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Jeff Legwold joins Kreckman and Lindahl 1-23-26 · Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports

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  Speaker 2: thirty eight, courtesy of our friends at butt Light. It
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  Speaker 2: is a bud Light Football Friday, and for every butt
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  Speaker 2: Light Football Friday. We talked to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.
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  Speaker 2: He joins us.
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  Speaker 1: Right now, Leggy, let's start with this. Jared Stidham, how
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  Speaker 1: did his week go? And why are the Broncos so
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  Speaker 1: confident that QB two can go and win this thing?
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  Speaker 3: Well, I'm not sure they'd show any lack of confidence publicly,
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  Speaker 3: So let's uh uh but I uh Stidham, you know,
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  Speaker 3: I saw him today after practice, he at least is
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  Speaker 3: outwardly showing that he thinks he's ready for the moment
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  Speaker 3: and and you know, has done the work. So I
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  Speaker 3: think the big thing they did was try to keep
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  Speaker 3: it as normal as possible. You know, this was as
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  Speaker 3: close to a normal game week schedule, prep everything. They
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  Speaker 3: kept it pretty simple in terms of when they did things,
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  Speaker 3: when they practiced, when they had the meetings, so everything
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  Speaker 3: was in uh, you know, very normal type of schedule.
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  Speaker 3: So it didn't feel probably out of the ordinary too
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  Speaker 3: much other than the external of, hey, you got a
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  Speaker 3: shot to go to the super Bowl if you win
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  Speaker 3: the game. So uh, but they you know, this is
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  Speaker 3: a player. Sean Payton was one of the first three
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  Speaker 3: players he signed in free agency after he got here,
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  Speaker 3: and you know, this is exactly the reason he wanted
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  Speaker 3: him here. He didn't have he didn't know at the
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  Speaker 3: time he would have bow Nicks, but he wanted Jared
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  Speaker 3: stood him around and they kept him around, Uh, just
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  Speaker 3: for this type of situation.
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  Speaker 1: Jeff, what in this matchup as advantageous for Stitty in
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  Speaker 1: the Broncos offense going up against New England's defensive group.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I think if they can keep the coverages straight,
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  Speaker 3: like like Buffalo, New England is pretty good about disguising
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  Speaker 3: what their intent is uh at or just after the snap.
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  Speaker 3: So and I'm sure Brabel is. You know, Rabel was
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  Speaker 3: a really really good defensive coordinator before he was a
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  Speaker 3: head coach, so uh, I think they will show him
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  Speaker 3: a few things and at least try to kick the
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  Speaker 3: tires and see how you know, aware he is and
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  Speaker 3: of what he's looking at and those types of things.
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  Speaker 3: You know. But that's said, I think the Broncos can
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  Speaker 3: have room to work in the run game if they'll
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  Speaker 3: do it. And then something off of play action. I
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  Speaker 3: took a look at a bunch of Patriot games and
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  Speaker 3: some people have made some things happen in play action
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  Speaker 3: against their defense. But if you give them down in
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  Speaker 3: distant situations, they like to put you in some bad
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  Speaker 3: spots in terms of coverage. And you know, it was
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  Speaker 3: a tough weather day last week, but look what they
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  Speaker 3: did do c J Stroud, you know, before the afternoon
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  Speaker 3: was over all.
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  Speaker 4: Right, Jeff, you know I heard you on with the guys,
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  Speaker 4: I think it was yesterday you were talking about how
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  Speaker 4: excited you I mean excited for Jeff Lagwoald, So just
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  Speaker 4: keep it in relative terms there, But how you thought
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  Speaker 4: that JK. Dobbins did look good, He did have the
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  Speaker 4: speed going some pretty good bursts. What ultimately do you
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  Speaker 4: think led to the decision that he is not going
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  Speaker 4: to go to Marcus? Frankly, that kind of surprised me.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I you know, I liked what I
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  Speaker 3: was seeing, but I think A the weather and b
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  Speaker 3: even if he looked as good as he did this week,
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  Speaker 3: that is still a short turnaround. And I was probably
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  Speaker 3: you know, pushing it on my end to think that
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  Speaker 3: they might bring him back. I still think they believed
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  Speaker 3: the Super Bowls the possibility, especially after what they saw
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  Speaker 3: this week. And you know, I guess I would have
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  Speaker 3: liked to have seen the decision if it was a
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  Speaker 3: forty five degree day instead of what they're going to get.
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  Speaker 2: Leg You asked you a week ago ahead of the
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  Speaker 2: challenge for bow Nicks to identify the looks for the
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  Speaker 2: Buffalo Bills defensively and get in the right run call speculation.
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  Speaker 2: I would say that an extra year in the system
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  Speaker 2: and a few extra years in the league, and even
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  Speaker 2: just kind of the overall makeup of Jarrett Stidham mentally,
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  Speaker 2: is there a chance that Broncos feel better about getting
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  Speaker 2: in the right run call against the Patriots than maybe
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  Speaker 2: some of the some of the opportunities that Bonnicks.
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  Speaker 1: May have had.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think there it's just too probably a slightly
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  Speaker 3: different approaches at the line of scrimmage, you know. I
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  Speaker 3: think it's at the stage in Bow's career, you know,
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  Speaker 3: and they look, they used their long term guy. They
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  Speaker 3: love them. I'm not ganging them at all, but I
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  Speaker 3: think they will do some things differently with Stidham in
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  Speaker 3: that regard because a they want to they want to
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  Speaker 3: do some things differently. They don't want the Patriots believing
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  Speaker 3: they've got a good handle on what the Broncos will do.
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  Speaker 3: But I think, you know, Stidham might be more inclined
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  Speaker 3: to change a player too at the line of scrimmage, uh,
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  Speaker 3: you know, get in and out of some run checks.
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  Speaker 3: He might, you know, do the old kill kill kill
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  Speaker 3: a couple more times than Bow might have been a
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  Speaker 3: game at this point. I think the other thing to
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  Speaker 3: watch is, I think sometimes because they've told bo Nicks
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  Speaker 3: so often, don't take a sack no matter what, you know,
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  Speaker 3: Sean Payton always says this, you know, sacks like a turnover.
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  Speaker 3: I think Bow is more inclined to go from the
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  Speaker 3: primary right to the hot receiver, you know, sort of
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  Speaker 3: a direct route, whereas I think Stidham might take take
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  Speaker 3: a little slight glance at that at the second or
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  Speaker 3: third in the progression before he gets to the hot receiver,
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  Speaker 3: So you might see a little more of the the
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  Speaker 3: intermediate guys who weren't you know, the intermediate level throw
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  Speaker 3: that wasn't the primary someday, if the weather allows, you know,
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  Speaker 3: sort of a quality passing day. And I think Stidham
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  Speaker 3: will will answer the pressure at times by going down
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  Speaker 3: the field because that's his default. You know, it has
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  Speaker 3: been in camp, when I've watched them in the preseason.
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  Speaker 3: I think that's just his mindset. You know, that old
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  Speaker 3: adage replaced pressure with the ball. Where whereas Bowl may
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  Speaker 3: have been looking for the outlet receiver in that regard,
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  Speaker 3: I think I think Jarrett maybe looking to go down
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  Speaker 3: the field in that vein.
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  Speaker 4: Do you think this defense is ready to maybe have
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  Speaker 4: a better performance against the run than it is than
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  Speaker 4: it had a week ago, Because you know, Jeff, I
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  Speaker 4: have to tell you, this is a two edded attack
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  Speaker 4: with Ramandre Stevenson in the rook and you know, Broncos
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  Speaker 4: finally got some things adjusted and as I think even
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  Speaker 4: Mike talked about during the week, maybe even the Bills
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  Speaker 4: play call and got a touch predictable there in the
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  Speaker 4: second half. But Broncos have got to be more stout
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  Speaker 4: against the run this week, don't they.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, you know, they give up twenty four
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  Speaker 3: I think on the first carry of the game, and
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  Speaker 3: that was you know, that was a pretty big chunk
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  Speaker 3: of you know, the days rushing. You know, by the
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  Speaker 3: time it was over, and certainly in the second half
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  Speaker 3: they were they were much better. But they've had bouts
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  Speaker 3: this year. You know, Look, they've only given up more
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  Speaker 3: than what seventy three yards to one back before Saturday,
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  Speaker 3: and that was that was Jonathan Taylor, you know, in
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  Speaker 3: Week two. So they had had a good run. But
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  Speaker 3: I think the Bills and the Patriots have at least
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  Speaker 3: a little bit of the same profile and like a
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  Speaker 3: lot of the heavier looks. You know, the Bills kept
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  Speaker 3: the Broncos in base defense more than a lot of
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  Speaker 3: teams have done, and I think the Patriots will at
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  Speaker 3: least try that initially. And you know, having seen Josh
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  Speaker 3: McDaniels work in practice and call games up close, you
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  Speaker 3: know one of the things he's known for is the
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  Speaker 3: run in the pass up front looked the same. He
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  Speaker 3: wants it to look the same. He wants you to
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  Speaker 3: have bad eyes as a defense. So I think that's
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  Speaker 3: a big deal too, is making sure your second level
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  Speaker 3: defenders especially got their eyes in the right place on
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  Speaker 3: some of those play actions and the bootlegs and all
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  Speaker 3: those things. Because again, one of Josh's credos and on
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  Speaker 3: offense these days, is he wants that look to be
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  Speaker 3: the same runner pass. He doesn't want to give you
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  Speaker 3: a tell before the snap or right after it.
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  Speaker 1: Talking to Jeff Lagwelt here in a bud Light Football Friday,
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  Speaker 1: bud Light wants to send you to the AFC Championship game.
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  Speaker 1: We have got great deals on bud Light here at
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  Speaker 1: number thirty eight right now, and you can enter to
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  Speaker 1: win tickets to the game and other great prizes. Jeff,
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  Speaker 1: let's talk about the Broncos coverage plan for how to
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  Speaker 1: thwart Drake May and that Patriots passing game. What do
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  Speaker 1: you think it looks like. How do they divvy it
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  Speaker 1: up between Stefan Diggs and Kashan Booty. What's the plan
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  Speaker 1: for Henry Hooper. How does the Broncos secondary cover this group?
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  Speaker 3: I think they probably expect that, like the Bills and
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  Speaker 3: some of the teams down the stretch, that to try
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  Speaker 3: and isolate the safeties and the linebackers Khufanga especially and
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  Speaker 3: get them in coverage on the tight ends and the
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  Speaker 3: running backs. I mean, they've the Broncos list of touchdown
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  Speaker 3: plays they've surrendered this year of thirty yards or more
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  Speaker 3: is a pretty short one, but all but one of
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  Speaker 3: those have have gone to a tight end or or
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  Speaker 3: a running back in the passing game. So I think
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  Speaker 3: that is the spot where people think they can get
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  Speaker 3: at the Broncos, and I think the last couple of
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  Speaker 3: games of the regular season and the Bills, I think
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  Speaker 3: with Brandon Jones out of the lineup, people have been
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  Speaker 3: really inclined to force who in the coverage uh and
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  Speaker 3: then limit his impact coming downhill to the line of scrimmage.
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  Speaker 3: So I would think McDaniels and the Patriots will do that.
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  Speaker 3: And look, Drake may led the league in tight window
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  Speaker 3: completions this year, which is a phenomenal accuracy performance for
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  Speaker 3: a player that young and you know, not only was
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  Speaker 3: the most accurate quarterback in the league, he was also
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  Speaker 3: the guy pushing it downfield the most also a tough combination.
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  Speaker 3: So he isn't He isn't just accurate because he dumps
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  Speaker 3: it off. He's accurate wherever he throws. So I think
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  Speaker 3: he sort of had to take the Texans approach, even
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  Speaker 3: the Chargers, h you know, they've he's been sacked ten
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  Speaker 3: times in the two playoff games, and I think that's
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  Speaker 3: the key for the Broncos. They got to get after him,
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  Speaker 3: and he's put the ball on the ground six six
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  Speaker 3: fumbles in the postseason. During the regular season, I think
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  Speaker 3: that is the one. But you know, for an amazing
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  Speaker 3: MVP quality year, that is the one sort of loophole
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  Speaker 3: the Broncos defense has because the Texans got to him
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  Speaker 3: almost any time they wanted. And I think the Broncos
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  Speaker 3: rushed the passer even a little bit better than the
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  Speaker 3: Texans year.
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  Speaker 2: Leggy, who do you think ends up snapping the football
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  Speaker 2: at one o'clock in a power field for the Denver
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  Speaker 2: Broncos at the center position.
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  Speaker 3: You know, again, you know you're just judging by slices
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  Speaker 3: of practice, but i'd say, Wattenberg looked ready to me.
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  Speaker 3: But and the fact they he was the only one
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  Speaker 3: of the four guys on IR who came back to
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  Speaker 3: practice this week. He was the only one of the
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  Speaker 3: four they did not rule out for the game. So
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  Speaker 3: if they make that move, they're gonna have to make
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  Speaker 3: a roster move tomorrow to get them back up to
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  Speaker 3: the roster.
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  Speaker 2: Saying that there would have been some continuity center and
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  Speaker 2: quarterback both under center, Shotgun Cadence and all that because
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  Speaker 2: Luke Wattenberg was backup center in twenty twenty three when
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  Speaker 2: Jared Stidham was the backup quarterback to Russell Wilson.
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  Speaker 3: Is that right, Yeah? I mean he may have worked
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  Speaker 3: more with him than anybody else, Frank right, you know
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  Speaker 3: in that regard. And I just think you know, Sean,
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  Speaker 3: even guys who have played for him in New Orleans
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  Speaker 3: very early in his tenure, will say the guts of
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  Speaker 3: his playbook. You know, he's tweaked some things, certainly, and
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  Speaker 3: shade suburbias here and there, but the guts of the
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  Speaker 3: playbook is the same those guys saw when they played.
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  Speaker 3: So I think Stidham's gonna feel like he's got a
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  Speaker 3: comfort level with what Sean wants to do. And I
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  Speaker 3: think that's important too. I mean, he's yes, he's been
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  Speaker 3: running scout team, but he's been in all the meetings.
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  Speaker 3: He has been with bow as they as they you know,
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  Speaker 3: sort of dot quote unquote, got the plays the night
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  Speaker 3: before the game, the ones they like on the call sheet,
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  Speaker 3: as the quarterbacks do. So he's been around it all
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  Speaker 3: while Nix has been playing. So I think that comfort
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  Speaker 3: level means a lot. I think that's why a lot
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  Speaker 3: of the players are have been like, you know, let
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  Speaker 3: him go play. You know that they're not worried because
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  Speaker 3: he he frankly is looks prepared to them because he is.
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  Speaker 3: He knows the playbook, he doesn't make mistakes in practice,
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  Speaker 3: he gets them in and out of the huddle. You know,
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  Speaker 3: all the things players look at to see if you
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  Speaker 3: really know what you're doing.
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  Speaker 1: Jeff lake Wall the ESPN joins us every Friday, Leggie,
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  Speaker 1: I will wrap the conversation the same way that I
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  Speaker 1: did a week ago. Will I ask you a question
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  Speaker 1: about the draft on Monday?
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  Speaker 3: Well, you could ask me the draft question anytime, that's right.
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  Speaker 1: I can throw you a curveball whenever you want. And
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  Speaker 1: I know you're going to be prepared. But will I
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  Speaker 1: lead with a draft question?
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  Speaker 3: I think if they avoid turnovers, and I hate it's
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  Speaker 3: the og of statistics, no matter how many advanced metrics
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  Speaker 3: we think of and use. In the end, if they
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  Speaker 3: can avoid turnovers, I think they got a great shot
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  Speaker 3: to going back to the big game.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Well, tune in on Monday at four o'clock
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  Speaker 1: to see what I asked. Jeff legwald Legy good stuff, dude.
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  Speaker 1: We appreciate and enjoy the game on Sunday.
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  Speaker 4: Man.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks, Hell's take care