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riverside commanders look to exorcise demons against giants josh upton's studio: Yeah. Welcome in to the Washington Football Podcast. I'm your host, Josh Upton. We are barreling towards the Commanders' next game. A Thursday night football game on the road against the Giants. The Commander's going to be looking to exercise some demons. We'll catch you up on what Dan Quinn had to say today: the injuries, thoughts on the game, the outfit that the Commanders are going to be sporting in New York, and the spread as the Commanders Really are trying to get back one of their worst performances of the season. Really, maybe one of their best performances of the season until the final seconds of the game. Love a Thursday night game. Let's just get this thing over with one way or another. If they win, we can get on with our weekend, not have to stress on Sunday. If they lose, there is a week and a half to talk about what is next. For this team, for the head coach, maybe more than anyone else. Dan Quinn went to the podium today and had some things to say. He did just over four minutes of press conference time. I thought the team cut it short. they've been doing that a little bit lately. They've also been putting ads in their press conferences, which is not unique. A lot of teams do that, but right now, in the middle of this season that you're having, you're gonna start putting ads in front of your press conferences. That is bugging me as well. Maybe I'm just annoyed with everything with this franchise right now. But Dan Quinn went to the podium today, and John Kime started it off by saying, the late game failures. That is a quote. The late game failures, do you blame that on the new systems, the new coordinators? Particularly, you're thinking about the late game offensive failures. Although the defense, let them down early. In the season in that Eagles game with late game failures. But anyway, you could tell by Dan Quinn's body language he didn't like that phrasing. But he said there's no excuses, whether it's new coordinators, new systems, any of that. There's no excuses. It just has to be right. I think we can all agree with that. But he also said he's been showing the team clips of Giants games from 2024, from 2025. Dan Quinn has not lost to the Giants since he's been in Washington. Of course, he's got the famous tie, but he has not lost to the Giants since he's been in Washington. They've played some close games. but he said he's expecting that this game is going to be close as well. It is a good opportunity. I've already used this phrase once in this show, to exercise some demons, not just from the Giants game, but from the last several. From the Rams, from the Niners, these mistakes, these, bits of cluelessness that they've had. This is a good chance to get some of that back, to show themselves as much as anybody else that they can do this. Though unfortunately, Dan Quinn went back to the well on something he's been saying consistently, even dating back
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to last year. He said, he was asked basically, how do you trust that the team is ready to do this? They, more than anybody else this week, have been calling this one a must win. Jaden Daniels said after the loss to the Rams on Sunday, pointedly, yeah, this is a must win. You're not gonna find me saying that. They've already lost or tied too many must wins at this point in the season. But Dan Quinn said he he feels confident in this team because he loves the work that they put in today. He said there were no incompletions at practice today, if you can believe that. He said the red zone and third down work was very detailed. He said he loved the process that they went through today. That, maybe more than anything else, I do not want to hear anymore. This team, Dan Quinn has consistently said he loves the practices, he loves the week of work that the team has put in. But this team over the last two years. consistently has just not been able to bring practice to the field. So for Dan Quinn to go up there and say again today, after all we've seen and all we've been through, that's been a good week of work. Love what they did today. No incompletions at practice that I hate to hear. Now Dan Quinn started the press conference and actually how I I should have started the show, he started with the injuries, but also made mention that today is Veterans Day. So, to all of our veterans, thank you for your service. I'm sorry it took this long to get to this, but thank you for your service. The team being the team that gets to represent DC takes this very seriously. Dan Quinn is a guy who takes military service and honoring our veterans very seriously. So happy Veterans Day to all of our veterans out there. On the injury front, Dan Quinn only ruled out two players for this game, and that is center Lucas Patrick and tight end Colson Yankhoff. We knew that Lucas Patrick was going to be out, and if you hadn't heard, Nick Allegretti has got his starting center spot back. He is excited to get the spot back, I'm sure. We've seen Matt Goldman take over at center in the time since we last saw Allegretti play center, and obviously Lucas Patrick has just become the starter. Allegretti has been dealing with a lot of injuries, and then I know that people are upset and they think that it is a bit of a clown show with how the team handled the center position this year. I don't really know what to make of it. I understand fans' frustration, and when I see that Nick Allegretti is dressed for the game on Sunday, but Lucas Patrick is coming in at center, like that does make me roll my eyes or look at them sideways. It looks strange. But Dan Quinn said pretty early on that Nick Allegretti's calf injury, along with some other injuries he was dealing with throughout training camp and as the season started, was a factor in why he wasn't getting out there and playing center. Of course, he was ready to go at guard on Sunday, but Allegretti talked about it a little bit this week. I do
think that there are some injury issues, like him getting right that kept him from playing center. And Lucas Patrick has been okay. Nick Allegradi said that the first thing Dan Quinn said to him when breaking the news to him that he may start is he, you know, he asked him how his body was feeling. Allegradi said he's feeling good. Okay, you're gonna start on Thursday. So whatever. We'll see how their starting center does on Thursday. limited in practice this week, Traylon Burks. Did not practice on Monday, limited Tuesday, did not practice today. I think he's gonna be good to go, but we'll see about that tomorrow night. Would be nice to have him back. For the Giants, they will be getting a couple players back. JJ McCarthy, who was injured last week against the Eagles, he will return. And McCarthy is a maligned quarterback, and I understand why. But he's played pretty well in New York. It wasn't Too long ago that he was torching the Texans of all teams. Plus, he lit up the Commanders just last year in Minnesota. He has played some of his best football against the Commanders. So this is a team because of their record, because of their history with this quarterback, cannot be taking anyone lightly. The Giants, in their mind, are getting their starting quarterback back. on the plus side for Washington, they do have a lot of people in their building who know JJ McCarthy well. Mikey Sandra still went to college with him at Michigan. Fabian Moreau played with him last year in Minnesota. And of course, Dorante Jones was brought over from Minnesota. So they have some familiarity with this quarterback. And the defense has been playing better, but still, they do not have the luxury of taking anybody lightly. Cam Scadabo will also be back in this game. Washington did a pretty good job against him last time around. You know, it felt like he started to get his legs, you know, start to wear on them a little bit as the game went on. But of course they forced the late fumble in overtime. And if it wasn't for them forcing that fumble, getting the ball out of Scataboo's hands at that moment, we would have never had the clock blunder that caused them ultimately to tie the game. Maybe would have been a blessing for this team if Scataboo would have just hung on to the ball and the Giants kick that one through and they go on to lose. It feels like this team has never quite recovered from that tie. Like, there's a they're getting a lot of questions this week about like, do you want how much does this game mean to you because of what happened last time? You know, almost like it's a revenge type game, but Now I'm thinking revenge against who? The Commanders have nobody to blame but themselves for what happened in the tie. The Giants didn't do anything, and that's no respect, no disrespect to the Giants. they were able to battle back. They took advantage of the defense late in the game. They overcome overcame a two-touchdown, fourth quarter deficit. the Giants have been the ones winning games, and the commanders have been the ones blowing it. That is No disrespect to the Giants, but the commanders have no one to blame but themselves. So when they take the field tomorrow, they don't have to prove to anybody that they can beat the Giants. Everybody knows that they can do that. Everybody watched them have their way with the Giants just a few weeks ago. When they take the field tomorrow, they need to prove to themselves that they can do this, that they can close the game out. Dan Quinn said it's gonna be close. They should expect it to be close. And the Giants are a team that coming out of that game have confidence that they're never out of it. The commanders are a team going into that game. And I think no matter how much they may be up if they're able to build a lead, they're never going to be able to sustain it. So it's not about going in there and proving that you can beat the Giants or that you're a better team than the Giants. It's about proving to themselves that they can do this. This is a team that has not gotten over that tie. And that, as much as anything else that we've seen from this team this year, drives me crazy. Suck it up. I know that that tie sucks, but you're letting it ruin your whole season. There are people in that locker room who still call it a loss. It was a tie. And I know it feels like a loss and whatever. It was a tie. You have to put it in its proper perspective. You win this game tomorrow, you're two, two, and one in the division. You have the chance to finish the division with a positive record. Obviously, a lot needs to go right for that to happen. But that didn't have to ruin your season, and it still doesn't if you can just go out there and do this. And I'm not saying it's easy. It's on the road. The Giants are a team that is winning games, and you are a team that is finding ways to lose them. But You gotta put that behind you and and you just have to put that behind you. I mean, there's nothing else. You might not win, even if you play your best game, but you gotta put that behind you. Sam Cosme said this week, I still don't know how that happened. It's like, one, how do you not know how that happened now, weeks removed? And two, like, truly let it go. It sucks. And if the season goes down the drain, we can all be upset about it. We can all blame David Blau and Dan Quinn and Jaden Daniels. We can keep doing that. But there is still a season to be had here. So go out there and show yourself that you can do it. This is your chance. And if it you're lucky in that way. If you it seems like maybe this is the only way that they're going to get over it. So luckily for them, the Giants are coming back around while they still have a chance to save their season. Washington's going to roll into this game. As a two and a half point underdog on the road. So again, you've showed people that you can compete with the Giants. You're a road underdog of only two and a half points. They'll be wearing the Burgundy jerseys tomorrow. I'm guessing it'll be gold pants. The Giants are doing a whiteout. So I'm guessing the commanders are going to be going burgundy and gold. If you're wondering when they're going to be wearing the Hailraiser jerseys, they have just had way too much faith. And this team over the last two seasons. They keep saving their alternate jerseys. Last year with the Super Bowl era jerseys. This year with the Hailraisers. Hopefully a better we'll see what it looks like in practice. Hopefully a better version of the black uniforms they've been wearing for a while now. They're not gonna wear the Hailraisers until next week on Monday Night Football against the Bengals. You win this game. You got a chance that people will be excited to come out there and see you wear those jerseys with the chance to get to four, five, and one. You lose this game, you're out there in Hail Razor jerseys at two, six and one, and nobody's really gonna be excited about anything. Gotta get through the Giants first. That'll be tomorrow night. We will see what happens. I'll be back with another episode on Friday. Enjoy the game. We'll talk to you then.