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Countdown to Kickoff | Sam Darnold's Unexpected Success, Vikings Defense & Cam Robinson's Return · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

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  Speaker 1: Contown to Kickoff continues ahead of the Vikings and Jaguars matchup,
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: and we visit now with the Vikings Radio Network sideline
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: reporter Ben Lever. It's week ten, We're three weeks to Thanksgiving,
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: and boy want a race in the NFC North right now.
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  Speaker 1: It's gotta be fun week to week. How are you.
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  Speaker 2: I'm doing great. JP's great to see you and great
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  Speaker 2: to be on with you. It's very exciting. You know,
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  Speaker 2: I was conflicted last week when green Bay was hosting
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  Speaker 2: the Lions. Here I am saying, hey, this might be
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  Speaker 2: the only time I really cheer for green Bay and
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  Speaker 2: they're like I was saying that around some of the
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  Speaker 2: guys at the radio station and they're like, well, why
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  Speaker 2: would you cheer for green Bay. I'm like, well, don't
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  Speaker 2: we want them to knock off the Lions? And they're
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  Speaker 2: like yeah, but you know, if the Lions are so
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  Speaker 2: going to run away with this, like we really want
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  Speaker 2: that number two spot, like we want to solidify that
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  Speaker 2: number two spot, Like gosh, you're right. I was like
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  Speaker 2: thinking that we have to get to the top of
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  Speaker 2: the heap, and you know, we have to get that
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  Speaker 2: number one seed potentially, and you know, they kind of
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  Speaker 2: talked me out of that. Okay, well, well maybe I
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  Speaker 2: guess I'll cheer for the Lions then. But it's really,
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  Speaker 2: it really is kind of fun to be in this
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  Speaker 2: battle to see who's going to either first, finish first
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  Speaker 2: or second.
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  Speaker 1: Well, of all years for the Jaguars to play the
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  Speaker 1: NFC North, this is the year. Great, That's just kind
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  Speaker 1: of how it's gone for the Jags. And they're right
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  Speaker 1: in the thick of it, Jags at Detroit next week.
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  Speaker 1: So this kind of is what it is. They just
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  Speaker 1: said the Packers a couple of weeks ago. Let's talk
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  Speaker 1: about this Viking team. And I mean it starts for
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  Speaker 1: me obviously with the quarterback at his play this year overall,
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  Speaker 1: Sam Donald unexpected starting quarterback this year. He wasn't supposed
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  Speaker 1: to be out there, but the last year he is.
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  Speaker 1: And what is it about now? Why is this the
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  Speaker 1: season where Sam Donald has finally figured it out?
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  Speaker 2: I wish I really knew the full answer to that.
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  Speaker 2: I just know that he does play with a ton
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  Speaker 2: of confidence. I didn't I didn't know much about his
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  Speaker 2: personality before he got here, but I am very impressed
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  Speaker 2: with I think his calm demeanor, he never, never, once
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  Speaker 2: during any of the offseason workouts to any of the
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  Speaker 2: training camp workouts, he never ever seemed like he was overwhelmed,
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  Speaker 2: he was flustered. He never looked like he played with
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  Speaker 2: a lot of pressure on his shoulders. And maybe that's
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  Speaker 2: the way he's always been, or maybe he's just been
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  Speaker 2: tested and he's been hardened through his journey that, Okay,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I don't have to lead this franchise. You know,
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  Speaker 2: he came in here knowing his role. His role was
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  Speaker 2: to come in be a one year guy, to be
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  Speaker 2: a sort of a mentor to JJ McCarthy. He knew
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  Speaker 2: his lot in life, and I think he accepted that
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  Speaker 2: role and he knew and we've heard from time and
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  Speaker 2: time again how all these quarterbacks really want to play
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  Speaker 2: for Kevin O'Connell. And I think that he knew he
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  Speaker 2: was going to go to a good situation as very
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  Speaker 2: quarterback friendly, and so I think that gave him a
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  Speaker 2: lot of confidence. And that's what he's playing like. He's
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  Speaker 2: just letting it ripped.
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  Speaker 1: Now.
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  Speaker 2: Obviously, every player makes mistakes. I mean, he made two
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  Speaker 2: mistakes last week where you threw the ball right in
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  Speaker 2: the hands of defenders and they're sort of you know,
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  Speaker 2: one was kind of an aggressive play, the other one
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  Speaker 2: was just kind of like what do you do in
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  Speaker 2: type of play. But he acknowledges it, he recognizes it.
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  Speaker 2: He's really done a good job of taking away some
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  Speaker 2: of those careless mistakes this year. Again, maybe it's maturity,
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  Speaker 2: maybe it's coaching, maybe it's a combination both. I just
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  Speaker 2: think that he knows that he doesn't have to be
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  Speaker 2: the guy. He doesn't have to force too much. He's
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  Speaker 2: got great weapons around him now that TJ. Hawkinson's back.
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  Speaker 2: You know, he trusts the scheme, and I think that's
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  Speaker 2: a big part of it.
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  Speaker 1: Ben Lieber from the Vikings Radio Network sideline reporter with US.
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  Speaker 1: Yet it helps when you have Justin Jefferson doing historic
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  Speaker 1: things from the outside. I mean, when you're in the
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  Speaker 1: same conversation as Don Hudson. I mean that gives you
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  Speaker 1: an idea of like things like this don't happen. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: he could be one of those guys that leads the league.
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  Speaker 1: And he's on pace to lead the league again in
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  Speaker 1: receiving yardage, and only Don Hudson has is the other
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  Speaker 1: receiver to do it under the age of twenty six.
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  Speaker 1: So historical perspective, right, I mean, Justin Jefferson's ability, we'd
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  Speaker 1: see it every week. But what goes behind that? For Justin?
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  Speaker 1: What drives this guy to be at that elite level
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  Speaker 1: that you've seen.
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  Speaker 2: He just wants to be the greatest. And I think
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  Speaker 2: a lot of it is against we're so much of
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  Speaker 2: our own journey just kind of forges who we are
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  Speaker 2: as people, as athletes, and for him being a late bloomer.
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  Speaker 2: You know, he was not. He was not a top
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  Speaker 2: tier athlete growing up in high school. You know, he
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  Speaker 2: wasn't one of these kids that you see in Pop
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  Speaker 2: Warner and you're like, oh my god, Like look at
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  Speaker 2: Derek Henry run in high school, like he's going to
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  Speaker 2: be a Hall of Fame running back.
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  Speaker 1: Everybody.
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  Speaker 2: Everybody knew that, like unless something like major happens injury
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  Speaker 2: wise or otherwise, this guy's destined to be an NFL
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  Speaker 2: Hall of Famer. And Justin Jefferson wasn't that. You know,
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  Speaker 2: he was under recruited, only really went to LSU because
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  Speaker 2: of because of family highs, and he really had to
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  Speaker 2: work for everything. And I think that that humility to
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  Speaker 2: work and prove yourself every day, even though he's the
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  Speaker 2: top of the.
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  Speaker 1: League as far as the receivers go.
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  Speaker 2: Like, I think that still burns inside of him that
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  Speaker 2: he's got to do more. He's got to go out
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  Speaker 2: and prove it again every day in practice. He's got
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  Speaker 2: to go out and prove it. I mean, you know,
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  Speaker 2: when he was going through his contract situation in the
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  Speaker 2: off season, I think so much of it, for all
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  Speaker 2: of us around here, so much of about was more
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  Speaker 2: about what he does off the field. He's such a
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  Speaker 2: great leader. He's great for the community. He has a
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  Speaker 2: right he has the right amount of cockiness and superstardom
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  Speaker 2: to him, but the humility to go along with it.
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  Speaker 2: He's got self awareness, like he's sort of the total package.
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  Speaker 2: And it's like, yeah, pay for what he does on
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  Speaker 2: the field, yes, but he's so important to building the
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  Speaker 2: locker room and building the team and uh and those
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  Speaker 2: guys are so lucky to have him.
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  Speaker 1: There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and a
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  Speaker 1: lot of receivers we know just jump right over that line. Sometimes.
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  Speaker 1: Ben liber with us from the Vikings radio network. You
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  Speaker 1: and I called a game in London Vikings Jets on
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  Speaker 1: Westwood One where the Vikings defense had three interceptions off
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  Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers in that game, a couple of underthrown balls. However,
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  Speaker 1: this is a group that's done it all year. I
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  Speaker 1: mean there's second in the league in takeaways, number one interceptions.
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  Speaker 1: I love the veteran back end. I mean Harrison Smith,
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  Speaker 1: like the all time Viking, you know, stuff on Gilmore
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  Speaker 1: does pass rush. Guys are starting to really heat up,
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  Speaker 1: it feels like, but you know, and they haven't really
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  Speaker 1: changed their strikes, right, Bryan Flores brings pressure in a
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  Speaker 1: lot of different ways. What's what what is the status
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  Speaker 1: of this Vikings defense now going into Week ten?
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  Speaker 2: Well, listen, they are gonna they are gonna heat you up.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we lead the league and blitz straight and
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  Speaker 2: I think pressure rate as well. But that doesn't come
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  Speaker 2: without some weaknesses. You know, when we when we give
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  Speaker 2: up five six rushers, sometimes that only leaves a few
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  Speaker 2: guys in the back end of this defense. I mean
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  Speaker 2: there was there was times in the Los Angeles Rams
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  Speaker 2: game where you know, I saw only five guys in
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  Speaker 2: coverage and they're playing They're not even playing a you know,
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  Speaker 2: a straight up man, They're playing a zone with three
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  Speaker 2: over the top and two underneath and It's like, all right, guys,
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  Speaker 2: if if you're gonna leave these two underneath guys to
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  Speaker 2: cover all this ground, somebody better get home and get
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  Speaker 2: to the quarterback. And that didn't happen. And so if
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  Speaker 2: you're well coached up and you understand where the blitzes
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  Speaker 2: are coming from, and you use your six blockers against
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  Speaker 2: our six rushers, well you're gonna throw the ball on us.
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  Speaker 2: And and I think Brian Flores is okay with that.
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  Speaker 2: It very much is a bend but don't break. It's
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  Speaker 2: you know, you typically see that in a true cover
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  Speaker 2: two scheme. But because he uses so many guys in
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  Speaker 2: the rush, he knows that you're gonna get your yards.
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  Speaker 2: But he also knows, all right, when you get into
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  Speaker 2: that red zone, guess what everything gets is going to
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  Speaker 2: get compressed. And that helps our defense out in our secondary.
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  Speaker 2: So we do a really good job of just keeping
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  Speaker 2: points off the board. But you can throw the ball
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  Speaker 2: on us. I think the biggest the biggest thing for
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  Speaker 2: us the last couple of years with Brian Flores is
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  Speaker 2: our run defense. Our run defense has gotten so much better.
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  Speaker 2: Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, all these guys, these big bee
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  Speaker 2: feeders up front. They do a really good job. I'm
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  Speaker 2: not getting pushed back off of double teams, allows you know,
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  Speaker 2: Cashman when he's in there to fly around, allows Ivan paced,
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  Speaker 2: he's such a downhill player, allows those guys to get
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  Speaker 2: clean reads and get down into those A and B
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  Speaker 2: gaps and make plays. And so we do a really
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  Speaker 2: good job of contacting ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage,
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  Speaker 2: and that, as you know, JP is the number one thing.
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  Speaker 2: Stop the run, make it frustrating and make the team
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  Speaker 2: one dimensional, and then we heat him up on the blitzes.
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  Speaker 2: So that's why we've been so disruptive.
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  Speaker 1: All right, final thought, I've known Cam Robinson for a
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  Speaker 1: long time. I have a feeling he's gonna be ready
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  Speaker 1: to roll in this game against the Jaguars, just with
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  Speaker 1: everything that went down the last couple of weeks. We
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  Speaker 1: saw the game game ball was gifted to a by
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  Speaker 1: O'Connell after last week's game. Have you had a chance
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  Speaker 1: to visit with Cam yet and what can he do
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  Speaker 1: to help down the stretch on the old line?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, he was Actually I think the first interview I
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  Speaker 2: did after the game in the locker room was like,
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  Speaker 2: all right, we got to go talk to Cam like,
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  Speaker 2: how did you do it? You know, how did you
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  Speaker 2: how did you come here on a couple of days
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  Speaker 2: notice and get ready for this game plan and play
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  Speaker 2: so well? And you know, of course, as you know,
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  Speaker 2: he was actually very humble and just like, look, I
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  Speaker 2: just I had to study a lot and I got
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  Speaker 2: some help, and you know, they were kind of telling
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  Speaker 2: me a little bit about you know, clueing on this
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  Speaker 2: and this.
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  Speaker 1: Is what I should be doing.
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  Speaker 2: I imagine that he's gonna be doing the same thing.
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  Speaker 2: I know he's going to be geeked up for this game.
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  Speaker 2: Every former player that wants to go against this against
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  Speaker 2: the former team, like wants to go out and show out.
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  Speaker 2: But he's still going to have help. I mean, that
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  Speaker 2: is the one thing I don't I don't think that
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  Speaker 2: you can just let him go out there and be
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  Speaker 2: one on one and solo on the edge just yet.
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  Speaker 2: I know he's capable of it. But he did get
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  Speaker 2: some help last week. And you know, we had Josh
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  Speaker 2: Oliver over there on that on that side, our big,
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  Speaker 2: our big tight end who actually had a career day
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  Speaker 2: last week with the five catches, but he was chipping.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we had we had some other receivers chipping
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  Speaker 2: over there on their release, and so we did enough
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  Speaker 2: to protect him as well to give him a little
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  Speaker 2: bit of time. I imagine we'll probably do the same thing,
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  Speaker 2: and partially because it was so effective. You know, we
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  Speaker 2: had a bunch of receptions off of sort of this
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  Speaker 2: delayed chip and release that the defense wasn't really ready for.
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  Speaker 2: And it's kind of a new wrinkle for us. So
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  Speaker 2: I bet you that'll be a big part of the
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  Speaker 2: game plan.
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  Speaker 1: Another former Jaguar, Josh Oliver, you're welcome. All the former
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: Jags are going to Minnesota. You got a couple of ours, right, Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: it's a two way street, I suppose. Yeah, yeah, that's
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  Speaker 1: what it is. And we'll find out on Sunday. Thanks
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: for the time. Always great to see you. Appreciate it. Yeah,
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: great to see you. Good luck,