The Kevin Sheehan Show - Santana Moss + Smell Test

Episode Date: September 1, 2023

Santana Moss joined Kevin on today's show and in addition to talking Sam Howell, Eric Bieniemy, and all things Commanders, Santana shared a few memories rarely heard about the famous 2005 "Monday Night Miracle" win in Dallas.Kevin gave out five "Smell Test" college football weekend picks.Tim Murray/VSiN jumped on to preview the college football season, weekend, and he gave out a few picks too. For your sports betting needs go to https://www.mybookie.ag/sportsbook/. Use code KEVINDC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it. But you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Cheehan Show. Here's Kevin. Well, happy September, everybody. September 1st. It's here, finally.

It feels like fall outside today. But it won't later on this weekend. If you're in the D.C. area, you know that the last few days have been beautiful. By Sunday, low to mid-90s, by Labor Day, mid to upper 90s, and much of the week next week will be in the mid to upper 90s. So enjoy today and tomorrow. I did look at the extended forecast for next Sunday, September 10th, 1 p.m. in Landover. Sunny and 86 degrees at kickoff is the forecast now, subject to change, of course.

but it will be a warm opener against the Cardinals. But it's a good thing they're not playing the game on Wednesday or Thursday, where temperatures right now are predicted to be 96, 97, 98 degrees next week. The team, by the way, today announced that it is official. The season opener at home against the Cardinals is a sellout. Good for them. The atmosphere should be great. Now go win the game.

and win it easily, something like 31 to 14 would be nice. It'll be a game where the status of a few players are, you know, it's going to hang in the balance for some of these guys for at least some of next week. Terry McClorn's toe, that's going to be an early week storyline, unless we get something about it over the weekend. Until he's back practicing and cleared to play in the opener, that will be a question. Chase Young's doctor appointment that was, I believe, scheduled for today will shed more light on the stinger injury.

This could be something you already know about as you're listening to the podcast, but as of now, no reports on it. You know, I guess it's still possible that it could become something that lingers. Phil Mathis went on the IR yesterday. Man, has he had a rough start to his career? taken in the second round. Hurt early in the opener last year, so he missed basically the entire season. Hurt in the first preseason game this year. That means he is out for at least the first four games of the year.

Same goes for F.E. Obata, he's on the injured reserve as well. They added a D-Linman Abdullah Anderson, and then they added back to the roster yesterday, Tyler Larson, the center. Some good news, Logan Thomas back from the calf injury and says he feels good and we'll be ready to go next Sunday. Coming up on the show today, Santana Moss will be my guest in the next segment, and then Tim Murray will be on with us at the end. We'll talk some college football with Murray, get some picks from him coming up as well. My first smell test of the year coming up in a few minutes in this opening segment of the show. I've got five picks for the first full college football game, football weekend of the year.

Last night, the Minnesota-Nabraska game, it wasn't necessarily a great game, but it had a great finish. I felt badly for Nebraska. The Huskers, over the last six years, they put this stat up. They've lost 27 of 34 games decided by a touchdown or less. Last year, two and five in games decided by a touchdown or less. They had some terrible Matt Rule clock management at the end of that first half last night. Matt Rule's never been good at it, college coach or pro coach. and they just completely

mishandled. At the end of the half, they were down 3-0. They had a first and goal, and then a second in goal at the 1 after the first down play. It's always incredible to me, you know, in terms of what goes through or what isn't going through the minds of these men who are paid millions of dollars a year to do everything in their power to win games. and then they just either freeze up in these last minute situations

or they just don't know what to do. It's second and goal after our first and goal gets the ball to the Minnesota one-yard line. And when that play ends, there are 24 seconds left in the half. Nebraska's got one time out left. They should have used it right there. But instead, they didn't snap it until nine seconds were left on the clock. They were rushing at that point.

They false started, so they lose five yards, they lose 14 seconds, and on the next play, the quarterback tries to force it, and he throws an interception into the end zone because they had to throw the football there. They couldn't run the football. With 23 seconds left, even with no time out, you still have the option of lining up and running the football, at least on the next play, and then you've got to line up and throw one into the end zone on third down and then kick the field goal on fourth down. You know, I used to ask coolly this question all the time. When you're trying to score at the end of a half or at the end of a

game, is it better to have more plays or less plays? It's not that hard, but apparently for Matt rule, it was. Nebraska loses another heartbreaker, but at least they have women's volleyball. The Florida, Utah game, which I watched pretty much start to finish, was a mess for the Gators. Too many mistakes. All of them pretty much self-inflicted. I thought the game could have been a much closer game than the way it played out. Florida was down 7 to 3, and they were driving, and then they had a turnover at that point or a penalty that caused them to punt. Utah had to punt up 7-3, but Florida had two players with the number three jersey on the field for the punt return.

Five-yard penalty, automatic first down Utah. They go down and score to take a 14-3 lead, and it felt like it was kind of over at that point. But Utah did not have their starting quarterback, but their backups were excellent. They beat Florida 24 to 11. How about this one from last night? UCF in a 56 to 6 win over Kent, or Kent State, whatever it's called these days, 723 yards of offense. That's a lot of offense, but that's not even close to anything resembling record-breaking.

In 1989, Andre Ware led Houston to a 95 to 21 win over SMU. Cougars in that game had an NCAA record 1,021 yards of total offense. That wasn't two teams combined. That was one team in the game. By the way, in that game, Andre Weir threw for 517 yards and six touchdowns. 340 of those yards and five of those touchdowns came in one quarter. the second quarter. Also, by the way, about that game,

Jack Pardee was the coach of that team, that Houston team. And SMU was in the throes of the death penalty probation era after paying Craig James and Eric Dickerson hard cash. So they didn't have much. But by the way, I was thinking about the 723 yards and the 56 to 6 wins. So college football has a couple of new rules this year. but all intended to speed up the game,

something I've been complaining about for years, and I've suggested, look, all they got to do is eliminate that clock stops on first downs rule. Keep it for the final two minutes of the half and the game to kind of keep the flavor of the college game of, you know, you get a first down and the clock stops, even if you don't have any timeouts. But don't do it all game long.

That's why some of these games were getting, close to four hours because there's so many chunk plays in college football. There are so many first downs that go for 10 or more yards. So it was like the clock was stopping after every play or every other play. I have not seen any data from last night, but what lengthening those games did with that rule is give teams the opportunity to gain more yards and score more points. So I bet you the 95 to 21 win with 1,021 yards of total offense,

now that the college has created rules to speed up the game, I don't think we'll ever see that record broken. I mean, that seems to me to be a record that will stand forever. A 1,021 yards by one team, you know, again, it's one thing if the clock is stopping and you're ending up with 95 snaps in a game. but if you're down to 85, and I think the thought is they'll be able to slice maybe 8 to 10, maybe 12 minutes off these games. I don't know if that seems like a lot or will seem like a lot,

but I think it'll be, you know, five to 10 plays probably per team per game, somewhere in that area. The other things they're doing is there's no two-minute warning still. So the clock's going to roll on first downs until you're under two-minute. and then you can't call back-to-back timeouts anymore in college. You used to be able to call, if you had three timeouts left at the end of a first half, you could use all three to try to ice a kicker before a field goal attempt. Now you can only use one. And if there's a penalty at the end of the first or third quarter,

they're not going to run an untimed down in that quarter. They'll just run the next play at the beginning of the next quarter. Anyway, that was night one in college football last night. Don't forget to rate us and review us, especially on Apple and Spotify. It's always much appreciated. This comes from ICB 80, five stars, thank you, on Apple. And as I've mentioned before, just a one to two sentence review is all you need to do. And he or she writes,

Kevin should stay with Cooley for a month straight so we can hear him on the podcast all season long. Yeah, Cooley suggested that I gave him half the amount of time he was looking for when I went out to Wyoming. So he's only going to give me half the time this year. I don't think he'll really do that. So thank you. Yeah, a rating and a review and a follow on Apple and Spotify, much appreciated. if you can do that. Before I get to the first smell test of the year and then we'll get to Santana,

I want to, as I have in the past, recommend subscribing to the athletic. It's like a dollar a month these days. I mean, it's nothing. It's totally worth it. And I early this morning read Ben Standing's second part of his annual survey of NFL agents. Ben's been doing this now. I think this is the fifth year where he surveys a large group of NFL player agents on the condition of anonymity on a number of football subjects, NFL subjects, including lots of subjects having to do with Washington. I just read the second part of the survey, which he put out last night.

And there were some really interesting things in here. And I'm going to read a few of them to you. first of all, there were several comments about Eric Bienemy. I'm not going to read all of these because then, you know, Ben doesn't want me to read all of them. He wants you to subscribe to the athletic, as I do, to read the rest of them. But this was an agent about Eric Bienemy and what to expect this year. Quote, I don't know that there's a more polarizing guy in the league in the sense that you have a faction of former players and analysts who, just praise him and think he's going to be, for the lack of a better example, Andy Reed.

And then you've got a faction on the other side that thinks he's going to be a disaster as a coordinator without Andy. I don't have a prediction, but I'm fascinated to see how it all plays out. Yeah, I mean, that's the thing with Eric B. Enemy, is that nobody knows. Like, I've talked a lot about Sam Howl, nobody knows. The offensive line, kind of don't know. Chase Young, don't know. But Eric B. Enemy is a don't know. Now, there are things about training camp in the offseason that seem encouraging, but, you know, he does not have Patrick Mahomes here. Andy Reid did a great job with Alex Smith, did a great job with all of his quarterbacks in Philadelphia, obviously. but didn't win a Super Bowl until he got Patrick Mahomes.

But I think that's really the way a lot of people in the league are viewing this. They don't know how it will turn out because we don't really know how much of what Kansas City did and accomplished was Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, or Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Eric B. Enemy. me. Then there were, God, man, there was a lot on the Snyder exit. I think it's actually kind of interesting. I'm not going to read them all. I'll read a couple of them. But, you know, we've always said about Washington during Dan Snyder, especially over the last decade, much more so than the first decade, is that guys just didn't want to come here. And the only way to get him here was to overpay. And it just wasn't a destination, Washington, as long as Dan was here.

And it wasn't, for the most part. You know, occasionally they got some players, but usually it was because those players didn't have a lot of other choices to make the kind of money that Washington may have been offering. But there are a couple of quotes about Snyder, quote, from an agent on the condition of anonymity. Now it will be easier to get guys to come to Washington. And then he added, hopefully they will treat families better going forward. Another agent, this now makes Washington more intriguing for players, can now evaluate more than just the money.

Another one, it's great for the team. Snyder was actually great for agents because of how impulsive he was. If you had a top guy that he wanted, you could go right to him and get a deal done. He'd pay whatever you wanted. Dan was a terrible owner, and the sale made the team a little bit more attractive. They still have problems. I mean, they got to clean up the front office a little bit. They have a good personnel staff, but they need to work on their communication.

That was from an agent. And then there was, let me just, there was this one. you want to send your clients to a franchise where you see stability so that a player doesn't have to worry about a change of coaching staff or the front office, which affects players job security. With Snyder, you never knew. He sucked the energy out of the building. You want your guys to go to a building that's going to have great energy. You hope that changing ownership gets rid of that negative energy and some really bad decisions that they made. there were a lot of others on Snyder and then there was a section on whether what advice these agents would give Josh Harris

Let's pick out a few here Don't waste goodwill act swiftly and appeal to the fan base They look ready Second piece of advice Blow up the front office A third piece of advice hire the best qualified football person you can and then get out of it get out of his way and then here was another one treat the players like humans um you know there's something it's a long answer but uh you know essentially they said dan treated stars like stars and bottom players like bottom players uh which is something i always talked about that was part of the problem here that's why you'll never hear clinton or london or you know something

Santana, you know, say bad things about Dan because he treated stars so well. But no matter what you did internally with Washington's franchise, until you cut off the head of the snake, it was going to trickle down and not be a good place to work. Then there was a whole section on Ron Rivera. What do you think of Ron Rivera, the job he's done, and what's next for him? I'm telling you guys, most of these answers from agents are really complimentary about Ron. This is the thing that I think a lot of people who are fans of the team don't get. And look, we know more sometimes than NFL agents do.

We're living day to day, you know, play by play in these games, play by play with his press conference. too. But here's one. I think he's done a good job. I've got a ton of respect for Ron. And I think taking that job and having to deal with ownership was obviously difficult with Dan there. I think he's done a good enough job. I think now we can really evaluate him more based on the job he's doing because I don't think he has the same obstacle in front of him with Dan gone. Another agent. I'm still a fan. He's been handcuffed since he's been there in some ways. You have to have a quarterback. Maybe Sam Hal finally fills that hole.

Another agent, love him. But I'm not sure he will survive this ownership change no matter what. Owners want to put a stamp on their new toy. Another one, love Ron, root for him. Another one, I love the guy, straight shooter. He'll do what's right by the young men no matter what. what? I mean, overwhelmingly positive stuff about Ron. You know, there's something, you know, here's another agent, better win, he's facing an uphill battle. But yeah, it's always interesting

to me, even when I have people on the show from other NFL cities, and they have a lot of respect for Ron Rivera. Sean King didn't last week. He did not, it was not a big fan of Ron Rivera, but a lot of people are. All right, let's get to the first smell test of the year. Kevin looks where the John Q public is putting their cash and does the opposite. It's time for the smell test. The smell test is brought to you by my good friends at my bookie. Guys, if you're ready to wager on football, My recommendation is MyBooky. Even if you have a place, use My Booky as your second spot to comparison shop on things like point spreads and money lines and over under numbers and pricing. You should have more than one place if you're doing this the right way.

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It means whatever you make your deposit for, they're going to give you more money into your account to bet with after you make that first deposit. MyBooky.orgie.ag promo code Kevin, D.C. 18th season for the smell test. 12 winning seasons, five losing seasons. for those of you who don't know, the smell test is, for all intents and purposes, a contrarian handicapping philosophy. Now, everybody seems to be doing contrarian handicapping philosophies these

days, but they weren't 18 years ago. Just like everybody seems to be doing a mock schedule these days, but they weren't, you know, 10 or 11 years ago when I started doing it on the show. But it's more than just betting against the public. You know, it's more than just finding out who the public is convinced is going to win and cover, you know, because the books have messed up the point spread. It's more than just that. As many of you know, I've had good contacts offshore primarily over the years, and that gives me real data and real inside.

information on not just, you know, where the public wagering is, both, you know, in terms of bets and dollar volume, but also where a lot of the sharp money is. A lot of you use those sites that indicate sort of the public percentage breakdown. Not all of those sites are accurate. In fact, all you have to do is go to two or three of those sites, and you'll see sometimes, you know, one game, you know, take Arizona and Washington. Washington's getting 56% of the action. Arizona is getting 44%. Then you go to another site and it shows Arizona's getting 56% of the action and Washington's getting 44%. They're not very accurate. So kind of the idea that the public is wrong more than they're right along with a lot of the information that I'm able to get,

especially during football season and a lot of experience on the kinds of games that kind of set up for this. It's all part of it. It is in fun. I really do, even though I do wager on football and have for a long time on sports in general. As my friends and I say when we're in Vegas, Vegas, it's not for everybody. So, you know, tread lightly. This should be for entertainment purposes only. Waging should be for entertainment purposes only.

Don't believe people out there. And we've had some in town that own teams. that have tried to make people believe that they can actually turn this in to a career. No, you can't. Billy Walters did, but that's, you know, one and many, many, many millions. All right, let's get to it, week one of college football. I didn't have anything last night, and I don't have anything in the games tonight either. I do have four games tomorrow, and then I've got to pick.

in the final game of the weekend on Labor Day Night. I'm sure you can already predict who that pick is. But let's get started. Early tomorrow, 12 noon, Fresno State at Purdue. Fresno and Purdue are totally different teams than they were last year. Fresno's lost a lot of their players offensively, including Jake Hainer, who's in New Orleans, is a backup to, I think, he's a third stringer right now to Derek Carr and to James Winston. I like Jay Caner as a college

quarterback. Purdue lost Aiden O'Connell and their top two receivers, including the kid who we saw last week with Cincinnati. I do like Fresno State in this one, in part because Purdue's lost a lot and they lost their head coach Jeff Brom, who's heading back to Louisville where he played after leading Purdue to the Big Ten West title a year ago. Don't forget Purdue was in the Big Ten championship game last year. This line is short. Fresno is getting Fort Purdue and the public is backing Purdue.

And there was very early sharp money on Fresno State. So give me Fresno. plus the four. Up next, Iowa minus 25 at home against Utah State. Now, I nearly passed on giving this one out. Not because it didn't fit the criteria, it did. There's heavy public action on Utah State, and there is sharp action on Iowa. But last year, it seemed like there were a couple of these games. I think I gave Iowa out three or four times last year, and I think I lost two of those. at least. Week three last year was the first time I gave them out. They won their opener last year, seven to three against South Dakota State. And then in week two, lost 10 to seven. In that first game,

the touchdown wasn't even an offensive touchdown. They literally like had seven offensive points in the first two games, and they were laying 24 points in week three against Nevada, and I gave them out, and they won the game 27 to nothing. And I think I made the call. that Friday and said, this is going to be like 30 to 3 or maybe 28 to nothing, and it was 27 to nothing. They were dominant defensively last year, and they were horrendous offensively last year. Now, they lost Jack Campbell in the draft, but they got a Virginia linebacker, Nick Jackson, who was a big-time start UVA, and the defense is expected to be very good again. offensively, we'll see.

You know, they McNamara transferred from Michigan to Iowa. So they've got a different quarterback situation than they've had here in recent years. I guess there's an expectation that they'll be better offensively. Look, Kirk Forens was an offensive head coach for many years, but his defenses have been so good here recently. But that's a big number for a team that could barely score last year to give out in an opener. Publix on Utah State, I will take Iowa and lay the 25.

Next up, there's a team that I like this year because of the coach in particular and because of what he's building, and that is Brett Bielma at Illinois. But I do not like him tomorrow in their game against Toledo. Toledo had a great season last year. Toledo is getting nine at Illinois. People are packed in on the Illini, thinking this could be a good year that they could contend in the Big Ten West. They're laying less than ten at home. There is some sharp money on Toledo.

Toledo can score. Illinois is very physical. They were very good defensively last year. I'm going to take Toledo plus the nine in that one. And then in a game that to me stood out, when I looked at the board for the first time a few weeks ago, this was the game that stood out more than any other. And I think I mentioned it yesterday with Stanford Steve on the podcast. And that is South Alabama at Tulane. Tulane is laying six and a half. Now, we're going to do this year what we did last year because all of you should be doing it.

We're going to buy the half point and get South Alabama, USA, at plus seven, because that's where you're going to have the game, and that's where I'm going to have the game tomorrow. But that line sitting there at six and a half is just begging you to play Tulane, a team the last time we saw them, beat USC in the Cotton Bowl, beat Caleb Williams the Heisman Trophy winner, 46 to 45 in the Cotton Bowl. Cotton Bowl. Tulane lost Spears, but they've got a lot coming back. This was a hell of a football team, but so was South Alabama last year. They've got 18 of their 22 starters coming back off of a team that went 10 and 2 last year in the regular season, two losses by a combined five points. They lost at UCLA in the Rose Bowl. By the way, I had South Alabama. Alabama that week in the smell test plus I think it was 15 or 16. They lost 32-31.

And then they lost it home to Troy. By the way, I had Troy in that game, if I recall. I think I did. 10 to 6, they lost that game. So this was a good football team, but nobody really knows that. People remember Tulane in the season that Tulane had. So the public loves that game. This really is the prototypical smell test pick.

You know, the public's lined up on one side. The line's sitting there at six and a half, continuing to bait people into taking Tulane more and more and more. I like South Alabama plus the seven buying the half point. I think they've got a good chance to win the game outright. And then lastly, let's go to Monday night. The Labor Day night game is, Duke hosting Clemson. Duke hosting a nationally televised standalone Labor Day night game against Clemson.

I would imagine Duke's going to have the biggest crowd that they've ever had. They had a great season last year. They've got an NFL quarterback in Riley Leonard, who's back this year. Look, you can sit there and talk about Duke's season last year and who they didn't play. and, you know, did they get lucky in some of the games that they won? They won, you know, nine games last year. They won a bowl game. They crushed UCF in the bowl game. So I like the 13 with Duke at home. That's the play.

The public's all over Clemson. You know, it's funny about these seasons, and when you get, you know, six, seven months from seasons ending, you just kind of forget what happened the year before. Duke was a good football team last year and they return a lot of their good players, including their best player, Riley Leonard. Leonard, by the way, 6-4, 212 pounds, a lot of Daniel Jones in him, had a hell of a year. I've seen some mock drafts try to get him into the late portions of the first round.

It'll depend on what kind of year he has this year. But watch Duke and watch Riley Leonard against a Clemson team. and Stanford Steve talked about them yesterday. He's not really sure about them. He doesn't think they'll be nearly as good defensively as they've been, and they didn't take advantage as some of those really good defensive teams. Although I do feel better about Klubnick than I do DJU, who's now at Oregon State. So there you go.

First smell test of the year. Fresno State plus four at Purdue. Iowa minus 25 against Utah State. Toledo plus nine at Illinois. South Alabama buying the half point plus seven at Tulane and Monday night Duke plus 13 against Clemson. Santana Moss next right after these words from a few of our sponsors. This segment of the show brought to you by our good friends at Shelley's back room 1331 F Street Northwest in D.C., the home of the best cigar. one of the best bars and one of the real underrated menus in town as well. Bacon wrapped shrimp for dinner. How does that sound?

Followed by key lime pie for dessert. Maybe a conversation with somebody like Tom Leverro. I guarantee you he is chomping at the bit to get to Shelley's next week after being out of the country for a month. That is at the top of his list. If you're looking for a place to have a cigar, have a drink, have a great conversation. Have a great lunch or dinner. Shelley's back room, 1331 F Street, Northwest. All right. Jumping on with me right now, number 89, Santana Moss.

We are just over a week away from the opener. He's been paying attention. He's been out there a bunch. So let's just cut to the chase. What do you think of Sam Howell? And is there anybody that he reminds you of? you know what Fred Smith you know he

has all the fans and he says he has a little Tony Romo in him and I kind of see what Fred sees when it just comes to the the escapability Tony Romo was one of those guys that you know and I'm quoted

during my last few playing years I remember telling folks when I used to hear so much black about you know the Cowboys and their quarterback situation but it wasn't about Tony Romo I feel like when Romo was one of of those, he was one of those quarterbacks that they kind of didn't give the full benefit of the doubt. I actually liked him as a passer, and I would have loved to catch passes from him.

So when I watch Sam and see some of the things he's done thus far in his career, I see what Fred sees, but I think he has a little, you know, he's a little more quick-twished up when it comes to, you know, escaping the pocket. I think he's a little faster than Tony, but he has a strong arm, and he's been precise, man. I mean, that's one of the things that jumped off you know, the page to me this preseason, watching them in practice and then watching them, you know, transfer everything he did in practice over to the preseason games, he's shown a lot of accuracy. And that's big, especially for a young quarterback, and it's big for receivers to know that the quarterback is going to pin that ball on their chest or put it in a nice spot for them to catch it with their hand. You know, I thought you were going to actually give me a different comp, which is why I asked it. I thought you might say he is a more mobile version of Rex Grossman.

And the only reason I say that is isn't there kind of a personal – I don't want to say personality – he's not a personality comp because Rex was more outgoing. But in terms of on the field, just being fearless. You know what, I mean, I see – you know, one of the things about, you know, kind of – Because every year you get someone in there, whether they're a receiver, quarterback, lineman, you say you compare them to someone that you had here in the building before.

Although Tony Romo didn't play with us, he played against them a lot. So I understand why Fred, you know, can give them that comparison. But Rex is a good one, too. I just feel like the ball that he throws and Rex throws is totally different. A Rex had one of those balls.

It was almost like Charmin. He just knew how to bluff it up there and it just was like, his timing was unbelievable. at times and the ball was always perfectly played. I think Sam has a little more heat coming from my behind his arm, so that's one of the reasons why I

can't give him that comparison. But when it comes to just being gutsy and how they play, yeah, I wish Rex had some escapeability because we had bad office alignment with him and if he could have more time and I would have more bigger numbers because Rex

was a pretty good quarterback to me. Yeah, I mean, I know that you always liked him. You know, and just talking about the quarterbacks that you played for, who had the strongest arm of the quarterbacks that you played with here? It has to either be McNabb or RG3. Those two guys, and I'm going to give it to McNabb because I think he was a little more season, older. He had that old man strength.

I mean, his ball used to, RGs used to hump, and he used to hurt. because it was normally, you know, and I don't want to say it's not perfectly placed, but, you know, when you're a young guy, you're not worried about being accurate. You're worried about getting that ball out the way he's been getting it out. So, Archie would throw it and just don't care how he threw it, just knowing he's putting heat behind it. And he was so young, it was different, you know, playing with McNabb, because I guess because by him being a little more season,

he understood when you looked at him with your eyes big, saying, like, that was too hard. actually before you even get to tell him about he's like, Tennis that you are. I'm like, yes. Take something off of it. So McNaught will laugh about it and take a little off of it. R.G., that was his throat. That was his, that was the way he did things. So he was too young to kind of give him that kind of analysis on his ball. And sometimes you just be like, hey, man, you know, like, you know, take care of my fingers. My broke two fingers,

messing with RG and that damn ball he had. But at the same time, you know, it just goes to show you how a season quarterback would take that and a guy who's young and not understanding that, you know, his strengths yet. You know what I mean? Like, R.G. was so good with doing the things that he did well. You didn't want to kind of critique too much of that. Let him just play football. And if you get one of those balls, that's humming come down with it.

But I would have to give the nod to, you know, McNal. Man, his ball was like, you know, it was heavy too. It was real heavy. And but the one thing I can say about him, like I said, you give him that look like your eyes big and you walk him back to the huddle, he automatically knew that that ball had a little too much heat on and he's going to come to you a little soft the next time. So how, because so many of us have heard so many of you guys talk about Sam's arm strength. How does Sam's arm strength compare to McNabs and RG-3s?

Well, I haven't caught a pass from him yet, so I definitely can't compare it. But when I listen to the other guys talk about it. They give them praise about bringing it or getting it in there in tight situation, tight spot. But the one thing that hasn't popped up is that it's not catchable. You know what I'm saying? So that's a great sign.

If you can catch it and he's putting some heat behind it, that's great because that's what you want. And when you say catchable, people might think, well, you know, kind of saying that these guys had hard throws or, you know, heavy throws or heavy arms or whatever it may be.

and some of them was hard to catch, some of them wasn't. Trust me, most quarterback sure have the kind of heat that these guys I'm talking about have. But when I say catchable, meaning that as long as you put it in the area of a receiver to be able to catch with his hands and a timely fashion, then he should catch it. No matter how hard you throw it, how much heat it is behind it, we are receivers. We in the National Football League or collegiate wherever you're at, you should be able to catch those balls. Now, what makes them hard to catch when it's late or it's high and it's behind you. And you're trying to get to your spot or you don't got to your spot and the ball just not there on time.

We have winning in the NFL, those guys you're in the route going, you only could beat them but so long. You know, and now they're recovering. If that ball's not on time, then it's going to be a difficult path for you to catch. Of the quarterbacks you played with, who got the ball to you when you should have gotten the ball? Mark Brunel. Mark Brunel and Vinicester Verde. And I can't say, you know, you put, see, I didn't get a chance to play with McNabb that much, but McNabb, for the little bit of time we had, man, it was special just seeing that, see, McNabb got to the point, he played with me, this was what, that was year, that was year 10 or 11. It was 2010, so I believe it was probably my 11 year or something like that. And, yeah, so he knew what 89 have done over the years of this watching me play. You know, so he was just coming to me because he knew like, okay, he's going to, I trust him. With Vinny Chesterverdi and Mark Grunel, I was a young pup with Benny, and I was in New York,

and Benny just knew me from Miami. And he knew I was eager to go out there and make plays after missing my rookie season. And when he got the chance to go, he one day told me, in a game, like, hey, I might need you back side. You know, and, you know, as a receiver, you always open. Even when you cover, you tell the quarterback, yeah, I was open. Right. And when he said that I told him, yeah, I'm open, I'm wide open.

So he came to me, so I had to make him right when he came to me, and I made a play. And so I gave him the confidence that, okay, I could trust this young guy, and he's a Miami guy, and I know he can stretch the field. So, then he would come to me backside, and before you know it, that was my first thousand-yard season, you know? I started in week four, week five of that season with him, and before you know it, I had a thousand yards that year. So, you know, those guys just know how to get the ball to the guy that's going to make the play, and that's what Mark did. I told guys the story about me and Mark Ronell.

I knew Mark, I've been watching Mark Monell when I was in, you know, high school, middle school, and he was with Jacksonville. I probably was in high school at the time. He was with Jacksonville, and him and Jimmy Smith and Keene McCardell. I watched those guys so much on, you know, on the weekends, being a Florida kid, being a guy from Miami. And so I got a chance to play with him. I'm just saying to myself, this is Mark Rennell. This is somebody I grew up watching. So I was thrilled to be on his team.

But when he tried into the game, that first game, we played Chicago, my first year, you know, first year as a red skin in Washington, I had no clue what to expect. Right. And before you know it, it was like a match made in heaven, man. He just knew this. I guess he watched enough of me in practice and saw how I was getting over for Ram. And he just came with me with the ball. He just followed me with the ball every time.

And before you know it, we had that same chemistry that me and Benny had in New York. He was just telling me, Tannen, you open backside. I got you, Mark, and he would just throw the ball. And one of those games, if you want to, you know, think about it, the play that I made in the Jacksonville game, and I won the game in overtime, he asked me about their route in the first quarter. And I told him I was open, which I was. They gave me man-to-man, and I beat the guy off the line of scrimmage.

I had a go route and he could have threw it to me. But Cooley was wide open, so Cooley made the play. He come back to me in that same play, different coverage. And he just said, hey, he was open last time. I'm going to throw it to him this time. And I had to make him right. This time it was a, I believe it was too under. They had a guy over the top and a guy underneath me.

And I just saw the ball go up and I said, I got to make them right. So those are guys I love because when you watch my career playing, it wasn't always I was going to be in the whole. you know, whatever you call it, progression of things. But the good quarterbacks or the quarterbacks is just no ball, they found the guy that's going to make the play. And that's what I always love those guys that made me, you know, who I was, because you're nothing without your quarterback.

And I'm the guys that gave me a chance to be special. You know, going back to the first game that you guys played together in 2004, you know, I'm sorry, 2005, because he was with Laverneous in 2004. You came in 2005. You know, you guys didn't score a touchdown, but you beat the Bears, remember, 9 to 7 in that opener. And then, of course, the next week is one of the memorable games in franchise history, the Monday Night Miracle. But I'm just curious, you know, no touchdowns through seven quarters of that season. And really seven and a half quarters, seven and three quarters quarters before you guys connected.

twice in the fourth quarter in that unbelievable, you know, end. But what was it like before those two connections in the legendary, you know, Brunel to Santana twice in the final few minutes of the game in Dallas to win at 1413? What was it like through those first seven plus quarters where you guys hadn't scored a touchdown? And by the way, in the Dallas game, you really hadn't even moved the ball. Bingo. I mean, honestly, man, I love telling stories like this because fans and folks who watch the game or cover the game, they expect to be something dramatic. Like, oh, my God, we're pressing.

We're trying to do something. We haven't scored a touchdown yet. You're just playing football. You're not even conscious of what's going on. You're just trying to move the ball and be, you know, be the offense that you want to be. And so I paid no attention to we hadn't scored a touchdown yet. I was so busy being pissed the entire Dallas game that that week of Dallas, man, Coach Gibbs rant me into my tongue was literally hanging, dragging, you know,

when I left the practice field that last Friday, that Friday before the game, because he just, I put in, we put in a bunch of new plays, and I told him, I say, look, man, when I was in New York, Aaron Glenn was our top cornerback. and he Aaron Glenn followed me my whole rookie training camp he's like hey I'm gonna get you better

and I mean when I tell you me and him we have battles and then I end up getting hurt right before we play the first preseason game so I know long it was practicing with him but I just watched them closely and every game we would play certain guys and I know it was one guy that was like

his krypton night and was Marvin Harrison and Marvin ran the Dino route and I put it in that week I said coach we need to run this route Aaron Glenn could not cover Mara Harrison with that I thought of myself as a young, fast guy that had the same kind of speed or probably faster as Marvin Harrison.

So we put the play in and we put some more plays in that I felt that we should be to run with Aaron being out there. And we didn't run them the whole game. And so come fourth quarter with two minutes left in the game, Portis is just like, I guess he had done put his, you know, he checked the clock. We're like, oh, well, man, we got to, you know, we'll take this flight back home and get ready for next week. And he asked me, what's wrong with me?

And I'm looking at him like, we got two minutes. left. You mean, what's what you mean next week? Like, we can run nothing I asked for. And before you know, he walks off and comes back with Coach Gibbs, and Coach Gibbs asks me, do I want to run the Dino? So I'm like, I look at the clock, like, I mean, and that's going to make me happy. That's what you're trying to ask me. I guess, coach, you know, I'm not even tripping now because we're losing.

I just feel like I did nothing. And, you know, lo and behold, man, that play was sparked it. I scored off with that one. I tell folks, if you watch that whole replay closely, When you see me when I get up from the touchdown, I kind of just throw my hands in the air like, oh, well, at least I got a touchdown out of this game. You know, not knowing that when I got to the sideline, Coach Gibbs is going to tell me, get ready.

If we get the ball back, we're going back at them. So that's how all that transpire, man. And it's just like one of those stories that I'll never forget because, you know, it's a matter of a second how things can just turn like that and it did that Monday night. That's really, that's so interesting. You know what's so funny about that is before the. first of all, were both of those touchdowns? One was a 39-yarder. The other one was a 70-yarder on first and 10. Because the first one, you know, was a fourth and 15. You know, you were down to basically

your last play down 13-0. That play. So were they both the same play? No. So the first one of them, so the first one was the Dino route. He called the Dino route for me. I don't know the whole play that we called, because it's been so many years. But I knew that. that, you know, individual, it was my individual route tagged to it, so we knew the ball was coming to me. And I ran the Dino, and normally when I put that play in throughout the week, it was closer. You run that play in the Red Zone. That's how Marvin Harrison ran.

He ran it within the Reds in the 25 and then. And so when he called it, when we was like Forkinson, I'm like, we just saying F it right now. But at the same time, I'm one of those guys, hey, no quit. until I see zero. So I was programmed that way. I'm like, hey, I'm just going to run this route. And if you watch it closely, I was expecting the ball so much earlier.

And you saw Mark just being a veteran. He just hung it up there like, hey, man, I'm just going to sling this thing. And who knew that I was just going to see it and say, okay, turn on those go go gadget feet. And I went and got the ball. And I think it surprised both the safety and the corner that I was able to turn on that gear and go get it. And it surprised me a little bit, too, because I didn't expect Mark to throw it that deep.

But I just knew if you give me an opportunity, me, I got to go try to at least attempt for, you know. But the second one was just a B-line post. We saw how they was playing, and Coach Gibbs said, we get the ball back. We're going right back at, you know, Roy Wink. He's playing flat-footed back there. He has more respect for what we're doing the passing game. So that second one was all because of how Roy Williams had been playing the entire game. Flat-footed.

He was taking everything. every time we play action with him, he was coming up. So we just gave it to him because we saw that he didn't want to respect the past. God, I mean, that's really, that's great information in detail about those two plays. You know, it really was, the play, so there are two plays that really made it possible. Down 13, nothing before the first one, my memory is, and I'm trying to pull up the play by play right now is that there was like a third and 30 and Brunel ran for like 28 yards and you guys had a fourth and short and you got it and then your touchdown I remember was

fourth and 15 and so you guys were right there on the brink of the game being over you know if mark doesn't make that long run if the fourth and 15 if you don't look up you you you know, if Mark doesn't throw it where he throws it, and then when you got the ball back, it was like game on. But still, it was so shocking, Santana. You know, we all are football fans very, very infrequently. Do you see a team that can't score, can't move the ball all game long, and then in their final two drives, they strike gold on bombs?

You know, that just doesn't happen. And it was so shocking. And the only thing I'd ask is just, do you remember after the one that gave you the lead? The game wasn't over yet because Dallas had two more opportunities, and Sean had the big hit on, I think it was Creighton. But yeah, he had, you know, Creighton. And then I think he tackled Terry Glenn. Terry Glenn. He got the last catch.

Yeah, exactly. So it was Creighton and Terry Glenn. But what was, I mean, what was it like to be a part of that at the end of that game when you guys, you know, won it? Man, it was surreal. Honestly, you got to understand something, Shane, and it's just a person who I've had always been. Great things happen to good people. And I say that, and then people have their own way up, you know,

even more than that. But I just felt like the way I got to Washington from even when I was supposed to come to Washington as a, you know, a draft pick and how it just full circle and I still got there. And the year that I had to get me there before I got there, I remember me and Dan talking, he was like, bro, after that playoff run you just had, he said, you know, Dan had been trying to trade for me every year since my rookie year. Because he wanted me as a rookie, but Shidenheimer wanted the taller receiver, so he picked Rodgarner in front of me. That's why the Jets moved up to the 16 pick and got me right after the Redskins picked Rodgarner because they just knew that I was going to Washington. Me too.

Everyone I talked to that week was saying Washington. So, long story short, every year I was hearing when I was home and I was home. offseason, you know Dan Snyder called trying to trade for you. You know, Dan Snyder Carl trying to trade for you. And the last year was the only year he didn't try, and I got there. I still ended up getting traded there. So it was just crazy how all that transpired. And then for me to be the guy that made that play the second game of the season, you know, for us to, you know, one, give Dan Snyder or give the organization their first win in Dallas since who knows when. And to spark that season, the way we sparked that season, man, it was just, you know,

one of those things. I'm one of those guys. I believe in all that type of stuff. So I really walked out of that stadium sunk a little bit by the same time looking up at the skylight. This is one of those moments again that I've been a part of it before when things came my way because of some of the things that went on that got me to where I was at. And I was just thrilled, man. That was like, and to me that was like, here I go. You know what I mean? If you haven't known yet, here I go. And I know, I knew after that game, it was going to be hell for everybody who faced us because they just show, I just show, and we just show, what they can do with me.

And so every week he was just so special to go into practice because now Coach Gibbs understands what he has. He's like, he was just making up plays now for me. Like, hey, can you run this route? Can you run this route? Can you run this route? And I'm like, I can run them all coaching. And so that's what we did the entire season that year.

We scrapped the whole passing game and we would get everything that the team, you know, before us played and we would use their plays. If it was good, if it worked, we rent everybody else passing games just so I can have. a wider option of things to do in that offense. Interesting. I mean, because, you know, from that game forward, you guys, you know, took off offensively.

You had to, you scored 50 plus against the Niners. You had the big game against Tampa that you lost on that All-Stat two-point conversion, which wasn't a two-point conversion. And then you guys ran the table at the end of the year, obviously, after those close losses against the Raiders and the Chargers at home. But, you know, there's so. I just had a thought and I just lost. Oh, so back to, well, first of all, you know, Clinton takes credit for getting you to Washington because Laverneus won it out and Clinton claims and has always claimed to me that he went to Gibbs and said, just send him to New York and bring Santana here. So you believe that, right? Is that true? That's the story. He's not lying. I got a call from Clinton. I got a call from Clinton at the end of the year. Matter of fact, he's a lot. I mean, he's a fact. He's a call.

was all hanging out. We would all come back to Miami when the seasons over with. And if anyone knew me back in those days when I was real young, they used to call me angry man from college all the way up until I guess until I got a little, you know, later in my 20s. I used to just be angry about everything. And I just had that, I guess it was my, yeah, man, I mean, you probably won't believe it, but trust me, the guys who knew me, they knew. They were caught. And so Clinton saw me one night, we were getting ready to go out, and I'm still dis-lingering. Like, whatever I just went through. We went to the second round playoffs that year, but I was

pissed because prior to us making it to the second round playoffs, they wasn't throwing me the ball in New York. And you got to think, I had just came off 1100 yards the season before. So we're saying here like, why are you not getting the ball? And I just didn't understand it. But that was my

introduction into how they do things in the NFL. If you got off a year before or whatever year it was and you got a payday coming up, they're going to milk you. you because they don't want you to break the base. And so that's what they did that year. My last year in New York, they wasn't throwing me the ball.

And Quincy, it took for Quincy Carter, came over from the Cowboys. He was like our fourth screen quarterback because Chad went down, Benny went down. I'm not even sure if Benny was Derridden, but whoever else, I think it was Benny. Benny went down. We had some other guy named Mark Baudra, I believe. He went down, and Quincy Carter was, me and him came in the same draft class. So we would talk a lot, and he would come to practice and say, hey, Ma, I don't know what's going on with you in a coaching staff. Well, bro, I'm watching film, and you're wide open.

And they ever put me in the game, I'm throwing you everything. That's the way he gave it to me. And I told him, I say, man, you know, this is my contract year. This is my last year before my, you know, they promised me to talk new money coming into this season. And he said, that's what's going on. So, long story short, that year, we were starting. up and down, too. But we had a chance to make a run for the playoffs.

And all the quarterbacks go down, Quincy comes in. I'm not sure if it was 100 yards every game, but it was just about, I think the last four games I played with Quincy that year, in 2004, we made a run with me and him just making play after play after play. And I think I had at least if it wanted 200-yard games in those last four, it's probably all four. But we got off together, man. That would push this in the playoffs.

So, you know, that's what was on my mind. line going into that offseason, like, man, they F me. You know, they really tried me. And then the playoffs, I had a great playoff run. I had 100 yards the first game against San Diego with a touchdown. And then I asked Herm Elwood, which they was mad with me about, you know, being a punt returner. I took myself off a punt return that year because I felt like, okay, you want to dig me?

I'm a dick you guys. You know, you want me more as a pump return anyway, so I'm not doing it. So I didn't do it. And it was many other reasons because, you know, for me not to do it. My hamstring was kind of lingering. It was bad the whole year, so I wanted to be more to the offense than I was in the specialty. But playoff time come, I feel a little better. I was rested, and I'm like, hey, you guys want me a punt return.

I go back there this weekend. I'm going to run it back. That's what I told Herman Elvis. And he laughed. You know, Herman was a good guy. He laughed and, like, all right, you ask for it. They put me back there. My second pump return in that Pittsburgh game, I runs the back for a touchdown, I believe

87 yards is the first jet pump return in the playoffs. So, you know, all that stuff was in me. 75-yard punt return. By the way, just so you know, because I just pulled out the box score, Chad Pennington was the quarterback. Yeah, he was a quarterback in the playoffs. He got back healthy. Yeah, exactly.

Got it, got it. He got back healthy the last two, those two playoff games. He was back from his little short break. Right. But, yeah, man, all that stuff just kind of was linging around, and I was with quarters, and I told him how, you know, I feel like I could have had way more yards. I caught 800-something yards that year for almost 30.

I think I had 35 catches or 40 catches. You probably can pull it up right now. I'm pulling it up right now. Hold on. In 2004, you had 45 receptions for 838 yards, 18.6 yards per catch. And Coles had 100 catches for 900-something yards. And Forders said to me, Coles had double your catches, and you only had 100 yards short of him. So you want to come to us? And I say, yeah, you can make it happen.

And that's how it all started. You want to know something that's also interesting. The Chargers team that you guys beat in the first round of the playoffs was coached by Marty Schottenheimer, who still to this day, Santana, I think that was Dan's biggest, single biggest football mistake was firing Marty after one year because they started 0 and 5 in 2001. And he was, up eight and eight with Tony Banks at quarterback. And Marty just, Marty won everywhere he went. But that game,

that game ended with their kicker, Nate Cating, missing like a 30-yard field goal, which is why the game went to overtime. And you guys won it in overtime. Marty had the worst luck in the regular season. The worst luck ever. And, yeah.

So, wow, good stories. All right, let's get back to this team. So back to Sam Howe. So you're optimistic, and I think a lot of you guys are optimistic based on what you've seen. But what are you concerned about? I'm just concerned about his youth. You know, that's more than anything. I think with any quarterback when they're young, you know, I want him to understand that this game isn't peaches and cream, which I'm pretty sure he knows.

but I want him to understand the things that he go through, the moments when he have his highs and his lows, embrace them both and just stay leveled, stay in the middle because it's going to be those games.

And just like the game, we just talked about how we did nothing and won, you know, on that Monday Night Miracle game, that's the NFL, in a nutshell. If you're winning, you're going to be in more games like that

than games where you just dominate and win the game. As long as you give yourself a chance to be in a game, anyone can win the game at the end. And I want him to understand, and I hope, I'm happy that we have a guy like Eric being in me because I know Eric is going to tell him everything he needs to know about this game, especially on those critical moments when he might not be playing his best. But all we need is a play.

Damn, dig deep. All we need is a play. You don't need to do nothing extra. If you see it, take it. If you don't see it, use your feet. You know what I mean? And that's what I'm worried the most about because I want to see if he can overcome that early. I want to see a game or two where, okay, it doesn't look great, but we're in it. And can he just go to the sideline, recoup, look at what's going on, and then get out there and give us that drive or that play that's going to, you know, reboot everything and give us that victory. So true.

You know, you don't know until he's out there doing it, whether or not he will handle the adversity that inevitably is going to come with a young quarterback. It comes with every young quarterback. their ups and downs and how they handle the downs is so crucial. What do you think this offense will look like? Man, I think that's the number one question of the year right now, and that's something that I'm waiting to see. If we just, anything like where, you know, EB comes from,

it can be potent. We can really be dynamic. I just feel like it's going to be predicated, though, on what we do up front. And I think that's just, to me, the outright, you know, that's going to be the whole, that's going to be the one thing that's going to solidify my thought process right now, how good we can be. I want to see the guys up front, how they play week one. And each week, each week is not going to be the telling story.

So, you know, until you get into like mid-season players when you start seeing the true colors of the team. Right. But every week I want to see these guys, you know, I don't want to sit here and say dominate because you just can't dominate everybody in the NFL. But I want to see them handle their business because if you can protect for Sam, he can throw the ball around. We don't have a lot of options. And if you can protect for the run game, which I feel like we probably do that better

than our pass protection right now, we should be well too. We have great backs. All three of them can run the ball pretty well. But some of the things that I've seen from this offense already, we don't have to necessarily get behind, you know, the center and run the ball. We have plays where you can, you know, hidden plays where you can get the ball into the running back's hands now, and those are like hitting runs, just getting them into screens and getting them to little flare-outs or stuff like that.

That's what this offense allows you to do when you have, you know, that West Coast style but spread out style of Andy Reed that we saw from, you know, Philly all the way over to Kansas City. receptions reception yardage and reception touchdowns assuming that Terry and Jahan play all 17 games and Terry's toe injury is a you know is a concern right now at least for the opener but assuming they're both healthy who leads the team in each one of those categories oh man that's a good one um it's hard man to say because you know, right now, I think it's going to be off the bat, just if I had to ask that, answer that question, and I have no clue.

So don't quote me on this. It's fine. It's fine. But just take a swing at it because I think it'll tell people what you think of their receiving situation to a certain degree. If Terry's out there all 17 games, I have no reason to, you know, believe that he wouldn't be the team leader in reception. And yards, tell you the truth.

But, and this is why I wanted to say this, but if Terry is not getting the look, or if he is getting most of the look, look out. Because Jahan Dotson, Kouroult, your mama, your granddaddy, everybody who they put in front of him up. And I just feel like that's the guy, like, when it comes to just, he has something that a lot of receivers don't have. and I know the team sees it already

because you saw how they've been using them, you know, in the preseason. The man could just run every route and he knows how to get his stuff open. I mean, you watch his college fan is no different from watching him in the pros right now. He's just open all the time. So Sam already knows that, and if Terry's out there with him,

Terry's going to get that double team because they know he's a dog over there, and he has to be checked by two. John might have a field day on everybody. And if it happens that way that we see it, which it never happens the way we see it, then Jahan will get the double team, and then Terry will get off.

That's why I say I believe Terry might get off and just have big numbers because as much as we want Terry to be double, because he's just that number one guy, he's a guy that you have to reckon with. Jahan is too good for you not to double him. So you want to leave a guy like Terry open, and that's the wrong thing to do. That's, see, I think that's a really interesting answer.

You know, it's also something that Kooley told me last year. He said, Terry's great, Jahan's the one that's going to have to be game planned for. You know, and that's kind of what you're saying. Believe it or not, people, Jehan's the one that's going to have to be doubled. Yeah. Jehan is like one of those guys that, you know, Terrius is one of those guys. You got to say, you know Terry's here.

Like, okay, let's go. I'm going to give you an example. Terry is Pierre Garc's on all over again. Like, he's just a dog. Like, whatever we throw at him, he's going to catch it. He's going to bulldo. Pierre was a pit bull. He would bulldoze over your dbys.

He would fight them. You know, he would go crack your league and linebacker. He didn't care. But he just made plays. And then you had, you know, a slew of other guys that can just, you have the game plan for. Okay, you got Santana still in the slot. Who will be here on the outside? Well, Deshaun, Deshawn, Dishon there for a little bit.

I was going to get to that. I was going to get to that. Fast forward. My last year, it was Pierre and Deshawn show. So Deshawn, you have the game plan for. Pierre's. still going to beat you. You know what I mean? So it was one of those things. I feel like we have that same thing going on now, but we have a third guy and a fourth guy. So what are you going to do

with those guys? You see what I'm saying? So you might get both of those guys being one, being, that team's going to say, we're going to make, you know, Curtis Samuel beat us. We're going to make, you know, Diami beat us because we're going to make sure we got two guys on these, other two guys. Teams do that. It's still going to get beat because now you have a tight end and we're about and running back to where about. So, there's no answer for all that stuff that we have. That's why I say it's very vital for our officer line to be on point and just protect. Because if you protect, Sam should be able to throw for $4,000.

I'm not going to jump the gun and say $5,000, but at least $4,000 with all the weapons we have. By the way, the other guy that had to be dealt with was Jordan Reed when he was healthy. Exactly. So, all right. What about tight end? Do you think Logan bounces back or does this become the Cole Turner show? And I'm talking about as a pass catching tight end. That's a good question.

I think Cole Turner has potential. Who knows what he's going to do when he gets out there and everything, you know, on the line now? But just seeing what I've seen, the samples that I saw, you know, I was impressed with him last year before he got injured. So I do believe that he can be somebody that we lean on. I just feel like I got to see the total package. I got to see what he does in the big scheme of things, you know, when it comes to blocking, when it comes to being a decoy. You know, I want to see all of that before I give him the nod.

But I haven't gave up on Logan yet. Logan Thomas is still a phenomenal threat before he treated a little calf, which happens to guys that have knee injuries and stuff like that, man, trust me. I tore my knee and, you know, my rookie year, and that's when I started tan hamstrings and groins and quads, you name it. it just came with the territory because of that need. So I hope he gets the right kind of treatment or treatment team around him that, hey, just keep this soft tissue stuff, you know, at bay.

So you can go out there and be special because I saw him show signs of the Logan that led our team, you know, a few years back. I mean, he was looking phenomenal in camp before the little cow popped up. Flip it over to the defensive side of the ball for a second. You know, all of the concerns about Emmanuel Forbes draft time, about his size, about his weight, et cetera. What have you seen so far from him in camp? I care less about his size and stuff.

I know all of that might pay a factor, you know, one day, who cares, who knows. But I just feel like in the game we play now, the cornerbacks are not as aggressive as they used to be. They don't bump and run as much as they do. You know, when they're tackling, they, you know, they're not taking crazy, you know, angles on tackles. They know how to be smart and play the position and know who to tackle or who not to, who to get in the way of and who not to.

So I think that would be something that he knows how to, you know, maneuver with when it comes to his size. But playmaking ability, he reminds me of John Dawson that quarterback. That's, I mean, and it's just, I'm not saying that he's a, he just has a way about playing that position smoother than any other body that I've ever seen player. And it's a lot of guys that play at a high level, but he just seems so confident, so smooth, just know everything about every route that comes towards him.

Like, I haven't seen a route that's just no one just beat them yet, you know, in practice, just haven't seen it yet. He's, he's there. And even if he, you have a step on him, he's still there. Like, he's just one of those guys. He's been showing that from day one. So I'm looking forward to seeing him do big things, man. I really want to see the guys up front, you know, get out the guys because I know what

that can do for our secondary. I've been a receiver for a long time, and I tell folks time and time again that I care less who you play that corner or safety. If you have a serious front four or five guys and they get out to my quarterback and he doesn't have time, then, you know, cancel Christmas for me because those guys are going to have easy picking. And I think that's what our secondary is going to have.

They're going to have a lot of balls thrown up early and often. So now it's going to be, see who got hands and who has the playmaker ability to get up the ballback. Last one. Are you okay with Dax Millen being the punt returner, or were you hoping that? Kaz Allen won that job. We was all hoping probably to see somebody different back there.

You know, I'm pretty sure my words have, you know, been talked about or said across a couple of people's shows about just what I believe a apartment Turner needs to have to be back there. But the one thing I do give Dax credit for us, so don't quote me just yet. I praise Dax for being a solid receiver. That's what he is. He's a starter receiver, and I knew he'll make our team because I feel like he gives us a lot of help in that area. As being a guy that you can come in fourth or fifth receiver or even six if we have six dressed that week, he can make plays in the received position. And what he also does well while I understand the coaches putting them back there, he makes the right decision in catching the ball. He knows how to catch the ball and get the ball back.

Now, what I've said is that if you're an NFL player and you're a punt returner, catching the ball shouldn't be one of the things that we're worried about. You know, that's, you know, that's like, you know, that's a, that's a layup for guys like us. You know what I mean? Like, we're going to do that regardless. What we need to see is a guy that can be a difference maker back there. So although we don't have that guy right now, I'm okay with that being that guy. I think that can get us the ball back.

And I do believe that what he saw this year and probably heard, it's going to make him a different guy. He's going to say, hey, I got to go out there and get at least 10 yards, get me a first down. And when he starts doing that, like, you know, I didn't expect much of that last year because I didn't know of his, you know, journey or his, you know, his story of being a point returner. It's kind of new. When it's new to you, it's hard for you to expect the guy to do that on that level. So I think now it would have been in his second year. If he get a chance to go back there again, he would have a new energy about, you know, the position and go out there and probably do a little more with it. So I'm not making them.

I'm not forcing them to do something special. Be you, Dax, catch the ball first. That's what we need. We need the ball back. But with the leverage that he has and what he's going to have, you should always get a first down, at least. You know, we could do something like what they did with you, which is put Jahan back there in a couple of big spots if they need one.

Because he is one of those returners that could absolutely flip the field and turn the game around. Yeah, him on. Curtis Samuels. I'm surprised that I haven't seen him back there yet. And I'm not sure if those guys, I know Jahan had a little, you know, experience back there in college. But I would assume Curtis being that he just a guy that he touches the ball

and he can do things with it, that's the kind of guy you want back there, a guy that you just have to put the ball in hand. Because to me, that's the part of Curtis gang that's going to get him going. When you're the third receiver, when you're the slot receiver, although the slot receiver is like the star in position now in our league, you still need that guy to get the ball in other ways, you know, because you're going to have the number one and the number two guy getting, you know, the majority of those attempts.

So you want your slot receiver with Lather. You want him to be on the kick return and the punt return. So by the time he gets the ball on the offensive side, it's a big play because he's already game ready, you know, because he's on court punts and court kickoff. But who am I? You know, I'm just telling you what we should have going on, you know? You've done it before. Thank you for doing this.

I appreciate it as always. I always enjoy the conversation with you. As always, bro, I appreciate the opportunity. Thank you. Santana Moss, everybody. I really love Santana Moss. I've had a chance to do a number of things with him over the years, including having him on the show a lot.

And I can't believe he was actually ever referred to as angry Santana, angry Tanna, because he really is always a very nice and willing and very generous guy. Anyway, up next, Tim Murray will talk some college football with Murray. We'll get his best over-under-win total bets in college football and maybe get a couple of NFL bets from him as well. That's next right after these words from a few of our sponsors. Tim Murray about to jump on with us. Tim does his show from the Circus Sportsbook studios out in Las Vegas. The Circa Million and the Circa Survivor pools are still open and available until September night. The week from tomorrow, 2 p.m. is the cutoff for

$6 million in guaranteed prizes for the Circa million. Pick five games against the spread every week. Person with the best record at the end of the year takes home a million bucks, but the top one hundred pays out. Circa survivor pool, $8 million guaranteed to the winner or winners. Pick one team each week. No spread have to win a loss or a tie eliminate you. Last person standing splits the big prize. That's $14 million in guaranteed prizes, no rake. So if the entries go above the guarantee, all the extra money will go to the prize pool. You've got to register at a Circa Sportsbook in Nevada. weekly picks can be made from anywhere. All right.

Jumping on with me right now is my good friend Tim Murray. Tim is, of course, the co-host with Sean King of Vizen's Prime Time on from 6 to 9 Eastern. Follow Tim on Twitter to get links to his show at 1 Tim Murray. Before we get to talking about what we love to talk about, which is college football, this morning, it was announced that the ACC has voted to bring Stanford, Cal, and SMU

into the league. I have a reaction to this. What's yours? I mean, my first is it was inevitable, and I'm not surprised. My second is, I hate it. I don't hate just this move, Kevin. I've hated all of it, you know,

and I know you've talked plenty about ACC's move to the big, excuse me, Maryland's moved to the Big Ten, and at this point, we just kind of accepted. You know, I know money makes the world go around, yada, yada, yada, you know, spare me all that BS, but I just don't like it. You know, this isn't what we have grown to know, and adapting with the times is, you know, whatever. But I just, as a college football fan, now I'm not going to do the thing, Kevin, what people are, like,

I'm not going to watch anymore. No, I'm not, that's crap. I'm still going to watch college football. I'm still going to watch college basketball. Bump, they're going to love those sports, but, I mean, the Pact 12 slash Pact 10 used to be had a, had an identity, right? The Big 12 had an identity, the FCC, et cetera. And I just, I don't like how it's all just all jumbled, you know, who the hell knows who was in what conference, Kevin. So, look, I, you know, I'm happy that Stanford and Cal has found a landing spot in a Power 5 conference,

you know, especially for Stanford, you know, with all of their, Olympic sports and how prolific they are. But I just, you know, watching Stanford play Virginia or Rutgers play UCLA or, you know, Cincinnati play Oklahoma State. Like, I don't know, man. I just, you know, at this point, Kevin, I really hope Gonzaga joins the Big East for basketball because I think that would actually pretty awesome. You know, having a Yukon-Gonzagga game would actually get me going as opposed to like, you know, a random Wednesday. night where, hey, welcome to Cameron Indoor and SMU is playing Duke. Yeah.

This one of all of them, to me, makes the least amount of sense. By the way, I agree with everything you said. Stanford Cal and SMU brings zero value. I mean zero value. Okay, you're adding the Bay Area, I guess, to the ACC network, but whatever new revenue, those three schools bring in, which by the way, will then get shared by 18 schools, they're going to lose when the three biggest revenue generators leave, Clemson, Florida State, and UNC, you know, because those are the three

that voted against this. They got NC State to flip. And by the way, I'll say this about your athletic director. Can you imagine being, you know, the Florida State, or being the North Carolina AD or the Clemson AD. And this guy Swarbrick, who, you know, is the AD at Notre Dame, he won't even join the league full time. And he's standing up and he's the one going public about bringing in Cal Stanford in SMU. And I don't know. The whole thing, I mean, I think Carolina, Florida State and Clemson are going.

I think they've had it with this. Florida State and Clemson are probably going to end up in the SEC. and North Carolina will probably end up in the Big Ten. And to me, if I were the ACC, that's not a trade that I would have ever been willing to make. Now, you might say, well, Clemson and Florida State were going anyway. They were going to go. They were eventually going to join the SEC. And that may be true.

But I don't know that North Carolina was going to go, and I bet you they do end up going now. I may be wrong about that. I could be wrong. but now they're splitting all of that revenue with three more schools who bring nothing to the table. Nothing. I mean, it's one thing when you're bringing UCLA, USC, Washington, and Oregon to the Big Ten, or Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. Bringing Stanford, Cal, and SMU to the ACC provides the ACC with nothing. other than, you know, I guess a West Coast outpost and the Bay Area to a certain extent.

But Stanford and Cal are to the Bay Area. No, that's a bad analogy. I was going to say what Rutgers is to the New York metropolitan area. That's not true. Stanford and Cal are much bigger and more important in the Bay Area than Rutgers is to the New York metro area. But I don't know, man. It's just that one of all of them. makes the least amount of business sense to me.

Maybe somebody can explain it to me. And I just get a kick out of your athletic director, a guy that will not join the league full-time, being the one to push for it. By the way, do you know this too? And I read this morning. Four school presidents in the ACC, four, not Clemson, Florida, State, or North Carolina.

Four school presidents are Stanford or Calgary. grads, including your guy. Yeah, I did not go to Notre Dame, but I am a Notre Dame fan. Yes, you are. As you referenced me and you. I'll just say this real quickly. Hey, man, hate us if you ain't us, right? Like, you know, if the ACC tried to force Notre Dame's hand, you know what they'd say,

peace out, we're going to the Big Ten. So they know the deal. And, you know, the other, you know, I've heard, you know, it was, I think David Cutcliff you know, got pissed off about Notre Dame and then Pat and Arduzzi because he just gets mad at everything at Pitt. And it's like, well, guess what? If you want people to watch your game and you want your stadiums to be packed when that team comes to town, then, you know, you reap the benefits of the fact that, you know,

Notre Dame comes, you know, once every, however many years. But, no, I think the thing that I've started to understand a little bit is, one, SMU said they will not take any money for the first seven years, which is kind of a flex in its own right, like, yeah, we're good. We've got enough oil money. We're good. We're good. We'll just... Yeah, there's big money at that university. Big money. And then Stanford and Cal are taking 30% the first

seven years. My understanding is this, Kevin. I think there's a stipulation in the rule or in their negotiations where as long as they're above 15 schools. I think they get to, you know, stay with their current deal or whatnot. There's some, there's a reason ultimately why the ACCC did this because I think they know the inevitable is coming at Florida State and Clemson and likely North Carolina go. And, you know, at that point, look,

I said it on Twitter. Like, at this point, I'd rather know the same being in the Big Ten anyways. You know, I'd rather bring back those rivalries. U.S. season in the Big Ten now, too, so you can keep that rivalry going, but, you know, the funny thing is, you know, I saw Chip Kelly, you know, come out the other day, you know, now UCLA coach, and say, this is dumb. He's like, why don't we just regionalize all the Olympic sports and have football kind of be its own entity? And I think at some point, I think that's where we could potentially go, Kevin, and I honestly think that that would make the most sense, kind of the Notre Dame model, which is, hey, let's stay regionalized for Olympic and, you know, Olympic sports and then just be national for college football.

That actually makes sense, but I don't know if we'll ever get there just because of the egos involved. But, you know, at the end of the day, you know, it's all the TV, you know, money that is completely shifted college sports. And, you know, we'll see how this all plays out. And, you know, you certainly feel for, you know, the tennis team that has to go across country now on a commercial flight. Like, I think it was Eli Drinkowitz or something like that at Missouri. It was like, look, football will be fine. We fly charter planes on the weekend.

We're fine. He's like, the other sports of the ones that have to go, you know, a four-hour flight on United on a Wednesday night to go play a, you know, a soccer game. Yeah. By the way, good job because I did miss this piece of the story. And I just, as you said it, I'm like, I didn't read that part of the story. that SMU is coming in without taking revenue for nine years,

or media revenue for nine years. And Stanford and Cal, 30% of the entire ACC share for seven years, and it jumps to 70% in year 8, 75% in year 9, and then full financial shares in the 10th year. But I think I mentioned, and this is the expectation, is that the three schools combined will bring in incremental 50 to 60 million in revenue.

You know, in the larger scheme of things, I don't know where that falls in line, but I don't think it's super, to me, it's not worth losing Clemson, Florida, State, North Carolina. But again, and I acknowledge, they may be leaving anyway. Yeah, I think it's more so, you know, understanding the inevitable and trying to,

the PAC 12 loses UCLA and the USC. I mean, by the way, the PAC 12, their leadership and some of the other presidents at those schools, it is a master class in how to fuck things up. I mean, it is unbelievable how they screwed that whole entire conference up. They could have salvaged it. They could have gone out and grabbed together other pieces. Malarie Scott, yeah. They could have taken $30 million.

Yeah. I mean, they got offered $30 million annual from the ESPN. And the story that's out there is. some school president was like, I think we can get 50. And they said, we'll give us 50. They said, no. And the Big 12 was like, we'll take the $30 million a year.

Thank you very much. And now the Pac-12 is dead. I mean, it's sad. I mean, Kevin, you think about, you know, and I know the Rose Bowl eventually, you know, it's going to be part of the playoffs anyways, but it's like, think about the history in that conference, some of the great college basketball games and all these other sports

and football games and, you know, everything that we've had. and that conference is gone. This is the last year of the PAC 10 slash PAC 12. It is over. It's crazy. Like, we've seen the ACC change its identity with a lot of different pieces, obviously, Maryland leaving, et cetera. But at least those conferences still exist.

The PAC 1012 is dead. It is over. It will be gone. Oregon and State and Washington State, I guess we'll just go to the Mountain West, and then you wipe your hands and say, all right, we're done. the conference is over. Let's talk some college football. Enough of this.

So before we get to this weekend's games and the games you like, I've already given out my smell test pick for, it's picks for today. Give me the teams that you think will end up in the playoff this year, the final year of four teams being in the playoff. You know, Kevin, it's really hard to pinpoint it, and I'm not trying to, you know, I'll give you my four. here in just a minute. But, you know, I'm excited, you know, as much as I just craft on the

Pact 12, I think the Pact 12 is going to be phenomenal this year. It may be the best has been, you know, we look at the top five or six teams in that conference. And, you know, I think four of them are in the top 15, five of them in the top 20 entering the season. But I think they eat each other up. I think we've missed out on a Pact 12 team. I think it's easy to say, and I think Georgia probably gets in. Their schedule is incredibly soft. And if you're 12 and O going of the SEC championship, you know, regardless of what you think, and you're the two-time defending champs, you're getting in even if you were to lose to, you know, Alabama or LSU. So my four, I'd say Georgia, I think I put Michigan in there, even though I feel like they're

getting a little bit too much love right now. I really am curious about Penn State. I think they are live to make the playoff this year. But I'll give you my four. I'll go Georgia. I'll go Michigan, I'll go Clemson, and I'll go Ohio State, even though I think you could put Penn State in there too. I think this year sets up where you really could see two Big Ten teams for a second consecutive year. And if Ohio State takes care of business and loses to Michigan or vice versa, Ohio State, I think, actually has a pretty good path. let's say they go 11 and O and lose to Michigan. You know, they'd have road wins at Notre Dame and Wisconsin.

They would have beaten Penn State in this hypothetical. So that'll be my four. I'll go Georgia, Michigan, Clemson, and Ohio State. Give me a team that's a bit off the radar. Stanford, Steve, yesterday gave me, I mean, a massive long-shot sleeper for a team that would be in the conversation at the end of the season for one of the four playoff births, you know, a TCU or Cincinnati equivalent or something, you know, close to that. Give me, you know, a team or two off the radar that you really like.

Texas A&M, you know, they've recruited at an elite level. I'll believe it when I see it, but, I mean, it's hard to deny the talent that's on that roster. Now, they've got to get them big wins, but Texas A&M beat LSU last. year. So they've been kind of a punchline here for many years, but I think Texas A&M is certainly a team that could be in the discussion. If they pull some wins, I mean, it's not like Alabama's quarterback situation and oozing with confidence. They haven't even announced the starter. So I think Texas A&M based off its talent is certainly in the discussion. Penn State's not off the radar at all, but that's a team that'll be in the discussion. No doubt about it.

They have plenty of chances in their win total sitting at nine and a half. And then I guess if I want to go really, really off the beaten path, I think there's an opportunity for some PAC 12 teams. I know Stanford Steve really likes UCLA this year. I'll go Oregon State. I love their schedule. You know, they lost a really big piece and spate the linebackers and starting at LSU. But I'm a huge Jonathan Smith fan. I kind of think the middle finger to the world is going to be up with them being left out of all this realignment.

And what was the biggest missing piece? If anybody watched Oregon State last year, their biggest missing piece was quarterback. While I don't know what DJ Oweyungalaya is going to be this year, Kevin, he is a former five-star. He did set the record for most passing yards for a visiting player at Notre Dame Stadium history when he played that game against Notre Dame in the COVID season when Trevor Lawrence was out with COVID. So if DJ Uiunga-Lay can hit, they've got the schedule.

They've got, I believe, Utah going to play. Corvallis. UCLA is going to Corvallis. I believe Washington goes to Corvallis. They don't play USC, and then they play Oregon the last game of the season on the road. So the schedule really shapes up well for them. I don't know if they have enough talent, but I think if they pull off a couple upsets, 12 and 1 is their record at home, Kevin, straight up the last two years. And they've had renovations going on. So my mega long shot was the Oregon state. But I think talent-wise, to answer that question, it would be someone like Texas A&M because they've been recruiting at an elite level. They've just continued to step on their own foot.

Oregon State's a good one, and the reason you gave is an interesting one. That game at the end of the year, the Civil War game against Oregon, was really one of the more exciting games of the season last year. They were down, I think they were down 21 going into the fourth quarter or something like that. They just ran the ball. Just running the football. I think the quarterback threw it. like had like four, four completions.

I got to pull up the box score right now. It was like, he was like four for six or something like that. While you pull up that box score, I mean, I was on, they came to the Las Vegas Bowl last year, Oregon State did, and I was doing sidelines for radio. And, I mean, look, Florida, we saw what they are last night. They're not very good. And they were missing a bunch of pieces. Anthony Richardson didn't play last year, and they looked uninterested.

But regardless, they came out and just kicked. their ass. Like they said, bring it on SEC teams. So they've got to got this, you know, old school mentality. They've got a badass offensive line. They've got three really good running backs. And here's the thing. You know, if you don't believe me, watch them on Sunday. They play San Jose State, standalone game on CBS at 3.30. I know that's been a, I don't know if that's in your smell test, San Jose State, but that's an intriguing spot for a home dog. But I just, I really like this

Oregon State team. Look, it's could be a situation, Kevin, where nine wins is their ceiling. But I think as a super long shot, I love the way the schedule really sets up for them where they get all the big boys at home prior to the final game of the season and they don't play USC. A team, oh, by the way, they covered against USC last year and they really should have beaten USC in September last year in Corvall. I was a little bit off. They weren't 21 down. They were 17 down going into the fourth quarter. It was 31 to 17, 31, 34 to 17 going into the fourth quarter. And the quarterback was six of 13 for 60 yards.

Two interceptions. They ran for 268 yards. Most of those yards coming in the fourth quarter. They ran to come back from down 17 in the fourth quarter. All right. Give me your, before we get to the games you like this weekend, give me the over or under college over or unders this year that you have already wagered on and you really like. Oh, win totals?

Yeah, win totals. Yeah, I mean, all of these have probably moved, but I could pull up my full list. Oregon State is one of them. That was my first one, Kevin. I played over eight wins for Oregon State. I played under six and a half wins for Duke. And I know Duke won eight games last year in the regular season. what I said about Duke.

I'll go quickly on this one is look, Duke played over their skis last year. They didn't play Florida State or Clemson. They have Notre Dame on a schedule this year. The schedule is the biggest change from strength of schedule one year to the next, according to Phil Steele and his projections. So I went under six and a half wins for Duke. I think they'll be good.

They certainly could give Clemson a challenge on Monday night. Riley Leonard's a pro. Yep. But I went under. six and a half wins for there. I went under five and a half wins for Utah State. Utah State in the Mountain West. I wrote up the Mountain West for our college football guys,

so I had a little extra insight there. They lost everybody. They were a team that won a bunch of close games, got to six and six. They got ravaged in the portal. So under five and a half wins there. I love Colorado State and might mention them again here in this segment. I went over four and a half wins for them.

Under 5.5 wins for Michigan State, and then under five wins for Bowling Green. Did you take any over-unders in the NFL? Did you bet any win to us? Packers over 7.5. Okay. Was that it? I'll give you real quickly. Yeah.

Yeah, as of right now, I mean, I do like the commanders over six and a half wins. You know, it spooks me a little bit that it hasn't moved, but definitely would play that over. But no, for the Packers, it's a situation that I look at, right, where the Marks. had them at 11 and a half wins last year. Now, they only won eight, but that's a drastic change of four wins. Now, you lost Aaron Rogers, obviously, but is Jordan Love going to be that big of a drop-off from, let's be honest, what was an off season for Aaron Rogers. So I do like the Packers.

I think at 4-1, I think they're alive to win that NFC North. I don't think they should be the favorite, but I don't think they should be shorter odds than the Chicago Bears who had the worst record in the NFL last year. So Packers over 7 and a half is the only one I have in pocket right now, but certainly the commanders over 6.5 is one that I've looked long and hard at for this upcoming season. I think the Packers are interesting because clearly there is a belief that they're going to be better than they were last year.

They got five national television games. five. That's, I just didn't expect that with Aaron Rogers gone. Well, they have, I mean, week one, Kevin, they have, they have Chicago when they, I do a radio show in Milwaukee and, you know, they kind of are the same mindset, right? They're kind of ho-home, like, oh, you know, wo is us, which is like, congrats, you just had 30 straight years of Hall of Fame quarterbacking, so no one's really going to feel too sorry for you, but they ask like, oh, are we going to be in that noon central window. I'm like, you guys are the 325 Central, 425 Eastern, number one, you know, Burkhart-Olson

team. Yeah. There to start the season. So look, the Packers are a massive brand. They have fan bases all over the world. You know, if you've gone anywhere abroad, like I was in Hawaii, I saw Packers stuff. I was in Mexico. I saw Packers. They're just everywhere, right? So they're a massive brand. They're a high upside, maybe, you know, low floor type of team. We've got a lot of young talent. You know, the defense has, I think, eight first-round picks, but, hey, they have the same problem that Washington once upon a had.

Joe Barry is their defensive coordinator, and he's not very good at his job, so we'll see how the defense all plays out. All right. Let's finish up with who do you like this weekend? You don't know what I gave out. I'll tell you after you give out your picks. Who do you have this week? Did you have anybody last night?

I played under in the Utah game, Utah Florida, so I was a bit fortunate there. You know, I'll be honest, Kevin, and this isn't a cop out, and I'll give you a couple of my favorite plays that are still available. But, you know, week one is always tough for me. You know, I try to kind of go a little bit easier. You know, the lines move a ton. I did take some Hawaii plus seven before they played their game against Vanderbilt. That's down to three, obviously. that's not something I'd say, hey, go play Hawaii at three.

If anything, I might say maybe look at Stanford. Has that thing moved too much? But I really like the Hawaii team. We had Timmy Chang on my show, and he was funny. He unsolicited it was like, I know the point spread. I know our win total. You know, no one believes in us. You know, what Kirby Smart actually used, which was fake,

he's using as, you know, real numbers. So, you know, I'm excited to watch them tonight, 11 o'clock game. but yeah, I had a, let's see, I had, yeah, I had the under in Utah in Florida. Winner. I took, I laid the big price. I was like, Utah's not losing this game. So I laid like minus 220 on the money line. And then I went off the reservation and I lost this game.

I was looking for an FCS FBS game. I was like, Western Michigan is going to be terrible this year. So I took 14, I think, Francis of PA and didn't come home. So what was the part? I didn't see it. What was the final? 3517. Okay. All right, so who do you like?

I took a little on Yukon. Utah's going to be interesting. NC State. I was pretty unimpressed last night by NC State, but they play Notre Dame next week. I'll tell you one thing. I bet you Notre Dame, excuse me, Kevin, I'm telling you right now, clip this and play it back on Friday next week. You will have NC State in the smell test next week against Notre Dame. I haven't even seen the number. What was it?

No, I think it's like six, but everybody and the mother who watched NC State struggle with It's eight. It's eight right now. It's up to eight. Okay. So, yeah. All right. Two games that I do like. The one that I continue to get fired up about, and your boy gave it out last night on his show. Van Pell gave it out last night. I love South Alabama. Oh, yeah. That's my number. That's what I feel the most strongly. about. Yes. So Scott gave it out in Winters. He gave it out in Winners? Yeah. Of course he did.

Yeah, Scott gave it out on winters. The bear gave it out on his podcast. I'm like, God damn it. Like I gave it out earlier in the week. All of us think the same way. Yeah. I texted, I texted Sands this week and I told him to play South Alabama. Yeah, I did too. He gave me his picks last night, and I said, I don't really like anything because I didn't like anything last night. And I said, but I love South Alabama on Saturday night. All right. So for all the obvious reasons, I mean, it looks free of charge. The whole world's on Tulane.

Tulane, the last time we saw him, beat Southern Cal. I already went through the whole thing. Do you have anything to add to that one? No, I mean, and just, you know, outside of just the smell test and how you and I think, this South Alabama thing is good. They're really good. They've got continuity with their coaching staff. Major Applewhite is their offensive coordinator.

This is probably the last year of this coaching staff. They're going to get poached, no doubt about it. They had 18 starters back. They didn't really lose anybody to the portal. And then Tulane, you know, while they kept Willie Fritz, even though he flirted long and hard with Georgia Tech, they lost their offensive coordinator, they lost their defensive coordinator, they lost their special teams coordinator.

Oh, by the way, Taj Spears ran for like 200 yards against USC. He's gone. Their top, I think, five tacklers are gone, Kevin. So they still have a good O line. They still have Michael Pratt. And lastly, Tulane plays

Ole Miss next week at home. So they're bringing an SEC team to town next week. Everything kind of lines up for us to like South Alabama. And it's under a touchdown, right? So everyone's out there. I could take this under a touchdown.

I could tease it down to a half, whatever. So, yeah, go South Alabama, go Jags on Saturday night. The other one that I've played, it's moved a bunch, but I'll still mention it. Colorado State. I really like Colorado State. This thing opened like 16 and a half, so it's down to 11, 11. and a half, so I don't love giving out plays that have moved five. They're home against Washington State.

I looked at this hard. I almost gave it out, but I didn't. But go ahead. So, yeah, I'll run through it quickly here. Colorado State went three and nine last year. They were a disaster. Jay Norvell's their head coach, the former Nevada coach, comes over, and it's year two. They were able to defend, essentially, folks leaving for the portal.

They have a superstar-wide receiver. His name's Torrey Horton, he's an absolute stud. He fended off, or they fended off enough pieces to keep him there. Their quarterback, Clay Millen, was a former four-star recruit. he's been in now in this system for three years. He started at Nevada, come over to Colorado State. Colorado State was the worst offensive line in the country last year. They allowed 59 sacks.

They brought in four new starters to the offensive line. They added a North Dakota State transfer at running back that could go along with their running back who was pretty darn good. And they added some pieces on the defense, too. They added another North Dakota State kid on defense. So I think Colorado State is pretty darn good. I think they have a chance to be a long shot to win the Mountain West if you're looking for like a super long flyer.

And look, if I'm catching 11, 11 and a half at home, Washington State, they lost, I believe, both of their coordinators as well. They lost some pieces on the offensive side of the ball. So I think Colorado State's competitive tomorrow night. I do. So that's a 7 o'clock Eastern game at Colorado State. So, yeah, I'm going to take some home dog there in Colorado State. All right. South Alabama, Colorado State. You like Hawaii a little bit. Looking forward.

And then last one, Kevin, I don't know if you've talked about it. I like Florida State. I think everybody's on the LSU train here. I like Florida State in this spot. I think they're super talented. Their offensive line has over 200 career starts. I think it's a wash at the quarterback position, Dave Jalen Daniels, is Jordan Travis. They brought in Keon Coleman a transfer from Michigan State after spring. They were really busy. Both of these teams were very busy in the portal. But, you know, there's all this hype about LSU winning the SEC West again. And, you know, last year they were ahead of schedule, which all may be true. But, you know, I always kind of think it's an indicator, Kevin, when this number kind of hangs out under three, right? You've seen a lot of public support for

LSU, and it's another one of those things where I think the general public is going to say, hey, I'm getting LSU on sale. Look at this. They don't even have to, you know, they can win by a field goal, and I win this bet. I think Florida State wins this game on Sunday night. I think it's a great game. Both of these teams are properly rated at what they are, five for LSU, eight for Florida State. But I think Florida State beats LSU on Sunday night.

Look, for all of the reasons you mentioned, I considered Florida State. I just last year's game this is this is a spot where LSU I think wants a piece of Florida State they they you know they miss the extra point that would have tied the game at the end I

I'm not a subscriber to the theory that LSU got lucky last year I watched them a lot last year they're good they're not only good they're super well coached for the first time in a long time They just kept getting better during the course of the year. And, you know, like Steve said to me, well, they almost lost to Arkansas, but that was the week after they beat Bama.

You know, there was a bit of a hangover. I think I had Arkansas that weekend plus a relatively short number. They won the game. And they scored and moved the ball against Georgia, you know, and not many teams did that. You know, Ohio State did. But I'm a believer in LSU, but that wouldn't change my mind on the wager. The line, everything you said, reeks, and I'll probably play it personally, but it's really not an overwhelming public play, LSU.

There's enough Florida State money out there, including some sharp money, which is one of the reasons the numbers hanging there two and a half, too. All right, great job. Appreciate it. enjoy this weekend and we'll talk soon. All right, Kevin, tip. All right, thanks to Timmy, thanks to Santana Moss. I will have a show Monday.

Enjoy your last summer weekend. Talk next week. You know, this is when you find out about your offense and defense. I mean, this is what good offense is when you can make plays in this situation. Good defense is when you can stop those plays. From the 30. We're now going deep and more. And again, it's Glenn and Williams on the coverage.

He beats the same two guys. Unbelievable. He just outran him, and Mark Brunel got it out there. That's what I'm saying. This is offense, this is defense. You can play great defense a whole game, but you have to make a play here. You can play lousy offense a whole game, but you have to make a play here. And the team that makes the players, the team is going to win.

70 yards to Moss and so the Redskins go almost two full games without a touchdown and then they get them back to back and the extra point will give them the lead