Tag: Doc Walker

Doc Walker: ‘Aiyuk was playing Commanders’ Daniels’

Is Aiyuk taking advantage of his good friend to get a better deal from the 49ers?

Jayden Daniels and Brandon Aiyuk are young and like each of us, have many life lessons to learn.

Though they are professional athletes, don’t they still have much to learn? In addition, being like us, won’t they often learn life’s lessons the hard way, through their own mistakes?

Aiyuk is a very talented wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. Aiyuk is entering his fifth year, and he wants more money. His on-the-field accomplishments reveal he will receive a new contract with a hefty pay raise.

Daniels and Aiyuk became friends when both were playing at Arizona State. Aiyuk was then drafted by the 49ers in the first round (25 overall) of the 2020 NFL draft. Daniels transferred to LSU and, of course, was drafted second overall by the Commanders in April’s draft.

Aiyuk’s public statements in recent weeks about wanting his big pay raise are understandable to some degree. But what is not permissible is his posting a photo of the Commanders’ recent workout.

Daniels and Aiyuk have stated they are good friends. However, we often err when we wrongly think friendships are entirely different than other relationships. In fact, they are like other relationships in the sense all relationships NEED boundaries. If you don’t set up boundaries, there are enough people out there (even those you consider your friends) who will walk all over you.

As Rick “Doc” Walker and Denton Day discussed Monday on the “Kevin Sheehan Show,” Aiyuk was using Daniels. Aiyuk was playing Daniels. Aiyuk is the alpha of that relationship.

When you consider a friend your equal, you respect them. You afford them dignity. Boundaries are set and not to be crossed.

Each of us needs to learn this, and often the hard way. Rather than destroy Daniels now for his immaturity in giving such access to Aiyuk, this is an opportunity for Daniels. Daniels could now set healthy boundaries that will actually help both he and Aiyuk respect each other.

As author Henry Cloud wrote in his book, “Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No, to Take Control of Your Life.”

Boundaries are a “litmus test” for the quality of our relationships. Those people in our lives who can respect our boundaries will love our wills, our opinions, our separateness. Those who can’t respect our boundaries are telling us that they don’t love our nos. They only love our yeses, our compliance. “I only like it when you do what I want.

Rick ‘Doc’ Walker likes what he sees in the Commanders, but…

Doc Walker likes what he sees from the Commanders so far, but he puts things in perspective.

“The only interest I have in tackle football is seeing them in full pads and in a competitive environment.”

That response was Rick “Doc” Walker‘s when Kevin Sheehan asked him on Friday’s podcast what he thought about the Commanders after their OTA workouts last week.

Ask anyone else in the media and their likely first response has been Jayden Daniels and the assembling by head coach Dan Quinn of an impressive coaching staff.

Who else but Doc Walker would downplay the OTA workouts because they were not in full pads and true football contact? But that is “Doc,” and he is not going to change now.

There is some shtick to Doc; of course there is. But there is also something fresh about Doc that I have loved for years. He knows football is so much a contact sport. The contact affects so much of what goes into a player’s mind, how he plays with pain, how he reacts to contact. For Doc, it’s almost as simple as, “as long as they are only in their gym clothes, they are not yet playing actual football. So, let’s discuss it when they are playing actual football.”

Walker clarified, “Oh, I like them, but what do you want me to do? The guy won the Heisman Trophy. Am I supposed to be excited that he can throw a ball in practice?”

“I am positive about everything I have seen and heard to this point…I was high on Dan Quinn before they hired him.”

But what about Quinn’s team losing in the Super Bowl after holding a 28-3 lead? “His failure was in the Super Bowl. If that is your form of failure, I’ll take it.”

Walker did state he is very impressed with some of the new people hired by the Commanders “because you really do need good character people to be successful in any business.”

“I like this group, I really do. I would be surprised if this group fails…I don’t think they are going to fail miserably like that last group. This is a group that has really good intentions. If they stay healthy I do think they will be pretty hard to beat.”

Leave it to “Doc” to remind us that football isn’t football until players are in pads and making full contact.

Touching the brakes a bit to slow us down, keeping it real, that’s Doc. Thanks, Doc.

Former Washington TE Doc Walker calls Commanders ‘a crap show’

Walker saying what Commanders’ fans know all too well. “A crap show.”

“It’s really not easy covering this crap up. You basically have the assignment of covering for a crap show.”

That’s how Rick “Doc” Walker opened his appearance on the “Chris Russell Show” on Thursday, over on Team 980. Walker spent all three hours with Russell on Thursday’s program.

Walker continued, “That’s the way it is. And it’s been worse. You’ve been here quite a long time, as I have done this quite a long time, and it makes you really remember the good times.”

Walker a former tight end, played for the Redskins 1980-1985. In his seasons with Washington. the Redskins were 6-10 in 1980, 8-8 in 1981, Super Bowl Champs in 1982, NFC Champs in 1983, NFC East Champs for a third consecutive year in 1984 and 10-6 in 1985.

The remainder of the Joe Gibbs (1.0) era saw the Redskins finish 12-4 and lose the NFC Championship game, Super Bowl Champs (1987), 7-9 Gibbs’ only losing season in 1988, 10-6 in 1989, 10-6 in 1990 winning a road playoff game, Super Bowl Champs in 1991 and 9-7 winners of a road playoff game in 1992.

Walker was reminding Russell and all of the football fans listening to 980, “There is no guarantee you will ever experience it again, but I sure hope so. Because I miss it, and it does make me remember the good times and the great moments we experienced through this ball club.”

“But there is no guarantee that will ever happen again.”

Russell replied that he has been covering and reporting on the team for 14 years and has been fooled more than once, thinking surely the team was going to break through and be good again.

Walker talked of how he thought, “there is no way we are losing to the Giants,” but he, like all the rest of us, was again disappointed by the Commanders.

He suggested that perhaps Sam Howell is not going to be able to fix this problem of holding onto the ball too long. Then he quickly transitioned to how Giants DC Wink Martindale was ahead of Commanders OC Eric Bieniemy last Sunday.

Walker expressed his frustration that Martindale repeatedly showed early he was calling for blitzers and pressure, but the Commanders offensive coaches and players seemed to have no answers.

Russell pointed out that Bieniemy talked of their making adjustments but asked Walker, wasn’t Bieniemy late with the adjustments? To which Walker unhesitatingly declared yes, because the entire first half the offense was being overmatched by the Giants’ execution of the Martindale attack on Howell.

 

Doc Walker: How about the Commanders being competitive?

Doc Walker tells it like it is regarding the Commanders.

Richard “Doc” Walker is frustrated with the Commanders.

The former Cincinnati Bengal and Washington Redskin tight end was a guest on the “Sports Junkies” Tuesday on 106.7 The Fan.

In his appearance, he discussed his frustration with the ownership, coaches and players.

“This is a week-to-week business, and I am trying to beat Atlanta. I’m not throwing the season away. We’ve had two disastrous performances, which is not natural for Pro Football. You can lose a game, but you are not supposed to get slaughtered.”

Walker is not merely calling out the players, but he had some issues with ownership as well. “You should not be in charge of anything you don’t own, expressed Walker. So Walker stressed that ownership should be meeting with current head coach Ron Rivera because “we can’t wait until next year.”

Walker pointed to the Eagles game, where the Commanders took the Eagles to overtime. “Once you show me you can play, then I expect you to play. I don’t like Jekyll and Hyde; that is not comforting.”

The former UCLA Bruin is not taking the Bears game as casually as we might expect. “My point of emphasis is that we got beat up, we got tore up from the floor up. How about being competitive?”

Clarifying that he was not asking for someone to be fired but was asking for ownership’s involvement. “Are you going to wait until 2024 to get your team motivated?”

“We’re talking about the stadium. I don’t give a crap if they play in a parking lot. I need them to play better. I love the things that happened (ownership transition) the enthusiasm, but on game day, I expect to win, not just participate.”

“All I care about is how do we beat Atlanta? Or are we just tanking for Caleb (USC’s Caleb Williams)? Is that it? Is this a plot for a draft pick?”

Linebacker Cody Barton among the early standouts for the Commanders in training camp

One Washington legend is high on the new linebacker.

The Washington Commanders agreed to terms with linebacker Cody Barton on the first day of the legal tampering period this spring. Washington signed Barton to a modest one-year deal worth $3.5 million.

The Commanders had signed Barton to play Mike linebacker, with last year’s starter, Cole Holcomb, still in play to return. However, once Barton landed with Washington, Holcomb agreed to a three-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Mike linebacker position was Barton’s to lose in 2023.

While Barton learned the offense in the spring, he now looks completely comfortable through the first week of training camp.

Barton has been active in training camp thus far, particularly when the pads came on this week. Barton stood out, stuffing running lanes behind Washington’s vaunted defensive line. Barton has looked confident and fast thus far.

Barton has also looked comfortable in coverage.

In a recent appearance on “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast, former Washington tight end and longtime analyst Rick “Doc” Walker joined to offer his observations on training camp after one week.

Sheehan asked about specific players, including Barton.

“Love him,” Walker said.

“Cody is the kind of guy that’s on all really good teams. He’s not a combine guy, but as soon as you put the pads on today, he stands out like a sore thumb. He’s a contact freak. He’s athletic enough and got size. He’s going to be a terror. He’s a terror.”

Jamin Davis entered the 2023 season as the only “sure thing” at linebacker. And the third-year former first-round pick is far from a sure thing. Sure, he improved last season, but the coaching staff wants more from Davis. Davis had a procedure this offseason, leading him to miss OTAs, which left him a bit behind entering training camp.

Davis is also dealing with a legal issue involving a reckless driving concision, opening the door for Barton and Khaleke Hudson to impress.

Ultimately, Washington would love for Barton and Davis to start, with Hudson serving as the third linebacker in 2023.

Head coach Ron Rivera and defensive linebacker Jack Del Rio, former NFL starting linebackers, have often been criticized for what fans felt like ignoring the linebacker position.

Have they finally found their guy in Barton? We won’t know until the games begin, but the early signs are encouraging.