On Monday, Grant & Danny asked if anything you saw on Sunday made you anxious or feel differently about Sam Howell – and on Tuesday, they went big picture, asking similar about the team as a whole.
After that loss, and 17 days after the season started, as they sit 2-1, are you more discouraged, more encouraged, or feeling about the same about the Commanders? Because despite the highs and super lows, Danny is still on the same wavelength he was on September 9.
“The short answer is the same, but the longer answer is I took a weird path to get there before the season started,” Danny said. “I said this is an eight-win team with a seven-win schedule, and through a couple of week, I’m thinking we’re building something, maybe the offense is better than I thought it was and the defense is taking over – but after that shellacking, I'm kind of back to where I started, which is, they're okay, not bad. I don't think they're as bad as losing by 34 to a quality team every week, but I don’t think they're particularly good either. I think they're very okay, and will win a game or two that we’re surprised by, but ultimately, they’ll settle into where I thought, bit with a wild ride to get there.”
Danny had picked them to go 7-10, so that’s about on par for what he thought, and while Grant agrees that they kind of are what we thought they were, he’s leaning towards maybe being better as the year goes on.
“The Denver second half makes me feel better about them. The game that Sam Howell played in Denver, I'll cling to that and say better,” Grant said. “I didn't think that this early in his career, he could play at that level, but as I say that, this past week kind of cancels that out. The extreme great in Denver and then the extreme bad have exceeded my expectations in both directions and it's only been three games. So, it's just a put your seatbelt on with a young quarterback situation.”
There are reasons why they can be better, though, most of which revolve around the defense in Grant’s eyes – Chase Young’s stellar play so far, Daron Payne’s continued ascension to All-Pro status, and the young secondary’s quick improvement – and since he had them 1-2 at this point, they are, indeed, better.
Take a listen above to the entire segment where the guys discuss their feelings!