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Former Redskin and NFL Analyst Mark Schlereth joined Grant & Danny, and he says Brandon Aiyuk is a player you can't win with.
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00:00to talk to a multi-time Pro Bowler and a three-time Super Bowl champion who is a winner of
00:06titles here in Washington
00:07with the then Redskins first half of what was an illustrious career between D.C. and Denver
00:12spent right here in the nation's capital over a 12-year run.
00:16Mark Schlereth is with us.
00:17Mark, it's good to have you on the program again in D.C. How are you?
00:20I'm doing great, man. Always good to be with you guys.
00:23It's awesome to chat with you.
00:24I wanted to get you on because I saw you were talking on your show about Brandon Ayuk.
00:28We've had to spend way too much time, frankly, talking about a guy who is not a member of Washington's
00:34football team yet
00:34as it looks inevitable that they are going to eventually bring him in when he's released by the Niners.
00:40But I guess let's just start with, do you think they should be interested in Brandon Ayuk?
00:46Personally, no. I mean, you know, you can't fix stupid.
00:51And so I don't know how you're going to fix that.
00:53But, like, here's a guy that got paid $50 million who was his first couple of years,
00:59and I did a lot of San Francisco games during those times.
01:02They were not really happy with him.
01:04And it took him, you know, I mean, to his credit, his third year, he kind of broke out, got
01:08the big contract.
01:09Remember, he held out or held in forever.
01:12And they ended up signing the big contract, and he got the same amount of money they offered him in
01:18the spring.
01:18So he held in all that time, did not play, did not participate, was just hanging around.
01:24And then he tears his ACL after seven games.
01:28And then he decides not to show up in 2025, even though he's under contract.
01:33And then he tells the team on social media that paid him $50 million that they were stupid for paying
01:40him $50 million.
01:42And you think you're going to fix that?
01:44You think your expert tutelage is going to get that guy to not have a meltdown when something doesn't go
01:51his way?
01:52Man, I have no time for that level of selfishness, that level of self-conceit,
01:58that level of just it's about me and it's not about the team.
02:01You cannot win with dudes like that on your team.
02:05I'm sorry, you might win some games, you know, and he may make some dynamic plays.
02:10But when push comes to shove, and I'll use an old Joe Gibbs term,
02:13hey, man, you know, great athletes make plays in the first several quarters, first three quarters,
02:18but great character men win games in the fourth quarter.
02:21That dude ain't going to win you games.
02:22He'll make some highlight plays.
02:24If that's what you want, if you want to make SportsCenter highlights, great, sign him.
02:27He's your guy.
02:29So, Mark, go into that.
02:30You couldn't get me to get that guy on my team.
02:33I don't care what you beg me to do.
02:36So I want to double-click on that because I happen to be with you.
02:38I'm not that interested, and I would pass on this if it was up to me.
02:42But I am curious because we'll get people to push back, and this is a hole in my game.
02:46I would miss sometimes on great players because I am so focused on bringing in guys that are about the
02:52team
02:52and the character and all that.
02:54But I want to drill down on that part of it, like this idea that, hey, we're not building a
02:59Boy Scout team here.
03:00It's okay every now and then to have a wild card on your football team.
03:04What's your thought on that?
03:07Yeah, I mean, I understand.
03:09A wild card is great if the dude shows up on Sundays and plays his ass off,
03:15and he doesn't care if he gets two targets and no catches but throws the game-winning block if he's
03:25not pouting.
03:25You know, at that point in the fourth quarter, he's the guy that's loafing that's got to push crack on
03:31a safety
03:32that doesn't get to the safety, and it would have been a breakout 60-yard run for a touchdown and
03:37a win,
03:37but he decides to loaf because he's pissed off that he didn't get enough catches.
03:43Like, that's what it costs you.
03:45That's the stuff that people don't see.
03:47That's the stuff that fans don't see.
03:49And listen, I understand where Washington sits because he is talented.
03:53There's no question about that.
03:55And you know what?
03:57The problem that most organizations make, and I've been on an organization where for four years we told,
04:03like, we sat in meetings when I was in Denver for four years.
04:07Every time we played Kansas City, two times a year, we said how Dale Carden couldn't play on our team
04:13even though he's the most talented guy on the football field because he's a turd.
04:16And we talked about that for four straight years.
04:19Right up until the time he became a free agent, we made him a highest-paid guy on our defense.
04:24And I just, there was a lack of, there was a loss of respect for the organization because they did
04:31that.
04:31Because they think, under our expert tutelage, we're going to take this guy and turn him into something he's not.
04:38And the bottom line is, for me, when the going gets tough and it's critical moments and you've got to
04:45have somebody willing to do something that's not their job,
04:49willing to do something that's more, that the team becomes more important than them, those are the guys that won't
04:55do it.
04:56And it doesn't show up on, you know, the broadcast and nobody really talks about it.
05:00But it's the kind of stuff, it's the little things that cost you games in the long run.
05:06And so I just don't want that dude on my team.
05:08That's me personally.
05:10And again, like I said, to start this thing, you cannot fix stupid.
05:14Mark Schlereth with us here on G&D.
05:16Did you ever play with a guy, Mark, where it was a success story in the opposite way?
05:20You know what I mean, where a guy maybe had a rep or he had acted immaturely in the past
05:24or was eccentric or whatever,
05:25and then kind of got right when he did go to a veteran organization or, you know, a group of
05:29strong vets like yourself?
05:32Yeah, you know, like, listen, man, there are some guys that, you know, that will play for a season that
05:38way
05:38because they've got, you know, a contract on the line or something of that nature, you know,
05:43and you put them on a one-year deal or whatever, a prove-it deal.
05:46I mean, Stephon Diggs last year.
05:48You know, Stephon Diggs played great right up until, you know, he's got his girlfriend and his, you know,
05:54and his other girlfriend in the same section in the stadium on, you know.
05:59Very relatable problem, yeah.
06:01Right, yeah.
06:02Like, again, can't fix stupid, right?
06:05And everybody, like, you know, you talk to anybody that's involved in the NFL, I mean, you talk to the
06:10Patriots, man.
06:11He was an outstanding citizen, played his butt off, practiced hard, studied hard, knew all that stuff, right?
06:16But in the end, he can't help himself because, again, it's about him.
06:23And so, yeah, first season, you can get a guy to do that, you know, for a time.
06:27He's playing for a contract or whatever.
06:30But long-term, no.
06:31And I will tell you this.
06:32The other thing that happens, and this is one of the most interesting things that I just learned throughout a
06:38career.
06:38You can have 50 guys, you know, 49 guys that are complete professionals, that do everything right, that prepare, that
06:47don't make mistakes, all those things.
06:50And their gravitational pull is not nearly as strong as the four turds on your team.
06:58And I don't know why that is.
07:00It just happens.
07:01Maybe it's just human nature.
07:03But, you know, it's the old adage, man, I would rather have the great guy that's going to prepare, that's
07:08going to work hard.
07:10And they're like, well, what about this dude?
07:11Like, this guy is special.
07:13This guy is unbelievable.
07:15And you say, yeah, he is.
07:16But he's going to go out.
07:19And he's going to show up.
07:20He's going to go out on Friday night.
07:22He's going to take a group of kids with him.
07:23He's going to show up on Sonny's play's ass off.
07:25But the A-guys he took out with him are going to play like crap.
07:29And that's the kind of influence that you cannot have on your football team.
07:34Mark Schlereth on Grant and Danny here on The Fan.
07:37One of the reasons that Ayuk would be coming here is he was a college teammate of Jaden Daniels.
07:41And he's got a very personal friendship, relationship, very tight with Daniels.
07:47And that worries me a little bit, too, to your point.
07:49Not because Daniels will not act how he's supposed to.
07:53Daniels is awesome and a pro and first one in and all that stuff.
07:56But it just seems like unnecessary pressure to try to help your buddy.
08:01You know, to get like, oh, it'll be okay.
08:03Jaden will get him fixed.
08:04And it's like, why do I want to put that on my young quarterback's plate?
08:07I want him thinking and worrying about other things.
08:10Yeah.
08:10And coming off injuries, you know, an injury riddle season and all that stuff.
08:14So, I'll tell you the other thing is, like, how good is Ayuk?
08:19Do we really know?
08:20I mean, I know he put up numbers.
08:21But he put up numbers on an offense that had, let me think, George Kittle, an all-pro tight end.
08:28Debo Samuel at the time was one of the most dynamic weapon playmakers, you know, in the National Football League.
08:34Oh, yeah, Christian McCaffrey.
08:35He's not too bad.
08:37He's pretty good as well.
08:38And so, when I look at a guy like that, I go, hey, man, if I'm a defense, what's my
08:43first priority?
08:45We've got to find a way to stop Christian McCaffrey.
08:47What's my second priority?
08:48It's probably Debo Samuel as just a weapon.
08:51What's my third?
08:52Well, we can't let George Kittle beat us.
08:55So, where does Ayuk come into that?
08:57Yeah, he had 70-whatever catches and 1,000-some-odd yards.
09:01But, like, that dude is the fourth guy you're trying to stop on the offense.
09:06You know, I just have a lot more questions than I have answers.
09:11But the things I have answers to, I don't want to have anything to do with.
09:16And those things are, like I said, again, you can't fix stupid.
09:19And on that front, Mark, I've tried so hard to – I'm begging for whatever his side of the story
09:25is.
09:26I'd love to know if there is one, right?
09:28And that's kind of the big hole in all of this is I'd love to hear where he was aggrieved
09:32or otherwise
09:33and how the San Francisco 49ers are mean or something.
09:37What is his side of the story in your view?
09:40Yeah, that Kyle Shanahan doesn't suffer fools and he'll let you know exactly what he's saying.
09:44Is that it? Yeah.
09:45Yeah, and he probably told him something he didn't like, you know, that hurt his feelings.
09:52And, you know, it's funny, man.
09:55It is – it's a different – it's just a different generation of players.
09:59And, you know, in my generation of players, you expect to get your ass chewed.
10:04And if you played like crap, you got told you played like crap.
10:07And a lot of times you got told in front of the whole team you played like crap.
10:10And, you know, those things are not – those things are not necessarily fun to have to stomach.
10:17But that's the way it was.
10:19And, you know, there's a new generation of players that you can't talk to like that.
10:24I mean, they'll – you know, they'll absolutely go in the tank.
10:26And I don't know if that's one of them.
10:28But, you know, I know – I know just sitting and talking to Kyle.
10:31And, you know, I've known Kyle since he was 12.
10:33I know where he operates.
10:35He'll let you know when, you know, you're not getting it done.
10:38And there were plenty of times in the first two years where, you know,
10:41Ayuk found himself on the bench because he didn't have the practice habits
10:45or he didn't have the study habits.
10:46He didn't have the – he wasn't a – you know, he wasn't a polished product.
10:50And he had to learn how to, you know, be a professional.
10:52As soon as he – as soon as he got on the field a bunch and started having success,
10:56you know, I guess that professionalism, you know, my assumption is
11:00somebody just walked out the door.
11:02And I can only assume on what I know based upon, you know, being a stand-in and,
11:06you know, or a hold-in and, you know, and then signing the same damn contract
11:10he had in March.
11:12Mark Schlereth on Grant and Danny.
11:14I want to go around the league with you.
11:16A couple of other items here.
11:17First, though, on the receiver position, you mentioned Diggs earlier.
11:21Would you be interested in him?
11:22He's a local guy.
11:23He's a free agent as well.
11:24If they wanted to go get a veteran, I guess I'd be more inclined to bring in
11:28Diggs, who actually played last year than Ayuk,
11:30who hadn't played in a year and a half.
11:31But would your interest be any higher for him?
11:35It would be higher for him because he's shown that, you know, that as a football player,
11:42I just know – and I did a bunch of New England games last year, man.
11:45They raved about his professionalism.
11:47They raved about his practice habits.
11:49They raved about all those things.
11:51And I will say, man, that dude will do the dirty work.
11:54He runs those underneath routes.
11:56He runs the little hitches and the, you know, low crosses and the shallow crosses
12:00and, you know, the little whip routes.
12:02And, man, he catches the ball in traffic.
12:04He catches the ball in third down.
12:06And, you know, and so he would be a guy that I would be interested in on a one-year
12:11deal
12:12to say, hey, man, here's your – you know, here's your – and I think that's –
12:15I think that's kind of where he is in his career right now.
12:18He's going to get a series of one-year deals because I think the word is out
12:22nobody really wants to invest in him long-term because they're – it's going to come
12:26with some issues.
12:27But the thing was, it didn't come with issues on the field.
12:31You know, he played his butt off and he played hard and he practiced hard
12:35and all those things.
12:36And like I said, they raved about him.
12:37But still, even with the great season he had, they still didn't want to resign.
12:43And so, you know, I mean, the bottom line, the team that knows you best,
12:49which is the team you just played for, said, hey, man,
12:51thanks for the great season.
12:53Thanks for, you know, all the touchdowns and all the dirty work you did.
12:56Yeah, we'll see you around sometime.
12:57Hope it works out for you.
12:59Yeah, we got some new receivers to replace you.
13:02This is a random one, but it's put on my mind.
13:04The NFC North, I think, is going to be really good again.
13:07It feels just, you know, like a division where maybe everybody finishes over 500.
13:11Minnesota's kind of laying in the weeds a little bit.
13:12Do you buy that we could have a renaissance with Kyler Murray?
13:18Well, it'll be interesting.
13:19Like, I heard something from him the other day.
13:21I talked about it on the Stingy Drew podcast about him saying, you know,
13:24the tough thing about being here right now is sharing the reps.
13:28And every great quarterback I know is an absolute rep hog.
13:31They don't want to give any reps up to anybody else.
13:36And, like, that is, that was a real sign.
13:39Like, my big thing with Kyler Murray is oftentimes I have felt like, and I love Kyler, but, you
13:45know, I'll be like a father figure.
13:49My issue with Kyler is I feel like oftentimes the way he plays, he'd rather make a sports center
13:54highlight than make the right play.
13:57He'd rather pull the ball, extend the play, try to make a big play happen, you know, and
14:03ultimately what ends up happening to you when you play that way, you play more off schedule
14:06than you play on schedule.
14:08When you play more off schedule, the issue that you get into is more bad things happen.
14:14Strip, sack, fumble.
14:15You know, it's one of those deals where you'll play close the whole game and, you know, and
14:20you'll make a couple of big plays that keep you in the game, but ultimately at the end
14:24of the game, there's going to be a play the defense makes that costs you that game.
14:29And that's what happens when you play that way, when you play like a highlight reel, as
14:34opposed to falling in love with a boring.
14:37And, you know, I had, I did this game.
14:38He had what was the best game of his career.
14:41And to me, it was, it was, he was just completely efficient.
14:45He was like, I don't know what it was.
14:47It was 21 to 26.
14:48And it was like 240 yards and two TDs and, and Arizona absolutely whipped.
14:53I can't even remember who they played, but they whipped them.
14:55And I came in super, super excited to talk to him.
14:57Cause I thought that's the best game I've ever seen you play.
15:00And I told him that.
15:01And he was like, yeah, but man, I'd like to run around a little bit more and make some
15:04more plays.
15:06And, and that's the kind of thing, like you tell me, like I had the, the, one of the most
15:10interesting conversations I ever had doing games was sitting with Byron Lefkowitz when
15:15he was the offense coordinator in Tampa, when Tom Brady was playing there.
15:18And I said, what, what was the, what's the one thing like that had stood out to you about
15:23coaching Tom Brady.
15:25And he said, listen, if we're running a concept where the first read the concept is the flat,
15:33you know, and it's going to be a, you know, a underneath throw for five yards, you turn it
15:39up, you get six or seven.
15:40Right.
15:40And he said, and if that, the first read that concept is the flat.
15:48100 times.
15:50And it's second down and four.
15:52And he does it without fail.
15:54He never gets bored taking a profit.
15:56He never gets bored with the boring.
15:59He loves the boring.
16:00And he goes, and that's been the biggest thing.
16:02That's been my biggest realization.
16:04Like, man, if I played more like that, I'd have probably survived a lot longer.
16:11Better to learn now, I guess, than later.
16:13Hey, last one for me.
16:14The Raiders, speaking of Tom Brady, have claimed that they're basically going to redshirt Fernando
16:20Mendoza, who was the number one overall pick.
16:23They went out and they spent a bunch of money on a one-year deal, I think like 20 million
16:26on
16:27Kirk Cousins.
16:27But I'm not buying that.
16:29I just, there's no proof in this era that anybody's willing to actually do that.
16:35And Brady has said for a long time, not running a team, that he would do that with quarterbacks.
16:40And now I guess we'll see if he can put his money where his mouth is.
16:43But what do you think of that?
16:44Talking about generational differences, this used to be the norm many, many years ago.
16:49And it's just not now.
16:50Mendoza was the Heisman Trophy winner, national champion, 1-1.
16:53It feels like, you know, the over-runner should be week four, week five before he's on the field.
16:57They're claiming it's going to be a lot longer.
16:59What do you think?
17:01Yeah, it'll be, it'll be really interesting to see exactly how that plays out.
17:04And I think part of that, you know, is.
17:09He's been in this offense for a long time, played in Minnesota.
17:13Obviously, you know, Kubiak was, was a coordinator then and, and, you know, an offensive coach then.
17:20But I think, I think a lot of this is an admission is this is going to be a process,
17:25rebuilding the Raiders and getting the right players there.
17:28And having done a couple of Raiders games last year, man, they were, they were awful from a talent perspective,
17:35from an offensive perspective, their offensive line.
17:39You know, Chip Kelly may have had a lot of success in the college game, but professionally, I did a
17:46whole breakdown of a week two game, I think, of, of this off season of them playing the Chargers.
17:52And by the time I got through all the film and I studied, I, I, I, I worked with a
17:58quarterback coach and I have this quarterback coach take me.
18:04Freshman in college.
18:06And, um, and so I go through all this film and at the end of the day, I couldn't tell
18:12you what the Raiders were.
18:13It was a hodgepodge of let's just run plays and see if anything works.
18:18And it, it was awful and their talent was awful.
18:22And so I think it's always good intentions to say, man, we're going to let Mendoza red shirt.
18:27We're going to, you know, give him time and stuff, but you know, there's going to come a time where
18:32you're going to want to play.
18:33And, you know, maybe it's six, seven weeks in and they're out of it.
18:38Maybe then it, it becomes imperative to them.
18:41Um, maybe then they have some, some schemes.
18:44I will say this, man, they went out and I think Ashton Jenny can play.
18:48I think he's going to be a really good young player.
18:50Um, they went out and got Linderbaum.
18:52They will be better up front because Rick Dennison is a great run game coordinator.
18:57He's their offensive line coach.
18:59He's a guy that coached when I was in Denver.
19:02Uh, he was our special teams coach, but he, he went on his, uh, this kind of run as, uh,
19:08Alex Gibbs's assistant.
19:09And then he took over that offensive line.
19:11And he's been coaching it ever since.
19:12So they're going to be a lot, they're going to be a lot better.
19:15They're going to be a lot, um, just more dynamic in the run game.
19:19And they're going to have, they're going to have principles and, and systems, uh, to take care of issues.
19:25So they will be better.
19:27There's no question in my mind at that.
19:29And how much better, I don't know, but I'm with you guys.
19:32I think eventually, um, and it may be midway through the season, eventually they're going to decide, Hey man, this
19:39is a guy that we got to get in here.
19:41Mark, great as always, buddy.
19:42Really appreciate the time, man.
19:43Have an awesome week.
19:45Yeah, you too.
19:45Take care.
19:46We'll be listening to Mark Schlereth, Stinking Truth.
19:49Joining us, Grant and Dan.
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