Daily Slop – 24 Oct 24: Spotlight film breakdown on rookie CB Mike Sainristil

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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

Rookie Progress Report: Mike Sainristil

Checking in on the progress and development of second round pick Mike Sainristil

[T]he Commanders ended up moving him outside and playing Noah Igbinoghene in the slot instead. Having had a run of games playing outside, Sainristil had an uptick in performance and the past few weeks, the Commanders have begun shifting him back inside at times.

So how is the rookie coming along after seven games? I thought I’d take a closer look at his performance over the last few weeks to give an update on his development. We’ll start with some positives. Sainristil plays like a defender much bigger than his listed size of 5-foot-10, 182 pounds. He plays with the aggressive mentality and play style that Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. constantly talk about. When he sees something, he attacks it head on and that enables him to make up for his lack of size. His tackling has been good, especially over the last few weeks, and he’s made plays we saw him make in college consistently to blow up things like screen passes.

This play is a good example of a play Sainristil made all the time in college. The Panthers call a swing screen to the running back, motioning him out of the backfield just before the snap to the three receiver side of the field. Those three receivers all become blockers, with the two outside receivers meant to block down inside while the inside receiver loops to the edge for Sainristil. It’s quite a clever blocking structure from the Panthers because it gives good angles for all three blocks. However, Sainristil is alert to the play. As soon as he sees the back beginning to motion out to the flat, he steps up from his outside corner position and is ready to attack it. The ball is snapped and Sainristil is ready to burst into the backfield to make a play.

As a result, the outside receiver, who is meant to block inside on the slot, has to try and get a hand on Sainristil to stop him from blowing up the play. Sainristil works through the outside receiver and is met by the slot receiver who was originally meant to block him. The running back can’t cut back inside because the slot corner is now unblocked, so he has to try and bounce the screen to the edge. Sainristil fights off the second block and closes the path to the edge, taking the running back out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage for a loss, setting up third and long.

Sainristil was a menace on screens in college and it’s good to see those same instincts haven’t been toned down in the NFL. In fact, Sainristil is very quick to attack anything in the flat, which is where he’s shown off just how good of a tackler he actually is, despite his size. Against the Panthers, he made two big tackles in space on bootleg passes to keep gains to a minimum, where other corners might have missed the tackle and given up a much bigger gain.

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SB Nation

Marcus Mariota, Zach Allen among Secret Superstars for Week 7

Marcus Mariota played his best football in years in Week 7.

After he replaced Daniels, Mariota completed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, a passer rating of 132.8, and a Passing EPA of +15.2 that led all NFL quarterbacks on Sunday.

Mariota was pressured on five of his dropbacks, but he didn’t let that reduce his time to throw. Per Next Gen Stats, Mariota found most of his success on dropbacks over 2.5 seconds, completing 12 of his 16 attempts for 186 yards and a touchdown on longer dropbacks. Mariota also completed all six of his attempts on dropbacks over 4.0 seconds, totaling 88 yards and a touchdown.

And if you’re going to roam around in or out of the pocket waiting for routes to open, you’d better have answers against converging pressure. Mariota certainly did on this amazing throw to Terry McLaurin with 8:54 left in the game…

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Washington Post (paywall)

Jayden Daniels misses practice, continuing a week of uncertainty

Commanders Coach Dan Quinn says the team plans to be cautious with the star rookie quarterback ahead of Sunday’s showdown with the Chicago Bears.

Daniels cares about awards and stats. He really wanted to win the Heisman Trophy; he really wanted to break Joe Burrow’s SEC record for single-game touchdowns; he really wants to outdo last year’s historic rookie campaign by Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, whose stats he has written down in his phone.

It’s hard to tell if Daniels will play. He’s extremely tough and competitive — he gutted through a rib injury last year to lead LSU to a big win at Missouri — and he can play without much practice, as he did for his legendary performance against Florida.

But the Commanders will be cautious. Lots of people, including Quinn and General Manager Adam Peters, are thinking bigger than one regular season game, and backup Marcus Mariota has preached the same message.

the Bears are probably the toughest defense the Commanders have faced.

You read that right

Don’t get it twisted: Baltimore was excellent, especially against the run. But Chicago is a complete, cohesive unit led by Coach Matt Eberflus. It ranks in the top five in most traditional and advanced metrics, including turnovers forced (13, tied for third).

Daniels’s status could become clear over the next few days. Or the team could — out of genuine uncertainty or competitive advantage — continue saying it doesn’t know, list him as questionable on the final injury report Friday and not reveal its decision until the list of inactive players is due at 2:55 p.m. Sunday.

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Commanders.com

Practice notes | Quinn provides update on Jayden Daniels’ recovery

Quinn said the next step is for Daniels to get on the practice field, and the head coach added that he is “close to there.” Once Daniels can suit up, Quinn wants to see him “fully express himself and do all the things that he does, which makes him so unique and special.” In terms of Daniels’ progression through his injury, Quinn confirmed it will be treated just like any other physical issue with a player, meaning they will evaluate him throughout the week to ensure that “he can be him, fully turnt up.”

Quinn knows that Daniels wants to play in Sunday’s game against the Bears. It’s an opportunity to start another win streak against a team that has won three straight games with a quality defense and a surging offense. And Quinn admires how much of a competitor Daniels has been this season and the work the quarterback has put in to be ready for each matchup.

However, Quinn said “we’ll really trust our eyes” and the medical staff’s judgement to assess whether Daniels is physically fit to play.

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ESPN

Commanders’ Jayden Daniels misses practice, status still uncertain

Wednesday marked the first Commanders practice in which Daniels couldn’t participate since he was drafted in the spring.

“The good news for him [is] there’s a lot of banked reps on things that he’s done exceptionally well,” Quinn said.

Meanwhile, Quinn said Daniels’ attitude has “been fantastic, just like you’d expect.” Quinn added that Daniels won’t be swayed to return because of the matchup featuring Williams.

Williams downplayed the storylines of the 2024 No. 1 pick facing off against the No. 2 pick, saying his “job is to go win games on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays. That’s it.” Williams added that he wants Daniels to play Sunday when asked whether he would be disappointed if Daniels is sidelined with an injury.

“No. I hope he plays,” Williams said. “Obviously you don’t wish to see good and great players down, not in games. It only makes the game better. But no, I’m not reliant off of that matchup.”

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Commanders Wire

Commanders activate rookie linebacker Jordan Magee

Magee injured his knee in the first week of the preseason against the Jets. At the time, the Commanders announced that he would need a procedure, but his injury was not season-ending.

So, Magee is brought on to the roster in preparation for the Week 8 home contest against the Bears. To make room for Magee, the Commanders released Jamin Davis, who was in his fourth season with Washington.

Upon watching Magee’s highlight film prior to the draft, analyst Daniel Jeremiah summed up his analysis of Magee with, “He’s instinctive, twitchy and tough.”

The NFL permits a 21-day workout window for players returning from the Injured Reserve list. Magee’s 21-day window was coming to a conclusion. The Commanders determined to work out Magee testing the knee as often as they could. Had the Commanders chosen not to activate Magee on Wednesday, the league rules state Magee would have been out the remainder of the regular season.

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This week’s matchup

The Athletic (paywall)

The 1983 NFL QB class is unrivaled, but watch out for Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams

Initially, the urge to watch [Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams] was to see if their on-field performance would match their pre-draft hype. But the draw is different now. It’s more compelling. They are must-see TV because of the hint that something special could occur when their ability and acumen converge with critical moments.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn discussed this with former quarterback and current CBS analyst Matt Ryan. Reflecting on Washington’s 21-18 Week 2 victory over the New York Giants, he recalled the score being tied with just over two minutes remaining and his team taking possession at its 23-yard line. Daniels, just eight quarters into his pro career, deftly recorded back-to-back completions of 34 and 8 yards, then added a 14-yard run to position the Commanders for the decisive field goal.

“We’re in a two-minute (drive with) a chance to go win it, and he was smiling,” Quinn said. “I was like, ‘Hell, yes!’ He was absolutely ready for it.”

Caleb Williams also has been impressive, though in a different way. In his early games, you could see the carryover from college, where he was accustomed to extending plays and improvising for big gains. While successful at USC and Oklahoma with that approach, it put him and the Bears in bad situations in back-to-back losses to the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.

But Williams has been a different player since. Instead of forcing plays, he’s taking what’s available to him. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 13 in London, he broke from the pocket a couple of times but threw the ball out of bounds instead of forcing a pass into coverage. Young quarterbacks are regularly taught to do that, but many struggle because of a desire to make a play. They see the potential reward as greater than the obvious risk.

He has had multiple touchdown passes in three of his last four games — he had none in his first two — and is coming off his first four-touchdown performance. Not coincidentally, the Bears have scored 30 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time since December 2020 and are 4-2.

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Commanders.com

Commanders vs. Bears preview | A tough test from the NFC North

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Upcoming opponent

Windy City Gridiron

Chicago Bears Sackwatch 2024: Week 7 Bye Week Check-In

Let’s see how Caleb Williams and the pass protection has been so far.

Caleb Williams is being sacked 9.13% of the time, which is a lower mark than the primary Bears’ starter the last three years. That places Chicago as the sixth most frequent team at getting sacked. Caleb’s pressure percentage is 19.8%, which ranks 18th. His pocket time, which is the “average time the QB had in the pocket between the snap and throwing the ball or pressure collapses the pocket, in seconds,” is 2.3, and that is tied for 21st. For some perspective, Minnesota is number one at 2.7.

This season’s outlier game was week two in Houston when the Texans got to Williams seven times. Houston blitzed 15 times that game, but as big an issue was the offensive line’s struggles against stunts. Chicago’s line has improved in the last few games with stunts, and Caleb has been much better at recognizing the blitz. In weeks 1-3, Williams completed 41.7% of his passes, but in weeks 4-6, that has increased to 79.2%. It’s the QB, the line, the backs and tight ends knowing when to chip or stay, the receivers recognizing when a hot is needed, and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron having a better feel for what his team can do.

For those looking ahead to this Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders, their defense has 19 sacks, which is tied for ninth in the league. Their defense’s 26.1% pressure percentage ranks tenth. They rank 21st with a QB knockdown percentage of 7.3%, and their hurry percentage is 11.3%, which is fourth-best. Washington’s defense has blitzed 29.3% of the time, which is ninth most.

The Commanders are also allowing a passer rating against of 107.4, which is the third highest in the NFL.

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Windy City Gridiron

NFL Toxic Differential Plus Through Week 7

Tracking team health throughout the entire NFL by tracking the big plays!

Click Here to get a more detailed explanation of the stat or roll with the equation below:

Explosive Play Differential + 2(Turnover Differential) + Sack Differential = Toxic Differential Plus

We’ve got a new leader in Toxic Differential Plus this year as someone finally knocks the Packers down from the top spot. The Buffalo Bills take over the top spot despite a lack of explosive plays on offense.

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Windy City Gridiron

Bears vs Commanders Injury Report: Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon DNP

As the Chicago Bears prepare for their seventh regular-season game of the 2024 season this Sunday against the Washington Commanders, the team has released its first official injury report for week eight.

The biggest concerns are CB Kyler Gordon and S Jaquan Brisker — both listed as DNP on Wednesday. Gordon injured his hamstring in the Bears/Jaguars game over in London, and Brisker was in concussion protocol for that game.

Joining them on the injury report were five players listed as “limited” — OL Larry Borom (ankle), RB Travis Homer (finger), DL Zacch Pickens (groin), DB Terell Smith (hip), and DB Tyrique Stevenson (calf).

Chicago was hoping that last week’s bye week would allow their banged up secondary a chance to heal and possibly play this week. We’ll have to monitor the situation with Brisker and Gordon as the week goes on. It is a positive that Stevenson practiced, even if in just a limited capacity.

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