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Jeff Legwold joins Kreckman and Lindahl 10-19-26 · Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Crackman and Lindahl live in the Backus and Shanker studios.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Backus and Shanker, your hometown injury lawyers. If you're in
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: a car accident, call 303-222-2222. Jeff Legwald. He's number one.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: He joins us right now here on the Craig Miller
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  Speaker 1: Lindahl show on a Monday afternoon after the NFL week.
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  Speaker 1: That was by the way, quick span around the division
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  Speaker 1: and the chiefs continue to do their thing. The Raiders
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  Speaker 1: are pedestrian, but they score points. And then there's the chargers, um, Jeff,
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  Speaker 1: what did you take away from your NFL Sunday yesterday,
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  Speaker 1: your full day of viewing? What was maybe your biggest
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  Speaker 1: takeaway or something that you may even relate back to
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  Speaker 1: the team that you cover every single day?
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  Speaker 2: Well, you got two quarterbacks in the division now, Bo Nix,
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  Speaker 2: Justin Herbert, that.
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  Speaker 3: It's remarkable, really.
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  Speaker 2: You don't often see this big a chasm between How
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  Speaker 2: they were playing before and how they're playing now in
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  Speaker 2: the Herbert situation, that just looks as dismal as can be.
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  Speaker 2: That team's got that vibe around it. You see if
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  Speaker 2: you sort of do this for a living and are
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  Speaker 2: around teams that have struggled.
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  Speaker 1: The middle distance stare, Jeff.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, it's palatable. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Like you go in the locker room and it's just
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  Speaker 2: palatable because you're facing– months worth of punishment left physical
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  Speaker 2: punishment where like you could honestly be, you know, injured
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  Speaker 2: severely doing this. And there's no way you're going to
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  Speaker 2: the playoffs. You're no way you're getting a playoff bonus. There's,
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  Speaker 2: you're probably going to be caught up in some kind
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  Speaker 2: of house cleaning, you know, most players. So that, uh,
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  Speaker 2: I've always said there's nothing quite like NFL football gone bad.
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  Speaker 2: You're not playing for varsity letters or anything. And that's
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  Speaker 2: what strikes me when I get to like step back
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  Speaker 2: and actually watch games is when it's going bad, man,
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  Speaker 2: that the, the faces of all involved, I mean, Herbert
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  Speaker 2: just looks lost. And for a guy that a lot
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  Speaker 2: of quarterback coaches I knew in, or I know in
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  Speaker 2: the league have said, I'd love to coach that guy.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. Uh, It's a pretty big hill to climb now.
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  Speaker 2: And, you know, Broncos sitting at four and two, they're
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  Speaker 2: in the mix big time in the AFC. So whether
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  Speaker 2: they look good doing it or not, you know, if
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  Speaker 2: the defense can power them through the greatest of one
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  Speaker 2: of the greatest offensive slumps I've seen in my time
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  Speaker 2: covering the team, they could actually, you know, get in
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  Speaker 2: the mix in the AFC.
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  Speaker 1: All right.
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  Speaker 4: I got a question for you after the Sean Payton
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  Speaker 4: presser today.
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  Speaker 3: Where he basically says... Not shocking, by the way. Not shocking.
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  Speaker 4: I know, but at what point do you have to
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  Speaker 4: worry about not putting enough on the player himself? Like, again,
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  Speaker 4: it just feels like another one of this got to
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  Speaker 4: be better, that's got to be better, this got to
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  Speaker 4: be better, and maybe the message is different in the
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  Speaker 4: locker room, and that's what you're going to tell me,
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  Speaker 4: but at what point do you risk other people getting
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  Speaker 4: tired of the quarterback maybe not getting held to standards that, say,
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  Speaker 4: Davis Webb did?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, that's, you know, in-house, we're never, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I feel like I have a good feel for what's
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  Speaker 2: being said, or at least a lot of what's being said,
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  Speaker 2: you know, in the team meetings and stuff. I can't
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  Speaker 2: honestly say I know all of it, but I do
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  Speaker 2: know he's been scrutinized in team meetings like everybody else has.
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  Speaker 2: You know, I don't think anybody escapes Sean Payton's debrief
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  Speaker 2: as they say, but I think publicly, Sean is very
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  Speaker 2: cognizant of, uh, they got a ride with Bo and
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  Speaker 2: that he's, he's seen what good Bo can do for them.
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  Speaker 2: They want a lot of games with sort of good Bo.
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  Speaker 2: And I think that's what he's clinging to right now.
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  Speaker 2: It also tells me just from discussing football with them
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  Speaker 2: from time to time, there are at least, you know, one, two,
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  Speaker 2: three things until they're cleaned up. He's not going to
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  Speaker 2: say it's all the quarterback. Like he really believes that.
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  Speaker 2: I don't think it's just this story he's telling us there.
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  Speaker 2: There are things he wants to see that are better,
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  Speaker 2: you know, receivers making plays when they have the chance,
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  Speaker 2: somebody break a tackle, you know, offensive line, you know,
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  Speaker 2: do better more consistently, those things.
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  Speaker 3: And I think it's all part of it.
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  Speaker 2: I don't think he's at four and two having played
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  Speaker 2: the most rugged part of their schedule already. I think
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  Speaker 2: he still sees potential there. Now, if they get to
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  Speaker 2: the bye week and we're still having these same discussions,
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  Speaker 2: then the tenor might change a little bit.
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  Speaker 1: But in the meantime, like his defense is dominating games.
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  Speaker 1: His offense is not making mistakes. He's more than happy
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  Speaker 1: to spend an entire half playing a prevent offense to
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  Speaker 1: try and win the football game.
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  Speaker 3: It is a prevent offense.
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  Speaker 1: And it's been effective. Like, that's... Win games on the margin,
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  Speaker 1: win close games. Sean spent an off season talking about
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  Speaker 1: how he knew this kind of football wasn't sustainable, but
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  Speaker 1: they've upped the takeaways, which they needed to do. They've
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  Speaker 1: improved run-pass ratio, Jeff, while not necessarily running the ball
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  Speaker 1: all that much better, but in the very least, in
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  Speaker 1: terms of the play calls, the offense has found a
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  Speaker 1: little bit of balance. I think that Sean Payton is
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  Speaker 1: just going to keep spamming these buttons until it runs out,
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  Speaker 1: and then he'll worry about it. But his job is
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  Speaker 1: to win football games. and and you see it all
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  Speaker 1: over the NFL man quarterbacks Sam Darnold against Denver on
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  Speaker 1: Thursday night was a perfect example of it while he's
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  Speaker 1: trying to push the ball down the field yeah and
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  Speaker 1: how to go for him he made interceptions and Denver
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  Speaker 1: won the game like I I think right now Sean
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  Speaker 1: Payton's just like I have a formula I don't love
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  Speaker 1: it but it's effective and I.
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  Speaker 2: Made I I honestly think that he looks at it
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  Speaker 2: and look, I'm not speaking for him, but I have,
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  Speaker 2: I've talked plenty of football with Sean Payton. I'll just say,
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  Speaker 2: I think he looks at it like, okay, if I
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  Speaker 2: went four and two against these six teams, uh, you know,
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  Speaker 2: the odds are better for the rest of the schedule.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, you look at where the defensive rankings are
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  Speaker 2: of most of the teams they play the rest of
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  Speaker 2: the way, Arizona near the bottom, Carolina 21st, uh, you know,
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  Speaker 2: the Raiders down 24th, 25th in scoring defense. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: I think he honestly sees it as, yeah, it's ugly,
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  Speaker 2: and he ain't.
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  Speaker 3: Thrilled about it.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, the 2.9 yards per play against the Seahawks
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  Speaker 2: is the lowest total of any game Sean Payton has
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  Speaker 2: coached in the NFL.
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  Speaker 3: The lowest. And he just saw it.
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  Speaker 2: But I'm I think he's just looking at it like, okay,
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  Speaker 2: four and two against the rugged six in the beginning
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  Speaker 2: of the season, because, you know, remember we were really
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  Speaker 2: just talking, we thought the chargers might be better certainly
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  Speaker 2: than windlass, but there was some talk that the chiefs
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  Speaker 2: might not be all that, that they might be the
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  Speaker 2: wink link of the six, the 16.
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  Speaker 3: Well, they're not, you know, they're, they're doing their thing.
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  Speaker 2: So I think he's just playing the, playing the odds
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  Speaker 2: right now that if they can keep working and he
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  Speaker 2: can keep, you know, he's got supreme confidence in what
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  Speaker 2: he can do. So he's always going to believe he
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  Speaker 2: can fix it, find the right play that big plays
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  Speaker 2: are out there. And that if he can just get past,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the sick, I mean, the three of the
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  Speaker 2: teams they faced already are, are in the top four
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  Speaker 2: scoring defenses.
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  Speaker 3: So yeah, I think right now he's just playing the odds.
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  Speaker 2: Like you're saying that it's not a formula he loves
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  Speaker 2: or would even pursue or may even want to do
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  Speaker 2: again at any point in his career, but he's going
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  Speaker 2: to do it now.
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  Speaker 1: All right.
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  Speaker 4: You said the offensive line needs to improve.
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  Speaker 1: Where are we seeing that?
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  Speaker 2: It's a consistency factor. And I mean, some of the
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  Speaker 2: metrics are pretty good, especially in a run game, but
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  Speaker 2: I think consistency, you know, that, that, uh, they're just
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  Speaker 2: not carving out a lot of the run room they
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  Speaker 2: were doing. Now, some of it is their backs are
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  Speaker 2: not hitting the hole and all of it, but he's
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  Speaker 2: not going to let those guys off the hook. And
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  Speaker 2: I will tell you, I think defensive coaches I've talked
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  Speaker 2: to have talked about if you want to create pressure,
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  Speaker 2: you know, against them right now, you're kind of, you know,
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  Speaker 2: you're going at, like, Ben Powers and McGlinchey from time
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  Speaker 2: to time. So I think he's sort of talking to
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  Speaker 2: all those veteran guys, too, that are, frankly, highly paid.
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  Speaker 2: I think Sean Payton's sending a message, look, yeah, the
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  Speaker 2: quarterback's in the mix, but the rescue guys aren't off
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  Speaker 2: the hook either. Dobbins doesn't quite look the same as
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  Speaker 2: he did last year. They don't quite block as well.
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  Speaker 2: in the run game as they did last year. Their
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  Speaker 2: numbers aren't quite the same when they were very.
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  Speaker 3: Good last year.
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  Speaker 2: And, you know, to me, I think the most concerning
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  Speaker 2: stat as far as Bo goes in all of this
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  Speaker 2: is he is down near the bottom in almost every
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  Speaker 2: metric but he is also one of the least pressured
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  Speaker 2: quarterbacks in the league. I think, I think only four
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  Speaker 2: guys have been pressured less. So to me, that's the
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  Speaker 2: one that would be the red flag. If, if you know,
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  Speaker 2: but cause that's, that's an awful lot of inconsistent play
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  Speaker 2: when you are not under duress. So that that's the
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  Speaker 2: one that would really get my attention, which is why
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  Speaker 2: I think play action ultimately is, they're all going to
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  Speaker 2: have to eat their brussels sprouts on this one at
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  Speaker 2: some point play action the pistol under center however they
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  Speaker 2: get to it is going to have to be back
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  Speaker 2: and they're going to have to put him in rpos
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  Speaker 2: whether he likes it or not because that's the only
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  Speaker 2: way i think they're going to snap him out of it.
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  Speaker 1: The other part about nicks i mean 22 rushes for
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  Speaker 1: 37 yards on the year.
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  Speaker 2: It's not half and he looks tentative yeah he does
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  Speaker 2: people's eyes aren't lying you know and i think You know, Bo's,
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  Speaker 2: you know, look, I've been around, I've spent my entire
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  Speaker 2: adult life around athletes good enough to be in the NFL.
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  Speaker 2: And one of the things they all possess, or most possess,
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  Speaker 2: is an unwavering confidence in their own abilities, because it's
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  Speaker 2: the only way you can survive, frankly.
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  Speaker 3: And he's never going to say, I mean, he's gone
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  Speaker 3: out of.
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  Speaker 2: His way to say, I don't think I'm a different
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  Speaker 2: player than I have been. But that may be the
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  Speaker 2: biggest difference of all. He ran with impact. He ran
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  Speaker 2: to damage defenses more. the previous two years, he is
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  Speaker 2: not running that way right now.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and Sean Payton fielded some questions sort of to
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  Speaker 1: that effect today. Jeff Legwald brought to you by the
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  Speaker 1: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, IBEW Local 68. Start with
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  Speaker 1: a job, end with a career. Jeff, two players that
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  Speaker 1: very well could be available on Sunday in Arizona against
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  Speaker 1: the Cardinals, whose absences were for two. Very different reasons.
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  Speaker 1: Jonah Coleman and then Jonathan Cooper. It's Monday. We haven't
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  Speaker 1: seen an injury report. But what is the likelihood that
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  Speaker 1: both are on the field? And if so, can both
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  Speaker 1: help right away?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. Yes to both.
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  Speaker 2: It would shock me if both aren't on the field
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  Speaker 2: returning to practice. Now, they haven't formally designated Jonah Coleman yet.
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  Speaker 2: or anything, but just from watching him work, I've seen
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  Speaker 2: some of his limited work on the side fields. He,
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  Speaker 2: even a week ago, he looked like, okay, that looks
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  Speaker 2: like return to practice level to me. But, you know, again,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the trainer could have another opinion. The doctor
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: could have another opinion. I'm just giving you mine. It
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  Speaker 2: would surprise me if he's not available. And Frankly, that
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  Speaker 2: will be instantaneous impact in the run game. His decisiveness
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  Speaker 2: is exactly what they need right now. They need somebody
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  Speaker 2: to just slam it, you know, get into the second
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  Speaker 2: level and make some things happen. And I think he
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  Speaker 2: showed he could do that in his brief time. And Cooper,
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  Speaker 2: they get a week to see where his conditioning is. Now,
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  Speaker 2: he has been able to work out like crazy. you know,
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  Speaker 2: he has not been able to practice. So schematically, whatever
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  Speaker 2: tweaks they've made, you know, since camp, he has not
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  Speaker 2: been involved in, but he's been in all the meetings
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  Speaker 2: and he's been able to condition. So in theory, he
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  Speaker 2: should be ready to come back, ready to go. But
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  Speaker 2: they do get a week to decide, you know, to
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  Speaker 2: take a look at him. And then I would guess
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  Speaker 2: he is probably a late weak addition to the active roster.
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  Speaker 2: Cause that will take a, that will take a roster
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  Speaker 2: move to do. So I think they would take as
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: much time as they needed to, to make that happen.
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  Speaker 1: By the way, we got Brussels sprouts at you today.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, when you go with.
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  Speaker 4: The broccoli and you go with the Brussels, how do
• 14:23
  Speaker 4: you discern, how do you decide what vegetable you want
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  Speaker 4: to force in someone's mouth for the run game?
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  Speaker 2: I guess as a dad, I think of what my
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: kids turn their nose at the most when they were
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: little before they were, They were fine, upstanding, smart, unbelievable
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  Speaker 2: individual adult people.
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  Speaker 1: Contributing members to society, yes.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, they have so overcome their DNA. It's unbelievable.
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  Speaker 4: But it's because you made them eat broccoli and Brussels
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  Speaker 4: sprouts and chickpeas.
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  Speaker 3: You guys know me. I'm a simpleton.
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  Speaker 2: I don't understand why they just don't do it.
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  Speaker 3: It's obvious he's much more.
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  Speaker 2: Clean in his footwork when he has to do some
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: play action out of the pistol, which they ran, by
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: the way, a few times against the Seahawks. The pistol
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: did make an appearance and his footwork is cleaner. And
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  Speaker 2: whether they all like it or not, I think it's
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  Speaker 2: just time.
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  Speaker 3: To do it.
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  Speaker 1: Let's see, real quick check on this. Oh, yes, I
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: believe Chris Ault is still with us. So give him
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: a call, Flyman, this week and have him Have him
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: fix the Broncos offense. That's Jeff Legwald, everybody.
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  Speaker 3: He went with the Chris Alt reference.
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  Speaker 1: Hey, he's the inventor of the pistol, man. You got
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: to go back to the beginning on that one.
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  Speaker 2: And under center. I just think he's, you know, I've
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: looked at some of the numbers.
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  Speaker 1: Don't get greedy, Jeff.
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  Speaker 2: The eye test is there. Just get them under there
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  Speaker 2: and let it work.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: Jeff, man, we appreciate it as always. Thank you.
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: Thanks, fellas. It was great to be out with you Friday.
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: Yes, it was.
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  Speaker 3: We enjoyed seeing you, Jeff.
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: Yes, Jeff Legwald out amongst the people on Friday afternoon.
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  Speaker 1: They were swarming him, by the way.
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  Speaker 3: They were.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: We had to go get security. He was popular.