The Kevin Sheehan Show - More Cooley + New Commanders' Hire

Episode Date: April 15, 2024

Kevin opened with reaction to Washington hiring a league office executive Dave Gardi as the team's Senior VP of Football Initiatives. Chris Cooley jumped on to answer questions and respond to comments about his "film" breakdown of Jayden Daniels and JJ McCarthy. Tarik El Bashir/Monumental was a guest to talk Caps as they wind down the regular season with two huge games. Download the PrizePicks app today and use code Sheehan for a first deposit match up to $100! 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 Sheehan Show. Here's Kevin. Two guests on the show today. Chris Cooley's back for kind of a mailbag segment and follow up to the film breakdowns that he did for us over the weekend of Jaden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy. If you miss that podcast, it's Saturday's podcast, April 13th. Coolie did, I don't know, 25 minutes on Jaden Daniels, 15 or so.

It's on J.J. McCarthy. It's a short pod from Saturday. If you want to listen to it, he did a great job per usual. But he's back because there was a ton of feedback and some really good questions as well. So I got him to come back just to spend 20, 25 minutes or so. We'll see how long he can stick around to respond to some of the comments and answer some of the questions. He's not going to do the Drake May or the Michael. Penix Jr. today. He'll do that either later this week or early next week. Tarek El Bashir will be on the show as well. We'll do some caps with two huge games to finish up the regular season tonight against Boston and tomorrow night at Philadelphia. They control their own destiny. If they win both games, they are in as at least the second wildcard team. And that would be the likely path right now for them. The third spot in the division seems to be far-fetched as the islanders are three points ahead of the capitals.

But some Caps talk following Cooley in the next segment. I'm not going to spend a lot of time here in the opening segment, but there was some Washington team news today, which we'll get to here in a moment. The show's presenting sponsor, as always, is Windonation. Call them at 866.90 Nation, or head to Wind Donation. com. Mention my name for a free in-home, no obligation, quote. Rate us and review us if you get an opportunity, especially on Apple and Spotify.

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Following us is helpful for sure. So before we get to Cooley, a couple of things quickly. Number one, the master is kind of uneventful, My God, Scotty Schaeffler. He was a massive favorite going off. He wins by four shots over the Swede Oberg. This guy's a threat to go, you know, two, three, four majors in this calendar year. I mean, Grand Slam is something people are talking about.

He'll be a massive favorite next month at Valhalla for the PGA Championship. And then the host of the U.S. Open is Pinehurst in North Carolina in June. and then Royal Troon's got the British Open in July. But Shefflers is good and as dominant as anybody has been since Tiger's heyday. I don't think there's any doubt about it. Tiger did make the cut since we last spoke, although actually he had made the cut by the time Cooley and I did the podcast on Saturday, and then went out and shot 82 on Saturday and 77 on Sunday

to finish dead last among the players that made the cut. still a pretty good accomplishment for Tiger Woods. Elsewhere, like in sports, before I get to the story today about the football team, the Wizards finished up their season, 15 and 67, the worst record of all time franchise-wise. They got a long way to go. They're going to be a couple of more of these. They're going to have to get some major contributors, and really more importantly, they're going to have to draft a true superstar. Minnesota hasn't been to the playoffs, or they haven't won a playoff series in 20 years, and they are the number three seed.

They finished one game out of first with Anthony Edwards, drafted number one overall. Shea Gilgis Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Company. Now, OKC didn't draft SGA, but to have a true superstar on the roster, and a couple of them, a couple of them potentially. OKC is the number one seed. By the way, you want to hear kind of a weird setup for these play-in games that start tomorrow night.

So the Lakers play the Pelicans in the first of two Western Conference playing games tomorrow night. It would actually benefit the Lakers to lose tomorrow night and then to win on Thursday night. And that way they'd be the eight seed in face Oklahoma City in the first round. the youngest team to ever qualify as a number one seed or to snag the one seed in a conference,

their average age, the youngest team ever, to do that, rather than to play the nuggets if they were to beat the pelicans tomorrow night and end up the seven seed. Really interesting situation, this playing stuff, you got 10 teams with still, you know, the top eight that will end up playing in best of seven first. round series, but to determine the seven and eight seed, they've got nine and ten involved. That started during, I think, the pandemic summer. And it's been kind of exciting, but it would be wild if the Lakers tanked the game tomorrow night against the pelicans and then tried to beat either the warriors or the kings to get in as an eight seed, because they have no chance against Denver.

They got swept by the nuggets last year in the Western Conference finals, and they haven't beaten Denver in like two years. NBA playoffs are going to be great. I know a lot of you don't care, but they are going to be great. All right, we'll get to Cooley, but I want to mention this one story that broke earlier today. The team actually then confirmed it and put a press release out. But I think Adam Schefter was the first to have it. He reported, a significant hire. The Washington commanders are naming former longtime NFL executive Dave Gardy as the team's senior vice president of football initiatives per sources. Gardy now will handle assorted in-game management duties

and will support the coaching staff in front office on compliance with league protocols, officiating trends, and health and safety guidelines. There were a lot of tweets about the quality of this hire by Washington. A lot of retweets of Adams tweet. This guy, Jim Nagy, the executive director of, the Senior Bowl said great hire, Washington finally gets it. You know, remember a few years ago when they hired Brian Lafamina from the league office,

and Bruce wasn't necessarily thrilled about that, and Dan wasn't thrilled when he said, you know, three or four weeks into his job, we haven't sold out the opener against the Colts. I think it was in week two. He was the first to kind of admit there really wasn't a waiting list, and that did not make Bruce were Dan happy. Brian Lafamina, also the person that Tommy literally, two days after he was hired, said on this podcast, if I were advising Brian Lafamina, I would advise him to rent, not buy.

My prediction is he's gone within a year. I think he was gone within nine months. Different day, though. Dave Gardy, apparently highly respected. from the league office. Look, I'm going to read the press release here. The Washington commanders announced today they have named Dave Garty as the team's senior VP of football initiatives. Garty joins the commanders after working at the NFL League office for 21 years. He held the role of senior VP of operations for 10 years. Prior to his role as senior VP of Football Ops,

he served as the league's vice president of labor relations and football administration. Gardy started at the league office as counsel in 2003. Garty will handle a number of in-game management duties and will support the coaching staff in front office on compliance with league protocols, officiating trends, and health and safety guidelines. I don't know what that means. In-game management duties. Is he going to be the replay guy in the booth?

Is he going to be the guy in the headset with Dan Quinn, telling him when to go for fourth downs, go for two. I don't know. He's a league office guy, so he's never had game day responsibilities for a team, but maybe that's what he wanted to do. Maybe he's really good at that stuff. This is the quote from Adam Peters in the press release, the team's press release, quote, I'm excited to welcome Dave Garty to the Washington commanders. Dave's been one of the most highly regarded executives at the NFL league office and is someone with an immense knowledge of the game. He will be an investment. He will be an valuable resource to our front office as we continue to usher in a new era of Washington

Commander's football. It's my pleasure to welcome Dave and his family to the DMV. Closed quote. Dave Gardy from Dan Quinn, quote, Dave Gardy is one of the brightest minds in our league when it comes to football ops. He will be an incredible resource to the coaching staff as we prepare for and plan for game days. Dave brings a unique perspective to our organization after working with the league office for two decades. His addition makes our organization better across the board. I am thrilled to welcome Dave and his family to the DMV, closed quote. So I will tell you, I do not know the name Dave Gardy,

or did not know the name Dave Gardy before today. I do not think many of you asked me. I do not think that he's here to replace Jason Wright. This is a football side of the building higher. Jason Wright's not on the football side of the building. Jason Wright is the team president. Jason Wright is really in charge of revenue. Ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, etc.

So that's not, I don't think, based on the press release and based off of what I've read, that that is a Jason Wright replacement. Again, I think two completely different sides of the building. But this is a guy that, seems to be very highly respected by people around the league. So kudos to Washington for adding another qualified, competent person to the football side of the building. I'm sure we'll find out more specifically about his responsibilities, and I will make a couple calls in the next few days.

Because I am interested to know whether or not this is the guy that will replace the person who was doing stuff with Ron Rivera in the booth. His name was Doug Drury. Doug was kind of the in-the-booth replay guy, analytics guy on the headset with Ron. I don't know if that's going to be the role for Dave Gardy. I have no idea. All right.

Let's get to Cooley next after these words from a few of our sponsors. Hey, guys, I want to tell you about Harry's. Many of you have probably heard of Harry's razors and shaving products, maybe even from this podcast. They've been an occasional advertiser. over the years. I'm a customer. I have been for a while now. I think it goes back to the first shipment of product that they sent me before the first time they advertised on the pod maybe four or five years ago. They found a way Harry's did to make a beautifully designed razor for a fraction of the

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That's unified spelled, unifed, U-N-I-D-healing.com slash sheen. 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. All right, Cooley is jumping on with me again. Just a few minutes to answer some of the many questions that came in after he did his

film breakdown of Jaden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy over the weekend. There were a lot of just thoughts rather than just questions, so I thought I'd read a couple of them to you. This was from Scott the Chief. Cooley is on Daniels, so I'm on Daniels. That was easy. Benjamin H writes, great to have validation from someone I can trust. Kevin wrote, thank God Cooley is back. From Gorilla Mullet, I need to check this out, Cool Dog Nose Ball. From Baraco drama. Very good stuff. Coolie is spot on. And oh, by the way, never knew you had a podcast. Thank you, Baraco Drama. Yes, I've got a podcast, and Cooley is an occasional guest this time of year and then during the season. Chris, not everybody was pleased about your appearance, but it really didn't have much to do with you.

This was from Jamie. Interesting, Kevin didn't have Cooley breakdown. Drake May and Daniels at the same time. He is so trying to lead the witness with Daniels, an absolute master manipulator. Jamie, that's a good conspiracy theory, but sorry, coolly picked the order in which he wanted to do it. By the way, couldn't you, Chris, make the case that if I really wanted you to like Daniels, over all of the others, I would have had you do Daniels last, I think, maybe? I don't know. I think you could make that case.

I just randomly started doing the quarterbacks. And to be completely honest with you, Kevin, I don't watch a ton of ball right now. I just don't say that I don't watch film. I don't even know who these dudes are. Well, you do know who they are. I mean, I know who Jane Daniels is because we've talked about him and a couple people will talk to him. I swear to God, if you said the name Drake May three weeks ago, I would have said, who is that? No, but you know what?

Does it really matter? In fact, it's probably the best way to go in. You're just watching film. You're watching tape. Although you... I did J.J. McCarthy first, and you said, let's hear somebody else at least with him. But I did McCarthy first

because I was most interested in McCarthy after they win a national championship. And he goes from a jag to the fourth pick in the draft. Right. I thought there was a lot of, at least for me, there was a lot of intrigue. So I thought, I'll watch this guy

before I watch anybody else because that's what I want to do. I don't think ever once I know you don't care but I don't think ever once you've told me do this so we can make this this guy look good

do this other guy this way no but I did tell you to full disclosure I did tell you that I my preference is Jaden Daniels but that I a lot of these guys, when you get done with them, a lot of them perceive a lot of these guys to be

super close. Now, what I didn't have you do, somebody actually did tweet me and say, I want to hear what he thinks of Caleb Williams. I want to know what the difference between Caleb Williams and Jaden Daniels is. We'll get to that later. This came from Stephen Jay, who wrote, I'm not happy with either one of you. I wanted to bet Jaden Daniels number two overall. at minus 190. I didn't do it. And after Cooley's appearance on your podcast, he went to minus 280.

I don't think Cooley's appearance on the podcast had anything to do with that, Stephen Jay. But I've got some good news for you. If you go to mybooky.ag right now, use my promo code, Kevin D.C., you'll get a cash bonus. Jaden Daniels right now at MyBooky, Stephen Jay is minus 202 to be the second pick.

So a much better price at my bookie right now on Jaden Daniels to go number two. He is the favorite and a heavy favorite now. What's Drake May? Drake May, hold on. I will check that for you. Second overall pick, Daniels minus 202 and then next is Drake May at plus 164. And then after that, it's McCarthy at plus 980,

and Caleb Williams obviously is a massive long shot at plus 5,600, because he's assumed to go first. So we should do, we should, I will do Caleb Williams. Okay. Because of this just like unblemished assumption that he's won. Are you thinking that after watching film on Jaden Daniels, it's hard for you to imagine anybody that's better, leading the witness. It's hard to say that that's not a dude that you want.

It'd be really hard for me to say, this isn't my guy. You're talking about Jaden Daniels, yeah. But you've seen Caleb Williams play. He won the Heisman Trophy winner in 2022. I've seen Caleb Williams play. He's outstanding. Yeah. tons of feedback overall.

Some of you out there really used hyperbole, exaggeration, fake news to diminish Cooley's ability to analyze. How about this from Commander Jack? He thought Drew Locke would be an elite NFL quarterback. He also... He could have been. Would you say? I still think he could have been. I had that conversation with somebody today.

You did? He ended up in a bad spot two or three times. He had some games where he was. He also loved Trey Lance, Carson Wentz, and wasn't that impressed with Joe Burrow. First of all, that last is completely wrong. You love Joe Burrow. The Lansing, I remember doing the Lansing with you. I remember where I was in Wyoming sitting on my property when we did the Lansing.

And I remember saying, I do love Lance, but we're watching a detail. school. Right. I still liked him. I'm not going to take that back. But he wasn't my number one guy that year. I liked Mack Jones. I thought Mac Jones would go to the 49ers, not Lance.

Right. But I think Matt Jones was high for that. And I don't know if, like, I don't know, obviously they made a mistake, but, who are you, let's just go get a dude's last. overall. Kemp, here's the thing in what you said,

and I love when you call me because I think it's great, because I know you know this. I'm not sure if you really know this. I don't give a shit about any of these guys. I know. But I think that was funny that you just said, wait a minute,

Mack Jones, because somebody came after me recently, and I said, oh, it was about Dwayne Haskins. They're like, you were the biggest Dwayne Haskins fan. And I'm like, no, I didn't. I'm the one that told Cooley they should never draft this guy.

Now, when he got into the NFL and he played a little bit, I wanted to see more. And there were things that he did that I thought were impressive. But what I said is I said, no, no, no. The draft that I, like, if you're going to use an example, there are plenty of examples of getting it completely wrong. I didn't think Justin Herbert was very good at all. and would have never drafted him in the moment over Chase Young. I liked Josh Rosen.

I thought Josh Rosen was going to be good. There's some stuff to Josh Rosen. What did you say? I remember watching, I said, there was some stuff to Josh. I remember watching some UCLA film that year. I did just throw it down the field every time. Right. The Haskins thing, by the way.

Yeah. So if I were working in D.C. or where I was in any way, shape or form this year, I would watch, I would have watched some 80 hours of quarterback film. This is really limited what we're doing right now. But when we did the Haskin stuff, man, you called me and said, well, watch Asking, see what you think. I don't know, I don't really like it. I called you back a day later after I watched like six games. I mean, I'll watch five or six hours and I go, I hate it. He is not good. And you said, I know.

God rest the soul. It's really simple. And you know this. I'm not persuaded by you. I'm not persuaded by anybody. I do whatever I want to do and say what I want to say. And I know you know that, but I'm in no way are you going to convince me to say something.

Of course not. Actually, but I will say this, and many people said this. And I think this is why many people couldn't wait for you to do this. I mean, this is, I haven't even told Cooley. I mean, we talk probably once a week. I promise, I don't think I've even told you how big this is right now, sports-wise, in this town. Picking number two in the upcoming draft without Dan Snyder in the organization, with real, you know, perceived football people in the organization making the call. and having a massive need at quarterback and having perceived highly rated guys in this draft.

It's like the perfect storm. And I haven't even shared with you how big this is and how people are just consuming so much on these quarterbacks and on this draft. But I will say this. like Cooley over a period of time, and many people said this, and it's why they were looking forward to your evaluation. You really do have good evaluating skills. This is a job that is imprecise and certainly imperfect. I mean, the experts don't get it right even 50% of the time,

the people who are paid to do it. But you've had some all-time calls. I mean, you insisted that Josh Allen was going to be a star quarterback. You said it from the beginning and everybody kept calling you. We were doing the show together. They kept calling you and said, look at his accuracy, his completion percentage. And you said, uh-uh, he's the guy. And you were dead set against Washington drafting Dwayne Haskins. You said it on the air. You actually went to Bruce. Not to Bruce. You went because Bruce was gone at that point. No, Bruce was still there. No, you went to Bruce and Dan and said, don't do this.

Don't do this. Yeah. But anyway, whatever. There are some questions here that I think are some good ones. By the way, you did like Carson Wentz, and you were proven right about him talent-wise, but he was a total headcase. But you loved Joe Burrow.

I mean, that is... Everyone, everyone loved Joe Burrow. Yeah, yeah. This came from Jess. Does Cooley think that Daniels can play from under center? Yeah, I absolutely think he can play from under center. Robert Griffin didn't play one snap from under center of Baylor, and he came in, and he's in a run game situation that's dynamic with the Shanahan's,

and it's not hard to teach a quarterback out of boot. And there's a lot of stuff with mid-to-deeper-level run-action pass that you can facilitate. Do I think that immediately that he's a three to five-step drop-back guy on first and second down? No. But in a show ball, seven-step drop, slide protection where you should be fully protected, I think he can play under center. Most of these guys end up coming in and doing it.

It wouldn't intimidate me. I'd keep him where he was more comfortable. but honestly, honestly, that's, one of the things about the Michigan quarterback is, he really had a lot of looks from under center. Like, 7% of Michigan snaps are under center or whatever, and that probably leads the nation. What did you say, what percent? I just threw a, that's not a. Yeah, no, he was under center.

He was in the shotgun a lot, but he was under center. If you went under center, 25% of your snaps in college football, you would leave the match. Probably. Probably. This from Pedro. Wait, real quickly, I actually think Daniels would be a perfect fit for the Shanahan scheme.

Like, can you imagine him on keepers and boots and play action with a running game? I don't think there are many things. systems that I could see him being not a fit for, but I think that system would be a good one. Yeah. I do. I agree with that. I think it's a good fit for anybody, but also keep in mind that the boot and keeper game, we're not really trying to have the quarterback run.

It's available. Right. But ultimately, you don't need the running quarterback. You need the run action with the running back to have that run pass off or the run. I'm an idiot. to have the play action work or the run action work. You need the dynamic of the offensive line and the running back in the south. You're not always worried about the quarterback running the ball when he's under center.

It's really not a big thought. This one comes from Izzy. Did Cooley describe J.J. McCarthy as a Shanahan game managing quarterback, best case like Brock Purdy? or could he be more than that? Well, that's a good question. You know, Brockfordty was just in a Super Bowl. I had a chance to win a Super Bowl.

So, and like that's the style of offense that they operate and run in. The thing with J.J. McCarthy that I really do like is that he steps up in big moments of games and makes big plays in big moments. I don't necessarily seem as a game manager. It's just what he was at Michigan. I mean, for all intents and purposes, they're better than most of the teams they're playing. They have a dynamic run game. They want to continue to run the ball and pound the football.

And in a lot of games, he didn't have to make a lot of big plays and a lot of big throws. To his credit, in games when he did, he did make them. What I described him, I think, more over the top of what I described him as was a guy that I haven't seen enough of. I haven't seen him enough dynamic situations. I haven't seen him enough NFL type offenses. I don't think he's seen enough defenses. I think he's... I'm trying to think of the word.

I'm not going to say it. I think it is limited in what he has done and seen for me to know that he's capable of doing everything. I'm not saying he is limited. I'm saying for me watching, the offense I've seen from Michigan and with J.J. McCarthy is, limited to say he can definitely do this kind of thing.

Right. There's a lot that I don't know he can do. I think that's how a lot of people in evaluating McCarthy feel. Like they see he can, like you mentioned, he can make the throws. You said he's got the arm. He can make the throws. And he made the important throws when they needed him to do it. You just didn't see enough, which is what people have said because of the team that he

played on. Here's another one about McCarthy. It comes from Jera Prescott. Cooley compared J.J. McCarthy to Colt McCoy or a bench player. You didn't really do that, by the way. But the second part of this question is actually an interesting one. How much does circumstance have to do with success? Guys like McCoy never got dealt a fair hand.

injuries and bad organizations for his entire career, Browns, Redskins, Cardinals. Couldn't have been worse for a quarterback. So I think, first of all, you had mentioned his locker room traits and all its characteristics and all the intangels of people love about him. And I said, well, and I love everything about that. But if you're not competing and playing at a high level with those traits, then you're Colt McCoy. In saying that, the comparison would be that Colt McCoy had all those traits.

He was amazing in the locker and he was amazing with dudes. He's amazing in the meeting room. He struggled on the field some. So to have the ultimate level of leadership in the NFL, to me, you have to have the ultimate level of performance. And Colt never had that. And so to answer the second question, Colt was one of my favorite people to be around in the world.

Do I think that he's an elite-level quarterback? No. Yes, the fun question is, could he do some of the things that Brock Purdy did? Maybe. So, fair shake, in terms of being at, like, if you're elite, you're elite, People see that. That's not, like, it doesn't escape NFL people that this guy is the best of this position.

I think where it escapes them is, is he a backup or is he the 20th best quarterback in the league? Right. No, I think, yeah, I mean, netting it out, circumstance definitely can impact. But if you're really that good, you'll let me. end up finding a spot that maybe is more functional than the organizations that Colt was in, and he would have great success. I mean, he did, he was in San Francisco briefly, I think, for a few years. He was also hurt a lot. He was hurt a lot during his career, but I agree. Yeah, he was in San Francisco. Yeah. I mean, I'll openly admit the circumstance has a big deal.

Let's play it in just my case. Yeah. I got drafted to Washington in 2004. The other tight ends on our team with Brian Kozlowski and Mike Sellers and Robert Royal. And all three of them, I'm not saying that to diss them because I love all three of those guys. Like they're my brothers. But they were not elite tight ends. And the tight end picked me for me or one or two picks me for me was to Kansas City. When you think of out of played in Kansas City with Tony Gonzalez there?

Right. No. So I might have played special teams for four years and who knows what the hell happens. but also do I consider my like because of circumstances I actually had a chance to be one of the best three or four tight ends in the league for three or four years

and it's pretty awesome yeah but if I was in Kansas City that would have never happened but to me like the elite elite the guys are playing quarterback or the elite guys I just don't think we I just don't really think

we've missed that many of them right in the history of the league I don't think that many guys who sat the bench and just never, never had a chance. By the way, with you, and we've done this before, but I'm forgetting the tight end, not Dallas Clark, there was another tight end in your draft. You knew the tight ends that got drafted before you, and one of them went to Indianapolis to play with Peyton Manning. What was

his name? I'm looking at. Yeah, that's right. I'm looking at up right now, and I'll have have it here for a second. Ben. I've always said to you, Ben Hartstock. Ben Hartstock. I've always said to you, what if the Colts had drafted you,

you would have been the best tight end. Peyton would have loved you. I mean, you were better than Dallas Clark. No disrespect intended. Dallas Clark was there the year before. Dallas Clark was drafted by them the year before. They didn't. So they drafted Ben Hartuck because Ben Hartuck wasn't a receiving tight end.

Right. Ben Hartstock was like, I think he was from, I think he was out of Ohio State. He was. I might be wrong on that. I don't remember. But he was a big, brute blocking tight end. Ben Hartstock was at Ohio State. Yes, I think that's right.

Yeah, yeah. So it wasn't, they were drafting me that year. But to answer your question, that's not even the point. The point was, had you been Dallas Clark, you know, for Peyton Manning, you would have had like this incredible, you know, career and yeah that's whatever um not a game that you can play because you do or you don't but I had an uncle I feel so lucky I know um to have the career I had in Washington and to have been a part of that and anywhere else is different and you don't know what happens when it's different and it doesn't matter you would have had so much fun if my best friend was my quarterback

If my best friend was my quarterback, I would have had a lot more reception. Your best friend being cold Brennan? Anybody. Yeah, Cole Brendan. I love Cole. I know. That's not fair. What I just said was rude.

I didn't mean it that way. I know. I loved Cole. I know you did. So here's another question. This is a good one, too. So if Daniels is everything coolly says he is, why didn't they win more? I've got the answer to that one, but, and it's very, they won a lot.

Well, I mean, I have an answer to that one as well. You and I specifically talked about a couple of games, but I'll just give you one game in particular. They're playing Ole Miss, and they're down 21-7 in the first quarter, and it's the 31-point first half. You have to play defense to win. Worst defense in the SEC, one of the worst in the country last year. There you go. And I thought that was a good point that you made in breaking down the film is that many of the shots that he took that no one likes to see him taking and he can't take at the NFL level. Are necessary shots.

He understood the situation. Yeah, he's in a tight game, close game, and you can't lose. in college football and have a chance at the playoff. You can't lose more than once. I mean, the shots, and you didn't watch this game, the Alabama first half, which was the best defense they faced all year, and he got hurt in the second half and ended up not coming back into the game. But the first half was just brilliant.

That was the night that I said, just hand him, the Heisman. I mean, he had like 300 total yards in the first half against Bama. but took some big shots, too. But had to. You can't, even when you know in the first half, you can't punt. You couldn't punt. If you played it with you. Yeah.

You punting is giving up, giving the other. I honestly think he knows that. I watched a couple, I watched a little bit more just out of intrigue, and I think he knew it. we just, how we win is I got to do this. I got to take this over. But when you're playing the team and you know, like, I can't just slide on third and 13 for a six-yard gain and punt it away

because that was all we had. And at least we've changed field position, six yards, or throw the check down because I need, and by the way, he can't throw the check down. But I can't just throw the check down on third and 18. because I can't punt. If we punt, the other team will take seven plays and then they'll kick off to us. It happened every week, basically, with them.

They're shit on defense. Yeah, they were terrible on defense. They would have been in the national, they would have been in the playoff with just a sucky defense instead of one that was all-time bad. They're, like, that dude, neighbors is really good, too. Like, they're dynamic on options. He's actually pushing Marvin Harrison Jr. Maybe is the first receiver taken.

There's a chance. Oh, neighbors is awesome. Yeah. I remember you telling me how much you loved him. All right. This is the last one that I wanted to share with you. And it came from Kevin. And I'm not going to set it up.

I'm just going to read the question. And if Cooley wants me to explain what it means, I'll explain what it means, but I would have loved to have heard Cooley talk about Jaden Daniels pressure to sack percentage number, which as you know is a number that is predictive at the NFL level. Did he see the same things you did as in me? And I'm not going to tell you what I noticed from this, but the analytics people, he had a high pressure to sack percentage number, and that is typically like Sam Howell had a very high sack to pressure to sack percentage number coming out.

And a lot of the analytics people say that's something to be concerned about. What do you say to that? It's completely dependent on your offense, your team, what you're trying to do with your stuff. Based on what he's doing, I'm not overly concerned. And it goes back to the camp punt third down situation and need to make plays. Yeah, the guy takes some sacks. The guy also takes a massive shot. there are some things that he could work on

but what I saw that I liked from him was I actually think he has the ability to negotiate the pocket without leaving the pocket I think he can move around comfortably and I think he understands where his protection is where his protection is coming from and where blitzes and where rushes are coming from

so to me I think he has enough in him to avoid pressures, avoid sacks, but be smart enough, more importantly, with knowing where the potential pressure and where the potential problems are coming from. I'm not saying that it's going to happen every single time. It's going to get harder, and it's going to get much harder in the NFL. And almost every first quarterback has a problem with it, or every first year quarterback has a problem with it, and second year quarterback has a problem with it.

But what I said to you the other day is, you know, the nice thing. is a guy like Jane Daniels, as he's learning, has the ability to leave the pocket and make big play after big play. And so, here, let's do this. This will make it really, really easy. Let's say he gets back three or four times in the game. How many other quarterbacks run the ball 60 yards down the field on a passive play in that game? Or multiple times, because he can do that.

I can say I think he's so here this is another I'll end the question with this one this one we talked about

Lamar Jackson when we were doing our radio show and I said he could be the most dynamic running back in the NFL I stand by that and I think he's grown as a quarterback

but I think he's learning curve was vast and it took a lot they had to build an entire team around him that was entirely dependent on run

and they're finally it's finally at the point where they're building with receivers and finding dudes for him. Right. But, I mean, he's not Lamar Jack. Like, he's, I think he's at a quarterback level above where Lamar Jack. But to me, he could make a lot of those plays with his feet, at least for the first

couple of years. So, I went back and I looked at the 22 sacks that he took this year. And a sack is defined as dropping back in the pocket with the intention of throwing. but if you leave that pocket to try to extend the play and you say run out of bounds a yard short of the line of scrimmage, that's a sack. His sacks were the fewest yards per lost on sacks of any of the quarterbacks in the draft. And the reason I went back, what'd you say? So they're scrambles or they're run out of bounds. A lot of them were just him creating, creating, trying to make that play, getting it back,

close to the line of scrimmage, they weren't the normal sacks. Like, it wasn't quarterback drops back. He's under pressure. He doesn't see it. He doesn't feel it. And he gets sacked for a seven or an eight-yard loss. And when the analytics people started pushing his pressure to sack percentage number is too high. And that's a number that never really improves at the pro level.

I just, from watching him, I'm like, I never really remember him feeling. like he couldn't handle the pressure and that he was taking these sacks once he got pressured over and over again. In fact, I thought he was extra poised and super calm under pressure in watching him. And the point was is the majority of his sacks weren't like traditional sacks the way we think of them. But anyway, people who are listening have heard me say that before. I just think that a lot of times there's context around these numbers and with him, and by the way, Drake May. Same thing.

Drake May's got a high pressure to sack percentage number, but he does a lot of what Jaden Daniels does, which is extend and create and maybe get sacked for a three-yard loss instead of a nine-yard loss. Anyway. It's a much bigger deal in the NFL. It really is. a second and eight team for Jaden Daniels with LSU

was overcome more times than it wasn't. If you were to take a sack on first down or a penalty or loss, like, the dude can just quarterback you're out of the middle. Take it for 25. That won't happen in the NFL. But that's not the system he's playing in.

He'll have some Mahomes. All I'm saying is in watching the way he plays, you know, watching the way I, like I've seen the dude to operate and with the poise and the tempo and what, I don't see it a huge concern for me. He'll have it, he'll have to deal with it on a higher scale, though, so we'll find out.

Like, those are one of those, the pressure percentage and the, being able to pick up the pressure and the blitz and the rush, and, like, that changes completely in the NFL. That's been probably than, it might be the number one hardest thing for quarterbacks. Just being able to be in the pocket. All right. You're going to, you've got Drake May, Caleb Williams, and Michael Pennix, Jr.

And whenever you get to those, let me know. And we will do a podcast on those. I still just don't know why we're doing it. Yes, you do. You actually gave a bit of a hint at the end of the podcast the other day when you said, I think I'm going to really like Drake May. I know I'm going to like Drake May. I already know.

I've watched it. I start watching Drive back. I know I like Drake May. I don't know if I like him right now and what you want to do in the NFL. More than Jane Daniels. But I like Drake May. All right.

We'll do that later in the week or early next week. All right. Good job. Thanks for doing this. We'll switch gears. We'll talk hockey. Yes. Caps with Tark, L.

Bashir right after these words from a few of our sponsors. Hey guys, if you're looking for a fun way to play Daily Fantasy Sports, prize picks is the place to go to. I downloaded the prize picks app recently. It's exciting. It's easy. It's different when it comes to DFS. It's just you against the numbers.

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Use my code Sheean, S-H-E-E-H-A-N, for a first deposit match of up to $100. Prize picks, pick more, pick less. It's that easy. This segment of the show brought to you by Wind Donation, call them at 86690 Nation or head towindonation.com. Mention my name. You'll get a free, no obligation estimate. If you've been thinking about new windows, April's a good time. They've got to buy two, get two free, which means you're paying half price with no payments and no interest for two full years.

Wind Donation's experience, they've got the best product. I think they've got the best offer. Give them a shot to at least give you an estimate. today at 86690 Nation or head to windonation.com. All right. Jumping on with us right now is Tark El Bashir. Tark, of course, has covered the caps for a while now. Currently an insider

for monumental Sportsnet. You can follow Tarek on Twitter at Tarek underscore L. Bashir does a lot for the NHL on TNT as well. We're approaching that time of the year where the sport becomes a completely different sport and really a dramatic one. Will the Caps be a part of it? Well, fingers crossed over here. I'm sure a lot of fans are feeling the same way.

I feel like Kevin, this team has battled so hard for the past eight weeks. It would be a shame to let this opportunity slip. They're in total control of their destiny. They got Boston. They got Philadelphia. and if they win both games, they are in. And they can't be eliminated tonight against Boston. They also can't make it into the playoffs, regardless of how the scenarios play out tonight.

They essentially have to get a win against the Bruins and a win against the Flyers, and they are guaranteed to snap their playoffless drought at just one season, which given the state of the team just three months ago, it seems kind of incredible. I want to ask you about if they were to get in, but do you think three points, meaning an overtime shootout loss and then a win over either one of those two teams that three points would do it more likely than not or not?

Do you think they need to win both outright and regular? I would say more likely than not, but then you're getting into needing help, and then you're getting into probably the worst-case scenario for the heart health of Washington Capitol fans, which is, you might have to wait until

Wednesday night. If your season's over and you're waiting to see what happens the following day with other games, you don't want to play that game, you don't want to be in that situation. You want the capital to take care of business against the Bruins, then go to Philadelphia, handle their business there in Philly, and just punch their ticket.

look, you get into tiebreaker scenarios. The caps have the tiebreaker over a couple of teams, but they don't have them against a couple of teams. So, again, the easiest way for fans to track this going into the Bruins game is, just think about it as you are in control your destiny, you need a win against the Bruins, you beat the Flyers tomorrow, and you're in. Explain to everybody, the Bruins have to win tonight, too. They're playing for something.

They are, which is a little bit. different than the Tampa Bay Lightning just a couple of nights ago where they were essentially locked into Wild Card 1 for a while. And I felt like there were times in that game where there was less pushback from Kuturoff and Point and Stamco's and some other guys. I'm not saying they were dogging it, but look, when you can't improve or lose a position, you're more inclined towards the end of the season to coast a little bit because you just don't want to get hurt. you know, the fun part is starting next week. And so they were kind of in, you know, survival mode.

And it's going to be a little bit different against the Bruins. The Bruins are also a veteran-laden team with a lot of talent. But they are trying to win the Atlantic Division. They are trying to raise another banner. So they are going to be – they're not resting anyone. They're going to be playing as hard as they can tonight. The good news is the capitals have matched up well with the Bruins in two previous matches. they beat the Bruins in Boston 3-0 earlier the season,

and then they lost to them in a shootout just a couple of weeks ago. So, you know, when you look at the Capitol's season to date, they have struggled with the young fast teams. They've done pretty good against the teams that are similar to them in average age and aren't necessarily burners, and that's why I think they match up well against the Bruins. Like I said, they've taken three or four points to go into the nice game. And then it would come down to the Philly game, which they finish their season

tomorrow night in Philadelphia. I was looking at, you know, like the Red Wings have Montreal twice here. Montreal's terrible. The Islanders, if they, you know, if they can get a win tonight against the Devils, they probably don't have anything to play for against Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh plays Nashville tonight. So the skisks. schedules have gotten to the point where the caps have the team on their schedule that's the most desperate in both games, both Boston and Philadelphia. So that would probably be disadvantaged caps from that standpoint. But like you said, regulation wins, which is the tiebreaker. They have that edge over Detroit.

They have, well, we'll see where they end up with in terms of the flyers. But, yeah. They've got it over the Islanders, too, yeah. Right. But if the Islanders win tonight, they lock up that third seed. They do. Yeah. And they're playing the devils who aren't that great either.

But we'll see. Without their best player, too. So if they get in, and let's just say more likely than not now, it would be as the second wild card. And they would face, I think, the Rangers at this point in the first round. Would they – It's always the Rangers, Kevin. It's hockey, and you famously said to me many years ago, the playoffs can be summed up in one word, goalie. Would they have a shot with Charlie Lindgren against anybody in the postseason?

I'll tell you this, Kevin, and I've talked to people around the league, and I've heard from more than one person. If the cats get in, they could be a problem, and it's for two reasons. Like you said, Charlie Lindgren has been one of the top goalies in the game. the league for most of the season. He's had a couple of kind of downturns, but for the most part, he has been outstanding. And again, I mean, goalies play a huge role in determining a playoff series. And the capitals have a hot one right now. But another thing, some of those top teams, like the Rangers and the Lightning and the Bruins, like, they're going to have to switch it on and kind of reach for that proverbial light switch when the playoffs get there and, you know, flip it up

and hope that they're all systems go. The capitals have been in playoff mode for eight weeks now. Yeah. They have been through the meat grinder physically and mentally. For them, if they get in, game one is just going to mean an extension of what they've been living for the previous two months. So you combine Lindgren's play and the fact that this team has been playing playoff hockey physical, grinding out one goal wins, bouncing back from disappointing setbacks,

knowing your backs are against the last. wall. They've been in that mode for quite a while now. I mean, hockey history is littered with examples of 16 seeds making runs. It's the most random of the big four. It just, it lends itself to random events. You get into overtime and you get a call and all of a sudden you're beating the Rangers in game one on their ice. You know, if things just happen in hockey, if the capitals get in, I would say, there's a decent chance that they're going to be a headache for whoever they're facing. That would be exciting. So I haven't had John in a while on the podcast anyway.

Ovechkin, the turnaround post-all-Star break, I think it's 20 goals in 31 games or something like that. Yeah. What do you attribute it to? I think there are a number of factors, Kevin. I think I've talked about with a little bit on TNT and in other interviews. Obie really struggled with his sticks to start the season, and not to get two down in the weeds, but that's your primary implement when you're a goalton. I mean, when you're a goal scored. I mean, that is so, so important to a player like Alex Ovechkin.

His deal with CCM lapsed, and he couldn't get the sticks that he had been used to, and he was fumbling around and trying different sticks, and now he's gone three or four games without a goal, now it's five or six games at other goals, and now he doesn't like his sticks, He doesn't feel comfortable out there. The pucks are bouncing on him, and now your confidence starts to sag. And that played a big role into his slow start. He's now settled on a stick. It's funny.

I ask him, it's kind of unmarked. I've asked him what it is, and he hasn't really given me a straight answer. I think it's from a – I believe it's a Bauer, but I wouldn't swear to it. But whatever he's been using for the past two and a half months has clicked with him, he feels confident. He started scoring some goals. and he's been able to kind of keep that going. And you can draw a straight line between the All-Star Break and him kind of getting into gear.

You know, go back to struggling with the sticks, struggling with his confidence, the team wasn't playing that well. The All-Star Break gets here, and we've all seen the pictures famously. He goes to Dubai with his wife and his two sons, and they ride camels, and they have this relaxing time,

and he came back mentally refreshed and recharge and rejuvenated scored a few goals right off the bat and the competence got going. He'd already kind of settled on that stick. And all of a sudden, you know, you start scoring again. And I'll tell you, I've covered hundreds of players over the last two decades, Kevin. And I don't think there's anyone that I've ever covered who evaluates his self-worth with regard to, you know, with how many goals and assists he's racking up at Alex Ovechkin. You know, Alex can be a plus two and the team's winning.

if he's not scoring, he feels like he's not doing his job and he's letting people down, and it starts to get into his head. And once he started getting back on track and the puck started going in, you could just see he was having fun again. He was skating better. He was everything about his game started coming back into form. I mean, I wish I could say it was, oh, when Spencer Carberry put him with this player, but he's still been kind of bouncing around with different centers and different winger and different right wings.

It really wasn't that. I mean, I think stick leading into confidence, leading into that reset, that's really turned it around. Also, and again, I hate bringing this up, Kevin, but, you know, we've talked with already the randomness of the sport. I mean, for the first half of the season, it was like 5.6. Right. Yeah, and then on the other half, on coming back for the break, it was like in the upper 20s. So if you average it together, he's much closer now to his career shooting percentage of like 14.5%. So puck luck, it sounds silly, but it really is a big part of this game.

Does your shot hit a stick or a skate on the way and the goalie gets a piece of it? Or does it hit a stick and a skate and go the other way and find the net? He's been having a lot better at puck luck in the second half of the season as well. Yeah, I mean, it's a big part of the sport. you know, like you say, in the postseason, it's just heightened even more, you know, a random deflection on a good shot off the back of a skate into a net, or, you know, just wide of the net. I mean, it is, it's crazy. So I am assuming that you think now it's a foregone conclusion, barring injury, you know, knock on wood, that he will pass Gretzky. And I'm wondering, you know,

maybe two months ago, it started to become more of a question. But are you confident now, barring any injuries that he will pass Gretzky, either sometime next year or sometime in 2026? I'll tell you, Kevin, it's been a roller coaster, man. At the end of last year, I remember telling people, man, not only is Obie going to pass Gretke, he's going to set a new standard by a lot. He's going to be in the 900s. Like, he's going to want to blow it away to the point where no one, that Austin Matthews isn't going to be able to catch him.

He's going to have that record forever. And then he gets off to this just crazy slow start. He was eight goals in 43 games. And I was like, oh, my God, he might not get to 15, much less 20, much less catch Gretke. Now, I think, it's swung back in the other direction. It feels like, you know, he's not going to get to 900, I don't think. but I think Gretzky is definitely in his crosshairs once again. You know, another thing that really struck me, though, was, you know,

I said I was telling people last year, oh, yeah, Obe's going to pass Gretke, no problem. Whenever I talk to Ovi off to the side, no camera, no microphone, no recorder, just kind of chatting with him, he kept saying to me, and this is stuck with me, he kept saying, Tark, a lot can happen, it's hard, I'm getting old. He, it sounded like he was a little more cautious about saying, oh, yeah, I'm trying to, backing down number 99 than everyone around him. I think he knew just how hard it's getting in his late 30s now. How much does he want it? Desperately. I mean, it's, you know, I think would he trade a second Stanley Cup for passing Grecky? Absolutely. He tells me all the time that was the

greatest achievement of his life. It was the most fun he ever had. He would 100% trade the record for a Second Stanley Cup. Short of that, this is something that he has been building towards for two years. He wants to be the best at everything. He knows that passing Gretzky will cement his legacy and his name will be forever known as the greatest goal score of all time. I mean, look, I don't want to start this arguing with you right now or with fans who don't always agree with me. In my mind, he's already the greatest goal score of all time simply because of eras. It's really hard to compare eras, but if you go and this is not taking anything away from Wayne Gretzky, you can only play the game that is presented to you, right? You can only play it in the era you

are in, but if you go back and you look at Gretzky, and you look at a reverse angle of him scoring a goal from 40 feet out, 50 feet out, and it's just him in this tiny goaltender with these tiny pads who was just whiffing on the shot, and then you go look at that same reverse angle of OB shooting the puck, and it's a 6'5 goaltender in huge pads, and there's a center there. and there's a left wing there, and there's a defenseman there, and he's being backtracked by another Ford. It's, I mean, I mean, I know there is an analytics way of kind of extrapolating

what Ovi's goal total right now would be, you know, 20 years ago. I mean, if he played in the Gretsky era, he'd be over a thousand. But then again, you know, but the flip side of that, especially if he played with Gretsky. Yeah, exactly. Exactly, exactly. But then if you told that to Wayne, he would probably say, well, if I had those lightweight skates and the stick that flex like that, and someone told me how to train and how to handle my nutrition, and I probably would have scored some more goals, too. So, I don't know, it's impossible to compare eras. But, I mean, in my mind, he's already the greatest ever. The question is, you know, can he actually actually? get to $895, and in that situation, no one can doubt. There's no argument anymore. He is the

greatest. All right. Two more. What kind of job has, whether they get in or not get in, what kind of job has Spencer Carverie done in his first year? Kevin, I think you can make an argument that he should get some votes for the Jack Adams as the coach of the year. Regardless, I think if he gets them in, I think he should be. a finalist. I am very much against giving the Jack Adams that it also often is given to the coach who has the best players. Now, that coach will probably tell you, managing egos and getting top guys to play at their full potential every night isn't as easy as it looks. But to me, the coach of the year is the guy who takes a team that is in transition or doesn't have the horses that it once

ad that's got some young guys that are getting integrated into the lineup that maybe didn't make the playoffs last year and is able to turn that group into a playoff team or at least a team that's challenging for a playoff spot. If you go back to day one of this season, you look at the players that were in that lineup. I mean, you had Nicholas Baxter, future Hall of Famer, the beginning his netts off, could have given him the cons mic over OV when they won the cup in 2018, team, Anthony Manta, Joel Edmondson. I mean, the list goes on and on. Those guys aren't on the team anymore.

They're being replaced by guys who were in Hershey two months ago, three months ago. And he's got this team on the verge of the playoffs with a roster that has seen a lot of turnover. There are a lot of guys who are 23 or 24 years older, younger, don't have 100 NHL games. And, you know, if you want to dig a little deeper, this team is. is not playing the style of hockey that Spencer Carrey wrote down in his notebook in the off-season. That's how he wanted to play. He's got to make tactical adjustments.

How so? How did he want to play and how are they playing? They wanted to play way more possession-oriented, offensive-oriented, you know, put pressure, put teams on their heels, and they are playing much more defensively structured, much more chip the puck out and go get it and let's try to have the puck more than the other team. but simply put they are trying to grind out games two to one, three to two, whereas he wanted to score goals. That was his system.

And he had to make an adjustment on the fly, given the personnel that he was able to put on the ice. And I think he deserves a heck of a lot of credit for being able to implement those changes midstream and also convince some guys who had played a certain way. to change things up. Even the power play looks totally different than it did at the start of the season when it got off to that historically bad start. And now it's one of the better ones in the league.

So with that said, or with what you said prior to that, if they do make the postseason, wouldn't they be one of the more experienced or older teams on average in the postseason or not? you know, I don't have the number in front of me right now, but they started the season, I believe, is the second oldest team on average behind the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have since lost several players in their 30s and replaced them in the players in their 20s. I would imagine they are much, you know, I would say a year, a year and a half younger, but they're still in the, I can tell you, without even looking out, they're still in the upper half in terms of age. But you're right. I mean, there's still a lot of core players on this team that did win a championship six years ago.

And that matters. That matters this time of year. You know, T.J. O'Shee, Tom Wilson, John Carlson, Algovetkin. I mean, there are not many left, but those are core guys who have letters on their sweater. And when the chips are down, have a very calming way of expressing what needs to be done. when everyone else's hair is on fire, a guy like O'Shee or OV can come in the room and go, guys, calm down. We've got 20 minutes left.

Here's how we're going to do it. We did this before. Right. And having those guys, those senior guys, those veteran guys who have done it and know what it looks like and are able to convey that to the younger guys, that's invaluable. Great job. Really appreciate the help. Hope they get in.

I know that there's nothing better than covering that as well. You had a year off last year. let's get you back maybe into the garden. When would they start, would they start this coming weekend? It's funny. When they put out the schedule in the off season, the playoffs were going to start on the 22nd, they've actually bumped them forward.

So I believe they start on the 20th now. So, you know, it's all based on building availability, but I'd expect them to start this week, yes. All right. Thanks, Tark, as always. Really appreciate it. Give me a call any time, Kevin. Tark, El-Bashir, everybody, at Tark underscore El Bashir on X on Twitter.

Tark's always great. All right, that's it for the day. Back tomorrow with Tommy.