Command The Commute
Command the Commute is your go-to Washington Commanders podcast, recorded on the road to the stadium. Hosts Bob and Michael deliver real-time fan takes, game recaps, and NFL news with Burgundy & Gold passion. Whether you’re tailgating or stuck in traffic, ride along for unfiltered football talk every week.
Command The Commute
The Good, The Bad & The Bubble
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The Good, The Bad & The Bubble
Two preseason games down. One left. And the Commanders’ 53-man roster is starting to take shape.
Bob and Mike are back in the home studio to break down what they’ve seen through Washington’s first two preseason games — from Robert Henry Jr. and Kaytron Allen making noise in the backfield, to Amik Robertson and Quan Martin flashing on defense, and Jaden Bradley making the already-crowded WR room even more interesting with one hell of a catch in Detroit.
Then we get to the questions that actually have us nervous.
Did Jayden Daniels need to play at all? How worried should we be about the offensive line? Who wins these final roster spots? And are the Commanders really going to carry three quarterbacks?
Plus, Washington may have finally found a kicker, we look ahead to the final preseason game in Baltimore, talk potential NFL expansion, break down what PSLs could mean for us as season-ticket holders, and debut a brand-new Command the Commute segment:
HAIL YES • HAIL • HAIL NO.
And somewhere along the way, a conversation about Sam Hartman’s good looks turns into Goodfellas, which somehow turns into our FIRST OFFICIAL SPONSOR. 😂
🔥 Half Chicken Man is now the Official Seasoning Sponsor of the Command the Commute Tailgate!
Use promo code COMMAND for 15% OFF your order and help support the show while making whatever you’re throwing on the grill taste a hell of a lot better.
Football is almost here.
The roster bubble is getting smaller.
And we’re just getting started.
🎙️ Command the Commute
Talking about the game. Going to the game.
Hail to the Commanders. 🍻🏈
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This is the Command the Commute Podcast.
SPEAKER_04Talking about the game, going to the game.
SPEAKER_02Welcome to the Command the Commute Podcast. Wow, I came on a little hot there.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it's another exciting episode. You could have taken it down.
SPEAKER_02Well, yeah, no, but they're excited to hear us, just as excited as I am to have the podcast today. So welcome everybody to let's hope so. Just so everybody knows, Mike is a little bit spicy this afternoon. I think it's because we were supposed to do the podcast Friday evening, but work got away from me and I rescheduled till after the game. So we're out of our we're out of our routine here. Uh that for for you guys that know. They don't care about any of that. See, I told you he's spicy today. So uh, but I've got a spicy podcast uh prepared for for for Mike. So um just to get into it, uh, welcome everybody. Of course, last week was the first uh uh command the commute on the way to the stadium for the podcast, and we appreciate those of you that stuck with us till the end because that traffic got brutal. Yes. If it was brutal for you, imagine how it was for us. But uh kind of just a rundown on what to expect for today. Uh in the first quarter, we're going to recap the first preseason Miami game from start to finish and all the way home. And then quarter two, we're gonna get into the Detroit game that obviously just happened yesterday. Uh, and then we're in quarter three, just a little bit of this, a little bit of that, uh, basically just this week's uh topics uh of the commanders, and then quarter four, our hodgepodge section of of the podcast just more of this and that. Yeah, a little bit more of this, a little bit more of that, but I do have something else prepared for for everybody. Uh and then just to kind of a little one more little tease is we do have our uh first official uh sponsor for the Command the Commute podcast. So you might hear an advertisement for for them. So at some point I'm sure they will. Yeah, yeah. So let's get right into quarter number one. Three wide receivers to the bottom of your screen. It's Henry again trying to fight to move around the outside. Robert Henry Jr.
SPEAKER_01Touchdown Commanders. Some people are just gamers, man. You know, I think you make a great point there, Brian. And and you were one of those people. Practice for some guys, they don't show up.
SPEAKER_02So, highlights, low lights, let's get into last week's game. I didn't like how we got there right at game time. Right. But we couldn't help it.
SPEAKER_04Right, but as we discussed either on air when we were doing it or after, that's just what it happens when we're, you know, your work schedule, my work schedule, and we're getting down there at game time, and we're not there several hours as we're used to. So we we experienced, as I told you, we experienced what the common fan experiences when they show up at game time. It's a complete and total clusterfuck down there. Exclamation point, end of sentence. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it really, it really. Please don't get there right at game time. I highly recommend against that. We love to get there as close to when the lot opens as we can get. Because one, we like to have a little bit of time to upload the podcast. We like to have a little bit of time to just properly set up our tailgate. We like to have a little bit of time to get the TVs working and put on whatever pregame is going on. Um, and then obviously I enjoy the cook. So yeah, we we like to get there as early as possible and really enjoy the day because it's a big deal these NFL games for us and going to Omega.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's it's an expensive.
SPEAKER_02We only get eight, we only get eight this year.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, eight regular, and then the one, yeah, the one preseason that we just had. So that's the nine that we're paying for.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. But because the one home game they're giving us is over in London.
SPEAKER_04Oh, that's right. I forgot about that. Yeah, so it is it is truly eight then. Yeah, yeah, I forgot about that. You're right.
SPEAKER_02That's so um, so yeah, the traffic was was bad. On the way home, traffic was great. We left at the end of the third quarter.
SPEAKER_04Close to the end of the third quarter.
SPEAKER_02You know, it was a nice Friday evening going down, seeing a ball game. Um the tenders were good. They were different. We we got a comment on that. They were definitely different chicken tender surprise.
SPEAKER_04It was like it was a chicken tender, but like an open, it was basically an open face chicken sandwich, but chicken tenders, because it was bread and a pickle, and the bread was soggy.
SPEAKER_02You said, is that cornbread underneath there? And I said, No, I think it's just potato bread.
SPEAKER_04I was looking forward to like a what you get during the regular season, which is like the chicken tender stadium basket type thing. Yeah. And then we got this like open-faced tender sandwich with soggy bread, and it just I mean, it was good because we were hungry because we've had it, you know. Uh I I don't know the last time I ate before the game, probably lunchtime, you know, whatever.
SPEAKER_02And thank God they have those beers in the 24-ounce cans. You know, but they were you only need one or two of them.
SPEAKER_04But I mean, they they were freshly made because I remember biting into the tender and it was like yeah, hot.
SPEAKER_02It was hot, yeah. It was hot, it was hot. Uh the atmosphere was good.
SPEAKER_04Uh it was a relatively full stadium for a preseason game. For preseason, I would say, would you say 70% full?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah. 70% full.
SPEAKER_04Between 60 and 70 for sure. Yeah. It was a decent turnout.
SPEAKER_02Yep. I mean, the fans that were there were all into it, happy for football to to be back. Um, you know, that's kind of the good and the bad of these preseason games. It's good that football's back. You know, it's bad because you know, the quarterback play and the football play is just it's hard to watch.
SPEAKER_04Like I told you last week, if it weren't for two things. One, us being seasoned take-in holders, and two, us doing this podcast, I really wouldn't give a shit about re-season. I wouldn't. It's it is it is almost pointless.
SPEAKER_02It's I mean, it's a glorified uh practice on TV, is is what we're really seeing. And it shows, but you know, I still I still love to see see the team running around. That was the uh another that's a comment I want to get into um into the second quarter here, too, because I love the uniforms we wore yesterday, but I love the uniforms.
SPEAKER_04They were the same uniforms we wore in week one, but that's neither here nor there. Was it? Yeah, yeah. You're talking about the the white white on burgundy. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04They were the same ones.
SPEAKER_02I love the white on burgundy. Uh it's it's a clean look, and I like the the the stripes that we have down the side. I actually think it's almost identical to the uh you know, to the picture right there.
SPEAKER_04And you know, I mentioned to you during the game that from where from where we were sitting in the upper bowl, just looking at the uniform, even the the W that's on the side of the helmet, from that distance could maybe be something else that may or may not return at some point. The goal. It just it just it looked like what everyone else was saying, it looked like the old Redskins were playing, and that the thank God the commander portion of our history is uh only exists in name only at this point.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. It it it is, and I was trying to figure out what t-shirt to wear for the podcast today, and I remember I bought us those uh um Red Wolves uh Harity t-shirts because I kind of thought that that was the route that they might go with the Red Wolves uh as opposed to Commanders, and I now that it it it's sunk in, I think I like Commanders better than than the Red Wolves just because it it does allow for the symbolism and a lot of the tradition to come back, whereas like a complete mascot change like to something that's got imagery behind it would make it impossible to add the spear or anything like that. You know what I mean? So like with the commanders, at least it's it's generic enough to where they can play with play with it.
SPEAKER_04Because they're they're definitely embracing the the spear.
SPEAKER_02I mean, uh it does feel like they're moving away from commanders because it's like the W, the spears, like it doesn't say commands. All of it.
SPEAKER_03It's just yeah.
SPEAKER_02The end zones got the old uh end zones back. You used to just see red skins in the end zone. Uh so they they went back to just having commanders in the end zone. Well, I think they're gonna spruce anything.
SPEAKER_04They better because that was very just eh.
SPEAKER_02It did seem kind of preliminary. It did seem like a base code because like even preseason fields. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_04Even the the font size of commanders in the end zone was too goddamn small. It needed to be a little bit larger and kind of spread out. There was too much free space in the end zone.
SPEAKER_02I tend to agree. It did feel like it could have used up the space. The font size can be up two clicks. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04So if they're doing it, if they're doing like a 64, they can go up to you know a 78 or something. Right.
SPEAKER_02Um now, as far as the football goes, I I mean, obviously, when you're watching the preseason game in person, it's a lot better than watching it on TV. Um, but the the highlights of the game really was our from our running backs. I mean, Catron Allen did did really good. And obviously the clip that leaded us into this portion of the podcast was uh Robert Henry Jr. He he looked good. And then, of course, from your average fan, they will text you and say something like, Wow, these guys look great. And it's like, yeah, they're playing people that are playing are gonna be playing. Right. Um, and half of them are gonna make it. And if you can say fifth and sixth and seventh string, because if you have that much depth at the position, then you would be still saying fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and like all the backups are playing. And so somebody's gonna look good. You know, somebody's gonna look good. You know, there's gonna be a fifth stringer that looks good, and these guys are all obviously still very talented, even though they're fifth on the depth chart. Uh, that's just a testament to how good the guys are uh ahead of them. But will Robert Henry Jr. make the team? I don't know. He look, I I kind of like the way he looks, but will he look that way against first stringers? I don't know. They would know because they practice.
SPEAKER_04And just because you have one good game, that doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna make the team. Okay, you're gonna have one good game or one good series or whatever, and it it doesn't seal the deal for you. They they will cut you 9 a.m. the next day and not think twice about it.
SPEAKER_02Well, this kind of leads us right into the second quarter of our podcast, and basically the Detroit Lions game from yesterday. Second down and eight. Talia Ak Manis reaches back, goes down the alley.
SPEAKER_01Oh, what a catch! Jaden Bradley reels it in a marker comes flying. That is an outstanding grab for the rookie on a UNLV if it's Dan. Doctor. Fighting through all sort of contact.
SPEAKER_02It looked like Yeah, so Robert Henry Jr. Um he fumbled the ball on on uh special teams yesterday. And this is that's really where he needs to thrive if he he wants to make the team because you obviously got Bill at number one. Um it's it gets really crowded after that because nobody even was hearing his name until last week's game. Um you like to think Catron's gonna make the team because he's the rookie, but I mean they're both rookies, but uh Catron was drafted uh and he looked good too. But I I don't know. I I think Jerome Ford's the odd man out in the running back room. Um, but we've we've got a couple we've got a couple days left to figure that out. Did you know that this season they're not doing like a staggered cut schedule like they've had in years past?
SPEAKER_04With they're not?
SPEAKER_02No, so typically it went from like a it went from like a 90 man and then they would and then you know after the first week or whatever, you write it on a 85 and then 80, and then because when you watch hard nuts, it's it's that it's a exactly that a staggered. The season they did it different. Uh the uh I because I was looking it up, I was curious when when the cuts are and when's the when are we gonna start finding out like who's getting weeded out here? Um Right. And August 30th. So next Sunday, the game the day after our race.
SPEAKER_04So they're doing all the cuts in in one day. Is that how it's gonna work?
SPEAKER_02Basically, everybody I think is everybody's pre last preseason game is at Saturday, Friday or Saturday, and then uh essentially each team's got 24 hours, like 6 p.m. on August 30th is when you got to have your 53-man roster down. So you can keep your 90 guys.
SPEAKER_04After 30th would be Sunday, because our last game is this coming Friday. Yeah. So you by Sunday, sundown Sunday, you're going from bang down to the 5253.
SPEAKER_02Yep. So we find out then. Uh I'm really curious about the running back for him. And obviously, we keep talking about wide receiver, but we've got lots of guys at wide receiver, okay? Um, and another guy added to the list, another guy that I didn't even really realize. But they bring all sorts of guys into camp. And when you're these guys aren't getting cut throughout camp, is when you have guys like Jaden Bradley, who had the awesome one-handed catch in yesterday's game.
SPEAKER_04Kind of you're like, Yeah, I mean that was pretty awesome. I I will give it away.
SPEAKER_02It was an awesome catch. It was an awesome catch from um what's the guy's name? Kalan Kamakinus? Uh Praying Manis. Praying manace. Let me see. Let me see. Um Kala Kamanis, I think is Kalakamanis. You like praying manis?
SPEAKER_04Kalakazoo, who cares? Yeah. But I mean, he he's had pretty good preseason two games. He's he's he's he's he's done well enough to be in discussion as to whatever they're gonna do with quarterback now that you know Mariota is out for we'll just say the foreseeable future.
SPEAKER_02Right. So so here's what I want you to do, Mike. Just for the second quarter of the podcast here, I've got the the wide receivers out here to the side, right? Okay, we've got Terry McLaurin, Stephon Diggs, McCaffrey, Williams, Brown, Lane, Jefferson, Nash, Jones, and Bradley. That are those are all the wide receivers listed on the depth chart. Now, Bradley, I don't I don't know just because I said his name last, I mean, I don't know if he was dead last on their death, official death chart. Yeah, who knows? So I want you to assume that we're gonna take six guys on the active roster. Okay, that's ten. So tell me four names that aren't going to make the team out of those ten names that I just went through.
SPEAKER_04That's easy, it's the bottom four. Jefferson, Jones, Nash, and Bradley. Boom. You've got you've got them pretty much in the right order because you already know that Jefferson.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Jefferson, a lot of uh he he's he's a vet. Uh I mean, and Nash and Bradley and Jones, both all all those guys look great. But is it only because that's who we got to look at? Is that your your theory there? Or are we just playing these guys so we don't get any of our other guys hurt? I mean, Williams had some good playing time. Um I I mean that's what I think.
SPEAKER_04I think you've got him in the uh the right order there, because it just that's what makes the most sense to me as a fan, and the little bit that I've been, you know, paying attention to preseason, that seems like the the right six.
SPEAKER_02Don't cut yourself short because you pay attention to more preseason ball than than a lot of uh a lot of fans.
SPEAKER_04Um but we'll know we'll know in like 10, 12 days if we're right or if I'm you know if we're wrong.
SPEAKER_02But yeah. I mean on defense we looked awesome. I mean, we started the first series with uh Meek Robertson going up against his old team uh and basically sacking the quarterback, forcing the fumble, and then the scoop, and then the roll into the end zone for the score. So you gotta love to see that. And then uh this will kind of lead us into the the third quarter of of our uh podcast and kind of get into our question mark about your boy JD5.
SPEAKER_00Uh honestly, it was just good to get back out there and play football again. It's been uh a little over eight months since I played live football, so it was good. It was good to go back out there.
SPEAKER_02So did do so Jaden started. Um what are your thoughts on that?
SPEAKER_04Well, he only played one series. Yeah, it was a three and out, so and he got sacked, which is probably the reason why he was taken out, because you don't want to risk injury.
SPEAKER_02Well, I think Dan Dan Dan pretty much said it didn't matter if it was gonna be three plays or twelve, we were gonna give him the first series, and it just so happened to be a three and out, so they pulled him.
SPEAKER_04Uh I my feeling is uh I don't think uh I don't really think it's necessary for your starting quarterback to play in preseason. If for no other reason what everyone else is saying, you don't want to risk injury. Because even though it's preseason and you know, maybe he he's going up against the starters, maybe he's going up against, you know, the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth string, you know, some guy that's gonna be bagging groceries at a Kroger. Uh I just don't think you want to risk injuring your your starting quarterback. I'm gonna say that for any team, okay? Look at look at Burrow, look at us, look at, you know, anyone else who's got a marquee quarterback who is essentially the face of the franchise.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04So you can't ri you can't risk it. Uh yeah. I mean, I guess if you're if you're just keep them loose in your in your training camps.
SPEAKER_02If you're a bottom half a league quarterback and you're fighting for the starting job, then obviously that's a different scenario than you should play. But like when you've already got the starting job, when it's clear-cut and like you're saying, face of the franchise, I tend to agree he probably doesn't need to.
SPEAKER_04Uh because how but there is how pissed would we be if if he was playing yesterday behind a banged up O line and then you know went down, had any number of injuries, concussion, anything, it doesn't matter. We we would be pissed that they were playing him to begin with, because why why the hell are they doing this?
SPEAKER_02I I tend to agree with you. I mean, that I mean that all of those are very, very valid points. Uh I there is the other little side of me that says, well, I mean, preseason is a dress rehearsal, so like why would you train camp?
SPEAKER_04If you want to get it, if you want to keep them fresh and loose, run them hard in the training camp where it's a more controlled environment, but you can still simulate the game activity.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, I I I I tend to agree. I I I but I I wouldn't totally disagree with the people out there that are saying, like, you know, one series and having them dress and get out there and go through the motions and be out there, you know, that's what preseason is here for, because I'd rather them do that then than week one and and like get the jitters out of the way now. That's why uh because week one is the real deal. So if you've got anything that you need to be, and he he was in and out of the field all year last year, and he's still a young player, even though he is our franchise. Marquee, face of the franchise guy. You know, he's came off his rookie year. Basically, he had a rookie and a half kind of a year, is the way I'm looking at it. You know?
SPEAKER_04You can look at it that way for sure. No argument.
SPEAKER_02I mean, I know that it was his year, officially it was his year two, and this is his year three, but he he was out of the lineup for a lot. So I I don't hate the idea of him getting one series underneath his belt and then coming off. But I tend to agree with you if I'm if I'm just playing the steel man of kind of going against myself there. Um but a behind an offensive line, though, is where I do agree with you because it's like our line is without tunsil, and I know you want those guys and you want him to kind of see live action behind all of our guys, but El Gretti's calf is still tight, and that's got me nervous because the center position seems like it's very, very important, especially with your quarterback. Well, yeah. And then obviously, left tackle, a tunsel out, and just still making sure that we're good there at left tackle. I mean, I still wish Coleman would be at left guard, but I I don't know. I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised. I I said it last week. I'm kind of surprised we didn't make a move this past week, but I'm gonna say the same thing I did say last week, which I want them to get uh an offensive linebacker.
SPEAKER_04Well they they might be waiting until cut day.
SPEAKER_02They could be, and in which case I hope they have a good two.
SPEAKER_04So between you know August 30th and uh week one, Wednesday, which is what September, I don't know, sixth, seventh, something like that. Okay, that that week there, that's when they'll that's when they'll make a move.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't know. But and then the quarterbacks, just to kind of wrap up the quarterback conversation, I mean, do you think that we're gonna carry three quarterbacks into the you have to with the unknown of Mariota?
SPEAKER_04You have to.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I would say so. And then so you so you think you think uh Hartman's on the practice squad and uh praying man is what however you said it, Calicamax.
SPEAKER_04As of today, yes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you don't his stats are better through both preseason games. He's looked cleaner to me. I mean, he looks a little bit more polished as a quarterback than Hartman does. I mean, Hartman looks like he tries really hard.
SPEAKER_04And and like we've been saying, we said it last week, we said it last season, they've had plenty of time to look at Hartman and give him a little a legitimate shot. And they didn't do it last season. And you know, we saw how he played in the preseason opener. It was okay, it wasn't great. Let's be honest. It was it was typical Hartman, it was standard quote.
SPEAKER_02If we cut Hartman, nobody else is gonna pick him up. I mean, if he doesn't sign to our practice squad, he won't get signed to another practice squad.
SPEAKER_04Well, that's what happened last year. We signed him back to the practice.
SPEAKER_02I don't mind. I mean, we you need a practice squad guy. If he's good in the locker room and he's and he helps the locker room, then whatever. I get it. Keep him on the team. But to what point? I mean, how long are we gonna wait? Because we've already proven that if we get down to four quarterbacks, then he's still gonna be number five. Number five, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Because he should have he should have been the quarterback last season, but you know, they went with the other option, and we were sitting there like, but why? You have you have Hartman, he's essentially the next one in line, and you're you're bypassing him. So he's basically just he's a placeholder. And if he's there for morale, great, but that's not a reason to have a roster spot.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. I mean, he annoys me because I know that his he it's like good luck, good looks privilege. Ah, I mean, maybe I don't know. I mean, I suffer from the same thing. Don't we all? You know, that's uh that's pretty funny, Mike.
SPEAKER_04It's uh it's uh it's a heavy bag to carry, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's pretty funny. Well, I'm a fucking funny guy.
SPEAKER_02Whoa.
SPEAKER_04Sorry, was that too hot?
SPEAKER_02No, no, no. I'm just saying you're pretty you're pretty funny. Funny how? No, no, I don't know. I'm just saying you're you're I'm just saying you're funny.
SPEAKER_04Funny how? Give me something.
SPEAKER_02No, I'm just like the way you talk. Just just the way you just the way you say things.
SPEAKER_04I'm surprised it took you this long to figure this out.
SPEAKER_02Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, I I mean you're funny, kind of like uh I I just know that you put ketchup on chicken.
SPEAKER_04What else would you put on chicken?
SPEAKER_02Oh, well, I'll tell you what you should put on chicken.
SPEAKER_04What?
SPEAKER_02Half Chicken Man. Good call. Half Chicken Man Seasoning. It's our new official tailgate seasoning sponsor.
SPEAKER_04And how do we get it?
SPEAKER_02You go on HalfChickenman.com and use code CAMD. CAMD for 15% off of your order. Man, we are super, super pumped to let everybody know that we've got our new official sponsor for the podcast.
SPEAKER_04It really is exciting, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02It's so exciting. It's like this whole thing is becoming real life for us, Michael. Yeah, you know. And look, it's not just that our um who knows, maybe eventually we'll have human monies. No, we'll we're definitely gonna get human monies because look, here's the thing you guys need to support this podcast because we want to keep going to these games. We want to keep talking about the game on the way to the game to pay for the game. Like, don't you guys want us to keep going to the games?
SPEAKER_04So right, this is why they need to uh go get the uh our new sponsor, the half chicken. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02You support him, he supports us, we all support you, and the best thing about the half chicken man sponsorship that is that it supports our bellies at the very least. Because let me tell you, I mean, the hot honey rub, it's my favorite. You can basically put it on anything, and I'm saying anything. Let me get it right here. Okay. Hot honey rub, a balanced, sweet heat. It says on the side here pairs well with chicken, pork, cheese, whiskey, and beer.
SPEAKER_04I mean, that's like all the food groups that you need.
SPEAKER_02Let's try it on some whiskey right now.
SPEAKER_04Oh, left.
SPEAKER_02He just gave me this this week, so shipped it into mail. Which, by the way, speaking of mail, my I checked uh my um my date name is right. I checked my well, I didn't really have to check it. It sends it to me. My phone sends it to me uh about the the what you did this time last year, memories, whatever. Oh, yeah, yeah. And uh this time last year, they sent the seas uh the 2024 season ticket holder gift. Well, I haven't gotten anything yet, have you? No, but I'm just saying today's a Sunday, so maybe tomorrow. Okay. Well maybe it's after the second preseason.
SPEAKER_04It's funny you brought that up because I've I've seen on on the TikTok, I've already tried seen what it is, and I will say that it is very similar to what we got uh last year.
SPEAKER_02Oh like deadly, like same same?
SPEAKER_04Basically, same same, but different as a friend of ours would say.
SPEAKER_02All right, well, don't spoil it. I hope we get it. Let me know what you think of that.
SPEAKER_04It it it it oh, there it is. There, yep. Sweet heat. Yeah, there it is on the back of the throat. Yep.
SPEAKER_02That ain't bad. Yeah. Honestly, yeah, it's a it's a barbecue rub, but when the when it says parasite beer and that's the first time I've ever put a chicken seasoning in a whiskey. So don't get it twisted. I mean, it's half chicken man, but his other ones are Jackalope and Yeti.
SPEAKER_04So the the logo looks like a damn uh But we'll be we'll be sampling those as the uh regular season commences.
SPEAKER_02And if you come by our tailgate, there is without a doubt you will be able to try this. I am thinking hot dogs this season. You want to come by, I might have a hot dog for you with any of these rubs on it, and it's gonna be banging. Um but in not when's our next command the commute? When are we when's the next time we're going? When's week three is our first scheme. Yeah, week three, because we're so for week three, I'm gonna have um Tom Clark, owner of Half Chicken Man on the pot. He's gonna call in.
SPEAKER_04Huge on huge commanders.
SPEAKER_02That's a big gap for us. Yep, huge commanders, huge red skills. Hope we can make time. Um, he'll make time. He's he he's he's gonna come later on in the season to our tailgates, too. So um, but yeah, so looking forward to this partnership with everybody. Uh give Half Chicken Man a uh a look. Um but let's kind of roll that right into uh oh I will before we finish up to quarter number three, we made a decision on the kicker position this past week. So I know it, you know, isn't it funny how I it's like we found out like, oh yeah, they don't have to cut anybody until August 30th. Well, we got Jake Moody's ass out pretty quick.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I think he was the one that dinged it off the upright.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he was doinking too many kicks.
SPEAKER_02For a 29-yarder that was uh too close to call. Um shouldn't have that much nerves. I don't know what happened there, but we don't need that mistake. Um, supposedly, your boy Drew Stevens, undrafted rookie out of Iowa, um supposedly he went like 46 for 49 in camp. Uh that's the report out there. Uh and the longest that he hit was a 60 yarder. That's I mean, hey. Hey, I I've been saying for years.
SPEAKER_04As long as it goes through the uprights at the end of the day.
SPEAKER_02I've been saying for years I would love to get a kicker that stays on the team for a long time. That means he's good. But we do that in trustway. Is it too much to ask for us to get it in the guy that scores us?
SPEAKER_04Well, yeah, because kickers like that, like your venataries and stuff, they're so rare that I can't get over how how this half chicken man tastes in a jack and ginger.
SPEAKER_02It is quite tasty. Let me see if these other ones do these other ones say it pairs well with no. No. Well, at least he knows his product.
SPEAKER_04The other one the hot honey is the only one you can pair with whiskey. Got it.
SPEAKER_02I did peep his website earlier today. He's coming up because all is that one's the OG half chicken man, and then his Yeti, and then his Jackalope. So it's all like these legendary craft seasonings, right? And so he's got this one coming up called Trunco, which basically looks like Dumbo. Okay. I don't know. There's some kind of urban legend about some kind of what's the what's the flavor association? Do you know? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's I because I texted and I was excited for that because I said I want some trunco winks, um, because it's like a lemon pepper type of uh okay. Cool, cool, cool.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02Um but yeah, so I've been saying for years I'd love to get a good kicker at at that that to that just stays with us and that can be accurate. Somebody that's just not like the head coach's guy. Um, because I feel like that's who we've had. It's just a bunch of head coaches, like, oh yeah, he was with me here and we brought him back.
SPEAKER_04Well, maybe maybe Stevens is the guy. Who knows? We'll see. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Stevens Stevens is uh I like the name Stevens, you know. Uh you can really holler it at the TV one way or another, good, bad, or ugly. You know what I mean? Yeah. So uh I I appreciate that. Um, but let's just roll this right into our quarter four. We're cruising right along at our home podcast here in the preseason. So um, you want to start with any hodgepodginess? You haven't really inputted very much here today.
SPEAKER_04I've inputted enough. Okay, mind you.
SPEAKER_02I told you it was spicy. It's so spicy for this podcast with our seasoning sponsor. Subtle.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, man, we're all over it. All right. So have you been following at all? I mean, not that it's been something to follow, but anything with uh the NFL expansion?
SPEAKER_02Do you know anything about oh the the um like over in Europe and Yeah. I all I saw was like a little comment on some type of an article or video or or post that said Goodell was quoted saying if um the NFL will be over the won't be global or worldwide.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I mean I I saw that today when I did a little bit more research because I stumbled on something on Facebook earlier this week. It was posted by DraftKings, and uh this is posted by DraftKings, but per pro football talk. Um eventually they are going the NFL is gonna expand to 40 teams. So, you know, eventually probably means within about three to five years, right? So they're gonna expand to 40 teams, including a conference restructuring featuring featuring four teams in Europe. And and again, you can find this on Facebook, but I'll for the sake of the pod, I will walk us through it. And what I'm about to go over with you is how the AFC renamed the Eastern Conference could look, including two teams in England, one in Germany and Spain. The Eastern Conference would be broken into one, two, three, four, five divisions. You would have the Northeast Division, which would include Buffalo, New England, the Jets, and the Giants. Okay, so some NFC teams are switching over to this AFC slash Eastern Conference. That's the Northeast Division. The Atlantic Division would be the Eagles, the Commanders, the Ravens, and the Panthers. Okay, then you've got a Central Division, which would be the Steelers, the Browns, the Bengals, and the Lions. Then you have a Southeast Division, which would be the Dolphins, the Buccaneers, the Jaguars, Falcons. And then you've got your Europe division, which would be two teams in London, one in Munich, Germany, and one in Madrid, Spain. That would be the Eastern Conference, which is the would be the new AFC.
SPEAKER_02Where's the other four teams?
SPEAKER_04This is the only thing I could find, but so any anything else that's not the Eastern Conference would be whatever the other conference is, but I couldn't find anything on what the other lineup would be. But this would essentially be the new F the new AFC slash Eastern Conference.
SPEAKER_02I don't know. I don't know how I feel about all this.
SPEAKER_04It's a lot to take, it's a lot to take.
SPEAKER_02I like tradition and yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know how I feel about all this. I mean, I think the talent pool is big enough to support more teams, and I know that they want more. I know they've been pushing over to Europe, so I think it feels like it's inevitable, you know.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, they're, you know. It's it's always been bound to happen at some point, as much time as they've been uh really spending on these.
SPEAKER_02What do they call it? Football league?
SPEAKER_04Can't call it football. It's gotta be called something else, right? I don't know. But that's again, it was just uh a fly by night thing I saw on uh on Facebook earlier this week and thought it was No, that's very interesting.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna have to deep dive into that a little bit more. I'm gonna have to deep dive into that more, as well as the PSLs. We were talking about that right before the podcast started here. But uh Buffalo's come out with theirs, and Buffalo's new stadium is getting a lot of flags, some of a lot of their blinds, some obstructed views, so hopefully our stadium won't suffer the same. Listen, there's there's I mean, I get it. You're gonna those things are gonna make headlines, but geez.
SPEAKER_04But based off of the PSL chart that they released, what, a week, a week and a half ago at this point, if you look at that diagram, and it's all online so people can find it, if you look at their diagram and compare that to where we're sitting in Commander's Stadium, okay, we're looking at a PSL cost of about $2,500. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Oh, it's a big jump down from the $15,000 we were right.
SPEAKER_04So happy about that if the cost, if it translates to our stadium and it's in that ballpark, and then inflation. But then so here's the thing the PSL cost of $2,500, $3,000, whatever that number ends up being, you have to purchase the license just to be able to be considered to purchase the season tickets that you may or may not already own. And it's a one-time, it's a one-time cost, so basically once a year, right? Right. So before you can renew your season tickets every year, you have to buy the seat license. And the seat license, depending on the event, basically guarantees you like a first dibs at like if there's a WrestleMania in the stadium or some some concert or other special event. The only thing it does not guarantee you is a Super Bowl ticket because the stadium is not selling the Super Bowl tickets. The NFL is controlling the Super Bowl tickets. So your PSL does not help you in getting a Super Bowl ticket.
SPEAKER_02Oh, that's all very informative. I'm gonna have to do my own deep dive so I can understand it all a lot better. But yes, thank you.
SPEAKER_04Quite uh it's interesting, but I'm glad from a PSL cost that we're much more we're much more in a range that while not completely affordable, is in theory affordable to us, the common thing.
SPEAKER_02I think it makes sense too to where if we end up selling those tickets that somebody's buying the PSL from us. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04If you're yeah, like if you're not gonna renew, you're basically selling your your PSL. So the PSL goes up, we get more.
SPEAKER_02I mean, that's the going rate. Yeah. That's why that I I I've kind of thought about it. No, that all makes sense. Um towards last week's podcast, towards the end in our hodgepodge section, as we got closer to the stadium and sat in traffic, and I was kind of thinking over the last week, we need we need something in our back pocket that's uh that we can talk about. And you know what we do when we go sit at the edge of the bar and kind of bullshit about nothing, is we throw out those uh F Mary Kill.
SPEAKER_04Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_02And everybody knows what I'm talking about when I say F.
SPEAKER_04F yeah, people aren't dumb. They know what you're talking about.
SPEAKER_02F in the good way, not the bad way, like F off, but like the good way. F Mary Kill. You guys all know what I'm talking about. So I've I thought maybe we'll just have in our back pocket a uh hell yes, a hail, and a hell no. Hail yes goes without saying.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_02The hail. Yeah. That goes without saying, right? You follow me? Hail no. Right. Yeah, everything's not.
SPEAKER_04In the order.
SPEAKER_02Mary Coo, hell yes, hail, hail no. You follow me? Alright, so just uh I just got a couple examples here. We'll have more in our back pocket for when we get on the road, but I thought we'd wind down the podcast with this today. So just just I'll start easy. Um wings, subs, burgers for tailgate food. Hail yes, hail, and hail no. Wings, subs, burgers. Now I know subs is very broad, but I did that by design.
SPEAKER_04So hail no on the subs.
SPEAKER_02Hail no on the subs. And a steak sub is pretty good. No, no, and you didn't specify.
SPEAKER_04So when subs. Right. So when you think subs, you were thinking turkey. Yeah, like a like a turkey sub, a ham sub, something. Okay. All right. Okay, hail no to the subs. Right. And uh hail yes to the burger, and then hail to the wings.
SPEAKER_02Alright. Okay. I uh next week I'm gonna have I'm gonna track this now, now that I know. Alright. Hail yes to the burgers, hail to the wings, and hail no to the subs. Correct. Alright, mix drink canned beer with jello shots for the tailgate. Hail yes, hail, and hail no.
SPEAKER_04Uh hail no on the jello shots. You don't like a jello shot? Not for tailgating. Okay. Okay. And then what were the other two options?
SPEAKER_02Mixed, drink, and canned beer.
SPEAKER_04Uh hail yes on uh mixed drink and hail on beer.
SPEAKER_02All right, last one. Alex Smith, RG three, Taylor Heineke.
SPEAKER_04Uh so the hail no is RG three.
SPEAKER_02Hail no on RG three. Hail yes.
SPEAKER_04Hail yes would be Alex Smith and then Hail. Hail Heineken.
SPEAKER_02I I agree, uh I agree on that one. And I agree on um I would go hail yes on the wings.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you're you're more of a wing person than I am.
SPEAKER_02You can fry.
SPEAKER_04But again, it's like when I think subs, I think like a turkey sub, a ham sub, so like you gotta get rid of that stuff.
SPEAKER_02You can grill them, you can salt ham. There's wing creole, there's wing kebabs. That's all I'm really gonna say about that. That's all that needs to be said. No, burgers is a good one to go hell yeah on because burgers are very versatile, very easy, and always so good. Lots of lots of food in your stomach for the tailgate.
SPEAKER_04Well, remember one of the early tailgates that we did way before received ticket holders. We did some kind of like bacon cheeseburger, something or other. There was some kind of burger that we we did. I'll have to go back through. Because we we had one for tailgate, and then because we had so much, we had one on the ride. Oh yeah, now I recall. It was like a bacon, I want to say like a bacon cheeseburger, but I don't know if it if it was that, but it was That's my favorite hack there.
SPEAKER_02When you what you gotta bring some tinfoil to the tailgate, and because that's exactly what we yeah. So here's the hack, right? So cook you're gonna cook more than enough food at the tailgate, right? So you gotta bring tinfoil, wrap that burger up because you're gonna love that burger on the drive home. Trust me. I don't care.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I don't remember what kind of burger it was, but yeah, put it in the cooler, it'll be good cold. It hit the spot on the ride home. I didn't know that.
SPEAKER_02I don't even think we put it in a cooler, I think we just put it on the dash. Yeah, that's always it was lukewarm by the time the game was over, and it was fined.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it was because it was you know because we were you wrapped it up as soon as it came off the grill.
SPEAKER_02That's the hack right there. You gotta wrap up the leftovers. Oh, you know, were we no, we we're probably in coach. We probably had a refrigerator in the car and probably I don't think that was a coach thing. I don't know. I think that was like uh I don't mind it. I don't mind, I don't mind uh that's I mean that's the move there. It's your it's your after during the tailgate, cook your meal on the way home. Uh and then honestly, you know, I'm gonna go hell no on the canned beer. I'm gonna go hell on the jello shots, but hell yes to the mixed drink. You know, I've gotta have my Jane Daniels on the rocks. Uh with the big thing.
SPEAKER_04I I just don't think I just don't think jello shots have a a place in tailgating it. They're fun. They are, but it I don't know. For me, it just doesn't.
SPEAKER_02Would you feel differently if the jello shot was more of like a jello whiskey glass and I gave it to you with a spoon? How come that's never caught on? Maybe because that would get you really drunk of a whiskey glass full of jello.
SPEAKER_03That you'd have to spoon all of jello.
SPEAKER_02I mean, you'd have uh nice and refreshing. Put some put some boozy fruit in there. I think I just can't. I think I just maybe we'll maybe we'll try that this year. We're gonna do that. I'm gonna take some boozy fruit and I'm gonna put it into a jello uh shot, and I'm gonna put it in a whiskey glass, and then we're gonna eat it with a spoon at the tailgate. And then we're gonna track the jack.
SPEAKER_04Let's try it.
SPEAKER_02Ha ha. I've got you on board. I'm a better salesman than I thought. Get you sold on jello shots, but I guess it's not that hard when we're competing against canned beer.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_02But man, canned beer is so good.
SPEAKER_04As long as it's a light beer, that's all. I I don't think.
SPEAKER_02I knew you were an Alex Smith fan, so that last question was a talk, like was an easy one. It's just on pure skill set and I'm putting you on the spot here, and so you might say no, but do you have a hail yes, hail hail no for me? No, I don't. I figured as much. Uh let me see if I can come up with one off the top. How about um all right? Uh all right, I got it. I got it. Traffic on the way to the game, all right. Traffic going home from the game, okay. Okay. And then getting to your seats late. So what do you Right? So you you you you're either hitting traffic when you're going to the game, right? You're either getting to your seats late for whatever reason. There was a huge line, uh, you know, Secret Service had to scan everybody to get their tickets or whatever, or there was just a huge line trying to get into the stadium, right? That's a whole that's a just a huge mess. Because typically it's just smooth sailing getting in here. But every once in a while they'll cut off a couple entrances and then just siphon everybody into one. Again, because you know, you attend a game in present, it's gonna be or your traffic on the way home. What what's your hail yes, hail, and hail no? You gotta you gotta assign.
SPEAKER_04Oh, I thought this was for you. I thought I thought.
SPEAKER_02If I asked you to put me on the spot, you couldn't come up with one of the spot. So I came with one on the spot. Now you gotta answer.
SPEAKER_04Well, the the the hail no is going to your seats late. Yeah. Like absolutely not. Right.
SPEAKER_02Uh so as long as I get to my seat on time, everything else be damned.
SPEAKER_04So from there, um I'll say the because the other stuff was the traffic before the game or after. So and they all kind of go together. So if you're gonna be at your seats late, which is uh hail no, hell no, you might as well then hail the traffic before the game and hail yes, the traffic after.
SPEAKER_02Okay, now let me take out the that hail no, and let me see if I can add in one. Uh propane tank for the grill didn't work. Take out the late to your seats, traffic there, traffic back. Propane didn't work for the grill. We got no food.
SPEAKER_04That's fine because you have stinking food. So, okay, so you're same, same. So you're so your tailgate goes to shit. It happens, but you got food and stinking.
SPEAKER_02So you got you got stinking food. Not gonna happen this year. We gotta make sure we got that half chicken man dogs for our viewers uh and and followers of the podcast. And this is where we ask everybody if you've listened this long, we appreciate you so much. Thank you for riding along with us all season long to and from the games. Uh, this is Mike and Bob signing off with uh the Command and Commute podcast. Thank you guys very much.