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Training Camps get underway around the NFL this week, and while we don't know much about how the 2026 season will play out, Kevin Sheehan and Commanders fans have some strong predictions for not only the Commanders, but other teams around the league as well.
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00:00Training camps are underway. Washington's got veterans reporting later today. They'll have
00:05their first full-fledged practice tomorrow. Tomorrow night, by the way, will mark six weeks
00:11until the NFL season opener with Seattle hosting as the defending champs against the team they beat
00:20in the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots. Yes, six weeks from tomorrow night. It'll be here
00:25before we know it. The question that I'm asking is an NFL question, a league question, but it doesn't
00:32mean that you can't answer with something that is Washington specific. But entering this upcoming
00:39season, what are you certain about? What I did in the open was to say anybody that's certain about
00:48anything is playing with fire because the NFL is the most difficult league to predict before a season
00:55begins. Last year, 2025, if you look at essentially the top 10 predicted teams, only five of them
01:02made the playoffs. And then in the back half of the league, five teams made the playoffs.
01:08Two of them, the team that was supposed to be the 20th best team in the NFL, Seattle,
01:13and the team that was supposed to be the 26th best team in the league, New England, they made the
01:19Super Bowl. Does anything else speak to the uncertainty of the NFL? Then last year at this
01:26time, Seattle and New England had an average of 31 and a half percent of making the playoffs,
01:34their blended average. Nobody had either team as a playoff team. Nobody had either team as even a top
01:42half of the league team. And in New England's case, they were in the bottom third, bottom quarter.
01:48So Seattle 20th last year, New England 26th, and that was your Super Bowl. And then out of the top
01:5610 teams where everybody was expecting, you know, a Baltimore Philadelphia Super Bowl or a Buffalo
02:02Philly Super Bowl or a Detroit Kansas City Super Bowl, Baltimore, Kansas City, and Detroit,
02:08three of the top five teams didn't even make the postseason. Philly and Buffalo, the other two top
02:14five teams, didn't get out of the divisional round. In Philly's case, the wildcard round.
02:21What are you certain about, but maybe more safely described? What do you have a strong hunch about?
02:29I have a couple of strong hunches. I shared some of those with you just to repeat. I actually really
02:35like
02:36the New Orleans Saints. I think they're a little bit under the radar, although I think more and more
02:41people are talking about the Saints because Tyler Shuck looked the part. I think Kellen Moore
02:48really knows what he's doing as an offensive head coach. They've got some talent. They're good
02:56defensively. They're over under, by the way, is right where Washington's is heading into the season
03:00at seven and a half. I think they're in a division that has a chance to be a little bit
03:04better. Like
03:04last year, you had a team win the division Carolina with a losing record. Carolina looked
03:11pretty good. Tampa was injured towards the end of the year when they basically blew a huge division
03:17lead and ended up losing it on the last Sunday of the season. They needed Atlanta to lose to New
03:25Orleans to win the division and Atlanta beat New Orleans. But that's one that I feel like I really
03:34like the Saints to win more games than they lose and to contend for the NFC South. And then depending
03:41on Shuck's year two development, they could be a difficult team by the time we get to December
03:49in January. That's a strong hunch for me. There's no doubt that New Orleans is going to be a team
03:56that I play as a preseason future, uh, not only to win more than seven and a half games, but
04:03to make
04:03the playoffs, uh, because I'll be getting a very good price there as well. There are a couple of
04:09other things I feel strongly about. Like I look at the LA Rams roster and I'm like, if Stafford stays
04:14healthy, like there's, it seems to me like there's not much of a chance if Stafford is healthy,
04:21that the Rams aren't going to be a double digit win team and be in the post season, but to
04:27just
04:27automatically say, well, they're going to go to the Superbowl or they're going to be in the NFC
04:31championship game. It's not the way these seasons work. You know, the chemistry of these teams changes
04:36year to year. It doesn't look exactly like it did the year before. It doesn't look ever exactly the way
04:42it looks on paper, but they were not a good defensive team. By the time they got to the end
04:47of the year,
04:47they were terrible special teams wise. And I look at that defensive roster and I'm like,
04:53uh, hello, Trent McDuffie and miles Garrett. Are you kidding me? Like you could, if you look at the
05:01off season acquisitions, free agency trades, right? They have two of the top five. They've got number
05:09one in miles Garrett, Trent McDuffie's got to be a top five acquisition, you know, probably with AJ Brown,
05:17AJ Brown's probably the second biggest acquisition, you know, free agency or trade, right? Dexter
05:24Lawrence would be in that conversation. Um, who else am I forgetting about? Who are the big
05:31acquisitions in free agency? You know, switching teams, miles Garrett, Trent McDuffie to the Rams,
05:37AJ Brown to new England, Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati. Who else am I forgetting about? Where did
05:43Trey Hendrickson end up? Why am I blanking? Baltimore, Baltimore? Of course the whole Max
05:48Crosby incident, Max Crosby incident. Exactly. Could have been in Baltimore, but he's still
05:54in Vegas. Kyler Murray's a Minnesota Viking. Kevin, did you forget? I didn't forget. I'm going to tell
06:01you if Kevin O'Connell coaches Kyler Murray up to consistency, then, then if Minnesota, because there
06:08people in Minnesota that want Kevin O'Connell, if they don't, if they don't make the playoffs this
06:12year gone, that's insane. He is a quarterback coach. Oh, an excellent one. Um, yeah. What
06:21do you feel certain about, or what do you have a strong hunch about me? Yes. Well, you have
06:29a team that you like, and I have a team that I hate. Uh, the vibes have been never been
06:34worse
06:35for this team in the off season. Um, Abdul Carter and Jackson dart were publicly beefing
06:40online in the off season. Cam Scadabo is doing backflips at fanatics fest. I just, I do not
06:47believe in the New York giants. So I am going to say that I am certain that they will finish
06:52fourth in the division yet again this year. So book market giants fans. Well, they're predicted
06:58to finish fourth. It's not a, I mean, listen, it's not a bold or a hot take. It's what you
07:03have.
07:03There are people talking up the giants roster. I've heard that a lot of belief because of
07:09Harbaugh, a lot of belief that, you know, he's going to get some professionalism, some
07:14competence into that organization. Um, yeah. Okay. But as long as, as long as Shane's involved,
07:21I just don't, I it's, it's, it gives unserious franchise vibes to me. I just can't, I can't
07:27get on board with it. There are a couple of teams that, you know, in addition to new
07:31Orleans, a couple of, because they're more on the low side, predicted low side. I know
07:36a lot of people like Jacksonville and Houston this year. So do I, I like both of those teams
07:42that NFC, that AFC South, especially with Daniel Jones back, he's healthy. He's cleared.
07:48Remember that team was what they were seven and one, right? When he got hurt seven and one
07:53or maybe seven and two last year, he's the best record in the NFL, you know, up, they
07:58were, uh, yeah, they were seven and one. And then he got hurt. Um, uh, well, he got hurt
08:03a couple of weeks later, but they lost, they, and they lost a couple of heartbreakers. Remember
08:08they lost a close game at Pittsburgh. Um, they lost, uh, an overtime game at Kansas city.
08:13And then he got hurt in the game against Houston that they lost 20 to 16. You know, Indy's
08:19got some good players. That division is sleepy tough, at least the way it looks now. Not certain
08:26about it, but I have a hunch that Jacksonville and Houston are legitimate, like deep into
08:32the post-season contenders. Well, I've got one other hunch and some of you are going to
08:40hate it and you're going to identify why I have the hunch. I'll save that for after the
08:44calls 301-230-0980. What are you certain about heading into this NFL season? Or again, maybe
08:51better described, what do you have a strong hunch about? Let's start with Dave in Alexandria.
08:56Dave, go ahead. Good morning. How are you Kevin? Long time. Oh my God, Dave. I recognize
09:03that voice. It has been a long time. How are you? Oh, good. I've, uh, I had two knees replaced.
09:10So that's what I've been doing. Oh, well, I hope you're well. Oh, I'm well, I'm well. Uh, I think
09:18the prohibitive favorite is, uh, are the Rams. Uh, I think you mentioned about, uh, Stafford
09:24depending upon if he's healthy, they're going to go a long way. I don't know if they'll get to the
09:29Superbowl or not. My concern is for Washington. Uh, are they improved? I think they are. You've got
09:38a first, first time offensive coordinator, first time defensive coordinator. And historically,
09:44as you've mentioned many times, they always start off slow. And given the first three games,
09:51which are murder games, uh, we're in a wait and see mode. I think they have still have deficiencies
09:58at, you know, at cornerback. Uh, I think you'll see more of a run game this year rather than run
10:05and
10:05gun. But once again, it all depends upon health. Uh, I, I guess my bottom line is we're in a
10:12wait
10:13and see mode on Washington. Uh, I like your idea of, uh, of Houston. Uh, I think they're going to
10:19go
10:19a long way in the South. So, uh, uh, those are my thoughts, Kevin. All right. Thank you, Dave. Good
10:25to hear your voice. Take care of yourself. Appreciate it. What are you certain about entering this NFL
10:31season? Or what do you have a strong hunch about? It's a dangerous game, but we're playing it. Nick
10:37in Virginia beach, Nick, go ahead. Hey, Kevin. Uh, thanks for taking my call. What's up, Max? Um,
10:45I have a couple, uh, I think a couple I'm going to speak through. I think the bills will make
10:49the
10:50playoffs just because of Josh Allen. Um, I think that the NFC North will have two post-season teams.
10:56That seems to be the trend over the past few years. And I think there's really
11:00three talented rosters in that division with green Bay, with Detroit and with, uh, Chicago.
11:07But my biggest one I think is that I think Seattle is going to take a step back. I think
11:13losing
11:13Kenneth Walker is going to hurt them kind of control the ball. I'm not a Jadarian price fan
11:18out of Notre Dame. I just don't think barring health with San Francisco. And then that stacked Rams
11:24roster that they're going to be a successful running a first place schedule, uh, in the,
11:31in the NFC West. I just think that they might take a step back. Uh, the public loves them.
11:35You know, there's a lot of, a lot of love for Seattle. I'm still not a believer in Sam
11:39Darnold either. I just think that they are set setting themselves up right now for a regression
11:43season. Yeah. I'm just not a believer in Sam Darnold either. I, I, now let me just say that
11:50with a great defense, with great special teams, with a running game, with the scheme that totally
11:56fits what he does well, you know, you can do a lot worse than Sam Darnold. I'm not, I'm not
12:01suggesting he's a bad quarterback, but I still, you know, and I'm just trying to think of, of the,
12:08uh, you know, if, if you just go back to the playoff or the late season game that they had
12:13against the Rams in which the Rams gave it up, you know, they gave up the punt return.
12:19Then they had the, the, the wacky two point conversion. Um, I didn't think he was great
12:25in that game. There were, there were a couple of games late in the season where I'm like,
12:28Sam Darnold kind of regressing. Remember what Sam Darnold after that great season in Minnesota
12:33in 24 did in the post-season game against the Rams defense when they played that on, on,
12:38at a neutral site in Arizona because of the fires, uh, in Southern California.
12:43Um, but I will say this, they are well coached. They have really good defensive talent. They are
12:50good on both lines of scrimmage. They do all of the little things, but they are in a loaded division
12:56and we'll see how the schedule plays out that, you know, that's a, that's one of those. I love
13:02that you've got a strong hunch about the Superbowl champions taking a step back. And by the way,
13:07when you look at their competition, playing the Rams twice, playing the 49ers twice,
13:12um, and everything else they've got on, on their schedule, uh, you know, are they going to repeat
13:18where they were in terms of wind total? It seems unlikely this from, um, Tanner Tanner writes me,
13:24you mentioned the saints coaching staff, their DC might be better than their HC, meaning their defensive
13:33coordinator and the head coach. No, I love their coaching staff and no, I would not want Brandon
13:38Staley, the defensive coordinator Tanner as my head coach. He's already, we already saw that in LA with
13:44the chargers. He is a great defensive coordinator. He is not necessarily at this point anyway, um, a
13:52great head coach. I thought Kellen Moore did a great job with the saints last year. Uh, and that is
13:57a
13:57very, very solid coaching staff, um, with just an interesting roster. I, I, the quarterback is
14:05everything and he showed a lot at the end of last year. They added Travis ETN or however he's
14:11pronouncing it these days, Alvin Kamara's back. Uh, they added, you know, the kid, um, the, the wide
14:17receiver from Arizona state to Chris Alave, um, uh, you know, the receiver that got drafted in the top
14:2210, the Arizona state injured a wide receiver, Jordan Tyson. Um, they've got really good talent
14:29defensively, really good talent. And they were really well coached defensively last year. All
14:35right. Stay on hold. I see everybody there. Uh, what are you certain about entering this upcoming
14:41NFL season? Or as you know, mentioned in the open, you shouldn't be certain about anything when it comes
14:48to NFL predictions, but what do you have a strong hunch about as it, as it relates to the NFL
14:55at large
14:56teams, players, it can be our team as well.
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