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00:00CBS Sports launched a new three-part series titled Process. In the series, the great Evan Washburn
00:07examines the NFL offseason of my guy Sam Darnold, Dan Quinn, and Kyle Hamilton through the lens of
00:14three separate categories of process, physical, mental, and emotional. The entire series is
00:19available on the NFL and CBS YouTube channel. And joining us right now, the outstanding reporter
00:24for the NFL and CBS, my guy, the great Evan Washburn. Evan, how are you? I'm good,
00:31Sean. How are you, man? It's been way too long. Way too long. Great to see you. And before we
00:36get
00:36into the specifics, this kind of series is right up your alley. I know how your brain works. I know
00:42how you think. How much fun did you have doing this for the NFL and CBS YouTube page? Well, I
00:48had a
00:48blast. And I have to say, and why I'm pumped to be here, the origins of this really started back
00:54on
00:54the Where's Washburn training camp tour. Because your show provided a platform to go on a training
01:01camp tour for all those years. And I'm still doing it and love it. But whenever you're there in what
01:06is the pseudo offseason, while it's a few weeks ahead of week one, you get this sense, man, there's
01:12more to dive into here. These guys, when they're away from the week-to-week grind of the season,
01:18there's a depth of storytelling that's available. There's just a depth to all the characters
01:23that make up this league. And I've always wanted the opportunity to spend more time
01:29getting into the minds of these players and coaches. And so after all those years of traveling
01:35during the training camp season, was finally able to come up with a pitch for a series that
01:41would offer that opportunity. So we did that in May and June. And it lived up to my expectations.
01:47And I'm thrilled with how it came out.
01:49I love it. And it's outstanding. Highest possible recommendation. And, you know, I love the
01:54subjects here. And I love the way you broke it down. And specifically, you know this,
01:59I have always been, going back to USC, a huge Sam Darnold fan. And I love what he did in
02:05Minnesota. I always believed in him going back to the Jets and Carolina and San Francisco and
02:10then winning the Super Bowl last year. So what did you learn about the physical process from
02:16my guy, the great Sam Darnold? Well, first of all, just the level of detail is through the roof
02:22on the mechanics of throwing a football. So as you laid out, we had three subjects,
02:27three episodes. And for Sam, it was the physical. So pretty obvious. How do you prime your body
02:32for the season? And we wanted to get even more detailed. So we talked to Sam ahead of time. And
02:38he
02:38agreed he'd take us into his throwing workout and really specifically his deep ball throwing. So
02:45thinking 15 to 20 plus air yards and what is required to get your body in the position, your arm,
02:53everything to be able to throw it at the level of accuracy, velocity, all those things that you need
02:59to do to be a starter in this league. And then eventually, as he did this past season, help lead
03:03an offense to a Super Bowl. And it's funny, I consider myself a decent athlete, a guy who can
03:10pick up a ball and feel comfortable throwing it with the fellas or with the family. But when you're on
03:16that practice field and you've got a real NFL football that's been primed for Sam Darnold and has
03:22the proper information, all those things, it's incredibly challenging. So I think my first sort
03:30of broad takeaway was, God, their job is a lot harder than I even imagined. And we, as you have
03:35been watching these guys play for 10 plus years as our profession. But when you're in it with them,
03:41man, it's hard. Without question. And I love what you were able to get from Darnold. And I was
03:47fascinated about the conversation and what you were able to unearth from Dan Quinn. What is it about
03:54what Dan Quinn brings to the table when it comes to that mental edge, Ev, in coaching?
04:00Well, I think just how self-aware he is and how willingness he is to kind of assess what he's
04:09done
04:09well, but more importantly, what he's done wrong. And why DQ was such an important subject for the
04:14mental episode, which I always had pinned as a, as a head coach is he was at the top or
04:21close to the
04:22top year one in Washington, they make the NFC championship game. And it looks like, man,
04:27they've got it all figured out. Jane Daniels is the dude. He's got everything working on both sides
04:32of the ball. And then the next year, it completely turns upside down. It's why we love this league,
04:37why it's the greatest reality show going, but he had to live it. And the accountability and
04:42ownership that he took for why they lost all those games and why things turned upside down,
04:48because on the surface, it was pretty easy for much of us to say, well, Jane Daniels was hurt for,
04:52I think, 11 games. You had a bunch of injuries across your starting lineup on both sides of the
04:57ball, but he went deeper than that. And one of my favorite nuggets from the episode was the fact that
05:02he put in film from an OTA practice year one, and then married it to year two. And the words
05:11he used,
05:12the lack of desperation that existed, the lack of intensity, attention to detail. So that has
05:17nothing to do with injuries during the season or whatever may have happened over the course of the
05:2218 games. This is something that he could now see existed way back in March. And that's what you get
05:29from a guy like Dan Quinn. And then it was fun to spin that conversation forward and how they've
05:33changed things going into year three here, trying to get back to where they were. That self-scout process
05:39was a big, big anchor to the entire episode. And it's, again, one of those words like process that
05:45we hear as fans and media covering the sport. And my hope was to just try and give a little
05:50bit
05:51more clarity as to what that really means. I love that you were able to get under the hood with
05:55regards to Kyle Hamilton. He's such a stud, physical specimen, phenomenal player, so brilliant.
06:00How does he get himself right emotionally? Well, look, golf is an emotional outlet for a lot of us.
06:10I'm new to the sport, but it has offered me a lot, including a ton of frustration. But for Kyle,
06:16it's been his outlet going back to when he was a young kid with his dad and his dad introducing
06:22him
06:22to the sport. And look, I think the emotional episode was going to be, quote unquote, the most
06:28fun one and the one that probably replicates a lot of what you might see on YouTube, especially in the
06:34golf space, which has gotten extremely popular. But amidst us trying to play a scramble and shoot
06:41under par at a course north of Baltimore, I think you got a window into what Kyle Hamilton thinks about
06:47what happened to the Ravens last year, but also just where he is in his career and how he's
06:53starting to view things through a different lens, even though he's still extremely young.
06:57And the great nugget I'll give you from it, Adam, that I know you'll appreciate that wasn't in the
07:02episode because it doesn't really make sense for it to be in there. But Kyle is a, I think he
07:06said
07:06he's a four. So he is close to a scratch golfer and he did not hit the ball well off
07:12the tee.
07:13We had some time on the range and then we only played six holes due to time restraint.
07:17So what I thought was time restraints, but the greatest part was we're wrapping up on hole six.
07:22We clearly didn't meet our goal of par better. We were a couple above par. And he turns to the
07:28pro who was with us, just kind of making sure everything was going well on the course. And he
07:31said, Hey, can I, can I get another bucket? And can you get me a spot on the range? Cause
07:36I'm not
07:37leaving here until I can figure out this driver. And that takes you to the window and the mindset of
07:43these guys where even though I think he had somewhere to go, he was not leaving that course,
07:47even though it's his emotional outlet. He still has that fire and that edge that I'm not walking
07:53off this course until I feel good about at least a couple of these drives. I love that. Now I
07:57want
07:57to get into the AFC West with you and you're getting ready for your training camp tour. Another season
08:03for the NFL and CBS with Ian Eagle and JJ Watt. And this division, I think there's a case to
08:09be
08:09made. It's the best division, most fascinating division in the entire league. I'm obsessed with
08:14this AFC West. And look, I want to start with the Chiefs because you all know what happened last year.
08:20Now, Travis Kelsey, I don't know if you know this, he got married in the off season. So that's
08:23something that's, that's been a top of the conversation.
08:26It's pretty popular, I guess.
08:27Yeah. I don't know who he got married to, but I know it's, it's out there, right? You know,
08:31Chiefs had an interesting off season. You know, they trade away where arguably their best defensive
08:35player. I thought they had a phenomenal draft. Love Kenneth Walker. Seems like Patrick Mahomes
08:40going to be ready to rock and roll going into camp. Not even this season, Ev, just starting in
08:46July. What's your feel on Kansas City?
08:51I like them. I don't know if I like them to the level of Chiefs in, in their,
08:57their ceiling days and when they were kind of running the AFC in general. But I think there's,
09:03there's an underdog mentality that they haven't been able to embrace for a while. There's a doubt
09:08that has crept in. And I mean, the cop is there for Brady after he tore his ACL, I think
09:14it was the
09:15exact same number of years into the league or in and around that time. And that, that, that first season
09:20back for Tom was a bit bumpy, but I don't think that fell on his shoulders. I think they,
09:24they maybe didn't have all the pieces around them. They may have lost in the divisional round or,
09:28or wild card of the Ravens that year. But I think that this team is going to be in a
09:34great place
09:35where there are always going to be a ton of eyes on them because of Mahomes, because of Kelsey,
09:39because of what they've done. But the expectation and the weight of trying to kind of replicate what
09:47they did a year before falls more on the Broncos. I think they've got to now prove to people that
09:52they're the class of this division. And I think Kansas City is plenty comfortable being in the
09:56position of hunting as, as opposed to being the hunted as much as they have been, because
10:01that's exhausting. As you know, that takes a toll. What do we, we're talking about the last probably,
10:05I don't know, six to eight years that they've been the team that everybody circles,
10:10especially within the division that, Hey, if we take these guys down, we're in business. So you
10:15reference the Broncos. Let's get into them for a second, because I don't know exactly who they are.
10:21And that might sound weird because their defense was so great and they had a golden opportunity to
10:26get to the Superbowl. And obviously Bo Nix was hurt and I'm convinced they would have won that game
10:31if he was healthy and they still had an opportunity to win it. We all know about some coaching decisions,
10:36Sean Payton, who I love. I think he's phenomenal hall of famer. He's outstanding. They make the waddle
10:42deal. There's just something in my brain though, Evan, where I'm just wondering,
10:47can they do it again? And the AFC is loaded. The division is loaded. So last year, I love the
10:55Broncos and it might sound funny. Nix is coming off of, you know, a major injury. You know,
11:00it sounds like he's going to be on track on target. I don't necessarily have the same feel for the
11:06Broncos now as they did last year, which doesn't really make sense. Kind of take the temperature
11:13where you see it going into camp on Denver. I couldn't agree with you more. I never believed
11:19in Denver over the course of last season. And that went all the way up into an AFC championship
11:25game appearance. I have incredible respect for how they navigated the year, how they found ways to win.
11:31And, and I do think that there's a foundation for a consistently good team there with all the
11:37pieces you just laid out. But if you told me to rank my top five in the AFC, I haven't
11:42spent a lot
11:43of time. I'm sure I'll do a little bit more of that ahead of the training camp tour, but I'm
11:46not sure
11:47I would have Denver in that and, or on that list where I see the power rankings of the AFC.
11:56And I think
11:57in New England's right there with them in the, it was an upside down year in, in the conference,
12:04largely due to injuries. Baltimore fell apart because of injuries early in the year, and then
12:08just was trying to claw their way back. And then the way the schedule lines up when, when you are
12:14at
12:15the bottom, as we know, the bottom of the league, you are benefiting usually from a better, more favorable
12:21schedule the following year. And it offers you the opportunity. We've seen this Minnesota a couple
12:25seasons ago when they pop that one score game record up or one possession game record up,
12:32and you find a way to win more of those understanding that is the nature of the NFL.
12:37It often does come down to one score, but you know what I mean? It's the, they were able to
12:41find ways
12:42to win. I don't know if that's a sustainable formula, if you will, the things that often anchor me and
12:49is
12:50this team going to be consistently good? It's head coach, it's quarterback, it's defense, and then
12:54ability to take the ball away and have explosive plays and protect the ball. And I think that
13:01if Bo Nix can prove that he's in that, whatever you want to call it, that sort of mid to
13:07upper tier
13:08group of quarterbacks, this is going to be the year to do it. I think last year he was protected
13:12by a lot
13:13of things around him, both by the way his head coach called the game, and that's to his credit,
13:17but also the way that defense played. Want to get into the Chargers with you. And look, I don't lock
13:23in my predictions and the Chargers, you know, this was one of those teams last year, you know,
13:27this time last year, I'm like, I'm picking the Chargers to win the division. Then everyone gets
13:31hurt. Entire line is hurt. The tackles are hurt. I'm like, it's like, you know, the Seinfeld, you know,
13:36the, the contest, I'm out, right? Like I'm just, I'm out on the Chargers. My goal this year,
13:41when I make my predictions to pick the Chargers to win the division and have it be a true team
13:48that I see playing in the Super Bowl. Not that I'm going to pick them per se, but in theory,
13:52they should be in the all L.A. Super Bowl in L.A. So how does this team get over
14:00that hump?
14:02Man, the Chargers have just, they've shown us so much over the last few years, and let's call it
14:09within the Herbert era here, since he's been under center. And then obviously, Jim Harbaugh
14:14taking the reins the last couple seasons in terms of potential. And they're everyone's darling,
14:22either ahead of the season, early in the season, at times in the middle of the season, but they've,
14:26they've just been so disappointing and critical moments. And having them in a playoff game a couple
14:31years ago in Houston, when it felt like everything was lined up for them to kind of push all of
14:36that
14:37to the side and prove that this is a group that can take that next step and, and meet some
14:41of these
14:42expectations of at least just making a run at a divisional or an AFC championship game. I think the
14:48tackle position, obviously, the ability to protect Justin Herbert is going to be, you know, the pragmatic
14:54view of, is this team going to be able to do those things, win a playoff game for the first
15:01time
15:01since Herbert's been a quarterback. All that health stuff has, has just stood in the way of success
15:09down the stretch. So I think that that stands alone. They're probably, and I would agree with
15:14you here, the most talented team in the division. They're the roster I would want. Absolutely.
15:18On both sides of the ball. But the beauty of this league is there's so much more to it
15:23than just having the guys and having the roster of the two deep on paper.
15:28It's a fun division to talk about, and I know we still haven't hit the Raiders and where
15:32they are in their, and their rebuild with Mendoza and Kirk. But I think the Chargers should
15:38be the class of the AFC West. But until I see it beyond the wild card, I'm not going to
15:45believe
15:45it. Let's get into the Raiders. And I love the way you phrased it. And in a lot of ways,
15:51Evan, I kind of want them to like outkick year one of the rebuild because I thought their
15:56offseason, and it took a zany route, let's be honest, with everything that happened with
15:59Max Crosby. I thought it was fantastic. I love the Clint Kubiak hire. I view it the same
16:05way I viewed Ben Johnson in Chicago. I love Mendoza. I love the additions they made. Linderbaum
16:11at center. I really think that Ashton Gentry is going to have a monster second season. Brock
16:16Bowers is going to get back to being Brock Bowers. I'm fascinated to get your take. I can't
16:23scream that this team's going to make the playoffs. But I think the Raiders are going to be a pain
16:29in the ass for everyone that they play on their schedule. And I wouldn't be surprised
16:33to see them splits three and three in the division. I think they're going to be a tough
16:39out every single Sunday. I agree. I think that the foundation from the, as you put it, the
16:46roster management side of things has provided some stability. It's still a volatile organization.
16:52It's just kind of the nature of, of who they are, whether it's basing themselves in Vegas
16:57or the Davis family and how they, the thing, but whether it's having the ability to say Tom
17:04Brady's part of our ownership group, it does seem that they are, are moving in a more secure
17:10direction. The cop for me would be the New York Giants of last year. But the question remains,
17:19are you going to go to Mendoza early, or are they going to do similar to what New York did
17:23with Jackson Dart and kind of play this game early in the year when the reality is you're just,
17:29you're waiting and you're, I just, I think that sets up a roster for all the other guys on both
17:34sides of the ball to just kind of be living in this purgatory, knowing that the organization wants
17:40to give it to this, this guy. So unless Mendoza is just completely ill prepared through training
17:46camp, it, to me, for them to do the things you're talking about, maybe go three and three in the
17:51division, maybe hover around 500. I think you got to throw Mendoza out there week one.
17:56Totally agree.
17:57Let him marry himself to, I love to brought up Linderbaum, getting to know him as a player here
18:03in Baltimore. Just incredible stability at what is such a critical position. I think if Mendoza
18:09is anywhere close to prepared, they've got to go with them. But I just have a sense they're not.
18:14I think it's going to be kind of how New York handled things last year, where they went with
18:19Russell Wilson, even though no one really wanted that. And he, you know, it just, it lines up too
18:24perfectly. So we'll have to wait and see. But that would be my hope is that he's, he's good enough
18:30to go and they give him a shot. Because I think the sooner you get to it and get through
18:34the inevitable growing pains, the better the dividends will be on the back end.
18:38Yeah. And it's Mendoza. I mean, think about what he did in college. I absolutely think
18:42he should start no matter what week number one. Ev, you're the best. We appreciate it
18:46as always. Congrats on the incredible process series on the NFL and CBS on YouTube. And we
18:52will see you throughout the course of the season. Great stuff as always, my friend.
18:55You're the man. Always good to be with you. And really, thanks for all the things you did
18:59to help me along the way early on in these offseason projects. Because had I not had a home on
19:06time
19:07to shine, there would be no process this offseason. Ev, you're the best. I appreciate it. You're
19:12doing an unbelievable job, and we appreciate the time as always.
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