All the Junkies wanted to do was get Shawn Springs on air on Tuesday, to talk a little Commanders and a little potpourri…but some poor signal as he was dropping his son off at school, followed by a nail in his tire, put a bit of a damper and a delay in Springs’ day.
Luckily, though, he was able to have some fun with the guys about the situation, and maybe could be the seed money for a new Junkies business thanks to the success of the Impact helmets he has had a hand in developing?
If not, well, he’ll just be loving watching the Commanders, even though he agreed with the lower end of the floor the guys were discussing earlier Tuesday…if only for the future?
“My ceiling is 10 wins, the floor they could possibly go 4-13,” Springs said. “At some point, if it starts to look like it's not going in the right direction, let's start tanking games and go after to Caleb Williams.”
Bish joked that they better lose to Arizona to start that process, and that led to wonder if Springs just doesn’t believe in Sam Howell – and although the answer to that is yes, he invoked the old Mike Holmgren notion of needing to see a guy succeed for three seasons before being fully invested.
“How many guys have had one or two good years? So let’s say 34 games – I still need to see it, but I like Sam, and I think if he came out a year earlier, he would have been a Top 10 pick,” Springs said. “He’s athletic and has a strong arm, so I like everything I like everything about Sam.”
He does agree with the Junkies, too, that Week 1 is a must-win, because ‘you just can’t lose to Arizona.’
“I mean, if I'm in the NFL, I schedule the Arizona Cardinals so that you can have a win to get the franchise up on the right start,” Springs laughed. “I mean, they have to beat the Cardinals at home; if you want to have a chance in the NFC East, you gotta get the Cardinals and Denver and come out hot. The Bears could be really good, but you have to come out hot, because late in the year you’re playing the 49ers and Seahawks and Jets, guys like that.”
Hopefully, what is now officially a sell-out in Week 1 (and likely mostly Commanders fans!) will help.
“When I came here, it was coach Gibbs’ first year, so camp was crazy and packed, and we opened up on a Monday night against the Cowboys with coach Parcells, so the stadium was packed and live,” Springs said. “When you show up to FedEx and you see that type of energy, it just gets you going and ready to play. You get jazzed up and you want to perform for the fans at home. So I'm hoping that comes back for this organization. That crowd noise…we need some type of advantage, and playing the Cardinals, who just aren’t that good, you get that energy when the offense has the ball; when they need a tough third down and short and the crowd gets loud, it can give them that momentum to get a big first down.”
And as good as the offense could be, Springs is looking forward to seeing what comes at his old position with first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes.
“Love the kid! I think he has great ball skills, he’s long and athletic, and he makes plays. Interceptions in college, especially the SEC, can translate, so he can make some plays this year,” Springs said. “I like the defense a lot, I’m a little worried about the linebacker position, but the front and the backfield are good.”
Take a listen to Springs’ entire call-in above, which also includes thoughts on Chase Young’s stinger and future prospects, Ohio State’s season opener and upcoming schedule, and more!