Daily Slop – 6 Dec 24: Commanders should benefit from Marshon Lattimore’s Commanders debut against his former team

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Bobby Wagner nominated for 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year award

The Washington Commanders announced that Bobby Wagner has been selected as the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide. The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award is the league’s most prestigious honor, recognizing players who excel on-the-field and demonstrate a steadfast commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game.

A seasoned NFL veteran and a six-time All-Pro, Bobby’s impact transcends the field. He has been an advocate formental health and social justice reform, working with local nonprofits and participating in NFL initiatives like Inspire Change to address these issues and leverage his platform for long-term community change.

He has also served as a passionate advocate for business, venture capital, and entrepreneurship. Bobby has prioritized creating programs, like Tackle Everything Tech Tour, where he emphasizes the importance of building generational wealth to ensure future generations can thrive. Through meaningful mentorship, Bobby has fostered lasting relationships, helping educate and equip young people with the tools and guidance they need to excel both on and off the field.

“I’ve always felt strongly about the importance of giving back, and I never take for granted the opportunity and resources to contribute to our community in every way I can,” said Commander’s linebacker Bobby Wagner. “While I normally don’t seek recognition for my work, it is truly humbling to have my efforts acknowledged through this prestigious nomination. My goal has always been to inspire others on and off the field through my work and this recognition reminds me of the many people that still inspire me every day.”

A leader by example, Wagner encourages his teammates to get involved in charitable efforts and frequently organizes team-wide activities, including volunteering at homeless shelters and hosting holiday events for underserved families. His humility and relentless work ethic inspire those around him, and his passion for giving back has become a cornerstone of his identity both in and out of the locker room.

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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

Kingsbury adjustments led to McLaurin production in key situations

Breaking down some small adjustments Kliff Kingsbury made in order to get Terry McLaurin the ball in key situations

Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is on pace for a career year. He already has a career high in touchdowns with nine, but he’s also only 295 yards away from his career high in receiving yards too. Over the last four games, he needs to average 73.75 yards to match his career best. Despite this, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has come under fire recently for how he uses McLaurin. Much has been made about how McLaurin lines up as the outside left receiver the vast majority of the time. Before the start of the season, I broke down the reasons for that. But after two unproductive outings in a row against the Eagles and Cowboys, questions started to be raised again.

Against the Titans, Kingsbury made some tweaks in effort to get McLaurin the ball a little more in key situations. McLaurin still lined up as the outside left receiver more often than not, but Kingsbury was more willing to sacrifice some of his tempo to get McLaurin in specific alignments for some key situations where he knew the ball would likely get to the star receiver.

Here, the Commanders line up with three receivers to the left and McLaurin isolated to the right. Typically in this formation, McLaurin would be outside to the left, but they deliberately switch him to the right for a reason. Before the snap, running back Brian Robinson motions out to the left, meaning four of the five eligible receivers are out to that side. That leaves McLaurin with tons of space on his own to the right side. From this isolated look, the Commanders have McLaurin run a simple slant route, which he does so effectively and has done for years. McLaurin wins the slant and secures the pass over the middle before taking a big hit.

Being able to win quickly on those slants and also show the toughness and willingness to go over the middle and take big hits to make the play is a big part of why McLaurin is such a good receiver. This was an important play too. It was second and six, so if McLaurin drops the ball after getting that big hit or can’t complete the pass for some reason, the Commanders then face a third and long situation, something they avoided well all game. But because McLaurin made this catch, while he didn’t quite pick up the first down, he set up a third and one situation. The Commanders are incredibly effective in third and short because they have their whole playbook available to them, especially with the added threat of Daniels keeping it on a read-option play.

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Riggo’s Rag

Grading Jayden Daniels at the bye week: Comparing rookie QB to a higher standard

Jayden Daniels has been sensational so far.

Daniels is not merely being judged against the current crop of rookies. He is now solidly in the conversation for the greatest rookie quarterback of all time.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels is on a historic path to greatness

Let’s take a quick look at how he stacks up against some of the best this season and in the recent past.

The former LSU star is completing just under 70 percent of his passes. That has him in fourth place in the league, trailing Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff, and Baker Mayfield. Amongst other rookies this year, only Drake Maye is within shouting distance of Daniels’ numbers, coming in nine spots behind at just over 67%.

In virtually every other passing statistic, Daniels hovers just at the edge of the league’s top 10. None of those other passing numbers are eye-opening, but that can belie the true beauty of his game.

Daniels does everything well. There is no gap – no hole that needs to be filled. He is good across the board. He takes shots downfield. He is getting better at checking down or throwing the ball away. He moves in the pocket to buy time. He is not careless. Until his recent slight downturn, he has rarely thrown interceptions.

Jayden Daniels has the tools and work ethic to thrive long-term

The newer ESPN-created QBR statistic considers rushing when evaluating quarterback play. Daniels’ mark is significantly better than Stroud’s (who does not run often) and slightly ahead of Griffin, who was among the most dynamic running quarterbacks anyone had ever seen.

What makes Daniels’ running so effective is how efficient he is. The dual-threat weapon is just below the league-wide average in touchdown throws, but he has run for six scores this season, trailing only Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen.

When you take into account his running, Daniels is posting as good a rookie year as any quarterback we have seen this century.

That still doesn’t consider what may be Daniels’ greatest attribute – his character.

He has already demonstrated a work ethic and leadership skills that bode well for the future. Daniels has responded to adversity. The shining example of that came in the Chicago Bears game when he never panicked and engineered a miracle finish. But he has shown a similar positive attitude from the moment he got into the building.

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Commanders Wire

Commanders will ‘get a jolt in the arm’ vs. Saints

“You saw that they released Emmanuel Forbes, their first-round draft pick, former first-round pick who was claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Rams. Part of the reason they released him was they had Lattimore coming back after the bye.”

“And it looks like he is tracking to play his first game for the Commanders; what six weeks after the trade deadline? Or five weeks after the trade deadline?”

“We’ve been waiting for Marshon Lattimore to make his debut, and this will be a little jolt in the arm for Washington, coming off of its bye, getting its Pro Bowl cornerback.”

“By the way, when they do bring back Lattimore for his first game as a Commander next week, guess where that game will be? In New Orleans against his former team.”

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Podcasts & videos

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Jayden Daniels = Rookie of the Year + Coaching ELEVATED | Podcast | Washington Commanders | NFL

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