unfortunately, a team already decimated by injuries just got more bad news on that front. Starting cornerback Jourdan Lewis had already been ruled out of the game on Saturday, the latest blow to the Dallas defense. But then late in the first quarter, tight end Jake Ferguson left with a concussion with safety Markquese Bell heading to the sideline early in the second quarter with a shoulder Injury.

Then the fourth quarter proved disastrous for the team’s offensive line. First left tackle Tyler Guyton didn’t return after banging up his shoulder, and then Zack Martin, who has been battling a number of injuries all season, left the game. Finally, left guard Tyler Smith had his left ankle rolled up on, his night done as well.

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Podcasts & videos

Philadelphia Recap & Turning the Page to Dallas Week! | The Booth Review | Washington Commanders

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