During the 20th episode of the All About the Birds Podcast, former Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins running back and kick return specialist Brian Mitchell was generous enough to give an interview. Through his 14-year career, Mitchell totaled 1,967 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. However, he was more well known for his kick and punt return skills. In all, Mitchell compiled over 19,000 total return yards and 13 touchdowns.
The interview can be found by following this link.
We discussed a variety of topics with him. Below is a recap of the interview.
The shortened NFL preseason and Coronavirus as a whole (Beginning of episode)
- Mitchell believes the younger guys will be hurt the most by the shortened NFL preseason. In most instances, starters play only a handful of snaps and quarters over four games. As a result, playing only two games comes at the cost of the rookies and undrafted free agents.
- Redskins head coach Ron Rivera has an advantage. In his first year with Carolina, he had to deal with a #1 overall pick and a shortened offseason due to the lockout.
- Mitchell is unsure if the NFL season will begin on time.
- The NFL will pay close attention to the NHL regarding the pandemic, as both sports involve contact between players.
The outlook of the NFC East for the 2020 season (4:36 in the episode)
- Mitchell is under the assumption that the Dallas Cowboys have the most talent on paper. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is believed to get more out of the players than Jason Garrett did.
- The Eagles are the only team with a returning coach in the NFC East, and that is their big strength. The trade for cornerback Darius Slay is a major advantage. According to Mitchell, the Eagles are the team to beat in the division.
- The Redskins, the team Mitchell covers with NBC Sports Washington, are a “more talented team than what their record said last year”. He is a fan of quarterback Dwayne Haskins and his commitment to improvement.
- According to Mitchell, he believes the New York Giants will fall into last place in the NFC East this season. However, rookie head coach Joe Judge shouldn’t be slept on.
The impact of Philadelphia Eagles sophomore running back Miles Sanders (10:06 in the episode)
- Mitchell described Sanders as the future of the NFL. As of late, running backs that are dangerous in the backfield and can catch are the way the league is headed. Mitchell mentioned Brian Westbrook as an example.
The latest surrounding FedEx and the Washington Redskins (17:13 in the episode)
- Considering FedEx is worth over $620 billion, Mitchell believes the Redskins may be forced to make a change.
