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Press Pass | Coach Pederson on Getting the Most Out of Final Game of 2024 Season · Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Which when when the season sort of goes the way
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: that it has, where do you try to get out
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: of this final week of the season.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Is that about developing to the future?
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Do you get a look at something?
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: What are you trying to do?
• 0:10
  Speaker 3: Well?
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  Speaker 4: Obviously you're trying to win the game, uh, bottom line,
• 0:14
  Speaker 4: you know, so, I I the the key is to
• 0:17
  Speaker 4: make sure that everybody stays locked in and focused on
• 0:19
  Speaker 4: the task at hand, right, I mean, that's the that's
• 0:21
  Speaker 4: the most important thing. And then and then you want
• 0:24
  Speaker 4: your team to to, you know, prepare this week for that.
• 0:31
  Speaker 4: I I don't I don't necessarily use it as developmental,
• 0:34
  Speaker 4: you know, for anybody. I I think that you still
• 0:36
  Speaker 4: go in and and the guys that are healthy and
• 0:39
  Speaker 4: can play play. But again, if if there's somebody that's
• 0:44
  Speaker 4: that's you know, dressing that as a younger player, you
• 0:48
  Speaker 4: might wanna you wanna get him in and see what
• 0:50
  Speaker 4: he can do.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you've you've you've talked about getting the rookies more time,
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: getting the younger guys more time. How have you sort
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  Speaker 1: of seen that, you know, happen over the last few weeks.
• 0:59
  Speaker 4: How they Yeah, you know, I'd say the one that
• 1:02
  Speaker 4: probably hasn't played as much is Trey Prince, right, but
• 1:06
  Speaker 4: the other ones of all have seen time and and
• 1:10
  Speaker 4: continue to uh improve, you know, and and that's that's
• 1:13
  Speaker 4: what you uh, that's what you want and and that's
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  Speaker 4: what you ask of them, and and and really too,
• 1:18
  Speaker 4: it's how they prepared during.
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: The week, right, that's all.
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  Speaker 4: It's all part of the process for for young players
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  Speaker 4: is just is that and and and making sure that
• 1:29
  Speaker 4: they're ready to go.
• 1:30
  Speaker 5: I know you talk about flushing the things after after
• 1:32
  Speaker 5: a week and kind of you don't necessarily love the
• 1:36
  Speaker 5: word momentum, but if you've in the season with two
• 1:39
  Speaker 5: wins and that carry into the off season end of.
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: The next year, uh, it definitely can. I think it.
• 1:44
  Speaker 4: I think it just leaves that that good taste, that
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  Speaker 4: feeling of winning, you know, especially now here we start
• 1:49
  Speaker 4: start a new year and and have an opportunity you know,
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  Speaker 4: to do that. I think just gives you a little momentum,
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  Speaker 4: gives you the hope that you want and that you
• 1:58
  Speaker 4: need and and then and then you you work on.
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: What you need to fix.
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  Speaker 4: So if we can do then plus we finished four
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  Speaker 4: and two in the division, if that's if that's the case,
• 2:07
  Speaker 4: you know, but playing a good football team, you know, uh,
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  Speaker 4: running back, quarterback, I mean, you know, defense is I
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  Speaker 4: think six in the NFL and takeaway, I mean, it's
• 2:19
  Speaker 4: a good football team.
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: So we gotta we gotta go and keep our keep
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  Speaker 3: our minds.
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  Speaker 1: Right.
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  Speaker 2: What are you seeing from Mason Smith these past couple
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: of weeks?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, is it just really simply a matter of
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: the light going.
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  Speaker 2: On for him?
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
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  Speaker 4: That and the fact that he's he's gotten a lot
• 2:34
  Speaker 4: of a lot of time, He's gotten a lot of
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  Speaker 4: playing time, you know, and and continues to improve each week,
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: you know, and and and does some really good things
• 2:44
  Speaker 4: out there, and.
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  Speaker 3: And you know, and and that's what you want.
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  Speaker 4: That's what you a guy that the player that that
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  Speaker 4: we took, you know, high in the draft, who you know,
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  Speaker 4: we knew probably as the season started they were going
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  Speaker 4: to be some growing pains, you know, with with that.
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: But the more he's played, the better, the better he's uh,
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: And he's come, he's he's he's fought through injury this
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: season too, so he's had to deal with that. And
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: and so you know, for a young player, he's uh, uh,
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  Speaker 4: he's really come a long way. And and I I
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  Speaker 4: think on the track to be uh, you know, a
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: good player for us.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: You guys have not gotten the kind of mileage that
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: you have wanted out of your defensive interior this year.
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  Speaker 3: Do you think Mason is a guy that can.
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: Potentially significantly upgrade that area moving forward? I?
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  Speaker 3: I do, I do?
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  Speaker 4: I do think that he he has that that capability.
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  Speaker 4: You know, he's he's he's got great size and length
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  Speaker 4: and and you know that could be that three technique,
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  Speaker 4: could be a dominant three technique that that that you're
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: looking for, you know, and and and there's still obviously
• 3:55
  Speaker 4: room to grow and improve, but the potential is there
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  Speaker 4: for sure.
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  Speaker 2: The God Too two part A little bit on Mac first,
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: the how has he done? Do you think in the
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  Speaker 2: backup role of being able to come in the amount
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  Speaker 2: of games that he's played, give you guys a chance?
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  Speaker 2: And is that what you want in the NFL out
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  Speaker 2: of your your backup quarterback?
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  Speaker 3: You do? You know?
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  Speaker 4: I obviously you know, uh, he's not Trevor, So can't
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  Speaker 4: ask him to be Trevor?
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  Speaker 3: Which want him to be Mac Jones?
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  Speaker 4: And and so will Taylor things you know, to his
• 4:27
  Speaker 4: liking and to his strengths. But you want him to
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  Speaker 4: come in and still run the offense right and and
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  Speaker 4: he's been able to do that, and he's taking care
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: of the football you know lately, which has been big
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  Speaker 4: I think early and when he was playing it it
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  Speaker 4: it was a couple couple you know, giveaways there.
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  Speaker 3: He's he's done a better job.
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  Speaker 4: There and I think just running the offense, just letting
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  Speaker 4: the guys around him work.
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  Speaker 3: And he's done a nice job there.
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  Speaker 4: And that's what you want from your from your backup,
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  Speaker 4: and he's you know, he's exceeded that and done a
• 5:02
  Speaker 4: good job.
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  Speaker 2: The second part of that would be you're seeing guys
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  Speaker 2: like Arnold and Mayfield and other first round picks have
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: success and obviously he probably wants another one of those opportunities.
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  Speaker 2: Is that in his future as well? Do you think
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  Speaker 2: he's got that?
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  Speaker 4: I mean, I know he would probably want that, you know,
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  Speaker 4: in his future to take take over a team again
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  Speaker 4: and be the guy.
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  Speaker 3: You know, that's what he was drafted to do.
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  Speaker 4: So I would assume I don't want to speak for him,
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  Speaker 4: but I would say that's the case, and you know,
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  Speaker 4: hopefully he's given an opportunity, you know, see what happens,
• 5:41
  Speaker 4: you know over the course of obviously the next several months.
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  Speaker 4: But you know, he's done, He's done some good things,
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  Speaker 4: and I think if teams are evaluating, you know, the
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: quarterback position, he's definitely one that that you would have
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: to consider.
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: You got big plays out of your defensive ends.
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: Last year.
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  Speaker 1: You had twenty seven and a half sacks from Josh
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: and tray Von. This year, I think nineteen and a half.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: Can you just touch on their production this year and
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: what it means when the two of those guys are
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: are playing well together.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, when the two of them are playing good,
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  Speaker 4: I think I think last week too was probably the
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  Speaker 4: pressure rate was high, one of the higher rates we've had.
• 6:24
  Speaker 4: You know, may not have the sack numbers, but the
• 6:25
  Speaker 4: pressure rates, right, That's that's also important to note. But
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  Speaker 4: when those two guys are playing and playing at a
• 6:33
  Speaker 4: high level, that makes it hard on quarterbacks. It makes
• 6:35
  Speaker 4: it hard on offensive linemen tackles, and you know, this year,
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  Speaker 4: coming in kind of learning a new scheme, some new
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  Speaker 4: technique things takes a little time, you know, and they're
• 6:46
  Speaker 4: they're they're working through that as the season has gone on,
• 6:49
  Speaker 4: and you know, but you get in those known passing
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  Speaker 4: situations you just want to cut these guys loose and
• 6:57
  Speaker 4: let them go play.
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  Speaker 1: Only one guy in franchise history is ever had ten
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: or more sacks and back to back years, and yet
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  Speaker 1: both of them could do that on Sunday. Josh needs
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: to and I think Trayvond just needs a have just
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: big picture on the production that those two guys have
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  Speaker 1: given you the last couple of years and what their
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  Speaker 1: future looks like.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean it's the from the numbers standpoint, I mean,
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  Speaker 4: that's that's that's impressive.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, but it feels like, I think, is where we
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  Speaker 3: are as a team. It's like it kind of.
• 7:23
  Speaker 4: Gets it's overshadowed, right, But that's again again that's that's
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  Speaker 4: another bright spot with this with this team. I think
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  Speaker 4: when with the defense and especially with those two players
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  Speaker 4: and what we drafted both of them to do obviously
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  Speaker 4: and again there's definitely more for them, you know, to
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  Speaker 4: get and and that's the that's the you know that
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  Speaker 4: I think that's the the exciting part is you look ahead,
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  Speaker 4: you know, to the to the future.
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  Speaker 2: Breakfaces by saying I'm not Nilla as you Tiger fan,
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  Speaker 2: but uh, is it hard to not look around the
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: league right now, and you see the guys that are
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: playing at such a great level, including your guy and Brian,
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  Speaker 2: and when the evaluation process of the next few months
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  Speaker 2: and draft and be like, well, the LSU guy get
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  Speaker 2: a little bit of an asterisk in the evaluation given
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  Speaker 2: what they're doing around the league.
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  Speaker 4: Well, obviously the guys coming behind them, you know, I
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  Speaker 4: mean you look at what Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: right obviously our guy, you know, Jayden Daniels, what he's done,
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  Speaker 4: Joe Burrow. I mean, you look at that group six
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  Speaker 4: guys or so right there. That's pretty impressive, you know.
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  Speaker 4: And and and you look at our guy BT and
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  Speaker 4: he I think he's second in the AFC behind Jamar
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  Speaker 4: Chase right in yards and touchdowns, and it's a pretty
• 8:46
  Speaker 4: good separation between he and for touchdowns anyway on you know,
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  Speaker 4: for for third place. And so as you're looking, it's
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  Speaker 4: kind of like there for a while, it was Alabama.
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  Speaker 4: Alabama was sending receivers, you know, to the end NFL,
• 9:00
  Speaker 4: and then now it seems like LSU it kind of
• 9:02
  Speaker 4: switches a little bit. But yeah, you're gonna take a look,
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  Speaker 4: you know, You're gonna see what's what's been working, you know,
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  Speaker 4: for them, and and obviously can it translate to the NFL,
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  Speaker 4: which obviously you know it has.
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  Speaker 3: And and will. But it's it's good company. It's a
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: good company.
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  Speaker 4: And the year that Beat's had to to be mentioned
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  Speaker 4: with those guys that came before him and are still
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  Speaker 4: playing at a high level, just says something for that
• 9:30
  Speaker 4: entire group.
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  Speaker 2: You can work for the quarterback, he probably have a
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  Speaker 2: pretty good shot at the year.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think so. I think so.
• 9:38
  Speaker 4: I think he's uh, you know, it would definitely be
• 9:42
  Speaker 4: in that conversation. The quarterback position obviously gets the most looks,
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: you know, but.
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  Speaker 3: And Jayden, Jayden's played well.
• 9:50
  Speaker 4: I mean he's played, he led the Commanders to where
• 9:52
  Speaker 4: they are and and and obviously continue to play. So yeah,
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  Speaker 4: if if it wasn't for for that, he'd definitely be
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: in that conversation.
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  Speaker 2: How's how do you look at his ceiling, Brian? I mean,
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: because it's hard to poke too many holes in this
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: season that he's at least outside looking in.
• 10:11
  Speaker 4: Well, I think the benchmark would have to be a
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  Speaker 4: guy like Jamar Chase justin Jefferson, right, I think it'd
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  Speaker 4: have to be those type of receivers.
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: You know, and and and.
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: You know, obviously his rookie numbers this year, we talked
• 10:26
  Speaker 4: about Randy Moss, who's a Hall of Fame wide receiver,
• 10:30
  Speaker 4: you know, and not not putting BT in the Hall
• 10:32
  Speaker 4: of Fame.
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: Yet, but he's on the He's got at least a start.
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: But I think you got to look at Justin Jefferson,
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: Jamar and those.
• 10:38
  Speaker 4: Guys and say, hey, you know, if he's in that company,
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: then I think you can continue to get better. And
• 10:45
  Speaker 4: those guys continue to improve. And their ceiling is extremely high,
• 10:50
  Speaker 4: and their impact players for their teams, right, they're they're
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: game changers for their teams.
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: And and and that's what we see Brian Thomas as
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: when you look at the.
• 11:01
  Speaker 5: I mean, they're a little different team now than what
• 11:03
  Speaker 5: they were the first time we played.
• 11:05
  Speaker 4: Yeah, they got more guys on defense back, you know
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: than before. Obviously, Jonathan Taylor, we know what he can do.
• 11:12
  Speaker 4: In two weeks ago he was two hundred and eighteen
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: yards and about one hundred and twenty plus yards this
• 11:16
  Speaker 4: past weekend. I mean's just a solid running back.
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: You know.
• 11:21
  Speaker 4: Anthony Richardson again, you know, he's rushed for five hundred yards.
• 11:27
  Speaker 4: You know, this season, you know a lot of it scrambles,
• 11:29
  Speaker 4: but some of it's been lately, some of it's been
• 11:31
  Speaker 4: designed runs. And you know, so offensively they've changed Dunam
• 11:36
  Speaker 4: you know a little bit.
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: You know that regard defensively.
• 11:43
  Speaker 4: These guys. You know, it's again it's another good defensive front.
• 11:46
  Speaker 4: You know, with ninety and ninety nine coming off the ball.
• 11:49
  Speaker 4: There are two really good d tackles in this league
• 11:52
  Speaker 4: that you know present problems. And you know our hands
• 11:57
  Speaker 4: are full. There their two linebackers, you know, Uh, it's
• 12:02
  Speaker 4: the year and and and EJ. I mean, these guys
• 12:04
  Speaker 4: can run their sideline, the sideline, they're downhill, they're fast.
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: It's hard to get to them on combo blocks. You
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: gotta be prepared for that, you know.
• 12:13
  Speaker 4: And then you know Kenny Moore a solid corner nickel.
• 12:17
  Speaker 4: I mean, he's he's crafty. It's a good tackler in space,
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: good blitzer. This is a this is a solid football team,
• 12:26
  Speaker 4: you know, And and it's it's a test.
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: For us where we are in our season.
• 12:31
  Speaker 4: Obviously, you know, I'm sure they're disappointed, you know as well,
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: but uh, there's a lot, a lot riding on games
• 12:39
  Speaker 4: like this.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: You talk a lot, I mean, coaches talk a lot
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: about playing complimentary football.
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: How tough has it been that your offense has not
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: been given the.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: Ball on the opponent's side that field only twice off
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: turtle the entire.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: Seasons now, you know, I mean every once in a
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: while you'd like to be able to start a drive
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: at the appoint it's you know, forty two or thirty
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: thirty or.
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: Something like that.
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: Well, I mean it's it's it was evident, right, I mean,
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: Sunday we get we get to take away offense goes
• 13:10
  Speaker 4: and scores. I mean that just it just adds, it
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: just helps. I mean that that's probably the one thing
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: when you look at this season two that we haven't
• 13:17
  Speaker 4: done a great job of, is that complimentary piece offense
• 13:21
  Speaker 4: has had to go the long way. The defense hasn't
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: been able to get off the field things. You know,
• 13:26
  Speaker 4: it's just makes it harder, you know. So yeah, I mean,
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: anytime you can create the takeaway, you know, give your
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: offense another another possession, especially in a shorter field at
• 13:40
  Speaker 4: least three points. Especially with the way our kickers kick
• 13:43
  Speaker 4: this year, I think it's a it's big and.
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: You know, all things that.
• 13:50
  Speaker 4: I mean, yeah, you can sit there and look at
• 13:52
  Speaker 4: it all day, but until until it happens, right, it's
• 13:58
  Speaker 4: it makes it hard.
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: Five cold times you got it were more touchdowns, one
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: field more.
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: It just I mean, it just goes without saying.
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: Some of the top teams that are that are still playing,
• 14:09
  Speaker 4: you know, defensively, they're they're creating takeaways and and you
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: know that's what makes makes your offense better. You know,
• 14:17
  Speaker 4: your point total goes up, your your your your your
• 14:21
  Speaker 4: red zone drives go up, everything go up, sacks go up.
• 14:26
  Speaker 4: It there's there is definitely a correlation with with takeaways.
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: You mentioned Cam just how impressive has a season.
• 14:34
  Speaker 5: Ben's knowing the trials and tribulations and having a rookie
• 14:37
  Speaker 5: kicker in.
• 14:37
  Speaker 4: General, I think, I mean he's been he's been a
• 14:42
  Speaker 4: bright spot for our team. I think he's ninety three
• 14:45
  Speaker 4: plus percent on field goal. I think he's missed too
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: this season. You know, of all the rookie kickers this year,
• 14:52
  Speaker 4: you know, he's he's leading the leading the pack there
• 14:55
  Speaker 4: and and he's you know, his kickoffs are obviously you
• 15:00
  Speaker 4: you know, have been really good.
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: To me.
• 15:04
  Speaker 4: I haven't seen a lot of times this time of year,
• 15:06
  Speaker 4: you see a kicker kind of start to fall off leg.
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: You know, leg gets tired. You know, k balls aren't
• 15:11
  Speaker 4: traveling quite as far, might miss a field goal here
• 15:14
  Speaker 4: and there. But Cam hasn't done that. You know, he
• 15:17
  Speaker 4: continues to impress that.
• 15:19
  Speaker 3: Way, and it just gives you a confidence.
• 15:23
  Speaker 4: Right you cross that fifty yard line and now you're
• 15:26
  Speaker 4: crossing that forty yard line. Now you're starting to say, okay,
• 15:30
  Speaker 4: we got points on the board, you know at that point.
• 15:32
  Speaker 4: So Cam's done a done an excellent job for us
• 15:35
  Speaker 4: and been a bright spot