Former Washington tight end for two Super Bowl teams, Rick “Doc” Walker, was shocked Sunday watching the Commanders lose 24-8 to the Eagles.
Walker was the scheduled guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast Monday. Here are some of Walker’s observations and opinions of Sunday’s game.
During the conversation, Walker questioned the offensive line, Carson Wentz, Scott Turner and Ron Rivera. He praised the three pass breakups by Benjamin St-Juste.
“I was in shock. I couldn’t believe what was going on because the Commanders were manhandled.”
“We really got manhandled; I felt bad for them… I was embarrassed; that’s all I can say about it. I am hopeful we can get somebody who can block this kid number 11 (Micah Parsons) for Dallas and see if we have a chance.”
“They (Scott Turner, Ron Rivera) didn’t sense that Carson was out of sync, that he couldn’t handle the immediate pressure. He held on to the ball instead of throwing it away. It was a jailbreak on him.”
Fletcher Cox is a problem for the Commanders OL. Blows up RG Trai Turner here pic.twitter.com/jHJxhyLq8B
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) September 25, 2022
“One of our best guys 82 (Logan Thomas); it was like he was not even in the game plan. We were out of sync and didn’t recover. With Turner on the sidelines, you’ve got to feel it. You’ve got to see that something is not happening, and how do we fix it?”
“When you got two big horses, 320 pounds in front of you, you don’t expect them to get beat like a turnstile. It was inexcusable. You cannot be beaten that way after the defense gives you a couple of stops (early).”
“Oh, by the way, the game is Sunday. All week you are supposed to peak on Sunday, not Monday. Not at the podium; you are supposed to peak on the field, on game day.”
“Why would it change? The same guy is making the decisions (Dan Snyder). I don’t have to ‘think’ anything (about Ron Rivera). Everybody has a record; it’s documented.”
Sheehan mentioned how an NFL team can’t be outscored 46-0 two consecutive weeks in the first half. Walker responded by asking, And he (Rivera) got pi**** off because he was asked about Jimmy Garappolo?”
“It’s ironic that both guys we got up front (Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner) are once again from Carolina. So clearly there is a soft spot for people who have been in Ron’s past. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is best for the program. And right now it is blowing up in his face because they are not.”
“As bad as it looks and feels you still got a shot. But you are not going to be able to talk your way out of this one. The people you train are going to have to look like they have been coached.”
Walker called for Chris Paul to be inserted into getting playing time. He stressed the jury is out on the guys up front. “You drafted him (Paul). He made your team; coach him up! Get him in there. It can’t be worse.”
“That’s the problem; we get stuck on people here as if you have no alternative. If you have no alternative, that is your fault (referring to Rivera who has control of player personnel).
