Tag: The Al Galdi Podcast

One NFL draft analyst is clear who he’d take if he were the Commanders

This draft analyst makes it clear who he’d pick if he were Washington.

Adam Peters has a lot of pressure to nail his first draft pick, the second overall in next week’s NFL draft…which quarterback will he select?

Pro Football Focus NFL Draft analyst Trevor Sikkema spent some time with Al Galdi on his podcast discussing UNC quarterback Drake Maye.

Here is yesterday’s summary of his evaluation of LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Here are selected quotes from Sikkema regarding his evaluation of Drake Maye.

“I would be taking Drake Maye, I really would. He is my quarterback No. 2; he has been since last summer, even with what people are saying was a down year. I would push back on that as well.”

“I believe that Drake Maye gives you the ability to step up and hit every single throw in every situation that is demanded of it.”

“Drake Maye does it on all three levels of the field. I mean that he does it short, intermediate, deep, and I also mean outside the numbers, inside the numbers and outside the numbers. He can do everything.”

“Yes, he’s got to clean up some things with his fundamentals. He had some frustrating misses this past year. All of that is correctable.”

“The natural God-given talent he shows, that is the stuff you have to gravitate towards. That is the stuff I always keep going back to. The overall arm talent, it’s that mentality. It’s something I look at and say, ‘Yes, give me this dude to draft and develop and invest in.'”

“Because he has great mobility, I think Drake Maye is always a threat to take it outside the tackles and run…I am not saying he is a one-read quarterback, because he is not…but he gets a little bit of ‘happy feet’. The feet are always bouncing and light but not always married up with where his eyes and arm are going.”

“Sometimes his feet are moving, and there is not really a rhyme or reason to it, and then all of the sudden you get these moments where, ‘Oh shoot, there it is, there is the throw, and I got to get rid of this football, the throwing window is right here’. But his feet are not always married up to where he is releasing the football.”

“That is a habit you have to improve with Maye to stay light on his feet, but be more compact, more married up, be more ready to THROW with more consistency and accuracy.”

Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye? Many analysts have lined up on both sides of the aisle, and Adam Peters has yet to provide a clue. We may not know until the card is read on Thursday night.

 

Draft analyst weighs in on LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels

Daniels’ fundamentals are great, but his arm talent isn’t the same as Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.

What does one draft analyst think of Jayden Daniels?

Pro Football Focus NFL draft analyst Trevor Sikkema spent some time with Al Galdi on his podcast, discussing Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye. Today, what Sikkema said about Daniels. Tomorrow what Sikkema had to say regarding Maye.

“I just don’t think that Daniels’ arm talent is as good as the guys at the very top. He has the best fundamentals of anyone in this class. His throw is so repeatable and consistent that I totally understand why NFL teams go, ‘Give me that kind of consistency every single time.'”

“But I think that in the process of recognizing those fundamentals, recognizing how consistent that ball is every time it comes out of his hand, we have been romanticizing his arm talent a little bit.”

“He has a good arm, an adequate arm for the NFL level. But, it is not ripping through the wind like Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are able to show you on different platforms, off balance, scrambling, off balance, those type of things.”

You don’t have to make him be what he is not and say, ‘His arm talent is as good as Caleb Williams. It’s not. You don’t have to say he is this great scrambler, this great thrower outside of the pocket.”

“When you go back and look at his entire college football career trajectory, think about what he was at Arizona State. One read, I am going to throw a deep vertical, or I am going to take off and run.”

“When you get to LSU, you can tell in his first year he said to himself, ‘I am going to take care of the football.’ If I am going to be in the SEC and be a SEC quarterback, I cannot turn over the football.”

“He really honed in on lowering his turnovers and turnover-worthy plays. And he had one of the lowest turnover worthy plays in the country. The touchdowns went down, the big time throws went down. He was simply more conservative; he did not want to turn over the ball.”

“He really does not know how to protect his body. He is rail thin. And that is not a good combination at the NFL level. These hits are too hard; they are too fast. He is going to get hurt…”

What does Cowboys announcer think of Commanders’ Dan Quinn?

More praise for Quinn from Dallas as a coach and person.

With new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn leaving Dallas for Washington, what does Dallas think of Quinn?

Brad Sham has been calling Cowboys football games as their play-by-play announcer for 45 seasons. He was a guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast” on Friday.

Quinn the Dallas defensive coordinator for the previous three seasons, was named the Commanders head coach and promptly hired Joe Whitt Jr. as his defensive coordinator and Sharrif Floyd as assistant defensive line coach, both away from the Cowboys staff.

Then he signed four Cowboys on his Dallas teams when Tyler Biadasz (center), Dorance Armstrong (defensive end), Dante Fowler (defensive end) and Noah Igbinoghene (cornerback) each agreed to make the Commanders their new team.

Sham had high praise for Quinn not only as a coach but as a person.

“He’s a genuine people person,” Sham said. “He does have that kind of magnetic enthusiasm. And it is not just his players who love him. Most people around him enjoy being around him. He treats everyone with such respect that it is impossible not to return that.”

Seeing how Quinn had previous head coaching experience and improved the Cowboys defense, Sham was confident Quinn would soon be moving from Dallas.

“So, I think it was inevitable that he was going to get another opportunity as a head coach. I think it is a very positive move for the Commanders.”

Sham believes Quinn will be a better head coach the second time around.

“My guess is he is a better coach than the one who left Seattle several years ago,” Sham continued. “The experience in Atlanta made him a better coach. His last three years here (Dallas) made him a better coach. I think he is not just a defensive coach, though he is very much that. He is interested in the whole team, and it’s a very positive move for the Commanders.”

Though Whitt has not garnered much publicity, Sham believes in Whitt taking on this responsibility for the Commanders. “Joe Whitt is a guy who is kind of under the radar. He is quiet but a phenomenal football coach who has really great football intelligence.”

Sham told Galdi of how the Dallas defense was horrible in the 2020 season, and the hiring of Dan Quinn saw the Cowboys defense improve tremendously during Quinn’s three seasons as the Cowboys defensive coordinator.

“He will come in and look at the personnel following the free agency and the draft. He will then decide the best way for those players to play. He finds a way to maximize the players he has.”

Sham told of how Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence injured a foot during practice week of the second game of the 2021 season. Quinn went to Micah Parsons and asked him what he thought of moving around more on defense, being on the line in pass-rushing downs. And that is why we see how the Cowboys have used Parsons in multiple positions. It came about because Quinn saw an opportunity when one of his better linemen was injured.

Sham summed it up, saying about Quinn, “He’s pretty creative, inventive, and sees the big picture.”

 

Doc Walker: Some Commanders are ‘whiners, sissies’

Doc Walker pulls no punches, gives some outstanding analysis on what he’s seen this summer.

Rick “Doc” Walker was doing what he does so well Monday.

A guest on “The Al Galdi Podcast,” Walker, a former Redskins tight end (1980-85), was entertaining, daring and humorous. In other words, it was Doc Walker, as I’ve known him for 40 years.

Walker, as usual, did not hold back sharing his opinion of what he has observed thus far in the 2023 Commanders preseason. “Everyone could see Wylie (Andrew) was struggling at right tackle.”

Walker liked something he saw in returner Kazmeir Allen, “I saw potential promise in our return game if that young man will listen to Brian Mitchell…All that wide running ain’t gonna work in the NFL. But, if you got the guts to jam that thing up the pipe, you coming out of their brother. Because this dude can fly.”

“Doc” voiced his concern over the slow Washington starts during the Ron Rivera three seasons (2020-22). “This (preseason) is like a training session. I got to get you through this, to get you ready for Arizona. Because my target is Arizona in the regular season. Because we have been awful in September.”

Walker then naturally transitioned into Washington’s new offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy. “But now we have a new attitude, though some seem to have gotten their feathers ruffled over Bieniemy. I just hope he keeps doing what he is doing.”

Walker continued, “Anybody that has ever gone from bad teams to good teams understands why bad teams are stuck on stupid. If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’re going to keep getting the same results.”

The former tight end really appreciates the route running of receiver Jahan Dotson. “If they had a pay-per-view package just for me to watch/stay on him, I’d buy the package just to watch him. He is a superior route runner. I am telling you it is an art.”

How does Doc feel about the offensive line? “Here’s my deal, if you can’t run block or pass block, why are you on the team? Because you played for the head coach? We saw that crap last year with the two guards that were shot (Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner). So, it depends. Do you guys want to win, or are running a boy’s club or a professional football team?”

Walker again turned to Wylie in particular, “I expect him to play better next week because it is the test of a lifetime because he has the Ravens all week. So, if he has any fight in him, any dog in him, it better come out this week.”

“Doc” loves Sam Cosmi being moved from tackle to guard and looks forward to what he thinks Cosmi can accomplish inside.

Then “Doc” again turned his focus to the regular season.

“All I care about is if we are better in September than we have been since Ron Rivera has run the team. We have got to be better in September. In order to do that, it gets ugly in the process. It’s not going to be perfect. You have to go through some tough times.”

“I just want all the whiners that think EB’s practice…………EB is training you to be a champion. I know it is foreign to a lot of these sissies, but the bottom line is that was pathetic what went down.”

“It altered my demeanor all week. I could not believe it. I was shocked by that. But, you gotta move on.”

Analytics pioneer Warren Sharp heavily criticizes Commanders’ Rivera

Would analytics have helped the Commanders win more games in 2022?

Warren Sharp confidently supplied listeners with several analytics markers/statistics Wednesday when he was a guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast.”

In his opening comments, Sharp expressed that last season (2022) could have been much better for Washington had they utilized some emphasis on analytics.

Sharp has graded out the Commanders offense quite lowly amongst the 32 NFL teams. On the other hand, Sharp graded the Commanders defense much higher.

However, Sharp rated Ron Rivera as 28th out of 32 NFL head coaches.

Here are some selected quotes from Sharp directed at Ron Rivera.

“To me, the whole tenure of Ron Rivera has gone massively sideways.”

“Ron Rivera is a defensive-minded head coach. The concern, in general, is a defensive coach wants his defense to look good because that is why he was brought to town. He will sacrifice some things offensively to help the defense look a little bit better potentially. What they tend to sacrifice is quarterbacks passing the ball and trying to score quickly.”

“In lieu of this, they try to control the football, run the football, have time of possession because they feel it drives the defense to give them their rest to play better. It is such an old-school process.”

“Look, last year Washington executed it to a T. They had the most time of possession of any football team since 2019. They controlled the ball over 33:00 minutes a game. But the offense averaged .57 points per minute. (Ranked 31 in NFL).”

“You guys ranked 32 in pass rate in the first half of games. You were running the ball a ton and these runs were abysmal. Early-down runs in the first half you guys were last in the NFL.”

“He (Rivera) hasn’t delivered a single winning season in three years. He still hasn’t figured out the quarterback position.”

There was much more from Sharp being critical of Washington’s 2022 offense in general and Ron Rivera in particular. See the above link to listen.

However, one thing my father taught me while still in grade school: “There are two sides to every coin.” In response to this criticism of Rivera and the 2022 Washington offense.

I think Ron Rivera might perhaps man up and say, “Yes, we stunk on offense most of the time in 2022. Yes, our quarterbacks struggled last season, and that is why we have two other quarterbacks this season.

Yes, we ran the ball too much, and we have gone out and hired Eric Bieniemy to provide an entirely new offensive philosophy for this season. It will be his offense, and we needed to do this.

Yes, our two starting guards really struggled last season (Andrew Norwell, Trai Turner). This is why neither of them are with us this season. We need to be able to run the ball more effectively inside. Also, we need to be more athletic in our line to be able to throw screens behind the line of scrimmage to make it easier on Sam Howell as much as we can.”

Rivera has defended his use of analytics over the years. New owner Josh Harris is known for his reliance on analytics as owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils.

What does Scot McCloughan think of the Commanders 2023 draft class?

McCloughan is a fan of Sam Howell and loved Washington’s 2023 draft. Had Forbes over Gonzalez and is a huge Chris Rodriguez Jr. fan.

Former Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan provided his opinion Monday regarding the Commanders’ 2023 draft.

McCloughan runs a scouting service and is a resource for NFL teams. He still, to some degree, follows Washington, saying he pulls for them and still sees the NFC East as a fun, competitive division.

A guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast” Monday, McCloughan expressed he really liked Sam Howell in last year’s draft, though Howell lasted until the 5th round. He “proved he would compete and would not back down (in his last year at North Carolina), and I think that shows what you want in a franchise quarterback,” declared McCloughan.

Galdi then inquired of McCloughan’s analysis of each of the Commanders’ draft picks in April’s draft.

Joe Theismann recalls Washington Super Bowl win 40 years ago Monday

Joe Theismann remembers Washington’s first Super Bowl win 40 years to the day.

40 years ago, Monday, Jan. 30, 1983, the Washington Redskins won their first Super Bowl Championship, defeating the Miami Dolphins 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

This week Commanders Wire will take several looks at that first Washington Super Bowl Championship victory.

Joe Theismann appeared this morning as a guest on the Al Galdi Podcast. Here are some of Theismann’s memories regarding SB XVII.

AG: “Do you ever get tired of talking about Super Bowl XVII? Or not really?

JT: “Oh, heavens, no!”

“That was such an incredible experience for us as a city, for us as a football team and for me personally. As kids growing up you dream about the opportunity to play in a Super Bowl.”

“To be a part of that football team and a part of that team in that era, it was an incredible run for us as a football team (Theismann played for Joe Gibbs 1981-85). To have the chance to be the quarterback for that football team was a fun ride.”

“I described ourselves as a bunch of characters with character. Tremendous different personalities, but when it came time to play, everybody absolutely did everything they could for one another.”

Galdi played the audio from NFL Films of Theismann talking with the team prior to kickoff.

“We’ve worked harder than anybody to get here. Nobody can beat us. And it’s worth 70,000 dollars and a big ring!”

Regarding the fourth quarter, 4th & 1 John Riggins 43-yard touchdown run:

“I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 4th and 1, it was 70 Chip.”

“Clint Didier started in motion, stopped and came back. As I handed the ball to John, I had the best seat in the house. I hand the ball to John, the hole opens up, I said, ‘we got the first down’ and Don McNeal hits him. It looked like butter just falling off of a hot knife. McNeal just sort of slid down his side, and then J.R. took off.”

“I saw Clint Didier running down the field, and I was running down the field yelling at Clint, ‘Don’t clip anybody! Don’t clip anybody!’ J.R. gets in the end zone and it is an unbelievable play.”

I have included the play with the call from the legendary Frank Herzog on the Redskins Radio broadcast.

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How were Commanders so convinced about Carson Wentz?

One former NFL executive asks what more did Washington need to see before trading for Carson Wentz?

How is it the Commanders were so convinced that Carson Wentz was worth the trade with the Colts last March?

Joe Banner of The 33rd Team and former Eagles president and Browns Chief Officer was asked about the Wentz trade Wednesday by Al Galdi on the “Al Galdi Podcast.”

Galdi inquired, “Am I correct in assuming you are not stunned that the Commanders’ trade for Carson Wentz did not work out?”

“At some point, you just have to believe what all the information is telling you. I just don’t know how in this particular situation (pauses). ”

“I mean, listen, let’s be honest. The Eagles are a smart team. They have done very well for a long time. They have had some ups and downs, but they have done well for a very long time.”

“They decided they would rather take a $35 million cap hit than even have him (Wentz) on their team. Now, this is a smart team that knows him very well. And by the way, they replaced him with somebody that was a total projection. It is not like the situation in Chicago, where if the Bears decide to replace (Justin) Fields, they would do it with the first selection in the entire draft.”

“The Eagles replaced Wentz with someone who maybe could be a good starter. He was a backup, and it at least made some sense. It seems he proved to exceed where he was drafted.”

“Then Wentz went to Indianapolis. For me, Chris Ballard is one of the top three to five smartest general managers in the business. So he had decided he was willing to take a $28 million cap hit than to have Carson on his team.”

“So, I don’t know what else you need. Hey, if you are not convinced by those two people who are smart, if you need any more information, just turn on the tape. The tape tells you very clearly why they (Eagles and Colts) came to that conclusion.”

“That is what I think happened with Wentz. All of the evidence was there, but for some reason, they (Commanders) looked at it and decided Path A made sense when the rest of us could see Path B is what really made sense.”

The Commanders gave up their overall 42nd pick, the 73rd pick in the 2022 draft and a conditional third-rounder (2023). The Commanders also agreed to pay all of Wentz’s 2022 season salary of $28 million.

In exchange, the Commanders received Wentz, the 47th overall and 240 overall choice. Those two choices became Phidarian Mathis and Christian Holmes, respectively.

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Why does Taylor Heinicke not run the read-option more?

Should the Commanders use more zone-read for Taylor Heinicke?

Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota exhibited last Sunday that the read-option can be an effective tool in an NFL offense.

Al Galdi declared to Logan Paulsen Wednesday, “Taylor Heinicke’s greatest physical attribute is his mobility. I have been so wanting the Commanders to better exploit Taylor’s mobility. Why don’t we see more read-option with Taylor? Why don’t we see him presented as a run threat more often?”

“I really don’t have a good answer for that”, replied Paulsen. “That’s something I have been calling for the last two seasons.”

“I think it does elevate what you do. My only thought about it is maybe he doesn’t feel comfortable with it.”

“They ran a little more zone-read against Minnesota for example. There are times he does not make the right read necessarily. The play is not as effective if you can’t read it effectively, right?”

“Mariota has a lot of reps in the tank in terms of running that play. You’re not getting that same level of proficiency from Taylor. So maybe it is, ‘We are good at these things. Let’s put more time and resources into being really good at these things. We don’t have time or energy to develop this other thing.”

“Though it could enhance their offense, I think people need to understand, in season you are on a truncated schedule. It’s hard to put new stuff in. So, that would be my only thought. I don’t have any inside information on that. I’m just kinda looking for an answer there.”

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Does Ron Rivera need to ride out the season with Taylor Heinicke?

Should the Commanders roll with Heinicke for the remainder of the season?

The Commanders have won six of seven, becoming a run-oriented team.

There are good things Taylor Heinicke contributes to this team, and yet it is also true the passing offense at times is very average.

Logan Paulsen was asked by Al Galdi Wednesday, “Should Ron Rivera be open about going back to Carson Wentz this season if the passing offense continues to underwhelm? Or does Ron need to ride out the season with Taylor?”

“I think that is an excellent question, replied Paulsen. “I think what it really comes down to is I look at what Taylor does. Obviously, he is not going to have gaudy numbers. He is not going to throw for 300 yards. This team is a run-first team and rightfully so.”

“Taylor is able to elevate the offensive line. He knows where the football should go. What he brings, that is not the sexiest stuff, but it is elevating the offense.”

“Should Ron be thinking about going back to Wentz? Yes, I think at some point. Obviously now you want to ride the hot hand. Taylor is doing a lot of really nice things that is elevating him at the position and elevating the offense. ”

“But I mean you invested a lot of money, and a lot of draft capital in determining Carson was your guy moving forward. I want to know with a really high degree of certainty that this is not the move. Because I need to know if we need to be thinking about trading up in the draft this year. Do we need to make another move for another big free agent this offseason?”

“Those are data points I want to have answered as soon as I possibly can. You don’t get that if he (Carson) is not playing.”

“Carson was not immersed in the scheme for a long period of time. He only played six games. I don’t think we really got a good feel for his level of understanding this offense.”

“I do think this is a data point I want outlined and answered as soon as possible. But I don’t think he should start over Taylor in the foreseeable future, because of those little things Taylor is doing at a really high level.”

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