- 2 months ago
David Aldridge is concerned about the health of the Washington Commanders as they prepare to start the season in just over a week.
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00:00I had the pleasure of spending Friday night in Baltimore with you
00:03watching a pretty thorough ass-kicking,
00:06and then I had the pleasure of sitting in the press conference room with you
00:09yesterday when Adam Peters said, I'm still really confident.
00:14What do you think is closer to reality?
00:21I would say this.
00:22There's an awful lot, depending on the health and well-being
00:25of Nick Allegretti this year.
00:27I'm just putting that one.
00:30And I think it's okay to believe in them.
00:33It's okay to believe in any of your players.
00:35Like, you see them all the time.
00:36You know what they're capable of.
00:37You know their strengths and weaknesses.
00:39So it's okay to say that's who we're going to rock with this year.
00:44But I'm always thinking, okay, but what happens if that player's not here?
00:48For whatever reason.
00:49You know, like, and so that to me is where there's still some work that needs to be
00:54done.
00:55I'm not, like, I don't think it's like a full-blown panic,
00:58but I think there's an obvious potential problem here that I think they need to fix.
01:05And the fact that Dan Quinn said after the Detroit game, like, we got to fix this center
01:11thing, like, out loud to reporters, indicated to me that, like, this is a real thing.
01:17And so far, they haven't addressed it.
01:21They haven't brought in anybody else to compete at that position.
01:25And if this is all about competition, there wasn't, to me, I'm a layman, but there wasn't
01:32a whole lot of competition at that spot during most of the training camp because the guys
01:37that were playing in place of Allegretti did not distinguish themselves, to me, in a meaningful
01:42way.
01:48I agree with that.
01:49And it's crazy to land in this spot.
01:52Yes, we are here.
01:54Can you guys hear us?
01:58Does David hear us?
01:59Does anybody hear us?
02:00I hear you.
02:01I hear you.
02:02I hear you, Dave.
02:04Yeah, I have no idea.
02:05I do hear you.
02:06Okay.
02:06Jeff's in my ear, making me freak out.
02:09Okay, good.
02:10That's all that matters today.
02:11Tell Jeff to stop talking.
02:13But for Peters.
02:16Yeah.
02:19For Peters, I kind of liked that he puffed his chest out a little bit and said, listen,
02:25I know what we have.
02:26We haven't shown what we have.
02:27We'll be ready for Philadelphia.
02:29Were you surprised by his kind of, a little bit of pushback around the recent narrative?
02:36No, no.
02:38Look, I, you know, we've all been around professional athletes and professional management staffs and
02:45coaches.
02:45There is a great amount of confidence, often bordering on hubris, right?
02:50Like, they all think they're, they're, they're the smartest guys in the room and they're the
02:57most capable guys in the room.
03:01And again, in civilians, and we're all civilians, ask questions that kind of go at that narrative.
03:09They get a little, I won't say defensive, but they get their, they get their chest out,
03:13like you said, right?
03:14Like, it's really like, I know what I'm doing.
03:18I do this for a living.
03:19You do not do this for a living.
03:20You really aren't in a position to question what my decisions are here.
03:25And that's okay.
03:26As long as it works.
03:30It's all good if it works, but if it doesn't work, then we've got a problem, you know?
03:35So, um, I just don't look, if they thought they were cool at center, they wouldn't have
03:41gone after Tyler Lindbergh.
03:42Okay.
03:43That's the bottom line.
03:45They thought they were all good at center.
03:46They wouldn't have tried to get Tyler Lindbergh.
03:48And they did try to get that and they were offering a lot of money.
03:51Now they didn't offer them Raiders money, but they offered them a lot of money.
03:54You know what I mean?
03:55So clearly they thought they had an issue and I don't know that again, I'm not saying
04:04Alegrini can't play and he can't help you.
04:06And he's not, and he is very smart.
04:08He's a tough guy.
04:09He'll play hurt, played hurt through the Superbowl.
04:12Okay.
04:13Like, so like, this is not about him.
04:16Um, it's about what happens if he gets hurt and he can't play, which, which happens in
04:22football.
04:23I'm afraid to tell people that the guys get injured playing football.
04:27And so you got to have an answer if that guy gets hurt.
04:34Do you anticipate them trying to address this issue with someone else?
04:38And I, like you stated earlier, which comes to, we got to fix a center position.
04:43Is this something where the coach know, but management is not going to get him some help?
04:48I don't think it's like they're disagreeing on it.
04:51I think it's, it's more about our, what's the, what's the price point going to be and
04:55what's the quality of the, of the people that are available, like, could they go get
05:00a, I would say rotation level center.
05:04Now that you can't get a starting center, you know, two weeks before the start of the
05:07regular season, but can you get a rotational level center?
05:12Yeah, probably.
05:14Well, what's it going to cost you?
05:15What's the price point?
05:16And what's, what's the draft pick?
05:18You gotta, you gotta expand.
05:19And what's the amount of money you have to sign to bring a, a free agent.
05:23Um, like my man in Detroit has been sitting, sitting on his couch for a while and so he's
05:28ready to go Glasgow.
05:29Like, what was that cost you?
05:30Like, and so, yeah.
05:32So I think that's where there may be some, there may be like, like Adam Peters has to make
05:38a call about how much he's willing to spend to bring in a backup.
05:44And that's not an unfair question.
05:45You know, I, I, it's not unfair for him to make that judgment that this, this guy may
05:50cost too much.
05:51I'm not going to give up a fourth round pick for a guy that may not play for him.
05:55Right?
05:55Like that's a reasonable position to take, but you are still vulnerable until you address
06:01that issue is what I'm saying.
06:03You're vulnerable to catastrophic results on the football field.
06:08If you're starting center goes out, you gotta have an answer at every position.
06:13And I don't think they have an answer at that position right now is not like the worst scenario,
06:19but it's a real thing that I think they need to address.
06:24I agree with you, DA.
06:26I think the good Jones experiment went on far too long.
06:28I think Goldman hasn't shown much.
06:31Um, I think Goldman's okay at the line of scrimmage, but the movement seems to be a real problem
06:37for him.
06:37He has, he has decent strength, but he's just doesn't seem very athletic.
06:41Um, the, the depth is the issue.
06:43I want to flip sides of the ball though, because they spent a lot of money on the D line
06:49and
06:50we haven't seen away or chase on in a while.
06:53And for all the talk of this defense is going to be more aggressive and they're going to
06:58blitz.
06:58Like you also need edge rushers that can get home.
07:02And that was the whole design of bringing away and then chase, just chase on to a lesser
07:06degree in what's your concern level for those guys.
07:10Hi, hi, very high.
07:14You know, like, um, they gotta be out there.
07:17Do you spend a lot of money to bring away here and you spend less money, but you know,
07:23you brought chase on here for a reason.
07:24And then like you said, it's to get to the quarterback and those are your two top guys
07:28that you've been counting on to get to the quarterback.
07:30And not only that, JP, those two guys presence on the field, freeze up Lou, who's not going
07:38up against the tackle.
07:39He's more, you know what I mean?
07:40He's going up against the running back or a tight end that he can be in pass rush.
07:44So, you know, if there's a ripple effect, so you got to get those guys out there.
07:50And that's why I asked Quinn yesterday about, you know, what's the deal with Owey?
07:54And he was like, well, he's coming along, but he's not going to practice this week.
07:58And it's like, whoa, we're getting like, now we're getting real close to the start of
08:02the season now.
08:03And this guy hasn't been on the field in almost a month.
08:05You know what I mean?
08:06Like at some point, I know what the cap is.
08:09Cap injuries are weeks, not days.
08:10Those are not, you know, mess around with cap injuries because I believe me, I've come,
08:15I cover basketball in my other life.
08:17Cap injuries lead to a killing blowout.
08:20And you don't want that.
08:22That's, that's season ending and career threatening, right?
08:25So you have to take it easy with cap injuries.
08:29I know that.
08:31But if you're thinking about Philly on the 13th, your concern level, my concern level
08:37would be high about Owey being on the field and being effective in week one.
08:44Do you think that's part of the reason why they, this thing is taking a little bit
08:48longer?
08:49We've already seen that this group here, they're more cautious with people being
08:53injured.
08:53The fact that there's a calf injury that you, like you stated, can become some more
08:57serious that they go, let me pump my brakes just a little bit.
09:00I know people want to know all the answers.
09:01They want to see them, but I can't rush them out there just because somebody want to
09:04see them.
09:05Yeah, look, I mean, I think it's, it's, it's simple that you want to be out for two
09:09weeks or for two months, you know what I mean?
09:11Like it's real simple and I get that.
09:13So I don't, I don't begrudge them that like being careful with Owey, you took a lot of
09:18money into him.
09:19This is not a one-year deal with Adopay Owey, right?
09:22Like this is a guy that you hoped is going to be part of your thing for a few years
09:27here.
09:28Right?
09:28So I get it.
09:29I'm not mad at him for being cautious.
09:32It's just, it's just, my thing is just, who's lining up on this on September 13th?
09:38That's, you know, you know what I mean?
09:40And that to me is, that's where I'm like, I'm not sure it's going to be him, you know,
09:45and it may not be.
09:46And so they may have to try to figure out a way to get through that game, which is going
09:50to be tough enough without their best, you know, the guy who at least on paper is the
09:54best pass rusher and the guy who's probably the second best pass rusher is suspended for
09:59week one.
10:00So you really, you know, you don't have a lot of options right now on the end going
10:05into Philly.
10:08Yeah, man, I agree with you, DA.
10:10I think the center conversation has taken a life of its own on, but if Allegretti is good
10:16to go and largely starts and plays at a fine, not even like great level, but like he's just
10:23fine, I think the center conversation will fade.
10:27The O-Way thing has my attention.
10:29We do have a little bit of news.
10:30Looks like Ja'Cory Krosky, Merritt, Bill, back, dressed for practice today.
10:36He is dressed.
10:42I do want to switch to an NBA thing, but like, I don't know that it's my job to remind
10:47fans anything, but like the way Dan Quinn talked about Jaden Daniels' readiness yesterday
10:54and what you and I and plenty of people have seen throughout this camp, what kind of year
10:59do you think Jaden's about to have or could have?
11:03Jaden?
11:05Yeah.
11:07Yeah, I mean, I think he's, look, as long as he's upright, look, my confidence in Jaden
11:12Daniels has never wavered.
11:15I mean, it's from the moment he threw that pass in Cincinnati to Terry in the fourth quarter.
11:20At that moment, I went, okay, we're good.
11:26You know what I mean?
11:27Like, because, you know, that's what maybe five people in the world can make, right?
11:31So, to me, with Jaden Daniels, it's just a matter of, is he upright?
11:36Like, if he's upright and healthy and can play, I have no issues with Jaden Daniels' readiness.
11:45I think we've seen him, and we've all been here for camp.
11:48We've all seen the preseason games.
11:50He may not even play much in the preseason.
11:52So, we've been here for camp, and he's looked great, right?
11:56Like, he's looked really accurate.
11:59I think really confident.
12:00Looks like he has a really good grasp of his offense.
12:03I think David Blau is smart enough to know what Jaden feels comfortable doing
12:09and wants to put him in as many positions to be comfortable as possible.
12:14So, it's all up.
12:15And that's why, you know, I think that's partly why people are so, you know, crazy about the center spot
12:22is
12:22they know, well, hey, Dan, let's just come, okay?
12:27So, like, what are you going to do about that?
12:30You know what I'm saying?
12:31So, like, as long as he is healthy, I mean, I think he has a chance to be right back
12:38to that level he was at in 2024.
12:41Like, I don't see him in the region.
12:44I'm with you there, DA.
12:46And that's just, like, a good reminder of maybe what Peters is talking about.
12:50Like, yeah, man, you know, Jaden played three snaps all preseason.
12:53Maybe everybody should calm down a little bit.
12:54Right, right, right.
12:55Talk to him, my friend.
12:57Yeah, and they've got way more talent around him now than he had in 2024.
13:01Like, there's no metric by which you would say the talent level isn't significant.
13:07But, you know, if I receive her tight end, they're deeper running back.
13:11Like, they've got a lot more weapons for him to use now than he had in 2024
13:16when he had the greatest single rookie season in NFL history.
13:20Yeah.
13:21Dave, I ask this question, how much does happening now, like you said, more talent around him.
13:26You have Diggs now.
13:27You have Cheek.
13:29What is Harry?
13:30Harry, with those guys out there, how do teams play them a little differently?
13:34Because you mess around and come after them, and it gets in one of those guys' hands real quick.
13:38It can hurt your defense as well.
13:40Yeah, I mean, look, I think, you know, if you're scouting them, you go, well, you know,
13:45you have to figure out, I wasn't going to cover seven seasons, right?
13:48That was the first thing.
13:49If you double them, literally, you just double in, right?
13:52Make somebody else beat you.
13:53When they're at somebody else who's the foundation of coming up a thousand-wide season last year,
13:57who knows how to get open, who's got great hands, you know, who's an incredible, crafty route runner.
14:04Like, so I'm not sure that's available to you.
14:08And even if you try to take him away, now you've got a concule on a, either on a DB
14:14or on a linebacker.
14:15If I'm the commander, if I'm taking that matchup a hundred times out of a hundred, right?
14:19So he's got a lot of alternatives to go to as long as he has time to throw the football.
14:25You know, and if he has time to throw the football, I think he'll do some damage
14:29because one of those guys is going to get open pretty much every play.
14:33Now, they won't all get open every play, but one of them is going to be open,
14:36and he will get them the ball, I think.
14:40Talking with David Aldridge here on the Rude Guest Hotline.
14:43DA, I want to make sure we make a little time for a column you wrote yesterday in The Athletic.
14:48Like, on how financially things have never been better in the NBA,
14:54but everybody is selling these franchises at a really high rate,
14:58and just few people are as plugged into the National Basketball Association as you are.
15:03I mean, for the Lakers to get flipped like an Arlington condo is pretty crazy.
15:08Like, what is going on?
15:10Well, I mean, it's two sides of the same point.
15:14What's going on is that NBA franchises are incredibly valuable, right?
15:19People see that.
15:21They know that, you know, there is cost certainty, as they say,
15:26with the collective bargaining agreement.
15:28Now, with this second apron that they put in,
15:31you don't have teams outspending other teams by a factor of 1.75.
15:37You know, it's come back down.
15:39So, you know, you don't have to spend a ton of money to be competitive.
15:43You have a great TV contract.
15:45Like, even the NFL is envious of the NBA's TV contract,
15:48and that's never happened before, right?
15:50Like, that's never been an issue before.
15:54So, there's so much money, and you see what these franchises are going for,
16:00that you go, I want in.
16:01I want to buy into that, right?
16:03So, you have more billionaires bidding on these properties than ever before.
16:09But, to me, I mean, I think there's benefits to that,
16:12but I do think there's also potential plus.
16:15And the main one that I was writing about was,
16:18I just don't know that these guys who are making these franchises
16:22do it with any sense of loving the game of basketball.
16:26You know what I mean?
16:26Like, I don't get any sense that these guys, Tom Dundon,
16:30who owns, you know, the Carolina Hurricanes, said,
16:34you know what, I really love the NBA, and I want to go watch NBA players.
16:38I want to go watch Bane play in Portland.
16:40He said, no, this is a distressed property that I can buy cheap,
16:43and maybe, to your point, flip it in five or ten years
16:46and double the rate of it that I bought it for.
16:49So, I think that has a corrosive effect, potentially.
16:53When you don't really care about the city you're in,
16:57like, you don't live there, right?
16:59Like, you don't have any connection to it historically.
17:02It's not like you grew up there, you went to college there or anything.
17:05Like, you just, there's just a team that's available, and you buy it.
17:09And so, when you get on the ground, you're like,
17:11well, I got to maximize my investment.
17:13Let me hire half of the people that work here.
17:16You know what I mean?
17:16Like, and those people are the people that connect your team
17:21to the community that it's in.
17:23Like, you know, like, those are the people that sell tickets.
17:25Those are the people that sell sponsorships.
17:27Those are the people that clean up after the game.
17:30You know what I'm saying?
17:31Like, those, like, this connective tissue
17:33between the people that work for your team
17:35in the city that you're in.
17:38And when you say, well, I can save 10%
17:41and you can save half of my staff,
17:44well, yeah, you can, but now you've lost that connection.
17:48And then if you don't really care about basketball,
17:51like, all due respect, like,
17:54I don't think Mark Cuban would have traded Luka Doncic.
17:57You know what I'm saying?
17:58In fact, I know he would have traded Luka Doncic.
18:00You know, and I'm not standing for Luka Doncic,
18:02but even I know he's a pretty named good player.
18:04You know what I mean?
18:05Like, there's not that many Luka Doncic's in the NBA.
18:08But a new owner who didn't draft him,
18:10who didn't watch him,
18:12who has no connection to the Mavericks franchise,
18:15said, you know what?
18:16If we can save some money,
18:19I'll trade him.
18:19I don't care.
18:20You know, like,
18:21and I think that those,
18:22there are impacts, right?
18:24Those are impacts.
18:25Very much.
18:25And I think the league has to be,
18:28have to keep that in mind
18:30when he keeps touting how popular,
18:33you know, how, you know,
18:35financially secure everything is.
18:37Yes, it is,
18:38but this is still a business where fans matter.
18:42You know, when your fan base matters,
18:44the people that come out to watch your games matter,
18:47the people that watch your team on TV matters.
18:49You know, like, that does matter.
18:51And you got to keep that in mind.
18:55What the hell did happen with the Lakers?
18:57And is, like,
18:59is this dude's Ponzi scheme crumbling?
19:01Will he get to sell the Dodgers
19:02and stop breaking baseball too?
19:04I mean, he keeps saying
19:05he's not going to sell the Dodgers.
19:07I mean, I'm guessing that
19:08when he clear 2.5 billion profit
19:11selling the Lakers,
19:13you know,
19:13if you can't fix your problems
19:15with 2.5 billion dollars,
19:16then you got bigger problems
19:18than I could be.
19:18You can probably,
19:21you know, address
19:21through selling the Dodgers.
19:23You know what I mean?
19:24Like, so I'm guessing,
19:25I mean, it's a unique situation,
19:27but that just goes to show you, like,
19:29okay, here's a guy
19:30that everybody said
19:32incredible owner,
19:33you know, owned the Dodgers.
19:34They won multiple World Series.
19:36You know, this is a great store
19:38for sports and everything.
19:41And it looks like his financial empire
19:44is, let's put it,
19:45I mean, I'll put it
19:46as charitably as I can
19:47because I don't want to get sued.
19:49His financial empire
19:50is got some problems.
19:56Some fairly serious problems
19:58that are drawing the attention
20:01of federal investigators.
20:02So, you tell me.
20:05Like, you know what I'm saying?
20:06Yeah, when they roll in,
20:08they know already.
20:09You know what I'm saying?
20:09Like, so I'm just like,
20:11okay, you know, like,
20:13so if he's like the paragon
20:15of the type of NBA owner you want,
20:18then what do we, you know,
20:19you may want to reassess
20:21the people that you're vetting.
20:23You know what I mean?
20:24What's the vetting process?
20:26You know, to make sure
20:27that people coming into your league
20:29don't have these kind of red flags,
20:31potentially, you know?
20:33There's plenty of billionaires, fellas.
20:36There's plenty of guys,
20:37plenty of other rich dudes
20:38that can buy an NBA team,
20:39you know?
20:41There you go.
20:42DA, thank you for the time
20:43as always, man.
20:43Appreciate you.
20:44All right, Jeff.
20:45Good talking to you.
20:47All right, brother.
20:47Take care, man.
20:48It's our friend David Aldridge.
20:49Give him a follow
20:49at David Aldridge, DC.