We’re now two days away from NFL kickoff, and as we head towards Sunday, the surge of goodwill and vibe of optimism is high around the DMV as the Commanders kick off their new era officially.
“Until 1 p.m. on Sunday, this week is going to be about how you frame it that Dan is gone, and new owners are here,” JP Finlay said on Tuesday’s show.
“Everyone feels it’s a fresh start, that’s it,” BMitch replied. “It’s a new opportunity. There are people who had fallen into the mindset that we can’t overcome all the stuff that went wrong with the previous owners, but now we have a change. The attitude and mindset have changed.”
JP thinks Sunday will be ‘a celebration,’ but of course, anything can happen once the game kicks off, even if the pressure and expectation is more than some realize given the opponent – with a majority of the money on the betting lines already on Washington minus-7.
Mr. Finlay has bought into the positive momentum, posting his season predictions on TikTok Tuesday and saying he feels better now than he did the day before camp opened – mostly because of one unit he feels is much improved from the huge question mark they were coming in.
“That is the interior of the offensive line – I think Charles-Gates-Cosmi could be pretty good," JP said. “I think all of those guys are athletic, and with the way Bieniemy likes to move the pocket and set up a lot of screens, that will help.”
JP also explained how a scout told him that guards are being paid more now that smaller quarterbacks are becoming more prevalent, because those who can protect shorter players from interior pressure are at a premium – and Washington has that premium.
“For me, it’s not just those three, it’s that they have good backups,” BMitch added to that. “Stromberg takes a lot of pressure off for me, because he can play either side or center, and Chris Paul, he may not be as athletic as Saahdiq Charles, but people aren’t going to run through him.”
Both men watched that line develop in camp, and because it did so better than expected in JP’s eyes, he’s now more confident – of course, assuming all stay healthy, as is the rub.
Take a listen to their entire conversation above, as well as a look at why some callers are optimistic about the 2023 Commanders below!
