Tag: Kevin Sheehan Show Podcast

Former Washington coach Jay Gruden rooting for the Commanders

The former coach has fond words for Dan Quinn, his former players and will be rooting for Washington now that a certain person is gone.

Former Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden says now that Dan Snyder is gone, he hopes the best for the Washington Commanders.

Gruden was a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast Friday. Regarding the Commanders, Gruden was his typical self. Here are a few select quotes from Gruden.

https://twitter.com/Coach_JayGruden/status/1806390779134595335

“How does Jayden handle the pressure, and the things he has to do at quarterback to be successful? Obviously, he has the talent. We haven’t seen him going against a team’s No. 1 defense in the NFL. He is going to play against a Tampa Bay defense this week that will not hold anything back. They are going to get after his ass.”

“Can Bobby Wagner hold up at linebacker? He is getting a little older. Can the corners hold up? Is Forbes starting this year? Is he going to play better?”

“They (Commanders) have a lot of talent, a lot of young players playing critical positions. So we will see. I just think it is going to be a struggle this year for them. They will get better and better. Dan Quinn will get these guys going.”

“His (Kliff Kingsbury) biggest issue is protecting the quarterback with the protection scheme he has. He can get guys open down the field, but can he protect Jayden Daniels? We don’t want to see him passing all the time against Tampa Bay, or it will be a blood bath. Tampa Bay will blitz the hell out of him.”

“I think the ability of them to use Jayden with his legs, with zone reads and play action, getting him outside the pocket will be critical early on to get him  outside to see some throws and then use his legs on the perimeter.”

“If they have to bring safeties down into the box creating seven-man fronts, eight-man fronts, that puts a lot of pressure on your corners. If he is going to protect his corners, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne and Clelin Ferrell have to do a good job in light boxes stopping the run. I think they can. Bobby Wagner is good against the run, so is Frankie Luvu.”

“I am rooting for Washington, man. I am off the root against the Dan Snyder bandwagon. I am rooting for Washington to do well. I am rooting for Terry McLaurin, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne. I still have feelings for these guys and the fans. They were good to me for the most part. I am rooting for Washington to have a good year. I like Dan Quinn; he is a good guy…”

There is more; here is the link to all the audio of the discussion.

The plan to buy the Commanders began 5 minutes after Dan Snyder announced his intentions

Commanders minority owner Mark Ein reveals when the plan to buy the franchise began.

Did you know that only five minutes after the announcement that Dan Snyder was going to sell, the mission to purchase the Commanders was begun?

Yes, the Josh Harris Ownership Group (HOG) couldn’t close the acquisition of the Washington Commanders until July 2023. Yet, so much hard work and perspiration went into finally purchasing the team away from Snyder.

Mark Ein, who was born in Chevy Chase, MD, and is a lifelong fan of the Redskins (now Commanders), was a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast Saturday.

Ein told Sheehan that he and Harris, who were childhood friends, were actually together this week, marveling that it had already been a year since the NFL finally approved the purchase on July 20, 2023.

“Most deals of this size or complexity are not easy,” began Ein. This one had some unique components, as everyone can imagine. But you have to bring a lot of people together to pay the highest price ever for a sports franchise.”

When Sheehan asked Ein if he ever thought they would be unable to finalize the purchase, Ein didn’t hesitate to say, “Oh, sure. I mean, this started five minutes after the news hit the wire.”

“Which news, Mark?” inquired Sheehan.

“The news that Dan was really going to sell…literally within five minutes of the announcement, I texted Josh and said we have got to do this. It started then (November) and closed in July, so that is how long it took.”

Ein said that throughout the process, there were “lots of moments where it looked like it was not going to happen.”

“Our view was this franchise matters almost as much as anything in the community that we grew up in and love. With people who are deeply connected and committed to the community, there was an opportunity, and really a need for that set of people to come in and take it over and build it to the franchise we loved as kids.”

Ein is absolutely correct.

The franchise needed to be rescued.

They were rescued from not only being a losing NFL team on the field but also from those running the business side of the franchise who didn’t know what they were doing.

Thank you, Mark Ein, for taking the initiative, and thank you to the Harris Ownership Group for seizing the opportunity to bring this franchise back from the depths.

 

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.

Will the Harris Ownership Group eventually change the name?

One longtime Washington reporter believes ownership will eventually change the name.

Two older Redskins fans from the DMV got together on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast. Wednesday.

Tom Friend grew up in Chevy Chase, Md., and went to Rolling Wood Elementary, as did Commanders’ new majority owner, Josh Harris and minority owner Mark Ein. Friend stated that his sister was in their class.

I recall Friend covering the Redskins as the beat writer for The Washington Post back in the late 1980s. He is now a writer for the Sports Business Journal.

Sheehan asked Friend regarding the “Commanders” team name.  He referenced that at one point, the franchise did attempt to move from Redskins to Warriors, but it was shot down.

Friend continued with an objection, “I don’t know why. You look at what the Chiefs fans do, and the Braves fans do, and you think, ‘What is the problem?'”

“I had someone else tell me they (Harris Ownership Group) are looking at it now. More than look at it, they are going to do it at some point. It’s just a matter of when. I am not reporting this. I am just telling you what I hear from people close to the situation.”

Friend told Sheehan that Dan Snyder got rid of Redskins quickly, changing the name, so why couldn’t they get rid of this name that virtually very few in the fan base likes? He went as far as saying, “No one likes it; get the heck rid of it!”

When Sheehan asked if Friend’s sources are “in the know,” Friend instantly responded, “Somewhat in the know, for sure, for sure, absolutely, 100 percent.”

Friend continued, “This was always a franchise that did nothing but celebrate Native Americans. I went to RFK my entire life from six years old, and not once did I ever Tomahawk chop or do the war chant. All we said was, ‘Hail to the Redskins!’ In all seriousness, there was no mocking going on.”

Of course, Friend is correct; the hypocrisy is evident. But the bigger news was Friend saying the Harris ownership group is already discussing changing the Commanders’ team name in the future.

Should we be surprised? The Harris Ownership Group has been impressively ahead of the game, and in time, they are going to get this right as well.

Chris Cooley film review of Commanders’ DB Mike Sainristil

Cooley is a big fan of rookie CB Mike Sainristil.

Chris Cooley was asked by Kevin Sheehan to perform a film evaluation of four Commanders’ draft choices.

Cooley appeared on Sheehan’s podcast episodes on Thursday and Friday with those film reviews (Johnny Newton, Mike Sainristil, Luke McCaffrey, Brandon Coleman).

The former Redskins’ tight end and color analyst on the team’s radio broadcast really likes the Commanders’ choice of Michigan slot corner Mike Sainristil.

Here are some selected quotes from Cooley’s film breakdown:

“He’s an awesome athlete: great feet, great hips.”

“To me, he’s a smart zone cover guy. He does a great job getting depth in his drops, reads the eyes of the quarterback very well. He’s capable and able to drive on the football.”

“I think he does an excellent job finding the ball in coverage; he does a really good job playing the ball.”

“He’s not a P.I. guy; he’s well-trained, technically very good. He has great hands; had six interceptions, two were pick-sixes.

“He’s a really good tackler, a consistent tackler…he can be very physical as well…he was a big-time blitz guy for Michigan.”

“He is what Scot McCloughan would have called ‘a football player.’ I was super impressed.”

“Some of my concerns? His ability to play man coverage; his ability to press and then run and play man coverage. But they are drafting a man that fits them perfectly in what they want.”

“He can be over-aggressive in attacking receivers in their routes; double moves could be a problem potentially. At times, you see him taking risks, and it paying off…the risk/reward on some of this is big time.”

I think he is a big-time football player for them. I think he is going to be really helpful.”

It’s easy to see why Nick Saban would say that (“best pound-for-pound player in the draft“)… He’s a really versatile dude…really good at shedding blocks in space and getting off of blocks.”

“He has a really good understanding of football. I am sure Mike Sainristil is going to be a good football player. He is worth the second-round draft pick. I am sure of it.”

Chris Cooley’s film review of Commanders’ DT Johnny Newton

What does Cooley think of Johnny Newton’s film? He likes him.

Chris Cooley praised the Commanders’ selection of Johnny Newton, but also offered a few concerns.

The former Washington tight end, who appeared on Thursday’s “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast, expressed his film observations of Newton.

Not to be overlooked, Sheehan proposed that other teams possibly knew of Newton’s injury and that the Commanders did not. Newton fell into the second round, and Commanders GM Adam Peters was in disbelief Newton was still available at No. 36, where Peters selected him.

Here are a few selected quotes from Cooley’s review:

“He is a consistently productive guy,” Cooley said. “Four blocked kicks at Illinois. I love a dude that can block kicks! There is a knack to it.”

“He is a compact 6’2″, 304 pounds…He is not thin.”

“First team All-American. He wrecked Maryland; he wrecked Wisconsin. He can wreck a game. There is no doubt about it; he can play in the backfield.”

“He will come off the ball, quick twitch, and he can transition from speed to power. He can play inside; he can play nose. Quick hands, quick feet. When you are playing against Johnny Newton on the other side of the ball, you are worried he is going to beat you right now.”

“His hand-fighting is excellent. He will battle through that and get off of stuff.”

“I think when he wants to, he can crash back-side run plays really well.”

“He has great pass-rush moves; his high end is really high end.”

“I think the number one negative I see is he picks and chooses. There are times you can write L-A-Z-Y…It’s not that he can’t run down the line of scrimmage. It’s not that he can’t chase the ball carrier. It’s not that he doesn’t do that. He just picks and chooses.”

“He’s a guy you want to make sure is always going; you got to make sure he is always rolling or have him out.”

“His pad level is not very good. He plays upright; he plays high.”

“He plays around blocks as well, which you can’t get away with in the NFL.”

“Honestly, I think he is a great pick. He is going to be around a couple of defensive tackles (Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne) who will not accept anything but “go” all the time. I think it will be a really good fit for him.”

“There are a couple of concerns, but so much positive to him, so much upside to him.”

Chris Cooley film review of Commanders’ WR Luke McCaffrey

Cooley on McCaffrey: “He’s going to be a good player.”

“He is super fast.”

That’s how former Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley began his film review of Commanders third-round selection (100) Luke McCaffrey.

A guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast this week, Cooley mocked those who have already stereotyped McCaffrey as a receiver who won’t be able to work downfield. Cooley asked, “Why? Because he is a white receiver?”

Cooley continued, “He tracks the ball incredibly well, and he is able to go up and get it. He has great ball skills.” He then alluded to McCaffrey’s one-handed, all-hands catches.

The former Washington tight end and broadcaster likes McCaffrey’s measurables as well: 4.46 (40 yards), 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, 36 inches (vertical). At the NFL Combine, McCaffey’s other measurables were broad jump (121), shuttle (4.02), and 3-cone (6.70).

For quick descriptions, Cooley offered: “Fearless, tough, great run after the catch ability, good at finding open spots, a good, all-around player.”

“He can play in the slot; he can play outside. He will go over the middle and make a catch anywhere.”

“He is in and out of his breaks pretty well. He does need to do a better job setting up those breaks/setting up those routes. But as of now, he is able to create separation.”

“He attacks the ball at its highest point; he makes body adjustments.”

“He is a fearless blocker; he will get after it when he is in the run game. He is a play-every-snap kind of guy.”

“He is going to be a good (NFL) player.”

Remember, Luke only played receiver his last two years at Rice, after first playing quarterback at both Rice and Nebraska. Thus, he is still learning and developing at his “new” position.

Also, Luke’s dad, Ed McCaffrey accumulated 185 NFL games in his career, McCaffrey had 565 receptions for 7,422 yards, including 55 touchdowns. McCaffrey also averaged 13.1 yards per reception.

Luke’s older brother, Christian, followed in Ed’s footsteps, playing in the Pac-12 conference for Stanford. He has enjoyed an illustrious NFL career, already rushing for 6,185 yards and scoring 81 touchdowns in his 91 NFL games.

What does Chris Cooley think of new Commanders TE Ben Sinnott?

“Joe Gibbs would love Ben Sinnott.”

“If he is wearing No. 47, we are identical.”

That was Chris Cooley’s first reaction when watching film of the Commanders’ second-round choice (No. 53 overall), Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott.

Cooley was a guest Friday on the “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast and gave his film review of the tight end the Commanders drafted last week.

“He is what Joe Gibbs used to call an H-back; he’s versatile,” added Cooley.

Cooley said what he really liked initially about Sinnott was that he is flexible. The Commanders will be able to split Sinnott out wide. He can play in a tight split, a wing split, full back, tight, and next to the quarterback in the shotgun. Cooley concluded that K-State using Sinnott in so many positions reveals the young man is an intelligent player.

Pointing to his 4.68 at the Scouting Combine, Cooley praised his running of routes, “He is clearly a big-time target,” saying it was fun to watch him.

Cooley also praised Sinnott for being a hands-catcher of the ball rather than a chest-catcher. The former Washington tight end loved Sinnott’s ability to catch the ball at the high point and praised his vertical jumping ability.

A former wrestler, Cooley is fully aware of playing another sport at a high level and how this develops you athletically. He and Sheehan both pointed to the newest Commander also playing a lot of tennis and hockey as well as football.

Cooley was also excited about his ability to make some awesome runs after the catch as an H-back. He elaborated, saying Sinnott is tough to bring down and has that toughness to run through everything.

Seeing the Commanders will be able to line up Sinnott in multiple positions, Cooley pointed out that it also presents another challenge for the defense because your personnel becomes more unpredictable.

As for a weakness? Cooley feels Sinnott in his blocking needs some work in his hands and footwork early on in a block, saying he was not technically sound in some of the film.

However, Cooley was also quick to say that Sinnott made many good blocks. Thus, he was encouraged, saying Sinnott is certainly willing to block and will therefore improve his technique as his NFL career progresses.

“I will tell you right now, Joe Gibbs would love Ben Sinnott. This would be his guy. He would draft this guy. This is his H-back who can play receiver and tight end. He is a versatile tight end.”

Chris Cooley: How is Jayden Daniels not the Commanders pick?

Count Chris Cooley among those impressed with Jayden Daniels.

Former Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley appeared as a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast over the weekend, providing his film breakdown of Jayden Daniels.

Cooley began, “So I’m in my third game, and I’m like, this is like a walking highlight tape. You’re just watching throws…and it’s a highlight tape. It’s insane. Jayden Daniels is incredible.”

Pretty early Cooley commented on Daniels being exceptionally agile and knowing how to slide. “Except for when he doesn’t. Because he gets smoked. He’s gonna have to learn that…He knows how to slide. I think he’s just competitive as a runner. He gets freakin’ waxed in the first half of the Ole Miss game, which is a first half that is like 31-28 with unbelievable offense. But he got hit in the face so hard and fumbled and went up in the air…you gotta know that that’s not a hit you need to take. Especially a quarterback, and he took three or four in that game.”

Chris acknowledged Daniels only weighs 210 but quickly added he could gain weight and be up to 225 in two years.

“He can get through progressions, at least can read the defense and identify who’s going to be open and where they’re gonna be open and throw the ball in rhythm and timing that is relatable to that concept.”

“He’s good out of a bunch set. Layering the ball down the field over linebackers on some of the little run-action, play-action throws. To really drive it in over linebackers is awesome. I think he’s very accurate.”

“He takes some risks, but I think he also takes necessary risks in the moments of the game where you’re like, Oh, that’s a bad decision…But a lot of the times, I think he’s got a good flow for the game and how he’s managing exactly that.”

Cooley lauded Daniels ability to run not as good but dangerously good. “He’s obviously a massive problem when he gets out in the open field…It’s not like he’s gonna gain 8 to 12 yards and slide, but he can get you 45 to 50 and outrun the entire defense.”

Touch on the ball is something Cooley liked, but he did notice that Daniels does not possess the strongest of passing arms. “I don’t think he’s got a rifle. He can really let it go; he can throw a ball downfield and throw a ball downfield with a ton of arc – he does a great job on deep balls – but I don’t think he’s got a throw it across the field to 17 yards on a comeback gun. To me, that’s not what I see.”

Concluding his review, Cooley praised Daniels, “I thought overall he’s really freakin’ special. To me, he seemed an incredibly experienced college quarterback. He’s calm in the pocket; his demeanor is absolutely tremendous. He makes big-time throws…I think his discipline is good, his timing is good… he’s a walking freaking highlight reel.”

Cooley asked, “How is this not your pick?”

Chris Cooley: Ron Rivera did ‘a complete 180′ with Commanders’ offensive identity

Cooley weighs in on Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio.

“It’s hard to play when you know your coach is gone,” said former Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley as a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast Friday.

Indeed the Commanders have now lost five of their last six games. In their last game, the defense at times offered no resistance.

“I didn’t feel like they were going to fire Jack Del Rio this week,” Cooley said. “I didn’t know or have an expectation that they were going to fire Ron Rivera this week. I am just telling you, you have a dead coach, and you just don’t play well. Go back to the Jim Zorn era, the end of (Jay) Gruden and (Bill) Callahan.”

Cooley said he has noticed that the first time out, a team often will play much better after a coach has been fired. He said he thought Washington would play better this week against Miami and then suggested, “If you want a better draft spot, you keep Ron Rivera in place.”

The former Washington Redskins radio analyst then joked, “I really don’t care if they make Craig Hoffman the coach, they are going to win the next game if they hire an interim head coach.”

Sheehan was in stitches at this point. Cooley added (you could imagine him smiling), “It was the first name I came up with.”

Cooley said he recognized players had been repeatedly trying to say the right things the last few weeks. He said when they say things like, “The players just have to do better,” or “It is just not working,” or “Something has to change,” that it was a clear indictment of the coaches.

Cooley pointed out how Rivera insisted that soon after last season, they were committed to running the football as their main identity and controlling the clock.

Then they hired Eric Bieniemy and threw the ball more times than anyone else in the league, and with a rookie quarterback.

“Rivera had this identity, he declared, and then he did a complete 180,” Cooley said.

“If I am Del Rio at this point, I am saying, “We went from a top-10 defense to 30th in part because we throw the ball on every down. Both sides of the ball affect both sides of the ball. I am by no means making an excuse for Del Rio or the big plays they give up. But at the same time, it doesn’t help.”

“I am almost blown away that Ron Rivera fell into that ‘OK, we will just do this now.’ You would think a guy that’s been around as long as he has would have said, ‘No, this is what I want. If this is going to be my last year, I am going out doing what I want to do.'”

“If it is my last year as head coach and I am resigned to my fate, or at least I think I am, I am going down swinging the way I want to go down swinging.”