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Jeff Legwold joins Kreckman and Lindahl 10-5-26 · Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Jeff Legwald time. On a Monday afternoon, we talk to
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Jeff every single week. Broncos win or lose. So, hey,
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: half the time it's win, half the time it's lose.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: That's life of the 2-2 football team. Yesterday, Broncos fall
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: by a final score of 24-14 against the San Francisco 49ers.
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  Speaker 1: They now prepare to go out to L.A. to play
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  Speaker 1: the Chargers this week. Jeff, we start with the injuries.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Jeremy Fowler, your colleague from ESPN reports that Patrick Sertan
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: is expected to perhaps miss a few weeks, but this
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  Speaker 1: is not considered to be a long-term situation for Sertan.
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  Speaker 1: What do we know about that timeline? And what do
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  Speaker 1: we know right now about Riley Moss and Pat Bryant?
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  Speaker 2: Well, on Sertan, I think they, you know, just from
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  Speaker 2: talking to people last night at the stadium and then
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  Speaker 2: some exchanges this morning, uh, you know, I think they
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  Speaker 2: sort of avoided the catastrophic. It very much looked like
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  Speaker 2: an Achilles initially. And I think that's what some people
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  Speaker 2: were thinking, including myself a little bit, but I think
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  Speaker 2: they believe they've avoided all of that. Unless there's a
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  Speaker 2: test being done here later today that I haven't heard about,
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  Speaker 2: but you know, I'm here in multiple weeks could be for,
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  Speaker 2: you know, that the issue is in terms of games
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  Speaker 2: is they play two games, four days apart.
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  Speaker 3: So he's, he's, almost certainly missing those two games right
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  Speaker 3: out of the gate.
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  Speaker 2: And, uh, but the feeling is multiple weeks. We'll see,
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  Speaker 2: you know, how he heals and rehabs and, and how
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  Speaker 2: much he's even, you know, doing on the field here. Initially, uh,
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  Speaker 2: Bryant is another one that I think they initially thought
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  Speaker 2: on site, it might be more serious than it, than
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  Speaker 2: it might. It's still serious, uh, painful, uh, But that
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  Speaker 2: too looks like multiple weeks. And Riley Moss is a
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  Speaker 2: little more of a mystery right now. You know, he
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  Speaker 2: had that injury in camp in the preseason, had a
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  Speaker 2: rib injury. And I don't know if this is the
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  Speaker 2: exact same area re-aggravated. I went back through the game
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  Speaker 2: video several times, and I don't really see him flinch
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  Speaker 2: or hunch over after any hits. There's one very late
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  Speaker 2: in the first half where he kind of walks back
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  Speaker 2: to the the huddle, it looks like something might be
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  Speaker 2: bothering him in that respect. But, you know, uh, I
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  Speaker 2: think that one's a little bit more of a mystery
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  Speaker 2: right now, as far as how much time is he
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  Speaker 2: going to be out?
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  Speaker 3: All right, Jeff.
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  Speaker 4: Um, what was the biggest problem yesterday in your mind?
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  Speaker 2: What was the defense played good enough? Defense played winning football.
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  Speaker 2: The kid will play. That's just that they finally cracked,
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  Speaker 2: you know, they're, they're out there, uh, The 49ers play
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  Speaker 2: the way the Broncos should. The Broncos' defense was winning
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  Speaker 2: the matchup, but the punishment the 49ers dished out finally
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  Speaker 2: showed up in the Kittle play. But I think that
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  Speaker 2: was a fairly wasted defensive effort against a really good
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  Speaker 2: offense and a quarterback who's looked much better against everybody else.
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  Speaker 3: This year.
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  Speaker 2: And they actually hit him more times than, than other
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  Speaker 2: people have. They did not sack him because he's got that.
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  Speaker 2: He's got that thing going right now. You know, he
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  Speaker 2: sees pressure before the snap. You know, I talked to
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  Speaker 2: a lot of Broncos defenders in the locker room last night,
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  Speaker 2: and that's the thing that strikes them as much like
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  Speaker 2: guys like Brady and Peyton did in the past. Brock
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  Speaker 2: Purdy sees where you're hiding the pressure. And, you know,
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  Speaker 2: just from his study and preparation, not a lot of
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  Speaker 2: guys can do that on the fly, but he is
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  Speaker 2: one of them, but offensively, they're just impatient top to
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  Speaker 2: bottom right now. They're impatient calling plays. The quarterback's impatient
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  Speaker 2: getting off reads. I mean, there's, I, I, you know, again,
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  Speaker 2: I just looked at it a second time. They just,
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  Speaker 2: there's so many past plays, uh, for the Broncos right
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  Speaker 2: now where the receivers aren't even to the top of
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  Speaker 2: the route and Bo Nix is already off the first read.
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  Speaker 3: So I don't know.
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  Speaker 2: How you can get off the first read, uh, before
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  Speaker 2: the route's done, unless you just have decided you don't
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  Speaker 2: like the look on that side, but RJ Harvey doesn't
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  Speaker 2: have that many targets cause he's the primary. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: Bo Nix is going all the way down to the
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  Speaker 2: hot or the checkoff, uh, And that's where the ball's
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  Speaker 2: ending up, and you're not going to have a lot
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  Speaker 2: of impact if your primary receiver is the hot receiver.
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  Speaker 1: All right.
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  Speaker 4: Well, you just answered where I was going to go.
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  Speaker 4: Is he not going down the field with it when
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  Speaker 4: he should be? You already gave us an answer, so
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  Speaker 4: I'm going to ask you this. Everybody keeps saying, play calling,
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  Speaker 4: play calling, play calling.
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  Speaker 3: I've said to Nate.
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  Speaker 4: If I think Sean thought he could really start calling
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  Speaker 4: up all the plays a lot better than I think
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  Speaker 4: he probably would have taken it over right now. Is
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  Speaker 4: it as simple as just switching the play caller? Because
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  Speaker 4: you just described if you're not even given the plays
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  Speaker 4: a chance and what's the point of changing the play caller?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I, I, you know, I don't people switching the
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  Speaker 2: play caller is not as easy and clean as people think, you.
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  Speaker 3: Know, for him to go back four weeks in, you know, four.
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  Speaker 2: Weeks in is you're basically cratering a guy you've taken
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  Speaker 2: a chance on and you believe is prepared and all
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  Speaker 2: of these things. And, you know, I'm sorry, everyone, there's
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  Speaker 2: no way to learn how to call plays other than
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  Speaker 2: to do it in a game. Can't practice it at
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  Speaker 2: the tempo and the pressure and the, you know, getting the,
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: you know, the, the, the message from the press box,
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  Speaker 2: you know, they're in nickel, nickel, nickel. You know, you're
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  Speaker 2: getting all that information, doing all that. You can't simulate
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  Speaker 2: that in practice. So we're watching a guy learn on
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  Speaker 2: the job. I think he can be a very good
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  Speaker 2: play caller. He's proven it in the preseason games when
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  Speaker 2: things are a little less technical and, you know, There's
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  Speaker 2: not a lot of disguise in the preseason.
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  Speaker 3: I think that's the issue right now.
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  Speaker 2: He's getting coverages and fronts and combinations of those things
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  Speaker 2: that you don't see in the preseason. So he's working
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  Speaker 2: through it. The other thing I would offer up is
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  Speaker 2: it ain't like they've gotten the easy layup here. They
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  Speaker 2: haven't gotten an easy par four, as it were. He's
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  Speaker 2: faced some defenses that are physical, that are tough, that
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  Speaker 2: can pressure and are, you know, good on the back
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  Speaker 2: end too. So I think it's sort of a perfect storm,
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  Speaker 2: but to go back, you know, and have Sean call,
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  Speaker 2: but that's it for Davis here. I'm not sure, you know,
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  Speaker 2: he'd have to wait till next year to try it again.
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  Speaker 2: And then he's got to deal with all the, well,
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  Speaker 2: you lost it last year.
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  Speaker 3: You're going to keep it. You know, there's just a
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  Speaker 3: whole thing there. If he chooses to stay. Yeah, well,
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  Speaker 3: I mean, it's not a small– I just don't think
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  Speaker 3: people should think this is.
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  Speaker 2: A small decision for the head coach.
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  Speaker 3: This is a tough one.
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  Speaker 2: But that said, the patience isn't going to last forever
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  Speaker 2: because Sean Payton believes this is a playoff team because
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  Speaker 2: it is.
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  Speaker 1: But, Jeff, this just goes right back to the point
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  Speaker 1: that Andy's been making all day long, and I think
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  Speaker 1: it's really good.
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  Speaker 3: Well, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: Changing the play caller does not get Bo Nix to
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  Speaker 1: let it rip, man. It does not allow for Jalen Waddle,
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  Speaker 1: who is running a deep in-breaking route, to... getting open
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  Speaker 1: behind the linebacker, getting open. And then Bo Nix, by
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  Speaker 1: the time Jalen Waddle is ready to make that break,
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  Speaker 1: Bo Nix is already looking for RJ Harvey, you know, or, or,
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  Speaker 1: or Evan Engram is, is making an outbreaking. And again,
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  Speaker 1: it's like, it'd be a layered throw. It's not the
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  Speaker 1: easiest throw in the world, but guess what? You're an
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  Speaker 1: NFL quarterback. They pay you to make those throws up.
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  Speaker 1: And Harvey's right there though. That's nice and easy. I'll
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  Speaker 1: go ahead and make that throw. Like, play caller doesn't
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  Speaker 1: change that part of it. To me, the Broncos have
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  Speaker 1: a Bo Nix problem and a run game problem way
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  Speaker 1: more than they got a play calling problem.
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  Speaker 2: Well, play calling is the run game problem. At least
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  Speaker 2: a little bit for me, you know, just, just commit
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  Speaker 2: to it.
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  Speaker 1: No consistency.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I get, you know, you guys have heard me
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  Speaker 2: give my sermon before I.
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  Speaker 4: Quoted it beginning of the broadcast.
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  Speaker 2: It drives me bananas, you know, two yard run. Oh
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  Speaker 2: my God, let's not run the ball again for another
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  Speaker 2: two days, but can throw 97 incompletions.
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  Speaker 3: In a row.
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  Speaker 2: And nobody says a word when they line up to
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  Speaker 2: throw the 98th. And, but they, they have got to,
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  Speaker 2: and I think personnel groupings are on the play callers.
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  Speaker 3: In some fashion. Now, that's stuff that they would do
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  Speaker 3: collectively during the week. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: You know, again, Davis Webb isn't making game plans in
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  Speaker 2: his office and coming out on Friday.
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  Speaker 3: Here, Sean.
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  Speaker 2: Unveiling them to everyone. They're working on this all through
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  Speaker 2: the week as a big group.
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  Speaker 4: Big curtain opens up.
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  Speaker 1: I finished my homework, sir.
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  Speaker 3: Ta-da!
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  Speaker 2: Here you are.
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  Speaker 4: Here it is on the board.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. Let's take a look, everybody. Quick, take a screenshot.
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  Speaker 1: But also like Christian McCaffrey, 3.5 yards per carry yesterday.
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  Speaker 1: He never got loose, 15 carries.
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  Speaker 4: Frankly, look, Jeff said it, Brock Purdy.
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  Speaker 3: Brock Purdy and Bo looked almost the exact same most
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  Speaker 3: of the game.
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  Speaker 1: Well, sort of.
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  Speaker 2: I just think there's an impatience with a new play
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  Speaker 2: caller that is to be expected, but the impatience is
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  Speaker 2: in the quarterback players, too.
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  Speaker 3: So, you know, if it was me, I.
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  Speaker 2: Think Bo Nix plays a more settled game in far
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  Speaker 2: as his progressions, his reads, his throws, either in the
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  Speaker 2: pistol or under center. And if he wants to be
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  Speaker 2: in the gun, so to speak, I'd put him in
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  Speaker 2: the pistol. His footwork is better in the selective snaps.
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  Speaker 2: He's played it this year. He's been on time with
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  Speaker 2: the ball and accurate. And I just think there's something
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  Speaker 2: to having that little bit of a run potential for
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  Speaker 2: the linebackers that helps him get the throwing lanes he wants.
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  Speaker 2: They're not honoring that when he's in the gun. And
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  Speaker 2: I think that's part of the issue too. You know,
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  Speaker 2: they're doing play fakes out of the gun and the
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  Speaker 2: linebackers aren't even moving. They're like, whatever, dude, we're just
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  Speaker 2: going to be right here doing our thing. And that
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: would be my solution to it. Pistol or under center
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  Speaker 2: more and just run the ball like you mean it,
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  Speaker 2: you know, use them all. I know Jonah Coleman being
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: on IR impacts things. And yesterday, you know, Bidet came
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: up limping after a play, and Dobbins still doesn't look
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  Speaker 2: quite 100%, so I know they're concerned. At one point yesterday,
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  Speaker 2: Harvey is the only healthy back on the field at
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  Speaker 2: that moment.
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  Speaker 3: Bidet kind of.
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  Speaker 2: Walked it off as the game went on, but there
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  Speaker 2: was a moment there when I think they had concern
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  Speaker 2: that Harvey was the only healthy guy, so that did
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  Speaker 2: impact things too, but I think What's the old principle
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  Speaker 2: where the simplest solution might really be the solution? And
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  Speaker 2: I don't think this is complicated, at least in my opinion.
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  Speaker 4: All right, I just need a little bit of sunshine.
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  Speaker 4: And maybe I'm just overdoing it with the guy. But
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  Speaker 4: I'm telling you, Jeff, I already said this to Nate.
• 12:02
  Speaker 4: Quinn Myers game yesterday, man. I thought that was pretty
• 12:05
  Speaker 4: darn impressive what that guy's doing. I think he's up
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  Speaker 4: there as, if not top two, top three on the
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  Speaker 4: team as an overall football player.
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  Speaker 3: I just want someone to come along with me.
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  Speaker 4: He went and blasted that defensive tackle out.
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  Speaker 3: In the open field.
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  Speaker 4: Not a little corner, but he went through that block
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  Speaker 4: they showed on replay where he buckled the guy's knees,
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  Speaker 4: opened it. They both had a run. The guy is
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: just such a phenomenal football player.
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  Speaker 3: Am I overdoing it with him?
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  Speaker 2: No, he's very, you know, Bowles had a plant too
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  Speaker 2: yesterday when they're going forward. I just, you know, Miners is,
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: you know, probably the best power guard in the league.
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: I think even a lot of personnel guys I know
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: would say that. But again, this is my, you know,
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  Speaker 2: frustration's too strong a word because I don't have a
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: dog in the hunt. But when I evaluate it, my question,
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  Speaker 2: my biggest question with this offense is, uh, I think
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: there are four of their offensive linemen that are far
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: more comfortable going forward. And why wouldn't you do that
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  Speaker 2: more when you could consistently win across the front in
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: four spots? I think Wattenberg is probably more comfortable in
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  Speaker 2: protection than he is trying to maul somebody in.
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  Speaker 3: The middle of the field.
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  Speaker 2: But if you're in a double team with minors or powers,
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  Speaker 2: then that's a power game they can win. That's the
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: other thing with this. I think they're built to do
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: what they're not doing. And, you know, I think like
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: any pro football team, if your strategy and your game
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: plan doesn't match your personnel, it's going to look like
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  Speaker 2: it looks on offense right now.
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  Speaker 4: Real quick, can you give us any more insight? Because
• 13:53
  Speaker 4: I know you talk to everybody. Dre Greenlaw said on
• 13:55
  Speaker 4: a podcast, no beef with the Broncos. He then says
• 13:58
  Speaker 4: after the game, no beef with the teammates. Clearly, there's
• 14:01
  Speaker 4: a beef with Sean Payton. What's the core of that?
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  Speaker 3: You know, I'm not sure anybody, I think some of
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: it's just Greenlaw.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, Singleton probably knows him. Yeah, I mean, Singleton
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: knows him, is very good friends with him. You know,
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: and Alex even said after the game, I'll talk to
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: Dre later. And Alex was screaming at the 49ers sideline
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: when Greenlaw was standing in front of him after one play.
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: And what he was yelling was, I think, was, funny
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: instead of like an insult. So I think some of
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: it's just the game. You know, he didn't have the
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: best season here.
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  Speaker 3: He was hurt. It didn't go well.
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: He probably in the, in a perfect world, you know,
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: wanted to stay in San Francisco and elected not to,
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: you know, that the 49ers made a late push to
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: keep them and all of that. And the, you know,
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: the 49ers weren't happy with signing with the Broncos. So
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: I just think there's a lot of that, you know,
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  Speaker 2: the season didn't work out and I'm out here making
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: plays and, you know, aren't you sick of seeing it
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: type of thing.
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: It's, and he was out there making plays consistently, although
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: good job by Garrett Bowles to save Bo Nix from
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: at least one sack. By knocking Greenlaw off his rut.
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: The old shoulder shove and Greenlaw went flying. No, you won't.
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: That's Jeff Legwald, everybody. Read his stuff at ESPN, ESPN.com.
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: His latest is on the Patrick Sertan injury. You should
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: check it out right now. Jeff, good stuff, man. Thank you.
• 15:37
  Speaker 3: See you, fellas.
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: Jeff Legwald, as always, on a Monday afternoon, brought to
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: you by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, IBEW Local 68.
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: You start with a job, you end with a career.