Growing into a Role: NBC Sports Washington's Ethan Cadeaux

Iron city built. It's time for the Steel City nation podcast. here's your host, Mark Meredith.
On Episode 14 of the Steel City nation podcast, I'll speak with Ethan Cordell Cordell is a digital content producer and writer for NBC Sports Washington with a primary focus on the Washington Redskins. He is a University of Maryland College Park graduate where he attended the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Previous stops include work for capital News Service, w m, you see sports and the left bench. Additionally, he was a digital media intern for the Washington Redskins during the 2000 16th season we'll discuss Ethan's interest in wanting to be in sports media his involvement while attending the University of Maryland. How his early career path has come together and what his long term goals are. We will also look at his time he spent with the Washington Redskins and how he sees things shaping up for the 2020 season he'll take part in our decade definers by listing his five most impactful Redskins since the 1970s Hey Steel City nation, my guest today is Ethan kundo. He is a University of Maryland graduate who works for NBC Sports Washington he's a writer slash digital sports media content specialist. How you
doing today even doing well? How are you
living the dream? I love doing my podcast and I'm glad to
be on appreciate it. I'm full circle for us.
Yeah, absolutely. Just Just for a little bit of information out there. I had even probably eight or 10 years ago in in school when I was when he when he was in school and I kind of assumed that my health class um So it's kind of fun to talk to him now as easy a grown man out in the real world. Maybe history.
Yeah, it's crazy to think how long it's been but it doesn't feel that long. So
no, no, I'm I'm gonna get right into it with you. But what sparked your interest in wanting to be wanting to report on sports
so this this story I always love explaining So growing up like career days in elementary school, like Early Middle School, I just always wanted to be like, every boy like a professional like football, basketball, baseball player, whatever sport I was playing, and then it quickly I quickly realized in middle school that there was just no chance of this happening at all right? I had such a strong passion for sports. I knew the way I wanted to make money and the career I wanted to enter had to do with sports, and I always really liked English writing. loved what like I would watch sports center in the morning. I wouldn't watch cartoons. I was also He's really into sports media. So entering high school that's I really wanted to focus on that. I joined the student newspaper, I think my sophomore my junior year and then got to cover like the football team worked for moco football.com and a couple other local outlets and by the time I got to Maryland, like I picked Maryland because not just cuz it was my state school, the short like story that is I didn't want to go to Maryland. I didn't want to go to my state school. But when I saw the sports journalism program, they had their with George Solomon and Shirley Povich center and all the internship opportunities that they had in the Washington DC Baltimore area. I thought I could live or grow up anywhere, but you know, it's a school I want to attend. So that's how I ended up in Maryland then from there just took off to where I am now. I'm
in Maryland. Was there any particular sport you like covering better than than the others?
I mean, the simple answer is men's basketball just because it was the best teams there. So I actually I got lucky my freshman year, like the first semester I was there, the director, the news director of W NBC Sports The radio station. There was my tour guide when I was a high school student, oh my ground. So she actually helped convince me to come to Maryland and I emailed her once like the interest meaning like my first week on campus, and she had enough confidence in me to send me to Maryland footballs like midweek football press conferences, which happened every Tuesday, like in the tiser tower at Maryland stadium. So my third week of class as a freshman, I was 18 just turned 18. I'm sitting next to a bunch of reporters talking to then Randy Edsel. And once Randy Edsel got fired that year. It happened to be Mike Locksley, who now is the head coach after three year gap, I guess. So covering the midweek press conferences was honestly something that still stands out to me, because that's where I got to communicate. Like network with other local people that cover Maryland sports. So, for me, like freshmen and sophomore year, I was really into covering Maryland sports. But then my junior year or through my first semester of junior year, and then my second semester junior year I went, I studied abroad in Rome. And I got to write for this magazine called wanted in Rome. There. It wasn't really like a big thing. It was just one of my classes, but I got to cover some soccer there as well. And then senior year is when I got my internship with NBC Sports, Washington, and I never let them kick me out. So I'm still there today.
I don't blame you that that sounds like an awesome Ah, that sounds like an awesome journey. I mean, going to Rome and covering sports there. That's a whole nother another realm.
I mean, it wasn't like it was very, very, very minor. I mean, I wasn't I just signed up for one of the journalism classes there actually didn't even get credit for it. But we got to like, cover non sports events. It was an English magazine through our university, but it wasn't only sports, so I get to write a bunch of other stuff too. There's a lot of fun.
It's funny you say that because I watched this thing on
Netflix the other day, and I don't know if you've seen it or if you have Netflix, but it's called home team. There's a sport they play right up the road in, in Florence. It's called Calico storica. It's an awesome thing. In fact, I'm going to do a podcast about it. That's how awesome it is. But it's about four different teams that play this sport around Florence. And it's a combination of rugby, and UFC. Oh, like these students beat the daylights out of me to score. And, um, it was just really fun to watch it. I recommend it. It's called home team. And it's on Netflix, but like I said, I'm gonna do a podcast on that in depth.
I definitely got to check that out. I mean, when I was in Europe, I wasn't a big soccer fan until I got there and then I went to a Champions League game between Liverpool and Roma and I tell people this to this day there's not one sporting atmosphere in the United States that I've been to that even comes close close to matching the atmosphere that was in study Olympic go for that Champions League semi final game like I walked in and it was like a first come first serve with seats people did not care what your ticket said where your row was, it was fine any room you can stand people wave the flags the entire time. There's cheering the entire time I didn't sit down once there's literally bulletproof glass in between the Roma section and the visitor section because also it gets so like rowdy in there. Like it was ridiculous. I mean, Roma won the game but lost like the aggregate Nash but it was still like I think back about the day and like they're really doing it right over here. Like in America, it's just no sporting but not even like crazy. The NFL games I feel like match the passion of those supporters over there.
In some ways in America, we've taken sports and we're using it now for different angles. And, and that's been very gentle about it. And I'm not going to get into it real in depth, but I feel like in the other countries where they play other sports, that's not their thing. It's just the sport there. Yeah, the sport. Um, who's your favorite? Who's your favorite sports writer? And did that person or people impact you?
So I have a few I growing up I used to always read like john Feinstein. And of course, like, by the time I really got into it, both Tony Kornheiser and Michael Oban. Most of their work was done on PCI or the interruption rather than writing but I read Feinstein a lot, but now I read a lot of The Washington Post columnist. Okay. Very sir Luca and Jerry Brewer, I both think are really good. So for me at this point in my career, I read Everyone in my station, of course, and there's two people I work with JP Finley and Pete Haley who I single handedly look at their work as a way for me to try and get better. But I think for me, in order to develop as good of a writer as I can possibly be, I have to read outside of the people I work with, where I can't attach the personality and my personal relationship with them to looking at their writing. So that's why I like to read other people at the Washington Post, because generally, they're writing about the same topics. I am, and we are, but I like to see how they approach it, to see how it can better myself.
That makes sense. Yeah, that makes total sense. You get a different angle on the same, the same thing. It's just like teaching you know, you can have, you can have the same class with three different teachers and we all deliver it differently. And you may learn more from one writer than you weren't from the other two. So I totally get that. Yeah, um, let's rewind a little bit. Let's go back to high school. Go back to Northwest. You wish you would have done maybe a little differently to help yourself with your career? Mm hmm. Is there anything you could have done different there?
That's tough because I feel like I got into it kind of early. A lot of people when they arrived to Maryland just didn't have that much experience. Honestly, I might even go the opposite way. I would say maybe I wish I as a senior like maybe I spent a couple games in the stands and really got to enjoy it as a student and like because those are my friends on the field. Like senior year I have a personal relationship with players in the team like to have the middle linebackers on the team that won states my senior year. I'm literally texting them like, we're still really good friends. So I think maybe that was something maybe just like taking a step back. But I'm not gonna say I regret it because that experience I had in high school helped give me a leg up when I got to Maryland. I would say maybe the only other thing is in high school, maybe Taking the chance to cover a sporting event that wasn't Northwest. Or maybe going to a Cujo, or wooden game and writing about that, trying to like do a story on the team that maybe I don't have those personal relationships. Because nowadays, like in the Redskins locker room, yeah, it's easy. You can go up to a player and talk, but you'll get turned down a lot. But my friends like after Northwest games, I would talk to them and be completely professional. Sure. But after that we're texting like, do you want to hang out afterwards? And that's just not really, like, that's not a real thing. And like, in the sports world now, like, I'm not going to hang out with any of the people I interview in the Redskins locker room afterwards. Like I wouldn't be in high school. So it's a little different.
You feel like they've maybe in some ways looked at you as a threat since you are the media.
I don't think so. I mean, I think they know my true colors and, like, my personal relationship with them. I wouldn't do any like, maybe this goes back to me but like I was never gonna do anything that would threaten like there. status. If they like I would if they made a said something bad about the coach I'd probably think twice about, I would use the quote, but I'd frame it in a way to not make them look bad. So there's definitely covering your own high school when you're in high school, there's definitely a personal bias, it's really thin line that you have to walk. I mean, I think I did as good a job as I could have. But I think in order for me to truly have my best sports reporting experience at a younger age, I think maybe going to a game where I didn't really know, a lot of the players for different school would have been better prepared me for when I got to Maryland.
Yeah, I can see that I can understand how that would be. And there are a lot of good teams around in Russia when you were growing up, that you could have gone and checked out but yes, interesting take on it. Um, so we've talked about, you know, where you've come, can you take us on the journey in its entirety because I know you got some other things that you've had going along along the way until you got NBC Sports watch thing.
Yeah, for sure. So I guess it all really started in high school. Like I said, my junior year when I started writing with for moco football comm Mike Courtenay, whoa. He has like his own full website. I think he does it pretty much by himself. There's that moderator board where a bunch of people from across the county chime in. But he really just gave me the platform to write full on blog Recaps of Northwest games as a junior and that like, I guess I got really lucky because no one entering that year thought they were going to go to states, but literally the first time I ever covered one state championship, so that was my first real experience. And then my senior year of high school, I had an internship with the town courier, which is the local Kentlands Lakeland area newspaper, and they're really happy or they were really happy uncovering quince orchard community and quince orchard sports. And before I got there, I didn't really cover Northwest sports All but there's like two or three neighborhoods. This paper is delivered to that. Their kids go to Northwest, I had a couple friends parents asked like why is the town courier not covering Northwest. And when I got there, they pretty much gave me the same freedoms that moco football did where, since it was a bi weekly print newspaper, I would have a little more time after the game. It wasn't like I was writing on deadline. But I would get to write Recaps of every Northwest game maybe combine one or two stories together for like the print edition. So that fall I had that opportunity. So between moko football and the town courier, those are my two main experiences high school, I got to Maryland as a freshman in the fall of 2015. And that's when I joined WMC sports right away where I got to cover those midweek football press conferences I was talking about. Yeah, yeah. And that winter actually got to cover men's basketball in the split schedule. I wasn't like the beat reporter. But we had two or three People splitting up all the home games and for road games, we just read a recap. So I got to do that as a freshman, and then I covered baseball as well, for the spring as a freshman, so my freshman year entirely, I was pretty much writing for our radio stations website. My sophomore year, I was on the executive board of the radio station, I was the assistant news director and the business director. And I pretty much did more of editorial role my sophomore year. And then when I got to campus on my junior year, I joined the left bench, which is another student run publication on campus where I got to be an editor there for a semester or two. And then that second semester, my junior year was when I went abroad to Rome. And pretty much besides a few articles for wanted in Rome, here and there, that semester was pretty much off in terms of my career. didn't really do much that semester, because I was overseas He's really just trying to enjoy it all once in a lifetime experience not to enjoy there. And then that summer I wrote for this website called 12 up sports, which is just they get a lot of traffic on their numbers, but it's really just a lot of like aggregation and posting a bunch of different like, hot news breaking news stories. Okay, I actually forgot to mention my sophomore year, the fall 2016 actually did digital media internship with the Washington Redskins, so I worked for the Redskins digital media department that fall. But then fast forward the next fall my junior year was when I joined the left bench and then Rome. And then my senior year I got an internship with NBC Sports Washington, and I in turn the fall of 2018. Then that turned into freelance role through the spring of me graduating in 2019. And then at the end of the summer, last year, I was promoted to a full time gig as my current position in digital content. Producer minor writer. And I've been there I guess I've been in a building for almost two years because I started my internship September of 2018. But it's been nine or so months of me in my current role there. Now,
my hat goes off to you because you parlayed something that you knew you want to do from an early age. Really, like you're, you're getting yourself into a prominent area at such a young age, where a lot of people, um, like your mid 20s. So a lot of people are still trying to find their way they might even still be in, in college trying to find their way you really have, have had a focus. I mean, I think it's spectacular that you've done that and that's, that's a lot of the reason I asked you to come on, and just talk about how how you done that.
I appreciate that. I mean, it's definitely like one of the things growing up my parents used to always say is, if you know what you want to do, it'll be like so much easier and they didn't necessarily like There's no pressure on me knowing what I want to do because like, frankly, when I came home from Rome, I was like, maybe I want to go in the marketing department sales like I had a marketing new product development class that semester. And I was like, this is really interesting something I feel like I can use my people skills that have from journalism to really impact people in other way. But as soon as I got my internship with NBC Sports, Washington that confirmed like, sports media is where what I want to do and where I want to make a career for myself for a very long time.
Good for you. Um, so the Redskins what's your time been? What was your time? Like? What's you've been like, with with working with them? And I know, you know, their name is going to change your real soon. And, yeah, how do you feel about that?
Um, me personally, I think it's probably the right thing that they're they're doing it, especially in this time. I know, he whichever decision they make, there's no way in Make the entire fan base happy. And there's definitely going to be people who are very upset when they do change the name. But things change society changes. And it's, I mean, I think it's time at this point. We, we actually we spoke to Brian Mitchell who does work for us. I spoke to him the other day. And he made a really good point. He said a couple years ago when the Redskins conducted that poll that nine out of nine out of every 10 Native Americans is not offended by the name. That means still 10% of people are offended by the name and that's still a large population of people offended so why fight to try and keep a name that, you know, offends a lot of people. I mean, me personally, I support the decision that they make. I know it's a tough decision either way, but I think right now they're completely in the offseason. The transformation of a offseason as well. They fired Bruce Allen hired well respected Ron Rivera got chase young number two pick. I believe they're fully investing in Dwayne Haskins, at least for this season. They're gonna give him the shot. So you're pretty much in your, you're using this offseason to build a new identity. And I feel like it's almost the perfect time that if you do want to make a reinvent rebrand, you do want to make a change. Why not now?
Yeah, I can see that. Is there been an interview or an event that's occurred while you've been working with the Redskins that helped you in your in your quest? In this career field?
Mm hmm. I wouldn't say there's one interview that really stands out to me, I would say. Honestly, just listening to other people, how they conduct their one on one and exclusive interviews is stuff I learned from a lot more. I think, like, I learned from watching other people do something I want to do so when I'm in that position, I use the skills I learned by observing others. So I honestly think I learned more from watching. Other people conduct one on ones and I do looking back at my own one on one interviews
is that any player, like any player in particular make you feel like, yeah, you're doing a great job with this in like, kind of put it out there for you.
I would say, especially over the past couple years, Vernon Davis was always great in the media room. The first time I ever talked to him, I was an intern for the Redskins. In 2016. I was actually wearing a University of Maryland polos. So I was like, I was assigned to write a story for Redskins calm that day. And I went up to him I don't think I ever introduced myself before because I was an intern there. He didn't really know who it was. He saw my Polo we just made small talk for like two to three minutes before I got to talk to him. And he was great to everyone in the media room. So it's kind of sad to see that he retired. I mean, probably them he had a great career, but he was great. And then this past year just talking to like Terry Maclaurin, he gives such thoughtful answers. So respectful gives great like thoughts for every question I asked. So I feel like when I'm talking to Terry, there's not a stupid question I could ask like, teachers always like there's no such thing as a stupid question. They're definitely stupid questions in the media room, and wasted questions too, because you only get so much time with each player. So if I'm, I get one question. Even if I one question at the most, I really don't have the chance to, to mess it up. Right, though, at least with Terry if I asked him a dumb question, because I'm sure I did at some point over the past season. He gave me a thoughtful response that I could use for my personal work. So I thank him for that.
It's, it's why we talk about Vernon Davis because he and I had share a mutual friend and He speaks so highly of him. And he knows him. Just he really knows him personally to the degree that he would go down to visit him at his grandmother's house when he's there and grandma would lay out the food. And, you know, Vernon Davis sent him tickets to the Super Bowl, like all that kind of stuff. He's just that guy that is so awesome to hear that he was like that with you. It just kind of reaffirms that. Guys like Vernon Davis, we don't hear very much about we hear about the guy who put themselves in bad situations or things of that nature. But a guy like Vernon Davis is the guy we need to talk about more. He's the guy we need to highlight more. And I know there's plenty of guys, there's 16,000 guys, or more playing in the NFL, we need to find those guys start spreading their stories and get away from some of the other
things that just aren't really relevant in life.
The Redskins every year that I've been in the locker room. So I guess three, my one intern In the past two years have been at NBC Sports Washington, they've had a number of players that were actually really, really good to talk to, like, Jonathan Allen always gives great responses. And He always makes himself available after every game, even if they get blown out. It's rough. He's always there to talk to the media. Same with Adrian Peterson for the most part. And one name that really stood out to me the first year I was there, he's no longer with the team. But Ricky Jean Francois would always talk to the media and he would like he respected that we had a job to do as well and he knows he has a job to do too. And when you win, their respect is there from the get go. It makes the working relationship very, very easy and very, very good.
Absolutely. All right. So from your perspective, how the Redskins doing this draft this year, um, is there going to be a guy that surprises us that you know, that they drafted that nobody's really talking about
so Nobody that's really talking about is tough for me to answer because I'm so in the Redskins sports media that like, nationally I don't think anyone's talking about anybody besides Chase, shall I be correct, right? So but within the little Ashburn area, this Redskins media there's like three to four guys from the rookie class that I personally believe can make an impact this year. The thing that's really hard to tell is since there's no rookie minicamp there's no normal offseason. otas these rookies are already put at a disadvantage because they don't get to go through a normal offseason right activities before getting to training camp. When you get to training camp you've already been. You've had your playbook for months, you've been learning the system. But now that's the first time they're going to meet their new head coach in person. The first time they're gonna see all the other players I worry about a guy like Antonio Gandy golden who The Redskins fourth round pick a wide receiver from Liberty. six, four great hands could be could potentially be a great complement to Terry Maclaurin on the outside. But you played college football liberty in that FBS school that just made the jump two years ago, he only played three power five schools this past year. One of them was Rutgers. So I question I definitely believe he has the talent to play but he doesn't have the experience against these defensive backs of Alabama LSU and other power five schools. But to go back to your original question, because I definitely deferred off a little bit. I think Antonio Gibson, the third round pick, the running back wide receiver hybrid out of Memphis. I think he has an opportunity to make an impact day one he's really good catching the ball, the backfield, which is something new offensive coordinator, Scott Turner. Love to do in Carolina. I mean, of course he had Christian McCaffrey there Yeah, not saying that until Gibson is even going to be having McCaffrey. But that offensive identity just doesn't go away. And this is his first time as a true offensive coordinator. He was promoted for the last four games in Carolina last year from quarterbacks coach after Rivera was ironically fired. But this is really his first opportunity as well. And I believe that the success he had by throwing those running backs out of the backfield is something that he can use with Antonio Gibson, who's great in space can line up in the slot the backfield he's really just like a jack of all trades, a weapon that maybe he doesn't have a specific position, but I feel like the Redskins have to find a way to get the ball in his hands.
It's a past verse league today. And, you know, you open the running game up with the past. Unfortunately, very few teams are highly run oriented. It'll be interesting to see how a team like Tennessee does with Derrick Henry because he had such great success last year and he He's the big guy carrying the ball. But it's a little easier to stop the run in my in my opinion than it is to stop the past. Yeah, try a nickel a dime package out there. You need more hybrid guys. Yeah, defensive side of the ball now and the creativity of a guy like Scott Turner. It can be more than the defense can handle with time. So that'll be fun to see how he uses him going forward. Let's talk about free agency. How about Washington, DC this year? Today address needs or do they still have some balls they need to figure out
so I guess technically the biggest signing that they they made was bringing back Kendall fuller on the four year 40 million deal which I think it's a good deal. I like Fuller. He immediately comes in and is the most talented quarterback on the roster. I think with free agency the biggest part of Washington's was they went hard after Amari Cooper and They offered him more money than Dallas yet, he still went back to the star sighting that he wants to compete for Super Bowl. But if you look into it, the 110 million he was going to get from Washington was probably going to end up less money in his pocket than the hundred from Dallas just due to the taxes and all this stuff in Texas. But the thing that I really liked about the Redskins free agency approach that I don't think was getting enough credit was they didn't spend money on second tier guys by giving them first tier money after missing out on the first tier players. So sure they missed out on the Mari Cooper but then they didn't go give a five year $40 million contract to someone like Robbie Anderson, similarly to how they gave a five year $40 million contract Paul Richardson two years ago and now they just cut up. So in the past the Redskins have had a knack for signing. Friends really good players to a deal probably work worth more than their value and then them just not panning out. So I commend Rivera and Kyle Smith, who the Senior VP of player personnel for sticking to a plan that signed a bunch of one to two year deals for a bunch of players, stress, versatility, guys that can play multiple positions. And as they tried to form their own legacy in Washington, they have a bunch of guys on proven deals. They have Sean Davis from Pittsburgh on a one year deal. He was I like to think he was pretty good before he got hurt last year.
He needs to stay healthy. That's his problem. I liked him as a Steeler. He showed plenty of growth the first year, the second year, he was so so and then he really he couldn't stay healthy. And they went out and addressed he would make a Fitzpatrick Mm hmm.
Yeah. And he's a versatile player. If you can stay healthy as fast as you can compliment Landon Collins, and then they got Ronald Darby on a one year deal who also needs to stay healthy as well. But we saw early in Buffalo He can be a quality corner. So there's just a bunch of guys that they're given the opportunity to play. They're going to get the chance to start. And both Darby and Davis are DMV guys as well. So they get to play for their hometown team. Yeah. So they're on a one year deal for their hometown team, they're going to really be motivated to play well. So I think there are definitely there's definitely a lot of low risk high reward players in the Redskins free agency, even if they weren't big names, so to say, but that could just be you being optimistic. I'm not entirely sure
when do you ever see a team like New England or Pittsburgh per se, go out and sign that big name guy. They they don't have to throw those teams build from within having a good draft and, and developing those guys having some continuity in the coaching staff. There's a little bit of turnover here and there, but, um, you know that that's my belcheck gets his teams back to where they need to be every year and people need to really recognize that Both of us then deflate gate maybe in the camera when you're not supposed to.
I mean, both of those teams do a really good job of finding players that fit their scheme and then go somewhere else and just don't play well. And then they come back like you look at Jamie Collins who did that. And a bunch of other guys who just excel in Pittsburgh excel in Foxborough, but they go chase the money, and they don't excel in the system that's not as defined as specific and successful. And that's what separates the good teams from the great teams.
Yep. Yep. I mean, I you know, obviously I'm a Steeler fan. You know that. Yeah. You've always known that but since I was a little kid, the Steelers have had three coaches. And there's a reason they've had that success. And that's it right there. So, I know we talked about a guy that you like the day we're able to maintain on anybody else that you would like to see them. Keep the walk away.
Honestly, I don't think there's anyone that left the team in free agency that I'm really losing sleep over. I think the only thing I really would have been disappointed in is if they cut ties with Ryan Kerrigan, which they didn't. He's entering the final year of his deal. We all know about the many investments Washington's made in the front. Seven honestly between defensive line defensive end and you can make the case you take chase young this year Montez sweat last year Darren Payne Jonathan now in the middle of Matt I Unitas where's the room for Kerrigan? He's Ron are very easily could have cut ties with him. He's one year left on his deal, but you're letting them play out. He's one and a half sacks away from breaking the franchise record. So I know that's important to him. Absolutely. So that would have really made me upset but in terms of players that left honestly I think Eric flowers he was clown so much when he got to Washington as his boss who can play left tackle for the Giants or the Jags, but he was arguably Washington's best and most consistent offensive line, Minh last year at left guard. He started every game performed way better than everyone else. And then he was rewarded with a three year $30 million deal in Jacksonville. So this is a guy who was a top 10 pick, scrutinized in New York almost was out of the league. Washington took a flyer on him, and he changed his career by moving position over on the line.
One of the things I've often said about NFL players in maybe some of my listeners will think I'm crazy for this. But you know, I've been involved in football all my life not only coaching it, but you know, being a fan of it being a student of it, the whole nine yards. I always feel like a lot of the guys who come out of college are very equal on a plane in terms of their ability, and a lot of the cuts are very difficult for the Guys, but I think a lot of the things that it boils down to is, can I coach this guy up to be better than what he might have in terms of raw ability? Yeah. And I think that's what happened with Eric flowers. I think whoever your offensive line coach was got out of him with the guy, the Giants wasn't able to get out of him. And you know, and that, that in and of itself just shows you that, that he's a good professional, his job? No, I mean, that's the bottom line. Definitely. So let's go on the notion that 2020 season is going to happen. Yes. into the future with me. Tell me how you think the skins will fare this season or whatever we're going to call them? Are they off team? Are they a 500? team? Are they still searching for an identity under one Rivera because I think wrong Verizon, a spectacular coach. I have all the respect for him.
So between Ron Rivera and jack Del Rio, I think the defense there's no excuse for why the amount of talent they have in this defense, there's no question for them not to be a top 10 unit this year, and Washington wants to win games with playing good defense and controlling the clock, which is something they excelled in the first eight weeks 10 weeks of the 2018 season with Alex Smith before he suffered that gruesome leg injury. The Redskins were six and three in the first place and winning up. Yes, I believe that may not be the case or they have a like a young quarterback and Haskins who he's done all the right things this offseason. Maybe he had a lot of rookie growing pains, but he looked good at the end his last two games. So I'm more bullish on Haskins and a lot of other people are so I think he has the potential to be good. For me, I think his first successful season would be doubling the wind total from last year. So going from three to six. That's not six and 10. That's not a good year by any standards. But this team was so bad last year, so many holes and they've had so much turnover With this odd offseason where it's all zoom, this zoom that no in person activities, it's a lot to ask for team that's had this much change to really turn that into wins on Sundays so they can win six games maybe push to seven or eight. I think that'd be successful because the 2020 season is about building and finding if Haskins is the guy one that's the most important question and to which of these guys young guys on one to two year deals are going to be part of the core that they try to build with for the future? So I think when you're looking at is this a playoff team? I think in 2021 that's the year we should say okay, maybe they should be contending for a playoff spot, but 2020 with based on everything that's happened, and the pandemic and all that I think six to seven wins. That'd be a great season for them.
Sales Haskins the answer to be is Alec Smith ever going to come back and He push on the picked up call Elon, correct. He's 20 years old he he played under Rivera down in Carolina. So Vera knows him very well. Is he is he going to be the guy in the future? I mean, what's going on at that spot because that's pretty pivotal. Haskins is a DMV guy. I know that he's got a lot of DMV guys on that team.
I, when they first traded for Kyle Allen, I was wondering if this was going to be a quarterback competition esque sort of thing. But from everything that I've heard and I know 2020 is going to be Dwayne Haskins, his job. And Kyle Allen. He has the experience in Scott Turner system, the experience under runner Berra, but he really really tailed off towards the end of last year, he was actually Dutch well career their third round pick last year, at the end of the season career didn't do any better. But Alan starts off really well. And he just really, really stunk at the end of the year. And a lot of people like to point at his numbers and stuff but he had Christian McCaffrey, a DJ more. Dwayne Haskins was thrown at Terry Maclaurin and a bunch of guys that no one outside of the DMV market even knows their name.
Right. So
well. Haskins was put in the situation last year where his done head coach Jay Gruden didn't want him because their timelines didn't match up with Gruden having to win last year. It was the pick from everything we've heard has come came from above Gruden higher up in the organization. So Haskins five weeks into his rookie season, the coach that didn't want him was fired. And then the guy they replace it wants to run the ball 75% of the time and play old school game the first game that bill Callahan coach for the Redskins. The time of game was two hours and 41 minutes. I've never been in a football game. There's not lasted three hours in this game last two hours and 41 minutes. And then Haskins wasn't made the starter until week nine and he had his growing pains at first he only started one year ago. State. He really had like 15 or 16 starts since high school, and now he's making NFL starts. But the last two games they were both losses against the Eagles. He probably had his best overall game, and he threw for like 260 yards, three touchdowns. And then the Giants game he had two touchdowns like 150 yards and he was completing over 70% of his passes before he got hurt in the third quarter, which ended the season. And this offseason, he's dropped 15 pounds 20 pounds almost. He's in the best shape of his life. He's been working out with a bunch of receivers, not just Redskins receivers, but Antonio Brown, demonte Parker, stefon, Diggs, Chad Johnson, even Terrell Owens, so he's really been learning from a lot of good receivers as well. So I'm excited to see what he does. I really think he's taken advantage of the opportunity that he's going to get. And I don't think Ron Rivera or Scott Turner even wants to see Kyle Allen touch the field this year.