00:00Stephon Diggs is reportedly interested.
00:03Interested in the commanders?
00:05That's new.
00:06But yeah, that's where we are.
00:07Wide receivers want to be here.
00:09That's what happens when you have a franchise quarterback like Jaden Daniels on a team
00:13just a couple of seasons removed from an NFC championship game.
00:16So I was thinking about the wide receiver room before we hit the calls,
00:19and these are a few things that kind of came to me several nights ago.
00:22We all understand and agree they're a little light on talent outside of McLaurin.
00:26Yep.
00:27But a couple of observations.
00:28The first thing I was thinking about is teams defensively play so much more zone now
00:34that it is actually, just by nature, factually way less important
00:38that you have receivers who can beat man,
00:41which is another way of saying, like, legitimately technical good route runners
00:46are just higher end, higher upside receivers.
00:49It is easier to succeed in zone, throttle it down, read things out.
00:53But there was a time where you have to have guys who can beat man.
00:56I just think the import has gone down because the zone rates have gone way up.
01:01So that, plus the elevation of the receivers in the scheme by Blau, like we were talking about,
01:06the fact that they're going to get freer releases and better opportunities with shifts and motions,
01:12Kingsbury didn't believe in those things.
01:13Blau is going to use more of them than you've ever seen.
01:16That all makes me feel better about elevating the players they have.
01:21So that would be the first thought I have on having lesser talent
01:24and it being more okay now than a year or two ago.
01:27Yeah, and one thing on that too, I think we talk about it a lot, the slot or outside.
01:33I think that's overblown a little.
01:35Not to say that it doesn't matter, but Antonio Williams is going to line up outside
01:38and also line up in the slot.
01:40Terry McLaurin is going to line up in the slot some this season.
01:42They're going to use guys in different ways.
01:44So, you know, when we're talking about Diggs and, you know, we've had callers talk about,
01:48well, he played a lot in the slot last year.
01:50He's going to play outside.
01:51He's going to play slot.
01:51Like, I think they're going to use all of their guys,
01:53maybe with the exception of a guy like a Traylon Burks,
01:56who is a big receiver who can play outside.
01:57They're going to move their guys all around.
01:59It's going to be shifts.
01:59It's going to be motions, stacks, bunches, all those sorts of things.
02:02So I think David Blau is going to help those guys out as much as possible
02:05in terms of getting off the line of scrimmage.
02:07So here's a little bit of a problem, though, with that.
02:09Okay?
02:10I think it is true.
02:11Numbers back it up.
02:12You get more zone than you get man,
02:14and then the trends are all more into zone in the league today.
02:18But there are unavoidable situations where you're going to be in man,
02:21and you're going to have to win.
02:23And so the comp I'll use is, like, if you have a drinking problem,
02:28you can not have any drinks at your house and be in environments as often as possible
02:34where you're not being tested, but eventually you're going to that birthday party
02:38or you're at the—you know what?
02:40I don't even like the analogy because it's so serious.
02:41I'll use my own thing.
02:42If I'm on a diet, okay?
02:44Like, I struggle, and I'm trying so hard on a diet, and I'm just like,
02:49I just won't have anything at my house.
02:50But then I'm at a sports bar watching a game with someone,
02:53and the wings are flowing, and I'm like, damn, it's a lot harder.
02:56So my analogy in my comp is third downs, red zone.
03:01These are situations you are inevitably going to be in.
03:04You've got to live your life.
03:04You've got to be out and about.
03:06Do you have the willpower then?
03:08And on third down, you were going to see man coverage.
03:10In the red zone, you were going to see man coverage.
03:13Now you've got to win, and I don't think all of a sudden your talent becomes better at doing that.
03:18So you're going to be worse in those areas unless this is where Jaden Daniels has to put on his
03:23cape.
03:24He excels.
03:25That's the money down.
03:25That's where you make the money at quarterback, on third down, and in the red zone, uplifting those guys.
03:31So those are some of the observations I came up with.
03:33It's fair to say that McLaurin's the only guy who will routinely beat man.
03:37But Daniels on the field, I think, also helps because you're running so much less man against a team with
03:44a quarterback who runs a 4-4.
03:46You don't want anyone turning their backs with Jaden Daniels in the pocket.
03:50Because he can pull the ball down, take off, and they're looking up at the screen,
03:53and as they're going, oh, he left the pocket, they're turning around, he's by them.
03:56You get a lot more zone.
03:57But that's all the more reason why it's reason number 87.
04:01When he gets hurt and he's not on the field, this team is so different.
04:04Because you're built in a way that he, that there's just a tangible way to explain why his presence is
04:11better for a receiver.
04:13I don't even mean throwing him the football.
04:14As soon as now that's Mariota, worse version of him, or God forbid, you know, Kaliak Manis or somebody else,
04:21I can do whatever I want.
04:22I'm not worried about this guy beating me with his legs.
04:25Well, and you talk about those third downs and the red zone.
04:28Another thing that's a little bit slept on, and people got sick of him as a player because he didn't
04:32give you anything after the catch,
04:33but Zach Ertz was reliable.
04:35He was someone that you could always go to.
04:37Is Chigakonkwo just going to step in and do that?
04:39I certainly hope so.
04:40Or someone is going to have to step into that role.
04:42I think just about everybody would say they'd rather have Chig than Zach Ertz.
04:45But one thing that you're losing when you give up on Ertz is that guy that he ran that angle
04:51route how many times in 2024 down in the red zone or on fourth down or third down when they
04:55needed it,
04:56and they just immediately put it on him.
04:57You could rely on that.
04:58That's something that they don't necessarily, we don't know who's going to take that role yet in this offense.
05:02They used to call him No Yak Zach, but it was also third and Zach.
05:05It was third down and Ertz.
05:07I liked, it's third down.
05:11Third down.
05:12I don't know why we never went with third down.
05:15Because that's what it was.
05:16It was like third and seven.
05:17You knew what it was.
05:18It was that little whip route.
05:19He's going to get you beat inside, make a catch with a dude on his back.
05:23Jaden's going to throw it tight in the window right at his chest.
05:26Let's go to Ron in D.C.
05:27Ron, you're on Grant and Danny.
05:29We're looking at the receiver room going into training camp.
05:31How are you?
05:33Hey, how you doing, Grant?
05:35How you doing, Toby?
05:36Hey, I've been listening to you guys.
05:37You guys both making great points.
05:38I was just calling in real quick because what I was, I'm one of those people sometimes, you know,
05:43you go to that nice restaurant and you're like, okay, you know what?
05:45I got a little extra money.
05:46Let me just have my cake and eat it too.
05:48So, like, right now, why couldn't we just get, maybe get Diggs, you know, get him right now.
05:55And then IU, I mean, he has so many things he has to do in order to even think about
06:01getting
06:01him because he has to get reinstated, do these other things, do other stuff.
06:05He got so many steps I got before anybody can even think about getting him.
06:09So, I was thinking, well, why can't we just have both of them?
06:12And then you got a four-receiver set.
06:14You got McLaurin.
06:15You got Williams.
06:16You got IU.
06:17And you got Diggs.
06:19And everyone's so worried about them.
06:22Then you got Bill coming out of the backfield.
06:24And Jaden, who could pull it down if you want to.
06:26Then you got some weapons to go with.
06:29What do you guys think?
06:29I mean, you got two receivers, 30-plus.
06:32You got another guy who hadn't played at a high level in a couple years with an ACL.
06:36Like, to me, you're watering down any kind of productivity and youth and exuberance and
06:40speed you can get from the kids.
06:42It's certainly possible that I get at both.
06:45The IU thing I have no interest in, regardless of how big the role is.
06:48I've been out for a long time.
06:50You cannot be more out than I am.
06:51I'm the most out that I've been on anything in a while.
06:54And just to be clear, in case anyone's not understanding, I could not be more out.
06:57If you're saying, are you in or are you out, Grant?
06:59I don't understand.
07:00I am more out than the runner that gets hung up between second and third.
07:04Than a Nationals 2025 base runner?
07:06Yeah, I am so out.
07:08I can't be more out.
07:10Okay?
07:12But you really can't have him paid if he's not playing.
07:16So he's saying, like, just bring him in and then kick the tires and see.
07:20No, no, no, no, no.
07:21If I'm doing the press conference where I sign this goose and I have to basically wear it
07:26for a month while everyone makes fun of me, that he trolled me, that he made fun of my
07:29quarterback, that did all this stupid stuff, and I still sign him because I reek of desperation
07:34and I have no standards, then I might as well get something out of him on the football field.
07:39I'm definitely not bringing him in here to just see for a couple months if we can get
07:43him up to speed.
07:44Let's go to Melvin in Virginia.
07:45What's up, Melvin?
07:47Hey, guys.
07:48Thanks for taking my call.
07:50First off, I think the wide receiver room is already set, and I'll tell you why, because
07:55you've got a brand-new, young offensive coordinator.
07:59He don't need no divas, right?
08:01He don't need no disruption.
08:02He don't need nobody pouting on the sideline when they don't catch, you know, when they
08:06get enough fouls, right?
08:08So that's the first part of it.
08:10And then, back up a little bit, when you talked about Dan Quinn being on the hot seat,
08:15he's not on the hot seat, because that same offensive coordinator, that's the next McVie.
08:22That's the guy.
08:23He's the heir parent.
08:25So he has to have at least a year.
08:29Remember, McVie, in his first year as the offensive coordinator, what did he do?
08:33He needed the help.
08:34The second year, third year, he blossomed.
08:36Same thing here.
08:38So Dan Quinn got plenty of time, right?
08:40But it's blouse.
08:42That's the key to this whole thing and going forward.
08:45That's a good phone call.
08:46I've not thought about blowing year one and maybe not wanting to bring in, we'll use the
08:52word diva, but like the receiver who's going to be the pain in the butt.
08:56If you're a first year teacher, you don't want to get the kid that's been kicked out of
09:00three schools.
09:01Yeah.
09:02I have not really thought much about that, but that is another reason maybe when you're
09:06talking about this in the boardroom, if you're Adam Peters, where you're going, I've
09:10thought about that from Jaden Daniels' perspective a ton.
09:11I don't need him trying to play counselor.
09:15I don't need him trying to help his best buddy.
09:17That's a real thing.
09:18We all have friends that are going through things and you feel bad for them and you're
09:22empathetic and you're on the phone with them and you're trying to help them and you're
09:25having the late night phone call and they're calling you at two in the morning or whatever.
09:28I don't need that for Jaden Daniels in the most important year of his career from a
09:32teammate.
09:32But I haven't really thought about it from the Blau perspective.
09:36Blau would be better off in his first year not trying to placate a guy who's going to
09:42create turmoil.
09:43That makes sense.
09:44So here's the interesting part for me is Stefan Diggs was a diva in Buffalo.
09:49There's no question about it.
09:51I don't know that he was a diva last year.
09:53Now they were winning football games.
09:54They went to the Super Bowl, right?
09:55So there's less opportunity to be diva.
09:58If this team, you know, God forbid something happens and they're, you know, a seven win team
10:03or even worse, maybe it pops up a little bit more.
10:05So maybe that could be the case.
10:07But again, I'm kind of sold that the way that he's been talked about by people that were
10:14in that locker room and the quality of teammate that he was exclusive from the stuff off the
10:20field.
10:20I'm not talking about that.
10:21I'm talking about the football player.
10:22I don't think that I'm as worried that he's going to step in.
10:26Now he's done it in the past.
10:27So your best marker for future behavior is past behavior.
10:30So it could pop up again.
10:32And I, you come out on because that to me just screams diva happening.
10:36If he doesn't get his catches, it seems to me like digs to your point in the later part
10:40of his career has an understanding and awareness about how good he is, how important he is
10:46and how he can act thusly.
10:48When you're catching 115 balls from Josh Allen in the prime of your career and you get targeted
10:53six times in a playoff game or whatever, you're going to be loud.
10:56I mean, the idea that he's already saying I can help somebody as a number two receiver.
10:59He's not stupid to think that he's going to step in and supplant Terry McLaurin.
11:03Like, I think he falls in line there and understands that.
11:05No, when I think diva right now, what we're talking about, I think Iuke.
11:09Yes, there's no doubt digs in Minnesota, butting heads with their staff, then Buffalo.
11:14He was maybe the poster child at one point for pain in the butt receivers, but he has not
11:18been that in multiple places.
11:20Houston's got nothing but good things to say about him.
11:21Same with New England.
11:23I would ask, why can he never stay anywhere?
11:26Like, why does anyone not bring him back?
11:28I'm not asking him to be here for three years.
11:30No, I understand, but my point is, if it was all great, if he was the best teammate
11:34in the world and the best guy to coach in the world and he's really helpful, then why
11:37wouldn't he have...
11:38This will be, I think, four teams in four years or whatever.
11:40Yeah.
11:41That is somewhat telling, too.
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