The Kevin Sheehan Show - Redskins With Doc Walker; Hoops With Gary Williams

Episode Date: November 7, 2018

Kevin talks about the Wizards' bad loss in Dallas, Duke's opening night statement over Kentucky, and then Tim Murray joins the show to talk about the latest college football playoff rankings. Doc Walker calls in to talk Redskins. Chelsea Janes from the Washington Post calls in to talk about the story she broke on the Nats offering Bryce Harper $300 million over 10 years. Gary Williams then called in to talk about the issues at Maryland the last few months as well as the Terps' win last night over Delaware, Duke's impressive debut, and some Skins and Ravens too. Kevin finished up with NFL Buy or Sell. <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. Good morning. I'm here. Aaron is here. 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. Doc Walker in a few minutes. Gary Williams on the show today. First thing, though, the Wizards. They lost in Dallas last night, 119 to 100. The Maverick had lost six games in a row before last night. They were two and seven coming into the game last night and hadn't won a game by double digits since last March. In other words, the Mavericks weren't very good. The Wizards started badly. They were down 7-0 in the first minute, down 21 at half. Kind of made you think they had a chance there in the third quarter to pull off a big comeback.

They played pretty well in the third quarter. And then after cutting the lead, to 9993 in the fourth quarter and having a chance with the ball to cut it to four, Porter missed a jump shot and from there they went away meekly into the night, being outscored 20 to 7 to end the game. They defended poorly, they shot it worse. Beale was one for nine from behind the arc. He's now two for 16 on threes in his last two games. Good looks, a lot of them.

The Wizards are now two and eight. that's right where they were two years ago before they got it together in 1-49 games. This year, though, feels different, doesn't it? ESPN's Zach Lowe wrote about that to a certain degree about how this year the start feels different. He also wrote that the window is closing and it may make sense to try and trade John Wall. I think that's a very difficult move. He suggests there are teams that might want to do it, especially a young team with a lot of young players like Phoenix. with a lot of draft choices.

Yeah, this year feels different. They have teams they should or could beat coming up on their schedule, Orlando twice, Cleveland, Brooklyn, Miami. I would say that this next stretch of games is going to go a long way in determining what Ted will do with this team. I know he's patient. He typically will wait it out. I don't know what you can do with Wall and Beal

and a guy that you just brought here in Dwight Howard, who hasn't played that poorly in the three games that he's played in. But if they were to get into another stretch here with Orlando, twice, Cleveland, Brooklyn, and Miami, let's just say they lose four of those games. And they're sitting there at 3 and 12. That could be a problem, and that could prompt change. I would imagine that Ted's looking at this schedule,

including the game last night, and saying, we got to get it going here. We got to get back to close to five. somewhere in that area or there's going to be change. The second thing I wanted to get to, Duke last night. Did you see Duke last night? Unbelievable. If one game at the start of a season could ever scare the rest of the sport into thinking

they had no chance, it was last night. I mean, Duke with pretty much all freshmen, demolished Kentucky 118 to 84, 118 points in a legitimate top 5 matchup. Kentucky was ranked second and they were favored. I was going to say they were two and a half point favorites. Duke was ranked fourth and Duke rolled up 118 points and won the game by 34. The projected top three picks in next year's NBA draft all play for Duke. R.J. Barrett is Canadian.

He's a 6-7 wing. and according to most mock drafts, he's the number one, number one overall. He went for 33 last night. Zion Williamson, who's projected to go second in next year's draft, had 28 and 7 rebounds. He was 11 for 13 from the floor. Many of them dunks of a vicious nature. Williamson is 6.7, 285 pounds, and he can do everything. And then there's Cam Reddish, who I had a chance to see playing in.

high school last year because he played my son's team last December at DeMatha. He's the projected third pick in the draft. He's a 6-8 wing. He had 22. The top three recruits and the top three projected picks in the NBA draft are all on one team. And in their first college game, they combined for 83 points, 83, and beat Kentucky by 34. One and done Kentucky, Aaron, started three freshmen, one and done Duke started four. Coach K is now outdoing Calipari in the one and done category. His youngens are better than Kentucky's youngens, and it's not even close. At least it wasn't last night. Duke put on a show last night.

All right, before we get to Doc Walker, I want to get to the college football playoff rankings that came out last night in between the two college games on ESPN. And I want to bring in my good friend Tim Murray to discuss those with him. Tim, of course, has a podcast, and you can tell us all about it when we get done here and how to listen to you. It was the second version of the college football playoff rankings. Bama was one, Clemson, two, Notre Dame three in Michigan moves into the top four. Michigan blew out Penn State Saturday at the big house. They have a great defense.

They've got a playmaker at quarterback with good skill players around him. Do you have any problem with the top four the way it was laid out with Michigan moving in there? No, not at all. I think Michigan has a great football team, and they've gotten better each week. And you mentioned the defense, and Jay Patterson seems to be coming into his own. So I've been very impressed by Michigan. I will say this, Michigan fans better be wearing crimson hats for the remainder of the year, because the Georgia-Alabama rematch is on.

And that's going to happen. And I don't see either of those teams with the schedule they have remaining slipping up. And if Georgia were to beat Alabama in the SEC title game, after what we saw last weekend, Kevin, I don't see any way that Alabama at 12 and 1 is left out of this playoffs. So for Michigan, for Oklahoma, for West Virginia, for Ohio State fans, they better be rooting as hard as they can for Alabama to go 13 and up. I totally agree with you. I just don't think that Alabama is going to lose. And I actually think Georgia could lose before the SEC title game.

They've got Auburn Saturday night in Athens. You know, Georgia Tech's not going to be easy. I don't see Georgia beating Alabama after what we saw on Saturday night. And that gets to one of the main reasons I wanted to have you on because Tim is a big Notre Dame fan. And Notre Dame opened their season by beating Michigan. That's Michigan's one loss. And I would ask you that let's just assume now, all right, Bama goes undefeated, Clemson goes undefeated, Notre Dame loses a game and Michigan wins out.

How does that conversation work at the end of the year if Notre Dame, let's say, loses to either Syracuse or Southern Cal? I'm just throwing it out there, a one-lost Notre Dame against a one-loss Michigan who wouldn't have lost since that opener and would be coming off wins over Ohio State and a Big Ten title win, which makes. not be a very impressive win, more likely than not it won't be. But how would that conversation go? I think it would be a quick one, and I think Michigan would get in over Notre Dame. And I'm, look, as a Notre Dame fan, I recognize that the Trump card that Notre Dame holds and Rob Mullins, the committee chair, said it yesterday multiple times that head-to-head matters. And thank God for that, because there's crazy discussions out there by pundits that. say, you know, this Notre Dame Michigan game happened so long ago, it shouldn't count, which is just bizarre to me.

But if Notre Dame loses, that's a bad loss regardless of who they lose to. I know Syracuse's 13, but still, that's a worst loss than Michigan would have. Michigan would have an extra win, and Michigan's resume would be better. Michigan would have wins over Michigan State, Penn State. Also, a road win at Ohio State who is currently number 10 in the country. So, yes, they would likely beat Northwestern in the conference championship game for a second. time this year. But if you're a Notre Dame fan, you've got to go undefeated. Now, I guess there are scenarios where an 11-1 Notre Dame could slip in as the number four spot if other things unfold.

You know, if Washington State gets tripped up by Washington, if West Virginia and Oklahoma kind of take care of each other, then I think Notre Dame has a chance to gain an 11-1 at number four because of that win. But I think Michigan would be the number three seats. So to answer your question, Michigan will be higher ranked in Notre Dame if Notre Dame loses and Michigan wins out. Good, I agree with you. I think it would be a short conversation too. I'll tell you what could hurt Michigan a little bit is if Ohio State loses to Michigan State this weekend because Ohio State didn't even look that convincing against Nebraska last week. So Michigan wants a 10th ranked or better Ohio State team with one loss in Columbus in a couple of weeks.

I also would suggest that there's no chance, even though, though it would be phenomenal to have Mike Leach in the final four, that even if everything happened that needs to happen for them, the PAC 12 at this point is such a disaster that Washington State, I don't even think they can win out given some of the games they have left, but even if they were to win out, I just don't see a PAC 12 one-loss team getting in. Not this year. I don't see it. Well, and you look at, look, when Baylor got left out the first year, year, their non-conference is absolutely embarrassing what they scheduled. You know, it's San Jose State, eastern Washington.

I want to say Wyoming. I mean, that's just, that's a joke for what they did. No, no even attempt to challenge themselves. And that's something that the committee, I was surprised if the committee ranked them number eight in the first unveiling. I think they might have done it just to kind of give the PAC 12 people a hope that they had a chance to, you know, make it. But Washington sneaking back in the top 25 is certainly a good thing.

But what really hurts them is the Pac-12 South has nobody. Utah loses this weekend. Who are they going to play in the Pac-12 championship game? You know, UFC could have four losses at that point. Tim, here's all you need to note. There's not even a two-loss team left in the Big Ten. Every other team has three losses or more. So I don't see that happening.

I think Oklahoma is so explosive offensively, but they could have potentially right two games with West Virginia left on their schedule. One in Morgantown and then potentially the Big 12 championship game. That's a team to keep an eye on. I will say this. Right now, I think Bama Clemson, Michigan are the three best teams. And quite honestly, I think LSU is probably the fourth. The four best teams that I've watched this year, Notre Dame is obviously going to be in the

playoff as an unbeaten if they can tell. take care of Syracuse and Southern Cal. And I think Michigan's going to go to Columbus and win. I just think they're better than Ohio State. But that game, you never know. What else? What other thoughts on this do you have? I mean, UCF is done.

You know, I think the Temple game really hurt them. Sorry, I'm pulling over, as people may hear. I think the Temple game really hurt them. Yeah, the Big 12 is fascinating. I think if West Virginia or Oklahoma were to win out, and that's going to be challenging, as you mentioned. Oklahoma would have to go to Morgantown and win on a Friday night after Thanksgiving. I mean, you've been to a game in Morgantown.

That place is going to be off the rocker. And then you have to beat them again, and West Virginia is quite explosive. In West Virginia, I believe if they beat Oklahoma, they would likely play Texas in the conference championship game, which would probably be a better situation. for them moving forward. But I think the big 12 champ, if Oklahoma or West Virginia wins out,

that is the team waiting on the cuffs to get in. If Michigan's stubbed its toll against Ohio State, now the fascinating conversation would be who gets in, a 12-1 Oklahoma, 11-1 West Virginia, because remember, their game against NC State was canceled through the hurricane, or 11-1 Notre Dame. That would be a very fascinating conversation. and I think they would probably lean towards the Big 12 champion

because they would be red hot entering the college football player. All right, how do people listen to your red hot picks this year? Just go to my Twitter feed. I have one, Tim Murray. Every Friday I put up my picks, usually give up five or six. So, yeah, we're doing all right these past couple weeks. Thank you. Appreciate it.

I'll talk to you soon. All right, see you. Tim Murray, everybody. Let's bring in Doc Walker to the show. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but it's time for X's and O's. Burgundy and Gold. Live on our launch Workplaces guest hotline, it's Doc Walker who's here. I'm truly honored that you would come on my podcast.

I know how busy you are, so I don't want to waste your time. You've got a show that you're preparing for 10 to 1 on ESPN 980, right where he's been for a long, long time. I thought we would start with something you always love talking. about, and that's injuries. And the players who aren't going to play in the game on Sunday, how much are they going to miss Brandon Sheriff? Well, he's a terrific player, and you know that.

Everybody just started, it means they were better than the guys that back them up. But when you lose them, you're the only person in America that cares about them. I certainly don't, and neither is anybody on the field. The good news is that it can't be worse than it was. us a year ago in Seattle. And so looking at that, and we won that game in case you forgot. No, I pointed it out on my pot. You must have been listening to the podcast yesterday.

Yeah, absolutely. I was. By the way, I really enjoyed it. I know you do, and I appreciate that. I pointed the same thing out, which was they went to Seattle with basically nobody. They didn't have Adrian Peterson either, and the defense wasn't any good. And somehow they were able to pull that off. Now they're just going to Tampa.

may be more Redskinned fans in Tampa than Buccaneer fans. I would, the only reason I disagree or wouldn't buy that is because this kid, a quarterback, the Magic Man. I mean, just when we thought they would die, they bring this guy in and he makes Joe the fan come out. They don't like the other kid. James Winston. The guy is the crab legs guy.

Yeah, James Winston. They don't like him. He's got a big mouth. and now so much he's showing that he's not who he represents himself to be. And I thought James Winston was really going to be a real baller. But right now he seems to be a BSer. And so that's not playing to us. But you know what?

We're going to find out. All I care about is that we'll have 53 guys in our uniform, hopefully with the white tops of the burgundy bottom. Yeah. Let's get that right at least. You know what? I hope so. You know, I thought Winston was going to be really good, too.

He just must be a knucklehead, and he can't get past it. Because he's got talent. Yeah, he's a con man. And because he's conned some people that I really respect that are sharp, and they swore to me, I said, this guy seems like he's full of crap. And a couple of people I really respect said, nope, he's a real deal. And then, you know, we had to go through the worst. training camp, preview show,

hard knocks when they did a documentary on him. And so I go, well, wait, and why they're wasting all this time on this guy? And they did it, and he proved to be, hey, not a bad guy. And then this. So right now, he's got to earn my respect back. All right, let's get to our team. How has Alex Smith played? He's been average.

But it hasn't been to his fault, in my opinion. he's trying to please his coach. And what I think right now, the biggest stumbling block with our offense is that they're in a tug of war. He's trying to please coach, and coach is going to have to realize that he's a little closer to RG3 than I think coach ever imagined. And that's why I think we've got to disconnect. And I think we both agree that coach couldn't stand Griffin.

Bobby, he had nothing to do with Bobby. yet to me urban myer doesn't recruit anybody is not a redaction kind of guy and this is who Alex is now Alex is more talented than Bobby because he is adapted and showed that he could become a significant pastor in this league but by no means in my opinion if he a drop-back guy and once we finish this tug-a-war of egos and get the guy in a space that he's comfortable with we're going to struggle So you would suggest to Jay that he play Alex Smith more as a running quarterback a lot of the time, which they've worked. I think he's moved to pocket more. I think he's got to get out of this dropback spot.

And he's got to three-quarter him, dash him, whatever he's got to do other than what they're doing, he's got to change. But this dog can't hunt. Do you think they knew Alex Smith wasn't a dropback guy when they traded for him? No, I think that Andy Reed is such a genius in developing whatever helps the guy enhance his abilities, which is what defines coach to me. And so everybody became enamored. But I go back to him in Frisco. I go back to Urban Meyer.

Urban Myers had one dropback guy and he had it by accident, the rifle man. And he proves that, again, he's not a pure dropback guy, but he had a big arm. Now he's got the best quarterback he's ever had from a dropback since, and they may never win a big championship again. It's not his offense. All right, let's move it to the other side of the ball. Who are the legit stars on defense?

Legit stars on star. Players who the opponents are game planning for. Jonathan Allen Matt Ionitis DJ Swaringer gets a lot of consideration What about pain? That's it

No I mean they can block him No I mean he's a good player But he's a good young play He's trying to figure it out Anybody they want on one block with you

I mean that's That's a given in this league You don't You don't even become A topic of discussion Until you doubled The corner Josh Norman wanted Julio Jones on Sunday and got him for perhaps too much of the game. Is Josh Norman their best corner?

Well, it depends on what circumstance and what defense you have in. Man. No, it's not the best man guy. I don't know if they really have. They don't have a shutdown guy at all. They don't have one on the roster. what they do have in Quentin Dunbar may be the best or possible candidate for that. But again, it's a scheme.

All of them need a pass rush. John didn't have a rush. And he's going against a he-man. But that's what they're paying him for. They're paying he-man money. But it's not a good fit unless he gets pressure. Like, I'd say that for all their corners. But I don't think they have an impact guy, a guy on their team, on their defense,

that I'm going to lose any sleep over that I've got to figure I'm going to block Jonathan Allen. Now when I put two on Allen, nobody can block ionitis. He's proven that. It's very clear. One guy, he'll just take him and throw him in the lap of the quarterback.

That's a he-man effort. Everybody else is damn good. If not, they shouldn't even be in the league. One of the corners that we thought had a chance to be a good player, I remember the first time we saw him down in Richmond, I was with you that day. He's a UCLA corner.

They picked him in the third round. They told us he had first round talent. And this was going to be the year that we saw what Fabian Moreau was made of. What have you seen from him this year? They were trying to force him to be an inside guy because they needed that. That was a void that they're trying to feel. I'm still trying to see what this Fabian do best other than he covers kick. He's the best strike guy to have.

So he shows he's got terrific speed. Yeah, he's key. I think a corner is more comfortable on the corner. But I think he's learning how to go inside because of his size, but he's a project trying to get it together. Same thing with Alexander. Same thing with Stroman. To me, the best talent is Danny Johnson.

But again, they have this invisible doghouse. They just seem to say, you don't know why a guy doesn't play. So once he breaks through whatever he's got to break through to get more time, I think ultimately we'll be talking about Danny Johnson over all of them. Last couple of weeks, how much better has Ryan Carrigan been? Oh, my God. Ryan, but see, Ryan's always damn good.

Ryan never sucks. Ryan always gives you everything he's gotten. What he's got to do is keep developing another move based on his base move. And then he needs more help. And those inside guys have been giving it to him. And no, I mean, Ryan is as advertised. Unfortunately, if you have a really strong and an exceptional tackle,

they'll one-on-one it. But they chip him. He does require the offense to game plan him and keep an eye on him, which is a lot. And I'll tell you another guy, Preston Smith has the luck of a lizard because he's giving you great effort. He just needs an alternative move.

He needs that move to counter his base move, and that's what very few of them have that. John Allen has great separation past Russian techniques. But he's the best, and that's why he was drafted where he was. And everybody else is giving you superior effort. We just got to get a dominant individual or a great scheme to free them up. Do you feel that Sunday in Tampa is a really big spot for this team that they got to go down there and beat a team that's average or it could start to spiral the wrong way?

No, I think, you know, the problem with our team is that we are as advertised. We'll play down to our opponent and we'll play up to an opponent. When we're back, Back in the corner, we strike. When we're the lead dog, we'll stumble. And that's the pattern that this staff has got a break. I didn't like them last week because I was scared to death because we announced that Atlanta had backups, just like Indianapolis had backups.

We haven't beaten backups yet. And so, and to me... We're playing a backup quarterback this week. Well, yeah, okay, we'll see. But again, I'm just telling you, I think our team physically can play with anybody. I think mentally it's where my biggest concerns are because it's like a jockey with the horse. You know, there's a reason why jockey is going to the Hall of Fame and horses go in because they do things that stretch runs that others don't.

this is a psychological issue with this team to me. You got to drive them like a dump truck if they win. You coach, you know what I'm talking about. If you win, you got to be the biggest jerk going that week. Because your team plays off you. And if you show them that you're pleased with them, they let down to me. They never have the edge you expect them to have. Well, what does that mean?

That's the driver, man. and the athlete. But that's a combination. They don't have enough self-starters. That poor kid, 36, you got a screaming lungs out. I mean, no wonder, he's tired before the game starts. I mean, it's just too hard. You look at him like he's like begging him.

I'm like, really seriously? I mean, they need more help, and that's a leadership function. That's what AP tries to. What did Ha-ha do in his first game? Well, he showed that the league is not too big for him, but clearly all he did was identify with defense they were at. Because he didn't know enough. Yeah, there was a whole lot of pre-snap.

He was trying to figure it out. I mean, they acted. That was so disrespectful to the opponent. Oh. And it's Mattie Ice. So I thought that the Spartan was injured. So I thought what they were doing was literally hiding Nicholson. I didn't expect him to play at all.

When I saw that he could play, it confused me because he clearly knew more about the game plan and what they needed to do. So all Matt Ryan did was he just simply looked and said, well, this guy maybe knows the base set. And then whatever he does, he knows what we were in. They simply picked us apart off execution. They had a brilliant game plan.

And Sarkeesian, man, he just had a great thing. plan. Yeah, he did. Yeah, great plan. And everybody does. But the question, what, we didn't seem to adjust to it. Yep. Yep, they gave up a lot to a good team, a good offensive team. All right, what do you have to promote? What are you doing? What do you and Byrd have going on? What networking events coming up? What do you want to promote? Well, if you, I thought you were a frequent flyer on our website and you would know all of this. Well, I know. I know, I know it. I just want you to be to talk about it. No, Kevin Sheehan. I'm promoting Kevin Sheehan. And that's it. I mean, we have nothing coming up. We have luncheon on the 20th of November and we'll be out of Taps out

at the harbor. But I'll get to you before then, let you know who it is. And wait until I can get you as a guest. All right. Well, enjoy Tampa. There's a lot of things to do down there in Tampa. A lot of things to do. Well, no, we've got a rally. Yeah, but after the rally I'm talking about. We've got a rally in Tampa. Right. And then my son will be down Big Al. Oh, it's coming down. That's nice.

How are the boys? They're doing good. They're doing good. They're doing good. They're doing good. And so I went in New York down, one in Florida. So we'll do that and have a family meal. And then I'm back to film study.

Yeah, right back to film study at night. Yeah, in Tampa, right after that, once you get done with that fan rally, you'll be back in your room studying. But you tell Casey, you give Casey, your son. You give him a big husband. for me. I will. I know I'm not allowed to communicate. No, they always, well, you know, you know you're allowed to communicate. No, no, no, I know that you've told them not to associate with me. It's not even a little bit true. Not even a little bit true. Not even a little bit true. Hey, boys, just know that that Uncle Doc is out here for your father. Casey asks about,

Casey asks about Uncle Doc all the time. He does. No, I just want the people to know the truth. Okay, did you literally put me off limits with your boys? That is not true. And that's not fair. You know that. And just in case people actually are taking you serious. No, they should take me serious. And I want them to take me serious.

Doc really is, he is so good with young people. You really are. It is a gift. No, no, no. Let me finish. It's my podcast. Let me finish. I don't want you to finish.

It's a gift you have. You are very good with young people. people, you have a charisma and an ability to communicate with younger people, which is why, I don't know why you're not coaching. I know you coach in terms of motivational speaking, but you should be coaching. You should be. I've said that to you for a long time. Yeah, you know what I'm going to do.

I'm a coach you. All right, how about that? How about me, coached you? You know me well enough to know I'm uncoachable. I'm not coachable. But you are. You definitely are, coachable. All right, I'll talk to you later.

But anyway, my friend, I would love to do this forever. but I got to go and Yeah, go do your thing. Appreciate it. I got this great bill. Love you back. All right. All right.

Doc Walker. Doc Walker, everybody here on the Kevin Sheehan's show podcast. And that is what I miss a lot about where I used to be, is just all of the BSing in the bullpen with people like Doc and in the whole group. But I do miss that. And I miss doing the pregame show. It was my favorite part of the pregame show was to do the segment with Doc. He had me on a show the other day, which was very.

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All right, let's bring in Chelsea Janes from the Washington Post. She covers the Nationals and does a great job doing it. And she had the story yesterday that the Nationals were aggressive in trying to sign Bryce Harper right after this season ended. Chelsea, when and what did the Nats offer to Bryce Harper? And then what was the response from Harper and Agent Scott Boris? You know, it sounds like they talked throughout September and no one else could talk to Bryce and gave them an offer on the last home game of the season. And, you know, I have since heard that that offer was about 10 years at 300 million,

which would be the biggest free agent contract in the history of the four major sports because Stanton's big deal was 325 for 13 years and it was an extension. So they made him an unprecedented offer and they didn't take it. And I think it doesn't mean they won't come back and say, okay, here's what we know of the market. Can you go to this number? but for now it sounds like, you know, that door is closed, and they would have to kind of start that process again

to, you know, get another offer going. Like that 300 for 10 was sort of a, okay, we're going to try to sign you early. You know, and now I think both sides would sort of have to be adjusting their vision to come back around and, you know, find some middle ground later. But it doesn't mean the door is closed. It just means that, you know, that offer did not work. What was that offer from your perspective? Describe it.

Was it super aggressive? Was it surprising? What was it from your perspective from somebody that's covered the team for a while? Honestly, I'm a little stunned. I think a lot of people will look at it and say it's low because we've heard so much about, you know, this record-setting deal. But I really think it's important to realize that it is record-setting, right? Like the Nationals just made Bryce Harper the biggest offer in the history of the biggest free agent offer in the history of the four major sports. And if you had told me that the Nationals would be in that sentence, I would have been pretty surprised.

I mean, we know how they operate. They're not one to sort of set those trends. And I think it's also a respectful offer. You know, I think we think sometimes that, you know, maybe they're just making an offer to make an offer. and I, from what I've heard from both sides, but that wasn't the case. You know, Team Boar is considered it respectful, a respectful starting point. I think the Nationals considered it respectful, a respectful end number. And, you know, nobody's insulted.

No one's stomping away, huffing and puffing. It was a good faith effort, and it didn't work. So, you know, it was the right move by the Nationals. And just because it didn't work or, you know, he might not, he might have to take far more than that doesn't mean it was kind of low-balling him in any way. What's next, Chelsea? Is that offer still standing? Is there any sort of expectation on both sides that they will circle back if Bryce doesn't get exactly what he wants in free agency? What are the next steps here for the nationals? I mean, I would imagine at some point

they've got to move on, right? Yeah, I think that that offer is, my understanding is that offer is no longer on the table, which doesn't mean they won't listen again. But I think you're right and they know this, that, you know, we can't sit there with $300 million in, you know, the biggest deal in, you know, the history of the four major sports just kind of sitting there, you know, tying up all our money. So I think for now that offers off the table and they're going to pursue as if, you know, they're not going to pay him enough. but, you know, I think Scott Bors always circles back and they have such a long-standing relationship of getting things done that, you know, I feel like Scott Bores was always going to have Bryce explore this market, right?

And if more teams they're thinking like the nationals that his value, you know, sort of a more reasonable take on his value, then they might have to circle back and say, you know what? We overshot. We like 10 years at 300. let's do it. You can sell Bryce on it. It's historic. It's unprecedented. Great. So I don't think the door is closed, but they made an early effort that didn't work, and I don't see them going a whole lot above that. So, you know, I guess the ball's sort of

in Boris's and Harper's court to sort of see what they get on the market. But, you know, the nationals are not going to be held hostage by a Scott Boris offseason. And I think that is, that's not a comment on how they feel about him. It's just the right baseball move. What are they going to find his market to be? I have no idea. You know, I think Scott Borses is going to start somewhere maybe even above 400 million. He should.

It's a unique talent. You know, why not? He's gotten crazy numbers before that surprised people. He's going to sell him as a historic, you know, Hall of Fame type talent. He should. I just don't know who's going to. to buy it. You know, I think we saw the Dodgers and the Cubs and the Yankees, you know, two years ago were obvious frontrunners, but the Yankees have like eight outfills. The Cubs

don't seem to want to spend that much. The Dodgers, you know, are kind of going through a transition and don't seem to want to spend that much. So where is that market? You know, I could see the Giants saying, you know, we want Barry Bond's part two. We want a guy who's going to put butts in the seats while we rebuild this thing. A new general manager. you're there, you know, that makes sense to me. They have money. You know, the Cardinals have a ton of money and they've finished second on a lot of big

names over the last few years. Bryce, you know, there's history there, there's tradition, I think, you know, he'd be a god there. That makes sense. They'll probably reach. But outside of that, where's the money? Where's 400 million? You know, and, you know, the Phillies have

a lot of money, but everyone has always thought they'll be the Machado players. So it's a, it's a, It's a really interesting market, and I've asked a lot of people who are very familiar with all of this, and they've said, I have no idea. And I think it's going to be a question of how much Scott Boris can work as imagine to see what the actual value becomes there. Because I think there are a lot of people in front offices around the league that would laugh off 400. The question is whether he can talk owners into it. Yeah.

All he needs is one. That probably makes my next question very difficult to answer, but I'll ask for your gut on this. Do you think the chances that he ends up being a national ultimately when we get to the end of this process? Do you think they're at least 50, 50 or worse? I think they're worse now. I think somebody will reach higher than 10 for 300 and to a number that the nationals just won't match, can't get to. Um, you know, so I think, I think the chances have been worse, but I, I sort of, you know, I don't, I don't know that they were ever better than what they are right now, right? Like, we don't really know, um, that the nationals were ever going to be able to bid with these teams.

I think we all thought, you know, their best chance was an early offer like the one they made. And so when that doesn't work, it's like, you know, but I, I just, it feels like maybe that ship has sailed. but Scott Bors has always used the Nationals to leverage offers late and to sort of land people when he doesn't have somewhere to go. And the Nationals love Bryce Harper. That's true. So, you know, you just, it's impossible for me to even come close to closing the door because we've seen so many times that that circles back around.

I think that offer says that the door is so much more open than I even thought it would be, you know, when the season ended. But right now, you know, they're looking at an out. outfield of Soto, of Eaton, and of Robles, I guess. And that's not a $300 million outfield for sure. That's a pretty good cost option for them. Oh, it's outstanding. You know, if this Harper stuff were not in the picture,

and you looked at the Nationals outfield and saw Soto, Robles, Eaton, and Michael Taylor as, you know, a really good defensive fourth outfielder, for, I think, 13, 14 million total. You'd be like, wow, that is a genius outfield. That is well-constructed. That is an outfield for a very long time. It is only disappointing in the context of Bryce Harper. So they are in great shape with that outfield, but it does, it has less power.

It lacks the middle of, you know, they lose a big middle of the order bat. So the, you know, the question becomes, can you replace that? Can you replace, find a left-handed hitting, you know, power hitter for less than 30 million a year? Yes, you can because pretty much every left-handed hitting power hitter has come for less than 30 million a year over the years. It might not be Bryce Harper, but you can fill that hole. And Juan Soto is well on his way to doing that. Mike Rizzo said, and I just read this coming in a few minutes ago, he said he's comfortable without Bryce Harper, but not comfortable in saying that they are better without him.

I thought that that was perfectly said by a general manager who was going to take the high road on this regardless of what happened. What did you think? Yeah, I think I joked with him after. I was like, wow, that was pretty good. Yeah, that was pretty good. But, you know what, no one with that team is ever going to tell you that. And even, you know, off the record in the most informal settings, I have never heard anyone in, you know, Rizzo, anyone who's familiar with ownership say anything bad about Bryce Hart.

truly, you know, to the point of it being frustrating because you're like, we see him not hustle sometimes, you know, it's kind of like, you see this, right? But they love the person. I think they, you know, see sides of Bryce that maybe we don't. And they recognize that he's a really special talent that is one of their own. So, you know, Rizzo is never going to sort of stop being loyal to Bryce Harper. And if a deal doesn't get done, it's not because anyone in there was like, ah, we don't, you know, we don't want that guy. And I think that is genuine. And I think it says a lot about the nationals as a whole. I know they get sort of this reputation for being a little crazy and chaotic. But there is sort of a genuine relationship there. And you're not going to bait anybody into saying anything else because they really believe kind of the best of Bryce Harper and always have. And it's corny to say, but I think it's a little refreshing just to, you know, to hear me say that.

never going to stop saying, you know, we'd be better with Bryce Harper, even as you could argue baseball-wise, that you can, you know, allocate those resources and get more for them. So, yeah, it was a really nice kind of turn of words from a guy who doesn't always, you know, come up with the best words. And it was telling, I think. Yeah, I think it says a lot about Mike Rizzo, but I think it's what we've all thought about him for a while now. Chelsea, thank you so much. Chelsea's on the West Coast and got up really early to do this with me. I had no idea she was out there. But thank you so much.

I always enjoy talking to you. Yeah, thanks for having me. Great catching up with Chelsea Janes from the Washington Post on this Bryce Harper story. Very interesting that the Nats made a legitimate offer. I mean, 10 years, $300 million. And I'm glad that it was received well on the other end also. It may not work out. He may get a deal somewhere else.

And some of you don't even want the Nats to pay him. $30 million a year with the outfield that they'll be left with even without him for a lot less. But I think the organization is better off with him in the organization for a lot of reasons moving forward. And I would sort of still put the odds at 50-50. Something could still happen here between Boris and the learners in that relationship if they don't get exactly what they're looking for elsewhere. Ferris, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Fairfax should be on your list if you're considering something new. Go to ferrishcars.com right when this podcast ends,

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William's for his first visit to the podcast, and hopefully the first of many. We did not get a chance to play golf this summer. Oh, yeah, actually we did. We played early in the summer, right? That's right. When Scott was in town. But we never did. Some guys even finished 18 holes.

Yeah, well, you know, he's very busy. We never got the you, me, Cooley, and Zay bout. There's still time if you want to do it. Have you been playing? Yeah, I have. Play whenever it gets warm enough. I'm about 45 degrees with no wind. Yeah.

You know, it's about my cutoff. Yeah, and the wind becomes a problem once you get below 50. Actually, below 60, if it's windy, it can be a problem, but 45 in wind is no fun. All right, I want to talk college hoops with you and talk about Duke last night and Maryland last night won their opener against Delaware, although it got pretty interesting there over the final few minutes. but I'd be remissed, obviously, having you on the show if we didn't talk about what's happened at Maryland here over the last few weeks.

What's your reaction to everything that's happened? Well, you know, starting with a tragedy with McNair, that's something that, you know, you can say you have a plan in place in terms of how you react to a tragedy like that, but that is so unusual. And there's no guidebook, you know, for that type of thing. So, you know, there was a lot of reactions to it, and I don't think everything went the way it should have. The important thing now is to make sure that, you know, McNair is always going to be honored, you know, in some way already has been. And that's a great thing for him and his teammates.

You've got to give credit to the football team for hanging in there, you know, through all this, staying together, being able to have a chance to be bowl eligible this Saturday, things like that, it's just a tremendous thing for the players and to coaching staff. That has to be really difficult and something that no coach wants to have to deal with. It got political, without a doubt. People started taking sides, and it really hurt to school because there was leaks like there always is nowadays. People like to see what they said in the paper, I guess, because they can go somewhere, even though they're anonymous and say, hey, that was me.

that leak that stuff. And, you know, leaks came from different places, you know, from the administration, from the committee, things like that, that, you know, really hurt things when you're trying to wrap things up and do what's right. And I think that's the important thing. You know, there's still time to do what's right. But it's really hurt.

You know, it's hurt me. It's hurt, you know, people that are close to the university that care about the school, you know, we don't like the idea that people can take shots at us. And, you know, you know, and you can't always be on the defensive. You have to be offensive sometime about your thoughts about how you feel about it. And I, you know, all I know is Maryland's a great university. It's a great research school.

And we have to get back to where we are because there's so much pride in Maryland. You know, I know how I feel. And, you know, it's been a big part of my life, obviously. And so I'm really disappointed with where things are right now. but, you know, there's still a lot of work being done, and hopefully we get out of this. Yeah, you know, you just said something. I, all along, you can never forget the real tragedy of this, and that is that, you know, a young man passed away really needlessly

because in this day and age, really with the trainers and the doctors, you know, that are there to sort of identify, you know, heat stress, et cetera, it's really, really so tragic. But then you also said something about there's no book on how to handle this. Now, it wasn't handled well, obviously. But it is, you know, it's a lot easier to toss in grenades from the outside when you're not actually in the midst of it. And the thing that I think really upset me more than anything else, ultimately I didn't really feel like it was going to be easy to bring, you know, to bring DJ Durkin back. I understood that.

but when Paul Feinbaum went on, you know, game day on Saturday, and I'm just using him as the example because it's the one that comes to mind immediately, but Sally had a column that sort of really took down the school as much as it took down, you know, the football program. And Paul Feinbaum on Game Day Saturday said in his four plus decades of covering college football, he's never seen anything remotely as close to this Maryland situation. I'm like, are you out of your mind? Have you ever heard of Jerry Sandusky?

Not to get into comparisons here, but it just got, it became the thing to jump on and to exaggerate to a point where I don't even know if it was recognizable after a while. And that's what really bothered me about this thing. We have a great university. A football player died. It's an unbelievable tragedy, but it's a great school. And anybody will tell you, you look at national rankings, U.S. World Report, you know, things like that. You know, the best, one of the best deals gone for attending college is the University of Maryland. And Feinbaum, you know, he's got a lot of nerve, you know, to say that about our school, because I remember in 2016, he was almost taken off the air because of some racially insensitive comments that he made.

And I guess he just forgets that. And here's the other thing for me, and this is personal a little bit. When I got there in 89 at Maryland, the school was down because of, you know, Len Byers three years before. and the program, the basketball program, hadn't gone well. And I remember all these people taking shots at us, and they were the same people that said we were great in 2002 when we won the national championship. And for people to jump on now, like a fine bomb is a great example,

and to say what he said about Maryland, he knew Maryland was in a tough position right now, and to have the nerve to say something about our school, when he works for the Southeast Conference, which let's not get into that, recruiting and things like that. And so, you know, I just get tired of people that do that, that wait in the bushes, they're afraid to show their face,

then all of a sudden, you know, something happens that's tragic, and they jump on board to criticize you. And that's typical of what happens in those situations. Yeah, I mean, I, you know, we're sounding defensive, but it's because it was over the top some of the reaction. and it doesn't replace how I feel, and I'm not going to speak for you, but I think it's how you feel about the real tragedy in this, and the way it was handled afterwards.

It wasn't handled well. All right, let's go to sports. Okay. Did you watch Marilyn last night? I got to see the second half because I finally figured out how to get it on my iPad. It only took me about an hour to do that. You'll call me next time. I've got to log in for that BTN Plus.

can use. I think you can use mine. Although actually I had my son text me right before the game and ask me for it. He's at Penn State as a freshman because Maryland's such a good school. He couldn't get into it. It's true. Yeah, here we go. It's true. I know. It's like, you know, you do live, you know, I mean, I don't want to get it. I know. Well, we've already talked about that many times, but I think he logged on and then it kicked me out. So I might not be able to, to, share it with you. But anyway, they had a 22-point lead, and then I don't think they made another open look the rest of the night. And it got to within a, what did they get it to? Four? They got it to three. I think it was three with a minute left. That's right. They got it to three with a minute left.

You missed that drive for Delaware going down that left side that, you know, it looked like there might have been a little contact. I thought there was contact. Yeah, but maybe not enough in that situation. And if you're Delaware, I mean, I was an American youth for four years. You don't get those calls when they're playing a Maryland or something like that. So, I mean, it's just, you know, for Delaware, I'm sure they thought it was a foul. But to me, here's the thing. First of all, the freshmen have to understand that the game is not over because you have a big lead early in the second half.

That doesn't mean anything with a three-point line. Now, the three-point line is the biggest impact on college basketball, I think, even bigger than his shot clock because not many teams really held the ball, you know, is a way to play offence and things like that. So with the three-point line, you just need a couple guys to get hot against you. And all of a sudden, you get tight as an offensive team. How do you play with the 20-point lead, especially when you have a lot of freshmen running around? Do you continue to attack, take quick shots?

If they don't go in, give the other team a chance to get back in? Or, you know, do you keep playing? Do you keep the offense going? Do you keep running? And I think really get good lessons from these early games in this season because you've got to keep attacking. You can't, you know, back up just because you're going. you got a 22-point lead. And, you know, I would much rather be accused of running up the score than ever blowing a game,

you know, because I let up a little bit as a coach. And I always felt that way. And I, teams blew me out, too, you know, I mean, and I never felt bad about it because I just wanted another chance to play against them because hopefully we'd better be a better team. Well, the thing that I noticed about Maryland this year, and we can talk a little bit about the team because you've been out and spent some time with the team. you know some of these players and you know the staff obviously. They tried, at least in the first half, and they succeeded in playing faster, which has been

one of my frustrations in recent years that they've had talent, they've had athleticism, length, quickness, and they didn't use it defensively. And one of the first things I noticed is they're in a full court press at times during the first half. They're trying to take the ball off the rim and run. And that was an encouraging sign to me, and they have the talent to do it, don't they? Yeah, and they have the depth in the back court. I think you need multiple guards to be able to do a good job with pressure defense. And, you know, they certainly do this year.

And, you know, they're two big guys who are quick. They have quickness inside. And so you're not going to beat long very often or whatever. And, you know, it's a commitment to press. You look bad sometimes pressing. There's no doubt about it. But it's a great way to start a game. It's a great way to start the second half.

most teams don't really warm up well to start the second half. And I always like to have some type of pressure on to start the second half because teams come out with a minute left on the clock before the second half starts. So obviously they're not ready to play. They have to play themselves into it. Most times teams are ready to go at the start of games. Who do you like on this team? Fernando and Stick Smith, Jalen Smith, the freshman from Mount St. Joe's in Baltimore, for those of you that haven't paid attention, Jalen Smith, is all already a projected first-round pick in next June's draft. He's a 6-10, 6-11 athletic, big guy.

But he's thin, but he looks – Gary, he's a basketball player with that size. You can see he's got good feet, good hands, can shoot it, the whole thing. Yeah, I think he's really talented. He's one of the more talented players. And what I like about him is that he works. some guys have come in and, you know, with a great reputation, and that's been about it. This guy, he's working.

And part of the reason is, I'm sure, and you'd have to talk to Smith, is his high school coach, Pat Clancy's an old-school guy. I've been to a lot of his practices. Dino Gregory played for Plac Lanssey. And the guy gets on players, you know, no doubt about it. And he pushes him, and it doesn't matter how good you are, he's going to try to make you better. And I think Smith brings that attitude to the team, which is great.

Anthony Cowens should be a dominant point guard in the Big Ten this year. I think the Big Ten lost a lot of guards last year, and I think Anthony will be one of those people. He is really quick. And, you know, when you're a point guard, I've always felt with the point guards. Nowadays they have to be able to score, and Anthony certainly can, but your job is to really get everybody involved early in the game, if possible. And I think Anthony has mature to the level that he realizes that's one of his most important things,

is to get the team playing well in addition to his scoring. And then, you know, the other thing is the emphasis on three-point shots in today's game is incredible. And, you know, everybody knows the analytics of why you should shoot threes and all that. but the other part of shooting threes is to get to the rim, because you want to shoot as many free throws, dunks, and three-point shots as possible. And that's where Anthony can really help by getting to the rim because this year he's got two guys with Fernando and Smith

that he can dump the ball off to when their guy helps, and all of a sudden you've got a three-point opportunity with both Smith and Fernando trying to finish down there. What do you like about Fernando? What does he need to work on? Well, I like his excitement. to play the game, number one. I mean, that's always a positive with anybody,

and he has that, you know, he gets into it to play. He's got to keep his head into the game, and he's got to understand that there are certain times when you get beat, especially as an inside player, you just don't have good position, and in that situation, you have to concede the field gold if it's in the middle of the game or whatever, and it really is just another two-point shot. He gets fouls on plays where he shouldn't get fouls,

where he should just say, okay, make the shot, but I'm not going to get involved where a referee can call a foul because he had two or three last night that weren't necessary, and it really hurts in close games, and that was one of the reasons Delaware could make the run last night because he was on the bench, and you've got to learn, and this is his second year now. He's got to get better at that and be tougher.

And being tough a lot of times is not fouling. That's a sign of toughness is not fouling. What should Maryland fans expect from this team this year? I think they're going to really improve as time goes on here because they're young, but at the same time, they've got a good combination of players, and the more they play together, the better they'll get. And I think it'll be a more exciting brand of basketball as they make the commitment to go quicker.

I don't think there's anything about it. We need our students at the games. I always felt, you know, going back to Coalfield House and things like that, when you got the students there, the rest of the building became alive and electric. And we didn't have the students here last night. And they've got to show up. I mean, there's no excuse for that. I know it's a long walk from some of the dorms to Xfinity.

You know, for students, that's a long walk. Well, I mean, I've told you this before, that the Xfinity compared to Cole, which was right in the middle of campus, it was just easier to go to coal, even if you didn't have any intention to go to the game, it was the last minute, hey, I'll go to the game and watch them. And I'm talking about the games in November and December, you know, against lesser opponents.

It's harder for those kids. It shouldn't be. I mean, I'm looking at the schedule right now. Obviously, the place will be packed for Virginia on November 28th. But, you know, they got a home game against Seton Hall. They've got home games against Lowe. Actually, is that Loyola Chicago game? Is that in Baltimore?

That's in Baltimore. Yeah. And see, here's here's, here's, here's my thing. Two examples. When I went to Ohio State, my first game in 1986 was against Bucknell. And Bucknell wasn't good. Bucknell is a good basketball

program at this point. But they weren't good. It was a money game. We're supposed to win by 20. I walk out on the court for the game and the place is sold out as packed because the people in Columbus wanted to help us become a good basketball team.

We weren't that good at the start of the season. This area, and it's not just Maryland, this area, you have to get good, and then the people will come to the game. And that's the biggest difference in the two areas. And it's just a shame, you know, and, you know, that's part of the deal, you know, for our students, if they want a great basketball program, they kind of have to help lead the way. And Mark has done a couple things this year, you know, the student practice.

You know, the players eating with the student body and things like that, you know, the students should feel a part of things. I think that's the thing with Cole Fieldhouse was a little easier to make them feel the part of things. You know, for a Saturday game at 1 o'clock, the students could sleep to like 1230 and still get to the game on time. You know, they had to sleep that long sometimes. I mean, we know that when they do show up, there's not a better environment. Oh, no, that's what I mean. But, see, they lead the way.

It's, you know, the old people, you know, they'll do whatever the students do. They like it. They like the atmosphere, but they're not going to create it. The students have to create the atmosphere. Did you see Duke last night? You know, I did. And see, here's what's going on. Now, here's college basketball in 2018.

All these kids play together in the summertime. They watched what Durant did, going to Golden State, how he kind of engineered a deal himself. Now, that's what happened with that Duke team. Those four other guys got together and decided to go to Duke, and then all of a sudden they recruit Williamson. I mean, they were really active in recruiting Zion Williamson, and it's just amazing how good they are. I mean, you remember the teams.

When I first got to Maryland, it was the Leitner, Grand Hill, early teams. They were probably the best teams that we played against when I was Maryland overall as teams. I see that team last night if they can sustain that and stay on selfish and play as aggressive as they do. I mean, they got 118 against the number two team in a country. preseason, not even trying. In other words, they said a lot of guys in the second half. Shosheski went two-three zone the last six minutes of the game to try to take it easy. And that could have been 130, 135 very easily. One of the things I couldn't believe, and I looked at that after the game, is the way they played so

aggressively, they ran so much, and for the entire night, they only had four turnovers in the game. Wow, I didn't know they only had four. I was thinking, you know, I always felt when we were good, when we get an 85, 90 game, if we'd have 10, 12 turnovers, that's fine with me. That meant when we were aggressive. You know, we were trying to take the ball at people. And, you know, you got to watch that turnover stat usually because some people, well, we only had six turnovers. We did a good job.

Maybe not. You know, maybe you weren't aggressive enough with your offense. But to have four turnovers in that game, that's incredible. That really is. Incredible. And Williamson is, I mean, he's a massive. Manchild, but that kid Barrett, he's the one that is mocked out as the number one pick overall, the lefty, who by the... Go ahead, I'm sorry.

I was just going to say he was so, like, he ended up with 33, but if you were watching it, they were, it was like a quiet 33. Yeah, just think of James Harden. We'll see that guy play. That's who we reminded me of. Yeah, he was great. Have you been watching the NFL or not? Yeah, yeah, I watch it. So what do you think, what do you think of the Redskins? You know, they're banged up, obviously, but you've got to stop talking about it. You know, that's the way it is. I mean, you get an injury.

I remember when Walt Williams broke his leg, you know, back then, that wasn't good, but we didn't even mention it after it happened. We just played and we were okay, you know, and that's the big thing. And, you know, they've got to figure out how they get some offense working. I mean, whatever that takes, I mean, I'm not into the technical stuff. They've got to get more offense in the game. But everybody else has scored a lot of points. So you better.

You better score. You know, one of my picks this year to go deep into the postseason, I really loved the Ravens team, and they have really fallen apart here. I thought that was a really good team. I know you watched them, and you know everybody in that organization. I'm surprised that the season's gone the way it's gone, the way it started. Yeah, you know, their defense was really good early. Right.

It hasn't been as good lately. And, you know, I was up at the Steelers game on Sunday, and, you know, Rafflesburg was just, he's unbelievable, first of all, at 35. He hangs in the pocket better than anybody in the league, I think. And he just won the game for the Steelers. But, you know, the Ravens had their chances. And, you know, you have to, you know, at that level, when you have a chance, you know, you can't settle for a field goal, you have to get the touchdowns. Yep. You know, didn't happen.

I mean, I think Harbaugh is a great coach, but I think he's in trouble if he doesn't make a run here at the end of the season. Yeah, playoffs have become important, and I think this is a big year for John. I hope he makes it because he is a good guy. Yeah, he's a good guy, good coach. All right, thanks. Let's do this again, if you don't mind. Sure, no, I love to talk basketball, so no problem. Thanks, Gary.

See you. Are you buying or are you selling? NFL buyer sell. Yeah, let's do some NFL buy herself. Good idea, Aaron. I'm buying the New Orleans Saints. Not a difficult buy, but did you guys know that New Orleans is the number one rush defense in the NFL right now? And it's actually not even close. They are allowing 76.4 yards per game rushing. Number two is Philadelphia, seven and a half yards more per game. That is impressive. if you want to look at yards per attempt, because some people will say, well, you know, it's because teams are down and they're just throwing the football against New Orleans. Nope, New Orleans is number one in the NFL in yards allowed per attempt rushing the football at 3.4.

That actually surprised me. I know New Orleans has been aggressive up front, and I know that they've got some players like Rankins and Jordan and, you know, at the linebacking core, guys like O'Ker and Manteo, who's getting better. But overall, defensively, I just wasn't that impressed with New Orleans, especially early in the year. I wasn't necessarily impressed with them defensively the other day against the Rams. Now, that's the Rams. The Vikings were moving the ball up and down the field until they turned it over at the end of the first half. They couldn't run the football.

I remember that. The Ravens put up points on the Saints. The Redskins didn't. But the Saints right now really seem to be on a path to a Drew Breeze. I don't want to say it would be a Super Bowl to end a career because he's 39 and it looks like he can do this for another few years. but they've gone all in on this year, and it's paid off. Now, they have some teams left here the rest of the year.

They have to play this weekend in Cincinnati, you know, off of that. Now, no A.J. Green. They have to play Philadelphia. They have to play, they still have Atlanta. They still have the Panthers twice. They have to play the Steelers. All right, the Saints and the Steelers are the December 23rd CBS. 425 game. How about that?

It's pretty good. As a little holiday weekend 425 tilt. Seems like there's a lot more marquee games down the stretch here than usual. Yeah, we went through them yesterday. There's so many of them. But the Saints just seem to be, and I'll tell you what, if they do get the number one seed overall, and it may come down to those two games against the Panthers in the final three games. And look, their final three games. If the Panthers continue to play well, their final three games at Carolina, Pittsburgh at home, Carolina at home.

That could determine whether or not they're playing on the road or at home. But I'll tell you what, if the Saints are playing at home in the postseason, does anybody see anybody going in there and winning? I think the Rams could. And I think the Rams had a chance last week. I mean, just with the defense, as good as the run defenses, like the way this season is going. Did you know their run defense was number one in the league? I didn't realize it was that good.

I knew it was better. But again, I thought a lot of that was just teams could throw on them, so they weren't focusing on the run as much. I'm selling the Chicago Bears. just not buying the five and three bears who are technically right now in first place in the NFC north. Look, they beat up Nathan Peterman, 41 to 9. The week before that, it was a jet team that's good defensively but can't score. You know, perhaps their most impressive game of the year was the loss to New England. It took two special teams touchdowns for New England

to beat Chicago at Soldier Field. But they haven't beaten any, they beat Seattle early in the year. but I think they beat Arizona. They crushed Tampa. They've got five wins. So it was Seattle, Arizona, Tampa, and then the last two. Dolphins, I'm sorry, Jets and Bills are the two. It's not an impressive group, I don't think. I think Trubisky's getting better.

And they do have a running back and a running attack with Jordan Howard. They still have, you know, two games with the Vikings, two games with the Lions and still play the Packers again. and they also have the Rams on the schedule. I just don't think Chicago is a playoff team. So I'm selling them as a first place team right now, a team that won't make the postseason. Those are two teams in the AFC,

not that I'm doing it by conference. It's just working out that way. In the AFC, Tennessee showed me a lot the other night. I think there's something about Tennessee. They very easily could have beaten the Chargers. I still think the decision to go for two there at the end in London was the wrong decision given that they had all the momentum in the game, and I think they would have been in good position in overtime against the Chargers.

You know, it's now, even though it was only three weeks ago, it seems like it's three months ago when they got shut out by the Ravens in terms of the two teams. You know, they played a very good game in nearly beating the Chargers and then went into Dallas and really took them apart after the bad start. They play the Patriots. I think they play the Patriots this weekend, right? It's Tennessee and New England this weekend at home.

I just, I like their team. I think they're a tough team defensively. And, you know, Marriota, and I talked about this yesterday, so I'm not going to go on for very long today. But, man, when he's playing well, he's dynamic and they're good. I'm buying a little bit of Tennessee to potentially make, In the last week I bought a lot of Houston, or the last two weeks. I think Tennessee maybe turns that into a bit of a race in the AFC South.

Let me pull up their schedule real quickly. Do they have to, they got the Texans. They already beat the Texans in week two, and they play in Houston on November 26th. So, and they've already beaten Jacksonville in the division. Buying a little bit of Tennessee, just have a feeling, you know, even if they lose this week to New England, that they might win 8, 9 in that range, 8, 9, 10, and have a chance. In the AFC, I'm not going to sell Baltimore. I'm just not doing it yet. This buy week couldn't have come at a better time for them. It's a shame they couldn't

have gotten a win going into it. I guess I don't have anybody to sell in the AFC. I would actually buy a little bit of Indianapolis, too. I think there's a lot of, getting better. And again, they don't have any impressive wins except, you know, the Redskin win. You know, they've got, you know, they got that loss to Houston in overtime that was sort of winnable. They had a game in Philly they could have won. They destroyed the Raiders, the bills. You know, they're, I'm looking at their schedule right now. They got the Titans, they got the Jags, they got the Dolphins, they got the Cowboys Giants. I mean, don't count Indie out how good has Marlon Mac looked? Really good.

really good. And you know what? Lucks getting better and better and healthier and healthier too, because he had a good game against the woeful Raiders. All right, that's the show today. A lot of guests really wanted to talk about Bryce Harper with Chelsea, wanted to talk about the Maryland thing with Gary and figured I'd wait until the first night of college basketball had been played. And Doc and I have been talking about doing this for a while as well. And it was good to get Tim Murray in for a little bit because I think these college football playoff rankings. We always say this.

You start making predictions right now, and there's so much more football to be played. But I just don't see Bama losing, and I don't see Clemson losing. So I think those two are locks. I think Notre Dame could lose, but I think Michigan's the third best team in the country. If LSU isn't,

and if LSU is the third best team in the country, then what is Alabama? My God, thanks to Aaron, thanks to all of the guests, to all of you. Back tomorrow, Tommy, you'll be with me. Have a great day.