#1 Rush Defense

0:00You don't want it, you don't need it, but you're gonna get it anyway. The Kevin Shien Show, he is Kevin. One guest on today's show, Ben Standing, will be with me. The show's presenting sponsor is always window-nation if you need new windows. I highly recommend reaching out to window-nation. You can call them at 8669BN, you can also go to window-nation.com. Please mention my name if you decide to reach out. So I'm recording today's show, roughly 48 hours since the completion of the biggest win since the playoff win in Detroit following the 2024 season. Nothing that happened last year comes close to what we saw on Sunday. So we can continue to talk about Sunday for at least another day. We'll do it tomorrow as well with Steve Souter. We'll have his film breakdown. We can bathe in the aftermath a little while longer.

1:04Appreciate what we saw on Sunday beating the defending champs as 8.5 point underdogs in the home open or nobody gave Washington a chance to win that game. I saw this ESPN research put this out earlier today. Washington became the fourth team already this season to win outright as 8.5 point underdogs. Exactly 8.5 point underdogs. The Cardinals did it in week one against the chargers. The Saints did it last week in week two in Baltimore as did the Browns last week in Tampa. So Washington became the fourth team already this year to win outright as 8.5 point underdogs. And ESPN research said it was the most over the first three weeks of the season since 5 teams did it in 1978.

2:06In 1978 there were 5 teams that were 8.5 point underdogs or larger that won outright. We haven't seen what we just saw over the first three weeks in the NFL since 78. By the way, in 1978 it would seem the NFL was just as unpredictable back then. But something about the year sparked something for me because I do remember that season very well. It was the first 16 game schedule. The NFL had been a 14 game regular season schedule through 77 and then 78 they expanded the regular season through 16 games. And they opened up the season at the earliest point they had ever opened up a season. Week one was Labor Day weekend, 1978. And I was pretty sure and I had to go to pro football reference to look this up.

3:07But I was pretty sure that Washington was more likely than not one of those five teams that pulled out an outright win as a big underdog. They opened up that season in Foxboro against the Patriots. It was Jack Partys first game as the team's head coach. He had replaced George Allen and they went to Foxboro and they beat the Patriots 16 to 14. I pulled up the box score which includes start time of the game. It was a 1 o'clock game. The weather for the game. It was sunny and hot and the points for the game as well. They were nine and a half point underdogs. So yes, Washington was one of those five teams in 1978 that won outright as eight and a half point or larger underdogs over the first three weeks of that season. That was an interesting season for the skins. They opened up that season six and O and that went over the Patriots was a big upset.

4:10The Patriots were good in the mid to late seventies and they didn't get to super bowls during that time. But they were always loaded talent wise. John Hannah, Steve Grogan, Russ Francis. They had very, very good players. Chuck Fairbanks coached those teams. But they kind of came up short in the postseason. There was one very controversial playoff loss against the Raiders in Oakland. Then finally, they made the Super Bowl with not the same team. But in 85, they made the Super Bowl and got thumped by the 85 Bears. That was their first Super Bowl appearance. Of course, fast forward a decade and a half later from the thumping by the Bears in 85 to the beginning of a dynasty, two dynasties really under Belichick and Brady. But yeah, Washington in 78 started the season six and O and went eight and eight. They lost eight of their final ten games and missed the postseason.

5:16That was the precursor though to a 79 season, which was a great regular season that ended tragically with a loss to the Cowboys in the final game of the 79 season. I've mentioned that game many times. I think that is for me, the most devastating skins loss of my lifetime. It was literally a situation where in about a ten minute period as fans, we went from big win NFC East champs number one seed home field advantage in the playoffs to completely out of the playoffs this season's over. It was just unbelievable how that game ended and how that season ended. But anyway, yeah, eight and a half point underdogs on Sunday, big win for Washington. By the way, did you know about Sunday that it was the first time that the NFL has had

6:17on one Sunday, 12 games end up as one score games? This league is pretty close. All right, did you read this quote or hear this quote from DeMarcus Lawrence about Marcus Mariotta's read option pull to ice the game on that third and seventh at the end of the game. DeMarcus Lawrence was asked if the play fooled him. If he expected more of that kind of play from Mariotta during the game and he said, yeah, Mariotta is a big RPO quarterback. That wasn't an RPO. Even players don't know the difference sometimes. I hear coaches sometimes talk about it. An RPO is a run pass option. That's not what Marcus Mariotta ran. He ran a zone read or a read option. You can call it either one, which is either a give to the back or a pull and a run by himself. There was no pass option on that play.

7:17But anyway, DeMarcus Lawrence said, yeah, Mariotta is a big RPO quarterback. This game, we didn't see it until the final play of the game. So like I said, shout out to Washington. They came to play any given Sunday, shout out to the commanders. We got our first loss in a while. Yeah, it was their first loss since last November. They had won 12 games in a row. So I went back and I'm going to let Souter handle the expert part of the film breakdown. But I watched some of the key plays on the All 22. And look, that third and seven read option pulled by Mariotta was one of two huge, massive third down conversions on the final drive. If you don't get both of them, you probably lose the game 34 to 33 more in that moment. That last drive after they took over with two minutes and 51 seconds left in the game,

8:21needing really to run out the clock. Eight plays, although really to be exact, it was six real plays because there were two kneel downs by Mariotta in the final seconds of the game. To drive eight up the final two minutes and 51 seconds of the game. And the two third down conversions went this way. The third and nine, the first one, the Rashad White 19 yard run. Mariotta checks at the line of scrimmage. Now, did he check from a pass to a run or did he just flip the run from one side to another? I'm not sure. Maybe Souter will let us in on that. But I thought there were a couple of interesting things about that first, third down conversion. First of all, Washington put four wide receivers on the field. No tight ends, just one running back Rashad White. Deami Brown's Stefan Diggs and Antonio Williams were split out to the left. And Terry McClaurne was split out to the right, four wide receivers on the field.

9:22Seattle was showing seven men and really a zero cover blitz pre-snap. There are seven guys lined up on the line of scrimmage. And Mariotta checks. And when he moves back, he moves Rashad White from his right side to his left side. After, by the way, Mariotta checks, you see Lucas Patrick and Nick Allegretti communicating with the lineman at the line of scrimmage and what they were communicating was they were going to basically shift right. They knew the run was going right. So the whole line shifted right after the snap. By the way, a key block on the play was Allegretti's block on the edge, Drake Thomas. He jumps out from the guard position, Connerley Jr picks up to Marcus Lawrence. And Allegretti does a nice job making room and ceiling kind of the edge, Drake Thomas. Now he does reach out at the last second. Good thing he didn't grab them because it could have been called back, but it was not a

10:25hold. White gets the ball. And even with Leonard Williams getting into the backfield fairly quickly, it was too late. Rashad whites off to the races 19 yards, moves the chains, stays in bounds, forcing Seattle to call its first time out, a brilliant, brilliant play and a great check by the quarterback, Mariotta. And then the play that to Marcus Lawrence commented on, the final third down conversion, the second on that final drive, a minute 36 left in the game. Seattle had just called its last time out. It's third and seven. And here comes a great call by Blau. It is a true read option or zone read, however you want to describe it, not an RPO. So it was not a run pass option. And he pulls it. He reads to Marcus Lawrence. The Marcus Lawrence was the edge, the defensive end. And on a true read option, typically you let that D end free and you read the D end or

11:30the outside linebacker. If he crashes, you pull it. If he doesn't, you give it. Now I have a feeling Marcus Mariotta knew that he was going to crash. And if he didn't crash, maybe he would have kept it anyway because it gave more likely than not was not going to get nine yards. You had to get Mariotta to the edge. So it may have been one of those, look, you're reading the edge. You're reading the D end to Marcus Lawrence. But you got to beat him. You got to pull this thing and beat him because the only way we're getting nine yards in a first down is if you pull it and run it, which he did. It was a tremendous call, tremendous play by Mariotta. He is excellent in the read option game. He's always been excellent in that style of play. It's what he did well at Oregon. He did it in Tennessee. He did it in Atlanta a little bit with Arthur Smith. And he's done it here in Washington. He's just excellent. I've said for two years plus running, I think he's a better zone read read option quarterback

12:34than Jaden. I think Jaden's excellent. But I think Mariotta is a better ball handler, a better reader of when to pull it, when to give it. And he's an excellent runner in that space. So is Jaden, of course. Those two plays, man, they were the difference between how we're feeling now and what could have been if either one of those plays was stopped. Because I know I mentioned this yesterday and maybe even in my post game on Sunday night. We were so close to having an unmitigated disaster for Dan Quinn in particular had those two conversions not converted. If either one of them gets stopped, Seattle's getting the ball back down 33 to 31 with a chance to get into range, kick a field goal and win the game 34 to 33. Now there's a lot that could happen.

13:35They could have stopped them. The field goal could have been missed. They could have kicked the field goal, but Washington could have used their timeouts and gotten the ball back. Who knows, but really, really close to losing the game outright and regulation because of the unsportsman like penalty call on Frankie Lovu, who went out on the field and taunted Seattle and digs is the guy bringing them back, holding them back. But he absolutely reasonably justifiably got flagged for it. If they lose that game 34 to 33, the conversation right now is about how Dan Quinn's team is completely undisciplined and their own three and they blew it against Philadelphia when Stefan Diggs got flagged for hugging the goal post. They blew it when they let a player who wasn't even in the game run out onto the field and get a 15 yard penalty causing the PAT to be a 48 yarder and it ended up being an

14:37accurate kick. So it wasn't 34 to 31 where you would have been tied by a field goal and gone to overtime. Think about the difference between where we are today at one and two off of one of the stunning results of the early NFL season with thoughts of getting to three and two. Hey, we got Indy, we got the giants. It's Daniel Jones and James Winston or Jay Jay McCarthy. We can get to three and two through five games and you know that the news on Friday, Jayden's going to come back, you know, maybe this week, maybe next week who knows. By the way, be careful about expecting them to beat Indy on Sunday. They're an underdog or beating the giants the following week because they'll probably be an underdog in that game too. They might be, especially if they lose to Indy, you know, nothing should be expected for any of these Sundays of matchups in the NFL unless, you know, it's Miami playing Buffalo.

15:39But yeah, I mean, wow, the incredible fine line of the NFL, that was very, very close to being and I don't think they're undisciplined. I don't think it's a bad culture. I think it's a very good culture. I think it was a major contributing factor to the win is the culture. But the conversation, the narrative would have been this team is undisciplined and the lack of discipline just cost them a win over the defending champs or at least a chance to win. But guess what? They converted to third downs and they iced the clock and Seattle never touched the ball again and Washington moves on to London. I saw this after three weeks. One of my favorite, you know, advanced numbers, advanced services when it comes to the NFL to monitor, because I think DVOA is really the best advanced statistical compilation

16:47that there is. Washington after three weeks is the number one rush defense per DVOA in the league. Number one, rush defense. Look, they've been outstanding against the run. They're actually third in the traditional yards allowed number. Minnesota, by the way, is the number one overall defense per DVOA and it's one of the best numbers through three weeks for a defensive performance DVOA's ever measured. The Vikings are nasty defensively and so well coached and we're hoping to get some of that from Doronte Jones. By the way, the past defense 28 number one rush defense number 28 pass defense and they're overall defensive, DVOA is 23rd in the league. They're 20th offensively in DVOA 23rd defensively in DVOA, but number one rush defense per DVOA

17:58in the league. It's been a long time since we can say that. I'll say what I said about their rush defense again because I said it on yesterday's show and I probably said it in the post game as well. I would just take some caution. I do think it looks to be better. I think they've got better players. I think Ken Law is really important. I think always very important. He's an outstanding so far, run-stopping defensive end. I think they've got players in the box like Nick Cross in the opener and first before he got hurt and Dallas probably not going to play again this week. That news by the way on him and Cosme probably will come after the recording of this podcast and after my conversation with Ben. I think that what is true about the first three games is against Philadelphia.

19:00They were really good against the run with the exception of one run. Philadelphia stuck with the run in that game. They had 25 rushes in the game. Now a couple of those were scrambles by Hertz. Couple of them were part of the run game runs for Hertz. Sequan Barkley was 15 of 18, 15 for 83, but he had a 42 yard run. He would have been less than three yards per carry without that. Now it counts. It counts. The next two games to be fair, Dallas and Seattle weren't even interested in trying to run. Dac attempted 31 passes and completed 26. It was pitch and catch, easy against Washington. Javante Williams only had 12 carries in the game. They didn't really try to run the football. Now Javante Williams only had 30 yards. They did a good job against them two and a half yards per carry, but they didn't stick

20:00with the run. They didn't feel like they had to establish the run because it was so easy to throw the football and the same thing for Seattle. 17 rushes by running backs for 39 yards. Not good, really good job by the defense, but they threw it 46 times and completed 32 of them for 393 yards. If you count the Jackson Smith and Jigba throw, Darnel was 31 of 45 for 379 and four touchdowns. So you've had back to back opponents in Dallas and Seattle that have not tried to establish the run or stick with the run to see if they could eventually wear Washington down and break something. Now I still think the I test says they're much better against the run, but are they the number one rush defense in the NFL? I bet you that doesn't hold up. But are they improved? I think so. You know, they've got better players. They seem to be better coached.

21:01But we'll see because the test Sunday is a different one, right? Jonathan Taylor is the, you know, along with Barkley, best back that they have faced, a team that wants to run the football. And by the way, we'll run the football with the quarterback involved as well. So you know, Daniel Jones is going to, you know, be a part of the running game more likely than not. Maybe not as much early in the season because, you know, coming off the injury of last year, but obviously, Daniel Jones in every system he's been in has been a part of the running game and a good zone read read option, QB. But Jonathan Taylor, you know, he's legit and they're going to try to run the football. They'll test Washington's rush defense and we'll see how it holds up against that team. Taylor in the win over Houston was 23 for 68. In the overtime loss to Kansas City was 24 for 92, two touchdowns and in the opener against

22:03Baltimore, he rushed for 98 yards. He's got 258 rushing yards through three games in his averaging basically four yards per carry and has four touchdowns. He's one of the best in the league as I know all of you know. So we'll see what it looks like. I can already tell you that on Friday, one of the top three keys to a win over Indianapolis is to stop the run and don't give Daniel Jones the opportunity with receivers that aren't anywhere near as good as the receivers Washington's matched up with the last two weeks. Don't give, you know, in the five, six yards of carry making, you know, second and three, second fours really easy play action, pitch and catch opportunities for Josh Downs and some of their other receivers. I don't think Gallic Pierce is going to play. I don't think he will. But yeah, all right.

23:04I think that's it here. What else did I have on my list? Last night's Monday night game. I mean, Philly clearly is not, you know, in sync offensively yet with Sean Mannion's, you know, new system that he's brought. I thought that, you know, Jalen Hertz looked so uncomfortable last night. And I also thought the end of the first half was so interesting. If you were watching this game, it was 10 to nothing bears. And Case Keenum had himself one of his best nights, just an incredible night in, you know, he was the third string quarterback. No Caleb Williams, no Tyson Badgent, Case Keenum goes in, throws for 247 and two touchdowns. He was outstanding in the game. Philly's defense last night was not great. But at the end of the first half trailing 10 to nothing, Philadelphia had no time outs left. And they ran a bubble screen from the 10 yard line, a bubble screen with no time outs left.

24:07And by the way, the snap took place with, I think, 18 seconds to go. So you're really, really running a play that could potentially end the half if it doesn't score. And it didn't. So they're hurrying up to the line of scrimmage. The ball is at the one yard line because Devonte Smith on the bubble screen got down to the one yard line. It was like an eight or nine yard pickup. And if he spikes it the half's over, the clock goes to zero's. They get the snap off just before the clock gets to zero's. And Jalen Hertz, Tush pushed his way into the end zone for a touchdown on the final play of the half on a second goal from the one. You had an opportunity before that bubble screen, first in goal, the Chicago nine to throw the ball into the end zone once or twice. A bubble screen is a real risky play because if it doesn't score, you may not get another snap off.

25:08You may not be able to spike it. You may have to run a play as the clocks winding down. They did. They got it off. It was a touchdown. But man, they got blown out in the second half. Really two and one tied for first in the NFC East with the giants at two and one Washington and Dallas, both at one and two. Philly's got the Rams coming to town on Sunday. We know that we go to London to face Indy. The giants have the Cardinals in town. So there's a chance they could get to three and one, although I would not be surprised at the Cardinals when that game. And Dallas plays Houston on the road. The Texans are O and three. They have started poorly a couple of times here in recent years and made the playoffs. But O and four would be a disaster. It is must win time for Houston after they lost to Indy on Sunday. Ben standing next after these words from a few of our sponsors.

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31:24Jaden Daniels is making the trip. He's scheduled to practice when they get to London. What do you think this means with respect to the possibility that he ends up playing on Sunday? Yeah, I just would be still very, very surprised. Obviously, again, none of us know what exactly the medical shows or how severe this dislocation is compared to what happened the year ago and all those things. But a year ago, he needed a month or they kept them out of month before he came back. He now, I subsequently heard it again. Now that he's done other dislocations, it would seem super odd to me that you would therefore come back sooner and much, much sooner if he came back this week. It's probably even next week, which is still pretty quick. So I would not expect him to play would be my read. So therefore, the wise going, leave it up to the doctors who tell me it could call the inflammation by flying. I don't know. But he gets to be around the team.

32:25At some point, he is coming back. If it's going to be the giant's perhaps or whatever. He's at least in the mix around the guys if they think he can be on the practice field and help out a little bit. Is there subterfuge with the colts? You know, I don't know what that really means. But this is a league where the coach is still holding the sandwich boards in front of their faces because they think people are spying or we just have Mike McDonald talk about how Sean Payne accused them of stealing plays from training camp videos. So these guys are all paranoid. It's very possible. I think this is some way to sort of fake out the colts a little bit or give the colts something to think about. But I would just be surprised if he's actually going to play this week. I mean, everything's in play because none of us are doctors and none of us have actually dealt with the information that is available to just them from all of the different medical consultants and specialists that he saw. But you know, one possibility exists and that is that the injury was just an injury in

33:29which the elbow popped out of the socket. They popped it back in. It wasn't a traumatic injury like the Seattle game. There wasn't a lot really to it other than he's got a susceptible elbow to dislocation because he's now done it a couple of times and that actually it's totally fine and he's ready to play and the risk of him playing this week isn't any different than the risk of him playing, you know, on November 1st after the by week against Philadelphia. I'm just saying that is that's a possibility, right? I mean, it could be and if it is, I think he should play if he's cleared medically to play. Yeah, I mean, look, anything is possible. But here's another thought and I'm not saying this means that God has spoken, but I just watched Adam Schesfer, a club of him from his podcast and clearly obviously Schesfer

34:29seems to know more than the average bear about what goes on and he was talking about this and he was saying he doesn't think Daniel will play this week so be it. But he then also said as, you know, I think has been the bigger question as he thinks that James Daniel is going to need surgery when it all says and done. Now I don't think Schesfer is not saying these things like he's playing Twitter doctor. I think he's saying that because he's aware of what's available out there. So, you know, if he's going to need surgery at some point, I don't know. It's like I mean it's like what, what I don't know that you're like automatically just sort of like throwing him back out there. I mean, I'm not thinking you got surgery today or tomorrow, but I guess my larger point of an Adam Peters and Dan Quinn and he's like, talk about that. They said they hadn't even discussed surgery, but now here's Adam Schepfer saying he's going to need surgery. It may have meant that they didn't discuss surgery now. I mean, I've thought all along, I sang all along over the last seven days, six days, whatever, that it was possible that, you know, even if he came back and played that he

35:34could end up having surgery, no one has suggested that surgery wouldn't help. The issue is whether or not playing adds further risk to, you know, the surgery, the surgery recover, the long-term prognosis post surgery. Yeah, I mean, I get my point is that whatever they are saying to us sounds like an answer, but it really isn't. They're leaving a lot of space open. Like, you don't have to double check, but I'm pretty sure Peter and or Quinn said something to the fact that we haven't even discussed. You know, surgery hasn't even come up yet. And again, maybe that's for the moment, but it's such a silly, sort of a disfacillianter from their perspective, like the idea, like just like when we talk the other day about the idea of them bringing in a veteran, you don't want to cool that you haven't discussed it. If Stan Quinn said, come on, that's obviously can't be possibly accurate. So I was all thinking like whatever they're telling it, I don't completely buy, which is

36:37fine. They got to do what they got to do. But based on all that, based on what happened last year, I would just, I just just just don't feel like there's enough for me to say he's playing this week. It would just be very odd. On top of the fact, again, because I just don't know about Marcus Marriota per se, but because they won this game, you and I talked about this the other day, they kind of have given them a little bit of a reprieve here in terms of how the season is, that instead of being o and free and looking like the season's borderline over, even if it's not mathematically two. Oh, they're one and two. The rest of the division is not looking sharp. I just all of a sudden feel like 2020, Ron Rivera saying we're going to win the division and we're all like, whatever it is. And then the other thing that rally, I mean, things have changed so much in one week. I just don't know why you'd force him back. Again, if the doctor is saying, no, nothing is all fine, go play. All right, make that call. I would just be again, based on what we know from last year, it doesn't seem like that would be the logical course of action. If you were in that building and had a voice in the decision and the doctor's basically

37:40said to you, it looks great. He's medically clear to play NFL football and there's no benefit to him playing next week or even two weeks from now that he doesn't have right now. It's the same. What would you recommend? I mean, you know, ladies, so this is sort of the rub, right? When Dan Quinn typically are all these coaches, they typically say, well, whatever the training staff says, the medical staff will go with that because that's always a good out, right? If something doesn't work now, but if it goes the other way, they're like, well, he can go do it now. All right, are you buying that? I mean, obviously, you know, you have to know is this doctor, a typically somebody who's overly conservative or overly aggressive with their course of action, you know, things like that. If at the end of the day, everybody says he can do it and all, I mean, it would be hard, I guess, to say no, but at the same point, you know, there is more than just the idea of the physical damage. There is the emotional damage that every time that kid goes down that for everybody, including himself, I would imagine, this got to, you know, take a bit of a bit out of

38:41you because they're all here. We go again. So, you know, I just don't know why I would rush it. But again, I guess you're saying in that hypothetical that they're saying it's not a rush, then, you know, look, I might have said no. I think all of us have talked to multiple orthopedic surgeons, surgeons over the last week. And I think the one thing that seems to be agreed upon is that now that it's happened twice, he's more susceptible to it happening again. So they're going to enter this situation of him returning to play, knowing that it might happen again. And that's why, by the way, surgery is a possibility and probably a likelihood when the season is over. But in season, when the risk is just another dislocation, which can be corrected with surgery, maybe after the next one or at the end of the season versus there's also a chance it won't happen. And it doesn't really impact his play, let him play. I just, for me, there's going to be angst when he comes back, whether it's Sunday and

39:46London or after the by week against Philadelphia. And there's going to be second guessing until the cows come home if he injures his elbow again. Or if there's another kind of injury that people somehow attribute to the dislocated elbow and he was playing differently because of it, whatever. All of that's going to be in play. But I personally think that if the doctor is clear and they say, look, there's no real benefit to him waiting another week or two. I'm playing him because to be honest with you, Ben, and I talked about this in the open, I don't want him coming back to three, four weeks down the road when then we've got to deal with the rust factor as well because he hasn't played football in a while. That's what the Minnesota game felt like last year in many ways. So that's also why I feel like maybe he is going on the road to a degree of like, I just going to practice isn't the same thing. And I don't remember the exact deal last year in terms of the practicing, but keeping

40:47him involved as much as possible while letting him heal up because if he stays here and they go there, you know, he can throw it to some random staffer, but he can't throw it to, you know, Perry McCorn or even the Luke McAfrey, right? So I think there is value in him being around the team if they're saying the travel is not an issue and all that. So I'm with you and all that. And I just like I said, for me, I just, I'm going to be more conservative than in terms of like you would be. And I would just be cautious. And again, you have to tell me what's the difference between this year and last year when it comes to the medical what we're asking, putting this the other day. He says, you don't really know. He's just going off of what the doctors are saying. Yeah, I know. I listen to the whole thing. There's not much that he says about it. And I think he's probably pretty smart not to get into details, but it seems to me that one possible answer as to the difference between last year and this year is the trauma involved in the actual injury event itself.

41:48It was much different what happened in the Seattle game than what happened in the Dallas game. I had one orthopedic surgeon really identified the differences between the two and the results coming off of the one in Dallas versus the one in Seattle. They could be completely different injuries and recovery timelines. So we'll see. Yeah. And look, if Marcus Mario to had played not well and they had lost, it still shouldn't change the reliance on the medical. But there is, I'm sure it's hard for there not to be at least the feeling that, okay, we got that win and he was a big part of it. He's played some good football for us when he's had to. And this opponent is maybe the least daunting of the three that we've already played even though they are an underdog. So let's just let him handle it.

42:48And by the way, if that's the thought, why even bring Jaden? But you've already answered that to a certain degree. But all right, are we? I'm kind of all Jaden out at this point. If he plays, I'm going to assume that there was absolutely no benefit to waiting. If he doesn't, then I'm going to assume that there was some benefit to waiting. And I'm going to be excited because Marcus Mario is capable of playing well. He's also capable of playing not well. And let's hope we don't get that one Sunday. By the way, for those that didn't hear you on radio with me yesterday, just give everybody your top two or three big takeaways from the game on Sunday. Well, yeah. I mean, you know, the week come up with all the reasons you talk that you have guys come on, film people, insiders, former players, whatever, same thing with me. If you try to explain what's working, what's not working, how to fix it. Sometimes it just comes down to who wants it more.

43:51And I'm not saying that the commanders have not been playing hard. I think that's one of the big positives of the game, Coinera, is that these guys seem to stay in it no matter what. It's the biggest and always, it's the execution is not always there. This to me just felt like from the moment the game started that these guys just had more energy, more oomph to them than Ben Seattle, obviously some of the breaks went their way. And notably in three turnovers, they get credit for that too, but three turnovers without having one on their own end. They turn those turnovers into points. Obviously, came Adrono, the most emphatic with his touchdown. So, you know, they play Seattle ten times. I don't know that they win more than twice, but they did it on this day. Things went pretty well. I think the offensive line, despite not having Sam Cosme, despite making it change in the middle, you know, largely held up. I think fairly well, you know, I was just noting a market scenario. They won two games last year when he started.

44:51Both games had Terry McCorn in them and the McCorn got hurt in the first game. That's the other part is like the supporting half around Marriota is just much better than it was a year ago when he, you know, when McCorn goes out and that's such a big difference. Marriota can help you win games. He's just not going to carry you to wins, but with the pieces around him, he can be very effective. And I think that's something to keep in mind. That's also just different. I know for Jane Daniel, Jane can has a higher ceiling, of course, but he's also got better pieces around him, for sure. I would also point out that maybe the game in which he played the best and they lost, and that was to Denver in overtime on Sunday night football in late November, Terry had a big game, if I recall, in that one too. Yeah, good point on the games in which Marriota has played well. All right. I want to take a quick break. Ben's going to stick around when we come back.

45:52I want to get into Austin Ecclers return and some of the other injuries and how that'll play out on Sunday. We'll do that after these words from a few of our sponsors. Isn't it nice that football's finally back in price picks knows it. They brought out their best offer yet. New users who sign up will get $150 in lineups. If you win your first $5 lineup, that's right. If you win your first $5 lineup, you'll get $150 in lineups. Price picks has been and is my go to daily fantasy sports app. It's the most entertaining way to watch a game, especially those games in standalone prime time when you may not have an interest one way or the other. Well, price picks gives you an opportunity to have some interest. It's very easy to use. You simply pick between two and six players and their projected stats, either going more

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50:02having life insurance for their spouse and children. Think about life insurance if you don't have it and let me make it easy for you. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and simple. It's 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, supply in minutes and get same day coverage. There's no medical exam. You just answer a few simple health questions. You can get up to $3 million in coverage and some policies are as low as $30 a month and you'll get your lowest rate from their network of trusted carriers. Take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance through ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash Sheen. That's ethos.com slash Sheen. Application times may vary, rates may vary. All right, we continue with that. So tell me what you made of the Austin Eccler signing and how that will play out in the

51:04running back room on Sundays. Kevin, I like to have opinions. I don't want to take to take as a certain view, but you study the board. You try to figure out what is going on here. Even if you're wrong sometimes, like, okay, at least I think this kind of makes sense. I can sort of piece things together. I have no real clue on this one. This doesn't make, I'm not saying it's a wrong play or a bad move because ultimately sometimes, hey, we think this guy is just, you know, a better talent than what we have currently sort of in that same spot, whether that's backfield depth, the kick return or whatever. And obviously look Austin Eccler and Fleeshaw back before he killed his pair with a very effective player in 2024. You know, all those in Jaden Daniels and Terry McCorn, right? He's a little bit of a misremembering thing because he's basically their best offensive weapon. Because of the one running back, they had that the defense didn't always know if it was going to be a runner or a pass. That was something they missed significantly. Last season, once he got hurt. And so, okay, they're going to back, but Rashad White is the guy that brought in to sort

52:05of take the Eccler role and find large. He's been fine. And this, this equinoe for those who didn't see, I would told happened on a Saturday. So it happened nothing to do with Rashad White's shoulder injury. It also has nothing to do with, you know, Bill having a pretty quiet game overall, averaging under two yards of carry, except they had a 48 yarder called back. But that was huge. The kick return game had been quiet the first two weeks, but then this past game, Luke McCampry and Rashad White both had some returns. So I could see Eccler being part of any of these situations. And I could also see it just like, all right, we'll just chill out here and we'll just get you back. And then we'll figure out a time in place to have him come back. You know, again, he's not played since the Achilles tear. He worked out for Carolina last week. So I'm assuming he's in, you know, relatively good shape, but maybe, you know, maybe he doesn't play this week just as they're getting him ready. They all think that he's going to London. At least that's the point. The move is not official official at the moment.

53:05You and I are talking, but it sounds like he's going to London. So all that said, I don't quite get it because if he takes that play from Bill, now you're losing a certain amount of explosive high end. If you take away from Rashad White, okay, then I guess Eccler better be better than Rashad White, which he was a year ago, but I don't know if he was today after the injury. K-Tron, I don't know if he didn't have any snaps. You know, on offense this week after getting nine carries, the first two games of Clarity, he might be the odd man out, but again, Eccler doesn't really replace what we think he was going to do. So, yeah, I don't quite get it other than just a good player, always productive smart guy. We think he's good in the locker room. We just happen to have him here. We'll figure it out. You know, as you were talking, because I didn't have an answer for it either, but maybe the answer is just that he's better than anybody else they have. And you know, whether it's as a first down back or as a third down back, I doubt it's because

54:07he's a really good kickoff returner. It's one of those severe concussions was on a kickoff return. And I think they were okay, certainly with McCaffrey and White, and even Lane. I mean, Lane dealt with some difficult kickoffs in Dallas, but maybe it's just because he's healthy and they just think he's just much better than anything we have. And we want to add another playmaker to our offense because we were at our best in 2024 with Austin Eccler healthy and on the field. Yeah, no, no, no question. Like I said, it's just purely a matter of, okay, again, like the logical thing would be to say, okay, he plays and that means less for shot white. Okay, I'm not saying we're shot white. Maybe it's less bill too on first down. Well, that's what I'm saying. That's where it gets curious because again, the whole point of bill on some level is he gives you that home run thread out of the backfield, which they have not had. They didn't have it the first year with Brian Robinson and Neckler.

55:10They had it last year with Bill, but Bill wasn't fully formed back enough to be out there. So all the time and plus, you know, he got carried, he got way down just like down the rest of the offense did with all the injuries. And you know, again, maybe, maybe like we could say, like you just said, hey, we don't really give a crap about all these roles you want people in. We just think that, you know, a hell of a player, he's always been a hell of a player. I guess they have seen him on the field do something presumably since they decided to do this. Obviously, Carolina had worked them out. It's like I was told he was going to go to Carolina and practice quite as a minimum. So, you know, I guess they think he's good. And yeah, maybe he is just flat out better than what they have that we just seem like what they just do a little bit presumptuous to think, but why not? You know, they know more than me. I will also say that like other types of running back, if you tell me they had any kill you pair, I'd be like, well, the business guy can come back at diminished version of himself. This may not be the case here. He doesn't, you wouldn't get in by the speed in the first place.

56:13He was getting by with his hands and the ability to understand sort of football geometry where to go. He's got enough of a frame to be able to be an effective guy running between the tackle. So, maybe the injury doesn't affect his style, play it more than others, but, you know, for me, at least until I see what he's doing, I can't assume he's better than White and Bill just because he was, you know, a year ago. All right. Tell me and everybody else, Chigokon, quote, is making the trip to London. Frankie Luvu is making the trip to London. Who isn't making the trip and what do you expect in terms of availability for the injured players Sunday? Yeah. Well, at the time, you know, so they're leaving, not positive if they have left at the point we were talking, but they have not, they were going to have to make some decisions on Sam Cosme, Nick Croft, and Percy Butler before they left. Cosme and Butler are dealing with concussions. Boy, again, not a doctor. It seems to me if they're not clear to play today, I don't know how you're putting them

57:16on a plane because that just seems like that would be the last thing you'd want to do, but somebody who's concussions in the plane for seven hours, right? So I'm going to guess they won't play, but that's a guess. And with Nick Croft, obviously it's still a bit of a mystery to a degree exactly what this procedure was. He had after the out game and, you know, I would pull the week to week, but so it's hard to, you know, it's not like they're not even listing it as a specific body part on the injury report. So hard to know there, but if I had to guess with Luvu and a conco, Luvu has been like stretching when we've been out there, like he's been around practice to a degree, where he was running on the sideline when Modurano had that pick six and he got penalty because of it. So if I had to guess, I kind of leaned or he's played. A conco is sort of in the same bucket, but it's a little hard to know, but if they're bringing both of them, then in this case, I would have to believe that means it's a much

58:16pretty close call to being did to go out. You've got no subterfuge here with the colds to this. And obviously in the case of both, Luvu, you know, year now out with Shennel, obviously at the season ending, neck injury, Jordan McGee still on IR. I know Kane Modurano had the big play. He also had some Smith's. He's barely played defense in his career. I like Kane Modurano, but you know, they're just in now at that spot, even if they bring out a KO up so they could use him. And then the receivers of the tight ends, I mean, have done nothing authentically without a conco. I mean, they had, I think, you guys just for 11 yards on three targets or four targets this week. So that's a whole other story that would be curious to, if we could get David Blas, a ping list of what's going on there, because that was supposed to be a tight end friendly offense and you've got to get more involved. And yet, even, you know, it can't just be a conco, he's not, you know, Bobby Nusom. So it is weird that they're getting no looks, really, but that's a separate category. So I kind of would get, if you make me guess, I guess they play, but that's just sort

59:17of like trying to read a TV is the best I can. You know, in bringing up Lou Vu again, I talked about this, but I don't know how much you've considered this because I don't think we talked about this on radio. Maybe I mentioned it, but we didn't get into it. But just the absolute fine line between, you know, victory Monday and seasons back on and culture. And you talked about it already, the culture and, you know, how these teams, you know, Quinn's teams fight and play for them, et cetera. If they had lost the game 34 to 33, which would have happened, had they not converted one of those two third downs more likely than not the win probability probably would have been in the 80%, you know, tile had they had to punt to Seattle with a minute and a half to go up 33 31. The conversation this week would be about the terrible, undisciplined nature of this particular roster, Stefan Diggs in Philadelphia, Frankie Lou Vu Sunday coming out under the

1:00:17field and costing them a game because it would have been pointed to as undisciplined, can't keep the players under control and it costs them a game against Seattle. I mean, if, if Rashad White doesn't take that checked by Mario, the line is scrimmaged for a first down of Mario, the doesn't pull it make a first down this week would have been completely different. Have you considered that did we talk about that yesterday or not? I forget. I don't think we talked about that angle, but yeah, you're completely right. I mean, especially as he said, he can't say that they lost the Eagle game because of the Diggs finally, but it changed the trajectory in terms of the number of points. You know, you didn't have to go for two right at the very end there with the shovel pass. You could have kicked the extra point if they didn't get analyzed right to through, through even missing the extra point when they, when they, I mean, they ended up having a chance to try the two pointer anyway and they may have missed it and where they may have made it earlier.

1:01:18Who knows, but it still was in the moment a terrible undisciplined play and you would have had two of them in the first three games and the second one would have cost you an upset win over Seattle or a chance to at least go to overtime at 3434. Yeah, and also like there's an, this isn't the exact same thing, but they've had a ton, I don't know where it ranks and I think they've had a ton of pre-snap down the leaves. Yeah. And while that's a different type of discipline, it's the type of thing that, hey, this is about what would you guys are supposed to be drilling home every day at practice? You know, as much as anything else. So yeah, no, you're 100% right to have this conversation. But that's what it's so that's any time off of trying to like, like on the one hand, I'm like, wait a minute, they are a win away from a Daniel Jones, what a team and a game is which team of being three and three? Yeah, don't do that though. Every week. These are standalone, these are standalone events. They're just, these games, when you're not, you know, Buffalo or Kansas City maybe this

1:02:21year or Miami on the other end. These games are all, I mean, I've emphasized this for, you know, 15, 20 years. The NFL is just, amazingly, the best reality show and every week, you have no idea what's going to happen most weeks, especially early in the season. Tell me about the offensive line. Did Lucas Patrick start at center? Do we know definitively that that was just the answer to the Cosmianjory? And then what do you think will happen Sunday in Indianapolis if Cosmianjory is out? Or if Cosmianjory can play? Yeah. Well, you know, it's funny. I was, I thought you were actually going to go somewhere a different moment ago, you're bringing up a Lou Vu, but it does tie into this Cosmianjory situation as well. And that is, let's say Lou Vu is back this week. Who's the green dot guy? Isn't, I mean, yeah, him or style. Yeah. Dials have looked interestingly at a minimum he's made plays and that's the whole point. He's a young guy, right?

1:03:21Lou Vu wasn't a Mike guy last year anyway. So it's not like this is a completely nuts, just like Al Grady wasn't a center a year ago. He wasn't even in the center. You know, they've been telling him telling us he's the center, but it almost, it's all tough all along. Like, I'm sure you know, he seems competent all that stuff, but I almost thought they were like trying to talk themselves into it or trying to tell us. None of them were seeing it wrong, right? What was the line from Adam Peters that we don't see everything that goes on? So to go to the season two, the season two that's wicked off and go to a guy like Lucas Patrick who way more experienced than Al Grady at center. Who all things being equal probably is better at the position than Al Grady just, you know, based on years of service. But that would be wild. So, you know, I think that look, I give them credit. The line definitely held up, you know, as they have for the most part this year, you know, there's some bend some, bend it, bend don't break kind of scenarios for the most part they've been okay.

1:04:22So I don't know. I don't know that Patrick would have started over Al Grady regardless. And it caused, but it caused me his back this week. I don't definitively know what they would do, but I again, Lucas Patrick is an actual starting center to lead. And I'm not saying Al Grady can't play it, but that's not been his role for the most part. And that's why, you know, the idea of playing this guy, we're moving on from Beodish Fine, but replacing Beodish with a guy who hasn't done it on, was like, really? Okay, that seems odd. So yeah, it wouldn't suddenly, if it is Patrick, but that boy, that would be, you know, they wouldn't be like, they would answer questions about, like, what happened here? Why did you guys change this already? That would be a massive question. Well, what's going on here? You're already changing out your center after telling us this is the guy. Right. Maybe, maybe Lucas Patrick is literally in men's that considering how much they pull the Valegra to your turn. Tell me about what you learned looking at the snap counts because you wrote about it.

1:05:25From Sunday. Well, I mean, the biggest thing I guess we could say is like the cornerback situation, obviously we've been all wondering what they make any changes. Yeah, I mean, Mikey Santerstole plays fewer snaps than Rishul Dago, who starting, though, is a tricky bit, but he was out there on the first play of defense. And it was the first game in Santerstole's career in which he played fewer than 50% of the snaps. He was around like 39% in this game. So that's a significant drop in it. And 50 is below. He is typically playing almost every snap of the game as cornerbacks often do. I think something needed to be done. I mean, it's an interesting game to look at because obviously, Jay and then, I'll argue with the best receiver in football right now. So in the ending production, you can't really call that out on the defense. They still can't stop tight ends. But for the most part, the other receivers haven't been getting like a ton of more right

1:06:25mid-jork pickings was relatively quiet in week two because he was killing them. This game, Cooper Cup did get a touchdown, but other than that, it wasn't like a, I don't know if I'm misremembering, it wasn't a ton of else at receiver. So I just, between the fact that Mike Robertson has played well, he's defending passes, he's being aggressive, he's being a hitter, he's giving them some edge. And then Dago is just simply, you know, sort of like he'd lose his Patrick of the corners, right? He's been there, he's done that, he's way more experienced than some of the other guys. He gives them some size. There's lots of reasons to leave him out there. This was also the first game that Fabian Moro played. Sarah Maddie had zero defensive snaps. In the first two games played a bit here, just a little bit, about ten or so of snaps going left and it's still something like that. So yeah, I think to me that was the biggest, the biggest thing, I'll just say quickly on off. And it's interesting that at tight ends, basically, Bates call a yank off and send it all more left had the same amount of snaps like in the 20s, which is a, you know, sort of like

1:07:27it's, they've been far less 12 and 13 personnel than I think was the expectation. But a lot of that has to do with a conglom being out. But, you know, it's Sunday, Sunday, I made the observation. I have no idea what the numbers are because I don't have access to a lot of those numbers. Sometimes I see them on X, but it seemed to me like they were in 13 personnel more than they've been in 13 all year, especially early in the game when Bill actually had a couple of decent runs. Yank off, Senate and Bates were all out there at the same time. So I did, do you know what those numbers were? Because I thought I saw more, it's been mostly 11, you know, one back, one tight end, three receivers in the first three games. So we haven't to your point seen as much 12 personnel and 13 personnel as we thought. But I thought I saw a lot more 13 than in the first two games on Sunday. Well, you might be right. I was looking for the quick dates of snap. I said they were in the tight end of the 20s.

1:08:29They were actually in the 30s. Yeah. 37, 34, 32s. Right. I'm looking at it. I guess you two about 100. There were 69 snaps told for the offense. So yeah, I'm going to recent my, but it's just focused on the fact that they've been based in the split. So, yeah, that's a fair number. The other part of this is that I noticed that I assume the core and digs are playing more than everybody else than Williams, Berks and Brown also played about the same amount of snaps, which is kind of what I thought it might look like if they'd never gotten digs in the first place, like a bunch of different guys sort of being equal. So yeah, looking back, looking at those numbers, there may be a misremembering a little business that they wore a little bit more in the two tight ends or. I saw a lot, I saw more three tight ends. It was noticeable. You know, it's always more noticeable when they're in three tight ends than in two. And so I just made that observation during the game that it was like the fourth or fifth time that I had seen it. And I didn't think I'd seen it much at all in the first two weeks.

1:09:31All right. Let's see what happens the rest of the week. It will be an interesting week. You are headed to London tomorrow. Have a great trip. I'll talk to you on Friday on radio. Thanks. Yeah, man. Ben standing, everybody. I'll finish up the show with some thoughts on Maryland's loss to UCLA in the future of its head coach, Mike Loxley. I'll do that after these words from a few of our sponsors. More often than not, it's a new life event that gets people to think about things like life insurance, getting married, becoming a parent. The thought of what would happen to the family if something happened to you. You've heard the sad stories I have as well about a parent passing unexpectedly and not having life insurance for their spouse and children. Think about life insurance if you don't have it. And let me make it easy for you. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and simple. It's 100% online.

1:10:32You can get a quote in seconds, supply in minutes, and get same day coverage. There's no medical exam. You just answer a few simple health questions. You can get up to $3 million in coverage in some policies or as low as $30 a month. And you'll get your lowest rate from their network of trusted carriers. Take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance through ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash Ian. That's ethos.com slash Ian. Application times may vary, rates may vary. 36 of the brilliance and it's out quickly for Washington. And it's picked up again. And this time it's Stewart Jackson. And it's going to be the second pick six on the quarter for UCLA. Maybe you heard maybe it didn't. Maryland's Big Ten opener Saturday in College Park did not go well. That was the second of two pick sixes in the third quarter as the announcer described.

1:11:37That was the uglier of the two pick sixes of Malik Washington. Maryland lost to UCLA 54 to three. Somebody on this show gave the Terps out as a smell test pick on Friday. Yeah, that was me. They were getting a point and a half. That's it. They lost by 51 getting a point and a half. Yes, the public money was on UCLA. And there was sharp money on Maryland. I thought the Terps were going to win. I really did. It wasn't a homer pick either. I picked against Maryland plenty over the years. I just thought that what I saw against Virginia Tech offensively was impressive enough to think that they could score enough to beat UCLA a team that was traveling west to east and playing an early game. By the way, it turned out to be in bad weather. Maryland couldn't move the football at all and could only score three points. I do think by the way, Bob Chazney, the UCLA head coach came from JMU.

1:12:38I think he's doing a great job. UCLA's ranked their 4-0 and they're probably going to be a pretty good team. As will Virginia Tech. I think the season will prove that out. Doesn't matter. Maryland got thumped by Virginia Tech a week ago Saturday night and then got embarrassed by UCLA in the Big Ten opener. And look, the conversation was not about the game after the game. The conversation was about Mike Loxley's future. So I will give you a few thoughts on that after I tell you that my bookie is sponsoring this segment of the show. And the my bookie lock of the season is back and it is an absolute lock. The lock is this. Dak Prescott only needs to complete one pass on Sunday against the Texans. And if he does it, you double your money. That's the entire bet. Seriously. He doesn't need to throw touchdowns. He doesn't need to throw for yards. He just needs to complete one pass at any point during the game.

1:13:40It should be over on the opening drive. For this my bookie lock of the season, use promo code Kevin DC when you go to mybookie.com or my bookie.ag. So when you sign up at my bookie, bet the lock of the season and use my promo code for this one, Kevin DC. My bookie bet on anything, anytime, anywhere. So all of the conversation among Maryland sports fans is about my lockslee's future. To be honest with you, I think it's more interesting to talk about the buzz Williams upcoming season because I think Maryland basketball might have a decent team this year. Fingers crossed. Big year for buzz. I'm much more interested in Maryland basketball as our most Maryland sports fans. But I love Maryland football. And I can tell you this, Mike Locksley before he ever came to college park to work with Ralph

1:14:41Fregion in the 2000s and then eventually becoming becoming the head coach. He was a huge Terps fan when he was younger. He was a big fan of the Bobby Ross teams in the 80s. Was that bird stadium a lot grew up in DC. But Maryland was the only major D1 program in the area. And he and I many times would sit there and talk about some of those 80s teams with boomer and with Frank Reich and Stan Galbaugh and some of the backs like Rick Bedanick that they had Alvin Blount, Russell Davis. They were loaded back then. Now they were playing in the ACC, not the big 10. But those were fun times and then he got to participate in some of the fun times and contribute because he was a hell of a recruiter for the last time Maryland football was relevant and that was during the Ralph Fregion years in the 2000s. But Mike Locksley, he's not going to be the head coach next year.

1:15:43I don't know anything about the current situation. I know many of you thought that he would be fired on Saturday night or Sunday or Monday as of the recording of this podcast. It hasn't happened yet. I do wonder honestly like what the true benefit of getting rid of him right now is if you're AD Jim Smith. I'm sure there are some financial issues as well. But I'm just from a practical standpoint. What are you really gaining by firing him after four games? It's not like you can hire your new head coach next week. You can get a head start on that but you can get a head start on that with him coaching the team too. They know more about that and if he's not going to do it in season or at least at this point in the season, I guess I kind of understand that because again, I can't come up with like compelling reasons to do it. The compelling reason to do it would be if inside that football program, it's tumultuous

1:16:47and players are bailing and I don't know that that happens with him. But if that happened, you move on and you name somebody an interim coach. We'll see what happens. Bottom line is he's not going to be the head coach in 2027 and moving forward and he shouldn't have been the head coach in 2026 after last season. But let me just get to the core of what I want to get across as my reaction to this situation. So Mike Loxley, believe it or not, is in his eighth season in college park as the head coach. His record is 39 and 51 overall. His big 10 record, his conference record is 17 wins and 49 losses, 32 games under 500 without one without one winning season in conference. That's the record after eight years, seven years and now his eighth season.

1:17:47I tweeted something out after the game on Saturday. I tweeted out a question, is there a power for football program worse than Maryland right now? And I wrote the job opening won't be coveted. I 100% believe what I wrote. First of all, it was a question, but it was a question implying that Maryland is one of the worst power for programs right now, where it is. And you know, I'm not talking specifically about resources or recruiting area, any of that. I'm talking about the vibe, the juice right now about Maryland football. Give me a program that's much worse. I mean Syracuse, BC Rutgers. I don't know. Maryland's in the conversation, like you'd have to be a real homer to believe that Maryland's not a part of the conversation of being the worst power for football program.

1:18:49It might not be the worst and it may not be the worst job opening. And I would agree with that. There are probably five or six, you know, power for programs that are worse in terms of openings. And those are primarily in the ACC. I would guess in the big 10 maybe Rutgers, but I'll tell you what Rutgers fans seem to be more enthused about their team at times in recent years, the Maryland fans, where the stadium is usually about a quarter full. And if you've got a ticket, sometimes you've got your own row, if not legitimately a half of a section to yourself, depending on the game, the opponent, the time of the game, and where the seats are. But I was serious about that. A lot of you pushed back and that's fine. I don't care about that part. I think that when you think of Maryland football, you think of, and this is the way I think about it. And I am a lifelong fan and I am an alum and I watch every single game, every single

1:19:50play of every single game, although I did turn that game off on Saturday in the second half. Maryland is, you know, unique among power for schools. There are about five or six of them, maybe seven or eight that are clearly, clearly no debate basketball first schools. They are one of them. You know, you've got in the big 10, you know, they're Indiana. I don't even know if you can say that anymore, but Indiana will always be a basketball first school, even though they just won the national championship. You could certainly, you know, say to a certain extent that Purdue is a basketball first school. Rutgers probably the same, although not nearly the tradition that Purdue, Indiana, or even Maryland has every other place like Michigan State or Illinois, some of the places that have great basketball. It's debatable. Maryland's not debatable. Maryland is a basketball first school.

1:20:52What is the sport, the men's basketball program that fans, alum, students care the most about and proof of that proof of that is that Mike Loxley is in his eighth season 32 games under 500 in the conference without ever having a winning record in conference. There's nowhere else where he wouldn't have been ousted at this point. Even Boston College or Syracuse or even Rutgers. I mean, I think Shiano is going to be gone this year too. He's in his eighth season 32 games under 500. What else needs to be said? They couldn't come up with 13 and a half million dollars last year to buy him out. You know why? Not enough people care. Yes, many of you who are Turk fans that are listening to this podcast care like I do, I want them to be good. I want fall Saturdays to be like legitimate like they were with Ralph, like they were with

1:21:55Bobby Ross, but man, the number of eras that were positive and winning and exciting in Maryland football history are really limited to Ralph, Bobby Ross, Jerry Clayborn. I don't want to go back to Jim Tatum in the 50s or whatever. And you know, the last 50 years Clayborn in the ACC had Maryland as a power in the conference and in the country. Bobby Ross had Maryland as a power in the ACC and as a perennial top 20 top 25 team and Ralph won 31 games over three years from 2001 through 2003 and had competitive teams in the ACC. None of those coaches coached in the big 10. A football first league, the ACC of course was a basketball first league. So you know, the there are major differences in the challenges were different. Loxley was in the big 10, you know, and had to compete with Ohio State and Michigan and Penn State now Oregon and USC and UCLA and Washington.

1:22:58Okay. All of that is true in Maryland for a while didn't have the same resources as even the middling schools in the big 10, but they do now there are resources there. But the fact that he's in his eighth season tells you all you need to know like there's just not enough juice to make a change that has been obvious. You know, I have said about Loxley over the years. I've said two things. One, he's an outstanding recruiter. I mean, the people, the players that he's been able to get to college park, a program that has legitimate no juice like, can you imagine how they have to finagle and work around the lack of a crowd on a Saturday afternoon with recruits in? I mean, Saturday night against Virginia Tech that had to be the game of the year that you brought everybody to, you know, all of your recruits to because even though it was 50% Virginia Tech fans, at least the stadium didn't have, you know, empty sections.

1:24:06But outstanding recruiter, not a good coach. I've been here, you know, plenty of Monday's Tuesday's Wednesday's talking about a previous game in which the team lacked discipline, led the big 10 pretty much every year in penalties. Most of them self-inflicted, you know, pre-snap penalties. Not prepared big games where they got absolutely thumped. Mike Loxley wasn't a good head coach when he got here when he, when he came from New Mexico. Mike Loxley was a phenomenal recruiter and probably a decent coordinator. He's never had successes at head coach. There was the three year period with Leah, tongue of I loa, where they won, you know, more games than they lost and they won three bowl games, but not big bowl games. They weren't in contention in the big 10 in any of those seasons. You know, somebody asked me the other day, what's the best Maryland football can be? Now you could hit the total inside straight diamond and the rough higher of somebody like

1:25:10what Indiana did last year, somebody who's just so brilliant and overlooked and doesn't have a lot of options and then comes here and it turns out that he's phenomenal because you can with a coach that gets a lot more out of a lot less succeed. You know, that's what happened with Ralph. Ralph never had a top 25 recruiting class if he did. It was like one or two, maybe Ross didn't have that. You know, Maryland's best football areas were with really good coaches, football coaches, exes and owes coaches who got more at a less. The last eight years has been a less out of more situation. In some of those seasons, look, they didn't have the same talent levels, Ohio State or Penn State. I understand that are Michigan, but comparative to a lot of the schools in the middle portion of the conference, lockslee did pretty well recruiting wise and had talent in here. Produced some NFL players. There's no doubt that he must be able to sell anything to anybody at any time because

1:26:15selling this program in recent years couldn't have been easy to good players who had much better options and ended up landing here anyway. You know, I said last year, after last year, I don't care. I said this after the season, I don't care if they lose in Malik, Washington. First of all, I wasn't a big Malik, Washington believer. I still am not. I think he's okay. I don't think he's a first round pick. I don't think he's a pro personally. But we'll see. He's young time to develop. But a lot of people said, well, you know, if you buy him out, you're going to lose all these players. You're going to lose on, you know, a lay, the number two recruit in the country. Who cares? I don't care. I just want somebody in here who can coach him up, get more out of less. Maybe they don't have the same recruiting classes, but maybe they get a lot more out of what they have. It's going to be hard to find that person. You know, it's not easy to find somebody. I mean, look at Virginia Tech, who's had a much better football program, overall, historically,

1:27:18et cetera. You know, the success for so many years that Frank Beamer had developing Virginia Tech into a legitimate national power. And even Virginia Tech, you know, needed a coach who could really coach him up and couldn't find one. And maybe they did in Franklin. He's doing a great job now. But you got to find that person. And in terms of my comment, the job opening won't be coveted. That'll be really contingent on how many jobs are available when the season ends in power four. Maryland's in the big 10. They're in a big market. It's a good recruiting, fertile recruiting area. But there will be options for guys to go to football schools, football first schools, where there's a legitimate fan base that's ready to come out and fill up the stadium and support it. Maryland football's total bandwagon, total bandwagon. And there's been no reason for a bandwagon to exist since region was here.

1:28:21I mean, there just hasn't. It's been 16 years and really longer than that. I mean, his last year he was the ACC coach of the year, but they ended up going to the military bowl at RFK. I called that game a big win over East Carolina. I couldn't believe that they left let Ralph go. Ralph was the absolute example. I'm looking for the guy who gets a lot more. Out of less, he did that year and a year out always. You know, he outwitted the other side more times than not. That didn't happen under locks. He was putting players into the NFL. He was, you know, generating top 30 top 35 top 40 recruiting classes, couple that were much higher than that. But he got less out of more. And yet he's in his eighth season. Come on man. I mean, when this season ends, when Jim Smith, who by the way, you know, is the first competent AD we've had in a long time. So that's going to be helpful because with previous, the last two ADs, really the last

1:29:23three, that was a part of the problem that made the job not nearly as attractive. But it is in the big 10. They do have some resources. Jim Smith is a legitimate, legitimate AD, who will be impressive to people. And can do a lot to help his football coach. So I'm looking forward to that process. But if there are, you know, 11, 12, 13, 14 power for jobs open, Maryland's going to be near the bottom of the list. It just is. You're just not coming to a program that has shown it can win. Somebody's going to take this gig and hopefully Jim will land on somebody who can really coach him up and get a lot more out of less. Because if Maryland football became, you know, a perennial eight, nine win team ranked, you know, three out of every five years and maybe one out of every five or maybe one out of every six or seven actually competed for the upper echelon of the big 10.

1:30:26You know, they were a one of the surprise teams in the country. They were, you know, 11th in the playoff rankings. They finished second or third. Maybe they make a big 10 title game. I'm really dreaming here. I'd love to see it. But I'd rather see it in basketball. But I'd love to see it in football too. But he's not going to be the coach. You know, I guess here's one argument to do it now. God forbid he go on a winning streak because you don't want him back even if he were to pull off, you know, four wins out of his final eight. I mean, that ship is sailed at this point. The last thing I'll say about locks is despite the fact that it hasn't been good with him as the head coach. I am rooting for him personally. There are a lot of reasons for that, including, you know, the personal family tragedy that befell him and his family losing a son several years ago.

1:31:27I can't imagine there's anything worse. But I always think about that when I am constructively critical about Mike Loxley. I've always thought about that in recent years. So I am rooting for him. He is clearly a rainmaker when it comes to being able to sell. And they'll get an opportunity to do that somewhere else, just not as a head coach. But anyway, it's not going to be him here next year. In terms of who should be on that list, you know, I like the wake coach. I'll just throw that out. I like the wake force coach. Would he leave wake forced to come to Maryland? I don't know, big 10 versus ACC. Maybe. I don't know. But there are a couple of those others. The Memphis coach, you guys know the U-Turk fans know some of the names that are probably on the list that Jim Smith has. I would guess already created. Alright, that'll do it for today, back tomorrow.

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