The Kevin Sheehan Show - 60 Minutes w/JP Finlay

Episode Date: November 14, 2020

A special Saturday podcast with Kevin and JP Finlay talking all things Washington Football for 60 minutes. The guys spent the first 30 minutes on the state of the team and tomorrow's game against Detroit. The final 30 minutes was a first half of the season Q & A recap.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it. But you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Cheyenne Show. Here's Kevin. A special Saturday edition of the podcast. It's going to be a short-script podcast with my good friend J.P. Finley of NBC Sports, Washington. Let me just tell everybody that this podcast today is brought to you by Window Nation,

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No limit. So if you need 10 new windows, you'll only pay for five of them. 86690 Nation or windownation.com. All right, I've got J.P. Finley from NBC Sports Washington on the show today. I'm doing a special Saturday because I missed one this week. I lost my voice midway through the week. Nobody needs to hear about it. But I've got to get another show in here.

But it was the perfect opportunity for me to bring one of my favorite people on the show. And I haven't had you on the show really that much because I've got Tommy on two days a week and Cooley on three to four days a week. And it just gets sort of overburdened to bring get. on, so I haven't really done guests on the podcast. And for those of you that have asked, well, why isn't J.P. Finley at least coming on the radio show? Well, he actually can't. He isn't able to come on the radio show because of commitments to the other station in town. But who knows? Maybe that'll change sooner rather than later. We have no idea how that whole thing will play out. But J.P.'s with me. And we're going to do this in two parts. We're going to talk to J.P. about the state of the team,

tomorrow's games. Some of the stories maybe we can get to that came out yesterday about the owner's latest legal efforts to find out who was behind the smear campaign on the internet that led up to that first Washington Post story on the culture of the team and of Snyder's ownership. So we'll do some of that. And then I've developed with great precision and with great preparation a Q&A for both JP and me. We're both. I'm going to pose the questions. We're both going to answer them. They're going to be halfway through the season type of questions.

Eight games in, hopefully eight to go. So we'll get to that in the second part of this. I want to start with this. Ron Rivera is still a believer that there's a lot ahead of them at 2 and 6, that the division is still in play. And JP, we know it's a miserable division. Do you think everybody else in the building feels the same way? Hey, Kev, I thought I was just calling you to get some college football picks, man.

I didn't know. We can do that. We can do that, although we've got games getting canceled and postponed even as we speak. It's a light card. How about this? UCLA, I gave them out on the smell test minus two against one opponent, and the opponent changed overnight. Did you see that?

No, I haven't. They were going to play Utah. Utah can't play, and now they've moved UCLA's game to Sunday, and they're going to play Cal. That's what we're doing this year. I know. It's nuts. It's nuts.

All right. Does the building believe in this or not? Yeah. Do they believe in being in the hunt right now? I think the players do. I think, I don't think the front office, like personnel guys, should be worried about that at all. I think they're building for the long haul. I think the coaches believe in it. I think if you had real truth theorem, they're not as focused on that as they are, the rebuild and getting these players to kind of buy into. all the cultural stuff, all the changes, how they want practice to run, how they want the week to look. I had Morgan Moses on my podcast earlier this week, and he had some really interesting information.

He said something like, you know, there's no more phones allowed in meeting rooms. Like a lot of these changes kind of take time. Like it's all football all the time now, and guys are just kind of getting used to it. So I, yeah,

and that can be perhaps an indictment of a previous staff or not. But I do think, I think, I think Ron in a lot of ways kind of backed himself into a corner when he benched Dwayne and said because he wanted to chase the NSC East. I think he wanted to bench Dwayne and he should have just benched him and said he's not doing enough for me. I want to give him some time and maybe we'll go back to him. I think that would have would have been the more direct answer on that. But now introducing the NSC East stuff as kind of become a talking point. And, I mean, coaches coach to win games and players play to win games. And they're only a game and a half out in a terrible division.

So, yeah, on some level, it is real. But I don't think anybody is confusing the NSE East race with the big picture. By the way, how did we miss this? How did I not start with, oh, my God, I owe you $1,000. For those that miss this before the season's start, or maybe very early in the season. I forget when it was the last time, JPM. I think it was like the week before the season,

like Labor Day weekend-ish. Yeah, so, yeah, that was the last time you came on with me. And you, I think you wanted, I think you wanted 50 to 1 on Alex Smith starting one game this year. I gave you 20 to 1 on a $50 bet. And it had to be a game that he started that was legitimate, not ceremonial, not, you know, a final game of the year just to give him a shot because they're completely out of it.

It had to be a legitimate start. And as of now, it certainly would appear as if you're on the verge of winning this bet. Anything could happen between now and tomorrow at 1 p.m. But I would ask if for some... I got to go back and listen. Because the way I remember it was we were talking about what's going to happen with the quarterbacks. And I think I had said a few different talks over the course of training camp, like,

listen, man, I'm not counting Alex out. Like the way he's moving around, the way the coach is talking about him. I won't be shocked. And you were like, you were like, no way he's going to play. I mocked you. Yeah, there was some mocking. So I think that's how it got to the finish line that we, listen, like I've had friends and I'm sure you're getting the tweets too of people telling me to go collect.

Nothing will happen until he starts in Detroit. You just told me that UCLA is playing a different opponent on Sunday. Like things are weird right now. So we'll see what happened. You know, there was a chance for you to offer me a surrender option. you know, at some point. Maybe after the Rams game, although after the Rams game,

it became even more clear to me that he wasn't going to start another game. I think after the Rams game, you wouldn't have taken the surrender. I don't think I would have. I don't think I would have. I texted you at half time last week at a Giants game and said they're not going to be able to start him.

Now, and then he had the second half he had against the Giants, and it kind of changed everything. I think I texted you back. I said, I think he looks decent. I think you're going to win this bet. I remember texting either that to you or to somebody. But anyway, look, I'm going to need some sort of low-interest payment plan here.

We'll work something out. So we're going to have to work something out. I might be payable in like Miller Lights. No, no, no, no. One thing I do is when I lose, I pay. Assuming he's healthy, Alex Smith is the rest of the way. What's the plan? Is he going to start until they're.

out of contention and then when they're officially eliminated, maybe we get Dwayne, or is he just going to start the final eight games regardless? Assuming health? It's a great question, and I don't know the answer, but I think as long as there is the real or perceived idea of chasing the division title, he starts, and I think as long as he plays well, he starts. And I think, I think Dwayne getting some late season starts, might be more about Dwayne than it is Alex. Like I think they want to see whatever it is Dwayne's not doing.

They want him to start doing. And until that happens, I think they'll stay with Alex. Honestly. JP is at a tennis lesson at a very exclusive club in town with his daughter where apparently some kid may have just gotten hit over the head with a racket. I'm sorry. They're all like picking up the balls right now. But to help you finish that, because it actually is a perfect segue into what was going to be a follow-up question is, you know, it's about Dwayne really as much as it is anything else, especially if they're out of contention.

Do you have any sense as to whether or not Haskins is handling the benching, handling the demotion well enough in their eyes? I don't think he is. Just listen to what Ron says. Ron got asked about Stephen Montez a bunch this week. And Ron said, you know, what's been great for Stephen is he's had the opportunity to watch Alex and Kyle. I mean, he very clearly didn't include Dwayne. You know, just little things like that. I think one thing that stood out to me is when Terry McLaurin came out and said how much he loved having Kyle Allen run the offense and his energy at practice.

Terry, Terry's a pro and a star and he doesn't say things he doesn't mean. So I've just been trying to pay attention to that stuff. You know, you hear these whispers and speculative stuff, but who knows what any of that means? I had Darren Haynes on the radio talking about his report that, you know, Dwayne is working really hard. It's just he comes to things from a different perspective. And maybe that's maybe that's a real thing. I don't know. But if I'm Ron Rivera and it's a kid I didn't draft and he can't understand.

the same perspective as everybody else on the team. I just, I'm not sure. I think all coaches make exceptions or special situations for talent, right? They think somebody, I think we've all, if you go back and read some of the stuff from Cam's time with the Panthers, when Ron was running things, you know, Ron did discipline him here and there, but there were some times where I'm sure Cam kind of pushed Ron, and those two have a really tight relationship. And I think Cam's exceptional talent was probably a big part.

of that. But I don't think Dwayne has performed high enough that Ron is willing to bend his rules or whatever. So I think these last eight weeks are a maybe an opportunity is the optimistic way to look at it. It is a real opportunity for Dwayne to show like, listen, man, I'm not one snap away. I take this really seriously. I'm ready to go. It's just interesting to hear you describe it. And I have the same sense as well. It's a shame. Some young people get it. Some don't. It's not a fit. I don't think it's a fit here. We'll get back to this in a little bit. I think more damage, sorry to interrupt.

I think one thing that's troubling is that there's now two coaching staffs that have had a relatively similar experience. And again, maybe that'll change. Maybe this last eight weeks will be Dwayne's kind of coming out because he did play relatively well late last season. And it's hard to forget that part. And he did seem to really mature and understand the situation a lot better this offseason. but, you know, if you talk to Jay Gruden or Kevin O'Connell, those guys about their experience last year,

I don't think it was overly positive either. And I think that's damaging because now that's, you got the staff here with Ron, and then you've got Jay and Jacksonville and Kevin out in L.A. Like, that is kind of spreading. Yeah, we've had this conversation in the past about another quarterback. You know, at some point when it's more than one staff and it's two, It might actually be the player and not the team and the franchise and the coaching staff. Real quickly, as it relates to Kyle Allen, I don't know if I caught this this week and maybe I just missed it.

Is he having surgery? Is he actually done for the year? Yes and yes. I believe he's had this. I believe, and I don't know if you've watched our pre- or post game shows, but Jordan, George, is our new host, and she does a really good job. She texted me, I think Kyle Allen's girlfriend stood on Instagram that he had his surgery. Okay.

So that's how we're getting information these days. All right, a couple of things real quickly about the team currently and tomorrow's game. And then we'll go to a first half season recap Q&A, which will run through quickly. But Cooley suggested JP yesterday on the podcast that defensively there needs to be a big change. he thinks Kendall Fuller should move to free safety. He thinks Everett should move to strong safety. He thinks they should play Morland on the outside and Curl should be the nickel corner. Do you think Rivera and Del Rio are going to continue to tinker at all until they get sort of the back seven figured out? That's an interesting idea. I think they like Fuller playing safety, but he's also playing corner really well.

So they might not want to take that away from them. I think, you know, similar to the Dwayne conversation, If they really get out of this, let's say Philly strings together three out of four and Washington loses three out of four. I think you could see get to December some real tinkering, some trying to figure out what pieces they have going forward. But I don't think you'll see it. I think the plan will stay the same at least through Dallas and Thanksgiving because, you know, this is their stretch where they can maybe win some games. So I would expect things to kind of stay the same. Was last week the beginning of Cam Sims becoming a big part of the offense, do you think? I don't know. It's hard to say yes, just because we've been talking about Cam Sims for a few years now, and that's his first real breakout.

But I think the way Alex looked to him and Alex starting again is could be a real opportunity for him. I mean, inmate, I believe, is out this weekend. There's nobody else there. Antonio Gandy Golden's not there. Cam's going to keep getting the opportunities. And I think that's huge for him. And I mean, I don't know if you ever talked to him, Kevin, great attitude, hard worker, great athlete. I mean, the issue's always kind of been running precise routes and stuff. But Alex looked to him. And I think Alex will look to him again.

So, I mean, that would be Ron talked the other day about why he's optimistic and some of it is that he can count, you know, that he's getting these young guys playing time. I don't think this team's making the playoffs. I think this team's going five and 11. And if you develop a real maybe number two complimentary receiver to Terry McCorn, I think that would be a legit, great development for this team. What do you think happens tomorrow? I think they lose. And I hate it.

I hope I'm wrong. But I think it's a tight, weird loss, like 24, 21. I think the line is about right. Now, Detroit's a little beat up, which could help Washington. So, you know, especially if Hawkinson misses the game, We all know how tight ends hurt this team, and I don't think their linebackers are very good in coverage. So that could be a big boost. Honestly, the kicker situation has me a little worried.

Dustin Hopkins might not play. It's going to be kind of a game time decision. Kari Vedvick is your practice squad kicker, and little things like that can make a big difference. All right. I want to get to just a Q&A that we will sprint through on the first half. half of the season with J.P. Finley, we'll get to that right after this word from one of our sponsors. All right, what we're going to do here for this last 10 to 15 minutes with J.P. Finley on this shorter version of the podcast here on a Saturday is we're going to go through a first half of

the season recap Q&A session. All right? I'm going to ask the questions. J.P. will answer, and then I'll give an answer to my own question. And we'll start with this. I'll ask you, what's been the biggest surprise to you during the first half of the season? It can be a player. It can be a unit. It can be anything you want it to be. That's a great one. I think to me, it's still pulling Dwayne after four games. I was not surprised that Dwayne was benched. I still, that was a little bit early. I think he could have gotten a couple more games, but I think it's pretty clear that something's not going the way Ron wants it to go. That's the answer. That's the answer I have to another question, so I'll have that here momentarily. The biggest surprise for me

is I actually think their offensive weapons are better than I thought they would be. I actually think they've got some pretty good players on offense. I think Terry McClorn is an emerging star, as all of us would agree to. I think J.D. McKissick is a legit weapon, who I think Scott Turner has used pretty well for the most part, and I think Gibson's got a lot of talent. Now, they're still missing a piece. They're missing another wide receiver. They're missing a more consistent tight end. But I'd throw the offensive line into that.

The offensive line hasn't been terrible this year. So I think offensively, even though they have been far from a prolific offensive team, and a lot of that was the opponents in the first four games and the quarterback play, I think the offensive weapons or the offensive supporting cast to whomever the quarterback has been is a surprise to me. It's been better than I thought it would be. Question number two, your biggest disappointment so far through eight games. I mean, in a way, I guess it's also Dwayne Haskins. I kind of was buying into the off season and the hard work,

and I thought maybe he could come out and kind of hit the ground running. That hasn't happened, but maybe that's unfair. You know, I think I'll say, I know that the defense has, you know, some of the rankings and some of the yardage numbers are impressive, but I don't think this defense has been. particularly impressive to me, especially in spots where they really needed it. So, I don't know. I mean, that's a good, it's a hard question to answer because I think, I think I've been

pleasantly encouraged by Scott Turner's offense. I know not everybody will agree with that. I know a lot of fans don't think they run the ball enough, and there's some validity to that. But I guess my expectations were higher for the defense and for the, I just, the lack of impact plays defensively. I'll say that. The biggest disappointment for me was your first answer, which was the biggest surprise, that Dwayne Haskins didn't play better and that he got bench so quickly. And I'm not

blaming the coaching staff. You know, we've already had this conversation. I blame Dwayne more because I believe the stories. I believe, you know, the stories in part because of what we discussed. It's not one coaching staff now. It's two. There's too much smoke for there not to be some fire there. I was really hoping to see what I saw at the end of last year, which was continued improvement and at least the impression that there was a chance that they got it right on him, that he could be the guy going forward. So for me, that's the biggest disappointment so far. All right. Question three. The prediction before the season that you feel confident you've gotten right so far. Sadly, probably my 5 and 11 record. That's a good one. Yeah.

I also thought McCloren would And some people were worried that McClorin would bounce back And I didn't think so I thought he's a star I think he is a star Yeah And actually one of my bold predictions Was that he wouldn't lead this team

In touchdown receptions Just because I thought he'd have a ton of yardage But maybe get a little more shut down around the end zone So maybe that'll come to fruition too Man I got so many predictions right It's really hard to pick one out But I'll go with this one I was convinced that when they drafted Montez Sweat in 2019 late, that they had gotten a real potential star player.

And you didn't see it last year. And I was very confident that with a better defensive coaching staff, they didn't drop them into coverage half the time, that we would see Montez Sweat flourish. And I think we've seen that so far. Question four, the prediction you've been totally wrong about thus far. Totally. I mean, probably Dwayne. I predicted Dwayne to have a good year and build off of late last season. Yeah, I did too.

I did too. Yeah. I mean, I also predicted, I think Chase Young has been really, really good, but I predicted him to win defensive rookie of the year. I don't think that's looking too good right now. I actually think there's still a chance. I think he's in the hunt right now with, you know, two, three, four players. I agree.

But, I mean, I had him at pushing Javon curse rookie sack record and stuff. You know, I think I got to back off a little bit of that. I think I'd have to put my prediction about Dwayne improving and showing some signs. I didn't go as far as say as he'd prove it totally, but I thought that there was a better chance than not that we would get to the end of 16 games and have a feeling like it was worthwhile to move forward with him. But I'm going to go with a different one. The prediction that I've been wrong about is I really thought that Ron Rivera would be a more

steadying hand. You know, I think his messaging has added more drama than was necessary to a losing season, which most of us expected anyway. I really felt, and I don't think I'm off on this, but I thought that things would just be different. I thought a lot of the drama with him, you know, would be lessened. And look, a lot of it can be chalked up to him not feeling well, not being well, and we all understand that.

I just thought he would be more of a no bullshit, direct, totally dialed in, couldn't give a shit about what anybody says, including the media. And I think we've seen a guy that just doesn't have it all together right now. I'm not bailing on him at all. I'd like to see him talk less, show us more. It seems like, you know, we get that from everybody that comes into town in this organization. But I would say that so far, I was very confident that Ron Rivera would, at the very least be a very steadying hand, and I think it's been unsteady. Again, attributable

to things that are much more important like his health. We all understand that. But I thought I'd feel differently about him. And again, I'm not bailing. And I've made this point several times in previous shows. I just, I have more questions than I thought I would have about him through eight games. I think that's fair. And the thing I would add, Kev, is I don't know if this is 2020.

And this is the weirdest year in my life. I'm guessing probably yours too. There's so much off-field stuff, particularly with this football team that he's kind of been at the center of. And I just wonder if it was 2018 and Roder Rivera took over

how different all of that would be. I mean, he had to deal with, the name change, the investigation, George Floyd, I mean, all of these things and then camps are, it's just crazy to think about all that. And I just, to your point about, I just thought it would be a football focus.

And I don't know if that is, I don't know if anyone's to blame that this year, there's been lots of other things besides just football. Yeah, I think all of that's in play, definitely. I mean, look at your tennis lessons on a, beautiful Saturday morning. I mean, all hell's breaking loose. This would have never happened in 2018. Kids were much better behaved then. You were. Rank the best three players.

There's a lot going on, but nobody's, they're literally not even holding racked. That's awesome. You know what? They got to break out the orange slices and the goldfish and some cupcakes pretty shortly to keep them focused. Rank the three best players on the team best to third best. Who's the best player on? on the team right now. Terry is your best player. I still think Chase is the second best player. And then I'd say Kendall Fuller. I think he's been really good. I'll go Chase Young is their best player. I think that's fair. Terry McClorn is their second best player. And then this is a tough one because I think both Duran Payne and Montes sweater having really good years and they are A players. I'll go with sweat because of the actual production and the numbers, but man, is Duran Payne good?

He is really, really good. I totally agree. The only reason I would go to Fuller is I think those, I think sweat and pain are beneficiaries of playing with Chase. And I think Fuller has somewhat stabilized what is a really weak secondary. All right. We've got, we're through five questions. We've got five, maybe a couple of bonus questions left right after this work. from one of our sponsors.

All right, speed round to finish up this Q&A with J.P. Finley. Follow him on Twitter at J.P. Finley, NBCS. JP, of course, has the podcast, the Washington Football Podcast. You can get that anywhere you get a podcast. Same place you get mine. And, of course, he does a great job on television. And he's a good friend, and I owe him $1,000. All right, Dwayne Haskins.

Will he be on the roster next year? I don't think so. It's crazy. See, I don't see. I think they're drafting, I think they're drafting that kid from BYU, and it's a total shot in the dark, but you want to give me 20 to 1 on that, Kevin? No, I don't, because I like them a lot, and I would be thrilled. So it would be something that I would almost, see, I wasn't rooting against Alex,

but I actually think that that would be a good bet, and it would be more of like a 4-1, not a 20-to-1. I don't think Dwayne Haskins is on this roster, and I think the young man needs really good advice because I think his career is in peril right now. Somebody, of course, is going to give him a shot. You know, there will be a team that will sign him and give him a chance. But he needs to get it together here, or it's going to be a very short career for him. Alex Smith, will he be on the roster next year?

I kind of think he will. If you draft a kid and then Alex, I mean, I can't just say yes, but I think it's much more of a possibility. than people think. Because the money's not crazy. Now, if they sign somebody as a free agent rather than a draft pick, then that changes everything. Then I think Alex is gone. But if they draft a young guy, I kind of think they'd like to have Alex around unless Kyle's healthy and Kyle can be their veteran and they can save that 22 mil on the cap. I'll say they won't. It's a $14 million roughly savings on the cap. I'll say he's not on the roster. This to me was a 99.9.9% probability. you know, two weeks ago. And now, you know, I'll put it at a 60% probability, but I don't think he'll be on the roster next year.

All right, next question. Percent chance that Kyle Allen is the 2021 starter next year, week one. That's a great one. And I think it would have been pretty damn high without the injury. I think the injury changes it. And I don't know that he's all the way back by week one, 2021. I mean, he fractured his ankle. and dislocated it in what, week nine, week eight.

So early November, although, yeah, I mean, I guess he could be back in eight, nine months, right? So was that fracture, you remember it went from, you know, looking like Dak Prescott's injury to just dislocated to maybe there's also a slight fracture? Was it a super serious long-term rehabilitation injury? Because I don't know that we've, gotten that information yet? I don't believe it is, but I said this the other day. Something's only a small fracture when it's not to you. It's still a fracture. Yeah, of course. Yeah, your surgery, minor surgery as long as it's your surgery. That's minor too. Let's assume for a moment, you know, with this question. He also not under contract, though. I know he isn't, but let's just assume for a moment that there's belief, you know, when we get to March, that he will be ready for the beginning of

training camp worst case. So what would the percent be then? Week one starter? I'd say, I'll give it a third, 33%. I'll go 50. I think I would have been higher, you know, right prior, prior to last week's game, I think I would have put it at 65, 70%. I'll make it 50-50. I think they like him. I think he's a good fit. And I think, that I still believe there's a chance they could win enough games to not have this shot at the quarterback. And we don't even know what they'll feel about the quarterbacks that'll be there. I think it's 50-50.

All right. Next question. Offensive MVP so far through eight weeks. This is the easiest question that I'm posing to both of us. This is no debate here. Terry McClure. Defensive MVP so far. I think it's Chase Young.

Even though he missed the two games, I mean, he's just been by far their best player defensively. and it's the first time in a long time that maybe since Sean Taylor, I don't want to be hyperbolic, but it's the first time Washington's had a player that opposing offensive coordinators have to game plan around. First time in forever. I'm an agreement with you both on Terry McLaurin and Chase Young. A player we haven't talked much about in the first half of the season that we will be talking more about at the end of the year. a second half breakout performance from a player. Do you have a guess?

Is there somebody? Let's hope with Cam Sims. I mean, he started it the right way. Maybe Antonio Gibson, but we've talked plenty about him. Try to think if maybe there's somebody on the – you know, Cole Holcomb had the really good game against the Cowboys, but not so against the Giants. He'd like to – maybe he can keep that going.

But I'll stick with Cam Sims. This is a tough one. My immediate answer was my hopeful answer is that it's Bryce Love because he was back at practice and there seems to be more optimism surrounding maybe his ability to play and maybe they'll be out of it. I was such a fan of his at Stanford. I have no idea whether or not he's returned to anything approaching full health. But I'd like to see Bryce Love get an opportunity, although running back's not their issue.

You know, they've got... Yeah, but I don't want to be the party pooper, but I wouldn't expect that. But, okay, again, hopeful, hopeful on him. That was my first thought. But my answer to the question is I think we're going to see Deshaeser Everett really prove that he's a starting safety in this league, you know, not an elite player, but that they are going to continue to fall in love with DeShazer Everett. And we're talking about him already here.

But man, do I love the way he hits. I love the intimidation factor he's providing on the back end that they have not had. And you know what? To be honest with you, I think they missed Landon Collins last week. And I would not have been surprised had Landon Collins played really well in the second half of the season. But I love Everett's game. He's a born hitter. He's a born intimidator.

And I think we will be talking more about him at the end of the year than maybe we have. I also think there's a chance. I love that call. Have you ever talked to Shaves? Yeah. He is an awesome, interesting, intimidating. He plays a little reckless, and he gives off that vibe. Yeah.

He's got a badass to him, part of him. He's a badass, totally. I agree with that. I also thought briefly about Tim Settle. I think he's a good player, and I think we'll be talking more about him through the rest of the year as well. All right. We sort of answered this to a certain degree. You said you don't think Chase Young will win defensive rookie of the year. So that's your answer to that next question, right?

You don't think the question, will he win it? Yeah, will he win it? I think unfortunately that stuff gets too stat-based. And we can try to highlight how often he's getting double and triple teams. But I think if I don't think he will. I hope I'm wrong on that and maybe he'll pile up some sacks in the second half here that will change the equation. I thought he would at the beginning of the year, and certainly after week one, I thought he would. I think missing two games hurts too, though. Because if other guys get 16 games, their numbers are going to look higher. Yeah, and, you know, it certainly would help if you're on a decent team, you know, like Antoine Winfield Jr. is.

Like the kid from Indy, Julian Blackman, who's playing really well, Patrick Queens played really. well in Baltimore. I would have said two weeks ago Chase Young's going to be the defensive rookie of the year. I'm not so sure now. I'll say that he doesn't win the award, but I bet statistically he starts to pile up some numbers in the second half of the season. That would not surprise me at all. The quality of play almost suggests that it has to. Exactly. And I think Del Rio and or Rivera, one of the two of them said the other day, look, the numbers are coming with the way he's playing. How many players on this team make the Pro Bowl? and who?

That's a great one. And the Pro Bowl gets so tricky because by the end of it, you're talking about alternates and all that kind of stuff. Well, let's count the alternates. Yeah, I think Terry ends up getting in. And I think he'll be the only offensive player. Unless maybe Morgan Moses makes a run at it. He's been playing at a really high level.

Agreed. And then I think Chase and that might maybe sweat, maybe Fuller, especially at Fuller. If Fuller can keep stacking the I&T numbers, people pay attention to metrics. They love to be able to point through, look, this guy had seven interceptions. So I think that would be, those are my guesses. That's what?

Two and three, that's five. If they go that high, I think people should be really happy. I know. I started to think about it, and I'm like, you know, there have been a couple of years here in recent years where we're like, do they even have a pro bowl or other than Tressway? You didn't mention Tressway. Right.

Right, my guy, trust. Yeah. Fuller was the first name that came to my mind because he is at and or near the lead. Actually, I looked at sub-J-C. Jackson, Terp, is leading the NFL in interceptions. Fuller's second with Xavier and Howard and somebody else, I think, with four. But I think Fuller's got... Well, Fuller missed games, too. Exactly.

I think Fuller's got a shot. I think McCloren definitely has a shot because right now in the NFC, you know, you've certainly have guys like... Julio Jones, you know, who is going to be thought of immediately, regardless of what his numbers are, but Atlanta's putting up numbers. You're going to be thinking about D'Andre Hopkins, who should probably be a lock. But after that, I mean, there are a bunch of guys. We'll see. I mean, there are a bunch of guys. D.K. Metcalf. D.K. Metcalf, of course. Yeah, Metcalf. Metcalf actually is the absolute lock, and Hopkins is probably a lock as well. But I think McClorn's in the hunt,

and it wouldn't surprise me if, you know, if sweat or young or pain even continue to play at the level they're playing at that they could end up with a few of those. More than what most people are thinking. Who's going to be at the Super Bowl? Who's going to be in the Super Bowl? Who's nursing and injury? People just kind of fail out. Like, I don't think D.K. Mecca, this will be his first time, so he's going to go. But a guy like Julio does go to the – are they even having the Pro Bowl now that we're talking about? Oh, my God. No, they're not.

They canceled it. But you know what? I think they will name pro bowlers, won't they? Probably. They definitely will, but it'll be harder to have alternates because guys don't have to bail out of actually traveling to the game. What a great point. What a great point. Whatever. It was a fun thing to talk about anyway, even if the basis for the question may have been flawed. Final record prediction for this team. You had five and 11 before the season started. Do you think they can go three and five in the second half? Yeah, I think Dallas is terrible. I mean, maybe they'll have Dalton back by then, but I still think they're bad. It'd be a lot easier to say that if they picked off one of those two giant games.

I think they could beat Sincy at home. I think they could beat Detroit here, and then it comes down to Carolina. I think Ron might dial it up for that Carolina game late in the year. I think they can get to three and five over these last eight. What do you think their record? What do you think their record would have been at two and five, assuming if I told you that Kyle Allen's going to start the final, start and finish the final nine games of the year? If I'd asked you this question a week ago, what would your answer have been? So a week ago, I thought they could get to six.

I thought they could get to six, and I thought they'd have a real shot at the NFC East at six, which is incredible. But I was counting a Giants win last week. kind of why I don't know that Kyle to Alex is a dramatic change for me. I don't know that it changes the line. It's a big change for me. I thought they had a chance to be seven and nine and be in the hunt, six and ten worst case. I've got them now at five and eleven two. I think they can win three more games. But that's it. I think five and eleven is the upside there. Final East Standings prediction. All right.

Philly, seven, what would they be, seven, eight, and one? Is that right? Yeah. They would be, yeah, if they get to seven wins. They're three now? I want to pull this up. Yeah, they're three, four, and one. I don't know.

Are they going to win four games? Their schedule, and I hate playing this game. Their schedule's impossible. It's brutal. It is absolutely brutal. They play the Giants this week on the road. They were down 10 to the Giants in the four. quarter, you know, two weeks ago Thursday night. At Browns, Seahawks, Packers, Saints,

at Cardinals before finishing up with the Cowboys in Washington, you could legitimately say that of their final, their three, four, and one, so they played eight, of their final eight games, they'll be favored in three of them max. Max. So that would put them at six, nine and one. I'm dialing that back. Yeah. crazy to almost think that's the problem with this, Kev, is that Ron is right when he says we're not out of it. Of course. And I know that it's hard for a lot of people to hear it,

but it's the truth. If Alex plays like he did in the second half and just doesn't throw the terrible picks, and that's very unlike him to throw those picks. Now, maybe there's a new version of Alex that we have to acclimate ourselves with, but that's very unlike him. I don't know.

It's so crazy because you end up talking yourself into these things. I think Dallas is the worst team in the division by far. I do, too. I think their defense is awful. I don't know that I'm writing off the Giants quite yet. I don't know what their schedule looks like. The Giants' schedule is much easier than Philadelphia's schedule, but still not easy. They play the Bengals who are capable, the Seahawks, the Cardinals, the Browns, and the Ravens.

It's actually brutal, too. Like the Giants are The schedules are the same The Giants aren't going to be favored in any of their games Other than their season finale against the Cowboys And they only have two wins right now But I actually think they're the most capable Unless Philadelphia gets healthy

Yeah but I Carson Wentz is a mess I don't know what is going on there Maybe the biweek will clean you know Kind of straighten them out My final I'm still going to say Philly Because they have a game on everybody and I think if they can get healthy

I think Carson Wentz I think Dak Prescott's the best quarterback in the division Dax clearly hurt I think Carson's better than Jones and Smith I like Doug Peterson I mean he's got a ring he's proven that he can go on runs

but man that schedule's brutal to see them getting four wins out of that is darn near impossible I think whoever gets the six what's yours I got Philly at 6-9-1 winning the division. Washington, the Giants finishing second at 5 and 11. I think the Giants are getting better.

I actually think the Giants aren't a terrible team at all. I've got Washington at 5 and 11, but really it could go south. You know, I did not feel that way last week. I actually thought Kyle Allen was on the verge of potentially really giving them some solid ground at the position. and I thought he was playing very well early in the game last week. And I got Dallas winning maybe another game. They stink. Although it's funny to watch Dallas last week.

If they just had a quarterback, they'd be so much more capable of winning games. Because even Dallas's defense, which is horrible, they've actually got a decent pass rush. It's funny. It's a terrible division. I'm not, you know, about to say otherwise. But if you told me that the Giants, as an example, at 2 and 7, you know, beat the Eagles on Sunday, beat the Bengals next week, you know, beat somebody like the Browns and the Cowboys, and they won four more games to get to six wins, I wouldn't be shocked by that. I wouldn't. I wouldn't either.

They're playing hard for Joe Judge. Yeah. I think, I mean, the Giants have been churning out coaches. I think Judge is the best one they've hit on in this recent McAdoo. new Shermer, whoever it's been. I think Dallas is going to completely, I think they might have to fire Mike Nolan, if not the whole staff.

A conversation for a different day, but I'm fascinated what happens with Dak if Dallas bottoms out and is able to get one of these young quarterbacks that they never planned on in the draft. And then what happens after that? I'm fascinated by that. All right. So we both have Billy.

back land in D.C. We both have Philly winning the division. Yes, but ugly. I think they get to six and they win it. It's going to be, it really is going to be the most incredible bad division record-wise finish. And really what really plays a role in this is the fact that the NFC East is playing the AFC North and the NFC West, which just makes the schedule brutal for a lot of these teams the rest. the way. Give me your, I've got two bonus questions for you, okay? Bonus question, actually three of them.

Bonus question number one. Who are your two Super Bowl teams? I had Seahawks Steelers to start the year. I'm sticking with that, although I weirdly, I think the pressure of undefeated, I think Pittsburgh will lose before too long, but their defense is really good. I'll stick with Seahawks. week, I think Kooley and I did this and I said Tampa, Pittsburgh. And after Sunday night, God, that was so ugly. But I will stick with Tampa, Pittsburgh. I just think the Buccaneers are so talented and I think they're so well-coached. Sunday night was alarming, no doubt. Very alarming. But those things happen. The NFL's crazy. And I think Antonio Brown is going to keep his act together, and I think they're going to be awesome.

I think he could be a total disruption, too. I didn't think they needed him. They haven't been healthy at wide receiver, but ultimately, if they were healthy at wide receiver, they really, you know, it's hard to say, it's hard saying you don't need somebody who is arguably the greatest wide receiver talent of the last decade. But you saw late in that game down 38-0, he's up spinning the ball, you know, signaling for a first down. I mean, it's just, I'll tell you what, Bruce Ariens, there's no chance he would have done this without Brady. No chance.

Oh, no, no. All right. I like Ariens a lot. Two more bonus questions. First one is Washington football team related. Percent chance that Dan Snyder still owns the team when we get to the beginning of the 2021 season. 90? Okay.

So you're saying, maybe even, maybe even like 95. I get there's a lot of smoke and there's a lot going on. And I think if you see all the moves this team is making, they just hired a chief people officer, Kevin. Is there a chief people officer at Sheean Enterprises? Yeah, well, we're thinking about hiring one. Yeah, but we haven't had any complaints yet, but we do have Laverro occasionally in the building, so we've got to be careful.

This team four months ago had the most controversial. nickname in professional sports. And four months later, they have a chief people officer. It seems like they are doing everything they can to get their ship in order that nobody can demand changes. That's the way I do it. I think the chance that Snyder is the owner of the team prior to next year is 66.6.6.6. 6% repeating.

There's a, there's a, there's a two-thirds chance he owns the team, but I'm giving it a third now of a chance that he doesn't. With the understanding that it's a forced, forced exit. No. Like, we both agree that he's never given up, right? No, I'm not, I don't agree with that. Oh, wow. I don't agree with that.

I think it can happen either way. I think that there, I think there's a chance that ultimately, you know, as a collective unit, including with his three minority owners, who clearly cannot stand him, that somehow they understand that this is a chance to perhaps make a sale with a five billion number, a five in front of the billions number. So, again, two-thirds chance would tell you that I think, you know, it's more likely than not that he will own it, but I think there are some things. going on that I'm very interested in and I in my gut tells me that it's more than just you know

there's some desperation involved on his end and my I guess I'm wondering why I'm wondering if he feels like it's you know the walls are closing in on him and ultimately he may just say look what the fuck I mean we can get 5.1 billion for it from baseball or somebody else, let's go for it. And to that point, this investigation, assuming the lawyer gets free reign like we've been told she gets, I think they could uncover all sorts of stuff that go far beyond verbal abuse of employees and sexual harassment of employees. I mean, this Dwight Schar thing is about money.

And where is the money? And then, Kev, I got a bonus question for you. To your core, to the deep soul of Kevin Sheehan, how mad are you that they had to give up that name that has been important to people in this region for 90 years? They gave that up because he missed a dividend payment. That's ultimately why it happened. Yeah, I mean, so what's the question? What's the bonus question? How mad does that make you?

Oh, I think we were definitely in this climate. We were inching towards it. Sure, I agree. And here's my thing. If they had just decided to change it out of a legitimate, like, you know what, we've had this long enough, it's time for a change, I could have understood it. It's just the nature of how it shook out to me, especially when you learn about this misdividend payment. afterwards and then the FedEx Corporation asked for a public review.

It just seems so obvious that I don't know the dollar figures attached, but these are billionaires getting shorted a payment and then the name changes. Yeah, but it was, it's more than that. You know, it was it was a lot having to do with, you know, legitimate pressure in this climate and the expectation of what was coming with the post stories. Smith and Dwight Schar and Bob Rothman all knew what was in the works and there was, you know, some intention to get ahead of some of the other stuff and feeling like this stuff would have ultimately perhaps forced it even though they're unrelated. Look, I'm mad about a lot of things,

you know, but I'm so less passionately mad than I would have been two, three, four years ago. I've said this many times, you know, you and I spend a lot of time talking about this football team and following this football team and the intricacies and all the day-to-day granular detail of it. My fandom is so much different than it used to be. Yeah, I was listening to you the other morning, talk about that Minnesota Super Bowl and what that must have been like as a fan of the best team in football. I mean, that team was such a freight train. I just, I don't know. At least I got to enjoy that as a kid. I was, you know, nine, but I just, 25-year-old Washington fans, what do they have, man? Yeah. I just, I don't know. My boys, I've got three boys, they could not care

less. Now, you know, do they follow, you know, it's funny, they're more interested in the draft next year and who Washington might get at quarterback than on Sunday actually rooting for them to win. They're watching the red zone. They're following their fantasy team. That's a much higher level interest for them than the team. It was a great, totally. I retweeted this tweet from a really smart skin fan, Washington fan, that said, if it's November and you're not doing mock drafts already, you're not a Washington football. Yeah, well, that's been sort of a right of midfall.

All right, last one, and I'll let your run. And this one is sponsored by my bookie. to MyBooky.ag. If you're looking for a place to wager, and JP and I would both tell you, because we know from experience, if you're new to gambling, tread lightly. Okay, it's not for everybody. But if you insist on wagering on these games or the masters this weekend, and you need a place, my bookie is safe, fair, you're going to get paid if you win, and you can't say that about every shop. MyBooky.ag, use my promo code, Kevin, D.C., and they will match your deposit up to half the amount you put in. So if you open up an account with 500 bucks,

they're going to give you an extra 250 to play with. If you've already got places, sign up at MyBooky, get the free cash with the deposit, and then you've got another shop to compare lines with. I mean, that's what a lot of us do. If you're just stuck on one place and you're just taking their lines and you're not shopping the lines, you're not doing yourself a favor. MyBooky.ag, my promo code, Kevin D.C., K-E-V-I-N-D-C, and they will match your deposit up to $1,000 halfway. So if you deposit $1,000, they're going to give you an extra $500. I gave out in the smell test yesterday several games for today for this college football Saturday, including Virginia Tech, who I love, Virginia Tech, is now up to about two and a half over ninth-ranked Miami today.

I love them today. I love Michigan State plus seven against Indiana. I love TCU plus three against West Virginia. Utah states a play for me today. Temples a play. UCLA's off for those wondering. They were going to play Utah, and I like them plus two and a half. They're now playing Cal tomorrow.

And that's what we're going to see the next few weeks in college football or just games sort of made up out of thin air at the last minute. Give me your plays today. Who do you love? I love that Virginia Tech game. I'm right there with you. I haven't looked at a ton. It's been a whirlwind week for me.

I loved the Colts Thursday night. Yep. And I've been all Masters. So the Masters has gotten all of my attention. I am heavily invested in Xander Shuffley, which I was loving until he didn't finish so hot Saturday morning. trying to win some pools off some friends Brooks Kepka going on a run could really help me

you and me both Scotty Sheffler if if Scotty wins the Masters Kevin it's going to be it's going to be a big time I'll meet you I'll meet you on the corner of Mass and sangamore we'll celebrate it's funny because I have been in a I'm in the same pool every year

bunch of dudes you know some of the guys, I think you do. And I was first going into the U.S. Open, and now I'm sixth, but there's very little difference between sixth and first. And I was one of the only people who had not used Brooks Kepka. It's one of those year-long pools where you can't use the same golfers twice. Oh, those are fun. We got three picks for the Masters, so I'd Kepka left. I had Matthew Wolf, and I felt so good about Wolf going into this thing. That's a killer, yeah. And he shot 77 yesterday. And then I've got Bubba Watson. So I really need Kepka and I need one of the two to win it and Watson's probably not going to

get, you know, win it. You know, he made the cut and he could go out and shoot 63 today and be right in the mix. But it would be great if Kepka won it and Watson somehow got, you know, a backdoor top five finish and I think that would really help me. Either way, if Kepka wins it, I think I'll finish in the money in the top two or three in this. Just looking at that leaderboard, when you've got DJ and Justin Thomas up there. I'm not invested in either, sadly, but I would just, those are two heavyweights that

play so different that I think are both great. And I mean, how great would a duel between those two be? I think it could be a really, really fun master. Dude, here's something to watch, Kevin. I feel like the Washington football team could lose the ratings on Sunday against the Masters. I didn't even think about that. obviously if Tiger Woods is in a, you know, last group in making a run, that is definitely.

That's 100% in play. It's funny. So I was talking to Scott last night. He was going to come home, but because the second round didn't end, he had to be on the coverage for ESPN this morning. So we're sitting there talking, and he was in a house with a bunch of guys like Andy North and a bunch of guys. And we were having a conversation and he just said, and I just said, look, I think it's

DJ or Justin Thomas. And he said, everybody here thinks that both of those guys, but a lot of the guys there love Rom. They think Rom. He closed strong today. Yeah. And this was before he finished strong today. They loved Rom's position. And they just think he is a machine.

And he's played so well. DJ, though, to me. I'd be happy for him. I like that guy, Abe Answer, too. He just seems so cool and calm. I like him. Yeah. Oh, what just happened?

I'm just looking at the leaderboard. Okay, they're just off here on the third round. I don't think. So I was asking Scott, I'm like, well, tell me at the top of the leaderboard. This was before this morning, who can't win? And he said, I think everybody here sort of feels like answer can't win. And, you know, M and maybe even Cam Smith can't win. But he's like, but, you know, at the time, I think Can't Lay was 6 under.

but they're like everybody here thinks Cantlay could win easily. Everybody here thinks Justin Rose could win for sure. You know, it's course knowledge. You know, that is such a course. That's why Mickelson and Woods are sitting there at 500. That's why Bernhardt Longer and Larry Mize. Did Mize make the cut? I think he did.

Maybe he did. I think both those guys did. Yeah. Did you see Sandy Lyle going with suspenders on Thursday? It was not a, it was not the look necessarily. It was a hell of a look. Yeah. Thanks for doing this. I appreciate it. We will chat soon. It's not that I'm hoping that Alex comes down with some kind of terrible cold between now and tomorrow, but wouldn't it be wild if we woke up and he was sore from last week and they're just going to take precautionary measures and Dwayne starts. That would be fascinating.

Congrats. You won that bet. It would be a miracle. I have not counted the money yet. We'll see. Okay. It's a pretty safe bet. All right, thanks. I'll talk to you this week. Thanks, Kevin. Take care, man. Thanks to everybody for tuning in. We're getting this out here late Saturday morning, very early Saturday afternoon. Enjoy it between now and probably the kickoff of the game tomorrow.