Tag: Kevin Sheehan Show Podcast

Are efforts to sell the Washington Commanders not going well?

Not sure this is the news anyone wants to hear — if true.

News that absolutely no Washington Commanders fans want to hear. Kosman of the New York Post appeared on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast Friday. Here are some of his top quotes. Here is the entire podcast.

“Dan Snyder has a $6 billion minimum price, and there are two suitors. Josh Harris, who owns the Philadelphia 76ers, and a mystery bidder… both are having a very hard time getting to $6 billion.”

“Both parties are scrambling for co-investors. Both might not believe, from what I understand, that the team is worth $6 billion.”

“If you think about it, the Denver Broncos were sold last year for $4.65 billion. Why should Washington be worth $6 billion when you probably also need to build a new stadium which will include some private financing.”

“There is a possibility Snyder sets us up for failure; he never wanted to sell anyway. He set a number that he didn’t think anyone would reach, and then he says two months from now, ‘I couldn’t find an adequate buyer; I am keeping the team.”

“They need co-investors who are willing to be minority partners and take significant interest because $3.5 billion is a lot of money.”

“For the last five years, Bezos has let it be known that he would like to buy an NFL team. Of course, the NFL would love Bezos. He is worth $100 billion-plus, loves football. He has made it clear he wanted one of two teams, either Washington or Seattle.”

“Bezos lifts every other NFL owners value; he is very dedicated to football, the NFL loves what Bezos (Amazon) is doing, Amazon is paying 100 billion dollars for Thursday night football, and he would probably be a very active owner who would help the NFL move toward streaming more broadcasts.”

“The NFL owner’s meetings are on March 26, and they will want a resolution by then. I believe I know ( I am very confident) the process is not going as well as Bank of America wants.”

“My gut (not knowledge) is when we get to late March; he will try to hold on. He will try to hold on to the team, and then we will see where this goes.”

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Chris Cooley: ‘Greg Roman is as good as it gets’ in run-based offense

Chris Cooley likes Greg Roman but acknowledges he may be a tough get.

What does Chris Cooley think regarding the Washington Commanders search for a new offensive coordinator?

A guest Friday on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast, here are some of Cooley’s thoughts concerning the Commanders Offensive coordinator candidate, Greg Roman.

“If you want to be a run-based team, I think Greg Roman is as good as it gets as a coordinator in the league.

He would be number one on my list. He is going to be coveted by more teams as coaches get hired. That is going to be a tough get.

I don’t think Greg Roman is going to Washington with the potential of being fired in only one year. I am not saying that is going to happen. Roman could come to Washington, and they win 10,11,12 games, and the narrative be completely changed. But I think that is a tough hire.

“I would love that hire. I would hire Greg Roman anywhere.”

Sheehan read how Roman’s offenses have finished repeatedly in the top in the NFL. So he asked Cooley why Roman has not become a head coach.

“Probably because rushing the ball is not cool. Rushing the ball just seems to be not cool.

I don’t know if it is even fair to say, Greg Roman is a run-offense type of guy.’ I am sure Greg Roman could come up with a pretty good plan to throw the football.

He is very good at formations, very good at creating motion, very good at creating misdirection and pre-snap problems. All of that ties into throwing the football as well.

Robert Griffin III spent some time in Baltimore as a backup quarterback, tweeting regarding Roman.

Cooley responded to the Griffin tweet, simply concluding, “I would say yes, to Greg Roman.”

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Chris Cooley: ‘The moment wasn’t too big’ for Sam Howell

Cooley was extremely impressed with Howell’s performance in his latest film review.

“He did a good job, he did well,” that is how Chris Cooley summed up in one sentence Sam Howell’s performance in his first NFL start Sunday against Dallas.

Cooley a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast Monday, continued to offer a film breakdown review of the game as well.

Here are some of Cooley’s evaluations of Sam Howell’s first game.

“I thought he played well. Take away that one pick he would like back; for the most part, I thought he was pretty consistent.”

“His accuracy was good other than one screen throw and a deep ball to Terry McLaurin that was underthrown a little bit.”

“He threw two deep balls later down the field. One to Dotson that was dropped, that was a really good ball, and another one to Terry that was an excellent ball.”

“Although he didn’t make a ton of throws vertically down the field, he did make three or four down the field that were essentially pretty good throws.”

“The crossing route throws he hit; he hit guys on the move in stride. He had a drop by Terry that would have been a conversion (first down). He looked really good athletically. The kid can get out and run. You saw that with the zone-read touchdown, making good cuts, fearless cuts.”

“He had a couple of good third-down scrambles where he ends up converting. I thought, for the most part, he ran the offense with good tempo. He looked comfortable in the pocket; he looked like he belonged there. The moment wasn’t too big (for him).”

“The moment was huge for him. He definitely felt nervous, and felt pressure. I think he performed in the moment while he felt pressure. I would have liked to have seen him throw the ball more.”

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Logan Paulsen: ‘Daniel Jones better than Taylor Heinicke right now’

Logan Paulsen breaks down why the Commanders lost in Week 15.

 

Logan Paulsen, a guest on the Kevin Sheehan Show podcast, Monday was asked directly to start the dialog, “Why did they (Commanders) lose last night?”

“Obviously, a question like that is multi-factorial, but I am going to start off with Scott (Turner), and the offensive staff got away from who they wanted to be and what they have been offensively.”

Paulsen felt the staff had watched film of how the Eagles scored big in their easy win over the Giants the previous week and attempted to incorporate that into the Commanders offense Sunday.

“I think it was a travesty in some ways that Brian Robinson only ended up with 17 carries.” Sheehan quickly countered, “12 carries, 12 carries.”

“The running game was being super-efficient, and I feel like they outsmarted themselves… that was one thing that really stuck out to me offensively. Obviously, the two turnovers were gigantic.” Paulsen distinguished between the two fumbles stating the first one was certainly not on Taylor Heinicke, but the last one certainly is.

“It felt like the offense had regressed back to what they were before Minnesota. A lot of dropbacks, a lot of off-gun runs, as opposed to a down hill attacking style, which they have become so good at the last few weeks, and the offensive line has gotten good at…It surprised me they came out departing from that.”

Paulsen illustrated by pointing to a 3rd & 3 in the red zone in which the call was a toss to Curtis Samuel. “I thought, man, you have one of the most efficient power runners in the NFL; why is he not on the field in this situation?… Give it to your best back, and let him make the play for you.”

“It’s easy for me to be a Monday morning quarterback and I am sure Scott had some good intel on why he wanted to call that in that situation.” But Paulsen continued that he thought that play call hurt more then helped.

“I think Washington is the more talented team, and that is one of the reasons why this is so frustrating. You want this team to make the playoffs, make a push. This is the game they had to win against a team they should have beaten.”

A determining factor right now is Daniel Jones is playing a little better than Taylor Heinicke right now. I think it was schematics and them (Giants) making plays when they needed to make them quite frankly.”

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Chris Cooley: ‘The Commanders have glaring protection issues’

Chris Cooley identifies a major problem with Washington’s offense.

Sunday night’s game at FedEx Field against the Giants is huge for both teams’ playoff hopes.

You may recall the Giants really got after Taylor Heinicke. The Commanders experienced difficulty in protecting Heinicke against the Giants. Chris Cooley addressed this and here are a few excerpts of Cooley describing what he observed to Kevin Sheehan on Sheehan’s podcast.

“They have glaring protection issues. And they know they have glaring protection issues because they are max-protecting 70% of the time.”

Cooley was alluding to how the Commanders are keeping tight ends in and running backs as well to block, trying to protect Taylor Heinicke, but that means they are also on these instances running only three-man routes combinations.

“Dude, that is 1977 Don Coryell. That is really hard to execute in the NFL right now, and you are really putting a lot on your quarterback to make big-time throws down the field. It is a hard deal to get done in three-man route combinations.”

“You cannot turn guys loose off of the edge… The Giants were getting free hitters on five-man rushes. I get it when you stink at protecting, but this is a consistent problem for Washington.”

“You cannot score points in the NFL this way. You can score 20 points. You can find a way to execute and make a couple of throws on a couple of drives, But you cannot consistently drive the ball down the field and score when you are max-protecting 70% of the time.”

“The first sack-fumble was a max-protect. But when one, two or three is not open, where are we going with the ball? If you are max-protecting and you look to the right and then back to the center and if both are not open, you are gone! Go (run) or get out of the pocket, one or the other. Make something happen or run.”

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Will Daniel Snyder sell the Commanders?

The man who broke the Snyder story Wednesday was a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” Wednesday.

Washington Commanders fans are excited, thinking the day has arrived; Daniel Snyder is actually going to sell! Will he actually go through with it?

Mike Ozanian of Forbes broke the story that Daniel Snyder has hired Bank of America Securities to consider potential transactions. He was a guest Wednesday on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast.

Ozanian believes at this point all options really will be considered. Snyder might be ready to cash in and sell the entire franchise were he to receive a good offer from someone who can actually afford it.

Yet, Ozanian was clear from the outset that this newest development could mean only that if someone comes along and offers to buy ten percent of the franchise, the Snyders could use that cash back toward the team.

Why now, Sheehan inquired. Ozanian pointed to the rebranding to Commanders has resulted in their sponsorship revenue being up 20 percent. “It’s a good time if you own a team to raise some capital.”

Sheehan contested Ozanian on this, stating as long as Snyder is the majority owner of the franchise, the business arrow is not going to be pointing upward for long.

“The NFL (pause) we can’t look at it anymore as ticket money and TV money. What deals does it get you into in terms of technology? What deals does it enable you to be linked with in sports betting? ”

Sheehan accurately pointed to the Washington franchise being an exception because, “so much of this fan base is already gone and won’t come back until he is gone.” Sheehan did agree the demographics of the DMV market are very attractive.

Ozanian reminded listeners that NFL rules require that a managing partner who intends to buy the team for controlling interest has to put 30 percent down. Thus, there are not many out there right now who could do that.

Is there enough support among NFL owners to put out Snyder by vote? Ozanian also suggested that Snyder may be simply trying to stay out in front, ensuring for now there is not a vote among fellow NFL owners to force Snyder to sell.

Snyder owning land around both FedEx Field and the Ashburn facility, holds very attractive assets for a new owner. It’s also in a very high net worth of the country.

Ozanian warned that he does not see Snyder selling the entire team unless he were to receive an offer for upwards to $8B. For potential purchasers, Ozanian suggests looking on the Forbes 400 Rich list, who are billionaires.

On the field, the team has not won a playoff game since the 2005 season. The almost unanimous consensus of the fan base for a decade now is that Snyder must go.

Washington legend Chris Cooley: ‘I am very thankful’

Cooley reiterates how thankful he is to the fans and organization for his NFL career.

Honestly, Chris Cooley should NOT have been misunderstood.

Cooley had declared on the Wednesday edition of the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast that he would not be attending this weekend’s Washington Commanders Alumni/Homecoming to be honored as one of the franchise’s 90 greatest players.

Yet, there were fans on Twitter and other social media criticizing Cooley’s decision not to attend. Some went as far as saying he didn’t appreciate the fans voting for him the honor of being one of the 90 best players.

Yet, if fans were simply better listeners, they would have understood much better what Cooley had actually said… and didn’t say. We here at Commanders Wire quoted him accurately and in the proper context of Wednesday’s dialog between Cooley and Sheehan.

But Friday, there was Cooley, making another good effort for those fans who frankly have not yet developed the ability to listen or read well. He is to be commended for his efforts and patience.

Here is what Cooley told Sheehan on Friday’s podcast.

“Funny, because I have had a couple of people call me that are close to me, and everybody knows exactly what I meant specifically, and that seems to be enough.”

Sheehan simply agreed, “Right.”

Cooley reiterated and elaborated a bit on his Wednesday statement, not contradicting himself in the least.

“But, to be very clear, this does NOT have to do with the name change. Although I did say when it immediately happened (with you) that it does feel like a different team with the name change. That is not the reason at all. But it’s easy for me in that sense to say, ‘I played for this team, and now they are that team.'”

“I am very thankful to everyone, again, who voted, to the fans, to everybody that was a part of my career, really incredibly thankful. It was an unbelievable ride. I was proud to be part of one organization my whole career; it meant the world to me.”

“I don’t want this to come off as dismissive or unappreciative. That is not what this is about. I am not trying to be the bad guy, and I am just not going to. I am not going to try to be that.”

“I don’t want to talk about why or what. I want to end with; I’m just not interested in being a part of the Washington Commanders right now. I talk about them with you (Sheehan), but I am not interested in being a part of them at this point.

“And I don’t really have anything else to say. I am not blaming anybody. This is where we are today.”

Sheehan (in my opinion) wisely chose not to even respond or to attempt to get Chris to empty any more of his heart. He simply permitted Cooley to speak for himself and left it that, concluding that segment of the podcast.

 

 

Kevin Sheehan: ‘Snyder has to go!’

Sheehan gives reasons why he believes that Snyder must go.

“This can’t be about the Mary Jo White investigation.”

Kevin Sheehan has had enough of the Daniel Snyder drama and investigations.

Voicing his displeasure with Snyder and the NFL process, Sheehan on his Wednesday podcast was a great listen.

Sheehan declared Mary Jo White is investigating matters that are “purely he-said, she-said” and that Jason Friedman, former franchise business employee, “has lied under oath,” and that “it is possible that Mary Jo White may conclude nothing.”

The lifelong Washington (teams) sports fan then lit into why the NFL should rid themselves of Snyder. Here are some excerpts.

“Nothing that she finds is going to take away from the FACTS that it was a very toxic workplace culture as Beth Wilkinson concluded and Roger Goodell stated when they fined the team $10M and gave Snyder a quasi-suspension.”

“The importance of all of this, and the emphasis on this should be why a once-profitable, passionate, incredible NFL market of fans is now gone! And it is not coming back until he leaves, whether her investigation produces something or not.”

“The big picture is this market is gone, as an NFL market! It doesn’t exist anymore in terms of anything remotely resembling what it was. The league knows that. That is why they want him out. Every owner knows it; that’s why they want him out. A lot of the owners don’t like him personally, and there is a personal animus involved in this as well. Which by the way, you should separate.”

“Bottom line is, they can’t get this market back until he leaves. A new stadium is not going to do it. Mary Jo White’s investigation is not going to do it. Winning isn’t going to do it.”

“The name change was basically the death knell for a lot of people whether Snyder is here or not. I do understand a lot of people are never coming back. That was the final nail in the coffin.”

“If the league wants any part of resuscitating any part of this market, turning it (back) into a revenue generator, and having it be a market they can be proud of in the nation’s capital, he has to go.”

“He is a bad owner and incompetent owner. One of the worst in the history of professional sports. He has ruined what was once something very sacred and special to a major city, the nation’s capital.”

“It is an embarrassment to the league. It is an under-performer. But so were the New York Knicks for many years, and so were the Cardinals for years. It is very hard to run someone who wants to be here (NFL) for being incompetent… So I am still skeptical that this is going to lead to his ouster.”

“They need to convince him to sell. He can sell the team, and the owners need to pass the hat around and come up with an extra half billion dollars, and get him out…’Here, this is what we will do if you will leave.’ I don’t think he is going to. I think his heels are dug in.”

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Chris Cooley declines to attend ceremony honoring 90 greatest players

Chris Cooley will not be in attendance for Sunday’s game, where he will be one of 10 Washington greats honored.

Chris Cooley will not attend Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, where he is to be honored as one of the greatest players in Washington franchise history.

Washington fans voted for the next 10 greatest players in franchise history, bringing the total to now 90 Greatest Players aligning with 90 years ago (1932)  the start of the NFL franchise as the then Boston Braves.

But Cooley (2004-2012) who was most often cheered when catching passes with a loud resounding “Cooooo” short for Cooley, declared Wednesday on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast he will not attend.

Here is the brief exchange.

KS: “When they hold this ceremony to announce the next 10 for the 90 greatest, you are not going to be there for it?”

CC: “No.”

KS: “Why?”

CC: “I don’t want to.”

KS: “Okay, should I not ask anymore?”

CC: “I am very appreciative of being voted in, and I am very appreciative of my time while I was there with the Washington Redskins. At this point, I don’t have a lot of desire to be involved with the Washington Commanders. It’s not the team name that does it. ”

KS: “And you are very appreciative of all the fans that voted for you.”

CC: Yes, very appreciative. And I feel for all of the fans for where there are, and I still appreciate the people that are still fans, that are still diehards. Because you know very well, as much as me, even at times maybe you almost find yourself rooting against them?”

CC: “…There is no other team. My only interest is still Washington. I just don’t know (begins laughing) where my interest is, if it’s win or lose.”

Sheehan transitioned to discussing that during the Chicago game, two fans were shown on camera to have bags on over their faces, with the writing “Sell the team.” The numbered jersey they were both wearing was No. 47, Cooley’s old jersey. Cooley, laughing, joked, “It was me. It was me and my buddy, Trevor.”

The newly elected players including Cooley are.

  • DE Ryan Kerrigan (2011-2020)
  • LT Trent Williams (2010-2019)
  • WR Santana Moss (2005-2014)
  • TE Chris Cooley (2004-2012)
  • DT Darryl Grant (1981-1990)
  • LB London Fletcher (2007-2013)
  • CB DeAngelo Hall (2008-2017)
  • CB Champ Bailey (1999-2003)
  • DC Larry Peccatiello (1981-1993)
  • RB Stephen Davis (1996-2002)

“This season is all about connecting our storied past and the 90 years that brought us where we are today to this new chapter as the Washington Commanders,” said team president Jason Wright.

 

Kevin Sheehan raises questions about Ron Rivera’s results

Kevin Sheehan pointed out some ugly numbers for the Commanders over the last three years and reveals what he wants to hear from Ron Rivera.

Kevin Sheehan presented one of his better monologues kicking off his Monday podcast episode.

Sheehan declared the Commanders had been “outclassed, outcoached, outed in every possible way they could be” by the Eagles in Week 3.

“The first half of the last two games they have been totally exposed, totally humiliated.” He then reminded his listeners he is aware it is early, and 14 games remain to be played.

Sheehan’s presentation was centered around the fact this is now year three of Ron Rivera’s coach-centric era where he has his own staff, and he is in control of player personnel, not a general manager.

He revealed Sunday was the 7th time in 36 games Rivera’s Washington team was trailing by 20 points or more at halftime. Think about that. Then he added it was the 10th time in 36 games Rivera’s team trailed by 20 points at any time during the game.

Here are some excerpts of actual quotes as well Sheehan offered.

“Games like Sunday, where the game went badly and badly quickly are not unusual with this group.”

“We do not need to hear nor should you (Rivera) speak of the players needing to adhere to the scheme, that the schemes are fine and the players need to do their jobs. That every play ten guys are doing their job, and one guy isn’t. You cannot say that this week.”

“This is the week we should hear Ron Rivera say, ‘This is on me. I am the head coach. I am also in a coach-centric environment, the final decision maker on players.'”

“Well, the buck stops now with Ron Rivera. No more, the players need to be more mature, and they need to do what they’ve been told to do… I believe he will step up in true Harry Truman defiance, ‘the buck stops here.”

“He (Rivera) has been a stand-up guy his entire career. I am not looking for alarm. I’m not looking for a mea culpa. But he is smart enough to know after two weeks like the last two; he can’t put this on the players this week.”

“I still have a belief in Ron Rivera as a competent NFL coach.  I know that may sound crazy right now, but look, he has a track record of figuring these things out. His track record is starting slowly and figuring it out, finishing strong. He has done that with his first two teams here. 1-5 (2020) finishing 7-9 and 2-6 (2021) finishing 7-10.”

“He came into one of the most dysfunctional organizations in all of sports. Things got even worse from the moment he arrived: the name being lost, the workplace issues, his cancer, inheriting a 3-13 team, without any semblance of class.”

“The grace period that you have had for the first two years is over.  It’s time to start winning more on the field and being less embarrassing off of it. Do that, and you will be pleasantly surprised by our reaction. But don’t play us and ask us to jump on board prematurely.”

“I will tell you this, if what you get moving forward, is what you have gotten the last two games? Three to four wins this year, max. And then we are into a whole different conversation about what is next in 2023.”

“But, it is only three weeks…”

Again, you can find Sheehan’s Monday episode titled “Embarrassed by The Eagles” here.