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Know Your Foe: How Saints Score Upset Over Washington Commanders, Jayden Daniels · AFR Saints

• 0:00
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  Speaker 1: dot org. Golf dot brek dot org. Saints Commanders John
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: kim Covers the commanders for ESPN dot com. Good enough
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  Speaker 1: to join us here for a couple of minutes, John,
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  Speaker 1: We appreciate man. How are you?
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: How are you guys doing awesome?
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Let's start with what probably is the biggest storyline here
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  Speaker 1: this week. It's the Saints. Sir are going to face
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  Speaker 1: a former first round draft pick and Marshawn Latimore, who
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  Speaker 1: it looks like is gonna make his debut. Can you
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  Speaker 1: give us an update on Latimore as of today?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, today was the first day that he was able
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  Speaker 2: to be a full participant in practice since they traded
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  Speaker 2: for him from with New Orleans. I never November fix,
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  Speaker 2: so obviously the hamstring lingered up until recently he was
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  Speaker 2: He almost was able to go against Tennessee in Week thirteen,
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  Speaker 2: but they wanted to be a bit extra cautious with
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  Speaker 2: it because of his people there know the injury history
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  Speaker 2: that he has, so you want to be careful with him.
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  Speaker 2: But certainly right now looks like he'll be a go
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  Speaker 2: on Sunday.
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  Speaker 1: How big of a deal is that for the Washington secondary.
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  Speaker 2: It's big because they don't have everybody as good as him,
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  Speaker 2: so he also when they traded for him, one of
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  Speaker 2: the things that one of the players told me is
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  Speaker 2: that he gives an edge in that room that they
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  Speaker 2: just don't have right now, and just like a you know,
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  Speaker 2: whether it's a toughness or a fistness, whatever it is
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  Speaker 2: that they just didn't have. And in addition to being
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  Speaker 2: a good corner, so they've had some issues that corner
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  Speaker 2: for a few years. They haven't anybody like him in
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  Speaker 2: a while. It's just a matter of to be honest,
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  Speaker 2: like what level is he at when he comes back?
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  Speaker 1: What other I'm looking at the at the injury report
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  Speaker 1: and you get to this point in the season and
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  Speaker 1: everybody's banged up at some point. The sayings oddly kind
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  Speaker 1: of look like they're getting healthier the starting quarterback notwithstanding.
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  Speaker 1: But what else is of note there on that Washington
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  Speaker 1: injury report that that could affect the game on Sunday.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: Well, the one that will affect this Sunday and then
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  Speaker 2: the rest of the season is Noah Brown, the receiver
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  Speaker 2: he was. He's pretty much he'll likely out for the year.
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  Speaker 2: They haven't put him on IR yet, but he entered
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  Speaker 2: his kidney in the law and excuse me the win
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  Speaker 2: over Tennessee. Initially it was thought to be a rit injury,
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  Speaker 2: and more tests they discovered it was a kidney issue.
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  Speaker 2: That's a significant, significant injury. Because he's been a solid
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  Speaker 2: listen going forward, I don't think you could have him
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  Speaker 2: as a number two per se, but he's been a
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  Speaker 2: good player for them because he can block it, makes
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  Speaker 2: contested catches, He gives them a little bit of size
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  Speaker 2: that they don't have, and so like that's a that's
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  Speaker 2: a tough loss for them. Beyond that for a Sunday,
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  Speaker 2: I don't know yet that there's gonna be anybody else
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  Speaker 2: that's significance that who was this, So I think they're
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  Speaker 2: in pretty good spot otherwise, other than Noah Brown and Ostecker,
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  Speaker 2: who's on NYE on the now.
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  Speaker 1: Washington was seven and two for the game against Pittsburgh.
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  Speaker 1: They're one of the great stories in the NFL. Of
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  Speaker 1: course jayde Daniels. Then they hit the skids in that
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  Speaker 1: three game losing streak. What is the the general vibe
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  Speaker 1: around this team right now coming off obviously the win
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  Speaker 1: against Tennessee which ended the three game losing streak, But
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  Speaker 1: where where, generally speaking, is the vibe around this team
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  Speaker 1: at eight and five?
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  Speaker 2: I think, well, I think if you're asking about the
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  Speaker 2: fan base and people in town, first of all, they
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  Speaker 2: haven't been this way, so the vibe is pretty good now.
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  Speaker 2: The one thing I'll say is that it's not like
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  Speaker 2: anybody really considers them a massive threat to get to
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  Speaker 2: the Super Bowl. I think I think people here would
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  Speaker 2: be happy if they get you know, they should make
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  Speaker 2: the playoffs, and then it's can you win a game.
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  Speaker 2: They haven't won a playoff game since two thousand and five,
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  Speaker 2: so it's been a dry spell here for a long time.
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  Speaker 2: So I think for the fan base, I think they
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  Speaker 2: feel pretty they're about not just where they're at this year,
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  Speaker 2: but the future. Because of Jayden Daniels. As far as
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  Speaker 2: the players go, I think they feel pretty good because
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  Speaker 2: of again, Daniels gives. He gives these guys hope in
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  Speaker 2: every game. I think it's as tight a team as
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: I've covered here, and I've covered this team for a
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  Speaker 2: few decades, so I think like the vibe in the
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  Speaker 2: locker room is pretty good, you know. So I think
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  Speaker 2: that kind of encapsulates with.
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  Speaker 1: John Conns with a ESPN can Anders report to get
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  Speaker 1: him on Twitter ex at John underscore cime k e
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  Speaker 1: I am. I'm talking a little more about Jane Listen.
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  Speaker 1: We all got to see it. We had a front
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  Speaker 1: row seat for it last year here in Baton Rouge
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  Speaker 1: where we're sitting right now. I don't know that anybody
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  Speaker 1: anticipated this, like we all thought he'd be good. This
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  Speaker 1: good based on expectations for the rookie we've seen so
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  Speaker 1: far through thirteen games. Where how do you sort of
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  Speaker 1: measure that John?
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  Speaker 2: I mean, he's the best rookie that I've seen here
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  Speaker 2: at that position, and that includes like Robert It's not
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  Speaker 2: a long list, but that includes Robert Griffin the third
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  Speaker 2: And I say that because of what he does behind
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  Speaker 2: the scenes, and I think it's why he elevated himself
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  Speaker 2: at LSU, and it's why he's succeeded as a rookie.
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  Speaker 2: And it's just the work he does, and you know
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  Speaker 2: how early he gets here, not just gets here early,
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  Speaker 2: but gets in his work. And I had one coach
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  Speaker 2: tell me like, he's like, I get here at six
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  Speaker 2: thirty and he's walking out of the practice bubble having
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  Speaker 2: already done a walkthrough with his position coach. So it's
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  Speaker 2: that kind of stuff that I think separates him. You know,
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  Speaker 2: we you know, you people there know what the talent
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  Speaker 2: is and a lot of this is what he was
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  Speaker 2: doing in LSU too. It's why he rows up. But
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  Speaker 2: I think I think that's why it's why players felt
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  Speaker 2: like he'd be good too. I talked to zach Ertz
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  Speaker 2: before this season about him, and he'said he his kind
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  Speaker 2: of was, I'm not telling you he's going to be
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  Speaker 2: good down the road. I'm telling you he's good now.
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  Speaker 2: This is before the season, so they were pretty excited
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  Speaker 2: about him all along and nothing has changed. Like I'm
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  Speaker 2: not shocked by I'm surprised by how good the offense
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  Speaker 2: is played. I'm not surprised by how well he is
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  Speaker 2: played when we had.
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  Speaker 1: The injury a bit earlier this year that that cast
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  Speaker 1: him that believe it's the Carolina game if I'm not mistaken, right,
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  Speaker 1: How healthy is he right now? Look? The running ability,
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  Speaker 1: the dynamic running ability is a massive part of his game.
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  Speaker 1: Is we all know? And it'll be a big deal
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  Speaker 1: on Sunday. How effected has he been here? Effective has
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  Speaker 1: he been here in the past month?
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  Speaker 2: So after the he earned his word against Carolina, had
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  Speaker 2: to come out. But that was the only he missed
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  Speaker 2: the final few quarters in that game. That was it.
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  Speaker 2: In the next couple of games he was okay against
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  Speaker 2: Chicago and the Giant. Well, then you play the Steelers
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  Speaker 2: and the Eagles and you have different defenses and they
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  Speaker 2: were able to contain the run game. So people started wondering, well,
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  Speaker 2: is the rib bothering him in these games? Well, I
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  Speaker 2: think it was as much that, yeah, he's probably banged up.
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  Speaker 2: The combination of banged up, miss practice time and then
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  Speaker 2: facing defenses that could actually contain him. And then against
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  Speaker 2: Dallas the follow week in the third of the three
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  Speaker 2: game movie streak, he actually ran well, but the passing
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  Speaker 2: game was off. So there you were wondering about with
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  Speaker 2: the direction that. That's why I think it's important that
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  Speaker 2: the speed that they did against Tennessee, which is they
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  Speaker 2: had a really good rhythm, et cetera. I think the
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  Speaker 2: thing to watch with the faith is when you watch
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  Speaker 2: these things is you guys know they leave a lot
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  Speaker 2: of it. They leave a lot of gaps for quarterbacks
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  Speaker 2: to run through when they passed us. If they leave
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  Speaker 2: that on Sunday, he's going to take advantage. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: I think some of it, you know. The hard part
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  Speaker 2: to know is with his little with the little I
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  Speaker 2: guess offensive plump and it really was only a couple
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  Speaker 2: of games. Was it the was it the rib? Was
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  Speaker 2: it the practice time? Was it the better defenses? Was
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  Speaker 2: it a natural by product of the rookie the rookie
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  Speaker 2: walls so to speak? Right regardless, I think this buy
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  Speaker 2: they're coming off of buy. I think it's why this
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  Speaker 2: buy was important at this time because they can kind
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  Speaker 2: of become get refreshed for the final four games. But yeah, no,
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  Speaker 2: you could tell for a few games that the rhythm
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  Speaker 2: of the passing gave us off for whatever reason.
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  Speaker 1: Saint Joe and last decade of been atrocious and stop
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  Speaker 1: and running quarterbacks. I think everyone here that it's been
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  Speaker 1: an achilles heel, that it's a well known talking point
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  Speaker 1: here and has been for a while. The Commanders are
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  Speaker 1: the fourth highest scoring offense in the NFL. When you
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  Speaker 1: flip it over the middle of the pack defensively, and
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  Speaker 1: of course you're Dan Clich's defensive amount of guy, but
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  Speaker 1: he's building that side of the ball up. If there
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  Speaker 1: is an achilles heel defensively, where might the Saints look
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  Speaker 1: to attack?
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  Speaker 2: Run defense? Attack it? Because that's they haven't really stopped
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  Speaker 2: anybody all year with that, so that's going to be
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  Speaker 2: the thing that you have to watch. So and it
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  Speaker 2: doesn't you know, even with Marshall Latimore if he comes
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  Speaker 2: back and if they can load the box up a
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  Speaker 2: little bit more, I still think it's going to be
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  Speaker 2: a challenge for them because it just has been all
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  Speaker 2: a year. So that's that's where I would look to attack.
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  Speaker 1: What's the blueprint for Washington? Come in the Dome and
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  Speaker 1: h and get a win on Sunday.
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  Speaker 2: I think everything for them right now is gonna start
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  Speaker 2: with the run game and Brian Robinson. I think if
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  Speaker 2: I don't think you want to ten everything on Jay
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  Speaker 2: at this point, just because that's asking a lot, right,
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  Speaker 2: and I think their offense functions better when you get
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  Speaker 2: the run game going, and that also includes him. I
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  Speaker 2: think when he's able to extend plays like the other
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  Speaker 2: day against Tennessee, it's not like you run. He doesn't
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  Speaker 2: have to run for forty yards. What he does do
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  Speaker 2: that's been effective, except for against Pittsburgh and Philly was okay,
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  Speaker 2: first and ten, you get six seven yards. Now it
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  Speaker 2: is second short, Now it's third and short. That's where
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  Speaker 2: they that's when they can really develop something. And I
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  Speaker 2: think that's what he look for. So you get run game.
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  Speaker 2: And then the other thing too with Jayden not just
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  Speaker 2: escaping the pocket but doing what like some others have done,
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  Speaker 2: Jameis Winston, keeping your eyes up and finding guys down
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  Speaker 2: the field, because I think that'll I think you guys
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: know that that is the possibility as well, so you know,
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: and then of course no turnovers. But I really think
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  Speaker 2: for them, run the ball well, and I think it'll
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  Speaker 2: make it really hard to stop them.
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: The Saints. You're also probably gonna be playing a backup quarterback,
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  Speaker 1: so everything we just talked about is probably moot. It's
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  Speaker 1: just just just get through it sort of thing.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly yes, And but they played the backup against
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  Speaker 2: Cooper Dallas against Cooper Rush. Now he's a little bit
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  Speaker 2: more experienced of what Banks are gonna throw out there.
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  Speaker 2: But I don't I think anybody who's a Washington fan
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  Speaker 2: will not feel good regardless of who's playing quarterbacks. They
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: can bring back Bobby a bear. It's like they might
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  Speaker 2: still say, you could throw them all.
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  Speaker 1: Let's go the deep cut with the cannon. Baby, let's
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: go there, you go.
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: I like Bobby.
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: Oh, dude, Bobby is the best man the cage in Canada.
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  Speaker 1: Are you kidding me?
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: Like?
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: He's a he's a freaking living legend. He's a he's
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  Speaker 1: a total he's a total Cajun charm man. We love
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  Speaker 1: the guy, John. We appreciate man. Thanks for a couple
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  Speaker 1: of Thanks for a couple of minutes today, My pleasure.
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: Thanks for having me on