The Kevin Sheehan Show - Haskins: Keep Or Cut Him?

Episode Date: December 23, 2020

Cooley and Kevin start the show addressing the Dwayne Haskins fiasco. Cooley had an abbreviated "Film Breakdown" of the Seattle loss which included a total recap of Haskins' game against the Seahawks. Doc Walker joined the show with his thoughts on Haskins and the team as well. 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 Chean Show. Here's Kevin. All right. Start off with an apology about yesterday. I had something come up personally, and I could not do the show yesterday.

And I know there was a lot of breaking news, but you know what? We sort of let it settle itself out. We learned as much as we could learn. Coolie's with me right now. He's going to have an abbreviated version of the film breakdown coming up. But we start with the Dwayne Haskins situation. you know, what to do with it. I'm going to give everybody for the purposes of those, or for the benefit of those that don't know all of the information, what we know as of now,

which is 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning. We're going to know a lot more a few hours from now. So understand that by the time you get to this podcast, there may be new information. We're going to react right now to the information we have. We know based on the reporting, the following things are true. that after the Seattle loss on Sunday, Dwayne Haskins ended up partying with a large group indoors without wearing a mask, a group that included at least one stripper that was in close contact with both him and his girlfriend slash fiancé. We know that he was with a large group at a restaurant and appeared to be dancing at a club. We don't know if this was a club that was open to everybody. We don't even know if it was a strip club. The post reporting, it was a restaurant

that may have been cleared out for this large private gathering. We know that he spoke to Ron Rivera about the incident on Monday and that he apologized and took responsibility for what he said were actions that, quote, were irresponsible and immature, closed quote. He did that on Twitter yesterday before closing down his Twitter account to anybody but private access. We know that patronizing a nightclub were patronizing in a large gathers, gathering without personal protective equipment, PPE, is considered high-risk COVID-19 conduct,

according to the NFL's coronavirus protocols and is punishable by a fine or a suspension up to four games. The team has the discretion to discipline the player. The league has the discretion to step in if they don't like how the team disciplines the player. We know that Haskins already was fine for violating the coronavirus protocols back in October when he made a reservation for a family friend at the team's hotel before its game against the Giants on the road. We also know that according to the post that Haskins has been disciplined by the team, we just don't know what that discipline is at this point. And again, you may know what it is by the time you listen to this podcast, but we don't as of the recording of this now. And we know

based on multiple reports now, that the team will not release Haskins now, in part, as ESPN described, they are reluctant to do so because of Alex Smith's calf injury. So that's what we know. What we don't know is what his teammates think, what his coach thinks, what they thought of them before, what they think of them now, what their plans were when this season ended, what their plans may have been at the trade deadline had Kyle Allen not gotten hurt. There's a lot that we don't know about this. I'll ask you, Christopher Cooley, for your reaction based on everything that we know right now. There's a lot to think about with this, Kev. First of all, I feel sorry for a lot of these guys

because of the circumstance of this year, but I felt sorry for high school athletes and high school kids that can't. I mean, across the board, everybody's dealing with this. So you have to deal with it. The thing that becomes a problem is when people start to act like they're above it, especially in areas where you can't do that. Dwayne acted like he was above the COVID protocols. I don't have a problem with any of the activities that he, was involved in in a normal situation.

So no one's going to talk about it in that fashion, or I'm not going to talk about it in that fashion. But he knows. They discuss this constantly. Stay safe. Stay out of public situations. And all of a sudden now he's the starting quarterback. He's got this great opportunity.

I think it was a really ignorant, complacent choice on his part. I think it was selfish. And I understand that they're bored. But this is what we got left. A month? God, just make it another month. It was ridiculous. The more I think about it, the more I just think you owe this much to your coaches,

to the other players, to the other players in the NFL, to continue to have the season that they're having. I don't know. That's frustrating. Wait, what would you, so what would you do if you were Ron Rivera in the organization? Well, there's a lot to think about if I was Ron Rivera. I certainly don't want to play Logan Thomas as my starting quarterback. What about Stephen Montez or Taylor Heineke? Yeah, I think there's something that you would consider with Stephen Montes.

I think that you have to have a discussion with the NFL as to what the punishment is going to be. They might not even let him play anyway. He shouldn't be able to pass. It shouldn't even matter. You can't say that he's positive three days afterward. He might be positive seven days afterward. So they can't let him play. So they're going to have to play Montez.

I'm suggesting if there was any way that you could get through the NFL work, if he were to pass test, I still want to win games. Yeah, no. I think I asked that question with the assumption that they would have the option of playing him on Sunday. the whole conversation could be a moot point by this afternoon if he is suspended or if he is forced to do some sort of quarantine where he's not even available to play on Sunday. But this assumes that if the team wants to keep him and play him on Sunday, that that's an option. If that is the option, would you play him on Sunday? If Alex can't go, obviously.

At full help. You let me ask, no, I wouldn't. And here's the reason I wouldn't. Because I still don't know if he's going to have COVID. And if he does end up having COVID, and I made that choice and put others at risk, then I'm liable for putting others at risk. What if he told you he was in a large gathering event with no masks, but every single person there was a family member or friend and or was wrapped in a stripper. And the strippers were rapid tested before the event and tested negative. I'm giving you...

Here's the problem that you run into, in my opinion, is let's just say somebody else had COVID and brought this to the building, doing it in got it in that fashion. It's still all going to fall back on the organization's decision-making process, and you're going to look at that situation as the one that put us at risk. I'm sure that guys are doing this. I'm sure that this is common. This is, I mean, it's unfortunate because it's one of those situations. Like, don't get caught, bro.

You want them to be more responsible. You really do. But I think that if I'm the head coach and now I have three COVID cases come up this week. If I do, then everybody's going to point at a lax environment because of me. So I think I have to bench him. I think your reaction to this is really, Um, it's, uh, it doesn't, it doesn't have much passion in it. Um, and I'm good, I'm not, I'm not, it's how you feel, but I think, so it's a massively immature, foolish and selfish act, period. In my view. Like this dude, who by the way,

we know from, you know, all of the reporting in the past has a maturity, a professional maturity issue to begin with. You know, was personally immature yesterday on Sunday as well. He's got a coach that's battling cancer. Okay. He's got a team that's fighting for a playoff berth. At the very least, this was going to be a distraction, even in a normal environment. This could be a distraction. By the way, No. Of course it could have. You don't think that in a non-pandemic we weren't going to get pictures. By the way, real quickly, because I don't want to lose the thought. You've told me in the past, and I think it's a very, very keen observation about the testing for marijuana.

And if you're dumb enough to get caught, then you wouldn't want those players on your team anyway, because it's so easy to plan around the testing for marijuana that if you can't figure it out, you're too stupid to play for my team anyway. And in this particular case, to allow pictures to have been taken and then have your fiancé slash girlfriend, it's his girlfriend, I think it's his fiance, post Instagram pictures with you in them, how stupid are you? How completely idiotic are you? So there's that whole aspect of it too.

but you have created a distraction. You've created potentially in a situation where your head coach could be at risk and others. In a week in which your team has essentially a playoff berth on the line on Sunday. How outrageously selfish is that? Also in a week where you're probably going to have a chance to be the starter again. No shit. where you actually played pretty well. Right.

So how devastating is that to you? I mean, it's funny because there's got to be situations where you walk into the situation with, hey, no phone here, no pictures, no nothing. It had to start with that. Now, I think, do I ever look at what my wife's posting on Instagram or challenge what she's, no, I don't. but that had to start with we're not going to have an Instagram post here this one we're not going to have

um I don't know I just go back to it and I think my god okay you are the starting quarterback for the Washington football team you just played a pretty good game wouldn't you want to play a really good game

the next week and you have really just a couple games left just a couple left like wouldn't you just try your fucking best to be in the building that week. No, you don't know. You would, I would, but he's a child. But above that, it's like, take all the risk out of it.

Take all of the stupid out of it in terms of the COVID side of it. And just say, wouldn't you just want to fucking watch film this week? Just this week. And maybe if you're starting next week, it's like two weeks left. just go do the things that everybody expects you to do. I hate saying that because I was all those guys that hated when you said, hey, got to be in a, why aren't you in the building, why aren't you? But I wasn't the starting quarterback,

and I wasn't the starting quarterback who just got my second chance, who had a pretty good start. God, that's the thing that it's like, do you want to be good? And I hate, the rest of it is immature and stupid, and I understand everything you're saying. And I know you want me to have emotion with the COVID stuff. I just think it was a dumb choice. But, God, I am more emotional about the idea that you're blowing an opportunity, even if you don't get caught.

So there are a couple things here. Let me just go through a couple things on this, and then you can react to it. First of all, he's put his coach into a very difficult situation during a very important week. It's just, you know, it's the nature of people who are immature and don't think about, you know, the ramifications of their actions. Forget about what would have been in his best interest personally to, you know, lay low and get ready for a big week and a potential second big start. It's the impact it was going to have on others, the organization, his head coach, to have to address this, to have to field a majority of questions, to have to strategize on how to hand. handle it, to have to communicate with the league on on how it's being handled all of this during a week that will lead up to a game at 405 on Sunday. By the way, the game got switched from

1 o'clock to 405. That could be a game that could clinch the division title. You know, it's the kind of shit that coaches and organizations face from time to time and sometimes at the worst possible time, like now. But it's very interesting because I think it's a very complex question. think there's an easy answer to this. And even though I view him to be incredibly immature and selfish and lacking in self-awareness and the kind of guy that, you know, I think has felt all along that he arrived long before he's ever arrived because he hasn't arrived even yet. And there's probably a lot of reasons for it, even though I'm very intrigued by his talent. I can't wait actually to hear your film breakdown of his game Sunday against Seattle. But it's still,

a complex situation for the team because there are some people that would say, look, in the best interest of a team like Washington who's trying to change a culture, you cut bait, you do it quickly, you make an emphatic statement that it's team first or else, period. But there's also a case to be made that sometimes, you know, coaches and organizations handle it differently. They treat certain players in situations differently, that acting too quickly or emotionally given certain situations or context can actually sort of equate to cutting off your nose despite your face.

I brought this example up this morning about how a very successful Hall of Fame coach basically handled a situation in his very first year before he had won anything. In Dallas, Jimmy Johnson, the famous Jimmy Johnson line about Troy Aitman, Jimmy Johnson cut a marginal player for falling a snobling. during a meeting to send a message. And then he was asked what he would have done if Troy Aikman had fallen asleep during that meeting. And Jimmy said, well, that's easy.

I would have gone over. And I would have said, hey, Troy, wake up. Or I would have just handed him a pillow. You know, and so not every answer is you cut them. You know, not every answer is if you don't act, you know, and you show how tough you are and you show that this is the way our organization is going to be run. It's not always the right answer. By the way, Dwayne Haskins is no Troy Aitman, so I'm not comparing him to Troy Aitman.

But we also know that he may be the team's only legitimate option at quarterback for the biggest game of the season, which makes this conversation a very interesting one, because I think on one hand, if Ron Rivera cut him immediately and said, look, it's about the culture and the future of the culture of this organization, and I consulted with the leaders in this organization, and that includes several players in the locker room. And this was whatever, this is the decision that I made. Because I think Ron is one of those kinds of guys, rather than just being an authoritarian and making the decision on his own.

And this is in the best interest, and this is what our organization has decided is in the best interest of the team. But you could also pursue the following path, which is, and he was, wouldn't say that today, but that we believe that for now it's best to have Dwayne on the team and we've accepted his apology with the intention of cutting him when this season's over. But the path of saying, hey, let's go win this division. There are 52 other players in this locker room who want to, you know, we've come this far and now we've got a chance to clinch on Sunday

potentially if Baltimore beats the Giants at 1 o'clock, which, you know, seems like it should happen. and we can cut him in mid-January when this season's over. You know, hopefully we win a game and we're still playing in mid-January. We can do that then, and we don't have to, you know, cut off our nose to spite her face. So I think, you know, whichever way they go, I think is fine with me. I actually am going to trust Rivera on this. But to those that say, no, you have to do it now, I don't personally feel that way.

I think you can do it a month from now. I don't think there's any chance Dwayne Haskins is on this roster. But I thought that before this incident. But I'm absolutely convinced that even if he plays great, they're not bringing this guy back. He is a child. And he may grow up, but more importantly, Ron Rivera has this idea of the kind of person

and the kind of maturity and the kind of work ethic that it takes to build a winner, and Dwayne's not part of that plan, and he wasn't a part of that plan before the other day. But I do think it's, you know, it's really, it's remarkable how lacking in sort of awareness this kid is, because he really is just blowing an opportunity, and part of that lack of awareness is that his career is so close to over right now, and he has no idea and then on top of that has no idea the millions and millions of dollars potentially that he's throwing away that 10 years from now, 20 years from now, he will just absolutely beat himself up for being such a dummy and such an immature, you know, kid.

If he ever grows up, I mean, there's always that situation as well. But anyway, you know, you can get a free show. shipping on any Kingdom of Pride clothing item that you order between now and Christmas. That's available on his clothing line website, kingdomofpride.com. The order has to be $75 or larger, but you get free shipping with it. So I just wanted to mention that. Can you imagine, you're the head coach. You stand up in front of the team.

Duane comes up. He gives his apology, which I'm sure went really well. And then you say, so here's what we got, guys. we're cutting him. Okay, he's not going to be on his team next year. There's no chance. But right now, we all need to rally behind him because he is the only quarterback we have on the roster. Trust me, this is part of the process.

We are going to cut him. He's garbage right now. But we do need him at least one more week. We need him one more week. You leave this team one more week. And then we'll see where we're at. You're definitely gone, though. Okay, you're definitely gone at the end of the season.

You're on borrowed time right now. And we're going to find you every bit of the next couple game check. You're not going to make another dollar this year. You can go out and play well. You'll have another opportunity to grow up somewhere else. You can be – you're a kid now, but you can grow up, but you won't grow up here for us. But guys, let's bring it on in. Get behind DeWay, and let's get a win on three.

One, two, three, win. Like, wait. I mean, you do have to address it in a way. really because not everybody is the same but duane isn't Troy Akeman no is the only guy right now but you have the other interesting question is how close Alex is Alex really that far away with castor well two-week deal is it or is it going to be longer if the SPN's reporting is accurate that they aren't cutting him because they're reluctant to cut him because of Alex Smith's calf that tells you that he's not ready

Alex Smith isn't ready. And it also tells you that Stephen Montez and Taylor Heineckee, or Tyler Heineke, whatever his name is, isn't really the way they want to go in a game that they have to have, that Dwayne's their best option there. I think it is interesting to consider a couple of things. Number one, that if, let's just say Alex were totally healthy, you know, or if Alex, like if Dwight were the third-string quarterback like he was when Kyle Allen was healthy, I think that he would have been released yesterday.

I think that, and part of me hopes that that's not the only reason, that there's some principle involved. But at the same time, again, I also come back to, is there that much of a difference between cutting him today and cutting him a month from now? I think, you know, they're going to move on from him. Everybody knows that. This is not a fit.

And by the way, one other quick thing, too, this is another reflection of just how dopey the owner is, just how completely flawed he is in picking people. Over the course of his 21-year stewardship over this franchise, his biggest weakness is the inability to pick good people, and if he lucks into a good person to let him do their job, you know, just then, I'm going to read this quick tweet that I read on the show from somebody,

and I'm looking for it real quickly, but it was actually so, to me, hit the nail on the head. This is just so Snyder. His foolish fascination with immature marketing-obsessed QBs, first Griffin, now Haskins. It's so predictable. He can relate to them and seems to want desperately for his quarterback to think just like he does. Instead of finding and helping a football-focused field general be his CEO between those white lines.

it's, you know, it's what I've said before. You know him better than I, so you can certainly, you know, interject here. But, you know, I'm sure he is a brilliant entrepreneur and salesperson and a terrible manager. And that's not unique to really successful entrepreneurs who are creators, that they're really good at coming up with the idea. They're really good at selling the idea and getting it started. But once it gets to the point of needing real management, it gets turned over. to real managers. The problem with this football team is he bought it, all right, he didn't create it, and he wanted to manage it. And it's been a fucking disaster for 21 years. And him stepping in on

draft day 2019 and identifying Dwayne Haskins as the Savior is another example of just how much he misses the mark on people and misses the mark on what it takes from a personality standpoint, from a character standpoint in this league up here, as coach Joe would say. Anyway. I used to love the way Joe would say that. Well, up here. Because what? Up here?

That's super smart. Duane was not super smart. Oh, buddy. It's just Taylor Heineke. You know, he played for Carolina for a year. Yeah, I know. That's why he's here. Some terminology of this offense.

So you're going to see Taylor Heineke. Carolina this week. That's going to be awesome. All right. Anything else on this? There's going to be obviously a lot more that will come out today. Rivera will speak today after they practice. First of all, we'll find out whether or not Alex Smith is taking first team reps. We'll find out whether or not Dwayne Haskins is actually there. And when Rivera speaks or maybe beforehand with reporting, we'll find out what the discipline was.

Because again, the report from the Washington Post, Nikki Javala and Sam 40A is that they did discipline Dwayne. There just was no description of how they disciplined Dwayne. It could also change based on the NFL's decision. Or if the NFL were to say you can't play in these next two games and you're going to be suspended for playoff games, he'll get cut tomorrow. Yeah, right. Like if he's not available because of the NFL, then there will be no reason for him to stay. unless they actually think that he created a fifth round trade value

and then he'll be put on the Sue of Cravens list, whatever he was a couple years ago. Like the team discipline, IR list. You know what I mean? I'll put him on that. Whatever that list was. Look, I bet you he's out of the building. I'll bet he actually ends up, you know,

at some point in the end of the week. Really? So did you just, is that your prediction now? Well, in thinking through this, well, here's the other question. Like, can you practice if you are at risk of COVID? I don't know. No, no, you obviously can. You won't even be in the building.

Right. So, yeah, there you go. Well, again, like we said from the beginning, you know, we don't have a lot of the information on whether or not he's even available on Sunday, which may make, as I said, at the beginning of this conversation, this conversation, and, you know, we don't have a lot of the information. absolute irrelevant one by the time some people listen to this podcast. Parts of it. Yeah, parts of it.

Let's get to the relevant portion, which is Kooley's film breakdown. It's going to be an abbreviated version of it. We'll do that right after this word from one of our sponsors. It's the most wonderful time of the year, people, and that can't end soon enough. We all deserve a win. We all deserve a little extra money in our pocket. We all deserve to have a little fun. The only place you're guaranteed to get all three is my bookie.

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Here's Cooley and Kevin. All right, Cooley's going to do an abbreviated film breakdown of the Seattle game, and you're going to start with Dwayne Haskins. How did he play? Well, Kev, he actually played pretty well. I thought so, too. He did. I wanted to start with just the last four plays of the game, essentially.

there's a first and 10 shot to Logan Thomas in the end zone. The safety actually goes with Logan Thomas. They have a post outside to Terry McLaurin, and you're really reading that safety. He doesn't go hard enough that Duane shouldn't throw that ball because of the safety, but he does go enough that Terry should be wide open in the middle of the field with the post. So I think if you look at that first and ten shot, you have a look at Terry, Lauren with the safety moving across the field course Logan Thomas.

I actually didn't like that ball to Logan Thomas. I think you've got to give him more of a shot right there over the back or right on top of his head to kind of go up and get it. Right. But you can't just overthrow that thing. Right. That's kind of the thing is like give him a shot where Logan Thomas can go up on top of the backer and get that ball.

So that I didn't like the ball or really, Kev. I didn't like the decision. I thought if you get that safety to move at all with your crosser, you want to throw the posts over the top of the stairs. You know, I spent some time on this yesterday on the radio show because one of the things, you know, after I got access to the All-22, which I have, as you know, I actually thought he made the right decision and threw it, you know, on time, but just threw it wildly and accurately.

Like if he had get the the one defender is running with his back to Duane. The safety isn't going to get over there, even though the safety is trying to get over there. And if Duane gives Thomas a chance with that, that's the game or that's the go-ahead touchdown. And you're saying that you think he could have come back to McLaren. Watch it again. And as you see the safety in the middle of the field move, you're going to have a one-on-one matchup with McClure. I don't think that that safety is getting back into the post with Terry. goes it skinny. So I think that he would have had a better shot to Terry. Now, that said,

the backer does do a heck of a job as Logan Thomas crosses getting depth underneath that thing to really make it a harder throw. Again, I don't hate the decision. I think Terry's probably a better decision there as he sees the safety move, but I don't like to throw. He didn't give him. He really gave him no chance to get that ball. But that said, he also threw a ball that wasn't going to get picked. Right. It wasn't even close, accuracy-wise, though. No, it was dark. Like, to me, that's a ball, I mean, it's Aaron Rogers, we're talking about, obviously, but Aaron Rogers puts it right above the trailing defender who's not looking back,

right above his head and right into the hands of the tight end. You know that? Throw it right at the back of their head. Right. And let me go up over the top and get it. That's the ball I want. That's the ball he can't defend. Yeah.

I thought the second in 10 sacks, he had a chance to have the ball out right now to Logan Thomas. There's a ton of pressure, but it's two, man. Put that on the back shoulder of Logan Thomas. He's running a little spot whipout route. Could have had it on him. It's not the worst sack of all time, but that ball could have been out. The third and 15 sack, he looked at McKissick in the flat. They're soft coverage.

He has to throw McKissick in the flat. third and 15 in that situation is a quiz. You need to understand that you're going for it on fourth down. So getting six, seven, eight yards to McKisick is actually an excellent way. He failed that quiz in that situation. He shouldn't have taken a sack there. He should have been able to get it to McKissick in the flat. If you watch it again, he looked at McKissick.

He looked out to his right. I actually hated, I think it was that way call. no it wasn't that one it was a different playoff sorry I'll not get to that you didn't think in both of those instances that the rush was so immediate Cornelius Lucas getting beat badly on the second down and Moses being thrown into him you think he could have gotten rid of it yeah okay

it had to be incredibly decisive right but yeah I think he could have gotten rid of that okay yeah I do think he could have gotten rid of it And then the fourth down play, I, Kev, I hate the Hail Mary shot. I just, if you watch that one more time, and these are like weird,

you've got to think through situations and you don't always have certain plays for certain things. But everybody goes into the end zone, Duane's scrambling around, and everybody sits in the end zone. If you thought, hey, Duane, we're going to get, if we get him to scramble around,

just allocate one of those dudes to run about six yards past the first down marker and then come back flat across the middle of the field at the first down monitor. They could have gotten the first down there. Every Washington receiver is in the end zone. Every Seattle defender is in the end zone. You don't have to throw a hellmerie there. Okay. I mean, he's running around just trying to make a play because he's pressured.

I realize that, but God, at least somebody, I'm not, so this isn't on Dwayne. somebody else make a play with him. Right. How many times have you seen those last second opportunities where it's a catch and run? No, I know. Hold it up. Watch it again. Tell me that if you don't have Terry whipbacked cross or Sims or Sims Jr.

whipbacker crossed at about the 15 as Duane's running that, he wouldn't throw that. There's no way that everyone from Seattle is coming out of the end zone for that. Even if they do, then you've got less people in the end zone for it. I don't like that play call. Got it. All right, Askins. The good throws, the good decisions from this game. Look, for the most part, I did think he was actually really accurate.

And he made some nice throws down the field. He got an incomplete of a statistic early in the game that he threw down the left side line. That was defended really well by Hill. I thought that was a great throw. Right. The one down that left far sideline. Down the left far sideline. Yeah.

Absolutely. I also love that he'll reach down to, like, he'll hyped up and, like, did that flex on McKissick, and then he reaches down to give him a hand to help him up. And he just, like, nah, bro, I'm good. I'll get up myself. Right. I love McKisick, man.

That said, though, that decision process, Duane's stuck on a hitch out there on McKissick. He's got two gigs open in the middle of the field. Logan Thomas is open on that way in the middle of the field. He gets stuck on it. He ends up making a good throw-off script to it, but I didn't necessarily love. that decision process on that one. That's a good throw.

Quick release is a passer throughout the day. There's an RPO in the second quarter that the ball's in the running back gut and then it's in Logan Thomas's stomach in about one second combined. Super quick release. Like quick release throughout the day, which I thought was really good. And I know that's something that you have always talked about. Yeah, I mean, I see a guy that has a lightning quick release, even if it's not always at the right arm angle. But, you know, Mahomes throws from weird

angles, too. Again, I'm not comparing him to Mahomes. But, you know, the ball is out quickly. And by the way, it gets there quickly. Oh, it's, I mean, you watch this game how many body catches there were. Like, how many times Logan Thomas body caught balls? That ball is coming. Yeah. There's a third down in the second quarter, a third and six he drew to Logan Thomas on a on about an eight-yard out route. That was a good job by Logan, pressing for depth against Bobby Wagner. But, I mean, that's the one.

You can just tell how hard that ball's killing because Logan's not catching that thing with his hand. I thought he got things going, really, at the end of the half. You know, the two-minute drive, I thought, was pretty good. Quick to McKithick, a back-shoulders opportunity to Terry McLaurin that he didn't come up with it, I thought was a really good ball. Logan Thomas at the end of the half is a good ball to catch and run.

He made a heck of a throw to Terry on third and six on the opening drive. Followed that up with a pick the next play. But, I mean, there's some things he did. Like, he got going. He was really very accurate, and I thought it was decisive with the ball. He had two scrambles out to the right

that were good decisions that he makes plays on. I'm absolutely impressed with him that situation. So there's some real good here. from Duane, and it's multiple level throws that I thought were good throws. The bad, start with the two picks. The first interception, I think,

fits bad decision, bad throw in both categories, and I'll explain why. One, I think Wright busts on the play. I have no idea what Isaiah Wright is running. It looks like when you watch that first pick that he gets about six steps down field and realizes he's in no-man plan, like,

oh, what the fuck did we just call? We're talking about the first interception when he had to scramble a little bit out to his right. Yeah, the scramble off-script interception. That said, immediately, McKissick is right in front of his face. He had actually thrown that ball right in front of his face to Peyton Barber on that drive, and Barber dropped that thing. Right. So I don't know what he stuck on there.

I didn't like that he actually threw it to Barber. I'll explain that when we get past the picks, but he had the same look. McKissick is in front of his face right there. Lastly, Wright actually does a good job reacting off the trip. Duane doesn't make a bad decision in throwing the ball to Wright once he is scrambling to his right. It's a good decision because I think Isaiah is open.

He just airmelt. Right. So I think it's initially probably the wrong decision, but then it becomes him making a play, which is then I think a good decision, but a bad ball. And for some reason, he cannot throw to his right on the run. He does this awkward jump kick thing, and it's a weird feeling or weird looking throw.

And I was thinking about that because there's a couple of these running to the right where I'm like, that's maybe a part of why he wants to flush left more time because he's more comfortable throwing to the left, which is insane. for a right-handed quarterback. But he's more accurate to throwing the ball to the left. He actually threw a really good ball to Terry McLaren

rolling left that was broken up. You're like, wow. I mean, that's driving a ball moving to the left. So I thought that the first interception could have been fixed in a couple ways, but really just bad ball

running to his right resulted in what was the pick. The second interception is, a poor decision by Duane. It came after a big throw in a third and six. They go with a hard run action. Terry McClorin's running like the post corner post. He's slow on it.

He doesn't do a good job of pressing off to back to the corner to go. The safety ends up taking vertical with him and the corner holds on there. So he's got to be able to see that corner. I also think that it was run too deep on the crossing route by Campsim. I think he's at like 25 yards. So that was the second interception. So the bad decisions on the day by DeWain, which I don't think there were a lot of. He's backed up on the third drive.

He throws to Terry McLaurin on a deep comeback down the field. KJ. Wright's dropping with a ton of depth into that comeback. There's no real checkdown out to that side to hold KJ. Wright, but that's an interception opportunity. He can't throw that ball. The third drive of the game, they're backed up. That one. Wright never picks up the ball,

but he's got enough depth that that could have been an easy pick if he had seen that ball. The Peyton Barber drops. He's coming across the middle of the field. I explained that a little bit with McKittick, but they're running four verticals on this way. They have two tight ends to the right and a wing set, and then Peyton Barber split outside of them.

Both those tight ends are arching to run verticals down the scene. on the left side he's got Terry McClorn in the slot running inside vertical route and then stems outside of him you can't just lock on Peyton Barber it's for vert this is this is something you've got to read out vertical down the field and then you come back to the checkdown if he reads this out he's going to see

split safety Terry McClorin's going to take the vertical and bend it into the middle of the field against Adam and that should be a big throw Adam and that should be a big throw he just forces one to Barber and I think Barber doesn't expect it because he's going to run right into a kill shot neither of the linebackers have dropped anywhere

he hasn't looked down the field he hasn't dictated that Wagner or whoever else is inside I can't remember should drop so they're going to get Barber knocked out at three yards and he had a shot down the field for 20 to Terry that's again I think that's earlier in the game

that was right that was right at the start of the a two-minute drive at the half. I thought he was laid on a ball to Sim's Jr. At the two-minute drill at the end of the half, he's throwing it all the way across the field to an out route that he's way laid on Sims catches it, but it's out of bounds. I'm sure it's the boundaries out of it. It's a similar concept.

It's a mirrored concept. The defense is even across the board that easy throws to Logan Thomas. They never covered Logan Thomas. It was crazy. I noticed that the throw to Sims Jr. was late, but I also was surprised they didn't take time to review that. I thought maybe he actually made the catch. I actually thought he might have made the catch too

because he did get the toe drag in it. It was his first foot that looked like it it might have been right on the edge. Yeah. But I'm with you. The booth should have reviewed that. Well, maybe they did. I mean, it's the final two minutes of the half,

but it didn't seem like they did. There was no delay. Yeah, it really didn't feel like they did, and I thought the same going into that thing. There's a third and 12 at the end of the half, he throws one away over Logan Thomas's head. I hate the play call, and it's not necessarily, Duane. I'll get to where I think going could have went.

But they are on the right hash on that play. But it's the play before the field goal, right, with no timeouts. Like, they can't throw short over the middle. Right. You know, he needed to dump that quickly rather than risk taking a sack. Sure. Yeah. But I hate that play call because you're running three, three,

see the boundary and they're four over three in coverage and so it really doesn't give you anything they're hoping they can get stephen sims on a deep corner route where he can get out of bounds right but their corner back is squatting on it and doing doesn't be good to throw it to stephen zin because that would be a pick possibly but i do think if you look at it again with Seattle really overshifted to the bunch in the secondary that he's got a one-on-one shot to carry mcclorin on a 12-yard-out route on the left side of the field that could still get out of balance. I thought he could have went to Terry there. Okay.

So I don't, I'm not sitting here telling you, awful on Dwayne, I just hate going three by one into the boundary when you're trying to get out of bounds on the boundary, and you know they're going to overshift that. Bottom line is you're kicking a field goal there. You weren't going to get a touchdown anyway. No, I hear you. I hear what you're saying, for sure. I thought he played more confidently.

I thought the offensive line did a good job protecting him. I thought he had good pocket movement. Even on the sack that he took with the first sack that Jamal Adams talks him down, that's a really good movement in the pocket right there. He just got to know that he can't outrun Jamal Adams, but that was a third down situation. I don't know where he was going to go with it. But I thought consistently moved well in the pocket.

quick release was much more accurate than he had been through most of, at least, most of the, much more accurate than he's been. To me, Duane Haskins played this game at a B level. All right. What else you got offensively? You know, the other stuff offensively, there were some drops in this game. Terry had a couple drops in this game. Yeah, or on balls that I think Robert Foster had a drop on a flannel. But that, that was actually, I thought, a good.

Well, well-thrown balls by Duane Robert Boster drift downfield instead of running through that ball. He has a drop there. I thought they had some opportunities to make more plays as far as their receivers went. I thought McKissick was really average running the football. Filma was saying he was dancing. I was kind of questioning that. But there was a little bit too much hesitation in the backfield on some of the runs by McKissick, where that could have got a couple more yards down the field as a runner.

the offensive line protected pretty well. Late, obviously, Lucas, not good. Moses, not good. Moses had a couple pressures given up earlier in this game. That Moses was probably the lowest-graded offensive linemen, Lucas being there as well. Interior-wise, they played pretty well with Rueh, Sheriff, and Whitzer. I thought those three did a pretty darn good job inside.

Everyone saw that Logan Thomas has a breakout game in terms of reception. He can't block anybody in this game against Seattle. He's been getting better, but I thought he struggled in a big way. He's also, this happened two or three times in this game with Logan Thomas. You tell him to go to somebody, and he's going to that person. Like, there are times that you can adjust, Logan. Somebody else shows up, block him in the way.

The most dangerous. But they didn't cover Logan. I think that was the other thing with Seattle, was they basically said, Dinkin' Dunkett 13 times to Logan Thomas, we don't care. It wasn't like he was really shaken, dude. He's just open underneath. I don't have a problem with moving the football that way, do you?

Not at all. I don't have any problem with moving the football that way. I didn't think the last, the Hail Mary throw was holding on Schweitzer. Yeah, you mentioned that. I really didn't see that as a holding on Schweitzer in that ballgame. But, you know, Kav, sometimes those get called. I think you've got to really be careful on a Hail Mary to call a hold unless it's a tackle. Wouldn't you agree?

Like, you really want to call a hold right there. Well, if it's blatant, you got to call it. So, yeah. I didn't think it was a hold. Yeah. Morgan Moses, real quickly, you said, did not have a great day. Was that before the injury, or did you just include the whole game, including after the injury when he came back in?

There's some stuff. There's a run early where Barbara gets outside to the right, and they're running a zone run at Logan Thomas. Right. So it's to the tight inside. The defensive end is two yards outside of Logan. Logan attacks way hard and outside. It does a heck of a job.

Morgan goes out with him to nobody and stands there. Like, what are you doing, bro? Like, go double pin to the backer. There's some weird things. A couple weird things Morgan did this game. It wasn't all bad, but there was just, Like, I would have graded Morgan a C-minus in this game. He was better before the injury, but that play happened before the injury.

So it's also not perfect before he was injured in that game. I do, I thought Sheriff was good again. I think Sheriff really starting to play at a high level. You can see that Brandon's healthy right now, which is good. I would have graded Brandon in the B-plus range. You would remember my highest graded offensive one. I didn't put the grades together. I apologize to Chris.

my mom's in town. My movers are here. I've got a lot going on, so I didn't go through and grade everything. We had other important news today to discuss as well, the Haskin stuff, and, you know, we're doing an abbreviated film breakdown. So defensively, give me what you got on defense. So what I did is I just, I wanted to see what happened on that touchdown drive to open the half. That was the first thing I started with. Right.

And let's just start with the fact that I'll go through them all, but that Thomas Davis can't be on the football field for them. He can't run. Can't move. He can't do anything right now. The first run for 13, Chase Young gets pinned a little bit. Thomas Davis is the strong side linebacker to the side of the run. He steps inside with the fly motion, and then he's way slow and late to get back outside. The tight-in pins him easily, and we got an edge.

Cameron Curl comes up and misses a tackle, and they get an extra three or four to 13-yard game. The next plays a weak side run for 9 yards. John Allen gets rolled up inside because instead of fitting a gap, Bostic fits directly into his back and helps push him down. Thomas David Davis is getting railroaded

by the tight end. The run hits inside of Duran Payne. He clearly is playing a B-gap outside of where the run hits, but he's not aggressive enough to fight off for block, and then again, Cameron Curl has to come up and make a tackle, and he's

on two straight plays, the first player to touch the back is the safety. And then the 50-yarder is just bad beat defense. They have a weak side blitz with Cameron Curl. The tight end goes away. Curl comes up, he rushes off the edge. Sweat is unblocked, up the field, free. Nobody touches him.

He's four yards up the field staring at Russell Wilson and hide is cutting inside of him. Like, guy, you can't just play sacks and tip balls. I know that you're good at that, and he did it later in the game, but you've got to be able to play run in that situation. Thomas Davis looks like winning the poo with his head stuck in the honey tree. He's lost in there. And Darby ends up coming up, missing a tackle on the edge.

And then Jeremy Reeves takes the all-time worst angle to run that I've seen a safety take ever. You watch that 50-yard run and tell me what Jeremy Reeves is doing with an angle to that run. I can't explain it. You get three big runs there. That was a dagger drive for them. It was really a dagger drive. It wasn't great across the board defensively, throughout the entire day.

It really wasn't. But at that point, you're good enough on defense that you don't give up that drive or don't give up a touchdown on that drive, and you should be in pretty good shape. The guys that I thought played well in this game, I thought Fuller played at an A level. He's been down big time, and I thought Fuller stepped up and had one of his best game. I thought Jimmy Morland did a pretty good job inside for the first time. Really was good in coverage, consistent.

And you didn't notice him because he was. good in coverage. Chase Young played well. Cleeck Hudson did a heck of a job stepping in. I thought he played really well for a guy that you're like, who is 47? Right. Talk about Reeves with the bad angle a couple times. I thought Reeves was actually okay in this game. The guys that I thought really struggled. Thomas Davis, Bostic didn't play well. Sean DeM. Hamilton didn't play 24 plays, but really didn't play well in this game.

I didn't think settle on 14 plays had any impact again on this game. It'd been good until the last two weeks in my grades. but he would have been a D in this game. And I thought Montez Sweat played, like, garbage on 39 plays. I did not think Sweb played well. I thought he was a D plus, T, minus, in this game. Wow. He made the one big play, but I did not think that Montez Sweat played very well.

How about Chase Young? I said Chase Young played pretty well. I think Chase Young's in the B range this week. Based on watching this film, I'm sure he would be in my B range. range if I were to grade this out. I think Allen and Payne were both in that C plus type range for me this week. The other guy, Curl was probably in that low C, high D range for me this week. The rest of the guys we mentioned, Davis, Bostic, Hamilton, sweat, that all on the D range. Hopkins and F? Hopkins. Hopkins gets an F. All right. All right. I, uh, I

I know this was a hectic week. I appreciate you doing what you did. The game on Sunday, hopefully we have a chance maybe on Saturday to put out a short preview podcast of the Carolina game sometime on the day after Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and the family, and we'll talk in a few days. Merry Christmas. I'll do it Saturday. I'll be around.

All right. That's it with Cooley. Doc Walker will join us next right after this word from one of our sponsors. All right, let's bring in my good friend, Richard Doc Walker. Perfect day to have Doc on the show, where we will talk some X's and O's. But it's always about the Burgundy and Gold. I didn't know if you were going to catch on to that as quickly as you did. I want to talk about the team in the upcoming game, which is always your focus.

No, you don't. No, you don't. You really don't. No, I do. No, no, you don't. No, you don't. I do. Go ahead and get over with. I know what you want to do. So what would you do with Dwayne Haskins after all of this? Well, I'd have to use him like he's used the organization. I don't know what the status is of the starter.

So I'm going to do what best for the team first. I get no benefit of penalizing him and hurting the team that has a playoff opportunity. I think that would be short-sighted. I got to think of the big picture. He will control his own destiny as he's showing. And if he were an older player, it'd be different. But that's a reflection of you selecting a toddler, understanding the background, or either you didn't.

And so you got to deal with it. But you can fix it. It can be salvaged. He's not the first knucklehead. to be in the National Football League. But right now, if it doesn't help me beat the Panthers, then I have to stay focused on that. So, you know, you referred to him as a toddler,

which is, to me, spot on. There's a clear maturity issue. He's behaved like a child in the past, and obviously this was childish and selfish, by the way, and reckless in many ways, you know, in the midst of a pandemic. you referred to, you know, when you pick a toddler, you've got to deal with it. You know, I had told Cooley that, you know, this falls back on the person that decided he was going to try to make this pick because he's a local kid, because he went to bullies, whatever the reasons are. The biggest flaw of the last 21 years of ownership has been the inability of the owner to identify quality people, whether it's a player for the roster,

or a coaching staff, and when he's lucked into quality people, he interferes. Well, it's pretty clear. You don't have to be a genius to recognize the talent that has been through the building and the great talent that has escaped and blossomed and what he's been stuck with. And so that's master of the obvious. but he doesn't play on Sundays. So you have to go beyond that. And organizations, they're not the first organization,

they have a succession of bad moves, and sometimes they still win if you can get to play on the field. It's like they're doing now. All that would be said being said, they're still in a position to win the division and host the playoff game. I mean, just imagine if they were ever on the same page. It'd be frightening.

So when you said you would do what's in the best interest of the football team as it relates to Dwayne. Yeah. So if he's their best option of quarterback, you're playing them Sunday. If he's available to play and, you know, they haven't, he doesn't have to quarantine or he doesn't get suspended or whatever. If he's available to play and Alex can't play, he's playing for you on Sunday. Yeah, it be my best option. I'm playing the best guy that can help me achieve my goals. I'm not going to penalize the rest of my roster for a guy who's that selfish. That's where the adult has to step in. Because if the league allows him to play, see, we have so many uncertainty about this. But I'm going to do a she-in and do a hypothetical and say that if he's allowed to play,

and practice, because if there's any chance of quarantine, why would I let him even mix with my players now? Right. Let's just see. I mean, the assumption here for the purposes of this conversation on Wednesday morning, because a lot more information is going to come out today, is that he's available to play for you on Sunday. And Alex, now, if Alex is healthy enough to play,

would you have Dwayne on your roster as the backup? Well, if he's better than the other guy, Yes. Okay. Absolutely. Again, I'm not going to hurt these guys. This defense, this old line, I'm not going to do that to those guys because that's my fault.

You know, I have to assume, well, no, no, no, let me correction. A great leader would assume all responsibility for it and then fix it. He wouldn't pass the blame. You know, you did it. You brought him. You're training him. You're coaching him. it's all a reflection of the organization, period.

So fix it. And if you eliminate him, it doesn't eliminate the problem. That's the biggest issue going. If you think it's just him, then you're dumber than you look. You don't think he'll be on this roster next year, do you? I have no idea. What's your guess? Again, it's a waste of my time.

No, it's not. It's like, do I know what the weather's, It's going to be the next day. No, I don't. Well, you could... You know, I don't. Because the guy who selected him is still in charge of the entire organization. You mean the owner? So it's not impossible for him to be here. Yeah. That's true. It's not impossible.

But do you think Ron Rivera wants him back next year? No. I don't think Ron Rivera won in from day one. Right. That's clear. Yeah. Although, to his credit, The guy who allegedly knows the offense, he beat him out in camp. If you can beat a man out that knows more than you do about a new project, what does that say? See, that's the thing that we've never been able to piece together as to why Allen didn't start from day one.

He and the coordinator and the Ron, they're all one. Okay, no problem. Then why didn't he start? And then you could have been passing out, put your bib on Duane, and you could have put it, him in the high chair, and you could have taught him, you know, how to eat soft food, that would have been, that would have made sense. So the whole thing from day one to me is counterproductive. And if you want to chase the ambulance, go for it.

But in terms of the football team, to be where they are now, it would be the most selfish act done if you didn't give them the best chance to be rewarded for their efforts. Yeah, I think that if that is the way they go, I totally get why they do it. There are 52 other people that have worked, you know, all year long to put themselves into a position to play a postseason game. And they've got a game on Sunday that by the time they kick that game off, it may be to clinch the division. And if you got to, if you end up with a quarterback out there that doesn't belong on an NFL football field, because you wanted to make a point today about the kind of culture you're going to have in the organization. That seems to be, as I said, earlier in the show before you jumped on sort of, you know, a cut off your nose to spite your face situation.

If you don't like him and you don't want him to be a part of this, you can deal with that a month from now. But you don't have to penalize everybody else on Sunday. Yeah, and that's why I'm going. I'm taking high road to go team first. But if he's not your best option and you like that. like the guy that was with Scott Turner last year, Heineke, in Charlotte, or if Alex is back to 100 percent and Heineke, you feel comfortable as a backup, and they cut him today. I wouldn't have a problem with that either. No, I'll move forward either way, but you're not going to be as

lucky as the Bengals were. I mean, you know, now you're playing Russian roulette. What do you do if the guy like the Dallas quarterback that came in, what they were here? The JMU kid, yeah. Yeah, you don't know what that kid. kids going to do thrust into that situation. He's playing again, yeah, it's just too, that's too dicey. It's too dicey. What's the percentages on that? I mean, you're a wager guy.

So, no, no, I'm not taking that. I'm going with a guy that can at least show me what he showed in the second half of a game that he nearly was a part of a comeback win of what he's capable of. And all that psychological stuff, you know, that's for somebody. in a white lab coat to deal with because you're not going to fix that. Do you agree?

Kooley gave him a B on his performance Sunday. I thought, you know, he played pretty well. It didn't start off great. But I thought, you know, you and I've had this conversation about Dwayne a lot

over the last year, whether it was together on a show or off the air or you having it on your show, me having it on my show, that we kind of liked and were intrigued by some of his competitiveness in some of the way he played last year, but we didn't see it early in the

year, but I saw it on Sunday, did you? Yes. He showed the hard work he put in, he got his body right. He runs better than he's the best runner we have. He's better than my home. He's faster than most guys. I mean, he's like an analogue. And he could see him once he started really competing.

that was the Duane of 219. And, but if a guy was really focused, he would have corrected the footwork issues. Now, they dropped on them. He needed them to make catches, and they didn't. Yeah. Okay, and then he could have helped himself on a couple things, but I saw fire.

And if he would run more, if he would just take off not the defenses out of this advantage, because they're not planning on that. They didn't game playing him all week about doing anything other than sitting in the pocket. He's really sidearming a lot of things now, and I don't know what that means. But I loved his competitiveness. I thought he would win it. I mean, I'm riveting into my couch going to win this thing.

He's going to be a hero. And that's what he's loved to be, and he would have earned that. But they couldn't block him. They couldn't protect. They didn't move the pocket. They didn't anticipate that their right tackle had blown a tire. And those are little things that not just him, it's them, everybody has to assume responsibility for failure and then get better at it.

But in terms of this team and it's hard, it's got hard, man. It's got hard. It's just sad that, but you can't make people, you know, you can't. You can't make someone or a piece of fruit be ripe when you want it to be. It's a process. And for whatever reason, Wayne Wayne is in a destructive mode right now. This is self-destruction. Nobody's done anything to him.

This is him. And so, and again, that's a further, that's a deeper issue. And he's not the only guy. I mean, guys are fighting demons all the time. It's just that when you play that position, when you come in the way he came in, when you request the number that you haven't earned, when you're dangling a damn earring on your ear flashing, and you haven't won anything, you don't get it.

You just flat out do not get it. And it's a disgrace to the people. And I heard Springs and his father being mentioned, well, that's not their fault. That's on him. It's on him. And I would not let him off the hook by blaming someone else. Yeah. What did his father in Spring say?

No, no. I'm just that. They were referencing on Twitter people saying, well, pretty good. Now, what kind of example of that? It's Spring supposed to be his mentor and his father. Oh, yeah, I'm ridiculous. I know you knuckled heads. Yeah.

I mean, there's nothing. They did their job. They got him out. They got his graduate. He's a graduate. I mean, come on. What are they supposed to do? Move him in.

their house? Yeah. Anyway, I want your thoughts on the defense right after this word from one of our sponsors. With Doc Walker here, and we will finish up the show today with just some thoughts that I wanted,

I haven't talked to you in a while. You like this team, right? Like, you like the way they responded to Rivera and what they've become defensively. And, you know, this would be a team. Would you, would you describe them as a team that could do something, a dangerous team, if they make the postseason?

Well, yeah, if they earn the right to get in it, they have to apologize to anybody. And because of their defense. And they can put pressure on whomever. And they're really, I mean, you know, we know that when you can get to the quarterback, it's a game changer. It's a game changing. If they could ever acquire a little bit more balance, the fact that they really seem to believe in running the football is to me a problem because with that defense, I'd be trying to capture the clock. I'd be trying to get you to the fourth quarter to just worry you out. You know, I would really try to suffocate people, but that's their thing. They do it their way and with their strategy, and it very well could work, but you don't know who will be available

for you. Injuries are a part of the game. I don't want people. Then that's a reflection of your or your depth. lack of training or poor selection in players. It's pro ball. There's no excuse for you not to have people prepared to do their job. Some will be better than others at it. But the idea that injuries wrecks you that point, I'm not buying that. Who's ranked their defensive linemen in terms of the players that you think are the best

of the group of young, sweat, pain, and Alan? Well, it's a collaborative effort. You know, they're not running a, it's not a sprint to see who's the fastest. They work in concert. So if the two bulls or the three bulls, when several is in, giving them great inside pressure, then the quarterbacks can't step up, which makes them more vulnerable for the two guys off the edge, and that's why they get success. If those bulls inside aren't as good as they are, then it's harder to get to the quarterback.

They've also, and Del Rio, to me, it's been fantastic. and now that they're mixing in some blitzes and then they, you know, again, Holcomb playing his tail off, 54 playing, I mean, just guys starting to step up in 53 has flipped his script

and I think he's gotten better. Bostic. Yeah, yeah, but, so yeah, I like it. I mean, 31, love him. Curl. My favorite player, 22, is out, and that killed me because Ever

ever, he's my favorite player. and yet it didn't kill him and hurt them. But I like all those guys in concert. I really do. What Chase does? He requires special attention. When's the last time we had a guy that had to be double? Dexter.

That's the difference. So now, and then don't sweat, 90 is, what, he's a freak. He's the biggest freak on the whole team. He's got unlimited potential. We're still climbing with him. His ceiling might be off the roof, And I love the fact that he's willing to learn work ethic is there. They're all grinders.

They're physical. They have speed and agility. No, I love them. I really do. I mean, it's so neat to see it, having played with it, and seen Chuck and McGee and Manchow, you know, and watching those guys, Matt Mendenhall. World.

Once you've seen it. World. Our interior people. whirl and butts they don't get the credit they deserve. Perry Brooks was one of the best interior pass rushers to ever play in this town as a big guy who had moved. So when you master the idea of putting pressure on people, if you can do it with four, now you're special.

And I think they have that kind of potential. But, you know, it just depends on who stays healthy and hungry. Because you've got to not only be healthy, you've got to be hungry. and those guys on that side of the ball, they're starving. Are you excited to watch Russell Westbrook debut for the Wizards tonight? Well, yeah, he's a brewing, and the way he plays is so infectious. But again, this team, until they commit to playing defense, I'm going to be lukewarm because I've heard this.

But they're just like the Burr's. going to go. There's a lot of talk, but inconsistency everywhere you look. But you like West, you love Westbrook like I love Westbrook. And I don't know if it's going to result into a lot of wins or playoffs or whatever. But you like this, you like the crazy edge guy like he is. He's, he's, he's, he appears to be a bit unstable. And you love that. Yeah, I like the guy that plays as if he was broke. You know, he plays like he is trying to make the team. Yeah.

And Kevin, to me, that is the best thing going is when a guy plays like he's trying to make the team. But I'm not going to let their staff off the hook. You know, it's really the... It's just no excuse. It's the highest compliment, right? As someone who's coached like you have and played like you have. And being serious, it's really the highest compliment you can pay somebody when you say, especially to a player that's talented and accomplished, that every time he or she goes out,

they're playing like they still are trying to make the team. You know, and juxtapose like Westbrook. And every single time out, he's trying to prove that he belongs next to a guy like Dwayne Haskins who felt like when he got drafted, he had arrived. You know, there's just, if you were the GM of any kind of sports franchise, you would be looking for those people above talent, wouldn't you? Yeah, I would. I think background is most important.

I think you really have to know who you're investing in. And I think most teams in the league are clueless. There also aren't a lot of great communicators that are in front office. In other words, you've got to be able to talk to people. That's when Del Rio has won me over. I don't think he's warm and fuzzy with him. I don't even know if they like him. But I tell you what they do, they work for him, and he's able to communicate,

and he was patient and getting his point across, he's a great communicator. In other words, getting it done, he gets you results. So it's not just being at the podium. And I love guys who aren't trying to run for office. I love the guy he hates doing it. He can't wait to get away from it. And that's my kind of guy.

I'm not looking for a politician because your work, what your players do tells me all about you. that's how I judge coaches by the players by the results of players so you can talk all you want to talk but if you're in last place you can't score points you can't stop anybody you suck and that's it period and so I would love to be involved in just the personality means everything if a guy's a jackass I said it's about 92 they had here some years ago Haynesworth that he was a jerk in junior high and high school. Everybody knew. All you do is go back and talk to teachers, talk to friends or whatever. You would have known that.

He didn't just flip. He's been that guy in his whole life. But you're gambling that you can change it. Based on what? Your facility has never been top-rated. You know, your people, your staffs. I mean, so let's just get real. If you're going to build an organization,

it takes the people that are able to connect to others and evaluate. It's all in the investment. I mean, but yet, this league there's no penalty for failure because you can be in last place and make just as much the guy in first place, and that's the problem.

And that's never going to change. So you're stuck with it and you hope you get lucky. But eventually, if you can't look in the mirror and say there's four or five guys coaches in the league and having success in every one of them with here, and you've got none of them.

You just got to look at it and go. Just quit BSing yourself. But they're doing it now. They surround themselves by the quality of people in their building, and as a result, this is what you're getting. We're in December, dude, and we're talking playoffs. We'd be joking in past years. I know we would be.

I know we would be. Yeah, and, yeah. They're moving in the right direction. Merry Christmas to you and Carol and the Boys. Happy holidays to you, Carol, the Boys. And we'll talk soon. I appreciate it. As always, brother, none of the love for you.

Give Tommy my best. I will. All right. Doc Walker, everybody. On Saturday morning, we'll put a podcast out previewing Washington, Carolina. We're off the next two days. Happy holidays to everybody out there.