The Kevin Sheehan Show - McManus Cut + Keim & Caitlin

Episode Date: June 3, 2024

Kevin talked Brandon McManus' release to open up the show before being joined by ESPN's John Keim to talk about Kliff Kingsbury's offense in 2024. Kevin finished up with some Nats and the Caitlin Clark situation from over the weekend.  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 Cheon Show. Here's Kevin. Window Nation is the presenting sponsor of this show. Give them a call at 86690 Nation or go to windonation.com. If you've been thinking about new windows, mention my name.

And they'll give you a free, no-risk in-home estimate. John Kime on the show today coming up in the next segment. And I will talk about the hip check that Caitlin Clark took over the weekend. Pretty dirty by Kennedy Carter of the Chicago WNBA franchise. A lot of fallout from that. The Chicago coach just weighed in. So I will talk about that in the final segment of the show today. I want to start with a review on Apple.

This comes from D.C. Gibi. He gave us five stars. He titles the review name or logo. First of all, let me just mention the overwhelming number of tweets, emails, et cetera, that I got from so many of you last week on that Washington Post name poll. I've gotten back to a lot of you, and I'll try to get back to as many of you as possible. But yeah, I agree with most of what I've read, which is this is a big issue without, as I've said, a real easy solution. Although many of you want to offer up solutions.

And this is from D.C. Gibby. And he writes, Kevin, love the show, always appreciate your take. And finger on the pulse of the name issue, fan base and history of the football team. I'm curious if you would agree that those who don't like the commander's name would be more satisfied by the return of the old logo than any specific name. In other words, with the old logo uniforms, et cetera, most fans probably wouldn't care if the name was Warriors, Americans, WFT, or even Washington FC.

That more than anything else emphasizes the expansion team feel that you described to me and why Washington football team or commanders have not inspired me because they feel sterile. and lacking any depth, would new ownership or league be willing to consider such a compromise? So this is interesting because I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm going to mention it again now. I think what is 100% in play is going back to the old uniforms or something resembling the old look and feel of our team. team. I don't think that will include the old logo. Sorry, DC Gibby. I think Redskins is gone. I think the old logo is gone. I actually think really any kind of Native American reference or imagery is

out of the equation. But I think I said last week, now I'm reminding myself that I did say this last week. I still think that a new name is a slight favorite, but what I think is a solid favorite, is that they will eventually take these uniforms, and they will dispose of them, and something either identical or resembling the old uniforms will be back. And I think, you know, it's kind of what you were suggesting, D.C. Gibi, that there's some sort of compromise here. And the branding, you know, all of this is emotionally attached for us, you know,

the name, the song, the uniforms, the everything. I mean, like, if they had changed the colors, that would have been a problem. They sort of did change the colors, in my opinion. But anyway, if they went back to the old uniforms, would almost any name work? I think it certainly would look more like our team. I think that's a big part of this. Yes, the name's a big part of it, but the fact that the brand and the look and feel changed so much and it just doesn't look like our team, I think is a big part of it. I do. So I believe that both

will change the name and the associated branding, you know, the uniforms specifically. But I think if you told me today that only one of those two are going to change, I would say it's the uniforms. I almost want to say that I feel really confident that events. Eventually the uniforms, current uniforms will go, and something resembling the old uniforms will be back. Which old uniform will be the gold, the mustard pants? No, I don't know, something resembling the championship uniforms. You know, I'd like to see that. You know, burgundy and gold, maybe white at home with burgundy pants.

You know, the burgundy tops, the white pants on the road, or maybe you mix it up at home. I don't know. As far as the logo, I would guess that they would probably stick with the W. But anyway, all right. There was news, you know, and it came last evening, and it was the news that Brandon McManus had been released. It was a short and sweet press release from the team. It read as follows.

The Washington commanders released the following player, colon, Brandon McManus. So the kicker did get cut. I will share with you what I believe to be true based on some conversations, and that is they did what Tommy suggested they do. Tommy didn't suggest, and I certainly didn't suggest, that they immediately cut him. It was a week ago that they found out about this. At the same time, we all found out that Brandon McManus had been sued by two women. in a civil court in Duval County in Jacksonville,

alleging that he sexually harassed them on an international flight to London when the Jags were going to London to play a regular season game last September. And so it actually wasn't sexual harassment. It was sexual assault was alleged. That came out a week ago. The team didn't do anything for a week.

Tommy said, look, they need to look into this. They need to not wait for the courts to determine this. They have the ability to investigate this. I don't want to use the verb investigate, because that's not what I heard. But I think they certainly called around to find out whether or not this thing would, you know, see a courtroom, whether or not it would be settled quickly, whether or not, you know, there was enough smoke around. there to be at least concerned. And I would combine, you know, that with just the idea that if they looked into this and thought this could take a while, you got a kicker on your roster that could be dealing with this for the upcoming regular season. And he's a kicker. So they released him

yesterday. There was a statement from McManus's attorney, Brett Galloway. quote, Brandon would like to thank the Washington commanders for the opportunity to be part of the organization. However, we reiterate that the allegations against Brandon are and remain absolutely false, and importantly are contradicted by indisputable evidence and the accuser's own prior inconsistent statements and omissions. While we are disappointed with the team's decision to release Brandon before he had the opportunity to defend against these fabricated claims, We will aggressively defend and clear Brandon's name and reputation through the legal process. We intend to defeat these claims, fully exonerate him, and look forward to seeing him back on the field where he belongs. Closed, quote.

You know, the two women who filed suit were flight attendants on that Jacksonville flight to London, late September of last year. They alleged that he passed out $100 bills to encourage up to three flight attendants. to drink and dance with him. Jane Doe number one alleged McManus tried to kiss her while she was seated during turbulence. Jane Doe number one also alleged McManus grabbed her by the waist from behind and grinded on her on two separate instances while she served meals on the flight. Jane Doe, two, the other alleging sexual assault and suing McManus, alleged that he approached her from behind, grabbed her waist and grinded on her while she served the second meal on the flight to London. When the women confronted McManus, he simply smirked and walked away.

On the team's return flight to Jacksonville, Jane Doe 2 remained in the aircraft's second story to avoid McManus. Per the lawsuit. So look, due process, presumption of innocence, but we also talk. last week and I agreed that Tommy was right that, you know, they should look into it. And the possibility we contemplated that they would look into this and perhaps find out that at the very least it was going to take a while for him to clear his name if that's, you know, what might be in the offing, but that it might take too much time and he's going to be on the roster and he's going to be dealing with this while he's kicking for the team. So they have moved

on from Brandon McManus. Now, right now, there are no kickers of note that are available, and I'm talking about veteran kickers with the exception of one. And that kicker is Randy Bullock. He's been in the league for a long time. He is the only name of veteran kickers that I even recognized that is not under contract with the team currently. Last year, he replaced an injured Graham Ganoe, who's back with the Giants. Bullocks had a lengthy career. He came into the league in 2013 with Houston, kicked three years with Houston, one year with the Jets, one year with the Giants in 2016, one year with Pittsburgh in 2016.

Then he was with Cincinnati for five years, Tennessee for two, and then he kicked in six games for the Giants last year. There's no news on anybody that they've signed. There are certainly undrafted kicking free agents that they could bring into camp and then wait for somebody to get released. Joey Sly, last year's kicker, kicked for Washington and then signed in the offseason when Washington decided not to resign him or perhaps he just signed in free agency with Jacksonville. but then Jacksonville released him in March, and he signed a one-year deal with the Patriots. The Patriots also have former Maryland kicker, Chad Ryland.

Chad Ryland was a fourth-round pick of the Patriots in the 2020 draft. He was a super talented kicker, kicking for the Terps, in the 2022-2020 season, or the 2022 season. and then kicked with New England last year as a rookie, big leg, big time kicking talent, but he went 16 of 25 in his rookie year. Not good. And so that's why they signed Joey Sly. So there's a competition there.

And I think what will happen is that they'll bring in some undrafted rookie kickers for camp. You know, maybe they sign Randy Bullock. But he's a veteran guy. so he's going to cost the league minimum. They don't have to guarantee any of it. It could be an annual salary where either makes a team or he doesn't. But more likely than not,

it'll be like the New England situation. They'll have two kickers. They have to release one. And they're four or five, six, seven teams out there that'll bring two veteran kickers into camp. And Washington will probably pick up their week one kicker towards, you know, the end of preseason. I think that's, you know, a decent bet right now,

unless they decide Randy Bullock's the guy and they decide to sign him. Anyway, McManus done. No word as to whether or not Washington will pursue the signing bonus money or anything that they've paid him so far, or even some salary cap relief. If they don't need it, I don't think this is so much an issue of past organizational transgressions. It wouldn't surprise me if they pitch it that way. And we're going to hear from Dan Quinn on this issue on Wednesday that they're sensitive to some of these issues in the past.

And they looked into it a little bit and they just want to be sure. And they don't want to take the attention away from the football. And they want to make sure that everybody understands this. organization is going to be different, but that they're not, you know, they're not casting any sort of definitive as, you know, a final say on the charges on Brandon McManus. But all right, enough of McManus. It's a kicker at the end of the day, right? It's a kicker. So a couple of things that I wanted to mention before we get to Kime. Tommy had a story today, and he'll talk more about this tomorrow.

But this was a very interesting story that Tommy wrote in the Washington Times. It's newsbreaking. And it's also disappointing if you're one of those like I am, wanting the new stadium, whenever it's built, 2030 probably, to be

built in D.C. at the RFK site. Tommy wrote, and again, he'll get into it in more detail tomorrow, that the D.C. R.F. site bill, which is still pending in the Senate, passed in the House late February, is in trouble because of a senator. And that senator is not the Montana senator, Steve Danes, who threatened to block

the bill in the Senate because Washington wasn't properly prepared to honor the logo that the Wetzel family developed. Well, that one has a chance to kind of resolve itself. But Tommy writes that the real threat to D.C.'s effort to reclaim the team hits closer to home. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen has quietly made it clear that he wants the team to stay in Maryland. Van Hollen is backing Maryland Governor West Moore's efforts to keep the team in the state with a new stadium to be built next to the existing one in Landover. Tommy has a source familiar with the district stadium. campaign who said, quote, Van Hollen is the much bigger problem, closed quote.

So there you go. We'll talk to Tommy more about this on the show tomorrow. But Chris Van Hollen, one of Maryland's two senators, the other Senate seat, Ben Cardin's seat, is up for grabs, Larry Hogan, the Republican nominee for that Senate seat in November. but that there are interests for Van Hollen, and the interests are keeping the stadium in Maryland. And he, apparently, through this process, just like Steve Danes, can kind of block this bill single-handedly. You know, they tried to, remember one of the stories,

and Tommy refers to this, they tried to attach the RFK site bill to other legislation. The other legislation that they tried to attach it to was the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act. And they tried to do that because it would make the RFK site bill easier to get passed because if you kill the RFK site part of it, then you're killing the whole bill and nobody wants to do that if it's a bill they want to support. But they didn't get it attached to that act.

Whether or not that's going to be the only way to get it done, I don't know. But Van Hollen's opposition, Tommy writes, seriously jeopardizes the chances of the bill passing this year because the Senate is scheduled to go on break late this month. They're going to come back for a short session in September, and then it's time to get ready for November elections. So, you know, it may ultimately, Tommy has said all along, the path of least resistance for the ownership group is, is the current location. Now, they would build it a little bit closer to the metro stop,

so it isn't as long of a walk from the metro stop as it is now, about a mile to FedEx Field. And there has been $400 million committed to that area, and I think some more private dollars committed to that area as well. We had a guest on several months ago that talked about that. But not great news. and breaking news from Tommy as it relates to Van Holland. I don't think anybody else has discussed this.

You know, Joe Maloney had talked about, you know, the Senate being the potential bottleneck for the RFK site bill, and that, you know, there could be a senator or two that could be a problem. Joe Maloney was the head of consumer affairs with the skins for several years and is now a lobbyist actually for the gaming industry, the sports gaming industry. But yeah, interesting story, not super happy about it. But you know what?

If you gave me the choice right now of the stadium being in Maryland or D.C., I had to take Maryland to get the name changed and the uniforms back. I would take the stadium in Maryland and take the name changed. to Washington and the uniforms back. That is something that I'm much more emotionally attached to. Anyway, you know, by the way, keep in mind, too, this RFK site bill is just the first step. The second step is to then get the city to finance a big chunk of the new stadium

and the costs associated with that, and there's no guarantee that that'll happen, even if this bill does get through the Senate. one other quick thing before we get to John. Two other quick things, actually. Jefferson, Justin Jefferson signed the largest deal in the history of the sport for a wide receiver and the largest non-quarterback deal in the history of the sport, $110 million guaranteed on a four-year $140 million deal. Look, he is elite. I don't think C.D. Lamb is in that class and people are starting to to talk about CD Lamb getting something approaching that.

I don't see that. The most guaranteed money prior to Jefferson signing with the Vikings was A.J. Brown's $84 million, so 26 million more in guaranteed money and an AAV of $35 million a year. I think that's the top of the market for now. I don't see C.D. Lamb getting that. I don't see Brandon Ayuk getting that. And then one last thing.

How about this very sad story? And I know we have Cowboys fans that listen to this podcast, but Larry Allen died suddenly yesterday on vacation with his family in Mexico. Larry Allen was just 52 years old. And look, Larry Allen is one of the greatest offensive linemen in the history of the game. Larry Allen's one of the greatest guards to ever play the game, a seven-time all-pro and 11-time pro bowler. You know, I looked after reading this and talking about this on the air briefly,

you know, I always look to Gil Brant's list of the greatest at each position. He actually had Larry Allen at six. Others had him as high as one or two. ESPN did best at their position a year ago and had Larry Allen as the greatest guard in the history of the game, followed by John Hanna, the great New England Patriot. He was on that list of the top 100 players of all time, which came out back in 2019. No real details of how he passed, but a Hall of Fame, all-time guard, you know, Nate Newton, 2&A, those teams and those, that offensive line and Emmett Smith running behind it.

He was an athlete. he was big, he was strong. You know, that's one of those, like I think about it from a Cowboys fan perspective. I put myself into my own shoes and say, what if it was, you know, I mean, 52 is incredibly young. You know, of course we mourn the loss of players when they pass at an age, it seems appropriate to pass that. you know, there are great offensive linemen in the history of this organization, and these will be sad days, you know, in the years and years ahead. And Joe Jacoby and Russ Grimm and Jeff Bostic, these guys have many, many years, you know, knock on wood, pray to God. But I can only imagine if we had

lost one of those kinds of players at 52 years old. Sure, tough day for Cowboys fans, for sure. All right, John Kime next, right after a few words from some of our sponsors. Down to the final four in the NBA playoffs, guys. It's Minnesota and Dallas out west, Indiana and Boston in the east. I've got a way that will make watching these games more exciting. Download the prize picks app today. It is the place to go for daily fantasy sports. It's an easy and exciting way to play deep.

FBS. Prize Picks is the largest daily fantasy sports platform in North America. It's just you against the numbers. You don't battle thousands of other players. You just pick more than or less than on between two and six players. Their stat projections with odds. I've given you some of these in recent weeks. You can win up to 100 times your money right now on prize picks with as little as four correct picks. turn $10 into a thousand by just downloading the app, playing a couple of these more than or less thans on the NBA or NHL playoff games. Price picks even offers injury insurance so that your entry stay alive, even if one of your players gets injured.

For basketball games, if you've got a player who exits the game in the first half, does not return in the second, that player projection won't count against you, and the rest of your entry stays alive. Download the app today. Use code Sheehan for a first deposit match up to $100. That Sheean, the promo code S-H-E-E-H-A-N, download the Price Picks app today. Use that code Sheehan for a first deposit match of up to $100.

Prize picks, pick more, pick less. It's that easy. Hey guys, I want to tell you about Harry's razors. I've been a customer for a long time, going back to probably when they sent me product and I endorsed them for the first time on this podcast several years ago. Harry saw customers getting ripped off by the shaving industry with overpriced underperforming products and decided to do something better. And they found their own way to make beautifully designed razors for a fraction of the price of other businesses. big brands. I've been using their Truman handle. It's a two-tone handle with a great grip. It provides a close shave, no matter if you've got a beard and you're shaving around it, or if you cleanly shave on a daily basis. Their German-engineered blades stay sharp and stay sharp for a long period of time. They've got customizable delivery options for scheduled refills for as low as $2. That's half of what you pay other businesses.

big brands. Right now you can get a five-blade razor, weighted handle, foaming shave gel, and a travel cover for just three bucks at harries.com slash sheen. Harry's has other self-care products that meet the same quality standards as their razors, like their extra strength, high-quality, amazing smelling deodorant for just $5, plus hair and other grooming products that fit your unique look and needs. Harry's has the highest customer satisfaction in the shaving industry. And right now, they're offering up a no risk trial. If you don't like your shave, no worries, it's on them.

They have convenient subscription options that you can cancel at any time as well. Getting the best doesn't mean spending the most when you shave with Harry's. Get started with a $13 trial set for just $3 at harries.com. slash Sheehan. That's harries.com slash s-h-e-e-h-a-h-an for a $3 trial set. Rate us and review us if you get a chance, especially on Apple and Spotify. Apple gives you a chance to give us five stars and write a quick one-to-two-sentence review. I read one earlier in the show. It's really helpful for us if you do that.

Subscribing to the podcast helps, and following us helps a lot. Just hit the plus button or the follow button on Spotify and Apple to follow this show. All right with me right now, as promised, John Kime, of course, John has been covering the team forever. John underscore Kime on X on Twitter. John's got a podcast. You can find it wherever you get a podcast. I do want to talk to you about the story that you wrote about Cliff Kingsbury, which was one of the reasons I reached out.

but let's just start with the breaking news last night. Brandon McManus released. Do you think that this was something where they kind of dug for a little bit of information and then just decided probably not worth it? What do you think happened there? I think they did dig at least a little bit just to see, you know, how much merit is there to these cases. and I think the other thing too with it is you have the potential for some sort of a trial.

And it's just like that just would be, it's not something anybody wants to go through as an organization, especially one that had to deal with this and has a new ownership in charge. And, you know, I just think there are a lot of things that would be like, this is a tough look. And I think they got put in obviously a pretty tough spot. But you at least want to check out, you know, right away when we found out, like, the word was like, well, they want to do at least make some calls and see, you know, what was going on with it. And I know there's a lot of talk about due process, but they're not saying these guilt or anything. They're just saying they don't want to deal with this. So, you know, so, yeah, I think they did do some, at least some digging. So, I don't know how much. they go next? Who are the kickers in training camp going to be? I mean, I talked about this at the

beginning of the show. The only veteran kicker that I found that's still out there without a job is Randy Bullock. Yes, yes, yes. He is the only one. And then you got some guys from the NFL like the Jake Bates kid who kicks from Michigan. So I know he is still alive in their season, so he's not allowed to come in. Who is this, John? Sorry, I didn't catch the name. Jake Bates, who kicks for Michigan and the U.S.L. Okay. He was kind of like, he's kicked, I think it's 22 kicks as a professional. He was a kickoff specialist in college.

So I don't even think in college that he was kicking field goals. But he's 17 for 22. Four of the misses are from 50 plus yards. Three kicks over 60. So he's somebody who will probably end up making it to somebody's training camp at some point. because there's at least like, okay, is there something there? I also believe, Kevin, and those are the names that I've heard, too. Like, you know, Randy Bullock, he's free, right?

There are a lot of great choices out there right now. So what my thing is that whoever you bring in now, there's a decent chance that your kicker for the season will be picked up in mid to late August, because there are definitely a handful of teams that have a couple kickers in camp. you know, and we know how this works. I mean, when they signed, like, some of their better kickers in recent years with a stress way, the punter, he was August, mid to late August.

Dustin Hopkins, September. Graham Ganoe was December. So, like, that's kind of what I'm anticipating is whoever comes in now, I wouldn't get too, I think, like, again, if, let's say, and I don't know that they would do this, So let's say Jake face, I just, I'm going to, because he's one of the two guys, right? You know, let's say his season ends, they bring him in and want to keep him here. Why not? Like, see if the kick can do it, because maybe you've got something.

If not, someone's going to come free. That's a spot where somebody usually comes free. And so I'm going to guess that whoever the kicker is, it may not come until, like, mid to late August. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. By the way, on Washington's, Washington is an opportunity for kicker, not really talking about the organization, but talking about Landover and FedEx Field and the condition of the field at times in recent years, is the word out there among kickers around the league? You know, I know there are only 32 of these jobs, understood,

but that if you've got choices, this would not be the best place to have eight or nine of your games to be kicking? You know, I don't know. I think that's an interesting. interesting topic. I think there are definitely some other stadiums where it can be difficult. Like, it's funny because, like, when Hopkins went to Cleveland, that was one where you wondered about the fit because his style of kicking and the winds that come off the lake there, you wonder, like, I think he's more, you know, more of a highball kicker and, like, you get it caught up in the wind, it can do funny things, right?

But it's actually worth. So, like, I think there are other places I hear that a little bit more about, but I know that the turf has been an issue. I don't know how, and this is something that actually, now that you say this, I'd actually like can now go talk to people about this. Yeah, right. Yeah, because they did change the turf. You know, they changed it a couple years ago.

Has it made a difference for people? I, you know, and now maybe as we talk, I'll look up some stats and see if there's a different in kicking there versus some other places. I mean, remember, you know, the Meadowlands. Meadowland used to be an issue. Pittsburgh's been an issue in recent years. But you just have so many indoor options in the league that the outdoor options are not preferable, I would think, for kickers.

And then there are probably a few outdoor options that are okay. Well, if they want to wait seven or seven years, if you kick indoors here, maybe. Yeah, exactly. All right. So the stuff that you wrote about Cliff Kingsbury, I thought it was really interesting. And I know some of these quotes are from earlier, you know, and even introductory. But I've been thinking about what this offense is going to look like as well. So, you know, kind of share with everybody what your belief is that Kings is.

Barry. And, you know, he's talked about this is not going to be Arizona year five. This is going to be Washington year one. But what do you think it's going to look like? Well, some of the clues we've gotten, and it's really, really hard to know. I'm going to go back to 2012 when Robert was here. And we sat there and watched all of training camp what we thought it was going to look like. Now, they did run the option. They did. And they lined them up in the pistol. They line them up in the pistol, so you saw some of that, right? But, man, the way they played in that opener against New Orleans, like, oh, wow, that's way more than we thought or saw. So you always have the purpose because they're not going to show us everything, nor should they. And how about the fuck, just stepping back for a minute, I always laugh because, like, you know, Mike, I love Mike, Mike Shannon was great, because he kind of said, like, you guys don't know what you're looking at.

And then he tried to hide it from us. They're like, well, if we don't know what we're looking at, what difference does it make. But he would get mad if you wrote anything about the option during that time. So anyway. Well, let me interject something. So I was out there for one of the early training, like two of the early training camp practices. And I literally said, that's the pistol. That's what Nevada runs.

Like, what are they going to do here? And I went back and I talked about it. I was doing the show with Tommy at the time, not Cooley. Cooley, you remember, was a player on that team. And I said they were running the pistol offense, the pistol formation. It wouldn't surprise me if they start doing some of the stuff that Cam Newton was doing last year in the red zone where we see a lot of some, you know, some of the college stuff. Well, I got a call like three days later. And they said, what do you know about the pistol?

I said, well, I watch college football. And they're like, yeah, you know, probably don't want to talk too much about that. And I said, okay. I mean, I didn't want to, it's not like I wanted to give out any state secrets about what they were going to do in the opener. It was just an observation. But no, nobody expected what we got the opener against New Orleans. Exactly. Exactly.

And so I always preface it by saying that, so what we're going to see now. Right. So some of the clues are, like Brian Robinson talks about how they're going to play at a faster tempo, more no-huddle. When you look back at his time in Arizona, and they ran more, you know, a lot of no-huddle. I think it was, so in his four-season in Arizona, the Cardinals ran no huddle on 1,491 plays. Nobody else ran more than 865, and I think the third team was in the 600. and Washington, in that same span, used up 328 times and including 49 times last season. So we can look at, okay, they're going to probably use more no-huddle.

And then I think the other thing is his usage of the tight end. Now, that's also going to be related to where your talent is, right? And certainly seems like he likes Zach Earth. But even in the use of 12 personnel, you know, two tight-end sets, it increased from year one and then I think in year one I try to remember what this that was in his first year there

you see if I can find that but it was like there was a distinct there was a difference in last three years it was among like I think it was like in the top ten for let me see if I can find that but I thought that was that way and I knew that one too

because like that's something I remember talking to you had that ball in my pocket you had the Cardinals were 12th in his first year incorporating the tight end, then 10th in the final three years using two tight end sets or 12 personnel. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And then even just passes to the tight end, that went up dramatically as well.

Yeah. So that, but that was, you know, that's also who do you have at that position? It's not, you know, but they clearly went out and got that. And as others talked about, like, they felt like he kind of evolved in that way, where he started to understand the importance of the tight end to a quarterback. and then also like throwing between the hashes and how in and there was a there was a thought that you know um i mean he did they didn't do it a lot right and then it increased over time and you know do you have to get used to that come from college the NFL is a different hash marks are

different so i think there was an evolution in what he did and he obviously ran a lot but he also ran with carler murray a lot and i think we'll see a lot of that stuff here um but yeah it wasn't like it was just, in fact, like the three receiver sets, these guys use more three receivers sets than Arizona did. Because it always seems like, well, the air raid, you just spread everybody out. And it's like not really the case. You know, it's certainly not with three receivers all the time. So that's why the importance of getting like Ben Finnett was important, was key.

Yeah, the, you know, the actual, you know, how Mummy Mike Leach air raid is, you know, we've, think we've both heard these descriptions. It's really not doable in the NFL because of where the hash marks are, and because you can't spread out the offensive line the way they did in the traditional air raid. But what really was different is the usage of the tight end. The air raid, there was no usage for the tight end at all. And Zacherts was a feature of their offense in Arizona. You know, there's this line in your story, and it's part quote too. But It's in talking about sort of the comparison between Daniels and Kyler Murray, and Daniels said, you know, the creative mind that Cliff Kingsbury has, how he can attack defenses. Obviously what he was doing with Arizona, with Kyler and having success.

You write, like Murray, Daniels is a quarterback who can run, though he has a different style. But Kingsbury knows he's starting from square one with his personnel in Washington. I'm wondering if, you know, I want to know what you think, but I'm wondering if you have any idea how they compare Daniels to Murray, because I personally don't think that they're that comparable. No, they're not. I don't think they, like, the ability to run is a common thread, right? And I think I even had it in there, too.

Kyler is a little bit more off script compared to what, And it's funny because Jaden ran a lot in college, but it wasn't off script. Like, and, you know, it wasn't like first read gone, tuck it and go. That's actually where he got a lot better at in his last year at LSU was going through his progressions and then knowing when to run for the most part. And so, like, I think the feeling is he stays more on script. You know, Kyler was, you know, when you watch him, I mean, he was obviously really good at throwing from multiple platforms. He's through like a shortstop or second base and making a turn and double play a lot of times. I think that was all, and that's all, like, I always liked that about his game because he could do that, you know, and well, Jaden can do some of that.

It's different. But I also, but I do think that his ability to stay in the pocket and work from the pocket is greater. And, you know, I think some of that six four versus five-nine. Yes, that's it. But they are just, they are, right, and listen, we saw that last year with Jacob, B. B. B. B. B. Bressette and Sam Howe. Like, when you could, when you can, when you're that tall and can see over the line, it makes a difference. And you know, like, okay, I can stick with this guy because I see this as opposed to, you know, it's closing in around me. I've got

to get out to create vision. And so, like, that's a difference, too. But yeah, they're not, they're not, I mean, I would, if I had to compare Dan this to a guy, it would not be Tyler Murray. No, not at all. I mean, to me, the big difference is Kyler Murray, kind of like Russell Wilson for a big part of his career. They were not pocket passers because they just couldn't see, Jaden Daniels can see. And that leads me to this part of your story where, you know, Dan Quinn hired, you write, when Quinn hired Kingsbury, he said his offensive approach reminded him of Kyle Shanahan's. They're not the same, but Quinn said King's. He's very and Shanahan, who was Quinn's offensive coordinator in Atlanta for two years,

run offenses that share similar tenants stretching the field horizontally and vertically. I don't think most football fans would think Cliff Kingsbury comparable and stylistically to Kyle Shanahan. Do you think so? I mean, that— No, I don't think—and I don't think—and I think—and I think, like with Quinn, what he was on about is one of the things I love about Kyle and just watching his offense is, first of all, you go back to like the no huddle stuff.

And I always like watching, you know, when Kyle was coaching them here, like watching them running no huddle. And it was always, you know, a quick throw to the left to the sideline, quick throw to the sideline to the right, run the other way, run this way, and just get the defense moving

so much to side to side that you would then you start to see them grab their, you know, kind of grabbing their knees a little bit when they're line up or standing up when they're starting to rush because they're getting, now you're wearing them out. And like that's where, you know, like the challenge, so it's not necessarily the same style of offense, but it's just using the, basically it's using the entire field to attack

a team, not just like, not just throwing a bunch of slants or going down field, but it's just also working the ball, the sideline. And I think that's, you know, that's a big, you know, some of those bubble, whether it's bubbles or smoke routes or whatever, you know, smokes to the receivers, whatever. But that's, I think, you know, so stylistically, I wouldn't call it the same, but I think maybe you can say the emphasis on using the entire field could be the same. Yeah, look, their pass-to-run ratio, and I need to look it up again to get the exact. But in the years that they had success in Arizona when they went 11 and 6 and went to the playoffs, you know, they did not have an outsized pass-to-run ratio. I mean, I think it was something like 5644.

for they ran the ball with James Connor a bunch. Obviously, Murray ran the ball a lot, and a lot of it was on scrambles, really, more so than anything else. But, you know, they have, I think they've got a good running back situation, too. So it'll be interesting. And I've said this before. I think Jaden Daniels would fit in a lot of different offenses. I think he'd be perfect for the Shanahan scheme, you know,

taking snaps under center, stretching it with zone. runs and booting off of it and playing at play action off of it. So I can't wait to like I think Quinn is going to give us a defense that will be significantly improved, especially from a coaching standpoint in 2024. But what's really exciting to me is to see what Cliff Kingsbury creates around Jaden Daniels. Oh, for sure. and I mean, partly because, I mean, we know that's the most important position,

and they haven't solved it in decades. And so, yes, for that reason alone, but also because the kid is a tremendous talent, you know, and, I mean, he does have, he's not, and this gets pointed out a lot, it's where it's going to become a cliche when people say it, but he is way more than a runner. He's more of a passer. There's something I'd hear earlier in the process during the draft that season was he's not, he's a quarterback who can run. He's not a runner who control passes. And there's a distinct difference, but it allows you to do different things.

And I think some of the stuff, too, that you would hear about Daniels is just how good his footwork is and how there are people who have worked with him who feel like there's a lot of stuff that LSU didn't do with him. And it's not a knock on LSU. It's just to say that there is more they felt like he can do in terms of footwork on the drops and all that, that I'll be curious how they incorporate that here and how that relates to maybe different route combinations or whatever. And then, of course, the running ability. But, you know, he is a – I think one of the things that jumps out is all the stuff you hear about him behind the scenes and working. You know, like that's what you want to hear about your quarterback. Yeah.

You know, it's not Instagram. photos, pulling tires or whatever. Right. So the offensive coaching staff with Brian Johnson and Anthony Lynn, Brian Johnson, the past game coordinator, and Anthony Lynn, the run game coordinator. I mean, you're talking about two guys, one guy in particular, who's had a ton of head coaching experience, you know, experience.

But is this a triumvirate, or is this Cliff show, you know, through and through? I think, I mean, clearly Cliff is in charge of it. he's a coordinator, but I think these guys are going to have some definite say. I mean, but I don't think he's going to relinquish that. But Anthony Lynn is a really good run-game guy. That's his thing. And I think they like that with Brian Johnson, his work in Philadelphia, incorporating Jalen Hertz's legs into the offense, et cetera.

So I think there's a listening to it, and then the coordinator picks out what he likes. So that's how I would see that. But, I mean, it's, I mean, Kingsbury is at the top, and those guys are going to be, you know, they come up with ideas for one game and past game, but he's going to sift through and take what he likes. So, but it's why also why it's hard to know what this offense will ultimately look like because we don't know what their impact on what he incorporates will be. That's part we don't know. And even at, like, practice, like they're not running 11-on-11 stuff.

So you don't know. You're watching seven-on-seven past game drills. But that to me will be one of the interesting things to see is maybe their influence on it. And a good coach is also going to be influenced by the talent around them and what you have to do. But I do think like at this offense, you want to get that run game going a lot more than they have because of some questions up front and also because the use of the quarterback. You don't want to put too much on him right away. Yeah, right.

Especially if you do actually have options, you know, to take the pressure off of them. Not every team does. Right. Obviously, we never found out whether or not a good strong running game could have been helpful to Sam Howell last year. So three OTA days this week and then a mini camp next week and then that's it until training camp. I know it's only been a few opportunities to be out there. But do you have any names of maybe players that we're not thinking of that you think have a chance to have good camps and that maybe they're excited about?

I think some of the guys that I'm curious see how they fit and that this would be in those categories, guys they really like. Frankie Moubu is going to be a guy that you're going to hear a lot about. And I know he was talked about at the signing, but I think, you know, he's a guy. I mean, Jeremy Chin is another. I've had a lot of people tell me how much they like those two signings in particular. And obviously, we know about Bobby Wagner. So I don't, you know, that's not going to be surprised.

you know, it's just hard because, like, for example, some of the linemen that you might say them, except we don't know. Yeah. Because they don't, and even they'll say, like, with a Brandon Coleman, for example, it's like they're not going to know what they have in him at all, or not even what they have at him, but where he's at with everything and how long it might take him to get somewhere until you see the patch on. So that's when you start to really see, you know, anything. But I think, like, you know, I mean, some guys that you'd probably,

that I know they're very excited about would be like a Luke McCaffrey, a receiver, right? We know how much thing. We know they're like, you know, they know they're like, Zach Erch has something left. But I don't know like there's anybody else, some of the holdover types. Right. That you'd look and say, like, now, again, like, you know, I know they're trying Jamie Davis putting them at edge in certain situations, right? I'll be working with them in some pass rush drills before they get going into seven-on-seven.

You know, just to see, but this is when you do that stuff. But I don't know that I have a great answer as far as I don't know. I think we'll know more about that, like maybe after mini-camp, like if there's a couple guys where, you know, because I've always curious about that, too, just to see who's the guy to watch it. I think, you know, one guy, too, that I think they seem to like, too, is Mason Brooks, the Interior Lyman, but is there going to be a spot for him? You can like somebody, too, and they still end up on the practice squad. You just, you know, like, it doesn't mean, you know, you know what I mean?

Like, you may not have, do you have room for all those guys? I don't know. You said a couple of weeks ago, I read where you said this, and it's been a couple of weeks since we've talked, that Emmanuel Forbes is not going to be a starting corner. So just... Oh, no, no, no. So let me clarify that. Okay.

I said they weren't going to hand it to them. Okay. And somebody took it and wrote that. Got it. I didn't say it that way. No, no, no, no. I just said that, you know, they're not going to handle it. Last year he came in and, you know, he did a couple of things here. Here's your job. And it's not going to be the case with

this group. He has to earn. If he comes a starter, it's because he had to earn it. They're not just going to give it to him. So what are the chances you think he earns it? I don't know. Take the ball away. I think they will give them opportunities if they see stuff just because of that trait. That's something they obviously want to do.

But like last time we were out at 7-on-7s, he was worth... Death charts right now and who's working with the ones and all that. I mean, it kind of matters, but it really doesn't. like the first time we're out there, he was not working with the ones the next time he was. So is it just a rotational thing or whatever? But, you know, I couldn't even, I don't know that I put a percentage out because I think with him, I want, like, we haven't seen him enough in these situations. Like there was the one day in practice, like I thought he had a couple nice coverages

and a couple times where maybe he bites hard on a fake or, but it was a scramble drill and it's seven on seven. So what would have it looked like with a pass rush? It's just that's a hard part, but I do know, you know, I think St. Juice would be an interesting one as well. He did not play great last year. He fits the profile in terms of size and length of guys at Dan Quinn Mike, like Mike Davis has that size and length as well. So I think, you know, Forbes is not the same size, obviously, but he's not short and he does have good length. So, like, that's something that they look for.

That's right. It's hard to say. I mean, I just don't, we haven't seen enough at all or heard enough to say, like, is it this or that at this point? I think there's just stuff. To me, there's still questions about him because it's not, it's not just the fact that he weighs, you know, 170 pounds or whatever it is. He has to improve in other areas of his game to stay on the field because if he doesn't, he won't. When there are new regimes, it's amazing by the time we get to actually week one. How many things we thought didn't turn out to be that way? Because they just have completely different feelings about the players, some of whom have played a lot. And they may actually have kind of higher opinions of players that we haven't even thought about that we're on the roster.

I want to end with this. And I think, and along those lines, like, that's where I think, like, a guy like St. Juice, can he, I don't know, like, I don't think that he would have wowed them based on his film. Yeah. Because he didn't have good film, and he didn't have good film playing the way they would want to play. But where are they going to, when they're working with him, how are they going to view him? Right. Right. Because, you know, I kind of feel like, you know, when I talk to him, I feel like he's a pretty smart kid.

and he does have the good length, and I felt like his first couple years he was better. So I think, like, he might be a guy where, you know, and I don't know this for sure, but like, is he a guy that, you know, where they might have one opinion coming in and have another one coming out because now you get a chance to be with them and see what they're about. But again, the tape for him last year was not great, and in areas that would be what they want to do. Yeah, and will he, you know, adapt to a new system? Will you pick it up? You know, will the...

No, these are the things. Like, I think people just assume that Benjamin St. Juice will be one of the two starting corners. You know, I think a lot on the fan base. And I agree with you, and I think that may be an interesting one to keep an eye on. I mean, we may get to opening day, and Michael Davis and Christian Holmes may be the starting corners. Like, there are always those kinds of things with new regimes and... early in their first seasons that you don't really anticipate or you they're very hard to predict um i wanted they are and it's yeah yeah go ahead no go ahead no it's not you know and it's always about fit too and it's

not yeah you know and we know they're going to have to at this point right now i think we'd all agree like they're going to have to really invest in corner and off in left tackle or tackle yeah now we don't know what coleman's going to do right but it you know that so going into whether if somebody doesn't emerge a season and the off season, but, you know, it's all about fit. And there are some guys who might, like, maybe in this defense, this guy is better. But in this style, you know, this is the guy that they need. And who knows the defense and who can play?

Because the one thing with Quinn, too, and I was assumed by extension, Joe Whit, because Joe Witt, obviously, the coordinator, but Quinn, obviously, has a big say. in this program, but also this has been the DIVANs. And both of them are very big on not giving you too much, allowing you to play fast. And then by playing fast, go make plays.

So who can do that? And that's where I think Forbes has a shot, because he can make plays. He's just got to get better with his footwork and you know, and not trying to be over... I'd say being overly aggressive because

he's kind of like guys who are aggressive. I mean, Diggs was aggressive in Dallas for a couple years. He got burned. Yeah, he did. And I think Forbes will get burned because of that, too. But will you make plays as well? And make yourself a dangerous target for a quarterback to attack. I don't, you know, we have to see that happen. And this is where I go back to, like, one of the things, I like that they're doing this in the first year, you're having two of these joint practices. Because I think you're going to get more clues as to where guys are. In those times.

In those, then the preseason games. Yeah. Yeah. And so I think that with the new group, I think that's very, they couldn't, I know with Rivera's group, they couldn't do that. It was a COVID year. But I think, you know, and I always felt like they made mistakes on guys and took them four weeks to correct it sometimes because all you had to go on was practice.

And the practice can be very misleading at times. Did they miss? Johnny Newton's other foot and maybe other teams picked up on it and knew it and they didn't I didn't see any like I didn't see the medical red flags on him right so I don't

you know I didn't see that and I you know I get a spreadsheet from somebody before the draft like with where the projection for guys and who are medical possible you know medical issue

or who may have medical issues and he wasn't on that list. So I don't know that, you know, also, it may also be that, well, it was clearly in the course of a checkup that they discovered this. And I think what they have to hope is that it is fine by training camp and that that's the last of it. All right. Two quick ones to end.

Do you have any idea if any of their defensive players can kick? And the reason I asked that, I don't know if you read this last week, the Chiefs. I did. And I think that's a question to ask. We're going to trust me, that's going to come up with Dan Quinn when we talked about Wednesday. I did see that. Okay. Yeah, for those that didn't hear me talk about it last week, Dave Talb, the special teams coach in Kansas City, said that with the new kickoff rules, it's very possible they'll have Justin Reed kick off a defensive player

because he wants an 11th tackler on the field. and if you're going to kick the ball in play where hang time doesn't matter, it doesn't matter with the new rules because players can't move until the ball is fielded, then you're going to want, you know, somebody who can be out there defensively. And then, you know, most teams, I think, will end up having two returners because you don't want to give up, you know, a big chunk of the field for the opportunity to kick, have it bounce into the end zone, then the ball comes out to the 20. who do you think the two kickoff returners will be right now?

Man, they've been working with a lot of guys, too. And even Forbes, see, this is where... Forbes is a punt returner. Punn returner, right? Well, no, no, no. They were working with him on kickoff. Oh, okay. So, yeah, when the one time, one of the first times we were out of practice,

he was doing that. And I think it's important for a guy like Forbes, too, maybe contributed that way because I go back to if he's not starting, how does he help you? So like if other guys are starting, they play special teams. Well, he doesn't, he didn't play special teams last year. So if he's not returning it, if he's not starting,

like, he doesn't help. Maybe he doesn't help. But, you know, and also, like, in those open field settings, he's a good runner. But I don't know, like, you could have, I'll be curious to see there are some guys, like, there are some guys from the U.S.L. who have done that star return,

do you go and bring one of them in to see? Hasn't happen yet. I think, you know, I mean, I would have to look at some of the receivers. I know they've worked out. They've been working with, I mean, shoot, it was like eight or ten guys when we were out there.

Okay. You know, Brian Robinson was returning some. You know, so I, now you wouldn't want him doing that. You know, in a game you have to be starting, but, you know, I'd want somebody who can be pretty good in the open field, right? I mean, just the way that's up.

Dotson, you know, possibility. I mean, on kickoffs? Yeah, I didn't. Yeah, I know it's funny because he was, I don't remember him doing, I don't remember him doing that. And I could be wrong. This was a couple weeks ago when I remember. What about Armani Rogers?

Didn't see him doing that. What about Rodriguez? It was mostly, it was Bax, and then I don't remember seeing him doing that, but it was Bax and then some defense, of backs, too. You know, quick guys, you know, guys who can change pace quick,

you know, cut pretty well, too. So I do it, but that is one where, and I don't know that Forbes would do it, but again, if he's not going to start,

how is he going to contribute? That, and so, like, could he do that? I don't know. But I think that's one of the more interesting things to see how that developed,

and the change in strategy for, for special teams guys. We're going to be talking to Larry Izzo, their special teams coach, I think it's Wednesday. So, again, I think that will be a definite topic. And I'm going to, I wrote down all the guys who were doing it, but it's in a different notebook, and I don't have access to it right now.

So I can't tell you. This is, you know, it's June. My brain's gone to mush. Well, you've got plenty of time to get it back together. Yeah. We're two months away from training camp. soon, man. Two months, just under two months from training camp, and when's the first preseason game?

It's August. August 10th. But the thing that I'm looking more to is the August 8th, the practice. Yeah, against the, you know, and I just, I love those things that it tells you so much. You know, I just, I go back to like 2015 when the, that was when the Texans came, right? 2015 was Texans, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

So, like, you saw, like, you couldn't tell about Brandon Sheriff. Yeah, well, you had that among that, too. But, like, you couldn't tell what Brandon Sheriff is he or not, is he a guard or tackled? Is he a tackle, you tackle? Well, then you saw him in that scrimmage, like, now he's not a tackle.

He's a guard, and they moved him in there, and he was great. Yeah. And also, like, I just remember, like, Griffin, the first week and a half or so of practice, looked pretty good. Yeah. And then the Texans come to town, and he didn't. And, like, so, you know, you knew that there was,

were some issues there. Yeah, I remember that. So, like, you could, you just get so much. And even last year, even last year, even last now, I will say, like, I felt like the offense, the second day, or maybe the first day, did a decent job against Baltimore. And did not play out that way this season. But, like, Forbes, for example, was kept having some issues with some of, and I'm not trying to pick on him.

It's just that this one thing you learn, like, oh, okay, because he had looked, he looked all right. In training camp, like, he looked fine. He looked good. And then he goes up there and he's having some issues with some of the double moves. And then we saw some of that stuff during the season. So he's going to have to work on that, right? And so, like, I just think those are great opportunities for learning. And, you know, that's why I think it's important.

In thinking about that, I mean, that August 8th practice and then the preseason game, Aaron Rogers, there will be a lot of attention. Just think about last preseason. everything that was so jets sort of driven in terms of media. Yeah, exactly. It was? I missed all that. And then he gets hurt in the opener, four plays in.

All right, great job. Thanks for doing this as always. Thanks, Kevin. John Kime, everybody. Always good to catch up with John. I will finish up the show next with some thoughts about Caitlin Clark and the hip check that she took over the weekend. We'll get to that and more right after these words.

from a few of our sponsors. Hey guys, most of us are interested in our mental and physical well-being to a certain degree. And with that in mind, I'd like to welcome and introduce a new sponsor to the podcast. The new sponsor is Unified Healing, Unified spelled, U-N-I-F-Y-D healing. It doesn't matter if you're a big-time world-class athlete or just a somewhat athletic podcaster like me. we all understand the importance of mental and physical well-being and proper recovery for top-notch performance. That's why I'm excited that Unified Healing is sponsoring the podcast now. Unified Healing is a new and super innovative global network of wellness centers,

powered by energy enhancement system or EE system. If you haven't heard of the EE system yet, listen up. This technology promotes wellness, deep relaxation. purification and rejuvenation. Whether you're here in the DMV or anywhere else across the globe, access to a center is easy and affordable. Interested in experiencing the EE-System technology for yourself, we'll go to unifiedhealing.com slash sheen to learn more and find a center near you. That's Unified, spelled, Unified, Healing.com slash Shian. No material or testimonies on the Unified Healing website are intended to be viewed as medical advice

or a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including EE system. The final segment of this show is sponsored by MyBooky. Go to MyBooky.a.g or MyBooky.com. use my promo code Kevin D.C. And they'll give you a cash bonus on your initial deposit. They've got all the NBA finals stuff up, all the NHL Stanley Cup finals.

Odds are up. How about this one? How about the Nats to make the playoffs? At my bookie right now, plus 1850 to make the postseason. Ridiculous, you say? Right now, the Nats are just a game and a half out of the third wild card spot in the National League. They got one from Cleveland over the weekend. It was yesterday, and it was another outstanding starting pitching performance. Jake Irvin, this time, just two earned runs

allowed, five hits in six complete, struck out six as well. Remember, in his last outing in a two-nothing loss to Atlanta, he struck out ten and allowed no earned runs. His ERA is down to 3.39. The Nats have a relatively easy-looking schedule for the month of June. They've got 10 games against the Mets this month, including tonight at home. So the Nats plus 1850 to make the playoffs. It's worth a small little wager. I don't think they're going to make the playoffs, actually. I really don't. But what a surprising, you know, starting to this season. this first third of the season. Their starting pitching has been outstanding.

They had a couple of injuries over the weekend. Abrams was hurt, did not play on Saturday or Sunday a shoulder injury. Jacob Young hurt as well. So don't need that from a team that needs base runners, and the two of them, when they've gotten on, have been also very dangerous as base Steelers, but still a team that doesn't generate enough offense. to make a run in the National League. But, you know, do they have a chance to win 78, 79, 80, 81 games? Yeah, I mean, if the starting pitching continues the way it has, why not?

MyBooky.ag promo code Kevin D.C. All right. I really want to focus here in the final segment of the show. On Caitlin Clark's weekend, if you did not pay attention, she continues to play games for the Indiana Fever. they've played 11 games so far. A very condensed, heavy schedule had a guest on that covers the Indiana fever on radio this morning. He said it's part because the Olympics, they're having to get a lot of games into a short period of time before the Olympics,

late next month, late next month, I believe, in Paris. Plus the demand, the overwhelming demand for Caitlin Clark to appear on a lot of TV games before, the Olympics and they're trying to strike while the irons hot off of the Iowa run and all of the excitement over Caitlin Clark. Well, most of you, I'm assuming, have seen the play from the Saturday game against the Chicago franchise from the WNBA, where Kennedy Carter, who plays for Chicago, hip-checked Caitlin Clark 90 feet away from the basket with Clark's. back turned to her, knocking her to the ground. It was a cheap shot, no doubt. Call the common foul in the moment upgraded the next day to a flagrant one. There's a lot going on here in Caitlin Clark's

first 11 games in the WNBA. What is very clear here is that she is getting that rookie star treatment where the veteran players are testing her physically. And that's a right of passage for, you know, heralded stars coming in in a lot of sports. I mean, we saw it with Michael Jordan. We saw it with LeBron James. We saw it here with Bryce Harper. Hell, Bryce Harper's own teammates had a problem with Bryce Harper. She is undersized right now in the WNBA.

She has a slight frame at 5-11-ish, 150 pounds roughly, and she's playing against grown women. That happens, you know, when you go from college to the pros. There is a physical maturity that the other players have, that she just hasn't had yet or maybe never will. However, this was a dirty play by Kennedy Carter, And the physical play, the right of passage, roughing or up physically, hard screens, playing real tight defense, probably fouling hard. You know, that's the kind of stuff you expect in a lot of sports.

And that stuff competitively, from my standpoint, is fine. But there is this question of whether or not, you know, the players in the WNBA are biting the hand. that is feeding them and will continue to feed them. There was a comment just a little while ago from the Chicago coach who didn't have much to say in the moments following the game. Kennedy Clark, by the way, basically refused to discuss Caitlin Clark and her post-game presser. Also, if you missed it, on the hip check that knocked Caitlin Clark to the ground,

Angel Reese, who was on the Chicago team, got up and was cheering. But anyway, Chicago coach Teresa Witherspoon, weighed in today on the controversy and the discussion over the flagrant one foul by Kennedy Carter, saying, quote, physical play intensity in a competitive spirit or hallmarks of Chicago Sky basketball. Who knew? Kennedy got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game. She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate, nor is it what we do or who we are. The Sky coach continued saying, quote,

Kennedy understands that there are better ways to handle situations on the court, and she will learn from this as we all will. As a team, we will grow together and continue to work hard to display strong leadership and set a positive example for our competitors, fans, and partners. So, look, I am all four. You know, welcome to the WNBA, Caitlin. This is not Iowa anymore. This is how it's done here, and we are going to test you physically, mentally,

and every other way. But what Kennedy Carter provided on Saturday was a true cheap shot. I mean, Clark wasn't even looking. Some of you suggested after the conversation on radio this morning that there was a little bit of play acting in Clark's response. I didn't think so, but it doesn't matter. It was a cheap shot. It was a hard hip check with, by the way,

a couple of expletives directed towards Clark in the process. And yes, I do know that Caitlin Clark had been running her mouth a little bit earlier towards Kennedy Carter, but she did not provide any sort of cheap shot. So again, let me just be clear. I don't really want women to be judged differently from men's sports. I mean, this WNBA, they have their way of handling young players and just like a lot of these other leagues do. but there's a big difference between the WNBA and Major League Baseball when Bryce Harper came into it, or the NBA when Michael Jordan was a young player,

or LeBron James was a young player. And the big difference is that the WNBA needs Caitlin Clark. The WNBA is a product that has had no attention paid to it. It has not had much of a market at all. Caitlin Clark is the meal ticket for this league. Like for people to discuss Caitlin Clark with some of the other rookies in the WNBA, it's laughable. There is nobody in sports. Forget about just women's sports.

Sports overall that has moved the needle like Caitlin Clark has over the last year to year and a half. They've had to move games from arenas that seat 4,000 to arenas that seat. 18,000 to accommodate the demand. Brink Angel Reese? Nobody's, this is Caitlin Clark. She's the meal ticket. She is why people like me have watched the WNBA for the first time ever. No, am I watching every game?

No. Would I watch a game not involving Caitlin Clark? I would not. That's just me. Have I watched some of the Indiana NFL? Fever games when they've been on and nothing else has been on. I have. I did not watch the game Saturday when it was on, but I saw the highlights. She's the biggest needle mover we've seen in sports in a long, long time, and it's phenomenal for this league that nobody has been paying

attention to. I mean, it has had a very niche following. She's a pop culture for. She's a pop culture phenomenon. Competitively, I hate the idea that people are making a big deal out of this, because we've seen a lot worse in sports. We've seen a lot worse in sports with, you know, message sending. You know, she's been taking a physical beating all season long with teams and veteran players who are trying to make sure that she's tough enough to handle this league. but what I wonder is whether or not people will tune out, people that have been tuning in, all of these new people that have been tuning in,

if they continue to do this, and I bet the league should put a stop to it. They should put a stop to any sort of cheap-shodding. But especially, you know, this particular player who is the only reason people are tuning in to watch this in the numbers that they are watching it, You don't want her to get hurt. That would be disastrous for the league.

And there is, you know, the possibility with a lot of new viewers that people may not like, you know, watching Caitlin Clark get physically tossed around and not being able to play the game that they were hoping to tune in in C. For me, there's a competitive aspect of this in any sport at any level in any league. And, you know, you've got players that clearly there is some. jealousy involved. There is some competitive testing involved. And they're trying to win too. And they're trying to get theirs as well. They're trying to get their bag too. That's what the kids say, trying to get their bag. And there's also a part of me that thinks some of this controversy, you know, is good for the WNBA. They're beating up on, you know, poor Caitlin Clark. Let's tune in

to see that. You know, I think some people actually might enjoy it. You know, So, you know, the old PR saying, it doesn't matter what they say as long as they continue to talk about us. Because this is a league that got no attention before she came into it. But Carter's, you know, play was a dirty play. It was. And there is a difference between overly physical play to send a message and a shot to the target's, you know, hip when the target is turned around completely. it's actually a bit cowardly in terms of the shot she took. She could have certainly gotten into her defensively on the other end.

And I know Angel Reese got cheap shot it recently as well. But again, no offense to Angel Reese, she ain't moving the needle at all. By the way, I read that Angel Reese actually was the only person to, along with the Chicago team, to get fined from any of the activity on. Saturday because she did not attend the post-game presser. She was supposed to make herself available for that, and she didn't. What I've watched is I have seen Caitlin Clark get physically manhandled a little bit when I've been watching. You can see she is not physically up to it. She's got to get stronger. There have also been some moments where clearly she's got range,

and she moves so well without the ball, and she's a great passer, a great. A great. passer. And the team that she's playing for is apparently just horrible and they've been horrible. They played another game yesterday. She had just three points in 29 minutes. See, I think a bigger, honestly, I think a bigger threat to the audience sort of dropping out from paying attention to the WNBA because of Caitlin Clark is if it turns out that Caitlin Clark is just another player. I don't think that'll be the case because she passes too well, she shoots too well. She'll be a factor. She's got to be on a better team, I would assume.

But if she became just another player and there weren't the, you know, Steph Curry logo threes and the 40-point nights and the incredible passing displays and the triple doubles or whatever, eventually if they don't come, yeah. So in many ways, the league really should be trying. to prop her up, protect her. You know, you can do that. Like, you can do two things simultaneously. You can competitively test her, but you can also make sure that, you know, the meal ticket is protected from cheap shots and overly physical play. One more thing on this, that team needs an enforcer. Like they need a Charles Oakley who was around for Michael Jordan's first three years.

They need an enforcer who, you know, makes sure that there is a response to anybody messing with Caitlin Clark. Because one of the things that was pretty obvious is it's not like her teammates came to, you know, rushing to her defense. Now, I don't know if that's because they have a problem with her. I don't know that. I doubt that, really, based on some of the things that I've read about her teammates in place. playing with her, but maybe they just don't have somebody that was ready to stand up to Kennedy Carter in the moment. All right, that is it for the day. I'll be back tomorrow with Tommy.