The Kevin Sheehan Show - Noah Brown Signed!

Episode Date: August 29, 2024

The big news of the day for the Commanders broke in the middle of the podcast today. So Kevin opened with a few emails and then got to the moves the team had made prior to adding Noah Brown. He opened the second segment of the show with the Noah Brown breaking news and gave his thoughts on the signing before he got to the Dan Quinn/Adam Peters press conference today. ESPN's Stanford Steve was Kevin's guest in the final segment of the show talking Commanders, Kliff Kingsbury, Jayden Daniels, and Steve gave his 12-team College Football Playoff picks. He also weighed in on Maryland and Virginia Tech's upcoming seasons. Want a chance to win $500? Fill out this survey:bluewirepods.com/survey 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. The show's presenting sponsor, as always, is Windonation. Call them at 86690 Nation. Or head to Windonation.com if you need new windows.

One guest on the show today, Stanford Steve, will be on with us. Not just for college football talk. The season opens up in earnest tomorrow night. We had the week zero games last. weekend, but the first full weekend of college football gets underway tomorrow night. Steve's headed out to College Station tomorrow for Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Saturday night. Steve, part of ESPN's game day on Saturday morning, 9 a.m. ESPN. But we're going to talk commanders with Steve. He let me know that he is optimistic about the season.

he knows Cliff Kingsbury, he knows the guys that coached Jaden Daniels, and he is bullish on Washington this upcoming season. So we'll talk to Stanford Steve about that and get into the college football season as well. Before Steve, plenty on the moves the team made today, and the moves they didn't make. We'll get to that along with the Dan Quinn Adam Peters presser, which just wrapped up moments ago. I waited for that to end, to record the show. And yeah, there were a few things that both of those gentlemen said that I will play for you and we will discuss. Before we get started, something you could do to help me, and it's not that difficult. If you go to bluewire

pods.com slash survey, bluewire pods.com slash survey. And completely, A quick survey about you and your podcast listening habits, you'll have a chance to win a $500 gift card. Blue Wire is the company that I've partnered with over the last nine months to help sell some of the advertising you hear on the podcast. And this survey will help create a better advertising experience for the audience and in turn help the show. bluewire pods.com slash survey. All you have to do is complete a simple survey for a chance to win $500.

All right, we will get to Quinn and Peters and what they had to say and then some of the moves made today, including a trade, which we will get to. But first, this via Twitter, via X, from Ray's Hail. Ray's Hail writes, if Kevin Sheen-DC could do his prediction, he'd cut that 10 wins to about 5 to 7.

We were all sold at first, but gears seem to have shifted. They are more worried about next season than making the playoffs this season, which I get in a way, but damn, we've been waiting for years. Thank you, Ray's Hail. You can tweet me, you can follow me on Twitter at Kevin Sheen, D.C. first of all, I can redo my prediction if I want. When I predicted 10 wins two, three weeks ago, it was early and subject to change if I felt that I wanted to change it.

My official prediction for the season on this show comes on that Thursday or Friday next week before the season opener. But I have to tell you, I still feel good about the upcoming season. I don't think I'm going to change my prediction. I feel better about the next three years, about the future overall, but I still like their chances this year to be much better than they were last year. And much better than most people, I think, believe right now. Nothing that's happened over the last week or so,

starting with the trade of Jahan Dotson, and then getting to where we are today, which is a 53-man roster, that I still think changes some over the first two weeks of the season. But nothing so far, including listening to everything Dan Quinn and Adam Peters have been saying all offseason, all training camp. And then again today leads me to believe that they are punting on this year. I don't think they're doing that. They traded Dotson because he wasn't the right fit for them now or down the road. You know, they didn't sign a wide receiver off waivers, claim a wide receiver off waivers today

because there weren't any waiver eligible players that they thought could help. Doesn't mean they're done there. Veteran players who are out there could be signed between now and the opener, and even more so after week one when veteran contracts aren't guaranteed. Keep somebody like Noah Brown, who got released by Houston in Florida. mind. If he hasn't been picked up, I would imagine he would be. Also, a guy like Desmond King. I'm not sure if he signed anywhere yet today. He hadn't as of this morning. He's a decent returner. I would have said Terrence Marshall Jr. who got released by the Panthers, but the

Niners signed him to the practice squad. And remember, if you're worried, and I think some of you are, including Ray's Hale, that they didn't claim anybody off waivers. When you claim a player off waivers, you've got to put them immediately on the 53-man roster. You can't put a waiver claim on the practice squad. You have to wait for players to clear waivers. I'm talking about waiver eligible players, players with less than four years of accrued service. You have to wait for players to clear waivers. Then you can sign them to the practice squad. which Washington has done with, as of the recording of this podcast, 12 players so far, including several that they cut yesterday.

I'll get to those coming up shortly. But I know some of you have, you know, the opinion right now, or maybe over the last week or so, that everything the team is doing is with a focus on down the road. That's not wrong, but it's not at the exclusion of doing what's best for this year as well, at least from my vantage point, I think that both things are true right now. And let me say this as clearly as I can without disclosing any specific conversation that I've had. They think they've got a good chance to be decent and competitive right away. A lot of it is Jaden Daniels.

A lot of it is some of the newcomers in addition to Daniels like Louvue. and a lot of it is the confidence in themselves to coach this team up much better than it was coached up last year and to pick players that sort of fit their team personality and the coach's personality. I'm sticking with 10 and 7 and a wild card berth, raise hail. My final final comes late next week, but I don't think it's changing. This from Dan. Dan writes, Kevin, I love your enthusiasm for Jaden Daniels. I really like him too, but my concern is that what we got is the next Lamar Jackson. Lamar can't throw the ball when it matters most, and I just want a lot more than Lamar Jackson 2.0. So, Dan, I know you know this, and I know most people listening know this. Lamar Jackson is a two-time NFL MVP. If you told me that Jaden Daniels is going to win two NFL MVPs in the first six years of his career, sign me up.

We know based on history, the odds of striking it big with another Lamar Jackson in the draft is a long shot. You know, the odds of finding a two-time NFL MVP in the draft at quarterback is one. out of what two-time MVP's? One out of 100? One out of 75? Whatever the odds are. How many quarterbacks have won two MVPs? So going into this, even though I believe that Jaden Daniels is going to be one of the two quarterbacks out of the six that were picked in the top 12 to make it, because four of them probably won't. I'm a big believer in Jaden Daniels. But if you told me right now, like this is what's behind. door number one.

Before we open up door number two, we're giving you a two-time MVP. We're giving you 58 and 19 in the regular season over the first six years of his career. We're giving you 125 touchdown passes to 45 picks, another 29 rushing touchdowns, 5,200-plus yards rushing. I'm taking door number one.

and then hoping that after year six, he becomes a good playoff quarterback. Look, I get it. I know that Lamar Jackson, and I think this is a big year for him, I think he's one of those players that is going to be feeling the most pressure in the 2024 season. The Cowboys and Dak and Aaron Rogers with the Jets and Nick Siriani with the Eagles, maybe Jalen hurts to a certain degree. But Lamar Jackson's under the gun right now.

He's got to do it in the postseason. He's already at this point, a borderline, if not already, Hall of Fame quarterback after six years. How many win two MVPs in six years? And there may be another one or two to come. But I get it. You know, I want it all with Jaden.

I do, but the odds of hitting on a Lamar Jackson are long. By the way, I would also add this, I don't see Lamar, and I've said this going back pre-draft. I don't see Lamar as the comp for Daniels. I think the dynamic playmaking ability, that's a good comp. But I just think Jaden is much more advanced and much more polished as a passer coming into the pros than Lamar Jackson was. We'll see. But in terms of overall winning and results, considering what we've had here for the last 30-plus years, I'd gladly take Lamar Jackson 2.0 and hope, again, that he eventually figures it out in the postseason. So today, the team added 12 players to the practice

squad, and they made a trade. They traded John Ridgeway to New Orleans, along with a seventh round pick in exchange for the Saints 2025, sixth rounder. So a pick swap, basically. They were looking to trade Ridgeway. They claimed there was more interest than just New Orleans. You know, this area still surprises me a bit because I think Phil Mathis, while he showed well in the preseason games, and I guess he also showed well in some of the joint practices

and the other practices. I guess I just kind of always thought that Ridgeway would make it in front of Phil Mathis. Look, Johnny Newton being on the final 53 instead of injured reserve, meant that they wanted to move either Mathis or Ridgeway because they had too many defensive tackles at that point. And I guess they got something back for Ridgeway, and maybe they didn't get an offer for Phil, or maybe they just wanted Phil and wanted to move on

from Ridgeway. Ridgway, by the way, played well at times when he was here, but there's one play that stands out in my memory when it comes to John Ridgeway. And it's not a positive play. It's not memorable because of something good. Remember the Minnesota game 2022, Kurt Cousins returned to FedEx Field, and the Vikings in a tie game were down in field, in field goal, range and they sent their field goal kicker out with, you know, over a minute left and he kicked a field goal, but there was a flag on the play. It was Ridgeway who hit the long snapper, which was unnecessary roughness. You're not allowed to do that. The Vikings took the first down and then wound the clock down to 12 seconds before kicking the game-winning field goal. Washington

would have had over a minute had Ridgeway not committed that penalty. and maybe there would have been a chance to drive the football down the field and kick a game-tying field goal. But good luck to him. He was a battler when he was here. So the practice squad is taking shape. They signed 12 players today to the practice squad. You're allowed up to 17, 6 veterans, 11 younger players.

And several of the players that they added signed to the practice squad today, players they just released. Kaz Allen signed to the practice squad. They do like him, and it would not surprise me if at some point this year he's out on the field in a real game returning punts or kickoffs. They re-signed Chig Inusium, The Corner. By the way, Tariq Castro Fields signed immediately off waivers. The first in line to claim was Carolina. he was claimed once he hit waivers by the Carolina Panthers. I thought there was a decent

chance that he would make the team. I think it was close because I know that Quinn in particular liked him. Sam Hartman brought back to the practice squad. Andre Jones Jr. brought back to the practice squad. K.J. Henry was claimed off waivers by the Bengals. I think Henry would have been back on the practice squad as well had he not been claimed. Chris Rodriguez, Mitch Tinsley, Bryson Tremaine, Cole Turner, Michael Wiley, all brought back on to the practice squad. I really thought Wiley had a chance to be the third back, but they kept McNichols in part because Anthony Lynn kind of had some experience with him, and I think that was the preference. I think we saw that too. you know, McNichols got those first opportunities in the preseason game before Wiley did.

They also signed guard Julian Good Jones, defensive tackle, Hagi, Dubuzi, don't know him that well, and defensive end Carlos Watkins. So that's the practice squad as of now, and certainly that will be a fluid situation. As we know, all season long, players are picked off the practice. squad dropped from the practice squad replaced by others. All right. What Dan Quinn and Adam Peters said just a little while ago about the cuts, about the roster, about what's to come, we'll get to that right after these words from a few of our sponsors.

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from his days back with the chargers. But anyway, the breaking news, Washington, and you can hear my reaction right now in real time, Washington has signed Noah Brown to a reported one-year deal. This is a big addition to the wide receiver room. Noah Brown last year in Houston, 33 catches, 567 yards, 17.2 yards per reception, two touchdowns. He was excellent after the catch.

Watched a lot of Houston last year because they were good, and C.J. Stroud was outstanding. You know, they went to the playoffs. They beat Cleveland badly and then lost to Baltimore in the divisional round. They clearly weren't going to claim a, you know, younger player, a waiver eligible player off waivers and put that player on a 53-man roster. The reason being this was their target.

once Noah Brown got released by the Texans. Why did he get released by the Texans? Well, remember, they signed Stefan Diggs in the offseason. And they've got Nico Collins, and they've got Tank Dell, they've got the Alabama kid, John Mechie. So there, I guess, wasn't room for Noah Brown. They released him. I'm surprised that they didn't trade them.

I'm sure they tried to trade him, but perhaps there wasn't enough back in Congress. compensation. Brown is 28 years old. Most of you probably remember his career in Dallas. That's where it started. He was a reserve player. I'm looking up his stats right now for Dallas. 43 receptions in 2022. That was his sixth year in Dallas. So that was his best season reception-wise. 43 receptions, 555 yards, three touchdowns for Noah Brown. in that season. He also had a pretty good postseason for Dallas in 2022.

So in 2022, Dallas, what did they do? They beat Tampa, right, and then lost to the 49ers. I think that's what it was. Because remember, they played the Buccaneers on Monday Night Football for the playoff game, and it was a huge game because there was so much pressure on them to win a postseason game. And look, Tampa was shot, right? They were pretty much shot in that game.

And then they went to San Francisco and lost. But he had four catches in the postseason, 39 yards, averaged 9.8 yards per reception. So he's been in the playoffs. He was in the playoffs also with the Cowboys in 2018. That would have been, would that have been the first year, Dack was in the postseason? No, DAC was in the postseason for the first time in 2016, his rookie year. 2018 Cowboys, that was the win over Seattle, and then they lost to somebody. Is that right?

I'm looking that up right now. Yeah, they beat Seattle, 24, 22, and then lost to the Rams in the Coliseum, 30 to 22. The first year in the playoffs for DAC would have been the Green Bay game, right, because they ended up with a really good record his rookie year. They went, how many games did they win? 13 games, 12 games, his rookie year? Something like that. And they were in the postseason his rookie year.

13 and 3, Dax rookie year. Why am I doing this? We're talking about Noah Brown. I'm just going down this hole. But DAC in the postseason that year was they lost to, yeah, they lost to Green Bay. Memory's not that bad. Getting a little bit older.

Forgetting more things occasionally, but I had, I think, most of that right. So look, this is a big ad to a wide receiver room that we weren't sure about. You know, the Brandon Ayuk stuff was out there for a while. The T. Higgins, you know, the possibility really not because of the franchise tag and the Bengals wanting to compete big here, I think, this year. You know, anybody else, Jamar Chase, C.D. Lambs now signed.

You know, there were other possibilities. But once Noah Brown became available, this is a good ad for them. And I think in looking at that wide receiver room, which is Terry Diami Zakias, Luke McCaffrey, Jameson Crowder, you add Noah Brown to it. Noah Brown, by the way, is pretty versatile. Based on my memory of him playing in both Dallas and Houston, he can play both the slot and he can play outside. Look, he's a big dude.

Let's see exactly what his height is. I think he's every bit of 6-263. And big catch radius, really good after the catch. He is 6-2-215. 6-2-215. And he was Terry McCloran's teammate at Ohio State. They played together at Ohio State. Not, I don't think, all of the years, because I think Noah Brown's been in the league longer than Terry. Terry was drafted, what, 2019. Noah Brown drafted 2017. But they did overlap at Ohio State. So good move for them. You know, they need.

needed something else in their wide receiver room. Sure, he could become their number two guy. I mean, that's wide open right now, right? Easily he could become their number two guy. And I would also say they may not be completely done yet. I do want to check one thing. Did Noah Brown return kicks? I don't think he did.

I don't think he's ever returned kicks. I'm going to check on that right now. No. No kickoff or punt returns in his career. So there you go. Big news. Noah Brown added to the roster. And obviously he just replaces John Ridgeway, who made the team, but then just got traded. So they were going to have to add somebody to the 53 man anyway, and their plan obviously was Noah Brown. By the way, one of the sound bites, and I'm going to still play it, is Adam Peters being asked, I think by Sam Fortier, about the wide receiver room and will they add to it?

So you'll hear what he said before the news about Noah Brown broke. This segment of the show is brought to you by MyBooky. Go to MyBooky.ag. Use my promo code. Kevin D.C. and MyBooky will give you a cash bonus of up to $1,000 on your initial deposit. got everything you need for this first full college football weekend of the year. It starts tomorrow night. Deon's Colorado squad plays tomorrow night. Right now at My Bookie, let's see what that line is for tomorrow night. It's nine. They're a nine-point favorite over

North Dakota State. That's not an easy game for Colorado in their opener. And my bookie's got everything all weekend long, all of the NFL futures, prop bets. My Booky is the place to bet football, even if you have a place where you're wagering on football already. Take the free money from My Booky again, up to $1,000 on your first deposit, free money into your account. You're playing with house money right from the beginning. But My Booky, consistently, one of the best shops out there. Fair point spreads, fair money lines, fair totals, fair pricing. Don't miss out on any of this week one college football action. Go to mybooky.orgie.org, use my promo code, Kevin D.C. Bet anything anywhere anytime only with my bookie. All right, let me start with. It wasn't the plan to start with

Adam Peters talking about receivers. But you'll hear the question. from Sam Fortier about the supporting cast receiver-wise for Jaden Daniels. And this was his answer. Again, this was his answer before it was announced that they had signed Noah Brown. How do you feel about the supporting cast you've given Jaden specifically in the receiver room? Yeah, we really like those guys, Sam. And that's why we felt we were comfortable with making them moves we made. And the guys that we have now are getting better and better each week and not just receiver room, but then you have two, really three running backs can catch the ball out of the backfield and one who's a specialist at it and Brian Robinson

I think is underrated at that. And then Jeremy McNichols is a jack of all trades. And then you got the tight end room where we got four really good tight ends on the roster and another fifth one on the practice squad that can all catch the ball. So that group of eligible receivers we think is really good and I've gelled really well with Jaden. So no real indication at that point from Adam Peters that they were on the verge of adding a pretty significant receiver to their receiver room. By the way, his overall take on what they have in terms of past catching options isn't wrong.

Look, you may not have a dynamic receiver after Terry. You don't have an obvious number two. Brown will have a chance potentially to become that. But they do have excellent pass catchers out of the backfield in Echler, and we know that Brian Robinson Jr. is underrated as a pass catcher. We saw that ability last year, and then the tight ends that they've got on their roster. I think Senate's going to be a big part of what they do, and I think Ertz, especially early on, and knock on wood that he stays healthy is going to be a big time target for Jaden.

Daniels. So there wasn't much in the way of a heads up on the wide receiver room. That question and answer actually followed another question from Sam 48 from the Washington Post about potential major moves still in the offing. Here was the question. Here was Adam Peters answer. Do you guys anticipate making any major moves now before the season? define major. It's too easy. I'm trying to think of something funny to say, but I can't. But it's going to give you the same answer here.

Sam, we're always going to do what we think is best for the team. So if a major move comes across and we look at each other and we talk through it with each other and we think that's best for us for the short and long term, we're going to consider it and we're going to make the move as best for the team. So we're not averse any of that, but we're not just, going to go make a big splash move just to make a splash move. We're not averse to any of that, but we're not just going to make a big splash move just to make a splash move, says GM Adam Peters.

Noah Brown's clearly not a splash move. By the way, trading for Brandon Ayyuk, had they done that, or if they were to do that, and I don't think they will, that's not a big splash move just to make a splash move. You know, they're not one player away from a Super Bowl, which many of you kind of viewed a Brandon Iyuk trade as. Like, why would they do that? They're not one player away from winning a Super Bowl. Brandon Ayuk's 26 years old. Brandon Ayuk would be a part of the building towards contending for a Super Bowl as your best receiver on the team. Anyway, there's a few other sound bites that I want to play for you. This next one is Adam Peters again. He was asked the same question Dan Quinn was yesterday, which is about last year's draft class and five of the seven players from the 2023 draft class being released.

Now, some of those players were reclaimed as practice squad players. But I want you to hear the answer because he actually ends up getting into talking about what they're trying to do right. now as in this year. Yeah, I think, you know, in regards to the draft picks from last year, and I think DQ hit it on the other day, Mitch, you know, these guys were all commanders and they're all ours, you know, so, and we're thrilled to bring a bunch of them back on the practice squad, and, you know, how it goes, a lot of them are going to be playing for us this year.

And so, and a lot of those guys embody what we're looking forward, we just had in our eyes, some other guys ahead of them, but that doesn't mean that, you know, they're not. going to keep getting better and become really good commanders for us. But you're always, you know, we're trying to win and goes back to his initial press conference. We're at recalibrating, so we're not, you know, we're trying to build for the long term and win championships, you know, year in and year out, but we're also trying to win right now. I think Dan Quinn and Adam Peters handled this question very well, but I think it's also because they were giving you their honest thoughts.

I mean, nobody's going to turn down really good players that can help you win because they were the last regime's picks. It's not the way it works. You'd love to come into a situation where the cupboard isn't completely bare. But what he got to there at the end was really what I wanted you to hear, which is, you know, he referred to Dan Quinn and said, you know, we're recalibrating. We're trying to build for the long term and win championships year and in year out, but we're also trying to win right now.

And that I really do, again, believe that while some of you kind of look at 2024 as rookie quarterback, new team, new staff, let's just build, let's grow, let's win seven games, eight games, and then set it up for 25, 26. Look, that wouldn't be a terrible result if it includes Jaden Daniels being the real deal. That's the most important thing really about this season. But if he is good, and I think they think he is and ready to do damage this year, I'm pretty sure they believe they can compete for a playoff spot. I really do believe that.

There was something else that sort of dovetailed off of coming. in and having the opportunity with a clean slate and pick your own players and develop your own roster. This was Adam, I'm like some of your predecessors. You're coming into a whole new situation with no kind of institutional knowledge of kind of what happened here, but having seen sort of players around the league. How did that fresh perspective kind of help build this roster for you from the time you started until now and kind of having a fresh and no preconceived notions about people who are here? Yeah, it's great to come in and it's also good. It's good for me to have a fresh set of eyes, but it's good for the players that we're here to have, you know,

us having a fresh head of eyes on them and allowing to, you know, evaluate them for what we see. And so I think, along with the guys that we brought in, you know, I can't, you know, be more complimentary of the guys that were already here in the way they bought into what DQ was doing and really having just kind of a renewed sense of what they're doing. And I could go on and on, but the, you know, the big names, you get Jonathan out. You got Duran Payne, you got Brian Robinson, Sam Cosmy, Terry McLaren. All those guys bought right into what DQ was doing. So that was really cool to see because they, you know, they didn't know us from anything either,

just like we didn't really know them from anything. And they bought right in and that was cool to see. So we're really, really proud of that, really happy and thankful to them for that. That's always the case with a new regime. It's not just about the front office and the new coaching staff, you know, looking at the players. It's the players hoping to get a new view from a new staff and a new front office. Because in many cases, you know, players don't feel like they're being evaluated properly. And they want to be evaluated by somebody new. Now, John Allen, Duran Payne, Brian Robinson,

Jr., Sam, Cosme, Terry McCorn, the players he listed are pretty much going to be evaluated by every front office and by every coaching staff the same way. Even Ron's coaching. staff or Ron's front office. But I thought that was an interesting answer. And then the last one I want to play for you, Dan Quinn spoke a lot during this as well. And he did mention, by the

way, that, you know, he was very proud that a lot of players that they had released wanted to stay and wanted to be called back to the practice squad or wanted a chance and wanted to express their gratitude. He had

mentioned that a couple of times. And use the secret sauce description another time or two to talk about kind of what they, you know, finding the right fit for a player. It's not just finding the player that has the right player traits, but it's finding that fit for the player so that the player excels at what he does well. Got a lot of that same stuff that we hear from Quinn all the time. But there was a question from Ben about identity in terms of the roster and what it looks like right now. This was what the coach said. And then for both of you, you know, in terms of the roster sort of along the same lines,

Dan, you mentioned this the other day with the two undrafted free agents, how they sort of maybe epitomize the mindset that you guys are trying to accomplish. How do you think, how much was that the ultimate goal to obviously want talent, but to build that mindset, build an identity, even maybe a, both, worrying about talent in the moment. I think you're on the right track, Ben, that you better have an identity and know what you're going to be about and how you get down, because if you don't, you'll just kind of hodgepodge it around.

And so I think when you see us play, you've got a glimpse so far of some of speed, of physicality, of going to finish. And so those are some of the traits that we admire about a lot of the players on this 70-man roster. And the more we do it, you know, the stronger it's going to get. but that is a really important piece of it. So you just heard from the head coach there, even though Ben asked for both of them to answer it.

But I love this answer. It's been the theme of so many of Dan Quinn's pressers, Adam Peters as well. They want a franchise with an identity of speed, physicality, going to the finish, as he said, meaning competitive, playing with a relationship, Flentless Motor. These are the traits, he said, that we admire about a lot of the players on this 70-man roster. You know, there aren't many teams that have true identities, franchises that have true identities,

because it just changes so much. I mean, you know, front offices, coaching staffs come and go, but Pittsburgh has an identity. Baltimore has an identity. And what's similar about those two franchises? essentially same front office, same coaching staff, or certainly head coach for a long period of time. It's something the 49ers are clearly trying to establish, and this is what they came here to do, whether or not they'll be able to pull it off, who knows? And it'll take time because you can't in your first season find 53 players, along with another 17 potentially on a practice squad that all fit that. player personality profile that you want.

But that's one thing, and I've said this many times. I have one expectation for this year in terms of what they have said they can do and deliver in year one. And that is a team that plays hard and competes their asses off regardless of the situation. Those are the kinds of things you can notice as a fan watching a game. Not every team. Not every team, you know, is still in there fighting, battling, competing down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Lots of teams go away.

We'll see what kind of, you know, personality, what kind of player traits, what kind of identity this team develops this year. All right. There was more sound, but with the Noah Brown breaking news to kick off this segment, we'll say. some of that maybe for another day. Look, this is probably the last press conference that will deal with roster, offseason questions, how, you know, they're going to go about practicing. Now it's all about Tampa Bay, you know, because when we get to next week and Dan Quinn's got a presser on Monday, maybe, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, we get the coordinators on Thursday. It's going to be all about opening day.

at Tampa. Stanford Steve next after these words from a few of our sponsors. Hey guys, I feel healthier, younger, and full of energy, all things being said about mitopure, the newest sponsor on the podcast, and the first product to offer a precise dose of urolithin A. What's urolithin A? It's a postbiotic. It's good for your gut. It's been clinically shown to energize cells, increase muscle strength, and improve endurance. And that's, just the beginning. Do you want to get older and still run, hike, play with your kids, your grandkids? Eurolithine is an answer and it's nearly impossible to get from your diet alone. Timeline is the Swiss-based life science company that came up with Mitopure. They're a global

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Plus, because you mentioned that you heard about us on the Kevin Cheon Show podcast, another $250 worth of credit towards your purchase. 86690 Nation, windownation.com. All right. Joining me right now is my friend Stanford Steve from the Scott Van Pelt Sports Center show. They're finally back on the air. I mean, you guys basically take the summer off. Pretty good gig. Love the fact that, you know, basically Scott left after the NBA finals and just came back in time for football season. Don't say we.

We get all this time off seven, okay? Just because he's not on SportsCenter. I mean, the others don't have to punch the clock. But, no, it was good to have the time off this summer. You know, you always have it marked. It's not a countdown clock. But you know when you're coming back, you know, we're starting to 10th year. now this week. We were able to

go the other night and start the first show. I went back. I came back from Ireland and then flew up to New York and we got to go to the U.S. That was my first time ever going the U.S. Open, which was fantastic. Got to meet and interview Djokovic, which was just incredible.

I had the local guy Teopo come over. But what a venue to kick off our 10th year. It was Scott and I's first time, blown away by that. So we're off running and then last night we had to follow tennis which was until about 1.45 in the morning. So we got it right back in our face. But it's all good. That's time of the year. Yeah. 10th year of Scott's Sports Center late at night. Amazing. Time flies. Yeah. He, you know, I don't know if he told you this, but when he went into the booth with Fowler and the

McEnroe boys the other night, I texted him and I said, you know that Johnny Max's my all-time number one. He is. He's my all-time favorite athlete. And then he had him on with, you know, you guys had him on the show. And I think Scott said something like, you know, my boy said you're his number one and he can't believe I'm sitting here with you. That's actually my, Steve, I swear to you. I mean, you guys have a much larger portfolio of big-name guests, but of all of the people that I've ever had on the show over the years. That was my favorite interview. I was able to get McEnroe because he was promoting a book.

This is probably 12 years ago, something like that. And he was great. He's very fidgety, though, sometimes. You know, like he's... No doubt. You know, he just... No doubt. He's super bright, but attention span, not always there, but that was fun to watch him on with

you guys. All right, I want to start before we get... Hold on. Hold on. Kevin, I got it. I got it. tell you, have you watched, this is the first thing I said to him, because he's up there for me and the stories of him in the supposed time he spent at Stanford, or, I mean, they are, folklore, don't even do it justice of what he pulled off while he was there remaining eligible

for the one year he was there and playing. Right. But did you see, he gave the commencement at Stanford a couple years ago, you've got to go find it on YouTube. It is, he, he just, he, It was so good, so good at what he did. They had never had an athlete do it. It was a big deal for actually Stanford to even acknowledge sports. So dig that up when you have some time off. It's fantastic. I have not seen it.

I just wrote it down in big letters. I'm going to watch it basically at some point this week when I have some time because I absolutely would want to see that. I just love the fact that you just said because they don't care about sports. alma mater. They don't care about sports at all. Well, now that you're in the ACC, will they care about basketball even a little bit? Basketball, the coach of change, I think there's a little emphasis. Coach Schmidt's done a good job. Again, on the radar, here's the issue, Kevin, is when you

don't care about something as much as they do with sports, they have no idea how many more eyeballs they are going to get just being associated in the ACC and what that brings. with TV time. Like those late night blowouts when you're getting killed by, you know, Oregon and Washington that are on Pac-12 network, like those are on a lot more eyes now. So you're going to get, I mean, you don't understand the presence that this conference brings. And then when you factor in how much you don't care, they're going to get bombarded and be like, what are we signed up for here? So I expect a rough start. with the coaching changes, there is a little bit of the foundation,

but they're nowhere near where they need to be to compete at the top of this conference starting off. So basketball maybe quicker fix, but football, I think, you know, you've got road trips to Syracuse and Clemson and back-to-back road games. That's still asking a lot from those guys. So we'll see. We'll see, but they are not set up. And I don't think they see what's coming down the road. You agree with me, right, that this is just all.

dumb. Like, I understand why, you know, the rush was on. You had to be a part of one of these four as the Pac-12 deteriorated. The Pac-12 could have kept themselves a league the year before by taking the Disney deal, right? Taking the ESPN deal. Yeah? I mean, that was... Yeah, for like, for like a dollar less. Right. It was no-brainer. Yeah, and they didn't do it. I mean, I just, look, I'm so excited about the season upcoming, and I'll be pumped for college hoops when it gets here. It's just different now. And I will adjust, I'm sure, in the 12-team playoff will make a big difference

as it relates to football. But overall, man, like, do you hate this as much as I do or not? I'll tell you what's come around, Kevin. I honestly, it might be a 3% or 5% feeling. But, like, this could all suck. And there's that ounce of hope where, you know, the PAC 2 is remaining, and those schools out west are like, you know what? Like, when you look at this, I'm fired up as anybody for this season, the playoff.

But, like, we could be at the end and have five SEC schools, four Big Ten schools, a Big 12, an ACC, and a group of five, and that's the playoff. Like, I don't think people realize that end of it, where we could have remit. matches in the first round of the playoffs. So there is a side where there could be enough negative backlash. The problem is, well, who are the teams going to be? You still have so much bravado with these teams that are projected to make the playoff. That's where, you know, I always talk about who can make a run in the NBA tournament, right? Now you've got to be capable enough to win, you know, multiple games. If you're not going to get that first round by, how many games you've got to

win to make the championship game, when the championship game, did you have to, where you're at large, did you have to play in the conference championship game? Like, there's so many more variables that I just, I'm trying, there's no way you could factor or look and predict all the factors, but there is a, there's a possibility where this thing is just dominated by the two super cops. Look, you said that there's a rematch. It could be a third time that these teams play each other when we get to the playoffs. You know, Ohio State and Michigan could play Thanksgiving weekend, play the following week in a Big Ten title game, and then play again in the postseason in the playoffs. So, yeah, no, that's a really good point

because if it ends up being eight out of the 12 or Big Ten in SEC schools, and there's one Big 12 and one ACC and one Power 5, and I mean, that would get us to 11. But, yeah, no, I get it. I mean, and you're seeing these rematches or potentially third matchups with teams. It's different in basketball because of all the games that are played. You play 30-something regular season games. But anyway, we'll see how it shakes out. I actually want to real quickly divert to our football team here, as in our professional football team here, the commanders,

because Steve is not only a massive college football guy, and part of college game day, tune in on Saturday for, where are you guys? College Station? Yeah, yep. He was in Dublin last week, hated the food. If you'd called me, I would have given you a few recommendations. I texted you and you offered me nothing. You did text me, but you didn't ask for restaurant recommendations.

And I just figured you're going over there with, you know, big, bad Disney ESPN. They'd have you hooked up. But Steve knows a lot of these people, you know, the people that coached and were with Jaden Daniels, Cliff Kingsbury, and the people that know Cliff Kingsbury well. Look, we've got those two as a big storyline for our football team. So I want to start with Kingsbury because I know you're a fan and I want you to tell everybody why. I just think he knows how to go about it. I think he's super relatable to players, Kevin.

I think he had a say in how they handled Jaden this preseason, and I don't think it could have gone better to enhance everybody's feelings, to give them a taste what they were going to see, like to go to that Jets game and know what they were going to get and to give people a little bit of wow factor. I mean, come on, you don't think that was planned when they get down the goal line, to set it up where they could set the formation. He could run that in to give him a run touchdown and get everybody who went and on.

You know, they made a big deal about him, you know, changing the play at the line of scrimmage on the deep ball. Like, if you go through this three season and see the way he was set up, I think it's a credit to Clip and the staff about how they've gone about this. I mean, I will admit, I was actually thinking about this. You are probably up there. I would put myself up there as watching as much Campander's preseason football as anybody in the country. I stayed to the end the other night watching the interview with Bobby Wagner. I love this change.

I love the freshness that they brought in. I love what they've done personnel-wise. You know, you hear people, everybody, you know, you and everybody talk about how it is they build for the future, but you've got to give some people a taste along the way to get some investment. You know, the little, you know, stuff they've done at the stadium. It's a little taste to get the interest level back. It's a totally different brand. But I think Cliff has been the orchestrator in the background.

I mean, you see it every day. I mean, the little stuff that no one talks about in setting him up, whereas he's been progressing this whole time. And you talk to other guys. That's in the league. Bobby Wagner's been here in the league forever. And for him to talk as loudly as he has, for Daniels, and you talk to other people around the organization, it could not have gone

better as far as the momentum building and then being ready and interesting for week one. Wow. I mean, you're really into this team based off of the preseason. Come on, you know better than that. This stuff means nothing what we saw. No, I know. I know. The idea of the access they've given to players, you know, you have a face of the team that's at the quarterback position. You know, people think about when the good times. That's been the most important thing. It is the most important thing. I'm not saying they're going to win 12 games to go to the playoffs like Tim Legler,

but I'll say that they have a chance. They are set up now. Obviously, when you get to this point and you don't have superior talent, you've got to play well every week. And this could go all out the window. What is it, 425, the first Sunday and 10? Tampa. Like, that's exactly what Miami has to go play at Florida at this week down in Florida. I mean, that time of day is brutal. I mean, it's not great here with it being 100 degrees this

week. But this could all go out the window week one, but you've had guys that have been through it. You've had, you know, a DQ that's gone through ups and down. So I'm just saying as far as a momentum from where they, from where they were a year ago at this time, it's like night and day with the personnel changes, the front office changes, the coach had changed. It's a great breadth of fresh year, which was, which is what needed. When you think about this, I just look at the head coach, and, you know, Dan Quix's not going to have his arm folded for the whole game. I'll tell you that.

He's going to be into it, and he's, he's approachable. I love what, I love it. I think it's exactly what they needed, and, you know, like I said, they're not, they're not, I'll be shocked if they go to the playoffs, but they got to, they got to, They got to keep the quarterback healthy. That's most important, but is a nice breath of fresh air for sure. Did Legs really predict 12 wins? I think he has 11.

I think he has 11. Okay, because... Pretty sure. Because let me just tell you, with everything that you said, I wasn't pushing back on the optimism. I'm actually more optimistic than I've been since 2017. The last year, Cousins was here. And every year since I've been pretty pessimistic about... the possibilities. And I've already gone on record predicting 10 wins and a wild card

birth. But part of it is I do trust in Dan Quinn. I think the defense will be improved. They, you know, it's a massive makeover defensively, especially at linebacker, um, and at defensive end and at safety everywhere, really. Um, but I'm just, you know, I'm a big believer. As you know, we've talked about them all last year. I think Daniels is totally made. Everything he does well is made for today's NFL. And I think it was one of the greatest college quarterback seasons I've ever watched. And so I believe in him, but we know that we're wrong, basically two out of every three times when it comes to these quarterbacks. So we'll see what happens. But I'm really pumped to see what the Kingsbury offense looks like with him just as an

offensive coordinator. I think that's going to be really interesting to watch. All right, you're into Washington this year. You're bullish on them. Not predicting postseason, but you like everything in the direction it's headed. Let's talk real quickly about college football. Let's just start. I'm going to go each conference.

I want you to give me the winner of the conference and any other playoff teams that come out of that league and quick reasons why. We'll start with the Big Ten. Who wins it? Who participates in the first? 12-team playoff. I have Ohio State beating Oregon in the

Big Ten title games, so therefore I have Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, and that is it from the Big Ten in the playoff. I do think that defense doesn't get enough credit for what they were last year and how all those guys bought in, or I should say,

got paid to buy back in and did re-up and knowing what happened and who's won the title last year. I think there's an investment from there. I love the hire of Chip Kelly. Obviously you know that. I'm talking to me how much I think the world of him as a play caller. And I think it's a scary

situation for opposing teams, knowing that he's just calling the plays. He could, he has all his time invested in that. I am real curious, though, to see the quarterback position. Will Howard's a solid quarterback. But this Julian is saying who they got from Alabama

flipped after Sabin, retired, is the guy, he practiced with Alabama before the Rose Bowl throws the heck out of the ball. If that kid progresses, I mean, they're going to bury teams early on, and he's going to be a big, big, wow factor. I think he's the guy that takes him to the next level. So there's something there.

But the skill guys, I mean, the unbelievable. I mean, Ken, I'll give you one. You love the combine. Jeremiah Smith is a freshman receiver five-star number one recruit in the country. The coaches staff did like an Olympics in the preseason, like after spring ball or maybe before spring ball. This kid, wide receiver, he brought jump to 11-2. He brought up to 11-2.

That would have been top jump in the NFL combine this past year. Like this kid's a freakazoid, and he's going to come in and be the new face at wide receiver along with the other guys. So they are loaded. Oregon feels like the flashy, flashy deal here. I do think the change of conferences is something we have to see how it plays out. they are built better than they have been on the lines of scrimmage. But I got got to go in the pick with Oregon.

Like I went back and since they went to Columbus with Mario Cristobal as head coach, they're all in six in games as an underdog. And we gave them way too much credit last year. I was slow to go on them. They got more credit than they should have for losing at Washington. Landing was the reason they lost that game. Yeah. Go for fourth down.

No doubt. They became a big favorite. in that game for no reason and got pummeled. I liked them, though. Didn't you like them or not? I forget. I liked them in the rematch. I got scared off. But anyway, I need to see more of that from Oregon.

We give them way too much benefit of the doubt. Now, they're set up for a great season. They get Ohio State to come to them. You know, they've got to go to Michigan, but their schedule sets up. I believe they're in a big tent title of them. Penn State. everyone talks about their biggest benefactor to playoff expanding. Again, I need to see more.

You better strap it up this week. Oh, boy. Go to Morgan Town. This one. That's a funky. That's a big game. It's a funky offense you're playing. That is a James Franklin.

He better get it done in Morgan Town Saturday, or they will be at his door Saturday night. I can't wait for that game. Unfortunately, it's at the same time as Maryland Yukon, but I'll have multiple screens going because I want to watch. There you. By the way, you know, Tyler Owens, do you know that name at all? Tyler.

It's okay. He was an undrafted free agent for Washington. He made the 53. He is a safety. He is an incredible special teamer. At the combine, he broad jumped 12 feet, two inches. It was one inch short of the world record. Wow.

Yeah, freakish athlete. By the way, I like Will Howard. I think he's going to end up being the quarterback there all year. He's a massive improvement over Kyle McCord. Massive from – I think he is. Just from the quarterback mobility factor for sure. Yeah. So, again, I go back, I look at Chip with whether it's quarterback mobility or not.

You know, I look at what he's done with quarterbacks. He's very versatile in what he does. So I do that. But back to Penn State, you talked about being at his door if something were to happen in Morgantown. I think he already feels it. I mean, going out and getting, which I absolutely love the guy for, is finally facing it and getting two new coordinators. I love those. I don't think that's getting talked about enough.

Cotal Nicky is a great offensive mind. Now, again, he's always had a mobile quarterback for do what he does. Aller's not that guy. Right. They need wide receivers to step up. They haven't had those guys in a while. but I love time out as a defensive coordinator. Former head coach to help you through those things,

to maybe change a way of doing things in big games where James has struggled. So I expect big things from Penn State. I think, again, very, very manageable schedule. But get this one this week because it's a monster. And those people are, I mean, they are already shopping at the bit to get those white uniforms in their building. That line is down to eight and dropping as it has.

has been pretty much all long season. All right. Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State. SEC, who wins it, who's in the playoff? I got Georgia being Ole Miss in the SEC title game. I have Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama, making the playoff. Yeah, Texas making the playoff. When I look at Georgia, I think they don't have the Jalen Carter's or to Leonard

Davis's, all those guys up front, but they have more guys. I think it's a different defense there. superior in the back end when you talk about secondary guys that have played. And again, a guy that gets lost in the shuffle, but Beck last year way exceeded my expectations. I thought he was fantastic. It was a different deal with Georgia's offense because they threw the ball and were used to seeing him with Kirby in charge. So I look at Georgia's being as legit as anybody. Plus, I think they got some serious bad feelings still about last year and how it all just crumbled with one game. So Georgia, we'll get to the ACC, but one team I've never

bought into, which I'm in on this year is Oldness. When you look at what Lane Kiffin has done, in the last three transfer portals, it's 26 four and five-star kids he's brought in there. And this year especially, I love what he did because he did it on the lines of scrimmage. And talking to Coach Saban, we were talking Ole Miss last week over in Ireland. They had more better skill guys maybe than us. They couldn't compete with us. And Lane made the change.

He got two guys from Washington's offensive line last year. He got a great A&M's best defensive guy on their line, on the D-line from last year. They're loaded. I mean, they are really loaded. And I look at Jackson Dart. Like the last time we saw him, Peach Bowl, Penn State, number one defense in the country, shred of them.

Shred of them. And they even got some more receivers, so I expect big things from Ole Miss. Alabama, I'm there. I'm a believer in DeBore. There's plenty of talent there. They're going to be the one that people get mad again.

But if there's a three-lost team in the playoff, I think it's them because of what their schedule presents them. A bunch of tough road games, but they got the big names. And I can't wait to see to bore with Milro and that evolution. And then Texas, a little down on them, because I think they lost more than people realized. When you talk to every coach about Texas,

they talk about those two guys that were drafted to do two detackles and how they formed everybody and everyone, their defense, around them. And you talk to any quarterback at offensive coordinator, nothing they hate more than when you could pressure up the medable with minimal guys. And those guys did that, and they built their defense. defense around it. Now they don't have those guys. They brought some transfers on the edge. They're happy because they don't have to blitz to bring pressure. But I look at that

offensive line. I look at, I think they got their hands full when they go to Michigan. Like Michigan, you know their offensive and defensive line are going to be good. So that's a tough spot. So I have Texas from there. So those are my SEC team. You mentioned a three-loss Alabama. This year, Georgia has a schedule at Bama, at Texas, at Ole Miss. They open with Clemson at home and they play tennis. see at home later in the year. Totally different for Georgia this year. ACC, who wins it? How many playoff teams? Again, a team I haven't bought into in 20 years, and I'm diving in, it's Miami.

And here's my hot take. I think they lose at the swamp this week, and they make the playoff winning the ACC. I get it with Crystal. Like I said, that's why I keep bringing up this Ohio State Oregon thing, because no one, everyone just talks about the Georgia Tech game, and in the game against Stamper when he was at Oregon with Chris the ball and the coaching. Two weeks later, last year, after they had that debacle against Georgia Tech, they'd be clems to with a quarterback that's never thrown a couch pass.

And then the following week, they almost went to the floor state in one with that same kid. Like Mario knows what he's doing, recruiting, offensive defense's line. I love the staff that he hired. They have built this the right way on lines of scrimmage. I mean, Rubin Bain, freshman D. Lyman, that kid, big old boy with a single digit, like he's a game wrecker.

I love it. Cam Ward, I just think it's a lot to act. If you look at how Florida State looked last week with all the transfers, you've talked about the home of communication, they were disheveled. We've got to get this guy at your ball. We've got to get this guy the ball. The practices aren't the same anymore. There's no joint practices.

There's a feeling out process, and I think this week, going to Gainesville, it's a lot to ask when you factor in how hungry Florida is. But I love what Miami brings to the table. Cam Moore is exactly what they needed. They struggled in the red zone 90th and red zone efficiency last year. He had eight rushing touchdowns himself. Like he's going to help that cause, along with his ability and what they built around him. So I got Miami beating Clemson.

I believe Clemson has enough to bring. And this was actually before Florida State played last week, Kevin. Okay. Yeah, yeah, I was going to ask you about that. Yeah. So you got Miami and Clemson. You got Miami and Clemson in the playoff. Yeah, go ahead.

I have two from the ACC. Yeah. I have two from the ACC, yes. I expect Clemmick to be better, and Clemson's got superior talent. They just can't get too beat up against Georgia, but I think they will compete with Georgia. After the disaster against Georgia Tech last year, Mario Cristobal, the head coach at Miami, who didn't know that they could take a knee and run the clock out, ran plays, they fumble, they lost the game.

He did hire a guy to come in and handle clock and game. management for him. He needed it badly. All right, Big 12, and then give me your non-power that makes it. Big 12 is not the – I thought Reese made a great point in the show last week. It's not the deepest conference, but it's the widest. And when you look at all the teams that have a chance, like we talk about West Virginia, their schedule is brutal, but they got the goods to do it. I mean, they won nine games last year. No one had that. I have them just outside the playoffs. So I have Utah beating West Virginia in the Big 12th title game. Or no, I actually, yeah, West Virginia or Kansas State.

I can't remember which one. But I love what Utah. Utah is going to be different this year, Kevin. When you look at what they have, Rising's back, but what Kyle Winningham did in the portal, they got four new receivers that all have Kyle's experience. They've got a kid singer who was at Arizona, USC, and now he's there. Michael Pittman started at Oregon, was at Florida State. Now he's there.

and they were all there for the spring. So I expect a big season from Utah. They don't have that brutal. They've got to go to Stillwater early. They get everybody at home, Arizona at home, which is key. So I like Utah to win the Big 12. I do have Notre Dame in the playoff. And I picked Appalachian State as the group of five team.

They get Liberty. I'm just out on Liberty, what they did last year, and then what they looked like against Oregon. And then what they did in the Out of Out of Liberty. a conference. It's a joke, their schedule. They're just trying to go undefeated. But Appalachian State gets them at home. And I think that's a big enough game where

App State could ride that. I mean, App State's going to have to play Clemson early, but if they have a decent showing there when they beat Liberty, I like their chances. That's my group of 5. I like Utah out of the Big 12 feet. I like Utah out of the Big 12 also. All right, net it out. You gave me 12 teams.

Who plays in the final? Who wins it? Oh, man. The pressure. So Ohio State, Georgia, Miami, Utah, with the buys. That puts Ole Miss as the five, Oregon, at the six. So Ole Miss would play Ohio. I would say Ole Miss can get there and play Ohio State. Do you want me to do the bracket for you? I can do the bracket for you.

I'll go Ohio State, Georgia. Ohio State, Georgia. believe that. And who wins it? I'm going to say Ohio State. All right. Two more. Who wins the Heisman? And give me, because you've done this every year for the last several years, give me the team that nobody's talking about that we'll be talking about at the end of the year as either a team that makes it or just gets left out.

But nobody's really talking about that team right now. I look at, first of all, Jackson's. We talked about Ole Miss. I love what they have. I mean, just going back and watching last year, they have five comebacks in the second half. Down at halftime, five times last year, came back and won all of them.

So I love Jackson Dart, the pieces around him. He's got good mobility. Lane call and plays. There's not too many better. So I look at them as a, or I look at Jackson Dart as a guy that got enough big time games. They get a rematch with Georgia. I guess that they're way better built to play Georgia. So you got him as the Heisman winner.

Yep. And then a team, I might as well just keep it a theme and dive in on teams that I haven't bought in, but I'll buy in this year. And that's Nebraska. I think their schedule sets up very well, very good possibility to win 10 games. I just don't know if they could beat those upper tier teams. When Nebraska comes back from this struggle and goes to a bowl game and wins a bunch of games this year. They have, I think they play at Ohio State and at USC, because I was looking at them the other day as one of those teams that everybody's talking about, especially if they come back as good as they were defensively last year with the kid at quarterback. Yeah, you know, it's one of those schools, I think for longtime college football fans, I'd actually love to see Nebraska good, you know, and playing big games in Lincoln. That would be fun.

No doubt. It's one of my favorite places I've ever been. Best fans, I think, in the sport, and I love what they bring to the table. I love rule. Everybody could talk about what he did at the NFL level. This is a different animal. The guy knows how to build it, man. Just go back and look. For the locals, I also have the Turks.

One, two, five, six and oh when USC comes to back. Yeah, I've talked about that. I've talked about the way the schedule sets up. Right now, they are actual favorites, you know, and look-ahead lines in their first six. and then USC, their first ever trip. I mean, I'm sure their fan base has been waiting for that first ever trip to the snake pit known as Capital One Field used to be Bird Stadium. But that would be awesome.

You know, Mike's done such an incredible job. They've won three straight bowl games. I mean, Randy Edsel, the disaster that followed, you know, it's just been hard being in that Big Ten East, and now we don't have Big Ten divisions anymore. It's going to be interesting to see what they do a quarterback. I think Billy Edwards gets the first shot Saturday against Yukon. But that would be fun if the Terps are 6-0 with USC coming to town

because they would be ranked at that point easily. Yeah, they better be. No, I just, I can't, again, I love what locks is done. When you go to practice and you see these guys, he's got Big Ten bodies. You went out there last week, didn't you, or two weeks ago with Scott? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, Jordan Phillips, D. Lineman,

sophomore for Florida. I mean, that kid is a big 10 defensive lineman. The skill guys are great. I think Billy's got the keys to the car to start. MJ has pushed. The team loves both of them. That's another thing is there's a lot of buy-in from the team. You know, you've seen guys lead, but a lot of guys have stayed.

Neo Avery, a kid from good counsel. My Lord, he's 275 pounds now. I think when I saw my play, he missed his senior year. When he was a junior at Good Counsel, he was like 2.20. He's going to be a rush guy from like the deep tackle position. He's going to wear number zero. Local guy, ton of ability. Was an old miscommit.

Like, he was at the FCC schools wanted him, and he decided to come to Maryland. So I love what Locke has done. I'm fired up to see the turps. Maybe game day could come to Maryland for the first time. For that SC game, yeah. I mean, little. Yes. It'd probably be an NBC or a Fox game, but whatever.

Nolan Ray, keep that name in mind. The Terps have a true freshman running back who apparently can't be touched when he's on the field. He's so quick and he's so fast. But they've got Roman Hemby coming back and he's had a really solid career already. So, all right, we do have Virginia Tech people that listen. So just real quickly, a lot of people. and I heard it last week on the game day set. A lot of people like Virginia Tech as a surprise team in the ACC.

Are you buying that? I, to an extent, Kevin, to an extent. I thought Pry was in a tough situation. The team again, last year when you're reading their previews, it's like every team you read about got a player from Virginia Tech, you know, and that's tough to overcome. But when I go back and you look at how they finish it. the season in getting to a bowl game and being impressive in the bowl game. My issue is

they didn't beat anybody good. And now with these expectations, and you're going to have them and a lot more eyeballs because you've got great tradition in that program. But you know, you go to Miami. You get Clemson to come to your place. So it's a different schedule where you guys change. I think it's a big game, especially for local people, where Rutgers coming in at the end of September. Like, you're going to know where you are. When you go to Miami, it's a Friday night game. I want to see if drones could throw the football consistent.

Yeah. I know what they've done and set up with him in the quarterback run game, but he's going to have to throw it. I could be totally wrong here. A super tricky spot opening up. 11 a.m. kickoff in Nashville and an empty stadium. That should be a home game for you guys. I'm sure it'll travel.

But I think they just missed the ACC Tile game. They'll win more games than they did last year, I believe. So I'm high on the Hokies, but I don't have them making the playoffs. College football gets underway in earnest, week one, tomorrow night, games on Friday night, Saturday, game day college station, all the guys, including this guy, Stanford Steve, who you can follow on X, on Twitter at Stanford Steve 82. Enjoy the season.

We'll be watching all season long. Thanks for doing this. Absolutely, Kevin. Good luck this season. Let me know if you need me. I'm always around. I will. Thanks.

Appreciate it. That's it for the day. Back tomorrow with Tommy.