- 7 hours ago
Stefon Diggs is now a Commander, giving the team a strong WR2 - but what kind of impact can he have? Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reflects on Diggs' lone season in New England and projects what he can do in DC.
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00:15Coming up later in the show, Scott Abraham will join us.
00:19He will be out at Commander's Training Camp.
00:22No practice today, but practice tomorrow
00:24when Stefan Diggs should be on the practice field.
00:27And Chris Doering joins us at 8.45.
00:30We'll talk college football with him.
00:32Looking forward to that.
00:34Let's head out now to the Rude Guest Hotline.
00:37Rude, the most reliable heating and air conditioning products in the DMV.
00:41We'll say good morning to Ben Valin from the Boston Globe.
00:45He's their national NFL writer.
00:47Ben, good to hear from you again.
00:48How are you?
00:50Great boy.
00:51It's always good to be back in football season.
00:52Yes, it is.
00:53So I saw you tweet 17 hours ago at Ben Valin on X.
00:59Good fit as far as Stefan Diggs signing with the Washington Commanders.
01:04We know you had an up-front seat for him last year
01:09on the Patriots' run to the Super Bowl.
01:11What are we getting with Stefan Diggs?
01:13I know we're getting a hometown guy that was a free agent
01:16and kind of picked his spot early in training camp.
01:19He lands with the Commanders.
01:21It's a big need for us here to add to that wide-out room.
01:24What was your experience with Diggs in New England?
01:27Yeah, yeah.
01:27Never a bad thing for the Commanders to add a good council guy
01:30and a Gaithersburg guy.
01:32Yes, look at you.
01:33That's right.
01:33You're for the locals.
01:34Yeah, that's right.
01:35Very good.
01:37He was great last year.
01:39I do not think it was a given that the Patriots made the right move
01:44by letting him walk.
01:46We'll see how it goes.
01:48I thought he did great last year for the Patriots, coming in new,
01:53coming off an ACL tear.
01:55Yeah, he had that weird thing in Miami with the pink baggie of whatever
02:00in that video.
02:01But beyond that, you know, and obviously he had that legal issue,
02:05which he was found not guilty of.
02:07So that was something else that, you know, was a potential distraction
02:12but ultimately ended up not being a huge story.
02:15But other than those two incidents, I mean, he was a really hard worker.
02:19He was great in the locker room.
02:21Vrabel and the coaches really liked having him.
02:24He instantly became one of their leaders.
02:27They adopted one of his slogans last year, you know,
02:30we all we got, we all we need.
02:32And he produced for a guy who was new to the offense coming off an ACL.
02:37He had over a thousand yards, you know, only four touchdowns,
02:40but was, you know, the Patriots number one receiver played all over the
02:44formation can, you know, can play outside, can play the slot, you know.
02:49And so I thought him bringing him back for his second year with Drake Mays,
02:53second year of the system, second year off of a torn ACL.
02:57I thought he would have been a good fit for the Patriots.
02:59So I like what he brings for the commanders.
03:02You know, I guess my one quibble would be if I were the commanders,
03:06I wish they would have signed him earlier.
03:08So he just could have gotten more reps with Jaden Daniels and gotten a head
03:12start on the playbook, maybe sign sign digs in June instead of now.
03:17But for a team that needs a receiver, I still think he's got plenty of ball left.
03:22He's got a lot to prove.
03:23The fact that he's on his fourth team in four years is probably something
03:28that's going to, you know, drive him.
03:29And, you know, you'll probably get the best out of digs again,
03:33because he's kind of playing year to year at this point.
03:35So I think he's still got plenty of ball left.
03:38And I think it's a good pickup for the commanders.
03:40Ben, I'm glad you brought up the leadership aspect.
03:43I'm going to pull some quotes from our pal Mitch Tischler,
03:46who covers the commanders here locally.
03:48He got a text about digs his time in New England.
03:52And part of that text was vocal leader would break down the team each day
03:56to start practice, worked his ass off, would check in with Vrabel
03:59and ask him if there was messaging he wanted him to get to the players.
04:04So, like, he was kind of like a conduit, like almost like a de facto,
04:08like assistant coach on the field for Vrabel and the staff.
04:13And you'd like to see that from veteran players,
04:15especially for this commanders team.
04:16He's got a lot of young, unproven guys, like, in that wideout room.
04:21So he and McLaurin are going to be a really good influence, obviously,
04:24on the young guys they're trying to develop here.
04:26Yeah, absolutely.
04:27And first of all, shout out Mitchell Tischler, who was my high school baseball teammate.
04:32Oh, nice.
04:33Very good.
04:35Yeah, you know what?
04:36I guess if you're digs, you have to worry a little bit about,
04:39you don't want to step on Terry McLaurin.
04:42Right.
04:42He's obviously the established guy.
04:44That's what I was going to ask you, yeah.
04:45I don't know what McLaurin's leadership style is like,
04:48if he's a real vocal guy, if he's more of a quiet leader type.
04:52But digs is fiery, and leadership, I think, kind of comes naturally to him.
04:58And one thing that I noticed, someone told me last year,
05:01and I noticed it throughout the season, the guy works his butt off.
05:05You know, you do not have to worry about him being in shape, coming in,
05:09being ready to go.
05:11Like, all he does is train.
05:12And he's just one of these guys who's constantly, you know, doing two to three workouts a day
05:18and was the Patriots' hardest worker last year.
05:20And he was really good for some of their young receivers, like Kayshaun Booty and Pop Douglas,
05:26to see how a veteran trains and gets his body right and stays ready for football.
05:31So he is a really hard worker, and the commanders won't have to worry about that.
05:36I expect him to come in in great shape, and especially now his second year off of an ACL tear.
05:43I think even at age 32 or whatever digs is now, he's going to be physically ready to go.
05:49So that's a good thing for, you know, the Luke McCaffrey's
05:53and some of the young receivers you guys have there in Washington.
05:56So, yeah, Diggs and McLaurin, really good, I think, one-two veteran tag team, you know,
06:04in your wide receiver room to kind of lead that unit and be a good example for the younger guys.
06:10Let me ask you about his ability to separate from corners,
06:14because I know that in the Patriots' system, with Josh McDaniels as your offense coordinator,
06:21I believe your receivers were open second most in the NFL.
06:27Like, the statistics are really positive if you look at guys being open and wide open.
06:32Some of that's on the receiver, but some of that's on the system.
06:34What do you see in his ability to separate from corners?
06:39I think in the short area, the quickness is what really stands out for Diggs.
06:44He's really more of a slot than an outside guy.
06:46He's someone who works the middle of the field, settles down in the middle of zones,
06:52you know, beats a guy right off the line and catches maybe a quick slant.
06:56He's not A.J. Brown.
06:57He's not going to be catching a ton of back shoulder throws.
07:00Yes, I thought Josh McDaniels' scheme was excellent last year.
07:03The Patriots definitely were able to scheme up some open receivers really throughout the season
07:09and create some big plays.
07:11But Diggs, I still think, is an excellent route runner.
07:14And, you know, he didn't sound like he had 100 yards every week,
07:19but he came up big in some of their big games.
07:22Go back to week five against Buffalo, you know, a real kind of turning point for the Patriots season.
07:28And Diggs had some just massive catches in that game.
07:32The other one, Tampa Bay, right before halftime,
07:35the Patriots had, like, fourth and goal from the one with, like, one second left.
07:39And they threw a corner fade to Diggs, like, degree of difficulty, 10 out of 10.
07:44And he barely caught the, you know, the lob to the corner, dragged his toes.
07:49He really saved Mike Vrabel on that one because it was a pretty risky play call and decision.
07:55But so Diggs, yeah, he can get open.
07:57He's still got a lot of quickness.
07:59Like I said, second year now coming off the ACL is when people say you're really kind of back to
08:04your old self.
08:05So I think Diggs is going to be in good shape,
08:08and he's going to be able to get open for Jaden Daniels and be a good target for him.
08:11So, Ben, you kind of touched on it, and you said you were kind of surprised that they didn't try
08:17and retain him.
08:18Maybe it was a financial thing.
08:20Maybe it was the off-the-field stuff.
08:22But did the Patriots just want to get a little bit younger there?
08:26And that's why they went after, you know, they traded for AJ and went out and got Dobbs?
08:30Or was it more of a character, in your opinion, more of a character slash off-the-field stuff, like
08:35distraction?
08:36That's the reason they didn't go.
08:37I don't think it was as much the distractions.
08:39The distractions didn't help.
08:41And he does have some other lingering legal issues going on right now, like civil lawsuits that who knows where
08:48those things end up going.
08:51Obviously, not enough of a distraction, you know, for the commanders to sign him.
08:56And I don't think that was the main reason.
08:59It didn't help his cause, certainly.
09:01But it was, A, I think about the money.
09:04His contract called for him to make $20 million this year.
09:07And I just, I think they felt like they could spend that money elsewhere.
09:11And, yes, they pretty much gave that money to Romeo Dobbs,
09:15who is six or seven years younger than Stephon Diggs.
09:18He's, Romeo Dobbs is only 26 years old.
09:20So I do think they wanted to get younger.
09:23And A.J. Brown is, to me, he might be like the Keyshawn Booty replacement.
09:28We'll see if Booty ends up making the team.
09:30But, you know, Brown is more of a, you know, the outside physical guy.
09:33And I just think that's because, you know, Vrabel loves him.
09:37He's a potential superstar player.
09:39You know, Vrabel coached him in Tennessee, and they just wanted to reunite.
09:42And I think that playoff, the Patriots playoff run kind of put into the spotlight
09:47that their weapons were a little underwhelming last year,
09:51that they needed to, you know, upgrade there.
09:53So, you know, I think they liked the Stephon Diggs experience,
09:56but they didn't want to spend the money.
09:59And I think they always kind of viewed it as a one-year Band-Aid
10:01until they got, you know, the players they really wanted in here.
10:06But I don't, I was, I disagreed with it.
10:10I thought they should have kept Diggs.
10:11I thought he was going to be great this year.
10:13And, you know, maybe they could have found a way to rework the contract.
10:16But I still think he's got a lot of good football left,
10:18and I think the Commanders are getting a good one.
10:20And from what you heard and who you talked to up there,
10:24was he pretty good with May?
10:26He's always had that, you know, reputation of getting into it with the quarterbacks,
10:31with, I don't know if it was Cousins or Josh Allen.
10:33I know he's had some stuff there.
10:34But was he pretty good with May in terms of the relationship?
10:38Pretty supportive?
10:39I think so.
10:40And, you know, a lot of it is because everything last year was unicorns and rainbows for the Patriots.
10:45I mean, they went 14-3.
10:47I think they had a streak where they won 16 out of 17 games.
10:50So there wasn't a lot of negativity.
10:52It wasn't a lot of frustration around the team last year.
10:56But, yeah, I mean, Stephon Diggs and his quarterback,
10:59I don't recall any time that they really, like, got into it.
11:04And Stephon Diggs, he was known in Buffalo.
11:06Like, he'd always storm out of the locker room after games, and he'd be very moody after games
11:10and skip his media stuff.
11:12He never did that in New England.
11:13He always, you know, I think they kind of told him, hey, you need to stand here and do it.
11:17But he actually would stand in his locker and do the media after the games.
11:22And, yeah, like, you never once – there was never – I'm sure there was some animated discussions on the
11:28sidelines.
11:28Stephon Diggs is a very passionate guy.
11:31But there was – I can't recall anything last year that was like, wow, look at Diggs and May going
11:35at it on the sideline.
11:36Or look at Diggs and his coaches on the sideline.
11:38Like, that just never happened last year.
11:41So, you know, I think that's a function of Diggs knowing where he's at in his career now.
11:46He's 32.
11:47And he's coming back home, too.
11:49He wanted to come back home and play.
11:50Absolutely.
11:51Absolutely.
11:52And he's on his fourth team in four years.
11:53So I think he'll probably be on good behavior when it comes to football stuff and being a good guy
12:00in the locker room.
12:00I mean, the Patriots, you know, to a man, like, they all really seemed to enjoy having him last year.
12:05And he produced.
12:07And he was a good leader.
12:08I just think his age and his contract and a couple of the off-field distractions probably worked against him.
12:14But, like I said, I think he's still a good player.
12:17And the Commanders are getting a really solid number two receiver.
12:19Look, they're not signing Diggs to a four-year deal.
12:22It's a one-year deal.
12:23They're all in for 2026.
12:25But you bring up a good point, Ben, about having – now you don't just have one older brother for
12:31the younger receivers to look up to.
12:32Now you've got two.
12:34And I don't know what Diggs' relationship is with McLaurin.
12:37I assume it's fine because I don't think Peters would have brought in Diggs if McLaurin said, I don't like
12:41the dude.
12:42So – but now you've got two older brothers to kind of groom the younger guys.
12:48So do you think that would be an issue?
12:49I mean, who – and McLaurin, by the way, has become very vocal.
12:52He was – if you look on the sidelines, especially with Jaden Daniels, he's very supportive, gets loud, and gets
12:58pumped up.
13:00So now you've got two maybe type A personalities.
13:03Do you think that would be an issue?
13:05I mean, it could be if Diggs, you know, wants to be the guy.
13:09And it, you know, upsets Terry McLaurin a little bit.
13:12I think Diggs is smarter than that, though.
13:14I think last year he was the fiery leader because that's what the Patriots receiver room needed.
13:19They didn't really have – I mean, they had Matt Collins, who was new also, but it was mostly a
13:24bunch of young guys.
13:25And the Patriots wide receiver room had really been unestablished since, you know, they traded Jacoby Myers a few years
13:31ago and really since Julian Edelman retired.
13:34So, like, Diggs – they needed Diggs to play that veteran alpha role.
13:39If Terry McLaurin plays that role, then, you know, I'm sure, like, Diggs won't – he can't completely change his
13:45personality.
13:45But, yeah, I'm sure he's smart enough to, like, read the room and know that this is Terry's team and
13:51Diggs is more in a support role.
13:53But, yeah, when you get two alphas in the same room, that is certainly – there's potential there for friction.
14:01But I don't think it'll be a huge problem.
14:04Honestly, I think McLaurin will appreciate having such a veteran, you know, accomplished receiver playing next to him like Stefan
14:11Diggs.
14:11Joined by Ben Valin on the Rude Guest Hotline, he's the Boston Globe National NFL writer.
14:18So, are you bullish or bearish on David Blau as the new offensive coordinator here in D.C. for the
14:24Commanders?
14:26Honestly, like, I couldn't pick David Blau out of a lineup.
14:30I have no idea what scheme he runs.
14:33So, I have no idea.
14:35To be perfectly blunt, you know, the coaching thing is interesting.
14:40Like, look at Houston a few years ago.
14:42Who was their coordinator?
14:44Bobby Slowick.
14:45Yeah.
14:45And C.J. Stroud is looking like the next, you know, big thing in his rookie year.
14:50And, you know, Bobby Slowick's the offensive coordinator of the year.
14:53And then the next year the Texans fall flat on their face and all of a sudden Slowick's out of
14:58a job.
14:59And C.J. Stroud is a bust.
15:01So, like, you know, with these coaches, who knows?
15:05This is a big year for Jaden Daniels, obviously, to prove that, you know, not only is he an elite
15:11quarterback, but that he can stay healthy and that he can be durable.
15:15You know, so this is – and this is probably a big prove-it year for Dan Quinn.
15:20I mean, after last year's debacle, this is probably it.
15:23So, they're all in now.
15:26You know, I was surprised that the Cliff Kingsbury thing fell apart so quickly because that's another one where he
15:32was unbelievable in Jaden Daniels' rookie season.
15:35And then all of a sudden, year two, he's out of a job.
15:38So, I don't know what happened there.
15:39But there's obviously some good stories behind the scenes of how that offense fell apart so quickly.
15:44And I guess it's really about just finding someone who can jive with Jaden Daniels and get them on the
15:49same page because we've seen him do it his rookie year.
15:53But, you know, just obviously it's a huge prove-it year.
15:57And for David Blau, for Dan Quinn, for Jaden Daniels, all these guys, this is a big year coming up.
16:03Ben, real quick, it's tough to get better than 14 wins and go to the Super Bowl.
16:08But do you think that the Pats are a better team this year?
16:12Probably, yeah.
16:13I think their wide receivers are better.
16:15I like that they picked up Elijah Vera Tucker from the Jets.
16:18I know he hasn't been able to stay healthy.
16:19But when healthy, he's, you know, a first-round offensive lineman.
16:23The defense should – everything on paper should be better.
16:27But the schedule is so much harder.
16:29And they were – the Patriots were really lucky with injuries last year.
16:33And honestly, I think that plays into the fact that the schedule was so easy.
16:36They did not have many games where they were locked into some tight, you know, intense battle in the fourth
16:42quarter.
16:42They were – they played a bunch of laughers.
16:44So this year, you know, they've got to go to the West Coast.
16:48They've got to go to Germany.
16:49They're playing on all these random nights of the week.
16:51And the schedule is just so much tougher.
16:54So the injuries are going to hit them.
16:56They already have – they signed this blocking tight end.
16:59They really wanted to get physical and be better in the run game.
17:02And they spent money on this blocking tight end, Julian Hill, and then he tore his ACL in the spring.
17:07So, like, already off to kind of a weird start for them.
17:10And then this Christian Gonzalez contract is kind of hanging over the team.
17:14And we'll see how – if they don't get a deal done with him, how it affects Christian Gonzalez and
17:19some of the other guys in the locker room.
17:21So, you know, last year was just – everything was so positive.
17:25It's going to be really hard for the Patriots to replicate that again.
17:28Ben, good to hear from you.
17:29We'll have you on again soon.
17:30That's Ben Valin from the Boston Globe.
17:33Thanks again, man.
17:34Good stuff.
17:34Thank you a lot, guys.
17:35Yep, that's Ben Valin, Boston Globe's national NFL writer.
17:38Don't forget, we'll be joined by Scott Abraham from ABC7 coming up at 825 here on the Jucks.
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