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Football at Four: Inside Look at Eagles LBs and NFL West Preview · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

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  Speaker 1: How is it that the Super Bowl champions have kind
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  of got lost in the sauce a little bit, But
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  somehow they are and it's time now for football at
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  Ford to bring them back into light. With our man
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  Andrew to Checko from Inside the Birds dot Com and
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  the Inside of the Birds podcast. He has been at
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  Eagles trainingkeet which by the way, it is hot as
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  heck up there to check o and I saw you
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  wearing long sleeves the other day. You're out of your
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  mind up there.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, man, look, iic football weather. I just tough it out.
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  Speaker 3: It is hot one. It is a hot one up there,
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  but they're kind of battling to try.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not going to tell you that wasn't hot. I
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  saw you when the temperatures reached that that kind of
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  boiling point hot is hot.
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  Speaker 3: It just doesn't matter, right.
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  Speaker 2: I try to protect the arms and not get burned.
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  Speaker 3: Well, you've been up there covering a lot of this.
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  I want to get your take. You wrote an article.
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  Speaker 1: It's funny you wrote about the linebackers up there. I
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  saw somebody talk about how athletic and deep the linebackers are.
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  We gonna have this conversation on this day last year
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  and talk about how weak the linebacking group is. What
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  are we seeing at linebacker with this crew right now?
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  And this is without even to Kobe Dean.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, very athletic and a very diverse group of players.
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  You have someone like Johad Campbell who's young, he's athletic,
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  he's rangy. Of course, Zach Bond can do it all.
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  He's an all pro. N Kobe Dean's injured, you take
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  him out of the equation for now, but he's obviously
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  very physical. He's the tone center and the heartbeat of
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  the defense. Smilemond and Junior had an active day today.
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  I think he's done some really good things through the
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  first six practices. And Jeremiah Trotter Junior is a player
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  who I think you could argue is among the top
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  few standouts, consistent standouts over the last you six days
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  of practice, very instinctual play recognition, and I think that
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  those different qualities all meld together and give you a
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  very diverse group of linebackers.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that linebacker spot's gonna be fun to see what
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  happens with. Y'all.
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  Speaker 1: Had Campbell the first round pick, You're always interested. Do
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  you anticipate that he will play in preseason games.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I do, well, because you have to. You have
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  to get him some reps before you sort of drop
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  them in the deep end and say, Okay, it's the
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  regular season. Now, we're not saying that's gonna be a
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  you know, out there for forty five fifty reps, but
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  you would like to see your first round pick get
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  out there, hit a couple guys, put some things on
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  tape that can be corrected, or maybe some things you
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  can build off of and then carry over into the
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  regular season.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I asked that because the Eagles generally don't like
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  to play their players in preseason, But Andrew, do we
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  anticipate that they're gonna have to this time around because
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  of all the battles that they have.
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  Speaker 2: Well, yeah, that's just the nature of it. That's safety
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  and corner. There's gonna be obviously not reblanket ship, but
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  Sidney Brown's gonna have to play Drew mccouba, who is
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  nursing a shoulder injury right now, Kiehi Ringooner, Dori Jackson.
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  But you know, I mean guys like Quinnon, Mitchell, Cooper,
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  Dejen they don't need to be out there, but there
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  are certain positions where you're gonna you need to see
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  what they can do in a live game situation and
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  put those things on tape that can be evaluated by
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  VIC Vangio and their position coaches and really assess where
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  they're at. Because you factor in multiple things when you're
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  going through the evaluation process. It's not only what you
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  do on the practice field and enjoint practices, which I
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  think are the most valuable aspect of the summer training
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  camp portion, but also in the preseason games as well.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Andrew, check out football for real quick before
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  we get to our division preview today, which a go
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  one NFC West. Obviously, all these teams battling now for
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  the NFC Championship. Who is right now ahead at corner
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  on the outside for you? Is it Dori Jackson, Kaylee
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  Ringo or somebody else catching your eye?
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  Speaker 2: I mean it's still really early. It's always six practices in.
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  If I had to personally give a nod to somebody
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  right now or the slight edge, it would probably be
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  Kilee Ringo. Kiley's the draft pick, third season athletics. He
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  had a couple of nice pass breakups today. Of course,
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  the players have been trading off first team reps, opening
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  practice with the first team, and then rotating throughout the day.
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  So it's really even right now and no one has
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  quite yet emerged. But if I had to guess moving forward,
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  and I've been consistent with this, it would be Kiely Bringo.
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  Speaker 3: All right, ringo there.
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  Speaker 1: We'll keep an eye on that they played next week
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  and you can listen to the game next Thursday night
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  right here on ninety seven to three ESPN. All right,
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  let's get into today's division preview, which is.
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  Speaker 3: The NFC West. This is a good one, this is
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  a fun one.
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  Speaker 1: Start with the Rams, who the Eagles saw in the
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  NFC playoffs last year and many people thought gave them
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  their best game in the run. Obviously it came down
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  to a Jalen Carter sack or pressure, I should say,
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  late in that game. You look at the Rams offense
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  this year as a better offense than the one the
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  Eagle saw in the playoffs last year.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean DeVante Adams Pukinakua, I do like two
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  to two at well, he's kind of shifty. Of course.
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  They signed Britain Covey in free agency, who will likely
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  return punts for them. Their offensive line is pretty solid.
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  I've always been a big Matthew Staffer guy, So I
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  do believe that they have enough pieces there offensively, and
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  you couple that with a very young defense that they've
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  been sort of gradually stockpiling these these young talents. I
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  believe that they they are going to be a team
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  that could make.
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  Speaker 3: Some noise and crazy.
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  Speaker 1: You know, they lost Aaron Donald and they went back
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  to the playoffs, and this is a team that was getting,
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  you know, kind of criticized for all the trades that
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  they had made. They had no draft picks, and yet
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  they have this really young defense. And we saw that
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  young defense last year with Fisk and obviously Byer Young
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  and they've got Jared First.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, this is a very good young turner in.
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  Speaker 2: The middle middle of their defensive lines. A nice player too.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: And so is their defense better than the defense we
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  saw at Lincoln Financial Field last year?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, because a lot of these guys are now a
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  year into the system and they're going to continue to
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  build off of what like if you look at Braydon Fisk,
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  you look at someone like Jared Verse, They're they're building
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  off of their first seasons, which I thought they flashed
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  quite a bit, and and you kind of look at
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  some of the other pieces that they have. Cam Curl
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  was a free free agent addition at safety. Omar Spakes
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  was an undrafted linebacker. They have just an amalgam of talent,
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  some veterans, some experienced players, and a lot of young
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  players that I think make them a very formidable unit
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  really from offense end defense. I think they're largely a
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  complete team.
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  Speaker 1: All right, the Rams last year, obviously the Eagles saw
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  them in the NFC Division all round. You go to
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  the other teams in the West here, San Francisco a
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  little bit of a disappointment last year. You look at
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  that as a disappointment because of the injuries, orsus a
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  team that's on the decline, or do you think there's
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  a team that's ready to bounce back with an offense
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  that is going to be different this year? Noboard Deebo
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  Samuel as part of this offense. And you know, obviously
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  Ayuk with the injuries and Juwan Jennings. So where is
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  this forty nine ers offense?
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  Speaker 2: Looyd banged up last season, So I'm not necessarily sure
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  that that's an accurate gauge of where they are, But yeah,
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  I mean, look, it's an offense that has Brandon Aiyuk,
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  Ricky Piersaw, who I really like coming out of Florida
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  in twenty four, Juwan Jennings had a really big Super
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  Bowl a couple of seasons ago, and I like their
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  offensive line. Brock Perty's obviously going to be someone that's
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  that's always highly scrutinized because he doesn't necessarily why you
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  with with a vast array with a vast skill set.
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  But when you have Christian McCaffrey at running back to
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  kind of accent that whole group there, I mean, that
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  is an offense with Kyle Shanahan of course that they
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  should be able to keep things turning along.
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  Speaker 3: All right.
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  Speaker 1: This is a team that had really really good defense
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  over the years, but they've lost a lot of those pieces,
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  has a lot of different players. Nick Bosa is still
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  there though, Bred Warner is still there though. Is this
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  a defense that could help this team get back to
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  where they were?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? I believe so, Nick Bosa. Michael Williams, who they
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  drafted in the first round out of Georgia is another
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  player that I think is really going to give this
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  unit of boost. Fred Warner you can put him right
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  up there with with Zach Bond. I know, Ropwon Smith.
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  Those players are viewed as the best at their position,
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  and I don't know if they quite have it up
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  there in the secondary that that's a question that I
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  have personally. But the Diamador Lenore is he's been solid.
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  He's an okay player. And Ernardo Green, one of their
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  corners did they draft from the second round last year,
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  is a nice talent. But other than that, I mean
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  they had they have some other pieces like Jai Brown
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  and Malik Mustafa from Wake Forest too, I liked a
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  little bit too, But I don't know if they have
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  that that standout performer that you can look at as
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  a as a shutdown player or an enforcer that that
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  really is going to strike a whole lot of fear.
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  Speaker 1: All right, go over to Seattle where Sam Donald is
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  the new running back. There no more DK Metcalfe, but
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  Jackson Smith and Jigbo was a big draft pick a
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  couple of years ago. Cooper Cup is there now, so
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  a lot different look for the Seahawks.
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  Speaker 2: They have a really bad I wants passing attack because
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  Smith and Jigba can really affect all three levels. Cooper
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  Cupp of course, is a route running wizard and as
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  savvy veteran and Valvez Scantling is such a polarizing player
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  considering that he's bounced around on a number of different teams.
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  You've seen the speed manifest on different occasions in consistent hands,
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  of course. But yeah, they have a decent receiving corps
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  Kenneth Walker the third and Zach Sharbonay. The kind of
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  one to two punch that they have there in the
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  backfield should take a little bit of pressure off of
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  Sam Darnold. And so yeah, at Gray's Abel, I can't
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  forget they drafted Gray's Abel in the first round as well,
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  so that they have some pieces there to make it work.
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  Speaker 1: Defensively, Leonard Williams is over there now, DeMarcus Lawrence. They
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  got some good players up front there. You've also got
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  Buyer Murphy, You've got wooland our old buddy Josh Job's
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  out there, Julian Love some interesting pieces on this defense.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and by the way, you know, we have had
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  a conversation about Josh Job a couple of years ago.
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  I was bullish on him, and it looks like he
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  found a solid spot, the solid landing spot and has
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  a pivotal role there on their defense right now. But yeah,
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  in addition to that, Riek Wolan, Kobe Bryant, Devin Witherspoon,
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  they have a Uchenna Nwoso, Ernest Jones. I like Ernest Jones.
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  He's bounced around a little bit, Mike, but he's he's
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  their middle linebacker. Tyres Knight's a player who I interviewed
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  at the NFL Scott and Combine a couple of years
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  ago out of UTEP. He's an undersized linebacker that runs
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  pretty well. I like some of the pieces that they
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  have there.
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  Speaker 3: All right's go over to Arizona. Jonathan Gannon's crew.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, Kyler Murray was the first pick of the
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  draft a couple of years ago. Now it's either put
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  up or shut up time for this offense. They driftedt
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  Marmon Harrison in the first round last year. Trey McBride
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  just got a big contract there. Uh, the Arizona Cardinals
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  offensively ready to take that jump.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know if they're quite ready, And I think
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  a lot of it has to do with my reluctance in,
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  you know, popping up the quarterback. Kyler Murray. Kyler Murray
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  is an exciting player, but I don't know if he's
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  the caliber quarterback that can elevate an offense, even with
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  Marvin Harrison as your top receiver, even with Michael Wilson,
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  who Yeah, I mean I had a little bit more
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  higher expectations of him when he was coming out of college.
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  Greg Dortsch is on their receiving corps as well. He's
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  more of a of a journeyman at this point. Very
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  undersized slot receiver Quas Watkins is there. Yeah, I'm not
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  too optimistic about the offense, but I do really like
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  Trey McBride. They're tight end. I think that he's not
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  talked about enough. He's recognized in NFL circles, but I
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  don't think in general he gets enough love. Because he
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  really is one of the best players at his position,
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  which in theory should make life easier for Kyler Murray.
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  I just don't know if he's consistent enough as a
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  passer to really sustain that.
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  Speaker 3: All right, let's look at their defense.
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  Speaker 1: John Gannon brings back Josh Sweat, he gets Walter Nolan,
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  He's got obviously, Buddha Baker's still at safety there, Baron Browning,
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  They've got some on this defense to make them interesting.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Dalvin Tomlinson, Darius Robinson, who they draft in the
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  first round out of Southern Mississippi, if I'm remembering that correctly,
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  talked to him at the combine A team. Davis Gaither
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  comes over from the Cincinnati Bengals. I talked a lot
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  about him when I was covering him leading up to
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  the draft. Will Johnson drafted him in the second round.
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  That was the cornerback out of Michigan. That was somebody
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  that slipped it. I did not expect. You talked about
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  Josh wet You talked about Walter Nolan. He was injured.
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  I don't know if he still is at the moment,
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  but that's a player who can help the middle of
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  that defensive line. And Max Melton from Rutgers. I've talked
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  a lot about him reading up the last draft. I
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  interviewed him at his pro day and he's gotten off
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  to a fast start to his career.
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  Speaker 3: All right.
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  Speaker 1: Last year a very competitive Division two teams with ten wins,
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  one with eight. The Niners came in last with six.
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  Last year the Rams win at ten and seven. Seattle
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  won ten games, didn't make the playoffs. How's the West
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  go this year.
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  Speaker 2: I think I'll do Rams Niners, Seahawks, Cardinals.
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  Speaker 3: All right, Cardinals down the bottom there.
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  Speaker 1: That that division is really interesting, should be fun to
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  watch a lot of people like that, rams T. I
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  kind of agree with you too, Rams, he goes, Rams Niners, Seahawks, Cardinals.
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  Speaker 3: That is our look at the NSC West.
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  Speaker 1: We'll do the South next week, then the North and
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  then the East, and then we have the start of
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  the football season right here on ninety seven three ESPN.
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  That's today's Football at four with Andrew de Checko. Thanks man,
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  all right, Mike