The Kevin Sheehan Show - Pounded By Pats In Preseason Opener

Episode Date: August 9, 2025

Kevin in with a short recap of Washington's 48-18 loss to the Patriots in the preseason opener for both teams. Commanders' defensive tackle Johnny Newton joined Kevin from the locker room in Foxborough. Kevin responded to the latest news on the Terry McLaurin situation on the show as well.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it. But you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Cheon Show. Here's Kevin. And this ball's coming out. There's your speed depth. There it goes.

Oh, Barry Gummer two draft pick from Ohio State takes it. Travion Henderson takes the opening kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown. That was just the beginning for a New England team that hung 48 on Washington. in a 30-point win tonight in Foxborough. This post-game podcast here on a Friday night brought to you by Window Nation 86690 Nation, windonation.com if you need new windows. This is going to be a quick recap show of the first preseason game of 2025. It should include a player calling in from the locker room before we are done.

I'll get to my game recap in the next segment, what I like, didn't like, and a few other observations from a game that did not include any starters for Washington, but did include Patriot starters in the first quarter in particular. And yes, that does matter. I know I don't need to say this to most of you, but the result tonight does not matter. What does matter the way individual players played. in the context of a game in which both teams, for the most part, aren't necessarily game planning to win the game, but more so planning to evaluate players. Now, with that said, Dan Quinn's not going to love looking at a scoreboard

that says 48 to 18, regardless of how you would describe an NFL preseason game, you know, a quasi-competition and exhibition, he's not going to care who played and who didn't play tonight in a 30-point loss. I would imagine there are two areas that probably he's most upset with. Number one is New England's intensity was far greater. I don't think Washington came out with the energy level that a Dan Quinn team typically comes out with.

You know, last preseason, if you recall, a consistent theme of the first two games in particular, It didn't matter who was in the game was the enthusiasm, the energy level, the intensity level. That was not there to start the game tonight. And then the other thing that I am sure he is very unhappy with is tonight's game was the opposite of crisp. It was super sloppy. It starts with the kickoff return by Trayvion Henderson. By the way, how much did we talk about him leading up to the April draft?

first time he touches the ball preseason, he takes it 100 yards. Later on in the first half, former Washington running back, Antonio Gibson, returned to kickoff 62 yards. The Patriots had three kickoff returns tonight for 187 yards. That's 62.3 yards per kickoff return. Not good. Would guess more than anything that the coaching staff is talking about just how sloppy the team was tonight. In addition to the kickoff returns, plenty of penalties,

13 for 98 yards, a ton of miss tackles, a couple of drop passes, including an easy one on Washington's opening offensive drive of the game. Sam Hartman throws to Chris Moore for a first down and Moore just drops it. I mean, the ball was right between the numbers it would have moved the chains. It would have kept the offense on the field. But by the way, just saying that, Sam Hartman to Chris Moore, you know, not a pair of names you're going to hear when the season starts. There were a couple of performances worth praising, including one from a guy who absolutely will be on the field when the regular season begins.

I'm going to get to him and a few others who stood out in a positive way when I get to my game take coming up in the next segment. I do want to take here in this opening segment of this recap show a few minutes to just talk about the latest as it relates to Terry McLaren because this is still a much more important story than what's happening in a preseason game, especially the first one. And the reason I'm going to take a few minutes to talk about it here is because there's more information since yesterday's show. Yesterday's show, Tommy and I talked about the Jeremy Fowler report where Fowler had said on the Get Up show, the Mike Greenberg show on ESPN, that Washington had offered $23 million a year, barely more than what Terry's making right now. That seemed very low-ballish, to say the least. Well, later on in the day, and this was after we had finished recording the podcast, yesterday. Fowler updated that. He was on a podcast and he said earlier in the day, I said Washington

was offering $23 million. It's actually closer to $24 or $25 million a year. So if you want to believe the latest reporting by, I think, a reporter who's pretty damn good, then what we have right now is we have the divide. You know, it may not be totally accurate. We're basing this off of some good reporting. Schefter last week who said considerably more than D.K. Metcalfs at 33 million a year. But, you know, you take the Fowler story and comments, and we know that the divide, the difference is $8 million. 25 offered by the team, 33 a year asked for by Terry. Again, I say this, and I always ask.

The guaranteed money is the most important part of these negotiations, but there's not much reporting on that. So the conversation is about average annual. And the 25 million per year that the team reportedly offered Terry would put him with Devante Smith. Philadelphia is number two behind A.J. Brown at like 13th among receivers in the league. guys like DJ Moore, Jalen Waddle, T. Higgins, and Brandon Ayuk would be the next four in front of Terry from somewhere around 27 and a half million per year, up to 30 million per year. I personally think that 25 is not enough from the team. It's low ball-ish. This is not like a massive low-ball offer. 23 really felt like, whoa, 25. feels like, okay, if they came up and they got to 27, 28, that's kind of where I thought, you know, between 28 and 30 is where I've thought all along it needs to be. But 25 is not enough for Terry. 23 really would have been a poor representation of what he's worth. 25 isn't

enough either. 33 is too much. So the gap is large. And for me, the biggest question, question is why? Why does the team think he's worth roughly a 10% raise? And essentially, that's it. I don't know the answer for sure. But one thing is clear. And I'll give you a guess as to why. I think the team's offered 25. But what's very clear is they don't view Terry as a great receiver. they view him as a very good receiver. I agree with that evaluation. And maybe more importantly, they don't seem worried at all about not having him two years from now in 2027. And that may be the root of the why, why 25 million, why a lower offer than most of us thought.

Because if they view him as a very good receiver, but at a very good receiver, but at a, at 30 just for a few more years, then they're essentially saying, we're okay with him playing out this final year of his deal, the $15.5 million base and some roster bonus money. And then tagging him if we need to next year. It's cheaper and it's a pay-as-we-go situation versus having to come up with 50 to 60 million at signing. And while I think many of you believe this will be a distraction for Terry and the team, my guess is that feelings aren't necessarily driving the front office decision making right now. The chances of Terry playing this upcoming season on the final year of his deal are increasing by the

the day. I still think there's a decent chance something gets done, but Jeremy Fowler on a podcast where he updated the 23 up to 24, 25, he described the relationship between Terry and the team as a relationship that is fractured some. Fractured or not, he's not getting traded, in my opinion, and he needs to play. Holding out would not be good for him. And from the team's standpoint, if they're not worried about the feelings or the threat of a distraction, then playing out the final year of his deal and then using the tag and not worrying about 2027 and beyond when he would be age 32 and older, it might be the way they think financially, cap-wise, otherwise it's the way to go if Terry's not going to agree to a deal that at 25 million

probably would come with closer to 50 million guaranteed rather than 60 to 70. So look, I think he's got to play. I think he will play. I think he'll be in uniform against the Giants in the opener, whether he's got a contract extension or not. But the why of the $25 million offer, which does seem low. Like I think 28 is the right number. And if they paid a slight premium, 29 or 30, I'd be okay with that. But 25 seems low, 33 seems high.

The divide is large. It doesn't seem like there's a lot of progress to be had anytime soon. But these things tend to change. And Terry's still better off, by the way. If the team is adamant about, look, we're not giving you more. It's more beneficial for us to pay your final year. and then use the tag next year and pay you $44.1 million in two years and pay you as we go rather than signing you to a long-term deal. But we're willing to do it.

If he doesn't take their deal, then he's got no choice. And again, I know that for many of you, it's about the distraction. My guess is that's not something that they're very concerned about. They think the locker room will be able to survive this negotiation, even if the perception is the team didn't do him right. All right, my game take after these words from a few of our sponsors. So guys, if you're starting to notice your hair thinning when you look in the mirror, join the club, you're not alone. Life gets busier and busier and you don't have much time to think about it or do something about it. That's why I'm going to help.

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Here's Kevin's Game Take. My Game Take brought you by Window Nation. Windonation's most popular offer of the year is out there right now. now 50% off all window styles and you don't have to pay for anything for two full years. No money down, no payments and no interest until the year 2027. All I ask is give them a chance to come out and give you a free in-home estimate. They'll be in and out of your home in an hour or less. You'll actually find out which windows need to be replaced.

If you decide to move forward with Window Nation, best product, best customer service, and best deal. You cannot go wrong. And as a listener to this show, I promise you when you mention my name, they're going to take really good care of you. 86690 Nation, windownation.com. All right, what I like tonight, let's start offensively, because there were a couple of players that stood out. I'm going to start with Jacori Brooks, the six, two and a half, six three, 195 pound wide receiver that they signed as an undrafted free agent from Louisville. I thought he looked impressive. I mean, against, you know, backups and third stringers, all of that is in play when we have these discussions this time of year. But he looked apart to me. There have been some good things coming out of camp,

good things said about him coming out of camp, five targets, five catches, thought he got some separation. He's a big target. He's got good hands. He moved the chains a couple of times. I thought he was impressive. Jacori Brooks starts my list of things that I like tonight. Jacori Kroski Merritt, another Jacori, although this Jacori is known as Bill. The running back that you've heard a lot about, drafted in the seventh round. Look, it was seven carries for 24 yards, but I thought that he showed really good vision. I thought he showed really quick feet and some power at the end of, runs, you know, the 24 yards on seven carries, there wasn't much there. One of the things that

stood out in watching him, especially at New Mexico, was his vision. A little bit upright at times, but good vision and good quick feet cutback ability. I thought we saw some of that on display tonight. By the way, staying in the backfield, Jeremy McNichols, every time he gets an opportunity, he's impressive. You know, this was a guy that, most of the guy that people referred to as a jag, you know, just a guy. But he had some games last year. Remember, you know, off the bench in a blowout in Arizona. He had two touchdowns.

He had a really good game, if you recall, in the game, I think it was the game that Mariotta played against Carolina. Every opportunity he's gotten, McNichols looks the part. He's, you know, he's a powerful guy for not a huge guy. He's five, eight and a half, five, nine. I think he's probably two ten every bit of it. But another really good, decisive vision runner. You know, Chris Rodriguez has been that.

I didn't think Rodriguez looked great tonight, but I don't know how much running room there really was for him. But McNichols stood out to me. I thought Josh Johnson, man, I'll tell you what, this guy at 39 years old and how many teams has he played for, like six or seven. He was here, obviously, back in 2018. He just knows how to play football. He's not a starter in the league, but, you know, Jay Gruden called Josh Johnson one of the smartest players he ever coached. It's why he's still, you know, at 39 years old getting a contract. He's

clearly going to become a coach, right? I would think. And maybe, you know, his relationship with Adam Peters, because he was in San Francisco for a little while, maybe Peters said, come here, And, you know, we'll, you know, at the end of your career, we'll give you an opportunity to coach. That's my guess. I don't know that for sure. But, you know, I just thought, he threw a pick, but really it was a ball that was catchable. What was his numbers? 15 of 22, 173 yards. Josh Johnson, I think he should end up being the third string quarterback on this team if they keep three. and I'm imagining that they will. With four in camp, they'll probably keep three

and they'll probably try to put Hartman on the practice squad. Who else offensively? That's really, oh, 89. He did drop a ball and he got called for OPI on a drop, but I thought Lawrence Cager don't know a lot about him. He's been in the league with the Jets and the Giants, and he's not played in a lot of games, but I thought he looked pretty big and pretty imposing

and looked like a really good route runner. Again, you know, the competition means something. He had two catches for 35 yards, one of them was a 33-yard catch that he almost scored on. Yeah, that would be it offensively. Up front, to be honest with you, it's really hard offensive line-wise to judge much, unless there was something that really stood out, and I didn't catch anything.

Defensively, Johnny Newton had the play of the game, the sack, forced fumble. I think Johnny Newton's going to be a really good player this year. I think Johnny Newton's going to be an outstanding pass rusher this year. He is freakish, athletically, super quick. Go back and watch what he did at Illinois against Big Ten offensive lines. he was the Big Ten player of the year. Last year, he was not healthy. He wasn't healthy at the start. I think it just was one of those things he just never really caught up. Full off season. I've been hearing very good things from some of the people that I talk to occasionally out there about Johnny Newton and what they are expecting.

You know, maybe the pass rush, Miller, Louvo, Armstrong, but maybe there will be plenty of interior pass rush. as well. Look, bottom line is they've got to be a better run-stopping team this year. But I thought Johnny Newton had kind of the play of the game. I think there are going to be some games this year where we highlight him as a guy that the other team could not handle up front. I really do believe that. I thought Trey Amos got tested a couple of times and looked the part. He certainly looks the part from a size standpoint. So I had him on my list. Who else did I have here? That's pretty much it in terms of things that I liked tonight.

Yeah, Jacori Harris, I don't know if he's going to make the team, but there's a receiver depth issue, people keep saying. And so we'll see. Luke McCaffrey, by the way, tried to play, but he had, he was sick tonight and so he was limited. No other major injuries, although Kroski Merritt, as in Bill, did go to the blue tent during the game, but apparently he was fine. Yeah, that's it on the things that I liked.

Now, the things that I did not like, let's just start with something that absolutely counts, okay, in these preseason games. Matt Gay missed a 49-yard field goal. Wasn't close. Hooked it badly, went left. He made a 37-yarder. But Matt Gay's issue in recent years, longer kicks. He missed six from 50-plus last year, missed five from 50-plus the year before. Now, this was technically a 49-yarder, but almost 50-plus, and he missed that kick.

If we think this team's going to be in a lot of close games again, they've got to have more consistency at kicker. So he missed that kick. That clearly stood out to me. Overall, the sloppiness of penalties, special teams play, drop passes, mistackles, all of that sort of was out there on the negative end. you know, specific players. You know, I wrote down and I already mentioned it,

you know, I don't know if there was any room for Rodriguez to run, but I didn't think that he looked great. Yeah, that was kind of it. The Patriots moved the football. The Patriots ended up in this game with 153 rushing yards. Keep that in mind. I mean, Stevenson, they're starting running back averaged over five yards of carry. the guy 34 came in, averaged five yards of carry.

Gibson averaged four and a half yards per carry. Again, no starters on defense. I'm just saying if it was like a scheme issue, and they're not scheming up for these games, number one mystery, number one concern heading in to the upcoming season, without question, is run defense. Other observations. Most of these really have to do with the other team.

I think Drake May looked good. I think Drake May is a runner is really dangerous. You knew that at Carolina. I thought the kid Woolridge who came in looked good. Look, everybody that was in there for New England looked good against Washington's defense, no matter who was in the game defensively, especially once Johnny Newton left the game. Yeah, Drake May, he's not going to be Jaden, I don't think.

I mean, I did not think that coming out or going into the 24 draft. I don't think that now. But Drake May definitely, there is a presence to Drake May on a football field. I think you saw it sometimes last year. I think the key for him is keeping the bad decisions and the bad throws to a minimum. I mean, this is a guy that threw 10 picks last year in 13 games. You know, he will throw, as he did at North Carolina, he will throw balls that make you wonder what were you looking at.

But a young quarterback with a great quarterback coach, offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels. Anything else on the other observation list? What did I write down? I think that's it. I mean, there wasn't a lot to this game. It was, you know, a one-sided beatdown. You know, a couple of the quarterback scrambles for touchdowns.

I mean, defensively, clearly, you know, not good enough in containing the quarterback. Yeah, that's it. I wanted to mention one other things if you didn't see this. I guess I should have figured this out anyway, because week one, Washington is the best game on Fox. Well, at 1 o'clock on Fox September 7th, it'll be the number one crew, Kevin Burkart, Tom Brady, doing Washington and the Giants from Northwest Field.

There really isn't another great Fox game, and week one is a CBS double-header week. But that was announced today that the number one crew will open up in Washington. They did Washington's last. two games of the season last year, the divisional round game in Detroit and then the NFC championship game in Philadelphia. All right, I am going to stand by here because we are supposed to get a guest. They are telling me it's going to be either Josh Johnson or Johnny Newton.

So stay tuned for one of those two gentlemen right after these words from a few of our sponsors. All right, joining me right now, I guess one of the players that actually played very well tonight in his limited snaps defensively. Last year's first second round pick out of Illinois, the Big Ten player of the year in 2023. Johnny Newton is with us, and he had a sack and a forced fumble that led to the team's first points of the game early in the second quarter. a feel to be out there tonight and back on the field playing some football, Johnny. I felt great. You know, it's been a minute last year. I didn't get to play preseason, so it was an exciting experience for me, and it felt good to be out there with my brother. Yeah, you know, I was going to ask you about last year. You know, there was a lot of excitement.

You know, the team certainly thought that they got a guy in you early in the second round, a guy that probably would have gone first round without some of the injuries that you had. You're final year at Illinois. Were you ever right physically last year? I mean, mentally always, you know, mentally always yourself that you are, but realistically, no, I wasn't, but, you know, you don't look at those things. I just, I just want to play, so that was my main focus last year. How do you feel now going into this year your second year? I feel great, more comfortable, just ready to play football, you know,

no more overthinking like I was as a rookie. Now I know what my assignment is and just going out there and doing it. Johnny, where do you think you can make the most impact on this defense in 2025? Definitely rushing a passer for sure. Yeah, I think that's what a lot of people believe you'd be very good at. What makes you a really good pass rusher? My speed, my athleticism, I'll just use that to my advantage. You know, a lot of those guys are bigger,

a lot of those guys are big. I can move pretty well and always use that as my advantage. Tell me about the guys you'll be playing with, the Javon Kinlaas, the Duran Pains. You got, you know, an opportunity to play with Duran last year. Who's really impressed so far in camp? Who do you think's poised for a big year? up front.

Those guys, honestly, from what I've seen so far, throughout camp, just dominating the whole camp, watching them put in the work every day and just the way they go about things. That's professionals. I think they're both due for a really huge season. What's been the emphasis defensively this year? You know, the team got bigger with Javon, with Goldman. Duran's already a pretty big dude.

What's been the emphasis in the camp? How do you guys want to approach 20-25 in terms of improving off of what, at times, last year, was a difficult year defensively? Yeah, for sure. You know, the biggest emphasis was stopping a run, you know. We got great padd rushers, but we've got to be able to stop the run.

That's why we got those guys in here. Like I said, they made a big impact so far through our camping. I'm pretty sure they're due for a great season. Tell me about the presence. I mean, you've got some veteran guys that you're getting a chance to play with earlier in your career. A future Hall of Famer times two in Bobby Wagner and Von Miller. Give me just a little bit about both of those gentlemen. both know football like the back of their hand.

Just something that they live, breathe, eat, and sleep. And the knowledge that they give us is locked down now. They know so much about football and then they just always fill it back. You know, they never hold it into themselves. So that knowledge is used every day throughout all of our games. Give me a player so far that maybe fans aren't thinking about necessarily. on the defensive side of the ball that you feel is going to surprise people as a contributor when the season begins.

Quan Martin, for sure. Kwan Martin. Tell me why. The camp he had has been remarkable, turning to work. And I saw him during campus. I just know he's due for a big season. season. Quon Martin, who really came on at the end of last year, also had that pick six in the playoff game in Detroit. Some of the young players, you know, you're a young player too, but in

terms of rookies, it certainly seems like a lot of people believe Trey Amos is having a really good camp. What have you seen? Exactly what everybody else seen. Like they said, he has had a really huge camp. for himself. So it's really exciting to see him all through our camp. Coming out there with all the older guys, getting reps with the wines. The kid's really impressive, and I think you'll have a bright future of himself. All right. Back to you for a moment. I've been talking about you and I've been saying, you know, you're going to be one of those players you've already talked about your strength as a pass rusher, as an interior, you know, at times with your athleticism and quickness.

You were a game wrecker in college. I watched a lot of you at Illinois as a Big Ten guy. And you're going to be one of those guys to keep an eye on. If I were to say, ask you right now, guess who's going to lead the team in sacks, but you can't pick yourself? Who would you pick? That's a tough question. We got a lot of fast rushers.

That's hard. That's hard. I put you on this spot, I know, but sometimes players will have like a hunch, right, about somebody, yeah, he's going to end up with 10, 11, 12 sacks. So you don't have an answer that came right to your head on that one. You think there are a lot of contenders? So that's always going to be a rush to that quarterback for sure. Definitely with the guys we got, I think it would be a great competition for sure.

All right, let's finish up with this. How did Coach Quinn handle tonight after a 48 to 18 loss in a preseason game? What did he say? Like any coach, we just got to go back. We didn't play a great game on any aspect, offense, defense, or a special team. So we've got to go back in the lab, correct our mistakes, and start back from square one. you know, look at this from review it, and we got another game to play. We got two more preseasoned game.

So it is not the end of the world for anybody. So like I said, just go back, watch a film review it. I got mistakes and not make them again. Can't wait to watch you this year when the real games begin. Thanks for doing this. Have a safe trip home, Johnny. Appreciate it. Thank you.

I appreciate you. Have a good one. Johnny Newton, everybody. Thanks to Washington's PR staff for making that happen. They've been great. They helped us out most weeks last year following games and providing us with a player to talk to, and we'll certainly try to make that happen again this year. All right, that's it.

48 to 18, the final. Wow, 48 points. That's a lot of points to give up in a preseason game. You usually don't see 48 put up in a preseason game. game. They weren't very good on defense. They weren't very good really anywhere, but in particular on defense, but I'm not concerned about the defense because of tonight. I'm just concerned about the defense in general, and I don't think we're going to have many answers about what they're going to be defensively until we see them in real games starting on September 7th. All right,

back on Monday. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.