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Chris Myers Weighs in on 2025 Jaguars Upcoming Debut · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

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  Speaker 1: Chris Myers as the call of Panthers Jaguars on the
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  Speaker 1: NFL on Fox. Is this your twenty fifth year on Fox?
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  Speaker 1: Is that right, Chris?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's about Yeah, it's about fifteen or eighteen?
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  Speaker 1: Do it yet?
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  Speaker 3: Well? Almost? Yeah, almost twenty doing NFL. Yeah it is.
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  Speaker 2: It's over twenty NFL and twenty five with the network,
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  Speaker 2: as I did NASCAR Baseball, and of course I was
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  Speaker 2: at ESPN ten years before. That's to JP. What you're
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  Speaker 2: saying is, I've been around a long time. I've been
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  Speaker 2: around a long time, so I have seen a lot
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  Speaker 2: of football like a fan, but I've also had It's
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  Speaker 2: been great the access to sit in meetings with players
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  Speaker 2: and coaches through the years, you know, from superstars to
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  Speaker 2: head coaches. Watched them come and go, from Belichick to
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  Speaker 2: Brady to whomever. So yeah, it's been It never gets
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  Speaker 2: old to me because I'm a fan at heart and
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  Speaker 2: that's what I'm grateful for. And I love the you know,
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  Speaker 2: opening weekend because everybody has a chance and it's optimistic
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  Speaker 2: for the NFL.
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  Speaker 1: You've seen it all and you know what, you've probably
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  Speaker 1: seen a player play both ways in the NFL. Well,
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  Speaker 1: it hasn't happened a lot.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know ce Travis Hunter, right, I haven't gone
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  Speaker 2: back to the Chuck bed Derek days. I think that's
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  Speaker 2: about what I was born in the early sixties. But
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  Speaker 2: he to me was the true And again that's not
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  Speaker 2: the Super Bowl era right with the Eagles, but I'm
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  Speaker 2: talking about a full time I really think we're on
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  Speaker 2: something here that's never been done before. This is Otani
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  Speaker 2: like going with Babe Ruth Historically in baseball, of course,
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  Speaker 2: football is much more physical to do the kinds of
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  Speaker 2: things he plans to do, hopes to do, and I
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  Speaker 2: think that the Jags hope to do. But there were
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  Speaker 2: you know, there were guys like Troy Brown who I covered,
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  Speaker 2: Deon Sanders who played both ways. There was even a
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  Speaker 2: game in which Edelman Julian Edelman, believe it or not,
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  Speaker 2: played the twenty five snaps plus at receiver and twenty
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  Speaker 2: or so as a defensive back when they needed him
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  Speaker 2: in the Belichickerry. But that's not like this guy. That's
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  Speaker 2: not like what we saw him do to win the
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  Speaker 2: Heisman and like and what we anticipate depending upon his
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  Speaker 2: health and all the other factors. So we're really excited
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  Speaker 2: about this. I know the NFL and Fox pregame show
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  Speaker 2: is doing a special, lengthy feature on this aside from
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  Speaker 2: us Mark Flaerth and I call him the game and
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  Speaker 2: so it says a lot about not only the importance
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  Speaker 2: of this game for the teams involved, but the kind
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  Speaker 2: of attention that he is commanding and rightfully so.
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  Speaker 1: Clearly another change in Jacksonville this offseason. New coach, new GM,
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  Speaker 1: new structure of the organization, everything involved. But Liam Cohen
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  Speaker 1: now the head coach in his late thirties. You do
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  Speaker 1: the Tampa Bay preseason, so you had some first hand
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  Speaker 1: looks at Liam Cohen over the last year. So what
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  Speaker 1: he did with Baker Mayfield last year is pretty remarkable.
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  Speaker 1: And that Tampa Bay offense they'd like to they obviously
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  Speaker 1: would love to replicate that with Trevor Lawrence here. What
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  Speaker 1: did you make of the Cohen higher and how he's
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  Speaker 1: establishing the culture in this organization.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and look, I've been optimistic a guy from Florida
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  Speaker 2: about the Jags moves from whether it was Doug Peterson
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  Speaker 2: Orban Meyer. I mean, gotta go backwards here, but they
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  Speaker 2: I think ownership tried to do the right thing. Those
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  Speaker 2: guys were proven, they were successful at football. What they
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  Speaker 2: did didn't work out here this this feels better because
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  Speaker 2: of the way they did it. The Gladstone Vaselli Cohen.
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  Speaker 2: I know it sounds like a law firm, but it's
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  Speaker 2: it's good football minds with good backgrounds. I've known Vasilli
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  Speaker 2: for years. They dabbled in the broadcasting side, even with Fox,
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  Speaker 2: so we love him the knowledge there. Gladstone comes from
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  Speaker 2: a ram organization that gets the draft as well as
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  Speaker 2: using veterans, which we've seen sprinkled in with this year's
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  Speaker 2: team to try to have success. But Liam Cohen, yes,
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  Speaker 2: Ronde Barber and I have done the preseason games for
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  Speaker 2: the Buccaneers over the last you know, few years, and
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  Speaker 2: he hit right away. We were on the bandwagon again.
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  Speaker 2: Dave Canalis. That's what's interesting about this game.
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  Speaker 3: JP.
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  Speaker 2: You get, you know Dave Canalis, who was a first
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  Speaker 2: year play caller with Tampa Bay and he did some
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  Speaker 2: good things with Baker Mayfield and that offense in Tampa,
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  Speaker 2: and then right away he's hire as the head coach
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  Speaker 2: in the divisions. That was really just a year of
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  Speaker 2: that and now you know Liam Cohen, the first time
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  Speaker 2: play caller as a head coach excuse me as a
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  Speaker 2: OC in the NFL last year with the Bucks and
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  Speaker 2: then he gets elevated, although again he briefly worked with
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  Speaker 2: and set credits as you know by now, Sean McVeigh
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  Speaker 2: with the dabbled in Los Angeles with helping build up
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  Speaker 2: his his offensive approach, and he was in college with Kentucky.
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  Speaker 2: But anyway, my point is we saw in him the
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  Speaker 2: same kinds of things we saw in Canalis, and he
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  Speaker 2: even did a better job with with the offense in
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  Speaker 2: Tampa Bay. So I'm optimistic, and I hate to call
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  Speaker 2: somebody a quarterback whisperer when they've only been doing something
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  Speaker 2: for a year or two. But he does connect well
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  Speaker 2: with the quarterback. He sees things physically, but he also
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  Speaker 2: really works the mind. Baker Mayfield talked about that how
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  Speaker 2: you know you're in it together. He finds your strength,
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  Speaker 2: he gives you the best chance to have success, but
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  Speaker 2: he also helps you clear up or clean up your weaknesses.
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  Speaker 2: And the greatest thing I've heard about him is defensive
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  Speaker 2: coordinators around the league when we we covered the team
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  Speaker 2: even in the regular season, that he's really a step ahead,
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  Speaker 2: and he had just with that step ahead in the
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  Speaker 2: play calling with whatever defense, not from series to series,
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  Speaker 2: but from play to play. It's almost like what Bill
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  Speaker 2: Belichick used to do on defense when he was coaching
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  Speaker 2: in New England. So all that in place, I'm expecting
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  Speaker 2: and we've all been waiting for Trevor Lawrence to really
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  Speaker 2: hit it big.
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  Speaker 3: And it may not happen right away.
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  Speaker 2: I've already heard and seen some things in this preseason,
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  Speaker 2: so I'm very If I'm a Jags fan, I'm really
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  Speaker 2: optimistic about these hires and this year and some of
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  Speaker 2: the other things that we can get into. But the
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  Speaker 2: key is always if you've got the quarterback and the
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  Speaker 2: coach that can make things happen, you're gonna win games.
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  Speaker 1: Chris Myers with us NFL on Fox has to call
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  Speaker 1: the Panthers and the Jaguars matchup whole new defense too.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, this is a battle of defenses in this
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  Speaker 1: game that were thirty first and thirty second in the league.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, a little ugly.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously, but you know, year, new scheme, some new personnel
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  Speaker 1: on the back end for the Jags and on the
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  Speaker 1: interior of the d line. The unknown in Week one
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  Speaker 1: is everywhere, but certainly on the defensive side. I think
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  Speaker 1: for both teams in this.
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  Speaker 2: Game, especially for the Jags too with with new coordinators,
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  Speaker 2: right that are all kind of in that position for
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  Speaker 2: the first time, including the head coach. But I but
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  Speaker 2: I like, you know, we've seen so much of Josh
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  Speaker 2: heinz Allen over the years, but even the and the
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  Speaker 2: other picks and Walker and Lloyd, You've got Holikin who
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  Speaker 2: does his job. But I like the little moves of
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  Speaker 2: the Colin Saunders and Emmanuel Ogba, you know, and getting
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  Speaker 2: to improve the pass rush and then a veteran Jordan
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  Speaker 2: Lewis and the secondary. I think those were good things
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  Speaker 2: along with what the team did in the in the
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  Speaker 2: draft in other areas as well. So yeah, these are
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  Speaker 2: two so the good news. And I always, you know,
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  Speaker 2: the crew always teases me, Chris, you always root for overtime.
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  Speaker 3: We're gonna miss our flights, And I'm like.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, but that means that we had a good game
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  Speaker 2: and there was both teams were in it. But I
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  Speaker 2: think we're gonna see some scoring, especially with you add
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  Speaker 2: in the kicking game and the new rule out of
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  Speaker 2: the thirty five yard line with the touchback. But yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I think the players I'm sold on in that Jacksonville
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  Speaker 2: defense and Anthony Campanelli, I'm not you know, you can
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  Speaker 2: only read things. I haven't seen a lot of him,
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  Speaker 2: you know, just like Liam Cohen says, I think, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I think I know what I'm doing as a head
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  Speaker 2: coach and play coler and it's been until we play
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  Speaker 2: it out, we don't know. On the other side, they
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  Speaker 2: had a lot of Carol Yeah, both of these defenses,
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  Speaker 2: and we had them a few times during the course
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  Speaker 2: of the year. They do have Derrick Brown back he
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  Speaker 2: went out on the first play last year, had surgery,
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  Speaker 2: They had some injuries, hit some key guys.
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  Speaker 3: He's he's the main guy up front for them. J C.
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  Speaker 3: Horns the great, the great cover guy.
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  Speaker 2: After that, there's a lot of you know, there's some
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  Speaker 2: concern there too about where's more of the pass rush.
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  Speaker 3: You know, they have a very good defensive.
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  Speaker 2: Coordinator and Gero Everrow who has had some success in Denver,
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  Speaker 2: and it's hard to judge what he's done here because of
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  Speaker 2: some of the players that they traded away to well,
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  Speaker 2: he was there, but prior to the arrival of Dave Canowen's.
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  Speaker 1: Chris Myers with a CNFL on Fox, we we mentioned
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  Speaker 1: Trevor Lawrence, a number one overall pick, quarterback Brice Young
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  Speaker 1: on the other side for Carolina entering year three, you know,
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  Speaker 1: what's the what's the progression for Bryce Young for Carolina
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  Speaker 1: and is he still on the right track. It felt
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  Speaker 1: like he made some strides towards the end of last season.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, he did.
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  Speaker 2: And it's funny we called his first game in the
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  Speaker 2: NFL and it was. It was abysmal and obviously different
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  Speaker 2: head coach, different offensive coordinator, wasn't as much around him.
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  Speaker 2: And I have his last three games last year, watched
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  Speaker 2: them closely. I think you had seven touchdowns, no picks,
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  Speaker 2: and he looked really comfortable, taking advantage of what he
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  Speaker 2: did in college, the moving around, not to run, but
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  Speaker 2: moving around to make a throw, whether it's a five
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  Speaker 2: yard checkdown or twenty yard or downfield.
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  Speaker 3: So he's developed.
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  Speaker 2: I think when they benched him last year under Canalis
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  Speaker 2: early in the year, I think he sat and learned
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  Speaker 2: a little bit. But what the team rallied around with
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  Speaker 2: him was that he ran the scout team with enthusiasm.
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  Speaker 2: He didn't pout complain that Andy Dalton stepped in. I
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  Speaker 2: think they knew what they were doing Canalys is very
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  Speaker 2: much that Pete Carroll, you know, psychotherapist, raw motion guy,
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  Speaker 2: and he got it out of Bryce Young. And when
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  Speaker 2: he came back, I mean they had games against the
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  Speaker 2: Eagles and the Chiefs. They didn't win, but they took
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  Speaker 2: him to the wire and he had big plays in
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  Speaker 2: that game with limited i think limited offensive resources. So
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  Speaker 2: he's progressed nicely. And I gotta say it's been dramatic
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  Speaker 2: because we compared him to C. J.
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  Speaker 3: Stroud.
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  Speaker 2: They came out in the same year and Stroud could
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  Speaker 2: have been picked ahead of him, and Stroud's been to
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  Speaker 2: the playoffs back to back years but trended a little
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  Speaker 2: downward last year Stroud did, whereas Bryce.
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  Speaker 3: Young kind of went the other way.
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  Speaker 2: So his mobility, his understanding, his comfort level, I think
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  Speaker 2: more than anything with his head coach.
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  Speaker 3: Which is what would excite me too.
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  Speaker 2: About the jag side of things with Cohen and Trevor Lawrence,
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  Speaker 2: I think, you know, we judged too harshly. I think
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  Speaker 2: where he was picked is the reason that we judged
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  Speaker 2: as harshly as we did. But he's a much better
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  Speaker 2: quarterback and I saw it each of the first two seasons.
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  Speaker 2: Interesting to see it here on the road against the Jags.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Chris, let's wrap with this. Are you buying
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  Speaker 1: the Jaguars being in the division race year one of
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  Speaker 1: this whole new reboot here or is it going to
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  Speaker 1: take a little bit of time?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I would say yes.
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  Speaker 2: I saw the couple of reasons for the other teams
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  Speaker 2: in the division. Let's be honest, it's not a great division.
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  Speaker 2: The NFC South gets the same kind of kind of label.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know how much better some of those other
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  Speaker 2: teams got. I think Houston last year we saw some
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  Speaker 2: and I'm still a believer in strowd some deficiencies there.
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  Speaker 2: The Jags seem to match up well with them when
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  Speaker 2: they do run into them. But I would say a
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  Speaker 2: lot of it is the connection that I saw and
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  Speaker 2: I have felt with Liam Cohen, and then he'll do
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: his part. I think Trevor Lawrence knock on woods staying healthy. Uh,
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  Speaker 2: And you know, I like the little other move that
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: Diamie Brown, you know, adding a guy like that. So
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  Speaker 2: I'm in Washington though, we hope that Brenton Strange is
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  Speaker 2: ready to develop. Not sure about the running game around
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  Speaker 2: Trevor Lawrence. And I always said to no matter what
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  Speaker 2: kind of quarterback you are in the NFL. You need
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  Speaker 2: to run, make the make some plays with your legs,
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  Speaker 2: you know, three to five times a game somehow, whether
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  Speaker 2: it's running, whether it's a quarterback keeper or running for
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  Speaker 2: first down on third and eight and you scramble. We
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  Speaker 2: know that Trevor can can do those those kinds of things.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, I think that they're in the end. You know,
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  Speaker 2: It's funny nationally people have gone around you hear him talk,
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  Speaker 2: and maybe you've heard it there in Jacksonville as well,
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  Speaker 2: that Uh, they'll say, who's okay, we got the favorites.
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  Speaker 2: You know who's coming, who's the upcoming team? The people
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  Speaker 2: are really expecting, and you do you do hear the
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: Jacks mentioned, which I think is a compliment to the
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  Speaker 2: changes they made from the front office. Uh, to anybody
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  Speaker 2: who's met and watched Trevor Lawrence play from his college
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  Speaker 2: days knows that I can win. So I think that's
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  Speaker 2: where it'll start with the question. I would say, can
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  Speaker 2: the defense do its part as long as Trevor stays healthy,
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  Speaker 2: running game does enough, I think you're in the division
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  Speaker 2: race for those reasons.
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  Speaker 1: Chris, You're the best. It's always crossover season for you,
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  Speaker 1: but thanks for taking some time.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, no exciting with the baseball postseason, but nothing beach
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  Speaker 2: NFL Sundays. And one other note on Bryce Young. He's
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: really gonna miss Adam Thielen.
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  Speaker 3: That was what he was.
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  Speaker 2: He was his right hand man. We saw it in
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  Speaker 2: meetings and emotional and so I hope he can overcome
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  Speaker 2: that early, which is why this this game, I think
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: is going to be be a close one, going to
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: be a good one and always have a good time
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: getting getting back to Florida. The heat may be a
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: little advantage already. The Panthers are talking about it because
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: they had a cool training camp up there in Carolina.
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  Speaker 2: So take any advantage you guys can get. But thanks
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  Speaker 2: for having me on