Former Washington Redskins great Jon Jansen, and current Detroit radio host, doesn't see an upset brewing for the Commanders.
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00:00Without further ado joining us now on the rude guest hotline rude the most reliable heating air and air conditioning products in the DMV
00:07Former longtime redskin Troy lion mornings of 97 won the ticket in Detroit. Mr. John Jansen John. Good afternoon, man. Thanks for the time
00:14It's great to talk to you guys. It's great to be able to talk to the fans there in DC
00:19I miss them, but I'm glad some of them are gonna be traveling here to Detroit to watch this game tomorrow night
00:25It's a big one and you're there in that market John and you obviously know it so well
00:29Just just kind of give me the pulse here
00:31I know a few Lions fans and there's a kinship frankly between Washington fans and lion fans
00:36I think to some degree like I get they're suffering I get how deserving they are of that of that roof blowing off and everybody
00:43Finally, you know, but exercise some demons. What's the environment like there? How are the fans sort of feeling living up to this thing?
00:50Well, I mean, it's kind of one of those things like if you're if you're a Redskins fan or a fan of really any other franchise
00:57Cleveland I'm not sure that you really understand or get what it's been like to be in DC here
01:04I mean in Detroit because
01:06We've never been to a Super Bowl never had a Super Bowl championship the last time they went to the NFC Championship game
01:12It was the Redskins that
01:14That knocked them on their butt and they haven't recovered since so it's it's been a long road
01:19They're the sense here in Detroit that this is finally the year that that you know
01:24Even though there's been a bunch of injuries
01:27They've been able to overcome
01:29Every single time and they've they've kind of conquered all of the mountains that people said they couldn't do
01:35It was the cold weather for Jared Goff. It was prime time. It was you know, SOL same old Lions
01:41in in the goats of
01:43Seasons past and they've kind of put that all behind them and the sense here is that this is the year of Detroit for a Super
01:50Bowl
01:51John I mean you talk about that confidence that these fans have I mean
01:55It's got to be refreshing for the city to have that sort of confidence
01:58Around here. The vibe is kind of growing is the the weeks gone on that fans are getting this quiet confidence
02:03And maybe they can get it done. Is there any sort of nerves for Lions fans going into this matchup?
02:09Well, there's I wouldn't say nerves
02:11Maybe some anxious energy because we had to sit there around having had the earned
02:17The one seed had to sit around and watch everybody else have all the fun, but you know, it's it
02:23The confidence comes from watching this team is an alliance and what they've done all season long, especially offensively
02:31It's a number one offense in the NFL and they're getting David Montgomery back
02:35So they're getting a healthy on offense Christian mahogany is gonna be playing right guard with Kevin Zeitler out
02:41But he's come in before and played at a high level
02:45So it's the ability to strike at every level of the offense whether it's in the run game in the pass game
02:51It's the protection. It's the quality play that we're getting a decision-making from Jared Goff, especially in the biggest moment
02:58So it that's part of the conference the other part of the conference and I don't need to take a shot at Washington
03:03But when you look at the 12 wins
03:07There's only one team that Washington has beaten
03:10That's a playoff team and that was Philly and that was with Kenny Pickett
03:15So I don't know that there's a lot of Lions fans even looking at that to think they're gonna make that jump from Benny
03:21Beating everybody that's not in the playoffs
03:24Losing to some playoff teams and then all of a sudden they're gonna come into the playoffs to beat the number one seed
03:30Great John Jansen with us here on G and D live from uptown alley. I'm an asses John
03:35I had to look his name up but Jack Fox punts for the Detroit Lions. That's a great gig by the way
03:40We should all sign up for something like that, but he did have to put a couple of times this year
03:44Here's where I'm going with it. You mentioned it Detroit's offense is incredible
03:47It's as good as most any we've seen in the sport minutes 99 Rams level good as far as I'm concerned
03:53They beat you in any way you'd like to get beaten the few times where maybe it wasn't clicking or got out of rhythm
03:59What happened and is there anything Washington can do to try to make some of those times occur?
04:04Yeah, the only guy that might have a better job
04:07In Detroit other than Jack Fox since he doesn't have to work every game is is the number two quarterback since Jared Goff has been
04:14So healthy over the last three years, but when the offense hasn't worked
04:18And it's been it's obviously it's been self-inflicted wounds. It's either and it doesn't involve Jack Fox
04:25It's the turnover by Jared Goff
04:27There there hasn't been a lot of turnovers in terms of fumbles this year
04:31But that that is something that that could hold this team back
04:34But it's really, you know, every once in a while. There's a missed assignment and and a guy just, you know misses the blocker
04:41You know, they're not able to convert on third down
04:45And and it's you know, it leads to a fourth and seven or eight
04:49I mean, that's that's something that that Dan Campbell hasn't gone to yet fourth or two or three fourth and five the hell
04:56he's going for it, but
04:57You know, it's being really good on third down and and that's gonna be the key to this line
05:03His office is being able to convert those third downs and at least make a manageable force
05:09How big of a deal is it that Zeitler's not going to be able to get out there?
05:12The rest of the old line is just nasty as well. But how big of a deal is it not having Zeitler tomorrow night?
05:16I don't think it's a big deal at all. They drafted
05:22Mahogany
05:23Christian Mahogany out of Boston College to be able to come in and it for moments like this
05:29He was a late round pick a six round pick
05:31He was banged up in his senior year and and you know, he was sick at the beginning of the season
05:37But I mean just a few games ago
05:39Graham Glasgow was down all of a sudden you put in Christian Mahogany and
05:43And he's off and run it didn't even notice it the Lions had to do it last year in the NFC Championship game
05:49Not that he was there but I was Sika they put him in and when you have as
05:54Good of coaching from top to bottom as this team has it all starts with Dan Campbell Ben Johnson calling plays
06:00But Hank Fraley and we know very well because he was he was up the road there at Philly
06:06As a player early in his career
06:08He's a technician and he has whether you're in the first group second group
06:14Every guy if you're on this roster
06:16You're expected to go in and not miss a beat and and they've really shown it a number of different positions
06:20But especially offensive line that they can get that done
06:24So John, this is what I posited earlier would love your take on this
06:27I know Detroit's gonna move the football and that's true of any opponent if they even when they get to the Super Bowl
06:33I'm their opponent. I know they're gonna move the football know they could score points to me if they want to hand it off
06:38I'll say you know what? That's fine. I'm hoping I can contain Jameer Gibbs who runs like a 3 840
06:47But James Williams I need to be faster, you know
06:50Like I can't have the big play probably easier said than done to stop it
06:54But I will back off and make you slowly but surely matriculate down the football field. I don't know. That's a winning recipe
07:01I love that's kind of defeatist
07:02But I'll challenge do that three four five six times to get your points rather than give up some of these big chunk plays that
07:09Ben Johnson has I mean like this morning
07:11He probably wrote down on a cocktail napkin the greatest trick play human beings have ever seen and it's coming out in the third quarter
07:17And I'm terrified about it
07:18But I'd rather give up those five six seven ten yard bleeders underneath when the running game that ended the big shots
07:24What do you think there?
07:32Yeah, okay, do you want the game to be a good game into the late second quarter early third quarter then you know
07:38Then then let the Lions run the ball or say hey, we're gonna take away J Mo
07:43We're gonna try and limit Amon Ross St. Brown or Sam Laporta. It's it's it's it's kind of an exercise in futility
07:50That's why this offense is so hard. You mentioned it. I don't know if it's as good as that 99 offense in St. Louis
07:56Yeah, but yeah, it's pretty good. So but here's the thing about Jameer Gibbs is yeah
08:01You don't want to give up the big play to J Mo. There's there's been 14 explosive runs this year
08:07For the Detroit Lions Jameer Gibbs has 13 of them
08:11And so he could take it to the house either way
08:14Whether you're throwing it over the top to J Mo or you're handing it off or throwing it to Jameer Gibbs
08:19That's what also makes him a threat and Ben Johnson is kind of always one step ahead of defensive coordinators
08:24Where if they do say you know what I can't take it anymore. I'm gonna stop the run
08:28He goes to the short pass game or he goes to the to the middle pass or some swing routes, so it's I
08:37Always love watching defensive coordinators, and I know Dan Quinn
08:40All right
08:40This is this is the guy that is is extremely good obviously focused on defense the you know
08:46Jake Daniels is the story, but I'm curious as to what type of game plan
08:51He's gonna come into this game with and I've been studying defenses all season long
08:57You know not many people have been able to slow it down
08:59So it'll be interesting to see what he tries to put together
09:02To slow this the both both phases the the the run game and the pass game for Detroit
09:08John the bye week for the Lions is big because they didn't have a
09:12Bye for a long time having their bye week originally in week five
09:15How important it wasn't for them, and how did they attack this week?
09:19Do you anticipate maybe any rust early on coming out of the bye week? I?
09:22Don't expect any rust because it's a very veteran team and and even the young guys
09:27You know have been playing a ton over the last two years
09:30So it's really going to come down to leadership and Jared golf penny Sewell offensively
09:37You know defensively even though he's only in his second year. He's a tremendous leader of Brian branch Kirby Joseph
09:44And getting back Alex hands alone II this
09:48For that Minnesota game he showed that the the arm surgery that he had wasn't going to affect them there
09:53There certainly are some issues with the Lions in terms of defensive depth. They had 13 guys on IR Aiden Hutchinson
10:00He's not coming back
10:02You know
10:03McCall to Davis Derek Barnes
10:06Malcolm Rodgers I go right down to Lee McNeil a guy that was having a pro bowl caliber season those guys aren't coming back
10:12To be able to get some of the more veteran guys like as a Darius Smith up front DJ reader
10:18Over the last couple of years has been banged up this year so far. He's been healthy getting those guys
10:24The rest is exactly what they needed you mentioned it. They haven't had a bye week since week five
10:28So it'll be nice to have this one. It'll also be nice to have that one right before the Super Bowl
10:33So let's get to that Detroit defense
10:35Franklin had mattered. I don't know that it matters this week, but maybe to win a Super Bowl
10:39You might need to be closer what they did against, Minnesota John
10:43Then maybe what they were doing against Buffalo just kind of just to use a couple anecdotal points
10:47How do you expect this defense to play tomorrow night?
10:51Well, it'll be interesting because it gets Minnesota
10:53It was all about Sam Donald and getting to him and and we saw at the end of last year
10:58We definitely saw the Minnesota game that the Eric Glenn was going to bring a lot of pressure
11:02He's gonna throw a lot of man coverage. He's got a big pressure and
11:06And he was going to change things up it wasn't always going to come from the same time or from the same place but
11:12The thing about Jake Daniels what's so impressive about him as a rookie is how he does handle the blitz how he handles the pressure
11:19I mean, that's that's kind of where he actually shined
11:22And I know some of that is just a his athletic ability and he can get out and he can extend plays
11:27But I don't think in this game
11:30You're gonna want some man coverage because I think I do think that a meek Robertson can't keep up with and I don't I don't
11:37Want it to be I'm just no disrespect
11:39But what he I saw him do it gets Justin Jefferson. He could do the same against
11:43Scary Terry, so, um, you're gonna see some man coverage, but there needs to be more zone
11:49There needs to be make Jake Daniels hold the ball make him make decisions change the coverages
11:56You know post snap so that the look isn't the same make him think about it and and instead of just listen them all the time
12:03That's what Lions have had success with but I think it's a little bit of a different animal playing against Jade Daniels
12:09How concerned are they about Jaden's legs if they're gonna play so much man coverage if he can break out of the pocket and get
12:14Loose they a little bit scared of what he can do on the grounds. Oh
12:18Everybody's scared of a mobile quarterback. I mean if you if this was Halloween
12:21I think the scariest costume would be to dress up as a mobile quarterback
12:26But you know the thing about you have to realize okay at some point in offense
12:31and if you're talking about Baltimore with Lamar Jackson Derek Henry at some point those guys are going to get their yardage and
12:38Jade Daniels kind of the same thing at some point. He's gonna be able to pick up some first downs with his legs
12:44He's gonna make some throws even though he's a rookie. He's he's a damn good thrower
12:48So you you've got to accept the fact that that's just gonna happen
12:52But you don't let them string together an entire drive of those and you force field goals when they get in the red zone or
13:00You just keep them out of field goal range and and you make a nervous kicker go out there and kick
13:05So that's that's got to be the theory at three and out. That'd be perfect. It's not always gonna happen
13:11So you have to accept the fact that Jane Daniels go pick up some first downs with his feet
13:15You just make sure that they don't end up in the end zone
13:19Washington's run game is really struggled not Jaden Daniels division here John their running backs
13:24Just aren't getting going and there's not much in the way of holes and blocking
13:28It's just the time the whole operation looks off and Daniels has kind of bailed them out a whole bunch in more ways than one
13:34I feel like that's the area that Detroit can really exploit because you don't have to commit all that much
13:39I think you're you're gonna be able to get in those
13:42You know second along third and longs and kind of be able to tee off to bring some of those exotic pressures and things
13:47That's something you guys have kind of talked about here this week of where this Washington game is trended the bad direction
13:52Yeah, and honestly, you know, I know Brian Robinson. It's a great story
13:56And you know, I got the neck where you know him having him healthy is is is gonna be good
14:01But yeah, you're right. It's there's not really a nobody's gonna be scared of the run game
14:06So you've got to be able to win on first down and force them into second nine second eleven
14:14You know and then again be good on second down so that you force it to be a passing game and
14:21And then when that happens
14:23You not always bring in pressure
14:25Sometimes it's going to be that way
14:26But if you mentioned it dropping guys into coverage
14:29You drop seven into coverage and now all of a sudden that secondary looks like there is just there's just nothing
14:35Available and you're rushing for and not that they're going to get home with four, but it's not about getting home
14:41It's about staying
14:44Disciplined in rush lanes so that you don't give Jaden an easy exit route out of the pocket
14:50That atmosphere tomorrow night at Ford Fields gonna be electric. How much do you think that's gonna affect Washington's offense?
14:57I don't think that Jaden's gonna get rattled
14:59I don't I don't know that any of us feel that way because of what he's already gone through and playing in the SEC
15:03But the communication aspect where they run a lot of no huddle from your experience playing in a loud environment
15:10How difficult is it for an offense to function when you've got a raucous environment a rookie quarterback, especially with an offense
15:16It lives a lot off of the no huddle and signaling to the different plays and whatnot. I
15:22Always think it's really cute when when people compare NFL stadiums to SEC stadiums
15:27It's you know, there isn't trust me. I get the college environment
15:31I do college games, but the NFL environment and you guys know what FedEx, you know
15:37And it's been a long time since you've had a ruckus environment. It's that way for here, too
15:42But it's just it's a different feel and and I do want to see how Jane Daniels is going to handle
15:4965,000 screaming people and you know the shouting obscenities and I mean it's going to be a violent environment
15:56How is he going to handle it?
15:58And I'm not saying he can't but I want to see it because it is different at this level than it is
16:02In college, but it's the offensive line and and I guarantee you there's going to be a couple of times where hey
16:08It's first and 10 all of a sudden. It's first and 15
16:11Or there's a key third
16:14Third law third eight and then all of a sudden. Hey, it's third and 13 because somebody jumped offside
16:19That's where you know, this I thought field is going to be absolutely bonkers
16:25they have the Detroit never been a one seed and
16:29They've never had a chance to host an NFC championship game that next week's business
16:33But this is the task at hand and I guarantee especially since it's the night game
16:38I know individuals that are going to be down there as early as 8 o'clock tomorrow morning
16:42They'll all be there by noon by 1 o'clock. They're gonna be primed to pump and ready to roll at 8 tomorrow night
16:48So it's gonna be a hell of a scene in Detroit. All right, John. Let's chat on this one. Call your shot
16:54I have a feeling I know how this is gonna go. But give me a prediction for this one. How does it go?
16:58So I think it's gonna be Detroit. Let's just say a 35
17:03Washington 13
17:05Whoo, man, I hope it's a little closer than that just for everybody's sake the national viewing audience
17:11Great to catch up with the buddy really appreciate the time and continue success, buddy. Thanks, John
17:15All right. Thanks for having me. Thank you. Talk to you soon. There you go. That's a great John Jansen was really really good here