The Kevin Sheehan Show - Washington '26 Bold Predictions

Episode Date: September 9, 2026

Kevin talked some tennis to start before getting to his Commanders "Top 3 Bold Predictions" for the 2026 season. Logan Paulsen jumped on to preview and predict the season in addition to a look ahead to Sunday's opener against the Eagles. Kevin talked JJ McCarthy's demotion to QB #3 in Minnesota and some Nats to finish up.  Exclusive High Roller bonus designed for bettors who want more firepower for this season. Double your money all the way up to $5000. Minimum deposit $1500 with My Bookie. So if you are looking for that perfect gift, or want to impress your friends and family with an epic meal the next time you host, go to GOLDBELLY.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code sheehan. Use my link ThriveMarket.com/sheehan to get $30 off your first two orders. You cannot get this deal on the website — it’s only through my link. That right there covers your membership fee, so sign up now before this exclusive offer ends.” ADDITIONAL TWENTY PERCENT OFF better plants and better growing at Trees.com using the code SHEEHAN at checkout. Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to Quo.com/SHEEHAN. Download the app today and use code SHEEHAN to get $150 instantly in Lineups if you win your first $5 Lineup! “PrizePicks. Run Your Game.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it. But you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Cheon Show. Here's Kevin. Familiar fall sound of an NFL network theme song. They're all familiar. This one, of course, the NBC's Sunday night theme,

even though tonight's game will be on a Wednesday night. But it is finally here just in the nick of time. The start of the NFL's 2026 season. in Seattle, a rematch of last year's Super Bowl, the Seahawks and the Patriots. This show is presenting sponsor as always, Window Nation, 86690 Nation, windownation.com if you need new windows.

One guest on today's show, Logan Paulson will join the show next segment. Logan's going to give us his season prediction for Washington, and he will look ahead to the Eagles game on Sunday. with a preview as well. I've got my top three bold predictions for Washington in this opening segment. I thought about them a lot, and I left one out that I think many of you think I would have included, but I don't think it's bold. And I've got one in there that I think a lot of you are going to hate.

That's coming up in just a few minutes. No smell test pick tonight on the game. If you forced me to play the game, I'd play the Patriots plus the points. And I know many of you feel forced to play standalone primetime games. But it did not fit the smell test criteria. There is a public lean on Seattle, but the sharp money is pretty split. But if I had to take a side, given that it's the opener, I would take New England plus the points. That was my last wager of last year.

I took New England plus the points in the season. Super Bowl. I lost that last wager last year, but the year as a whole was pretty damn good at 62.4%. But no official smell test selection for tonight's game. Before I get to my top three bold predictions for the season, I did want to mention the U.S. Open last night, yesterday and last night. In all-time day in Flushing Meadow, four matches, all quarterfinal. matches, two on the women's side, two on the men's side, and all four of them went the distance with three of the four going to a final set tiebreaker. The last match of the day, Alcaraz and Ben Shelton, the American that has shown so much promise, and many believe was destined to win

a major, or is destined to win a major, or maybe more than one. He beat Alcaraz in a fifth set, 7-6 tiebreaker, winning the tiebreaker 10 points to 7, in a match that ended at 333 a.m. That's insanity. I did not stay up to watch it. I watched the first set part of the second. That was the last I remember until I woke up, looked at my phone and said, oh, my God, 333am, the absolute latest of all time.

for a U.S. Open match. I don't know what they can do about that. These matches take forever. This one was four hours and 28 minutes. They started the women's match a little bit later because the two afternoon matches, which included Francis Tiafo's five-set win, from two sets and a breakdown to come back

and advance to his third U.S. Open semifinal. I'm rooting for Tiafo. he's from college park, and he's going to match up against Shelton. But that match went, you know, a long, long way, which meant that the first women's quarter final didn't start until a little bit later. In the Alcaraz-Sheldon match didn't start until after 11 o'clock. I don't know what you can do about it because they sell that night session in Arthur Ash as two matches. You know, a men's match and a women's match, and these matches go long, but it was a hell of a day.

in U.S. Open history, reminiscent to a certain degree of what people have called the greatest day in U.S. Open history. They called it Super Saturday, 1984, when Yvonne Lendell beat Pat Cash in the first men's semifinal of the day, 7, 6 in the 5th. And then in the women's final, Martina Navratilova came back to beat Chris Everett in three sets, and then McEnroe in the second men semifinal beat Connors. in five sets. Back then they played, really up until not that long ago, they played the two men's semi-final matches on Saturday with the women's final in between. But many are saying that

yesterday even tops that day back in 1984. Looking forward to Shelton against Tiafo, an all-American men's semifinal on Friday, guaranteeing an American male in the men's final. final with no sinner, with no Jokovic, and no Alcaraz now. So there is a chance that an American man might win a tennis major for the first time since 2003. Andy Roddick's win at the U.S. Open in 2003 the last time an American male won a tennis major. Zverev is the one seed. He's on the other side of the draw. We'll see what happens on that side of the draw.

But yeah, the tennis was incredible. I watched a lot of it here from my studio and then some of it at home but fell asleep before the dramatics of the epic Ben Shelton Alcarez quarterfinal. How about that for some tennis talk to open up today's show? Out in Ashburn today, Dan Quinn said everybody was available for practice. We have not seen as of now the official Wednesday injury report. You'll probably have it by the time we get this show out. But you know how it works where it's either no participation, full participation,

or limited participation. I think the expectation is that Adafé O'A will be on the limited side. but everybody seems to be in the hunt to play on Sunday against the Eagles. I would say Oway, maybe Chase-on would be the two that could be in jeopardy, but we'll follow it throughout the week. And again, you'll get that first week one injury practice update probably by the time this show gets out. All right. Top three bold predictions.

for this season. The obvious one that I know a lot of people will think I am going to mention to me isn't bold enough. Jaden Daniels winning the comeback player of the year, he is the second favorite behind Patrick Mahomes, odds-wise. Kyler Murray's in the mix there too. Those are the top three odds favorites to win comeback player of the year. A comeback player of the year obviously includes players that didn't play much the previous year because of injury. That's why Jaden is a strong candidate for that. But I didn't think that was bold enough. These are bold predictions.

Number one, on my bold prediction list for 2026, Mikey Sanristil leads the league in interceptions. I love Sanry Still in this defense. and you'll hear Logan Paulson talk a little bit about San Ristill in this defense as well. This is a defense of Brian Flores defense, we think, with Durante Jones at the helm, that is going to try to wreak havoc, create havoc, create chaos, and create takeaways. And Mikey Sanry Still is a ball hawk. He is a guy that did it in college.

You know, he had four interceptions last year, tied for eighth in the league on a a team that was second to last in takeaways, Washington was, with 10 total. I could definitely see Sanristil getting a bunch of picks. Maybe Amic Robertson the same, because he has a nose for the football as well. But Sanristil has that really innate anticipation talent. And I think Sanristil's in for a bounce back year, at least on the interception side. Bold prediction number one, Mikey Sanristil, Leads the NFL in interceptions.

I had to go there for it to be bold. Last year's leader had seven interceptions. Bold prediction number two. I've mentioned this guy throughout going back to the spring when they signed him. Nick Cross, starting safety, will earn his first career Pro Bowl award. I think Nick Cross is one of the smartest safeties, one of the best. tackling safeties. I think he's got great versatility at safety. And I think this is a really good scheme for Nick Cross. I am high on the two Terps that they signed as free agents. And even

the third that they signed right before training camp began in Stefan Diggs. But I am high on Chigua, and I'm very, very high on Nick Cross. I think you guys are going to see a really, really good smart, hard-hitting, good fundamental tackling safety. And that's something that this defense needs. They need better tackling. Nick Cross, bold prediction number two, to earn his first Pro Bowl bid of his career in year five. And then bold prediction number three,

I know there are some of you that are going to be, huh? That doesn't make any sense. And it can only make sense if the team does well. And I think the team has a chance to have a good season. I do, and you'll hear my season prediction for the team on tomorrow's show with Tommy. I was going to save it for Friday, but I'll do it on tomorrow's show with Tommy. If Washington ends up having a good season, and let's just say it's a 10-win season and a playoff berth,

then you know who's going to be a candidate for, coach of the year, Dan Quinn. Because coach of the year usually goes to the team that overperforms by a lot preseason expectations. And if Washington wins 10 and qualifies for the postseason, Quinn's going to be on that list. Bold prediction number three, Dan Quinn finishes in the top three for NFL coach of the year, either first, second, or third. I think that's bold when you consider right now Dan Quinn is the odds on favorite to be the first coach fired in 2026. Yes, that is true. So top three bold predictions. Number one, Mikey Santer still leads the team in interceptions. I'm sorry, leads the league in

receptions. Nick Cross earns his first Pro Bowl bid, and Dan Quinn finishes in the top three for NFL coach of the year. That will be, obviously, if you're paying attention, a tell on what my season prediction is going to be on tomorrow's show. I think this team healthy, and most notably healthy at quarterback, has a chance to be a playoff team and nobody is expecting Washington to be a playoff team. The Aaron Schatz DVOA preseason rankings are out. Washington's 21st per his DVOA metric heading in to 2026. Of course,

those things change dramatically after a few games. And really, Washington in any power rankings that you've looked at has been anywhere from maybe as high as 19 to as low as 26 or 27. Not many are going to have Dan Quinn finishing in the top three for NFL coach of the year. That's my bold prediction number three following Mikey Sanra still leading the league in interceptions and Nick Ross making it to the Pro Bowl. All right, let's get to Logan Paulson. We'll do that after these words from a few of our sponsors. Finally, football is back and prize picks is bringing out their best offer yet.

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They leave your home nicer than when they arrived. Over 45,000 five-star reviews. I'll add to that on social media. 86690 Nation, Windonation. dot com. Logan Paulson joins me right now. Of course, Logan played tight end in the NFL, including here in Washington. And I think for the last few years, he's been as good as any former player has ever been analyzing our football team. He does it as a part of the team's radio broadcast with Bram and London Fletcher. He does it on all of the team's YouTube and website shows. He does it

on a podcast called Take Command. He's also a current coach. He's the offensive coordinator at Stonebridge in northern Virginia, where former Skins defensive lineman, Kedrick Goulston, is the head coach. You can follow Logan on Instagram at Logan underscore Paulson 82 and on X at Logan Paulson NFL. I love having you on.

The season is finally here. the outlook on our team hasn't been super optimistic, certainly not nationally, and I think there's been some doom and gloom here locally as well over the last month. Where are you on this team as it prepares for its season opener in Philadelphia in four days? Yeah, I mean, I don't know, like probably somewhere in the middle. I try not to swing too far, like with the positive, swing too far with the negative, because I just don't think it's either one of those extremes accurately characterized the team currently.

Like I think, you know, like when you look at the additions in the off season, like I'm excited about it. A.L. Caleb Hunt Chase on the Ischinal, Sunny Stiles, Nick Cross. Like, that defense is different. Tim Settle, right? Like, that defense has a different kind of, you know, timber to it when it walks into a room. You know what I mean? Offensively, like, I think Jane Daniels looks great. I think obviously losing Marrie Me Temple is a big deal. And I think it's going to, you're going to feel the Oryple effects of that depth.

But like in my career, I've played with worse offensive lines that have been very, very productive over the course of the season, as long as the scheme and as long as, like, the coaches understand what they're good at. And they find an identity of two-sec groups. So I think right now people have a lot of things that they have big feelings about, which is totally cool, feel the way you want to feel. But like, we don't know. We don't know what they're going to do. We don't know what this defense is going to look like. We don't know what this offense is going to look like. We can speculate.

And like, I've been to every practice, so I have a decent idea of what they're going to go. But I also look back to like 2012 where like we had a certain playbook that we ran during training camp when I was playing for the team here and we ran something completely different for week one. Like it's just we that's one that's one. That's one of the reasons I'm so excited for week one. I think it's going to help kind of quell a lot of the anxiety some of the fan base has and show that like this isn't the house isn't on fire, right? Everything's okay. Like is this the best roster in football? No.

But are they going to be the worst team in the NFL? that is also, you know, emphatically no. Oh, my God. I mean, you're just way too reasonable. That's just, that's way too common sensical for many. Look, I'm with you. I actually think all of the conversations or most of them over the summer about summer football are just silly. And they are rarely, rarely predictors of things to come.

Why? because nobody shows anything and nobody plays. And the games and the joint practices, they don't mean anything. Like, we're not going to know for 25 to 28 teams in this league until they start to play games, plural. Like even the first few tend to not be necessarily huge predictors of what's to come down the road, although they are much bigger and better predictors than, you know, talking about, you know, a couple of snaps, two snaps in particular. particular in the second preseason game when your starting center and your starting guard

weren't even on the field and there was no game planning. So that is, I'm with you on all this. And look, it sounds, I can hear your voice too. Like, thank God we finally arrived at the moment where we can have real conversations about real football. You did mention, though, because I do think that there are some things you can take that are real, like the Laramie Tunst injury. That's real. You know, that isn't speculative. The Stefan Diggs acquisition is real, you know, but let's start with the tonsil thing.

How impactful will it be the loss of arguably the second best player on the team? Yeah, I mean, to me, he'd be the best player. You know, obviously, maybe not, like, in terms of impact, like Jane Daniels is that guy, but you're just looking at rankings, right? Right. of positions, like he's the best player at his position, maybe in the league, arguably, right? Probably top three for sure. Anyway, so it's huge.

I mean, like, one of the things I look at, like, you know, I went back and watched a bunch of games, getting ready for the Eagles game, and you look at how certain teams, Detroit, Chicago, kind of weaponized that elite, you know, in Chicago's case, and both those teams' cases, the right tackle. Like, it does a lot to be. From a past prediction standpoint, from a run-blocking standpoint, from a scheme standpoint, point from a matchup standpoint. It's a big deal. I also think it does have a trickle-down effect to the left guard position, right? Like I think Chris Ball did a fine job last year, but I actually

thought Coleman was going to beat him out for that left guard spot. I thought he was playing really, really well. And so, yeah, like now Coleman bumps out to left tackle, and I think Coleman is going to surprise people with how efficient he is as a past protector and what he can do from an athletic standpoint in the run game, but I was hoping to see that at guard. So all of a sudden, you kind of of weakened two spots on the offensive line. You know, Alec Brady hasn't been around to practice that much because of the injury. I think this last couple weeks he's been practicing, which is great. But it does affect multiple positions in that group.

It's all of a sudden you go from being like, oh, man, we got Chris Paul as like a depth speed. We got, you know, we have some flexibility at center. You know, if we get in a pinch, we're Coleman to bump in and play center and Chris Paul can start a left guard. Like, we have a lot of flexibility. They're now like, oh, dang, we're in a little bit of a pinch because these players that we've kind of identified, or at least identified early in the off season, in these swing roles, no longer exists because they have to play a lot.

So I think that's, like, why this feels the way it does and is it impactful? 100%. I'm not going to say it's not. But I do think, again, I think Coleman's in a better spot than people think. And, you know, Chris Paul started the whole year last year, and I believe it, Alig Reddy, at least in the two games that you played the center for this team last year. So, yeah, it's not great, but I do think you can overcome that for sure. And you also already mentioned it, and that is,

you know, you can scheme around your weaknesses and protecting your weaknesses if indeed that becomes an area of weakness, which I don't know that we know for sure until they start playing real games. But explain to people how a good coordinator, and hopefully David Blow turns out to be a good coordinator, can, you know, really mask flaws up front if they end up having them. Yeah, so I looked at, you know, like Chicago, I think it's a good example. They played Philadelphia, and they rushed for like 200 years ago. Oh, the day after Thanksgiving, yeah, the Black Friday game, right. Yeah, they killed it. And so, like, basically what they did, and Kyle Shannon used to do this is they're like, well, what is, what is the, what do we want to dictate to them? And Vic Fangio, for all of his genius, still will give you some personnel responses.

So what I mean by that is if you're in 12 personnel, they'll match you in kind of their traditional. three four personnel and if you want to go nickel so 11 personnel they'll go four down and so they kind of said you know ben jons they kind of said oh we're going to run the ball and nickel because we like the matchups a little bit better we like the fronts we get and the thing that I loved is they kind of like to your point is they called run that allowed guys to stay on double teams a little bit longer they didn't put them in bad matchups there were a lot of good angles now you got to win those matchups when your numbers called but I thought on the whole like you know they ran the ball like 45

times something like that they they gave them kind of easier responsibilities and they leaned into players' strengths at a high level. And again, like when you run the ball that way, again, Vic Fangio wants to play a light box. They want to stop it with all those, you know, mad dogs up front they got there. And they said, we're okay with that. We'll exploit that. And I think that's kind of a good example, at least one that I've studied recently, where it's like, hey, man, we're going to use formation to create good angles in the run game.

We're going to use personnel to make sure we get matchups we want. and we're going to manipulate how they align to certain formations to help us get our angles. That's just in the run game. Pass pro, we can work slides. We can leave people in. We can work chip help. And so I do think there's a lot of things on the table here to help them out.

And I'm kind of curious to see what David Blow brings in that area because one of the things I think is underrated it from a play calling standpoint is how you orchestrate and call a run game. And so, like, can you do that? And I think he's a really bright dude, man. when you talk to me, it's just so impressive. But that's kind of what I'm keeping an eye on. It's like, how do you insulate and elevate that group,

especially in week one versus Philadelphia Eagles? Yeah, I mean, and you went back to the Chicago game, obviously, because that's a Ben Johnson called game, and there's probably some belief that Blow will be similar. Like, you know, I know we've talked about this before in the times that we talked before training camp, but ultimately describe what you think. Blow will be in terms of his influences. Will it be mostly Ben Johnson? Will it be more,

you know, McVeigh O'Connell? Will it be some cliff? What do you think it's going to look like? Yeah, so I think from a run game perspective, you're probably going to get a little bit of Ben Johnson, because I think like that's coming from Detroit. Like, I kind of think like, if I was him, what would I take from each spot? So I would take the play action, the run game, probably from Detroit. The next thing I would take, if I'm going from Kevin O'Connell, is his ability to get the number one guy open, the number one read open, and how he uses formation, how he uses motion, and how they just put an emphasis on. Like, this is our best receiver. How do we put him in the position where he's getting the look and he's getting the touch? And, like, Kyle did that a little bit.

He was growing into that role more like in his time in Atlanta and kind of hit that stride when I was with him in San Francisco and my second stint with him in 17. but like Kevin O'Connell and Sean McHawak's, they have taken it to like the 12th level, right? Kuku-Nakua gets, you know, 15 targets a game. Justin Jefferson, obviously before Jay-Han McCarthy was there, was getting like 10 to 12 targets a game. And they're smart targets. It's not just like spamming kind of gross targets. So that's what I would say.

The next thing I'd say in terms of cliff, it's like, I think tempo is a real thing. You know, tempo is a valuable tool. And I'm not saying you use it all the time, but are there moments where you can regulate a defense, like with tempo? Again, when I was with Kyle Shanahan in 2011, 2012, obviously it was with him in 2010, but this is where we started doing this. We had a thing called like an Apache package, like the helicopter, where it's like a pseudo hurry up, but you can get to a lot of your base offense.

And what it was great for was just regulating defense. So I think if I was going to pick something from each of the stops that he's had, those would be those things. And again, like the Kevin O'Connell one is maybe the most impactful for a guy like Terry or Stefan Diggs because you're going to get a lot of looks. And I think that's something that, again, like, I don't know that for sure, but that's kind of how I would approach it if I was in issues. I mean, you know, what's interesting about just the receiver and the target part of that response is Kevin O'Connell had Justin Jefferson and Ben Johnson had a Monra St. Brown. And I love Terry. I just don't put Terry into those levels in terms of a receiver.

And I've never felt like Terry is a force feed, a guy that deserves 12, 13, 14, 15 targets a game. And by the way, to a certain extent, none of his offensive coordinators have felt that way about him because he's never been used that way. Now, to be fair, he didn't have good quarterbacks until Jaden. But could you see that Terry becoming a, I'm not saying the type of receiver, but a target number that's, equivalent to a Jefferson or a Monra? Yeah, I do. I could. Obviously, before they signed stuff on Diggs, I thought that was the direction of the offense was going. Like, he'd go out to practice and you'd kind of see, you know,

like not that they're throwing the ball only to Terry, but there was just a different priority, right? Like, we're going to try to use them on some quick game. We're going to use them on a motion. We're going to use them on, like, we're going to shift, and then we're going to move in a stack, and he's going to run this route. And I thought, oh, man, they are really going to lean into this. Like, you know, Terry said it in multiple press conferences, like, oh, yeah, I'm going to be getting like and targets a game. And I think that was reflective of what was happening in practice.

Obviously, with the addition of Stefan Biggs, I've said this before, other places, like I do think that changes the paradigm with how you approach Terry McClorin in this offense. I think the guy that fits that a little bit better is Stefan Biggs because of the route-running nuance, the savageness of the needs, the ability and the consistency that he's shown playing in the slot, at least in recent years. And again, I think that bumps carried back into that kind of ex-receiver role. Like some people use the term sacramed. Actually, Terry's not a sacrificial ex, but he's kind of that we're going to isolate you one-on-one. You're going to run a lot of vertical routes.

You're going to kind of have to win one-on-one and one. And it kind of down-and-dirty type way, which Terry is shown he's able to do. But I do think that ultimately affects the number of touches he's going to get. I think that those touches that seem so, you know, 10, 12 touches are now being cannibalized by Biggs to a certain extent. Got it. Let's just stick with the offense since this is where we started. and you also sort of began the conversation, I think, of sort of what the game plan Sunday might look like.

But offensively, after Jaden, who are you really excited about? So I'm excited. This is going to sound like, you know, when you said, who's your favorite kid? You say, I love all my kids equally, right? Like, Jaden Daniels is obviously the guy, but, like, I'm really excited for everything about this offense. I know that sounds insane, but I want to, like,

I think because of the newness of what David Blow was bringing, like we haven't had an offense like this here since I've been covering the team for sure, probably since Sean McVay left, right, where we're going to see a marriage of formations. We're going to see, you know, like some condensed stuff. We're going to see bunches. We're going to see a lot of motions, but a lot of shifts. Like motions is one thing, shifts is another, like going back and watching some Ben Johnson stuff, like they shift all the time.

And so just that dynamic element before the snap, the control of the quarterback has the line of scrimbage. I want to see all of that. And then I'm curious to see how it affects the playmakers, right? Like obviously we've talked about Terry, we talked about Stefan. I think Chica Conco is a really interesting piece here. And in terms of how they were using him in practice, like he kind of went from like this third down option runner,

and then Diggs comes in, and then he becomes almost a vertical element to the offense. So like what is his role kind of settle in as? And I think we're going to get a data point here against Philadelphia about what he can do. Like he's going to draw a pretty good matchup. It's going to be, you know, Cooper de Jean, or one of the safes, one of the young safes,

Makuba potentially, that hasn't played a lot of ball, like, can you win that matchup consistently? And if you can, like, you're in for a big year, man, because now people can't focus on you like they could Zach Erch last year or focus on Terry. There's three guys, Antonio Williams, four maybe, right, who can throw some different stuff at this defense. So I think, again, like I sell a lot of stuff there,

because I'm excited about it. I want to see what this thing looks like and see if these pieces that have been brought in to win the matchups that they purportedly, you know, I've been reported to do. So, like, that's kind of where I'm at with it. How do you think the running back sort of snap percentage will break down or snap count will break down?

Yeah, that's a really good question. And one that, like, I don't, like, you know, I had a producer on one of my shows asked me that. I was like, it's kind of unknowable. But if I was a betting man, I would say, like, Bill's going to get the crack at the first and second down stuff. And the only reason I say that is because in practice, he looked like a dude. You know what I mean?

He's looked really good. Like, he has that kind of extra element to him. him that lets him make those short area cuts and make people missing the hole and he's got a little bit of breakaway speed to him. And that's not to say that White hasn't done a good job in practice. I just think he brings a little bit more to the offense. So I think White is going to be potentially in this role where he's kind of a third down past get your spelling bill on first and second down in certain situations.

And then I also think Ketron Allen, like I don't know if he's up on game day, but if he is, I like what he brings as a consistent down-to-down runner with his vision. and contact balance. So I think it's Bill White, and then obviously Ketron will see kind of what he ends up getting, you know, four or five touches a game. But I think that's kind of how I feel about that backroom. When they're in 11 personnel, who's the third receiver after Diggs and McLaren? Is it Bercs? Well, I think Diggs is probably playing in the slot, so he would be the F. And I think it's kind of situation dependent, you know, like I think, so you, you mentioned this a little bit at the top of the show, like with regards to the preseason game, right? With the

two staffs they ran. And I think they kind of, I don't want to say they tip their hand, but they're kind of telling you the direction that they're thinking with that first play call there, right, or the second play call, I think, where they're running that choice to dig, like he's in the slot, Terry's on the perimeter, and then I think Berks was on the outside opposite Terry. And Berks, to me, is like kind of a placeholder. Like, he's done a great job in spring. But I think that person, opposite Terry is going to be more of a kind of situational guy. Like, hey, if we got to run like a deep go ball or post, like, let's put the arm in there. If we need to be physical, kind of mix it up, that's what Burke's in there.

If we need some more running new odds, maybe we bump Williams into the slot and digs the perimeter, right? I think that's kind of what you're looking at there, that interchangeable flexibility in that position opposite Perry as the perimeter wide out there. One last question about the offense. Ben Johnson has incorporated into his playbook and play calling. A lot of unique plays, trick plays over the last few years. Going back to obviously his time in Detroit as the offensive coordinator. Will we see a lot of sort of offensive shenanigans and a trick play or two? Will he be that creative?

Will he be given blow, I'm talking about, given that much leeway to be as creative as he wants to be? And is he sort of predisposed to being that way like Ben Johnson is? Yeah, I don't know how much leeway he's going to get. That's a Dan Quinn kind of question. But in terms of like creativity, we saw a. flashes and flashes of that during OTAs and minicamp. And I think, you know, one of the things, obviously I design plays and call plays at the high school level, I always have admired that about Ben Johnson.

Your ability to kind of do something that's a little bit fringe, that's a little bit, you know, speculative in terms of success, but you're really like, you're like a prospector, man, like you're trying to strike goals with this one opportunity. And I think it's a really awesome approach. And it's really cool how they're able to coach the details of them. those plays and not get a lot of reps at them. So, like, to me, like, when you look at offensive success, it's like, who could get more explosive plays essentially sort of boils down to?

And so if on one of these trick plays, like, you could get an explosive play off a flea flicker or a reverse or a screen or a double pass, like, that's huge. That's one less play I have to worry about in terms of finding and manufacturing an explosive play. So I would expect that David Blousey's the value of that, and I think we'll see that. Again, I don't know how much, I don't think it'll be turned up the same way, Ben Johnson is, but I think it'll be a feature of this offense for sure. I lied one more about the offense, because I've just sensed this in your voice,

and I'm remembering now our last conversation before camp started. When you said you're excited about the offense, you actually legitimately believe this could be a high-level offensive football team, don't you? I do. So, I just think the craft of the offense is going to be much better than what we've seen. And I think when I'm talking about the craft, like just the tools, like there's, let's say there's 25 tools a coordinator can use to help receivers an offensive alignment. I think we've just seen fractions of that. We've seen five to ten depending on the coordinator's bent and Sean McVeigh.

And so, like, I'm excited to see Terry move around the formation. I'm excited to see Chig move around the formation. I'm excited to see different run schemes that will be helped by formation and pre-snap movement. So, like, that's kind of, again, I don't know if it's going to be the, it's not going to be the number one offense in the league. But I do think with Jane Daniels at the helm and, again, just more flexibility, I think it could be pretty good. Now, like, every offense, like, there's always bumps and bruises along the way. You talked about how it takes multiple games to kind of see a total vision because you kind of like, oh, I thought we were good at this, but we're actually better at this. Like, it just takes some time.

But I'm cautiously optimistic because I believe in the system. Like, this is what I grew up playing. This is what I played in college for 10 years in the league. I played in a version of this. This is what I believe in 100%. And so, like, that's probably why I feel so optimistic about this. All right, let's take a break when we come back with Logan. We'll talk some defense, get his thoughts on the Philadelphia game,

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Offer is valid for limited time. Terms and conditions may apply. If you get a chance and you don't mind doing it, it's so helpful for us to get as many ratings and reviews as possible, especially on Apple and Spotify. It's really easy to do. You just click the star account. Five stars is the best, obviously, for us. You can write a quick review on both Apple and Spotify as well. Following the podcast helps us out a lot. Also, that's pretty easy to do. Just hit the plus button or the follow button. 11 new defensive editions, basically all of whom will be expected to contribute, if not start, with a new defensive coordinator.

It's easy to say, Logan, it can't be as bad as it was last. year. It has to be better. That's obviously a low bar to clear. But what is your level of optimism on a major improvement from last year? I'm pretty confident. And it's not necessarily because of the additions. It's because of the amount of Minnesota film I've watched over the last five months, right? Like that defense is fun to watch. It does something that no other defense in the league does. in my opinion. Like, everyone wants to talk about Vic Fangio and, you know, this, this quarter's match that he's playing and how, you know, Mike McDonald up in Seattle's doing something similar

and how it's sweeping the NFL. Like, those defenses are great and they're fun to watch. But I have not seen a defense like Brian Forres. It dictates terms to the offense this way, right? Probably since Greg Williams, to be quite honest. What about Spaggs? Spags. So even spag, like, no one brings the amount of zero and first and second down pressure that Forrest does.

Like, when you look at those graphs, like his pressure rate is off the charts, and you feel it when you watch the game. And, like, when I talk to people up there, it's like, yeah, we have to change our whole install structure to accommodate this. It's almost like the triple option of defenses, right? So, like, you know, it's like in college football when, you, you know, they used to play Georgia Tech or play Navy, like Ohio State. and it would be like a knockout, dragout fight because they just haven't seen it. There is a uniqueness to this thing that if Durante Jones can get a coach and get it installed is going to give us five points a game, which is so unique to have that in the bag. Now, you've got to get a coach, you've got to get executed, you've got to understand when

and how to call certain things. But I think that's the thing. Like, you know, we talked about the scheme with David Blow. I'm probably more excited for the Durante Jones thing, to be quite honest with you. And if he hasn't shown a lot, there's been almost no pressure in the preseason game. the practices he's shown more, but again, it's not to the same level as Ryan Forrest, for example. I just, the way that that scheme can maximize personnel is something that I think is crazy. Now, you've got to be on the details, you've got to be on the timing.

Like, there is a lot that has to go into that. But if they can hit that ball, I can get that thing in play, like, it's going to be a lot of fun to watch. Who's the most versatile defensive player on this team? That's a great question, actually. saying Nick Cross, actually. Like, the more I watched him in India, I was doing a breakdown for him, so I watched like three or four games earlier this week. And like his ability to play coverage, play in the box, be an on-ball player.

Like, it reminds me a little bit like Harrison Smith in his role in utilization there. Like, and I think, like, you could be a nickel and he could be like an outside linebacker. You can also be in kind of a nickel structure, and he could be an inbox player. You can also play the post in this quarter's kind of stuff that they're. do, he'll play the post, it'll be a run for a player. So I think it's probably him. I think it's probably him. There's other guys that come to mind that are in contention for sure,

but he's the one that I think is going to take the kick this year. What about Louvo? I think, Frankie, so in terms of versatility, I don't know if Frankie is, this is going to sound like I'm being mean to Frank. I don't know if he's that versatile. I think he's good at what he's good at, which is why you saw him be so dominant in 2024 and fall off at 2025 a little bit is because they took him from the thing he was good at,

which is an off-ball, downhill, aggressive player that's going to blow up runs, going to attack and pass protection, and has a good feel for rushing on backs. And then they put them on the ball, and they said, hey, man, go try to win versus attackers. Like, that's not his cup of tea. As a coverage player, he's not great,

but he is so good at those other things I just mentioned. And when you look at Minnesota's defense, like the way they get those linebackers, specifically those internal guys to attack in some of their cross dogs and some of their double-a packages, like Frankie is going to excel at that. So again, I'm not sure that it's like he's tremendously versatile.

I just think like this scheme fits his skill set so, so well. So that's, like, I'm, maybe the number one person I'm excited for in this defense is Frankie Louvre. I just don't know if versatility is the way I would describe it. I don't know what you said that made me think of this, but I was just reminded of something that you actually said to me the last time you were on before training camp began in July. you were excited about Sanra still in this defense.

You thought that there was going to be a real opportunity for him to have a big bounce-back season in this particular Durante Jones defense. After the last month and a half, do you still feel that way? I do, yeah, and I think, like, obviously there's a learning curve for every player, so, Frank, excuse me, Mikey had his ups and downs. But I think when it's all said and done and they settle into what he's good at, like he's going to get his hands on a lot of footballs. Because that's the whole nature of this thing.

Like it fits what he does at the highest of level. Like he's an instinctive person with ball skills. And when you go back and watch like Durante Jones' stuff, like they play their palms. They play their zero. They play everything kind of with one eye on the receiver, but they're looking for the ball. And I think when you think about Mikey Sanderson, like that's what he's good at, right?

That's what Amique Robertson's good at, like too, right? Like they're good at those. things. So that's why even though on paper, like people are, oh, we need more defensive backs, we need more whatever, like we need more established personalities there, I look at that and say to myself, like, I think they kind of fit

what Durante Jones and what, again, extrapolating from what we saw in Minnesota, they fit this system very, very well. Will Sunny Stiles hit the ground running, performing at the level of his draft position, or will it take him

some time? I actually, you know, that's a great question. And what I say about him is that, like, I think people got, like, way out over their skis. That's not the right way to put it. I think they kind of had, like, a panic attack based on the preseason. And all I can say is, like, what they did in the preseason was so drastically different than what we saw in practice. I think Sunny Styles will look way, way better than he was in preseason.

I think he would say, oh, he's arrived, did all these things. But that's kind of how he's been practicing throughout training campus entire time. So I think it will take him some time. He's a young player. Like NFL offenses are hard and they're complicated. NFL offensive linemen are very good. High ends, it's all good. But I think his role and his utilization in this defense will be better.

And I think people will say, oh, my gosh, I didn't realize he could do that because he didn't have an opportunity to really show it in preseason. All right. Two more. Have you made a record prediction for the season yet? And if so, what is it? I have not made a record prediction for the season. So I'll have to tell you what it is if I haven't made one. Well, if you want to save it for your own shows, that's fine.

I totally understand. No, no, no. They're all good. I just, I think I'm consciously optimistic that this season, because of the scheme, because of some of the free agent additions, is going to be better than a lot of people think. So I'm kind of floating around that 10-win mark. You know, maybe they get into a playoff game here. But they have some tough games.

They have some tough divisional matchups, obviously, Philadelphia. I think Dallas is going to be really good this year. And then they have some tough road games, too. So I'm going to say 10 because I think they kind of find a little bit of lightning in the bottle. I think Jaden Daniels, I think we didn't talk about that. But he's probably had the most impressive camp that nobody's talking about. And if he can play as well as he's been practicing, I think this offense is going to be in an excellent position. So I'm going to say 10.

That 10 is my win number there. Very good. All right, last one. How do they beat Philadelphia Sunday? Yeah, they're going to need to play complimentary football first and foremost. And I know people say that all the time, but it's becoming more and more important that you play this way. It used to be like, even like five years ago, it was like an offensive-driven league. It was like, oh, my gosh, like let's score a lot of points and no one can keep up with us.

But now, like, with the development of these defensive systems, like you're not going to score 30 points against the Transios team week one, right? And so, like, how do we make sure that it's on a boat race? Like, Durante Jones, like, you need to make sure that we're throwing a monkey wrench into the cogs and the gears of the Philadelphia offense. And so, like, if we can keep it a nice kind of one-position game, we can don't be afraid to punt offensively. And then when the moment strikes, we make some plays on third down, make some plays in the red zone.

I think that's the kind of game you want to be in. And that's the kind of game that they needed to be in a lot last year, but they couldn't do. And I think this year I feel much more confident about that based on what I've seen from Durante Jones in his defense throughout training camp. Thanks for doing this. As always, enjoy it on Sunday. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks, man. Appreciate it.

Always a pleasure, Kevin. Logan Paulson, everybody. Always a pleasure. We'll finish up the show with some NFL news this afternoon related to the 2024 quarterback class. We'll get to that after these words from a few of our sponsors. Think about the last time you called a business and nobody picked up. What did you do? You probably called the next one.

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to use my promo code for the high roller bonus, which is DC VIP, DC VIP for the high roller bonus, Kevin DC for the regular cash bonus. And I know that that is more applicable to the majority of you. But for some of you, I know we talk every once in a while. A $5,000 deposit gets a 100% match when you use promo code DCVIP at mybooky.com and mybooky.orgie.orgia. How about this story from the NFL earlier this afternoon? Kevin O'Connell, the Minnesota Vikings head coach, announced that J.J. McCarthy will be the Vikings number three quarterback when the season opens Sunday against the Packers. He'll be behind Kyler Murray, the story.

starter and Carson Wentz, the backup. J.J. McCarthy, the number three QB in Minnesota. There were some reports a week and a half ago before the cutdown date that the Vikings were trying to trade him and if they couldn't find a taker might release him. They kept him on the final roster and he is QB number three. that 2024 quarterback class, six quarterbacks taken in the top 12. Right now, it would appear that J.J. McCarthy is the frontrunner to be the flop, to be the bust of that class. Now, I think it's too early to bury anybody, haven't we learned, Baker Mayfield, Gino Smith, Sam Darnold.

So it's too early. But for those of you that remember my thoughts on that class, I didn't get J.J. McCarthy at all. I said over and over again. I don't see how anybody thinks he is a first round quarterback. At Michigan, that year when they won the national championship, they played a game at Penn State in which he did not throw a pass in the second half of the game. I just didn't get it with McCarthy. Now, it looks like I'm going to be wrong about Pennix Jr. because I liked Michael Pennix Jr. a lot. And I would have taken him third after Jaden and Caleb Williams ahead of Drake May. I liked Drake May. And I certainly thought that Drake May was first round caliber for sure.

But I did not get J.J. McCarthy at all. Again, too early to throw dirt on him at this point. But the fact that they said some of the things they said last year, O'Connell talking about his mechanics being all wrong. his footwork is just not there. And they trade it up to take him at number 10 overall in the 2024 draft. Man, they have struggled in Minnesota. Sam Darnold obviously had a massive year.

And they probably should have tried harder to keep Darnold there. Although Darnold had a choice, remember, he was a free agent. Would he have stayed in Minnesota for similar money to what Seattle was offering with J.J. McCarthy there? Maybe he would have. Maybe they all knew that J.J. McCarthy was not the answer anytime soon. But J.J. McCarthy, third string quarterback in Minnesota. Another story from the NFL this afternoon, a bit of a surprise, because I don't think anybody knew this. But arguably, the best tight end in football, Brock Bowers in Vegas, he's going to miss the opener Sunday and maybe another game or two with a meniscus injury, which pretty much went under

the radar for the last week and a half. No one was talking about him. He is quite the talent. In Vegas, I've mentioned, as I did on yesterday's show with Tommy, I like Vegas to go over the total. I think Kubiak and cousins are a great pairing. They've already proven that. I think Seattle might miss Kubiak. I think Darnold might miss Kubiak in Seattle. But part of it was because they have arguably the best tight end in the game. And it looks like he's going to miss a game or two at this point minimum. Some of the news from the NFL this afternoon.

And also I wanted to mention because this sort of broke after Tommy and I recorded the show yesterday. Aaron Donald not traveling to Australia with the Rams. So he's not going to play in their season opener tomorrow night. One more thing before I take off for the day. How about the Nats last night? Blowing another save, an MLB record 38th blown save of the season. This is beyond repairable, obviously, even in the short term, unless the ownership decides to spend some money.

That will be the biggest off-season question, I would imagine, is will the learners spend to fortify the bullpen so it is more professional and less amateur? But the nationals have certainly struggled here recently, losing now six in a row. They got swept by the Dodgers, even though all of those games were very competitive over the weekend. and then they lost two one-run games back-to-back on Labor Day and last night to San Diego, including that blown save, allowing four runs in the bottom of the eighth in a five-to-four loss. All right, that'll do it for the day. Enjoy the opener tonight.

I'll be back tomorrow with Tommy.