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"There is a thought around the NFL that this is not a good football team, a last-place team that won't make the playoffs, albeit in a good division," Grant said. "But I just think this defense is going to be so good, that the Commanders can't possibly be as bad as people think."
Now, that doesn't mean Grant thinks this is going to be the 2000-01 Ravens, and it's possible that if the offense is as bad as the defense is good, Washington could be a 6-11 team with a lot of close, low-scoring losses.
Of course, he doesn't think that will happen, because…
"They have Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, and Brian Robinson, and so on – but in the former you have two No. 1-type receivers, and specific to the running game, you'll have a scheme where Robinson will be able to run in the shotgun and get some real estate he didn't have last year," Grant said. "Even if the quarterback play is substandard and under what we're hoping for, I don't think they can play so bad the team will stink to the level where they lose double-digit games. The defense is the ultimate safety net."
Sure, Chase Young has a lot to prove, Montez Sweat hasn't yet become exactly what they'd hoped, and there is some question in the back end – but Grant believes the unit is solid.
"They've spent so much volume of picks, and money, in the last few years, and Jack Del Rio is an outstanding coordinator who as done a great job here, and Ron Rivera is a revered defensive coach…with the brain trust and that talent, there's no reason they shouldn't be able to keep this team in every game," Grant said. "Now, I need Sam Howell to make a few plays. I need Terry McLaurin to put the team on his back and make big catches, and Jahan Dotson to hit the spin cycle and make plays. Steal a couple games with big ballers, you have nine wins with a week or two to go, and a chance to make the playoffs."
Take a listen to it from Grant's lips, and some calls on the subject, above!
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