Latest / AFR Saints / Saints vs. Giants Preview: Gayle Benson's Comments & New Orleans Saints Update

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Saints vs. Giants Preview: Gayle Benson's Comments & New Orleans Saints Update · AFR Saints

• 0:00
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• 0:26
  Speaker 1: what up?
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Still having me on, huh?
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: Absolutely.
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  Speaker 1: Gail Benson's out there throwing haymakers. Hey, what did you
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  Speaker 1: make a Gail Benson's comments this week where I thought they,
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  Speaker 1: it felt like a lot of rhetoric that didn't really
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  Speaker 1: have a lot of teeth in it.
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  Speaker 3: What did you make of it?
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  Speaker 2: No, I, I, I think the reaction has been correct
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  Speaker 2: and not blown out of proportion specifically because no, if
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  Speaker 2: you just type up the quote, it's not like, Whoa,
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  Speaker 2: somebody said that. Um, But it being so out of
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  Speaker 2: character for her to say anything even close to that
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  Speaker 2: and for her to do it when she wasn't required
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  Speaker 2: to and for it to be a prepared statement and
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  Speaker 2: for it to kind of double and triple down as
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  Speaker 2: it went on. It wasn't just, this is unacceptable. I
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  Speaker 2: know I'm speaking public today. I want to make it
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  Speaker 2: clear this is unacceptable. Then to bring up the legacy
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  Speaker 2: that Tom Benson created and the legacy that Drew Brees
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  Speaker 2: said here. then to bring up Mickey and Kellen by name,
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  Speaker 2: and then to say, it's my job to hold them accountable. Um,
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  Speaker 2: that all, like just hearing it made me be like,
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  Speaker 2: this sounds serious. This sounds different than anything we've ever,
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  Speaker 2: any way we've ever heard or approach either team before.
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  Speaker 2: And then obviously from talking to people afterward to make
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  Speaker 2: sure our instincts were correct, it was backed up. She
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  Speaker 2: meant what she said.
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  Speaker 3: Okay. Okay. Um, Okay, do you think she will ever
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  Speaker 3: actually fire Mickey Loomis?
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  Speaker 2: I definitely think it's possible. And fire could be one way,
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  Speaker 2: or mutual agreement to change roles, or go quietly to
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  Speaker 2: the night. I don't know. I think it's possible. But
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  Speaker 2: I absolutely do. I don't think it was stated that
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  Speaker 2: explicitly before. the way it was stated, if she doesn't
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  Speaker 2: want to make it clear that she would be willing
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  Speaker 2: to do that. Like that, you know, I mean, we've
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  Speaker 2: never seen, I mean, frankly, we've never seen her or
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  Speaker 2: Tom Benson own a team that has gone seven years
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  Speaker 2: without making the playoffs.
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  Speaker 1: Have we?
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  Speaker 2: I'd have to do some math there. Maybe 85 to 91,
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  Speaker 2: was there a, but I mean, they're approaching the longest
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  Speaker 2: playoff drought in their ownership tenure.
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  Speaker 1: What about, well, let's see, they made the playoffs in 2000,
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  Speaker 1: then again in 06.
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  Speaker 3: Or I'm at 95-0-1.
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  Speaker 2: I'm at 95-0-1.
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  Speaker 1: Right, right, right. I'm working backwards. I'm just thinking of
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  Speaker 1: the longest stretch. So, I mean, they made it 93, right?
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  Speaker 1: And then 93, then 2000?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so they're hovering around that.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: Boy, those years were something.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: Let's not go back there. Okay.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, look, and it's the same thing. It's Mora
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  Speaker 2: really built something here with a core of players that
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  Speaker 2: are like NFL Hall of Famers and not just Saints
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  Speaker 2: Hall of Famers. It took them a long, long, long
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  Speaker 2: time to get back to it.
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  Speaker 1: At Mike Triplett, NewOrleans.football. And oddly, Mike, the Saints are
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  Speaker 1: a game out of first place in the division because
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  Speaker 1: this division is horrendous. But they've got to start winning.
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  Speaker 1: I am floored. I know you and I don't talk
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  Speaker 1: sports betting, but I'm floored by the spread going from
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  Speaker 1: Giants 2.5 to Saints 1.5. Do you have any opinion
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  Speaker 1: on what people may know why the Saints should or
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  Speaker 1: could be favored in this game?
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  Speaker 2: No, especially since the Giants just played really well, I thought.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, obviously they should have lost to the Commanders. But,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, Jameis Winston just threw for over 300 yards
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  Speaker 2: with no interception. You know, he doesn't feel like he's
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  Speaker 2: handing the ball out for free right now, which would
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  Speaker 2: be the Saints' best path, I think, to victory in
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  Speaker 2: this game. So a really strong Jameis Winston performance. and
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  Speaker 2: the Giants putting up 27 points, I don't see it either. Now, obviously,
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  Speaker 2: they don't have Brian Burns. They've been manufacturing a pass rush,
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  Speaker 2: but they've been doing a good job manufacturing a pass rush,
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  Speaker 2: and the blueprint is out there. Blitz the Saints. Blitz
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  Speaker 2: the Saints, and you can nullify their offense. So, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I don't know what that's based on.
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  Speaker 1: Mike, you and I have talked a lot, not only
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  Speaker 1: over the years, but this year, and you go back
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  Speaker 1: to training camp, and I think the thing that, for me,
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  Speaker 1: is the biggest surprise is is I sort of bought
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  Speaker 1: that this offense was going to be really good because
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  Speaker 1: of all the reports, the joint practices, and how the
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  Speaker 1: ones were doing against ones. It felt like the way
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  Speaker 1: they finished, they were ready to take a step. Why
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  Speaker 1: hasn't it worked so far?
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  Speaker 2: I think Tyler Shuck and the pass catchers have lived
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  Speaker 2: up to our expectations for them. Obviously, Tyler Shuck has
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  Speaker 2: had two. Two bad games and nine bad quarters, if
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  Speaker 2: you include the turnovers against the Raiders. But I think
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  Speaker 2: Tyler Schuch and his rapport with Chris Alave, his rapport
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  Speaker 2: with Devon Bailey, his rapport with Jawan Johnson, and if
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  Speaker 2: Jordan Tyson comes back, his rapport with him, I think
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  Speaker 2: that's all real. And I think they can score points
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  Speaker 2: in fourth quarters to come back. They can take early leads.
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  Speaker 2: I think that's fair. But the one thing you can't
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  Speaker 2: really tell in the preseason and joint practices is if
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  Speaker 2: they actually have a good run game, and the run
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  Speaker 2: game's been a huge disappointment. It's derailed the team. If
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  Speaker 2: you run on first and 10, it's second and 11.
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  Speaker 2: If you get to third and one, you try to run,
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  Speaker 2: good luck. Like, you know, it was the biggest problem
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  Speaker 2: for the team last year. They devoted so many resources
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  Speaker 2: and efforts into improving it.
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  Speaker 3: And if anything, it's gotten worse. And they're also.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there's also the penalties and the alignment penalties
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  Speaker 2: and stuff. I mean, it feels like it's second and
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  Speaker 2: 15 all the time with this team. And so those
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  Speaker 2: are the two things that have derailed the offense. The
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  Speaker 2: things we got excited about in preseason and training camp,
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  Speaker 2: I think it's still fair to have high hopes for
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  Speaker 2: the passing. But they can't do it alone. And it
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  Speaker 2: can't always be third and 14. That's worked a few times.
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  Speaker 2: It's obviously unsustainable.
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  Speaker 1: And just to add on to that, even when they
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  Speaker 1: had Banks and Aiton, they still couldn't run the ball.
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  Speaker 1: So it's not like just eliminating those guys has eliminated
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  Speaker 1: the rushing offense.
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  Speaker 2: It hasn't helped, though. It certainly has hurt.
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  Speaker 3: No doubt.
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  Speaker 2: And the Caden Ellis injury has been bigger than I
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  Speaker 2: ever would have expected to. I mean, we knew, we both,
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  Speaker 2: I think, had a similar analysis of this team going
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  Speaker 2: into the season, which is starting 22 is going to
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  Speaker 2: be fun to watch, but if you take eight of
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  Speaker 2: those players away, like most teams lose eight of their
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  Speaker 2: starters over the course of a season, they're going to
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  Speaker 2: be pretty depleted. And they've lost some that have really hurt.
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  Speaker 3: Who do you think has been the most significant, the
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  Speaker 3: most consequential loss?
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I would say Kelvin Banks because the drop-off
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  Speaker 2: is so severe to, you know, Austin Richards hasn't been
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  Speaker 2: great behind him. They don't have, you know, depth anywhere
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  Speaker 2: on the offensive line. You know, I mean, you can't,
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  Speaker 2: You can't move some other pieces around. The depth on
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  Speaker 2: the offensive line really hurts. But strong, strong case for
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  Speaker 2: Caden Ellis because, you know, we were just talking about
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  Speaker 2: this with Brandon Staley today and what a chess piece
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  Speaker 2: he is. Like, if you replace Caden Ellis with Danny Stutzman,
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  Speaker 2: you're not just going from one player's talent to the
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  Speaker 2: other player's talent. I mean, Caden Ellis is a very
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  Speaker 2: unique defensive player, and this kind of has illustrated the
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  Speaker 2: It reminds me of when Eric McCoy went out. You're like, oh,
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  Speaker 2: I didn't realize he was that instrumental to what they
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  Speaker 2: were doing the first three weeks until you saw it
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  Speaker 2: without him.
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  Speaker 1: I'm so surprised by the defense because they were ninth
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  Speaker 1: in the NFL last year in total defense, if I
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  Speaker 1: remember that correctly. And to see them be this poor
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  Speaker 1: is a bit of a surprise. And we talked to Ellis.
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  Speaker 1: I was very big on retaining Demario Davis. I hated
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  Speaker 1: that decision. if nothing else, just because he was always
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  Speaker 1: on the field. But I don't know if it's just
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  Speaker 1: Ellis not being there these two weeks. I mean, he
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  Speaker 1: was there when they got torched by Detroit. So what
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  Speaker 1: has gone wrong for this defense?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, that's been a big one, I think.
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  Speaker 2: In that atrocious Falcons game, they were also missing Carl Granderson,
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  Speaker 2: which is a big drop off there, too. But I
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  Speaker 2: think they were probably overachieving a little bit last year
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  Speaker 2: with the talent that they had. and in the first
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: three weeks of the season, I think they were probably
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  Speaker 2: achieving about what you'd expect, the good and the bad.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, they had that great second half against Baltimore,
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  Speaker 2: great second half against Detroit, great first half against the Raiders.
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  Speaker 2: I think that was all about what you'd expect and
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  Speaker 2: pretty similar to last year. But then, yeah, I mean,
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  Speaker 2: you take a couple of those pieces away, They get exposed,
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  Speaker 2: and it's just, I mean, they need a year or
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  Speaker 2: two of adding talent to that group. You know, Kim
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  Speaker 2: Jordan played out of his mind last year. He's playing
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  Speaker 2: a little bit more like you'd expect him to play.
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  Speaker 2: To take Brian Breezy away, that's a pretty old interior
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  Speaker 2: defensive line. Those guys are playing about how you'd expect
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  Speaker 2: them to play. The secondary is holding up okay, but
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  Speaker 2: we thought that was going to be a concern going
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  Speaker 2: into the season. So, you know, it's just, it's not
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  Speaker 2: a super talented group.
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  Speaker 1: He's at Mike Triplett, NewOrleans.football, NewOrleans.football. I know you don't
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  Speaker 1: cover the Giants, but when you look at the matchup
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  Speaker 1: this weekend with the Saints and the Giants, what stands out?
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  Speaker 3: Say it again?
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  Speaker 1: I know you don't cover the Giants, but when you
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  Speaker 1: look at the matchup, what do you think stands out
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  Speaker 1: about the matchup with New York?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, heading into the year, you would be
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  Speaker 2: really fearful of their... pass rush and, and losing Brian
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  Speaker 2: Burns hurts that, but they had so much depth that, that,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, that is still where I think they have
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  Speaker 2: a lot of talent and they have added to, you know,
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  Speaker 2: they're glitzing more. Um, and, and we've seen that that
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  Speaker 2: is a successful formula. Obviously the Vikings do that to everyone.
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  Speaker 2: They did that to the saints relentlessly. The Falcons had
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  Speaker 2: success doing that to the saints. The lions had success
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  Speaker 2: in the first half of the entire season doing that
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  Speaker 2: to the saints. So, um, you know, the saints are
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  Speaker 2: going to have to show they have a counterpunch for
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  Speaker 2: the way the giants are attacking teams that way. And
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  Speaker 2: I mean, look, James Winston will throw interceptions. Cam Scadaboo
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  Speaker 2: will fumble the ball. You need to, you need to
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  Speaker 2: show that you can make them do that. Um, saints
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  Speaker 2: have been really good at forcing fumbles this year. Not
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: so great at taking interceptions away, but, um, they've got
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  Speaker 2: to do that. And a lot of that is situational.
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  Speaker 2: It'd be nice if they let the defense play with
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  Speaker 2: a lead for a change. It doesn't happen very often.
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  Speaker 3: It's been brutal, man.
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  Speaker 1: Um, what, This might sound sort of simplistic, Mike, but
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  Speaker 1: at 1-4, what is the significance of, when you look
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  Speaker 1: at totality, season, standings, everything, what is the significance of
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  Speaker 1: this game on Sunday?
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  Speaker 2: Well, it's so funny how many different ways this season
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: can go. I think if they lose both of these games,
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  Speaker 2: including the Paris game, in the wake of what Gil
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  Speaker 2: Benson just said, and the bye week after the Paris game,
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  Speaker 2: and if they were 1-6, and continue to fall flat.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, everything's on the table. Coach could get fired.
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  Speaker 2: Jam could get fired mid season. But if they win
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  Speaker 2: both of these games, if they win the giants game,
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  Speaker 2: go to Paris, have the, have the week in Paris
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  Speaker 2: that they've been dreaming of for two years, promote it.
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  Speaker 2: Everyone's in a good mood when, uh, then they're three
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  Speaker 2: and four going into a bi-week with players getting healthier,
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  Speaker 2: including Jordan Tyson. Um, uh, And we're spending three weeks
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: talking about, hey, that way, if they're three and four
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  Speaker 2: and getting healthy, then when you say they're one game
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  Speaker 2: out of first in the NFC South, it might actually
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  Speaker 2: mean something. So all those things are still on the table.
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  Speaker 2: Drastically different results in the span of what they do
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  Speaker 2: in these two games in eight days.
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  Speaker 3: Man, the catch-22 of playing in a miserable division.
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  Speaker 1: I mean... you're one in four and you're right there, man.
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  Speaker 3: You're just right there.
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  Speaker 2: I will say though, like, I don't know yet. This
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  Speaker 2: team has a lot of shortcomings from the top down, from,
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: from the front office on down, from the current coach
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: on down to the current coaching staff. They, they definitely
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: feel like they're heading in the wrong direction. There's no
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: doubt about it, but you know, we did think this
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: was going to feel like year two of a three-year rebuild.
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  Speaker 2: And I picked them to go eight and nine. So like, Like,
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: if they do look like that team that we all
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: thought could be about 500 this year and then they
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: get to spend money in free agency next year and
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  Speaker 2: rebuild that defense, like, I mean, it's possible they're still
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: building towards something, but they're right on the precipice of, nope,
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  Speaker 2: tear it all down again.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know if 7-5 feels realistic the rest of
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  Speaker 1: the way, based on what we've seen. But, yeah, long season,
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  Speaker 1: long way to go. Big one on Sunday there in
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: New York. He's at Mike Triplett, neworleans.football. Follow along there
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: at Mike Triplett, neworleans.football. We always appreciate the chat, man.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: Thanks for the time. All right.
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: Thanks for having me.
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  Speaker 3: You got it.