The Washington Redskins are a sleeper team in the NFC and one of the reasons is the presence of a dynamic front seven that is anchored by pass rusher Ryan Kerrigan. The outside linebacker, coming off a Pro Bowl season where he recorded 13.5 sacks, joined Tuesday's Pick Six Podcast to talk about all things Washington.

Perhaps even more importantly, it was the return (finally) of yours truly to the show. Sean Wagner-McGough also jumped on to break down the latest news and notes around the NFL, as well as his 30 Age 30 And Over list of the top elderly NFL players. 

Kerrigan, who is working with Gatorade to Beat the Heat and educate young athletes about staying hydrated, talked about the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup, the ceiling of the defense, the presence of Alex Smith and his leadership abilities, whether pineapple belongs on pizza and the expectations for his alma mater Purdue in the upcoming college season.

Does seeing the Caps win inspire the Redskins?
"I hope so," Kerrigan said. "I hope we take some motivation from that, because we see what this city can be and how this city gets when it has a champion in it. There are people partying for days on end after the Caps won the Cup. There's definitely some motivation to take from that."

What's the ceiling for the Redskins defense this year?
"We have a lot of potential," Kerrigan said. "I feel like we look really good on paper and now it's time for us to make it happen in season. We have the pieces there -- our front seven, this is as deep and as big and strong as we've been since I've been here. I'm excited. Jonathan Allen going down last year was a big loss for us. He was a man among boys as a rookie early on last season. Matt Ioannidis being banged up for a couple games too. You get those couple guys back, you add Da'Ron Payne, another Alabama guy who's NFL ready right now, we've got a good chance to be pretty darn good."

Have you ever seen injuries like the OL last year?
"That's the feel for sure. It was crazy, the attrition we had at the offensive line position last year," Kerrigan said. "We had guys coming in off the street and they were dressing and playing that week. You've got to credit those guys for going out there and battling. For us to get these guys -- Trent Williams, Morgan Moses, Shawn Lauvao, guys like that -- back healthy is going to be big for us."

Are people sleeping on the Redskins in the NFC East?
"You're not wrong," he said. "But you have to tip your cap to other teams. Eagles won the Super Bowl last year, so of course they're going to get talked about. Dallas has made some good additions, New York has too. I think we've made some really great additions so it's OK to be flying under the radar like we are right now, because there's a lot of parity in this league and it can be anybody's year at any time. The Eagles were -- no one was talking about them last year and they went on and won the Super Bowl. That's the beauty of the NFL."

What's your initial sense of Alex Smith?
"He's come in and it's kind of crazy to see how quickly he's taken command as a captain of this team," Kerrigan said. "We haven't voted on captains yet, but he's really come in and kind of taken control from a leadership standpoint right away. I've been impressed with that because he's a guy who's been there, he's a proven winner, been to the playoffs a lot recently, as soon as last year. We're really excited to have him -- the physical abilities obviously, but the mental abilities are really impressive."

Who has a better IMDB page, Josh Norman (Dancing With the Stars) or Ryan Kerrigan (Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No)?
"I think that's pretty obvious," he said. "You can't beat a Sharknado cameo can you?"

Would you rather have five sacks in a game or three interceptions in a game?
"Ooooh. That's a tough call," Kerrigan said. "For me, as a linebacker playing on the line of scrimmage, getting three picks in a game, that would be pretty insane. I might go with that, just because of how that would likely never happen. I have three in my career, so to get three in one game would be crazy."

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