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Jeff Legwold joins Kreckman and Lindahl 2-9-26 · Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports

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  Speaker 1: Jeff Legwaald time in a Monday afternoon. The twenty twenty
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: five season is in the books. The Seattle Seahawks are
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  Speaker 1: Super Bowl champions on the next year. Jeff Legwald brought
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  Speaker 1: to you by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers IBEW
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  Speaker 1: Local sixty eight. Start with a job and with a career. Well,
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  Speaker 1: little Timmy the sportswriter happened to be correct with his
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  Speaker 1: prediction on the Friday edition of the show. Just his
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  Speaker 1: kind of Super Bowl Folks, Jeff, as you watched that game,
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  Speaker 1: give me the breakdown of Jeff Legwald jotting down notes
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  Speaker 1: and just appreciating everything that Mike McDonald did to put
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  Speaker 1: Drake May in hell yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know, I think he you know, he did
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  Speaker 2: what he's done all year. I mean that that defense
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  Speaker 2: by advanced metrics, regular metrics, and I was either the
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  Speaker 2: best in the league or one of the you know,
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  Speaker 2: the old bum Phillips line if it's not the if
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  Speaker 2: you're not the best. It didn't take long to call roll,
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  Speaker 2: you know. And and I think that was the case,
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  Speaker 2: and you knew it going in, and you know, given
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  Speaker 2: that the number of times people have pressured Drake May
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  Speaker 2: and the postseason and the turnovers and the sacks. You
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  Speaker 2: knew that was going to be a problem. I have stunned,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, having been around Josh McDaniels when he
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  Speaker 2: was here and talked to with him about offense at times,
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  Speaker 2: I'm stunned. They did nothing in the protection scheme really
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  Speaker 2: to help. You know, late in the game they kind
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  Speaker 2: of spread it out a little bit and chip a
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  Speaker 2: little bit, but man, they let that thing get way
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  Speaker 2: too far away from them. I mean again, little Timmy
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  Speaker 2: here sports writing, but I would have been tempted to
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  Speaker 2: max protect just to see if you could hit a
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  Speaker 2: big player two uh, because they were one of the
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  Speaker 2: league leaders in big plays this year on offense, So Jeff,
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  Speaker 2: I would have taken that chance.
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  Speaker 1: I dropped this early on in the show, the twenty
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  Speaker 1: one yard er to Kaishawn Booty on the second possession
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  Speaker 1: they had. They had six zero linemen, there was max protech,
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  Speaker 1: there were seven up front twenty one yards. They never
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  Speaker 1: went back to it the entire rest of the game.
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  Speaker 2: No, I would have been very tempted to ride with
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  Speaker 2: that for a half even, just to see if you
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  Speaker 2: could keep making headway because they couldn't block and you know, look,
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  Speaker 2: every defensive coordinator I know and have spoke Vic Fangio
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  Speaker 2: leading the way, if you get away with rushing with
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  Speaker 2: four and get consistent pressure, you're winning the game. You
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  Speaker 2: just are. And they rushed for I think they by
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  Speaker 2: my count, and again it was just me counting.
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  Speaker 1: Uh.
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  Speaker 2: I think they had six or seven.
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  Speaker 1: Blitz seven blitz yes, yeah.
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  Speaker 2: With the extra rusher, a legitimate extra rusher. Now, every
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  Speaker 2: time he called one of those, it was perfect. You know.
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  Speaker 2: I think they got pressure on all but one by
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  Speaker 2: my eye. So when he did call it, he was money.
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  Speaker 2: But they had a better plan, they had better players,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, they won the game and it looked
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  Speaker 2: like they had a better plan and better players.
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  Speaker 3: All right, Jeff, are we entering? I don't even know
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  Speaker 3: how to phrase the question. Have we been in an
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  Speaker 3: era where defense is more important for winning these things
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  Speaker 3: than people get a credit for a time? And I
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  Speaker 3: ask you that question because I know the old saying
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  Speaker 3: is defense wins championships. But as you know, and you've
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  Speaker 3: talked about on the show a thousand times, everyone's looking
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  Speaker 3: for the franchise quarterback. Yet you just bringing it up
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  Speaker 3: Big Fangio last year in that defense too much for
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  Speaker 3: what we saw with Mahomes, this Seattle defense too much
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  Speaker 3: for the league, MVP preventing Matthew Stafford from sliding on
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  Speaker 3: another ring because I'm convinced you would have done it yesterday.
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  Speaker 3: You go back to what the Broncos it did and
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  Speaker 3: so forth. Is this kind of showing you that that
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  Speaker 3: what does this tell you us about that? It doesn't
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  Speaker 3: need to just be about the pursuit of the quarterback.
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  Speaker 2: It's never been that. That's always been the public, in
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  Speaker 2: my mind, the public talking point in football. Yeah, the
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  Speaker 2: pursuit of the quarterback is always on because you know,
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  Speaker 2: the great ones have always shown us they can make
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  Speaker 2: a difference. You know, the best of the best can
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  Speaker 2: lift a team that isn't really super Bowl worthy and
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  Speaker 2: get it a trophy. The problem is we make the
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  Speaker 2: list of that those kinds of players bigger than it
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  Speaker 2: actually is. And if you're pursuing the elite of the elite,
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  Speaker 2: that's a very short list and your very and your
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  Speaker 2: chances of getting one are very slim. But the problem
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  Speaker 2: is the social media, the constant discussion about football on
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  Speaker 2: every platform, some of which I work for, you know,
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  Speaker 2: so we're all part of it. But the discussion makes
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  Speaker 2: the legitimacy of the great quarterback list too big. It's
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  Speaker 2: not that big. You need other things if you're gonna win,
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  Speaker 2: and you don't have one of that very very very
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  Speaker 2: small group of quarterbacks. And I'll just point to Joe
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  Speaker 2: Burrow right now, and that's the life, Dan Fouts, Dan Marino.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, how many times do we have to see
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  Speaker 2: unless you have And they are the elite of the elite,
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  Speaker 2: and they still needed more around them. And look the
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  Speaker 2: thing about defense, and we don't want We're all uncomfortable
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  Speaker 2: with it because it's so true. Defense is less apt
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  Speaker 2: to feel pressure in the biggest moments. It's less troubled
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  Speaker 2: by timing and other things that can just mess up
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  Speaker 2: the best of offenses. And it takes a lot more
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  Speaker 2: to tip a great defense out of a moment than
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  Speaker 2: it does to tip a great offense out of the moment.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, my work history is I watch the
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  Speaker 2: best offense I have ever seen day to day lose
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  Speaker 2: a Super Bowl by five touchdowns. So I just think
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  Speaker 2: defense is more reliable in the biggest moments, and I
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  Speaker 2: think it rises to the top and a lot of
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  Speaker 2: Super Bowls because that's just the case.
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  Speaker 1: So obviously, Jeff, what will happen now is every owner
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  Speaker 1: will will go to their general manager and say, find
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  Speaker 1: me the best reclamation project, and I need a defensive
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  Speaker 1: play caller as my head coach. That's clearly the direction
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  Speaker 1: of the league goes.
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  Speaker 3: Now it's in his thirties.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Now, well, I guess after the ten openings were
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  Speaker 2: filled recently, we have seen that is not the case,
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  Speaker 2: because that's you know again, I think I just think
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  Speaker 2: people make the list too big of the quarterbacks who
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  Speaker 2: can pull the whole thing to Super Bowl win because
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  Speaker 2: it's a very small list because it's very, very hard
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  Speaker 2: to do. And look, I still you take all the
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  Speaker 2: information and you're just left with questions. You know, Drake
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  Speaker 2: May says he shot up his shoulder before the game,
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  Speaker 2: So you've got that bit of information, and we don't
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  Speaker 2: see any max protect or another. I mean, I just
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  Speaker 2: don't see anything in the game that says my quarterback
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  Speaker 2: is physically compromised, has taken a painkiller in his throwing
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  Speaker 2: shoulder before a suit Super Bowl, and you've got no
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  Speaker 2: answers for how to deal with that. It's like they
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  Speaker 2: wanted to prove there was nothing wrong with him or something,
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  Speaker 2: but they put that kid in a bad spot and
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  Speaker 2: he's gonna have to live with that result forever. And
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  Speaker 2: I think he was you know, some of it certainly
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  Speaker 2: were his decisions, but some of those throws you knew
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  Speaker 2: something isn't right. And I bet the Witherspoon hit on
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  Speaker 2: the hand didn't feel awesome for a guy who had
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  Speaker 2: to take the needle to even play the game.
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  Speaker 3: I'm curious you mentioned a reclamation project. News comes out
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  Speaker 3: to Davia, your buddy Adam Schefter that Derek Carr would
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  Speaker 3: like tenter the fray again. Of course, I guess if
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  Speaker 3: you have to be via trade, because the Saints still
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  Speaker 3: hold the rights, they're gonna be a market for him.
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  Speaker 3: After what we just saw with Sam Darnald. What do
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  Speaker 3: you think happens.
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  Speaker 2: Now, Well, I don't think I think Sam Donald in
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  Speaker 2: scouting circles. You know. Look, I know the resume is
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  Speaker 2: the resume, and you are what you are and all
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  Speaker 2: those things. I know it. But and a talent perspective
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  Speaker 2: talk to draft people. Sam Donald's standing in that draft
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  Speaker 2: from a talent perspective was very, very high, and I
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  Speaker 2: think he's an example of even the most talented of
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  Speaker 2: people in the NFL. If you ruin their confidence, it
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  Speaker 2: will take a long time for that talent to resurface again.
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  Speaker 2: And to me, that's what it's an example of. And
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  Speaker 2: that's why teams that draft quarterbacks in the top half
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  Speaker 2: of the first round should really do their best to
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  Speaker 2: be prepared to play them. And I know everybody hates
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  Speaker 2: me saying that all the time, but the situation Bo
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  Speaker 2: Nicks walked into, if Sam Donald walks into that a
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  Speaker 2: few years ago, maybe his career looks a lot different.
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  Speaker 1: Jeff Legweld with us on the Monday after the Super
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  Speaker 1: Bowl Jeff Legwell, brought to you by the International brother
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  Speaker 1: Hood of Electrical Workers IBEW Local sixty eight. Start with
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  Speaker 1: a job and with a career. Let's circle back to
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  Speaker 1: New England for a moment, because that's one of the
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  Speaker 1: teams that Denver is going to be slugging it out
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  Speaker 1: with in the AFC. Jeff, after a game like that
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  Speaker 1: where their last two first round picks, Drake May and
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  Speaker 1: Will Campbell both had a really long night, really struggled
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  Speaker 1: in that game. It was just year number one of
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  Speaker 1: Mike Vrabel. But where does New England go from here?
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  Speaker 2: Now? Well, you're always in search of the talent that
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  Speaker 2: didn't get you over the top. But I thought, I
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  Speaker 2: think Will Campbell's immensely talented. He's one of my favorite
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  Speaker 2: players in the draft. I think his issues are technique based.
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  Speaker 2: And when I say that, you know, vertical pass sets,
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  Speaker 2: stand up pass sets as people call him, are not
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  Speaker 2: the best for a guy of his stature. You know,
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  Speaker 2: he needs to learn to punch and to get more
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  Speaker 2: from his punch. Long ago, Tounch Ilken I covered him
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  Speaker 2: as a player. He was a coach broadcaster. Tounch was
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  Speaker 2: the master of teaching people where to punch and how
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  Speaker 2: to do it. And so I think Will Campbell he's
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  Speaker 2: going to take a lot of heat deservedly. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: that's a tough night to have a tough night as
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  Speaker 2: it were. Uh, but I saw a lot of technique
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  Speaker 2: issues there rather than a talent issue. And uh, you know,
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  Speaker 2: obviously some of its talent because you know, playing at
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  Speaker 2: that level of a game and you're out there, you
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  Speaker 2: got to handle business. But I think a lot of
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  Speaker 2: it was technique and can be repaired. But you know,
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  Speaker 2: they need they're like the Broncos. You know, where was
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  Speaker 2: the where were the impact guys on the offense on
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  Speaker 2: the field. That I mean that just one team was
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  Speaker 2: far more talented than the other team, you know, And
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  Speaker 2: the Patriots, you know, took a lot of heat all
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  Speaker 2: year for playing the weakest schedule. You know, now, you
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  Speaker 2: never know what to strength of schedule is really going
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  Speaker 2: to be when the schedules come out and you got
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  Speaker 2: to play who's in front of you. And you don't
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  Speaker 2: apologize for those wins, but they obviously were not as
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  Speaker 2: tested as the Seahawks were. And I think it's very
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  Speaker 2: telling that, you know, the Rams were really the only
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  Speaker 2: team to score on the Seahawks. I think the Rams
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  Speaker 2: averaged what twenty eight yep in the games against them,
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  Speaker 2: and I think everybody else averaged fifteen something like that,
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  Speaker 2: fourteen or fifteen. So that's very telling. That's a tested
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  Speaker 2: team and one of the best offenses in the league
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  Speaker 2: is the really the only team to have moved the
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  Speaker 2: ball against them and scored, you know, all season. So
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  Speaker 2: I think all those things come to fruition. And the
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  Speaker 2: Patriots did not have that kind of impact players on
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  Speaker 2: offense on the field, and I think their predicament looks
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  Speaker 2: much the same like a Broncos. They've got a quarterback
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  Speaker 2: they like, they think they play well defensively, and they
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  Speaker 2: lacked impact on offense in the biggest game they played.
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  Speaker 1: Jeff, we got we got about thirty seconds here, so
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  Speaker 1: you have to make this an extremely quick answer. But
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  Speaker 1: if Bonnicks doesn't break his ankle at the end of
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  Speaker 1: the Buffalo game plays the AFC Championship Game obviously wins it.
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  Speaker 1: How many points does Denver beat Seattle by in the
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  Speaker 1: Super Bowl?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think they faced the same problem the Patriots.
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  Speaker 2: Did you know their defense would have been better? I
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  Speaker 2: think for sure, But I think Seattle in the current iteration,
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  Speaker 2: was a better team. I think the Broncos have a
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  Speaker 2: defense just as good. I think the Seahawks were a
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  Speaker 2: better team, and the Broncos would have needed turnovers from Darnold?
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  Speaker 1: Why not leading that witness? Can you? Nope?
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  Speaker 3: And Nate ultimately said the same thing. Let's be honest about.
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  Speaker 1: It, Jeff Legweld, everybody, ESPN dot com, Jeff, well done. Obviously,
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: our proud alma mater was ripped off because Devin Witherspoon
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: probably should have been the m v p H. But still,
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  Speaker 1: uh we we march on excellent work all season long
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  Speaker 1: again Top one hundred. I'm watching my email inbox. I
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  Speaker 1: have not gotten a rough draft yet, so as soon
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  Speaker 1: as you have that ready to send it my way.
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  Speaker 2: Jack. Your spam. That's what a lot of people say.
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  Speaker 2: It is directly to spam, uh Weatherspoon or Russell Wilson pick.
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  Speaker 2: We should all remember. We all remember, Jeff. You had
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  Speaker 2: to just get that in, didn't you pass?
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  Speaker 3: Ye have great, have great rest of you night there Legwald.
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  Speaker 1: That's right, Jeff Legwald with us there on a Monday
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  Speaker 1: afternoon