Latest / AFR Saints / Saints Add Cedric Tillman & Stone Smartt | Kendre Miller & Audric Estime Injury Updates

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Saints Add Cedric Tillman & Stone Smartt | Kendre Miller & Audric Estime Injury Updates · AFR Saints

• 0:00
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• 0:26
  Speaker 1: We get a few minutes with our friend Sean Fazan
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: from Fox 8 in New Orleans. Chop it up about
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: the New Orleans Saints. It's kind of an interesting calendar
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  Speaker 1: here with the 17-game schedule because now just three preseason games.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: You basically have a week off. It's almost like a
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  Speaker 1: mini-bye before week one. Sean, it's good enough to hang
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  Speaker 1: out with us here. Yo, man, how are you? I'm good.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: I'm good. How are you?
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  Speaker 2: I'm great.
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  Speaker 1: How are the Saints using this weekend? Do you think
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  Speaker 1: I'm describing that appropriately, almost like as a mini-bye after
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  Speaker 1: the preseason?
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  Speaker 2: You are. In fact, we kind of had a discussion
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  Speaker 2: in our sports office here at Fox 8. They label
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  Speaker 2: it the bonus week.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, cool. We're going to try to call Sean back.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure what happened there with the phone, but
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  Speaker 1: Alondra will call him back. And we'll see if we
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: can get Sean back here. I want to talk about
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  Speaker 1: this sort of bonus week, the two players that New
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  Speaker 1: Orleans added today and then kind of getting ready for
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  Speaker 1: the week one opener. on the road in Detroit a
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  Speaker 1: week from Sunday. So we'll get into all that here
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  Speaker 1: with Sean, if we can link back up with him here.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure what happened. It is after further review.
• 1:36
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• 2:01
  Speaker 1: with someone you know. Parrish Construction and Roofing. Okay, we've
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: got Sean back. Sean, I'm not sure what happened. Sorry
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  Speaker 1: about that. We only heard the first few seconds. So
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  Speaker 1: you were saying it's sort of like a bonus week
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  Speaker 1: and we lost you. So if you want to pick
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  Speaker 1: up there, that'd be great.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what they're calling it, a bonus week. They
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  Speaker 2: get a few practices in. It's three practices to be exact.
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  Speaker 2: It's not necessarily hardcore game planning. You're touching a little
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  Speaker 2: bit on the lines, but for the most part, you
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  Speaker 2: just kind of keep the momentum going from the preseason
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  Speaker 2: to training camp. A lot of it is getting the
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  Speaker 2: last-minute finishing touches on the active roster and the practice squad.
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  Speaker 2: There's a lot of that this week while also looking ahead.
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  Speaker 2: But it is sort of a little bit of no-man's
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  Speaker 2: land a little bit because You go to the, you know, the, the,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the intensity of training camp and preseason, and
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  Speaker 2: it kind of comes to a halt a little bit
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  Speaker 2: this week. And you pick back up next week with
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  Speaker 2: the real intensity, with the game plan, specific type things
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  Speaker 2: and the matchup specific type things. But this week's kind
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  Speaker 2: of that bridge week where you kind of get back
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: on the field. Get your administrative stuff done. Get your
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: roster set and look ahead to next week.
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  Speaker 1: The Saints added two players to the practice squad. I
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  Speaker 1: think most people here know Cedric Tillman, the former Tennessee
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  Speaker 1: wide receiver. They had a tight end as well today. Stone,
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  Speaker 1: what's his name? Stone, what was it?
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  Speaker 2: Stone Smart is his name.
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  Speaker 1: Stone Smart. My apologies. I didn't have it in front
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  Speaker 1: of me. What are they doing here with these additions?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, they're filling out the practice squad. Cedric
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  Speaker 2: Tillman's a guy who's got some size, brings to the
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  Speaker 2: practice squad, had some production in the NFL over the
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  Speaker 2: last three seasons. So you can certainly see, you know,
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  Speaker 2: perhaps he can bring, you know, a different dimension or
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  Speaker 2: maybe just someone that they feel like they can incorporate
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  Speaker 2: into the program and who knows what could happen. Stone
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  Speaker 2: Smart's a guy, you know, Nuss was telling us, yesterday
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  Speaker 2: that this was a guy that was at one point
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  Speaker 2: a college quarterback they crossed paths with the Chargers a
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  Speaker 2: couple years ago when he and Kellen were both there
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  Speaker 2: so they have familiarity there so somewhat learned the tight
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  Speaker 2: end position so sounds like these are a couple guys
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  Speaker 2: that they like see what they have get them kind
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  Speaker 2: of incorporated into the system and And perhaps they could
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  Speaker 2: turn to him at some point during the season. You
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  Speaker 2: just never know how it goes with the practice squad
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  Speaker 2: and calling guys up and down and injuries. And so
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  Speaker 2: just some guys, a couple of guys they liked that
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  Speaker 2: were available and they brought them in.
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  Speaker 1: I noticed today, and Sean Fazand is our guest, I
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  Speaker 1: noticed today that both Kendra Miller and Audrick Estime were
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  Speaker 1: missing from practice. What's the level, what can you tell
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  Speaker 1: us and what's the level of concern there?
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  Speaker 2: Doesn't feel overly concerning. Although sometimes it's hard to read
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  Speaker 2: between the lines. Sometimes they just tell him more. He
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  Speaker 2: doesn't have to be specific right now. He said, they're
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  Speaker 2: just dealing with some stuff, a little bit of soreness
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  Speaker 2: from the preseason game. Kendrick Miller exited practice yesterday, uh, early, um,
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  Speaker 2: they're saying it's not going to be a big deal.
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  Speaker 2: You would hope not, but given that player's history, it's
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  Speaker 2: certainly something to monitor. Audrick estimate is another one who
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  Speaker 2: ran really hard, obviously in the Dallas game a couple
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  Speaker 2: of nights ago. So, and he's one that's been mostly available.
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  Speaker 2: He's a guy that came back really quick after taking
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  Speaker 2: that nasty hit against Jacksonville in the preseason opener. So
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  Speaker 2: right now there's no panic there, but given how thin
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  Speaker 2: that position is right now, there's certainly something you can
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  Speaker 2: keep your eye on as you get closer and closer
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  Speaker 2: to next week.
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  Speaker 1: Sean, it, What would you say is maybe your coming
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  Speaker 1: out of watching the team throughout training camp at three
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  Speaker 1: preseason games? Do you suspect a big concern on the
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  Speaker 1: roster anywhere?
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  Speaker 2: There was an interesting layout of roster construction. Um, and
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  Speaker 2: I think a lot of it points to the cornerback position.
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  Speaker 2: There's just that, you know, they decided to go away from, um,
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  Speaker 2: a veteran and established veteran who admittedly struggled down the
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  Speaker 2: stretch and preseason and training camp and Isaac Yadim and
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  Speaker 2: really went all in with the, uh, with the youth movement,
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  Speaker 2: if you will, when you talk about Kool-Aid being a
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  Speaker 2: cornerback one, uh, Quincy Riley, he was back at practice.
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  Speaker 2: Certainly a good sign. Um, as your cornerback too. You
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  Speaker 2: brought in Emerson, who is the quote-unquote veteran of the group.
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  Speaker 2: So he is your, I guess you'd call your first
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  Speaker 2: man up, or maybe he even competes for that cornerback
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  Speaker 2: too job. You have Jaden Price, and then you have,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, technically listed as a corner, which is Mike Reed,
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  Speaker 2: but it sounds to me like he's more of a
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  Speaker 2: special teams guy that they like, and honestly got some
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  Speaker 2: crossover snaps at safety, which may eventually be his natural position.
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  Speaker 2: So given the youth at that position, you know, The
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  Speaker 2: lack of– I mean, other than Kool-Aid and Emerson, I
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  Speaker 2: guess you've got a season with Quincy Riley. There's a
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  Speaker 2: lot of inexperience there. So that would be the one
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  Speaker 2: area I would point to and say, you know, I've
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  Speaker 2: got to watch how that plays itself out because they're
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  Speaker 2: taking a little bit of a chance there by going
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  Speaker 2: that young at that position.
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  Speaker 1: What did Kellen say today about claiming to Cameron Richardson
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  Speaker 1: off of waivers?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, he's a guy that they like. He's certainly played.
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  Speaker 2: He can do some special teams work. He's got some length.
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  Speaker 2: that I think they like on the outside. Can also
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  Speaker 2: give you some, I believe he said he even had
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  Speaker 2: a few snaps at safety as well. So versatility, special
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  Speaker 2: teams help. That's generally what you're looking for when you're
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  Speaker 2: claiming a player like that this late who is available
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  Speaker 2: off of another roster. What really stood out to me
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  Speaker 2: about him is he's over 6'2, which is quite a
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  Speaker 2: big cornerback. So you talk about most of you kind
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  Speaker 2: of settling around 6'1. at this level. So it's a
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  Speaker 2: guy that maybe at some point could contribute special teams-wise
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  Speaker 2: or at some point provide some depth to that room.
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  Speaker 1: Sean Fezzan is with us from Fox 8 in New Orleans. Okay,
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  Speaker 1: so walk us through, if you would, Sean, the schedule.
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  Speaker 1: What's next from here until they get into game week?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, one more practice. I believe scheduled for tomorrow. They'll
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  Speaker 2: break and they'll come back. They usually get that bonus week,
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  Speaker 2: that bonus practice on that Monday, Labor Day. We haven't
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  Speaker 2: got next week's schedule yet, but they'll get one more
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  Speaker 2: practice this week. Fairly the same in terms of the intensity,
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  Speaker 2: which is not overly intense, but still getting some work in,
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  Speaker 2: making sure you're, you know, just kind of keeping the
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  Speaker 2: muscle memory going, if you will. And then next week,
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  Speaker 2: usually by Monday, they get that bonus work. But if not,
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  Speaker 2: definitely by Wednesday, you're going all in with the game
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  Speaker 2: planning process for Detroit. And then really, it's the way
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  Speaker 2: we go with the season, just because at that point,
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  Speaker 2: it's just, you know, covering football. It's a blur from
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  Speaker 2: that point on. So finish out this week fairly light.
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  Speaker 2: And then next week, it gets cranked back up again.
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  Speaker 1: And you're not even covering court cases on top of
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  Speaker 1: the football. So imagine that.
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  Speaker 2: How about that?
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: At Sean Fazan, Fox 8 is where you can follow him.
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  Speaker 1: Last thing for you. After watching this team in camp
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  Speaker 1: and three preseason games, has your opinion or where has
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  Speaker 1: your opinion of the team or the season changed from
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  Speaker 1: when they opened camp to today?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's a fair question. If I'm being honest,
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  Speaker 2: just watching it play out, looking at some of the positions,
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  Speaker 2: looking at who they went up against in the preseason
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  Speaker 2: and joint practices. I like where this team stands. If
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  Speaker 2: you situate your rosters, you got your 22 starters, And
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  Speaker 2: then maybe you have another 22 backups, if you will,
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  Speaker 2: if you can maybe split that in half to maybe 15.
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  Speaker 2: I'm comfortable with that area of the roster, one through 35,
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  Speaker 2: one through 40 in that range. That bottom quarter, bottom
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  Speaker 2: third of the roster, I think can be somewhat of
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  Speaker 2: an issue when it comes to overall depth over a
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  Speaker 2: long season. That can be somewhat, I don't want to
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  Speaker 2: say problematic, but just something to watch. However, they're in
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: the NFC South. I think... When you look at them
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  Speaker 2: in regards to the rest of the NC South teams,
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  Speaker 2: I think they're in equal or better situations than just
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: about every team. So I like the fact they can
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  Speaker 2: be competitive in this division i like the way the
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: schedule shapes up um and i do like i do
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  Speaker 2: think you'll see the that second year jump for tyler
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: shuck so long wind away me saying i like where
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: they stand i'm right at about nine or ten wins
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: right now haven't quite given my final prediction yet but
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  Speaker 2: that's probably where i'm going to zone in.
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  Speaker 1: At Nine or ten would probably have him in line
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: to win a bad division. I think you and I
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: probably think it's similarly there. He's at Sean Fazan, Fox 80.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: If you want to give him a follow, please do that.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: Sean Fazan, good enough to hang out with us for
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  Speaker 1: a couple minutes. Thank you, man.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: All right, brother.