Tag: The Sports Junkies

Potential Commanders owner Josh Harris labeled a ‘value investor’

Some interesting observations on potential new Commanders owner Josh Harris.

So you are all excited about Josh Harris repeatedly being named as the next probable owner of the Washington Commanders?

On Tuesday, one radio host was putting the skids on Harris, warning he might not be what the Commanders need in an owner after all.

Jason Bishop co-host of the Sports Junkies (106.7 The Fan), said Tuesday that “I’ve got a well-placed source, and I won’t say who; that said, ‘Josh Harris if he is the one who gets the team, is super-duper cheap’.”

“If he is the one who gets it (Commanders), he does have that reputation,” expressed Bishop.

John-Paul Flaim quickly asserted that the 76ers used to be a losing franchise, but they have really turned it around in the last few years with Harris as the owner. To which Bishop unhesitatingly countered, “Ok, that’s because their scouts and people drafting did a good job. That’s not necessarily because of the owner (Harris).”

Sportico’s sports business reporter Eben Novy-Williams, a guest on the Kevin Sheehan Show (The Team 980) gave context on Harris’ tendencies as an investor.

“Josh Harris is a notorious value investor,” expressed Williams. “He has been a runner-up in some of the biggest sports teams sales in history because he is not someone who raises his price to get an asset.”

Williams pointed to Harris being recently outbid to purchase the Mets and Broncos. “He looks at an asset and says, ‘This is what it is worth, and that is what I am going to pay for it.’ “That is not the way you buy sports teams now,” countered Williams. “The NFL is becoming much too expensive. Consequently, less and less wealthy people are even able to purchase a team.”

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Commanders DL teammates looking after John Ridgeway

Jonathan Allen enjoyed John Ridgeway’s “suplex” on Sunday. So much so that he, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat are going to help the rookie out.

Jonathan Allen is leading efforts for Commanders defensive line teammates to help out rookie defensive tackle John Ridgeway.

During Sunday’s 23-10 win in Houston, Ridgeway suddenly found himself in the odd position of Texans running back Dameon Pierce literally running into Ridgeway with his head so low and his upper torso almost parallel with the ground. Ridgeway grabbed Pierce by the waist and did a suplex on him to the

 

Ridgeway was flagged and will most likely be fined by the NFL. Fellow defensive tackle Jonathan Allen appeared on the Sports Junkies (106.7 The Fan) Tuesday explaining, “He is a rookie; you expect that from rookies. I don’t know what round he was drafted in. The 7th or 6th, I’m not sure. So me Payne (Daron) and Montez, we all agreed to take 1/4 of the fine he is going to get.

It is going to be massive. If we didn’t help him out, I think he might be playing the month of December for free. So we will take 3/4 of the fine and he is going to pay the other fourth.

He’s a young guy, he’s trying to play hard. I like it, I think that’s football. We did say the next time you are on your own. This first one, we will help you out. I don’t know what the fine is going to be.”

For the record, Ridgeway was drafted in the fifth round (178) of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Arkansas. He was released by the Cowboys and subsequently picked up by Washington.

 

Commanders’ captain Jonathan Allen: ‘Sometimes the NFL is like high school’

Jonathan Allen doesn’t hold back when sticking up for quarterback Carson Wentz.

Jonathan Allen declared “Sometimes the NFL is like a high school.”

Allen made his weekly appearance on the “Sports Junkies” show Tuesday and as usual, was direct.

When asked about the narrative that Carson Wentz is a cancer in an NFL locker room, Allen responded, “I have absolutely no idea where that comes from. Sometimes I feel like the NFL can be like a high school. There is so much drama and rumors. Things that quite frankly aren’t true.”

Don’t you just love that about Jonathan Allen?

“After he (Wentz) threw those two interceptions, quick memory, positive on the sidelines, no pouting. I think you can just see how the guys around him respond to him; that tells you everything you need to know about his character.”

When asked about Carson Wentz, Allen said it took him three years to finally beat Wentz. “So, I’ve seen firsthand what Carson can do. I have utmost faith in him.” He also humbly stated that he being a defensive tackle “cannot imagine doing their job.”

Allen said he has already talked to Phidarian Mathis and told him that in his time out, he needs to be working out, preparing to be all he can be when he returns to the team.

In being direct, anyone can talk about others, but Allen is direct to man up and point the finger at himself as well. For instance, he volunteered to the Junkies that there were plays Sunday he did not perform as he needs to and that he needs to improve and correct those tasks.

The defensive tackle spoke of a play in particular where he did not perform the call as he should have and the play resulted in what he said was “about a 25-yard Jaguars run that William Jackson had to save us on.”

Allen had to take extra defensive snaps Sunday with the injury to Mathis. And sure enough, he injured his groin late in the game. He expressed he sure wished Mathis was healthy to take the reps during upcoming games.

“My biggest rule of thumb is as long as guys are giving effort and trying their best, I will never get mad at them for what happens on the field. The only time I get mad is when a guy has a lack of effort, or he is not ready because of a lack of preparation, which is a lack of effort.”

When the Junkies started questioning some NFL coaching decisions in Week 1, Allen didn’t flinch, “There’s one thing I’ve learned in the NFL man, it’s always easy when it is not your decision.”

What would the Commanders team be like if they had 20 guys with the maturity and directness of a Jonathan Allen?

 

Commanders may not be impressed with this draft

Are the Commanders even interested in a wide receiver at No. 11 overall?

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The Sports Junkies’ Eric Bickel unveiled Thursday that he has a source informing him that the Washington Commanders front office is not high on this upcoming 2022 NFL draft.

Bickel on the morning 106.7 The Fan show said it was explained to him that usually in the first round there are 10-12 players that everyone covets as special and then there is a drop-off. Well, EB said he was told this year, that the Commanders feel there are about two elite players to trade up for in this draft.

“My understanding is they don’t love this draft,” Bickel said. “It makes sense why they went after Carson Wentz. They don’t really want to take a receiver at No. 11 either. What they want to do is trade out. Which makes sense, and if they can’t they will take the best player available.”

“If they loved any of the quarterbacks in this draft they wouldn’t have put their reputation on a guy that is sort of dicey as Carson. I think Carson could go either way. He could hit, but he could also bust.”

“They don’t really think there is great value at receiver at 11 for them. They are hoping someone falls in love with a guy at 11, moves up to get him and they can move down and pick up some other picks.”

Washington has six picks this year (Rd 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 7) and Jason Bishop was not shy, pointing out the first four picks by Ron Rivera and the staff each of the last two seasons has not been impressive with the exception Bishop made of Antonio Gibson. “I just don’t put a lot of stock into what Ron Rivera and that scouting department and the Marty’s really see in this draft. That’s just me. They didn’t do great the last two drafts.” Bishop then did correct himself saying he had forgotten about John Bates having a good rookie year.

Bickel, on occasion, has mentioned a source that provides him some insider information. It will be interesting to see if Bickel’s source was playing him, knowing it would get on the airwaves, or actually being truthful with him.

 

Robert Griffin III again fails to deliver

Robert Griffin III’s alleged “tell-all” book about his time in Washington isn’t happening after all. Hmmmm……

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Similar to his NFL career, Robert Griffin’s tell-all book has also gone south very quickly.

Griffin who had an outstanding 2012 season and then informed coaches he would no longer run the offense that fit him perfectly, quickly learned he was not the pocket passer he fancied himself to be, never again experiencing NFL success.

Only months after boldly proclaiming on November 30 he was providing NFL and Washington fans an exclusive tell-all book, it has apparently died just as quick a death.

Griffin had promised details of the medical mismanagement he had received, the sexual harassment permeating the organization’s walls and the deep power struggle between Mike Shanahan and Daniel Snyder.

Griffin in his audio promo said, “I am so excited to announce I wrote a book, and it’s coming out August 2022, entitled, “Surviving Washington.” So, Griffin was claiming to have already written the book?

Why has Griffin deleted the promotional video from Twitter? Why is the pre-order link on Simon and Schuster’s website inactive? Voluminous, terribly written books are published annually. So, why wasn’t this book published? Do you think there was a book written?

“The Sports Junkies” Eric Bickel deserves some credit on this one. While nearly everyone announcing the book was speculating how much Robert would detail, Bickel from the start was having absolutely none of it.

Raising his voice in confidence, he had proclaimed on the Sports Junkies that this book would never occur, never see the light of day.

Even more, when many Washington commentators in 2014 (print, or airwaves) were taking the safe route, wondering when Griffin would develop into an NFL quarterback, who could succeed in the pocket, it was Bickel who boldly proclaimed on the Sports Junkies that fans were clueless and did not understand that it was already over for Robert Griffin. (Actually what Bickel declared was much bolder–and more entertaining; here is the link).

Bickel is an admitted homer; a homer who has always rooted for the team and objectivity sometimes gets lost (it does for all of us). However, he has been on to Robert Griffin longer than most. Therefore, Thursday’s Sports Junkies segment announcing the cancellation of the Robert Griffin tell-all project was in essence a victory lap for Eric Bickel.

When Ryan Fitzpatrick went down in this season’s first game, there was Robert Griffin tweeting for Washington to make the call to himself, so he could come in and rescue the 2021 team. Bickel proclaimed Thursday, “I don’t think he is a bad guy, but he is the biggest attention-whore in football… I know him so well, and I’ve never met him,” expressed Bickel.

The more things change, the more things stay the same, for Robert Griffin.

Will Dan Snyder soon be forced to sell the Washington Commanders?

It’s been a tough week for Washington owner Daniel Snyder — and it could become a lot worse.

The biggest day of the NFL year — Super Bowl Sunday — wouldn’t be complete without news on Washington owner Daniel Snyder and the ongoing controversy surrounding the investigation into the team’s toxic workplace culture.

To be fair, this is old news. Early last March, the “Sports Junkies” from 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., had received information that one of the recommendations from Beth Wilkinson was for Snyder to sell the team.

Here’s what Jason Bishop of the “Junkies” said, per Audacy.com:

On Friday morning, we reported on excerpts of a report prepared by the NFL’s independent investigator into the Washington Football Team, Beth Wilkinson. We believed, based on information provided to us by our source, that the report was final and had been delivered to the NFL League Office. The League has denied receiving a final report, however, both in a general statement and in response to specific questions from us. Based on those unequivocal denials, we now believe that our source was mistaken and that the excerpts of the report that were shared with us have not yet been sent to the NFL. We do believe in the authenticity of the documents we reviewed, and that they are from the Wilkinson investigation, but we are unable to confirm that the report was a final draft or that it had been delivered to the League Office. As soon as we are able to report anything further on this, we will let you know – both as to what occurred in our Friday report and regarding the Wilkinson investigation generally.

The statement above was from Bishop after the “Junkies” original statement just days before, where they had received information that the NFL should “force the owner to divest his ownership of the team.”

Another option, per the “Junkies” at the time, was “suspend the owner for a significant period to allow the club time to repair its infrastructure and culture.”

As we know, the organization would receive a fine — not Snyder personally — and he would step away from day-to-day operations for a time, leading his wife and co-owner, Tanya Snyder, to assume a more significant role.

But many questioned, was that really punishment?

Back to “The Junkies” report from last March. At the time, many didn’t take the information seriously, perhaps because the “Junkies” were not actual reporters. But, the popular longtime radio show hosts have broken several stories over the years.

Now, that report has received newfound attention. Here’s what Ben Standig of The Athletic tweeted Sunday.

The perpetually unhappy Mike Florio has also discussed that previous report this week, noting that if the NFL brings Wilkinson back in for their investigation into the latest claims by former team employee Tiffani Johnston, it could spell bad news for Snyder.

Washington fans have clamored for Snyder to sell the team for years, but most felt hopeless. Fans walked away, quit watching on television and stopped going to games.

While there is still a long way to go before something like this happens, the smoke seems real. Are the other 31 NFL owners prepared for what Snyder may reveal if they collectively force him out?

 

Ron Rivera reminds everyone he has the right to change his mind

Ron Rivera joined “The Junkies” for his scheduled weekly appearance. He discussed several topics and insisted his team did not quit.

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Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera appeared Tuesday for his weekly appearance on the “Sports Junkies” (106.7 The Fan). Hosting Tuesday were John-Paul Flaim and John “Cakes”Auville.

Here are the questions asked by Flaim and Auville:

“What did you get your wife for Christmas?”

“What did you see from Taylor (Heinicke) on the field, Sunday?”

“What were the coaches’ thoughts throwing at Trevon Diggs on the first play who leads the NFL in interceptions?”

“Why is Terry McLaurin is not being targeted as much as earlier in the season?”

“Will we see more of Dyami Brown the final two weeks?”

“How are Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne coexisting at this point after the sideline skirmish Sunday night?”

Rivera was quick to insist his team did not quit Sunday and that he intentionally tries not to “lose my mind” because the players feed off of him and “need to try to keep their heads and wits about them”.

Regarding the defense, “What has been happening that you haven’t been able to stop the run?”

“Why were there times players were late coming onto the field?”

“How do you go about stopping Jalen Hurts?”

“Can you explain how it is that Heinicke and Allen are both going to play?”

“What is the latest injury update on Antonio Gibson?”

For how Rivera responded to all the questions, here is the link to their conversation.