The Kevin Sheehan Show - Redskins Best And Worst At The Midway Point

Episode Date: November 8, 2018

It's a Sports Fix Thursday and Thom Loverro is in. They start the show by discussing the Capitals' win over the Penguins on Wednesday. They then move to taking a look at the best and worst from the Redskins in their first eight games of the season. Who was the best player? What was the worst moment? Plus predictions for the second half of the year. They talk about the latest news around Bryce Harper, including that the Dodgers offered the Nationals Yasiel Puig for him during the season. Scott Van Pelt joins to talk about Maryland, college football and more. They wrap up with NFL Power Polls. <p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p> Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You want it. You need it. It's what everyone's talking about. The Kevin Sheehan Show. Now here's Kevin. You're listening to The Sports Fix. Good morning, everybody, or good day, everybody, or good evening, everybody. It depends on when you're listening. It really does. Who are you, John Walton? Good morning. Good afternoon and good night. Good night, John, boy. Good night, Elizabeth. Not that John Walton. You see, if you listened to a Caps radio broadcast, you would ever know. You would know what I'm talking about. But you are so unplugged from the world.

I am unplugged from radio caps play by play. I will tell you that. And I've heard John is pretty good at what he does. Yes, he is. And we've had him on this show, not this podcast, but I've had him on the show before. And he says his call is good morning, good evening, and good night. Right. And so last night it was good night, Pittsburgh.

Yes, it was. It was goodnight Pittsburgh. Almost goodnight T.J. O'Shey, who took a beating from Malcon. I have a couple of things on the game last night, which I will get to momentarily, but I want to mention that this show is presented by Window Nation. If you're in the market for Windows, call 86690 Nation or go to Window Nation. And tell them we told you to call. Scott Van Pelt later in the show. Only guests today.

Scott, Aaron got a little upset with me yesterday. I had four guests on the show. Four guests. I had Doc on the show. I had Gary Williams on the show. I had Tim Murray on the show, and I had Chelsea James on the show. She had broken the Bryce Harper story about the offer. And I just, I don't know why we did that yesterday.

I can tell you this. We probably won't do that again. Okay. So it didn't go well. No, it went fine. I love all those people. And the segments for me were all good and informative. But I'm just saying that, you know, I think four guests are too many.

You know, I'm kind of shocked because the more guests you have on, the less opportunity you have to talk. Exactly. That should have been a good thing. Yes. So the Caps won last night. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I'm a little out of sorts here.

You are out of sorts. I mean, you came in here, you haven't smiled once, you barely looked up. What were you eating? You got a big loaf of French bread there. French bread and milk, baby. That's your lunch? That's my breakfast. That's your breakfast.

Yes. I stop at the safe way, grab a loaf of. French bread, a little thing of milk. Whole milk. Yeah. French bread. Little French baguette. Tommy walked into with a baguette.

But it's not, it's not easy in my pay. Look, you've got me all messed up because you gave me homework for this show. And I don't like that. No, you don't. I don't like being told what we're going to talk about. No, you really don't. You are, I swear to God, and this is the thing about Tom, and I've said it for years about Tom. He is high maintenance.

This is a myth. He can be so difficult, and there are only a few of us that get him and can understand how to work around that. But he is upset this morning because I call them early this morning to say, hey, I want you to think about a couple of things for a segment that I want to do on the Redskins. And he doesn't like to be told to prepare for anything. No. Unless it's his idea. If it's his idea and everybody else is preparing, he's fine with that.

Because when we did our radio show, we would always get together at the end of the show, you, me, Mark Stern, our producer. And we would sit in my office or your office, usually mine, because yours was just this shrine built to you and it got annoying after a while. And we would come up with ideas for the next day or the rest of the week. Yours, it was like a prison cell. I know it was. It was done on purpose that way. And when you came up with an idea, man, you left that day, you were happy. when you came up with an idea.

But if it was someone else's idea, you just sort of trudged out of there. Oh, God, I got to go study or I got to go prepare for the show. You know, this high maintenance thing is a myth. I mean, like I've always said, this is the thing about me. It's my simplicity that makes me complicated. I'm a simple man. You are a very simple man, but you are also very much a lone ranger. You are happy when you have complete control over everything you do,

for an entire day. I guarantee you it's difficult for you to take direction from your wife, from anybody that's been in your life, you don't like to be told what you do, even if it's the simplest of instructions. Excuse me, my name is Kettle. Hello, Mr. Pot. No, I'm much more coachable than you, much more. Real quickly on the Caps game, if you missed it, O'Shee took some big hits last night. One from Mata, a stick to the face that I think ended up being a cut that cause stitches. And then the big hit from Malkin, Malkin got a five-minute major. Some people thinking he'll get more than that. I think he'll get suspended. At least a game or more. That knocked O'Shea out twice in the game, and then he was back in the game at the end to hit the game winner

with a minute 13 left. Now, in the post-game press conference, he seemed a little confused. Why? I mean, he wasn't answering the questions quite right. I mean, he really, look, this guy with a history of concussions. Like every, look, you can say that about every hockey player has the history of concussions. He just seemed a little bit off in the post-game press conference. And he even joked about it at one point. So, but it's a big win, you know, I mean, Pittsburgh's struggling right now, but it's still a big win.

Holfby had his best game at a season. I think he stopped 41 shots. So. They were out shot 42 to 22 in the game. Carlson's two assists were great. The first one to Ovechkin, the look away on the power play, was a great assist. What's interesting about these two teams, they've played every kind of conceivable game against each other forever. The first game this year was seven to six.

Yes. And this one was two to one. And it's just a matter of whether or not, I mean, both teams came out. There was high intensity. In fact, I think a lot of the Pittsburgh players thought that they played a great hockey game and just lost one of those games where they felt like they had the ice tilted most of the night. Well, they haven't played very well this year, so I'm sure they probably did. But, you know, it's interesting.

Whenever a Caps player gets hit now on the ice, Caps fans go nuts on social media and saying, if that was Tom Wilson, they'd give them 60 games. So this is their standard now. The Tom Wilson 20-game suspension is the fallback for Caps fans. every time one of their players gets nailed. Well, Malkin didn't have a hit last night. It was a 20-game hit. I know it was.

I know, but that's the move. The 20 game was based on history, too. Right, but that people don't care about that. That's the move. Back to the concussion thing. Do hockey players, I don't know this answer, perhaps you do. Do hockey players, have we seen the same kind of CTE problem down the road with hockey players? I don't know.

I don't know. My impression is yes, but I can't really. speak to that. I've only paid real close attention to the NFL. So I don't really know. There have been individual cases of hockey players who, who, you know, in their 50s, were pretty much out of it. But as far as numbers, I don't know what they are. All right. Let's get to the Redskins segment for the day, the segment that you were given some homework on. And I may or may not participate. It didn't make you very happy that you had actually had to actually prepare for anything. But we're sort of at the halfway mark. I mean, the Redskins have played nine games. What?

The Redskins have played eight games. The Redskins are, I'm just saying some team, did you take a hit to the head? What I meant to say is some teams have played nine games. But we're only talking about one team. But the Redskins are at their halfway mark. Which is exactly their halfway mark. Well, it would be because they play 16 total. Yes. So we're at the Redskins halfway mark. They're five and three. You know what I might. I may have been jumping ahead to what I believe will be the result on Sunday at 5 and 4. I don't like their chances Sunday. I think they're going to lose Sunday.

Really? I do, but we'll do that a little bit later in the show. I don't know if I think they're going to lose. I think it's going to be a tough, tough game for them to win. Well, of course. It's going to be a tough game because they're going into the game with a makeshift offensive line. Yeah. It's a big game, though.

But here's the halfway mark conversation. We're going to do two conversations. One is the best and worst so far, the best player so far, the best unit so far, the best moment so far, and the worst player unit and moment so far. And then we're going to make predictions on the best and worst to come in all three of those areas, player unit and moment. Okay, now if you're listening to this, doesn't that sound like a lot of work? It's not really that much work.

Doesn't it? And here's the thing. and I'm being serious now. None of this work that I've ever supposedly given you as if it wasn't sort of a collaborative effort anyway, you don't do it anyway. You just come into the studio and you just sort of figure it out as you go.

So why do you get so upset? You want a piece of bread? No, I don't. I've got a better baguette for you idea the next time you come in. There's a bakery, a French bakery, downstairs that has great French bread, Safeways, no offense, and Safeway, you got great stuff, but Safeway's French baguette, nah. This is working just fine.

I'm sure it is for you. All right, let's get to the best and worst so far. Best player so far through the first half of the season for the Redskins is. Are you going to tell me? No, I'll, you're going to go first. I'll go first then. No, I'll go first. Yeah, because go ahead.

I'm sure you can come up with something real quickly. No, you go first. John Allen's been their best player so far. He's a total monster of an interior defensive lineman. He is the one guy consistently that must be game planned for. He's the guy that takes most of the double team action from an offense. He influences the rest of the defense, and he makes it easier for other really good players. They haven't had a player like him, and then even if they did, they didn't have other good players to take advantage of it.

But now they've got ionitis and they've got pain. Foster's benefiting. Kerrigan's benefiting. Preston Smith is benefiting. The pass rush that comes from the interior helps the secondary. John Allen's been the best player on the team so far. Okay. I will say Adrian Peterson, the obvious one, is the best player on the team so far this year.

Because of these two, the one they could least afford. to lose is Adrian Peterson. They could live without Jonathan Allen and still compete. They can't live without Adrian Peterson. I think that's true. I just think that Allen's been the best player. If we had a conversation about the most valuable player, Adrian Peterson probably would have been it.

And that would have been homework well done. That would have been an A on your homework. I had Adrian Peterson as my runner-up in this conversation because he is not only truly valuable, which you picked up on early. I'll give you credit for it. I really wasn't convinced that they couldn't do some of the other things without him, but they couldn't have. And I didn't envision a pass offense so anemic. Yes. I don't know if anyone did. Certainly not Jake Gruden. But Adrian Peterson has been great so far. I would also throw into the conversation, Tressway's been magnificent. Oh, absolutely. And DJ Sweringer's been really good. Yes.

I would say both those guys deserve consideration. Tress Way has been extremely valuable to their game plan. All right. Best and worse so far when it comes to the worst player. We've given you our best player, the worst player. To me, it's Alex Smith. He's been their worst player. And these are the reasons.

A, he hasn't gotten comfortable with the offense yet. That's apparent. Did you hear what Doc told me yesterday? Doc basically equated Alex Smith, with RG3. And said, that's why the coaches are having a hard time coaching him.

He said, you can't drop him back. I think you can drop him back. But, and I don't think he's RG3, but I know what Doc's saying that you've got to get him

even more involved as a runner and on the edges. You've got to get him mobile. I'd be shocked if they don't do that on Sunday. Alex Smith's been their worst player. He hasn't been

accurate when he's had time. Many times when he's had time, he doesn't think he's got time and he gets very antsy. The inaccuracy throwing the football, I didn't really see that much. Certainly not last year in Kansas City, but he had great weapons. But he's been a C-minus D-plus quarterback this year. Now, I am cautiously optimistic that it's going to get better because I've seen him play better as a starting quarterback in the NFL. When he's gotten results, yes, he's gotten results.

yes, he's gotten results with better players. He has. Other than Adrian Peterson and Jordan Reed from a talent standpoint, where are the impact players offensively? Maybe when Thompson and Crowder come back. But the quarterback has been the worst player on the team so far. I don't think it's going to last. Again, I am optimistic that it'll get better.

But I couldn't come up with a player that was worse in the first half of the season than the starting quarterback. I can't disagree with you. Alex Smith is my worst player, too. I mean, it really is remarkable. I mean, look, it's going to be about the quarterback in the NFL all the time because it's a quarterback-driven league, and you've got a quarterback who can't drive, basically, at this point.

And, I mean, I got to think, no matter what they're saying at Redskins Park, Jake Gruden has to be, you know, this has got to be the most, the most frustrating five and three record a head coach could ever have. I mean, especially a coach like Gruden, who, you know, loves quarterbacks and loves his toys and loves his plays, and he's got a guy who can't do any of them right now, any of them very well. And I'm not so sure it's going to get much better because I think you hit on the key thing is we've seen Alex Smith play well with better weapons.

They don't have any better weapons. You know, the thing about the five and three is, I'm not frustrated. I like watching a team that's pretty good defensively that can run the ball that doesn't hurt themselves. You know, I know that there are limits to this team, especially given the competitive landscape, they're not going into New Orleans and winning a game. We've already seen what happened there. There are multiple places they're not going to go into and win in a postseason game if they were to get there.

But I'm okay. Look, Jacksonville, with a better defense, like a lot better defense. and the Redskins defense is much improved. It's not where Jacksonville's defense was last year. But Jacksonville, with similar quarterback play from Blake Bordell's last year that the Redskins are getting, had a running game and had a defense and turned you over and made you pay for those turnovers and played field position and got to the AFC championship game and nearly got to the Super Bowl. Now, that was a dominant defense.

The Redskins are not a dominant defense. But if Jay Gruden is frustrated with how. they've gotten to five and three. That's his problem. And he's going to have to get over it. And he's going to have to figure out how to scheme up a better offense with the tools that he has at his disposal. I mean, you've said that you've said about Jay Gruden, you know, he's a quarterback. He's played quarterback. And he's probably harder on quarterbacks because he's a quarterback. Well, again, if you've got a guy like Jay Gruden as the head coach who, you know, help mold a guy like Andy Dalton, who played the position for years and you're handing him a quarterback who is very limited, you're taking away a lot of his fun. Now, again, I mean, look, you can live and you can enjoy the success of how you're winning.

but deep down Jay Gruden has this list of plays that it's basically trashed by the end of the game. Yeah, again, I'd be really surprised even with all of the injuries. If we don't see improvement there, you know, Jay, even with the injuries the last couple of years at times, it was able against certain opponents to scheme up some offense. and there are people even, they're a limited receiving group, especially with the injuries to Crowder and I would throw. And now Paul Richardson. But I'm not, it's not a rose-colored glasses, you know, thing for me.

I just have seen Alex Smith be better and I know Gruden is good at designing something. Perhaps Doc is right that the offense has to change a lot. I don't know. I think it's not rose-colored glasses, but I think what's at work is it's hard to imagine this continuing. It's hard. It's hard to believe that this will continue. It's hard to believe that they could be this-inapt offensively for the whole year with their new quarterback. What does concern me a little bit with the offensive line issues,

Alex Smith has had happy feet at times with no pass-rush pressure. So this will be something to watch, which will make it imperative. and Doc pointed this out yesterday. I would urge you to go listen to Doc's appearance on the show yesterday. I thought it was really good some of his points. He also had a lot of good points about sort of the cornerback position on defense. But, you know, Jay may have to, you know, adapt his offense to not only what Alex does well, but what Alex could potentially do well with a limited offensive line at this point.

All right. The best and worst so far this year when it comes. comes to a unit on the team. The best for me, and to me it's not even close has been their defensive line, as a rush defense in particular. Now, until Sunday, Atlanta had just had them off balance all day. And I'm not trying to say that this rush defense is like the 76 Steelers, or some of the great rush defenses of all time. But it's the best we've seen around here for a while. Their fifth right now in rush defense, 13th in yards per carry allowed. Last year, they were dead last as a run defense. The year before that, they were 24th, and the year before that they were 26th.

Okay? So it's not just that it's an improved run defense. It's a good run defense. It's not the best in the league, and it's not the best ever, but it's so improved, and it's the strength of this team right now. It is, if you can be consistent as a run-stuffing team, and last week was a step back, I'll give you that. All right. Atlanta had them off back. They threw it on 11 straight first and tens to start that game. It wasn't like they were lining it up and running it against the Redskins. They ran it more consistently against Nickel than they did against the Redskins base defense. But it is the strength of this team.

It's also the most encouraging part of the team's future because it's young and it's good and talented. and I would keep adding players to that defensive front seven. Remember when the Giants had a really good pass rush and a really good defense, and they kept drafting and kept adding. I keep doing the same thing. If your best player on the board next year in the first round is a defensive lineman or an inside linebacker or a pass rusher, you keep adding to that defense. That is really the glass half full on the team's future.

So through this first half of the season, the best unit on the team. so far has been their defensive line. Well, these are, these are glaringly obvious. This one is obvious. Yeah, it is the defensive line. I mean, because of everything you said, look, I predicted the Redskins would be nine and seven because I thought their front seven would be strong.

I thought they'd have more of a pass rush from the outside than from the interior. I thought the interior would help Kerrigan and Preston Smith, who in a contract year, I assumed would basically. I think he's playing well, Tommy. I don't think the numbers reflect what Preston Smith has been at times. I actually have been impressed with him. Well, the numbers are going to reflect it when he sits down to negotiate a contract.

That's probably true. But they also know, the coaches know that Preston Smith is playing pretty well at times. And Kerrigan's been very good here recently. Yes, and he does. Everyone knows he gets held every play. But that's always been the case. the defensive line, the best unit. The worst unit just is the pass offense in general.

Well, I would say the past receivers. Okay. Well, I mean, the quarterbacks too. I mean, you know, it's the, look, the receivers aren't getting any separation. They're not winning quickly enough. What's that, what's that noise that we got going on in the studio? Where's that coming from? It's coming from your phone more likely than not.

You know, it's not coming from my phone? Where's it coming from? Was it coming from your phone, Aaron? Wasn't coming from my phone. I think it was. No, it wasn't. Yes, it was. No, it wasn't.

Yes, it was coming from your phone. Why do you think you picked it up first? No, I picked it up to look to see if it was coming from my phone, but it wasn't. It was coming from your phone. You know what? It wasn't coming from my phone. Maybe it was coming from whoever's watching us here in this studio. You know, maybe, maybe, I mean, wherever we are, maybe we're being watched.

There's a couple of buildings in the general vicinity that are. interesting buildings. I'll tell you about them. There's one right across the street I noticed. All right. So I hope somebody doesn't come over here and take my microphone away from me or try to. You know, it seems to be a thing now by this government. The worst unit on the team is probably, yeah, just the past offense and the past receivers and the court, all of it combined. It stinks. But you know what? It's also to a certain degree, Tommy, a reflection of a failed off season strategy. not going after a better receiver than Paul Richardson. First of all, he had an injury history.

There was Landry. There was Alan Robinson. There was, I would have drafted Anthony Miller in the second round out of Memphis. He's in Chicago. I don't even know what kind of year he's having, but he would have been perfect for this team. Montcrieff, Dante Moncrief. He ended up in Jacksonville with a terrible quarterback. He may have had a similar situation here in terms of results,

but the Redskins didn't address this. and the offseason, and then the player they did sign, had an injury history, and then Crowder's, you know, missed games have hurt too. Crowder really is, as a slot receiver, the best hope they have, along with their tight ends. But you know what? We haven't seen that good Jameson Crowder that we think about in a long time. Boy, they were all super positive about the leadership. Yeah.

And the quarterback position. All right. Best and worst moment so far of the season. The best moment is beating the Cowboys. The play made by Carrigan on Prescott that Preston Smith ended up scoring on for their first win over the Cowboys in three years. First win at home over Dallas since 2012. That's the moment so far in the first half of the season. Do you have a better one? No, that's it.

I mean, that speaks to everything the Redskins have done good this year. because they had Dallas pinned deep in their own territory, which speaks to the field position battle that they've been winning. The defense created the pressure, created the sack, the turnover, and then the fumble recovery. That, and that turned out to be the difference in the game, really, when you think about it. So, I mean, to me, that's their best moment. That's the moment that says who they are this year.

Worst moment, there are a couple of them, but the New Orleans game as a whole was just an embarrassment. It was a humiliating night. But early in that game, the Monta Nicholson's stupid penalty pushing Ingram to the ground for a second time that cost them 15 yards and gave them, you know, and cost them a chance to get off the field early. It wouldn't have made a difference that night, Tommy, but it was lack of, I thought they, in their losses, particularly their last two losses, Orleans in the Atlanta game. It wasn't just that they, you know, generated no offense in those games and their defense wasn't as good against really good offenses. They were, they lost their

poise in those games. They really didn't play with a level of intelligence that we've seen in five wins this year. Yes. They played more like the aura of self-destruction that we've come to expect. We thought it was. We thought, okay, here it is. After the New Orleans game. Now, Well, for me, the worst moment was, as a whole, was the Indianapolis game. I mean, you could argue that was Alex Smith's best game. He completed, what, 33 out of 46 passes for 292 yards. Oh, I didn't think it was his best game. Statistically, it was his best game.

It was? 33 out of 46. I just remember a first half where there were people wide open against soft zone coverage, and he never threw it to him. statistically his best game, they only have nine points. They have more yards than Indianapolis in the game, 334 to 281. The Colts turned the ball over two times on Andrew Luck interceptions.

The Redskins have 20 first downs to the Colts, 17 first downs, and all the Redskins could muster with three field goals, nine points. That to me, in a winnable game, because the Saints game was never going to be a winnable game. Right. That, to me, is far worse than what happened in New Orleans. Yeah, I mean, I think Alex Smith's best moment of the season was the drive last week against Atlanta. I think that was his best drive of the year.

And clearly the first half he played against Green Bay was his best overall play. And the offense's best overall play of the season. That indie game, to me, I mean, I don't have my indie notes in front of me. But here's my memory from the indie game. They got run on early, which they did. Marlon Mack, you know, when Wilkins ran it on them early, and then against just incredibly soft coverage, soft zone coverage, which Jay Gruden's offense riddled the last few years with pitch and catch,

easy chunk, you know, six to 12-yard, you know, move the chain plays. They just decided that they weren't going to do that. They got real fancy with stuff early. And, you know, I don't even put it all on Alex Smith. I put some of that on Jay Gruden. They didn't adapt to it. And I think Gruden pretty much admitted it after the game. You know, they're coming off.

They're a big road win, impressive road win over to Cardinals, which seemed bigger at the moment than it really was. They're playing their first game at home. They're looking to change the narrative of this team. And they absolutely lay an egg against a team that everyone expected them to beat. To me, that's the worst moment. All right. we're going to get to our best and worse to come, all right, our projections on the best player here in the second half of the season,

unit and moment. But first, let me tell you about window nation. If your furnace is kicking on and off again over and over, the reason is your windows are old and drafty, and you're letting cold air in and hot air out, keeping you up at night, and every time you hear that furnace kicking on and kicking off, higher energy bills, you're wasting money.

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You'll get two free windows for every two you buy, by four get four free no limit plus zero percent interest for five full years save thousands on your windows and your energy bills use for holiday shopping this season call eight six six 90 nation or visit window nation dot com and tell them that i told you to call have you ever lived in a place where they had steam heat with radiators and steam heat yes yes yes yes well steam heat yeah i don't know i I don't know the answer to that. I mean, I know what those sort of graded radiators look like? No, steam heat.

I lived in, well, I grew up in Brooklyn with steam heat where basically they deliver coal to a furnace. And it creates steam that comes through the pipes. And I lived in a house in Scranton that had that as well. And when you do that, when the heat comes on, like in the middle of the night sometimes, it's like somebody taking a hammer. Because it's loud. And banging the pipes. I mean, basically the steam for some reason as it's coming through the pipes creates this like bang, bang.

I mean, like literally taking a hammer somebody downstairs and banging the pipes. And that's a familiar sound to me. I grew up with that. And that's so foreign to anybody else. Did that heat smell? No, not really. No, but a noise? I mean, literally, I can't describe to you how loud it would be.

Well, how about the noise of a window unit air conditioner, which I grew up with? We didn't have in that, and the house that we lived in for a while did not have central air. We had window units throughout the house. And on really hot days and hot nights, I would try to sleep right next to that air-conditioned window unit. And that noise was very soothing. Like, I can still hear that noise, the rumbling of a window unit air conditioner. People still have window unit air conditioning, right? Not every place has central air.

I would think most places do, but a lot of old places don't. Yeah, I would think so. You know, I never had air conditioning, you know, growing up as poor as we were, Kevin. Well, you didn't grow up in a swamp. You know, D.C. was swampy back then. But when I went to school in Miami, I had air conditioning. Yeah, I bet you did in Miami. All right, let's get to sort of our predictions for the second half.

The best and worst to come, and we'll start with a player. I'm going to start with Duran Payne. because I think Duran Payne is just going to keep getting better and better and better. First of all, he is a true run stuffer. A guy that they haven't had in terms of that size, that strength, that athletic ability. Tommy, this is going to turn out to have been a really good draft choice. And there was a lot of discussion, Vita Vaya, a lot of different players. He's also a pocket-collapser.

and he's got greatness next to him on both sides in Allen and Ionitis. I just think Duran Payne's going to continue to get better and better. We have not even seen anywhere near the best of Duran Payne. And this defensive line is a whole, but pain is a difference maker. So this is basically an optimistic look. It's a projection of the best to come and then we'll get to the worst. So this would be an optimistic look. Yes.

Right? Yes. I'm going to say Jeremy Spinn. Sprinkle will be the best player in the second half for the Redskins. That came out of nowhere. I like it. You want to know why? I do.

Because he might be the only tight end left by the time they're playing the final two or three games of the year. So my player is Jeremy Sprinkle. You'll see him catch more balls than you ever thought he would catch. You know what? I actually like Sprinkle. I think he's talented. I think he's, this is an area. If he's catching passes for you, you're in big trouble, buddy.

Well, we've seen a lot of three tight end stuff, you know, where he's. he's had the opportunity. How many balls has he caught this year? He caught a couple early, didn't he? I don't remember. But he'll be catching him late. I'm actually curious about how many balls. Because I think they'll be at, I think, you know, I think they'll be out of tight ends by then. Well, let me just say that my projection of the worst sort of player to come, I just, I don't have a lot of confidence for whatever reason right now. And trust me, this is nothing to do with his talent. I don't think Jordan Reed looks right. He doesn't look right.

I know he was banged up a little bit last week, and Jay said that he's going to be fine for the game against Tampa. I think there's some frustration with Jordan Reed, because I think during this first half of the season, he's been open more than you would think and hasn't had the opportunities. I didn't like the fact that last week, you know, at 2814 on a key drive, he wasn't in the game. I know he was hurting a little bit, but there's something, it could be just a total hunch and sort of a body language guess, but I just don't feel great about Jordan Reed. Not his talent.

His talent is still there. And for them to really be any sort of threat from a pass offense standpoint, you would think that Jordan Reed's got to be a big part of that. Well, apparently, I think he's got more targets still than anybody on the team. I've got that information up. Yes.

He's got more targets. That's remarkable, considering we don't think that he's been used enough and he's got the, that tells you everything about the pass offense. The guy who we don't think they're getting the ball to enough is getting the ball more than anybody. I haven't looked at these numbers, but Jordan Reed's been targeted. You're correct, 53 times more than any receiver on the team, and he's only got 33 catches on 53 targets.

That's not good, people. That is not good. Now, we, Sprinkle, Sprinkle doesn't have one catch this year. I thought he had a catch earlier in the season. Oh, that's just a moment that you had. But I'm saying Jordan Reed, it's more of a hunch that the production that we would have hoped that Jordan Reed would have had, you know, an 80 plus catch kind of a year. You know, it's not going to happen. It's not going to happen for a lot of reasons, but I think some of the reasons are him.

I want to see, I would like to see Jordan Reed say, I get this. sense that Jordan Reed doesn't say, get me the ball. Like, give me the ball, give it to me right off the snap. Put me in a bubble. Let me run a bubble where I get a quick screen and get more touches. And I wish he were more demonstrative when it came to that. What do you think of the possibility? Because I don't know Jordan Reed from Adam, and this is probably blatantly unfair to say, but it would only be human nature, maybe not among football players. but maybe this one, to have had the injuries that he's had over the years, and particularly the concussions that he's had over the years,

that maybe are not quite as aggressive as you used to be. Well, he hasn't had a concussion in a while. I know that, but his next concussion could be his last. I mean, he literally considered his family was begging him to leave the game the last time he had one. Here's what I know, and I don't know Jordan Reed very well, had him on the show at the park multiple times. He's soft-spoken. He's a nice, young guy. And he's quite... He may be their best athlete. He's quite a talent. I mean, we know that. And look, one of the things going into the season, what was one of the big, you know,

sort of storylines that we all talked about over the summer? We get Jordan Reed for 16 games. Yeah. We've had him for eight. He's eight for eight. But he's got 33 catches on 53 targets. he's got to get more involved and I know that recently they've tried to target him more. You know, they clearly in the last, well, in the giant game, that was, I think, the highest target game of the year for him. Hold on, here it is. Yeah, 12 targets against the Giants, seven catches. He got targeted six times in the Atlanta game, four catches. You know, where is, look at the yardage for Jordan Reed.

Good God. Where is my eight-catch 110-yard touchdown game? One touchdown. He's got one touchdown on the year, and it came in the opener against Arizona. I guess part of it is I look at him and I see a guy that isn't overly enthusiastic about the offense right now. But I'm saying I get that. No, I get that. But you're saying it's more him not being aggressive because of injuries, past injuries. I think that, I don't know. I wouldn't blame him if that were the case. All right, best and worse to come unit. I think the running back position, I'm confident in the running back position. The offensive line will see how they should impact everything offensively.

I get it. And Jay Gruden's going to have to be good at scheming around it because I've heard this from many people over the years, Cooley in particular, you can scheme around deficiencies in the, the offensive line over a guard here or a center there or a guard there. Maybe you can't over when you have the three-fifths or four-fiths of the offensive line. We saw that last year in several games. But Adrian Peterson is not going to slow down if he gets the opportunities. Chris Thompson coming back, I think, is really big for this team because I think they can use

him as an extension of the run game by throwing him the football. And look, if you didn't know this before, it's your own fault. Alex Smith has been the true Charlie Checkdown quarterback in the NFL over a long period of time. Maybe not last year, but more years than not. And Chris Thompson would be their best checkdown receiver. Yes, he would. Because I don't have any problem. He'd be there, Roy, hello.

I have, well, you don't want that kind of game. But, you know, he had that, well, how many catches did he have in that Indianapolis game? That was the game where he had like double-digit catches. But I have no problem if Chris Thompson's healthy with them using him to move chains on checkdowns. I don't care how it happens, but moving chains will be crucial for this team. That's the only offense Alex Smith knows is moving the chains. If he's good, there's no quick strike there. No, there's not a real deep ball.

I think he can throw the deep ball. It's just not what he's made a living doing. You can throw the deep ball. Look, if you're throwing to Tyreek Hill, that's an easier deep ball to throw. Yes. I think the backs will be the best to come from a unit standpoint. I'm looking forward to seeing the backs continue to get better with the return of not only Chris Thompson. Hopefully he can return.

I know this is a potentially painful injury and he may not be back this week. I can tell you this. I like Capri Bibbs. I've liked him since the first time I saw him. and I know that they like Byron Marshall. I don't know if they'll be able to get them up, though, with all these injuries along the offensive line. Yeah.

You know, this is really hard. I mean, because I don't think the defense is going to get better. I mean, I don't think they're going to play better than they did in the first half. I think the offense is clearly going to be worse all the way around in any way, shape, or form. Running back, offensive line. I can't name one unit that's going to be better. I can't name one. You know what?

Not one. know what unit couldn't be any worse? Do they get anything off of returns? They get nothing out of their special teams returns unit. Yeah, but who does anymore except on punts? punt returns. You're right. I mean, they're punt returns.

Listen, if you're the Redskins, if you're a Redskins fan, you're just glad they're not fumble in the return. Stroman's averaging five, that's true. Stroman's averaging 5.6 yards per return. I mean, you have very low expectations on the return game. You just don't want them to turn the ball over while they're doing it. their pun coverage unit and their punter has been outstanding all year. All right.

A moment. Best and worst to come on the, do we just do our worst on the unit? No, we just did the best. We did the best. And I can't come up with one. Oh, because I think they're all going to take a step back. And that's a problem because the offense hasn't taken a step forward yet. I would say that I'm not totally confident that the secondary is going to be great covering.

And I think, you know, you had Atlanta and New Orleans just sort of show you that, you know, the Redskins are not a man-cover team, not against that caliber of wide receiver and quarterback. And you do have, you know, you've got Houston. We got Tampa this week. You have Tampa this week. You're playing a guy who's thrown 17 touchdown passes in six games in Ryan Fitzpatrick. And you got Philly twice. Yeah, I'm with you. That's a hard one.

How about moment? I do have a prediction on the best and worst moment. How can you possibly... I'm going to give it to you. How can you do that? You realize how ridiculous this is? I don't care. I know you don't.

How many times do I do ridiculous? Well, you do it better than anybody. And when's the last time I cared about it? That's true. Here's going to be the best moment of the second half of the season. I would love for it to be that they beat Philadelphia in the season. finale at home to win the NS East. That would be great. But I don't think that's going to happen. Okay. But I do think on Thanksgiving Day, they're going to go in and sweep the Cowboys.

The Cowboys have Philly this week on the road and then Atlanta on the road. They're staring three and seven and toss in the hat on the season. That's it. They're done when we get to Thanksgiving day. And the Redskins go in there and beat the Cowboys for the sweep of the season. It's When I say that's the best moment, look, last year's best moment was the Seattle game. That was the best moment of the year because it was so improbable with what they went in with. This year, it's going to be Dallas on the road Thanksgiving. The turkey, the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, and the pies are all going to taste much better because they're going to complete the sweep of Dallas.

They're going to send them to three and eight. And in the moment, make the Redskins seven and five. I think they'll split the next two, win on Thanksgiving Day, be seven and five going to to Philadelphia, first weekend in December on a Monday night for a huge showdown against the Eagles. I would love for the best moment to be the Eagles game at the end of the year means the division at home. Here's the best moment. And you're right, they are going to win in Dallas. You're going to do this after calling it ridiculous? Well, because all of a sudden I had a genius moment. Yeah, because you thought of something. Because you're right about that. They're going to be

Dallas, but here's how it's going to happen. They're going to be. down 16 to 3 at the half. Alex Smith is going to have two interceptions and the offense is not going to be doing anything. Clint Longley, Colt McCoy. And they're going to bring in Colt McCoy in the second half to relieve him. And Colt McCoy is going to lead the Redskins

to a 28 to 23 win over Dallas on Thanksgiving night. Well, Colt McCoy's already led a big win over the count. That was the best game of 2014. that miserable season. Actually, it's one of the best games period over the last five years. It was a great win.

So that is my best moment. All right. My worst moment is that they're going to get to the end of the season and the game against Philadelphia. It's, oh, God, I don't want to say this. I don't think it's going to mean anything when they get there. I think these injuries, I think the offense, I think it's an, there are things about this season

that are going to be encouraging moving forward with the next staff and the next front office. But we're going to get to that season finale against the Eagles and probably be somewhere around 8 and 7 and it's not going to be for what we all want it to be. That's my prediction. I hope I'm wrong because it would be great to get to that final week of the season, have a home game against Philadelphia for the division.

Here's what I think the Redskins won't be in contention for, Tommy, a wild card. Well, nobody in the NFC is going to be a wildcard team. More likely than not. I mean, it's not impossible. No, it's not, but it's not likely. I just think that, you know, Carolina, New Orleans, you know, clearly in that division, you know, you're going to have a wild card at this point. It would certainly look like the NFC South is going to produce a 10-win wildcard team or more. and you've also got Atlanta in that division.

You're at Seattle, I don't know. The NFC North just, I would think that between Chicago, Minnesota, and Green Bay, there's a chance that the non-division winner is in the hunt for a wild card. Okay. The worst moment. It wouldn't be a Redskins season if they didn't lose a meaningless game to the New York Giants. They're going to lose to the Giants when they, a Giants team that will be horrendous, that is literally trying to tank at this point of the season when the Giants come to FedEx Field to play to Redskins.

That will be the worst moment of the season. All right. Look, by the time you get there, I can't imagine that we'll get to December 9th and the Redskins won't be playing a game of importance and the Giants won't be. So that would be a bad loss. I'm looking, I'm just looking at it like realistically. They can, they can definitely split the next two games. But that split happens beating Tampa. No, not necessarily.

Oh, come on. I don't agree with you. Come on. Do you know, do you know, if anyone cared about Alex Smith, if his wife, if his family cared about him, they wouldn't put him out against the Houston Texans. Really? They wouldn't put him out there on the field. enough of you. I think they are in a bit of trouble this week at Tampa. It's the last,

this is a good offensive team. Now, you know, turnovers are going to mean everything. If they can't turn Fitzpatrick over like everybody else has. Tampa has been the worst turnover team in the league. I know. They'll set it up and then the Redskins can't, you know, punt after a turnover. I mean, that's the opportunity. start with a turnover at the other team's 40. That's the opportunity for the Redskins is, you know, create turnovers, have the ball deep in Tampa's territory, have a short feel for Alex Smith to work with to score. I mean, the defense could either lead to or itself may have to be responsible for at least two touchdowns.

I'd see a good chance of winning two of the next three. that's what I'm that's what I'm going to say what why are you laughing at that it's just crazy well what do you think they're going to lose all three I think if they're lucky they'll they'll win one in the next three I think there's a chance I'm not going to say it's a good chance

I think it's 50 50 or slightly better than 50 50 that the Redskins can split the next two and then go into a Dallas Thanksgiving Day game with the Cowboys reeling and get that second win in the next three games and that would put them at seven, well, if they got two of the next three, that would put them at seven and four going into that Philadelphia game. So you think then what they can do, what they weren't able to do last year after the Seattle game.

Because after the Seattle game, no words, what? Do you remember what happened after the Seattle game? Yeah. Okay, what happened real quickly? Well, they went three and five. What was the next game after the Seattle game? I don't remember the exact game. The next game, the next two games were,

Minnesota and New Orleans, where they had chances to win both of those games, and the offense was cranking at that point. They were starting to get some people back, and then the New Orleans game, the way it ended, and losing Chris Thompson, that was it. Done, even though they beat the Giants on Thanksgiving. It doesn't matter how it happened, Kevin. The situation they're in right now, you're good. That's good for a one-shot moment of glory. You can't sustain that momentum moving forward with the damage that they've incurred. I'm just saying last year when they had all those injuries, okay,

and they lost to the Cowboys with a depleted offensive line in the rain, and the defense was falling apart at that point with losing players. And then they had the miraculous win at Seattle with four-fiths of their offensive line, or close to that out. Jordan Reed out, no running game, no defense. Zach Brown played the game of the year, I thought that particular day. And then they followed that up with chances against two really good teams last year, Minnesota and New Orleans. The New Orleans game was the soul crusher because they had that game won and had they held on to get to five and five.

Now, they lost Chris Thompson in the first half of that game, right? I think that was the first half of the game. That was going to hurt them moving forward anyway. but they didn't crumble when they lost all those players. It's not like it happened right away. Why? You know why? Of course.

We both know why. The quarterback. They were able to move the football and score and stay in games with their offense. And you can look at the Seattle game and say they couldn't do anything. He was beat to a pulp in that game and then came up with the big drive. And it was also a heroic effort defensively by Zach Brown and a few others. Yes. But anyway.

But again, I don't want to get into that. Again, this is what I talked about my column. Alex Smith is going to have to win a game for you for the first time this year. Yeah, yeah. And Kirk Cousins, he was capable of losing a game for you. Alex Smith is capable of doing a lot more than he's done so far. I don't think he is. I know you don't.

I do. I'm not, I'm never going, I'm not going to go down that path now. I knew what we were getting when we traded for him. It's just not been what I thought. All right. He's been much worse than I thought. he was capable of being. A lot of that is new offense, new receivers, injuries, etc. But he's been much worse. I know he can be better than what he's been. We've seen that before. We've seen

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They're located right there in Fairfax Circle. You can find out everything they have right now, live inventory, live pricing at Farish Cars.com. All right, let's get to Bryce Harper, Tommy, and Chelsea's story about the Nats offering Bryce Harper on September 26th, late September. a 10-year $300 million offer to stay as a Washington National. Describe that offer in your words. I want to hear what you think of the offer, whether it was sort of a faux offer or it was legitimate and they really wanted them. I think it was a cover our behind offer.

I think it was an offer that they could say to the fan base, since, look, during the time we were the only team to be able to talk to him, we made him a legitimate offer. An offer, an unprecedented offer you could make the case for. I don't think they ever thought that Bryce Harper was going to take it. I think everybody knows Scott Boris's game and Bryce Harper's game, and they're determined to go to market. as Scott Boris called it yesterday during the GM meetings, they're going to call it Harper's Bazaar. Really?

That's interesting because I had Chelsea on the podcast yesterday, and she said it was received very well. They thought it was a genuine and very respectful offer, and that the relationship between both sides is very professional, cordial, and it didn't close out the chance that he could come back. Well, that's not what everybody's reporting now. I mean, Bob Nightingale is reporting the Nats are done. They're washing their hands of this.

Well, okay, I haven't seen that report. The Nats did say, and Mike Rizzo did say, there is an expiration date because we've got to move on. Yeah, they've got to use, they're going to have to use that money someplace else. Right. It's interesting, you've got the winter meetings where a lot of stuff happens coming up the first week in December. in Las Vegas,

Bryce Harper's hometown. That's very interesting. And maybe something will happen there. And it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Nats could, you know, if Bryce Harper and Scott Bores say, this is the offer on the table for us, let's say,

from the Phillies, what are you going to do? And it's possible the Nats could say, okay, we'll match it. But I don't see the learner family ever. doing that. The learner family does not like to do business that way. They don't like to be dictated to as to how much they spent they'll spend by other, by other bidders, so to speak. Okay, so let's just say you're right that this was not a legitimate offer. They thought he,

I think it's a legitimate offer. But it was a cover there behind. They didn't, they didn't think he would accept it. Right. All right. And they wanted to look like they were putting their best foot forward for the fan base that they attempted to keep Bryce Harper. And it helps for us. because it gives them a base number. Of course it does. To move forward and say, look, we got this hanging out there. What are you going to do to other teams? It also is important, isn't it, that the Nats didn't ignore Harper,

didn't low-ball Harper unless you think 300 million 10 years is a low-ball offer? I've heard some people describe it that way, and maybe it is, but I thought as we got towards the end of this year, or certainly in the middle portion of the year when he was really struggling, people were talking about more of a $300 million offer versus these crazy $400 north of $400 million because he wasn't very good for most of the year.

Remember, at one point, he was hitting like 207. I get that. I never bought into that. I know you didn't. I never bought into that. Scott Boris is talking about $500 million. I think that's a bit. You think he's going to get $400 million?

I think he will. Here's what's going to happen. A team is going to have to set. There's at least one team, maybe more out there, that determined that at some point this year, we're going to go after Bryce Harper, and we're going to spend whatever it takes to get him. Because that's how you get a player like that. And this is what the nationals know. When they made that $300 million offer, they knew he wasn't going to take it. And they know in order to get Bryce Harper, you're going to have to make him an offer he can't.

refuse, as they say in the business. You're going to have to overspend far, overspend far more than you want to. And they'll be at least one or two teams that'll be willing to do that because that's the guy they've targeted. I know from

a pure on the field standpoint that Soto, Robles, Eaton, Taylor for what they cost, it's a damn good outfield. And it's a really good business situation for the nationals to have that.

And I know that they've got a big decision and a lot of money probably earmarked for Anthony Rendon after next year, a guy they definitely want to keep. Yes. I would love to know in those conversations that the nationals have, that Mike Rizzo and the learners and everybody has, about what they think the business impact will be to the team,

to attendance, to everything that goes into the business of their franchise, not having Bryce Harper as a part of the team. If they think it'll be, I would love to know, somebody penciled this out to say, if we spend $350 million and we get them, it means this much in revenue and there's a return on investment, even though we've got a very expensive outfield. You know, it's funny because part of the rhetoric that Boris was peddling yesterday was since Bryce Harper came up to the nationals, their attendance has gone up this much.

revenue has gone up this much. Their TV ratings have gone up this much. But the winning also started with Harper. Yes, but that doesn't mean Harper was responsible for the winning. Well, but he was responsible for a big buzz about the team. And then the winning came simultaneously. He came up. That was the first year they went to the playoffs. Yes, I know that. And it came simultaneously. And he's been part of it. But he hasn't been the only part of it. No. And I've also always contend that position players do not do not put people in the seats on a regular basis. Pitchers do.

Position players generally do not, because one thing, you never know when a position player is going to play. You just don't know for sure. You know when a pitcher is going to pitch. So I think the position players as a marketing commodity for attendance is overrated. Maybe for TV, it helps. It's a big deal. Maybe for merchandising, it's certainly probably a big deal.

I don't know if they've quantified. but Boris went on a rant yesterday saying that basically all the Nationals' glory and success is because of Bryce Harper. And I might want to point out they... Did he say the same thing about Strasbourg a few years ago? No, he didn't have to. Last year? He didn't have to. I might want to point out that the Nationals, you know, didn't get past the first round of the playoffs with Bryce Harper.

Yeah, but they didn't fail in getting to the second round because of him. Well, Kevin, he has a 220 batting average in the postseason. He also had some of the most clutch hits that they had and really some of the only clutch hits they had. And he also had some of the biggest strikeouts and missed opportunities in the postseason too. In a series that you blamed on pitching when they lost to the Giants rather than whatever they hit for the series, which was like 175 or whatever for the series, and you blamed it on pitching, if I remember correctly, Bryce Harper was the only one that came up with any hit that mattered in that series. I'm playing that I'm pitching because the Giants scored the same amount of runs as the Nationals in that series.

I remember. I remember. I love this quote, though, and I talked about this with Chelsea yesterday because I just like this guy and I know you do too. And I think he is smart. I know he's highly competitive, which I think is one of the reasons he and Harper fit so well together is that they have this edge to them. But he's also smart and classy more often than not. Mike Rizzo's quote this week about Bryce Harper, Tommy, if you saw it. He said, quote, I'm comfortable with the alternative to Harper, you know, and that being the ability to put a great outfield together.

But he said, quote, I'm uncomfortable with the statement that we're a better team without him, closed quote. That's perfect. Perfect. Because it's true. I mean, you can have both things. Yes. You can be good and competitive. and maybe, you know, if fortunes go right, do better,

but that doesn't mean you're a better team without Bryce Harper. But it's beyond that. When you've had a player like Harper that grew up in your organization that had as much of an impact, positive impact on the organization, when you're on the verge of potentially losing that player, there's a way to behave and there's a way to handle it. It's called the high road, and that's a high road statement. You're right.

And it's the kind of statement that when you are a free agent, on another team or you're a free agent on this team, you watch those things and you see how the organization behaves and the key people in the organization behave. I've always liked Mike Rizzo. I think he's a really good general manager, but I think he's a really shrewd people person. Yeah, I think he is as well. What's interesting about all this is 10 years ago is pretty much when the marriage, and the marriage is really with Boris and the learners.

Mike Rizzo has a very good relationship with Scott Bors. But when people are looking for Boris's influence, it's with the learner family. It's not with Rizzo. Nobody tells Rizzo what to do except his bosses. So it's not like Boris can control Rizzo. But 10 years ago, this marriage between Boris and the Lerner started when the winter meetings were in Las Vegas. When Mark Tashire of Boris's client was a free agent and the Red Sox and the Yankees were bidding for him. And Boris convinced the nationals.

an offer. To make an astronomical offer, knowing full well that they wouldn't get him. That they wouldn't get him, which basically drove up the price and forced the Yankees to up their offer to eventually sign to share. Well, that's how, that's how. So the nationals did borrowers a favor. I love understanding that history because I do remember, we were doing a show and I remember thinking to myself, well, this is, because remember they really hadn't spent any money yet.

Had they spent the money on Jason Work? Oh, no, no, no. They were two years away from Jason War. And I said to you, I'm like, this is fake. They knew they weren't going to get to Chera. This is to make some sort of statement of the fan base that they're going to spend money. Now, they have spent money. Yes, they have.

Just not managers. Right. But this was a favorite, this was a favor to Boris. But you don't think that that's the case now with Harper, the $300 million. No, no, no, no. I'm just thinking, I wonder if Scott Boris thinks he's already paid the learners back for that favor. I mean, because he ain't going to do it with Scott with Bryce Harper, that's for sure. Well, some people think that, you know, the team got a really good deal with Strasbourg.

Well, maybe. We'll find out. I mean, Strasbourg has not been, I had no problem with the signing of Strasbourg. He's won 90 games for them over the course of his career. He's still among the top 10 pitchers in all baseball, even with all the injuries he's had. Exit question. Where does Bryce Harper sign? Boy, that brings back up. last from the past. John McLaughlin.

I'm going to say to Dodgers. Everyone else is saying the Phillies. I'm going zag and say to Dodgers. Well, Jorge Castillo in the L.A. Times reported, did you see this? You did see this because you told me about it. The Dodgers tried to acquire Harper twice during last season. The first time was before the July 31st

non-waiver trade deadline. And the second was when they claimed him before the waiver deadline, but the nationals pulled Harper back. as expected. They exposed them to the waiver? Well, they do that with all players. They do that with just to see what's out there. Right. They do that with almost all their players.

And again, the connection there is Stan Kasten. Stan Kasten was the president of the nationals when they drafted Bryce Harper. He's had a good and close relationship with Bryce Harper's father and the family. And now Stan Kasten runs to Los Angeles Dodgers. People forget that. People always think, oh, Magic Johnson runs the Dodgers. Well, Stan Kasten runs the Dodgers. Well, Stan Kasten runs to Los Angeles Dodgers.

I'm looking for, Aaron, you told me what was offered. I can't find it. Yoseel Pueg. It was Pueek. What is Puegg's contract situation? I think he's got one more year after this year. Okay. One more year.

Would you have done that deal? No, I don't want Yatio Pueing on my team. A couple of Titanic shots in the playoffs. I know. All right, it's time to bring in Scott Van Pelt for his weekly visit. A couple things to talk to you about. We don't really have to talk about Maryland this week. I think we covered that last week.

They've got a chance to be bowl eligible football-wise on Saturday with a win at Indiana. I don't think that that's like a sure thing. What is that number? I haven't even looked at the number. What's the number on Saturday? I get opened around two or three, and then it seems like it's gone down to like one or a pick. I don't know. I hadn't looked today.

But it's floating around in that ballpark. All right. Here's my one question, Maryland question. And we'll save basketball talk for another time. time. Are you, like, really fired up to see them bowl eligible? I'd love it if they were. For them. For all, I mean, for them, like, they have, the team, the kids that are part of this, that have tried to honor their teammates, that have tried to stay together, that have run out into a stadium that has not one student in it, not one,

like the worst student support than the country in Power Five football. And that's what, That's what it is. Is that true? There's not a, like, does Rutgers get a better crowd? I don't know. You want to argue about Rutgers? No. You made it, you made it, you made a very definitive statement there.

I'm wondering if it is the worst. Rutgers has a mob section, so they do get more people at their games. Hey, hey, hey, settle down with that. I don't know if it's the worst. I just know that, we'll put it this way. Rutgers stinks. Maryland came out last. Saturday, five and three, and a chance to go bowl eligible against a good team, and there's, you know, there's an empty student section, and it's just, you know, whatever.

That's, apparently that's what they do now. They don't, they come tailgate and don't go in for a few minutes. And if they were bowl eligible, I think it would be great, given all that they've had to deal with. And, you know, yeah, I'd love to see him to be vulnerable. Your phone just faded there at the end, but I think you said you'd love to see him bowl eligible. Look, I mean, this wasn't the plan here, and we've talked about this a lot. I don't know that we've done it a lot on the air, but what has to change?

Because it really is, I mean, I wasn't trying to be argumentative. I was just curious in my own mind as to whether or not it was truly the worst in terms of student support for a Power 5 program. But what has to change? I mean, it's been forever since they've really had legitimate student support. I mean, I don't know. I have no idea. There's people that will point out the game experience, the stadium itself.

You know, the jumbotrons are terrible. The audio is terrible. And all these things feel like, I don't know, they feel like excuses to me. Sure, the stadium experience could be better. But I just, I don't know. I mean, they did something this year where they were offering like a $5,000 scholarship, but you had to be present in the second half. Like, it's like a bribe to stay.

And then I think if I read things correctly, the first three people who won weren't there. Really? That's what I, yeah. Now, I don't know if that's accurate enough, but that's that. Aaron says it's true. Oh, yeah. It starts in the middle of third quarter. They'll read it.

They'll say, hey, you have five minutes to report. Then 15 minutes later, you hear, oh, here's another name, and then 15 minutes. Usually it takes three or four to get someone if they ever get someone. Right. So that's, I mean, and here's the thing. I mean, this is, I'm always afraid that I come off like that, the angry old man. My thing, like, you're in college for a really brief period of time, unless you're

me and it takes, you know, forever. But, but if you, when you're there, like, going to games is something that typically is some, It's fun. People enjoy going to games. And I get now that if you can't be on your phone for three hours, that's the fate, you know, worse than any other, any other purgatory that you could be immersed in. But now, it seems like Maryland students want to,

everybody keeps saying, well, what enticements can you give them? You're not supposed to get anything. You're supposed to give support. You're supposed to go cheer on your team because that's what you do. But for some reason, it's like they want. something. What do you want? It's three hours on a Saturday.

Go to the game. But no one wants to go. And listen, here's the thing. If you don't want to, you don't have to. I just think it's too bad because that's part of a college experience. Not the only part. Not the only part, but a part. You're looking at a generational book. I know in pockets and places it's not a problem.

But generally, attendance at live sports is a problem these days. and you're just looking at a generation that doesn't value it compared to other things. There's all of that. I disagree with it in this way. And I understand that part of that is accurate. But I also turn on the TV on Saturday, and I see student sections all across the country that have people in them. And it'd be one thing if it was sparse. It'd be one thing if it's just like, yeah, it's half full.

There's nobody there. And I just, I don't know when that happened. I don't know when the mass decision was, nope, not going. And I was, some students asked me, there was like a, there was an email. I'm going to be down there next week at a panel at the Merrill College of Journalism. It was an email that was sent to me asking me a bunch of questions about this. Like, why do you think it is? And I said a lot of these same answers there.

You do see other places where there's not as much support, but I don't, I haven't seen anywhere where it just fell off the map entirely. And people said, well, you think it's about this year and what happened with Jordan McMair? And I don't know. But, I mean, last week, students on campus were rallying for him, support him, support the team, and then you have a chance to come support the team on Saturday

and no one's there. So I really haven't got the slightest idea what the issue is and why it seems to have gotten as bad as it's gotten. Yeah, no, we've seen it even before. We've seen it the last few years. I was going to say that with respect to what Tommy said, I think I agree with you. I think the college football experience, Tommy, is different.

You know, you hear from teenage kids who go to these small liberal arts schools that don't have football, God, I wish I were at a university that had football in the fall, because it's like this thing for college students to be at a school where you've got legitimate Division I football to make, you know, to go to a football game on a Saturday. It's part of the college experience when it's available. And for some reason, my point is it doesn't have to do with the same reasons that attendance is down at other sporting events. You know, the convenience, the cost, et cetera. This is something that is really inexplicable, although, you know, I've told you this,

that the kids that I know that go to Maryland, including my son, they say it's just not a great experience, the stadium. and a lot of it, although he goes to games, but he's hardcore. Kevin, college football attendance last year had the biggest drop it's ever had. It was down 3%. Well, again, we're talking about the student section here, specifically the student section, not overall attendance. Okay, I can't speak to that. You know, there's just, Scott said it.

It's not even sparse. It didn't exist. Oh, I know. I saw the pictures. In a few games this year. All right. It's a bummer to me. bummer, just a bummer, especially given all the teams dealt with.

You know, it would have been really cool for them to come out and see, you know, a bunch of people there. But there's, there's, as we know, there are many, many, many, many issues that Maryland football needs to sort through. So this is, this is just, just one of them. Well, I mean, I can't, what would be interesting is to see next year, you know, or at some point what would happen if they had a five and oh start were ranked 14th in the country and they were playing Michigan at home?

Like, would you get a full student? section for that game. I think that's about the only situation where you would get a huge response. I want to stick with college football for a moment. The four teams, the top four were Bama, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Michigan. Do you see a team, or give me the team outside of the top four that you think is most likely to get in there when it's all said and done? Well, the most direct path would clearly be Georgia just want you get to play out of the house. But you wouldn't pick them. You use the word likely. I mean, there'll be a significant underdog in that game.

I guess it would be Oklahoma because they'll have an opportunity to be a conference champion, and they could, in theory, or jump over somebody else. I mean, it's going to require Michigan losing to Ohio State. Whoever comes out of the Big Ten West, I don't imagine will present a row. real obstacle to them if they were to win. But I had this conversation with Reese Davis yesterday the night. Like if Georgia were to knock off Alabama, given how

good Alabama has looked and given what the weight that Alabama clearly carries with the committee, could they get in with a loss? Well, they're not going to if they lose to Georgia and nobody else loses because Clemson, Bernardame, and Michigan will get in along with Georgia if the status quo holds.

So, I mean, really what you're asking is, like, who has a path that's realistic? I don't know how realistic. I don't know how realistic Oklahoma's path is absent people in front of them losing. You know what I mean? Well, the path would be Ohio States, but I don't think it's likely because I don't think they'll beat Michigan, and I think they could lose, I think they could lose this weekend. I agree.

And also, just look at how, I mean, they're the lowest one-loss power five team. They're 10th. So if they beat Michigan, and I've seen early numbers that indicate there'll be an underdog in that game. At home, they'll be an underdog. Wow. Well, I mean, to me, Michigan deserves that respect. I think they're that good. Yeah, I mean, their defense certainly looks apart at the moment. But still, you're talking about an Ohio State team at home that's beaten Michigan seemingly forever in a row, and they'd be a dog at home. That's just, it's quite a massive shift in terms of perception. But whatever.

The team that could most likely get there, I guess, is Oklahoma just because their path doesn't include Alabama. But again, it needs more help. I think the game is most interesting, and I haven't heard one person say it yet, is Syracuse's Notre Dame. Syracuse is good, and they're capable. They had Clemson on the ropes at Clemson back a month and a half ago, when Lawrence got hurt in that game. But their offense is good. It's versatile.

It's multiple. Notre Dame hasn't looked. I mean, they're in a three-point game with Northwestern. They were in a one-school game with Pittsburgh's playing much better lately. But they look far from intensive. They're winning games, and that's good enough. But Syracuse is good enough to test them for sure. I agree with you that on that.

And you just reminded me of that Clemson game because it wasn't just about Trevor Lawrence getting hurt. If my memory serves me correctly, they had the lead early before he got hurt. And Clemson hasn't had, you know, they haven't been tested by anybody else. Well, the A&M game on the road, right? That was really early in the season. You said something that I don't know that I agree with, but then again, I don't know who would get bounced. I guess it would be Michigan. But I just don't see Alabama losing to Georgia and not getting in as a one-loss team after what we watched last week and have watched all year long. Okay, but, but, but, but, okay, so, but think, take, take, take, take through that exercise,

all right, so, so let's, let's presume that the Clemson continues and holds serve and they win the ACC by, they're, they're clearly in, because they're the one-Aid Alabama's one. If Notre Dame stays unbeaten, their Notre Dame, they're getting in, and if Michigan, uh, wins the big 10, they're in, those, those are, those are, those, those, those, those, three, they're in. Right. If Alabama loses to Georgia, Georgia's in.

They beat them head to head, and they have one loss each. And Alabama, Alabama benefited greatly last year from not losing late. They lost before the conference final. And everybody knew that they were so banged up on defense. I think they talked himself and, you know what, they're going to get these guys back and they're going to be really, really good. And then that proved to be accurate. But there's just not a spot for them if they lose.

Well, I mean, I... Who comes at the expense of it? Michigan. Michigan? Michigan? Yeah. Look, I'm not saying that the numbers and the quantifiable part of the exercise of determining the teams would put Alabama in front of Michigan. Schedule wouldn't do that, and you've got the conference champion thing. But we've watched a team that looks like really it could be the greatest team of all time. And if they lose to Georgia, you know, part of that would be context. What if they lost a controversial? SEC title game to Georgia. What if they lost just one of the greatest games we've ever seen, you know, 38, 35 and double overtime? And Bama was...

Okay, both of you. Your TV programmers, you leave in Alabama in or out. In that thing... I always make that point, Tommy, when it comes to the NCAA basketball tournament. Never forget it's a television show, right? And in this case, we actually have the rights to this one. You know, it's a television show. out of the room going, hey, you know, we can really use such and such.

But in this case, I would say from a television standpoint, it would be far better to have Michigan than Alabama. Yeah, it might be a thing. Yes. Well, then that's. Without question. I'm sorry. Tell them why, Scott.

All right. If you have Alabama, the South's going to show up to watch the game, the matter what. Okay. The ratings, they are going to be great with or without Alabama. You get Michigan, now all of a sudden, you get all of the big, all of the big, what Midwest cities and your ratings are better. That was always a fun thing whenever we would have these discussions slash arguments with college football fans.

You guys want, you're such SEC biased, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, like, you know, with Ohio State people and you'd have to say, no, no, no, what you're missing is that actually if Ohio State's involved, it's far, far better from a television rating standpoint, as it would be if it were Michigan versus two SEC teams. There's no question in my mind that is true. But just to circle back, Kevin, the point you're making about we think they could be one of the great yada yada,

yeah, I got eyes. I get all the games, I watch them. It's clear they're great. But if they lost to Georgia, what would their wins be? They'd have a win at LSU. And they'd have a win over an Auburn team that is not what anyone thought it was going to be.

And they'd have a winner of Mississippi State, which, okay, they're not bad, but they're not, whatever. it just wouldn't be a tonne there. You could counter with, well, then, okay, cool, what's Michigan got? And I guess the answer would be they would have a win at Ohio State. They weren't what people thought. So, I mean, this is where it gets into splitting hairs. I get it.

Alabama's win at LSU would be more impressive than Michigan's win at Columbus. Ohio State's not as good as LSU. In my view, in Michigan, you know, other than that, who did they, you know, they lost to Notre Dame. that was another question I was going to ask you. I think the answer is really easy, and I talked to Tim Murray on the show yesterday about this. I think if it comes down to a one-loss Notre Dame, let's assume they lose to Syracuse. That's the given. Michigan goes over Notre Dame, even though they lost. I would think that that would be the case by the time we got to Selection Day, that the Michigan's momentum and that loss came so early, Michigan would just look like the better team. Yeah, I would agree with.

that. But I mean, I think between now and, you know, December 2nd or whatever that Saturday is when conference championship games are played, and this year, frankly, will be pretty anticlimactic. I mean, who the hell is even represented in the Big Ten West or the ACC coastal? Who is it? Something goofy will happen. I'm just seeing right now that Ian Book from Notre Dame is going to miss the game against Florida State. You know, that changes. But, I mean, Florida State has been, and I know because I backed him in the winners like, boy, they're not the right side. Yeah.

Keep waiting to see if some version of Fortiswick, it looks like the Florida State from your mutton for memories and they don't exist, but something silly will happen. Somebody will lose you don't expect. It's hard to get me if we knew now, we would obviously. I think Georgia could lose Saturday night.

Do they play? Auburn. Auburn's actually played a little bit better recently. And you know what? I mean, they'll beat Georgia Tech, you know, but Georgia Tech's, one of those dangerous teams. I just don't see any way in hell this year, Alabama, it loses to Georgia. I think, I actually think, and I've not looked at the board yet except for tonight's games,

and I don't have a smell test pick today. I sort of liked Carolina, but I don't love them. But I kind of like Mississippi State. I saw that number. That number's not super high against BAM on Saturday. It's like 22, right? Yeah, but he cannot throw the football. can't, but their defense may be as good as Bama's and LSUs. They're very, very good, but I just, I'd say as someone who backed them against LSU their defense kept them in that game, and you watched the Fitzgerald unable to throw the football. I mean, that's the kind of game that if Bama gets their customary 21 points in the first quarter,

The game is over. No, it's over then. But the line is, relatively speaking, the game's in Tuscaloosa. Put it this way. If last Saturday night's game had been in Tuscaloosa, Bama would have been a 20-point favorite. They were 14-point favorite on the road. They would have been close to a 20-point favorite at home. And that was against LSU.

They're laying 23 and a half after that performance last Saturday night. I think that's short. I think missing. Yeah, but you remember what we talked about last week? Like, what's the residual, the handover of that? game. You know, the amount that you invest emotionally, physically to win that game, like, are you likely to be as, as razor sharp and have... I'm saying I like Mississippi State for all those reasons.

Yeah, well, I get that. But that's what I'm saying. I think the numbers involved. You know what? It's your small test. Give them out. I... No, I want to know what you've identified just real quickly, because we're going along on this segment, even though I've very much enjoyed it. Tennessee, at home against Kentucky. I feel like they're sneaky. Arkansas. against LSU for the same reason the week after Alabama. Iowa was given a lot of points, and I didn't give out a favorite this week.

I think they may win like 387. You never give out favorites. I know, but what I do, they always win. I was going to ask you about Duke, so just give me one quick word. Oh, my God. The thing about talent, when you assemble all these all-stars

and try to mesh them together is that it doesn't always add up to something, right? You can have a bunch of individual ingredients that on their own are really good, but do they add up to anything that's cohesive? That's one 40-minute snapshot of what they are, but it is. I mean, they scored 118 points and made Kentucky look like Lenore Ryan or something. You know, like one of those scores you play in November that has no chance. They're not supposed to compete. they won't play that well every night, obviously.

But if that's their ceiling, then no one's close to them this year. I will say this about the game, and I had Gary on the show yesterday, and he had the same sort of jaw-dropping moment watching them the other night. I don't see how Zion Williamson wouldn't be the first pick in the draft. I mean, Barrett's great, and the guy that I had a chance to see last year, Cam Reddish is great. but Williamson looks like a complete and utter NBA game changer to me. And that's the first time I've seen him,

and we've got 37 or 38 games left to watch Duke this year. But that dude at 6-7 and 285 to have the skill that he has, he looks like a complete, you know, an utter impact player day one in the NBA. Well, you had Steve Kerr. I don't know if you saw his comments. It was very funny because he was talking about him, and then he realized as he was thinking aloud, you're not allowed to do that.

Steve Kerr was talking about who, Williamson? Yeah, and then as he was, he said, you know, I thought LeBron we were only going to ever see one of them, but it looks like there's another. And then he's not, you know, he's a freshman and you can't do all that. So he started openly lobbying not to get fined as he was saying it. But I don't know, I just, I always find Kerr entertaining. Are they not allowed to talk about college basketball players?

Why wouldn't an NBA coach be able to talk about college basketball players? freshman. He's not a draft eligible player. Oh, okay. So you're not supposed to do those types of things. But I mean, I think you know, you're allowed to have eyes and say, wow, that dude just looks different. I didn't I think I had dismissed

him as like a YouTube dunker. You know, a guy that, okay, I get it. Let's see how he do. He's playing against children. You know, like think about your, think about your oldest son. Or excuse me, your youngest son. You know, like, imagine him like out there in high school last year trying to guard family. Well, his, his, his, his, his, his, played Cam Reddish's team, but it wasn't

Zion Williamson, that's for sure. Again, but it wasn't a 17-year-old boy against that. Yeah. So I wasn't sure how it would translate. But he's on the floor with a bunch of five-star guys the other night, and he just looked different. But people just, they love Roger Barrett because they think he's got more ways to impact the game.

But, I mean, look, if Zion doesn't go one, he'll go two. So I know, I know we're long. I'll stop talking. Why are the Wizards pretending to even win games system? They shouldn't. I don't know. I said the other night of the wizard. I just said, the wizard stink.

They don't guard anybody. They don't run anything. And again, like I talked about talent. It's not that they don't have talent, but the talent they have doesn't add up to anything. Did you say they don't run anything? I did. Yeah, they don't run.

That's directly stolen from you. They don't run anything. But God, he's a good guy. All right, that's it. Thank you for that. That was fun. Thank you, Scott. Yeah, enjoyed the conversation, as always.

that was your favorite. Scott Van Pelt, everybody. Let's get to Tommy's favorite, the NFL PowerPole. Rengham, 1 to 5. It's time for our weekly NFL PowerPole. All right. Top 5, a couple teams to keep an eye on. I'll go first because you're in your phone trying to figure it out right now. The number one, oh, we go 5 to 1, right? It's my favorite segment. And I don't even know. You really are. I am. I'm disorganized today, too. Number 5 is Carolina. I mean, Carolina now at 6 and 2. who moves into my top five teams. You might want to revisit that. I can't wait to see them tonight on the road against the Steelers.

I actually like Carolina plus the number. It just doesn't really fit with sort of the smell test criteria, but I'm interested in that game tonight should be a really, really good football game. Number four are the Kansas City Chiefs. I'm still not a believer in them. I guess not. But you would put the Panthers in the top five. I put the Panthers in the top five.

I did. I can't believe you. did that. I don't care. I believe it. You just heard it, right? They're in the top five. Look at the look you give me. Well, it's just ridiculous. Why they're six and two? Why is that ridiculous? You saw them play against the Redskins. How could you put them in the top five? Okay, you want to know why they're in the top five, Tommy? Because for the first time in a few years, they have a lot offensively, and I will start with this offensively. They have Norv Turner. we can say all the things about Norv Turner that we want when it comes to him being a head coach.

And you know what? They're all true. And I didn't really get it. I actually thought he was going to be a good head coach when he was in Washington. I thought eventually he would figure it out because I loved him as an offensive coordinator. And he's been a great offensive coordinator. Tommy, they got weapons for the first time. McCaffrey's a star, puncher Samuel Moore. Inept. Terrible game plan. Well, at the very end, they had it, you know, they were right down there with a chance. And look at the play calling at the end. It was horrific. You're right. It was. They could have run the ball down there at the end. Good points. Good comebacks there. I just like Carolina right now.

It's so condescending. No, I'm being serious. You're right. You reminded me. I thought the play calling on that final drive with under a minute to go. They stopped running the football. Running the football should have still been in the plan there with the timeout situation that they had. Carolina is five, all right? They're my fifth best team. Kansas City's four of the four teams that are the obvious top four right now. Actually, there's an obvious top five, but go ahead. They're my number.

There's not an obvious top five. There's a debatable fifth. There's five elite teams, and then there's a race of the league. And I just gave you Carolina over the chargers and the Steelers and anybody else that you're thinking about. Kansas City of the four remaining to me is the one without a defense and the one that will be most vulnerable when we get to the postseason. The third best team are the New England Patriots. I still like New England, but I think at times defensively they've got some issues. And they needed a turnover really there in the fourth quarter to, what a disappointing ending to

Green Bay, New England. Sort of the same with the Rams and the Saints, because it was a great game for like three and a half quarters. And then it ended disappointingly. But I've got New England at three. I've got obviously at this point the Rams at two. and the Saints as the number one team in the NFL. Go ahead. Give me your five and the order of the other four. Okay, let me make this simple for you, because there's only five elite teams,

and then there's everybody else. The Chargers are number five. I don't see how much. You could possibly leave the Chargers out of the time. It's interesting that it's... They won like 12 out of their last 14 games, period. And look at the teams they've lost to, and look at the teams they've beaten in those 12 out of 14.

That's the only thing I would say. impressive one last week at Seattle. And you know this, Tommy. I am sort of a closet charger fan because I love Philip Rivers. They could be in there next week. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You like Philip Rivers? I didn't know that. Get to your top four. Okay. Newing with Patriots at number four, Los Angeles Rams at number three. Kansas City Chiefs, I think you're really underestimating that they'll be better at the end of the season than they are now. And the New Orleans Saints at number one. Simple as that. All right. That was quick, wasn't it?

Yes, it was. Fast enough for you. Quick and painful. All right. I enjoyed this, as always, with you. You'll be back next week. You want to give me a quick pick on the Redskins game before? Tampa wins, 31 to 20.

31 to 20. All right. What's your, well, you'll wait until tomorrow. I'm going to save it for tomorrow. Of course. I actually thought that you might be a little bit closer than 31, 20. You might be right. I think this is not a great matchup for them Sunday.

I will say that right now. But maybe I'll change my mind between right now and tomorrow at the end of the show. I'm pretty sure I won't. But I like him next week, I think. Thanks to Scott. Thanks to Aaron. Thanks to all of you. Have a great day.