Always good to get the other side of the coin on an opponent, and as the Commanders are headed out to Denver this weekend, former Broncos defensive lineman “Big Al” Williams joined BMitch & Finlay on Friday’s show!
Big Al has some serious cred for this week, as he’s a former Bronco and Colorado Buffalo – he just happened to play with Eric Bieniemy in Boulder, too – and works for KOA in Denver on the Sports Zoo, so he knows what’s up.
And what’s up is that Big Al, a former All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion DE, thinks the Commanders offensive line can be better than many think.
“We have pass rushers, but you have an excellent offensive line,” Williams said. “I know you think they had just an okay game, but the quarterback gave away three sacks last week. I’d trade your offensive line for ours right now. Your defensive line is better than our offensive line, and the Commanders have better front seven players than Denver – but all of the skill players are pushes.”
They’ll need to be excellent to protect Sam Howell, whom Williams seems to like but also said gave a blueprint on how to play him last week.
“I think we have to be very patient with him because of his ability to run the football,” Williams said. “I saw the game against Arizona, and the shots that Howell took last week were extraordinary, but I would do the same thing if I were the Broncos. You can’t allow a guy to run with the ball as if he’s a running back and let him have success that way.”
Williams invoked how Josh Allen juked C.J. Mosley on Monday night in a situation like that, so, “when a quarterback is running, you have to put a hat on him.”
“What happened last week with the Cards is the right game plan for quarterbacks who like to run,” Williams said. “You should protect QBs in the pocket, but once they leave the pocket, they’re free game – so stay in the pocket and execute, or pay the price. I’d hope that after watching the tape, I thought the kid was concussed in the first quarter. The one thing we’ll see is that Patrick Surtain will travel with McLaurin, so get your popcorn ready, because that will be a fantastic matchup.”
Not this week, but Williams said he was going to be pulling for the Commanders the rest of the way, mostly because of the love he has for Eric Bieniemy…and his mom, who is “just as close to me as my mom was.”
“Miss Fern is outstanding, man; my mom passed away a few years ago and I was struggling, so I called her, and we talked for two or three hours about the way things go,” “When I tell you I love Eric and his family – it’s a love-fest that’s real, and we share it among 15 or 20 guys who played together.”
Take a listen to Big Al’s entire segment above, which also includes thoughts on Coach Prime (and his beef with Colorado State’s HC) and this year’s Buffaloes, how Denver can let Russ cook, and more!