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Jeff Legwold joins Kreckman and Lindahl 2-20-26 · Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let's jump right into it with Jeff Lagwald here on
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: a Friday afternoon, and let's pick up the conversation we were
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: just having ja Kwan McMillan, Jeff. Number one, what is
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: the level of necessity to have him back? In Number two?
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: What is the what does the market look like? What
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: does a deal look like to get Jaquan McMillan back
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  Speaker 1: with the Broncos next year.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I've been going under the impression and I was
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: told these are restricted Yes, yeah, So I mean, you
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  Speaker 2: know they can tender them however they want, and you know,
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  Speaker 2: hope for the best that you know they want him back,
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  Speaker 2: and you know you'd never want to give up. You know,
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  Speaker 2: it's like the Riley Moss suddenly trade discussions. You don't
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  Speaker 2: want to give up corners when you have better corners
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  Speaker 2: than everybody else. Uh again, you know, value is good
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  Speaker 2: to have on your side when people are shopping. But
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  Speaker 2: in this day and age, you know, I think not
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: being deep at corner is a quick way to not
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: play very good defense. So I think they would like
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  Speaker 2: him back in a perfect world, but they also know,
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  Speaker 2: you know, at some point, John A. Barn's got to
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  Speaker 2: be on the field you know, more than in a
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  Speaker 2: in a mix and match role. And I think this
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  Speaker 2: year he may have played more in the McMillan snatch
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  Speaker 2: and that he did later in the year, but I
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  Speaker 2: think early in the year they were worried about, you know,
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  Speaker 2: is it too much to give him to play him
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  Speaker 2: at all these different spots barn I mean so, I think,
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  Speaker 2: you know, like all things these days, if the prices
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  Speaker 2: is right for them and the tender is will work
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  Speaker 2: however they do it. I think you know, they'd like
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  Speaker 2: to have him back. If he got an offer from
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  Speaker 2: somebody and it was you know, too big, would they
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  Speaker 2: match it or whatever, you know, and they don't have
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  Speaker 2: to tender them either. So I think that's one of
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  Speaker 2: the questions that the combine to George Peyton. That'll be
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  Speaker 2: interesting to see the answer, because you know, I've been
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  Speaker 2: told they want him back, but uh, you know again, money,
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  Speaker 2: Money's always the issue with those types of things. But
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  Speaker 2: at least on their side, if you're the Broncos, you
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  Speaker 2: feel good that you do have the power to keep
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  Speaker 2: them if you want to.
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  Speaker 1: What the envision is the future role of Jade Baron
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  Speaker 1: of the like the permanent role that he will have
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  Speaker 1: maybe as of this.
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  Speaker 2: Year, I think there's some thought, you know, as long
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  Speaker 2: as Moss and certain or in the lineup, that he
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: could play nickel and then move to the to the
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  Speaker 2: dime linebacker spot when they go six dbs. And then
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  Speaker 2: if if Riley leaves because he can get a big deal,
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: you know, when his rookie deals up, then you know,
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  Speaker 2: Jaday moves to the out and then now you're back
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  Speaker 2: to the situation where you need to need a nickel
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  Speaker 2: the hardest you need the hardest player to find. A
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  Speaker 2: lot of GMS I know will tell you that, other
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  Speaker 2: than a franchise quarterback, the nickel corner is the toughest
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  Speaker 2: player to find. Uh.
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  Speaker 3: In personnel, Jeff, you know, it's the time of year
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  Speaker 3: we all have phone with free agency, and I think
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  Speaker 3: when you pick thirtieth, everybody wants to uh maybe lock
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  Speaker 3: in on free agents because it's just so hard to
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  Speaker 3: figure out what group of players may even be at
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  Speaker 3: that picket number thirty. You and I've done a ton
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  Speaker 3: of these offseason shows, So I'm going to ask you
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: the old classic offseason question, and I've kicked it around
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  Speaker 3: a lot. What do you think is the one position
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  Speaker 3: who do you think might be the first outside free
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  Speaker 3: agent the Broncos would call when the free agency period opens.
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  Speaker 2: That's a great question. I'm not sure, you know just
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  Speaker 2: from you know, again, everybody's still pretty close to the
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  Speaker 2: vest on all this, and I'll know more after I
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: get to India. It can mingle with people, But uh,
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  Speaker 2: I gotta believe they're gonna gonna kick the tires on
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  Speaker 2: some linebackers if they think they're not going to be
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  Speaker 2: able to re sign their own. I think they'd like
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  Speaker 2: Singleton back in a framework that makes sense to them.
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  Speaker 2: And obviously they like Sternod. But again, if those guys
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  Speaker 2: can do better elsewhere, they're probably gonna do better elsewhere.
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  Speaker 2: And I think running back, I think they'll look at
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  Speaker 2: the at the running back situation out there. You know,
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  Speaker 2: I know everyone or a lot of folks are talking
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  Speaker 2: brief hall, but if you're going to give a guy
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  Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty carries, I'm not sure you want to.
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  Speaker 2: You want to top out the free agent, you know,
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  Speaker 2: making the highest paid running back in free agency this year,
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  Speaker 2: To give a guy one hundred and fifty carries, I
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  Speaker 2: think that would take a philosophical shift. Uh, Because they
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  Speaker 2: the head coach in particular, sees a few you're in RJ. Harvey,
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  Speaker 2: So I'm intrigued. But I was saying on one of
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  Speaker 2: the other shows, I talked to a running back coach
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  Speaker 2: this week to get ready for the combine, and the
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  Speaker 2: two names I said, who do you like in free agency?
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  Speaker 2: After he had looked at them all? And the two
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  Speaker 2: names he mentioned quickly were doubt Ell and Gainwell, who
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  Speaker 2: both would fit the Broncos scheme pretty well. And I
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  Speaker 2: think that financially would make sense too and schematically, you.
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  Speaker 1: Know, you mentioned Kenneth Gainwell right there, and he was
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  Speaker 1: one of the guys I was hyping Andy earlier this week.
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  Speaker 1: My I guess my one question, my one little sliver
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  Speaker 1: of doubt, And I think he's a really good player
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  Speaker 1: and he was great in Pittsburgh again this past season.
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  Speaker 1: But skill set wise, are he and RJ. Harvey? Are
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  Speaker 1: they redundant at all?
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  Speaker 2: And you're gonna have some of that, I think if
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  Speaker 2: if you're gonna have a genuine two back, because they
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  Speaker 2: I think they now see is sort of the pass catcher,
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: yeah back, So I think the other guy wouldn't have
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  Speaker 2: to be you know, in a lot of ways but
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  Speaker 2: it was interesting to me that those were the he
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  Speaker 2: and this is a coach I respect and I think
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  Speaker 2: knows more about the position than anybody else I've ever
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  Speaker 2: dealt with the fact he named those is his two
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  Speaker 2: favorite I thought said to me a lot about the
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  Speaker 2: free agency crop too, because those are productive, sort of
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  Speaker 2: under the radar guys a bit, But that's from a
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  Speaker 2: football perspective. Those are two guys that would that would fit.
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  Speaker 1: And the thing about Gainwell is, and we talked about
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  Speaker 1: this is like, yeah, top five in receiving numbers, and
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  Speaker 1: he has been for a couple of years now, but
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  Speaker 1: also he has four point seven yards per carry this
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  Speaker 1: past season. Like that, that's big time stuff right there.
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  Speaker 1: That like maybe the market kind of kind of pins
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  Speaker 1: kind of Gainwell as a pass catching back. But I'm
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  Speaker 1: sure his agent and he would counter back like, no,
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: I'm better tote in the rock than you guys realize.
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  Speaker 2: I think they all would say that. I think no,
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  Speaker 2: I don't think they would be redundant, just because you know,
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  Speaker 2: in Peyton's offense, he wants multitaskers. Yeah, you look at
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  Speaker 2: even a guy like Mark Ingram went way back in
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  Speaker 2: his tenure in New Orleans. Ingram had a couple of
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  Speaker 2: seventy catch seasons or you know, sixty catch seasons in
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  Speaker 2: there as a big physical back, So I think he
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  Speaker 2: sees that as just part of the job, and I
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  Speaker 2: don't think they would look at it as redundancy thoughs.
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  Speaker 2: But I think those two backs, and I've looked at
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  Speaker 2: most of the free agent crop a little bit, I
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  Speaker 2: think they make more sense salary cap wise, how much
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  Speaker 2: you're going to give him the ball, you know, all
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  Speaker 2: of those things. I think they fit. They both are
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  Speaker 2: good fits for the Brocres.
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  Speaker 3: What would you think if they I'd like him to
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  Speaker 3: talk to Isaiah Likely, how do you think that fit
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  Speaker 3: would work. I just love to see him get a
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  Speaker 3: guy that actually run after the catch, yard after the catch,
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  Speaker 3: whatever you want to call it. There, Jeff, I'd like
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  Speaker 3: to see a little more of that in this offense.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think they would too, But you know, get
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  Speaker 2: I think now Ingram's run after the catch numbers at
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  Speaker 2: this stage of his career aren't great. You know everybody
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  Speaker 2: knows that, But I think the issue down the stretch
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  Speaker 2: was more targets than him. So if you're going to
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  Speaker 2: dive in to somebody like likely, you know, and they
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  Speaker 2: need impact at that position, no question. I think it's
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  Speaker 2: been their biggest offensive failing the last two years, three
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  Speaker 2: years really. But you need to be willing to get
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  Speaker 2: the ball there too, and if that's a Bonex thing
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  Speaker 2: or a Sean Payton thing, one or the other. But
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  Speaker 2: there has to be some targets to that if you're
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  Speaker 2: going to invest in that position, like what it would
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  Speaker 2: take to get a guy like him, I think you
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  Speaker 2: got to be willing and and you know, to put
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: the ball there too. But they definitely need that kind
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  Speaker 2: of athlete at the position. They Every defensive coach I
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  Speaker 2: speak to about the Broncos consistently talks about the personnel
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  Speaker 2: grouping issue of they think it tips plays and that
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  Speaker 2: they don't worry about getting impacted through the middle of
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  Speaker 2: their defense in the passing game.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so let's then talk about tight ends in the
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  Speaker 1: draft potentially, Jeff and I know the Broncos want to
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  Speaker 1: take the best player available at number thirty. That would
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  Speaker 1: be the sound drafting strategy. Just take whomever is highest
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  Speaker 1: on your board. If one of them should happen to
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  Speaker 1: be a tight end, and we have seen in recent
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  Speaker 1: seasons we were going over some of the numbers a
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  Speaker 1: couple of days ago, Like top twenty tight ends in
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  Speaker 1: the league. I think six of them were first or
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  Speaker 1: second year guys this past season. Like you can jump
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  Speaker 1: into the NFL and make an impact at that position
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  Speaker 1: very quickly as you have sort of started your draft prep.
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  Speaker 1: Kenyan Sadik of Oregon is generally considered the premiere tight
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  Speaker 1: end in this draft. We talked about Max Claire out
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  Speaker 1: of Ohio State a little bit. Are there names that
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  Speaker 1: you like around that number thirty spot?
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  Speaker 2: Well at thirty, No, but I will say it's interesting.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I want to see how they work out
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  Speaker 2: in Indy. But this is the most or the highest
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: number of tight ends I can remember getting invited to
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  Speaker 2: the Combine in at least a decade. I think there
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  Speaker 2: are twenty seven tight ends going this year. So the
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  Speaker 2: league is as interested as you guys are. But Sadiq
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  Speaker 2: for a lot of teams is probably the only first
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  Speaker 2: rounder on that list. But it doesn't mean you know,
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  Speaker 2: rounds two through four are going to be players who
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: play as rookies, you know. I like I like the
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: Notre Dame guy Raredan, I like him, I like the
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: I think the Utah guy has a really good pro future.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: And Royer at Cincinnati was another guy who looked at
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: quite a bit and I think a quiet name. I
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: think he will do better with even more work than
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: he got in college. But and he's a little smaller,
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: so I'd be intrigued. But that the Texas jack Endres,
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: I think is a is a prospect. Unintrigued by it.
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  Speaker 2: He didn't get the ball much there, but there were
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: a couple a few forty and fifty yard receptions, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I watched him make on the tape, and I really
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  Speaker 2: like him too. So I think as a middle rounder
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  Speaker 2: who could come in and give you some uh some
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: good players. And I think Loner honestly is at least
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: in the red zone next year. I think if that'd
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: be the clock, I'd be wanting to see. Is at
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: least have a red zone package for him next year.
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: Get him up to speed because that I can't tell
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: you how rare a guy is. I mean, I watch
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: that guy covering the NCAA Hoops tournament for ESPN. I
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: watched that guy throw a dunks out before the game,
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: you know, one year at the tournament, and I gotta
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: believe you can find a way to get the football
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: toward him all right.
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: By the way, I'm looking at all these mock drafts,
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: I could throw some names to you, and Jeff's not
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: lying everybody. I'm looking at the Charles Davis one and
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: it's a it's an offensive tackle, edge corner, edge corner edge.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: I know, I know.
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: I'm just backing you up and giving you your flowers.
• 12:32
  Speaker 3: By the way, they've got the Niners taking a city,
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: so you'd have to trade up.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Jeff, you're a little guy. We got about a minute.
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: You're a guy that knows a little about everything. What
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: the hell shoes are they wearing and curling? Jeff, do
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: you know are those special shoes or they're just like
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: your dad's new balance that's slide?
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: Well, no, they actually it's funny when you can ask
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: a Midwestern guy about curling. There's no question. But they
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: have a uh, they actually a little soul on when
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: when they're because they need one foot to stick so
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: they can push off, and they need one to slide.
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: So usually one shoe is the slider.
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: Is that why that white thing they all got, the
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: white thing at the bottom you got to talking about
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: you got a slider?
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: And a gripper.
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and they take the they take the grip off
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: when they're in between plays, as it were. You can
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: always see them peel it off. But yeah, I know.
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: I tried it once just for a story, and I
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: will tell you it's a hell of a lot harder
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: than it looks on television.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: Good to know Jeff Legwall and everybody. You ask a
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: Northern Midwesterner when you need to know about curling, shoe
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: a curling, he knows it all, that's right. He can't
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: wait to go cover an NFL game in Hammond, Indiana.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: Let me tell you.
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: You see the ski jumper form Wakanda.
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: Wait, there was a ski jumper from Wakanda.
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: There was a ski jumper from Mocana.
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: How do I not know this?
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: Because they lost?
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: You got to get on it, man, all.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: Right, I'm on it man. I'm checking it out. Leggy,
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: good stuff, buddy, Thanks Helling for ship