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Jeff Legwold joins Kreckman & Lindahl 11-18-24 · Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports

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  Speaker 1: Jeff Legwald is our Broncos insider Altitude Sports Radio ninety
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  Speaker 1: two five. Pro Football.
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  Speaker 2: The insider I've covered the league, while Jeff Legwald.
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  Speaker 3: He's the balloon popper. He doesn't blow it up.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
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  Speaker 1: i BBW Local sixty eight.
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  Speaker 4: Start with the chomp and with the career.
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  Speaker 1: It's Leggy on Altitude Sports Radio ninety two five. Now
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  Speaker 1: let's get right after it with Jeff Legwald here on
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  Speaker 1: a Monday afternoon. Broncos a thirty eight to six victory
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  Speaker 1: yesterday over the Atlanta Falcons, in which bo Nicks throws
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  Speaker 1: over three hundred yards four touchdown passes, completing eighty five
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  Speaker 1: percent of his throws. Leggy, it's a Monday. I know
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  Speaker 1: you've had a chance to crunch the film as you
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  Speaker 1: got a chance to go back and look at that game. Offensively,
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  Speaker 1: Let's talk about the offensive performance because they score thirty
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  Speaker 1: eight points, They scored five touchdowns in that game. Was
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  Speaker 1: it the play calling that you liked? Was it the
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  Speaker 1: execution that you liked? What most impressed you about the
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  Speaker 1: Broncos showing yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I mean they it was like they knew exactly
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  Speaker 2: what they were going to get. So they did quality
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  Speaker 2: you know, prep work. They ran more sort of no,
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  Speaker 2: I won't call them slow developing plays, but they brought
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  Speaker 2: the stuff out of the playbook that took a little
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  Speaker 2: time to unfold because they knew they were going to
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  Speaker 2: be able to And the Falcons pass rush was every
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  Speaker 2: bit as lukewarm and tepid as we thought it would
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  Speaker 2: be on Friday when we talked. So but I think
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  Speaker 2: they are really finding a comfort level between what Sean
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  Speaker 2: Payton would like to do and what bo Nicks can
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  Speaker 2: do at this point in his career. And I think
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  Speaker 2: because of that, Nix is getting slightly braver in some
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  Speaker 2: parts of the field. That the thirty three yards of
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  Speaker 2: ale is a brave throw by any quarterback, you know,
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  Speaker 2: ten years in the league or a rookie, you know,
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  Speaker 2: to split the safeties like that and be willing to
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  Speaker 2: heave it in there when you might not be able
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  Speaker 2: to see the catchpoint, you know, right in front of you.
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  Speaker 4: That was a really brave throw.
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  Speaker 2: And I think, you know, his feet were perfect, Everything
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  Speaker 2: was how it should be on that throw. And the
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  Speaker 2: more he can replicate that sort of thing in his
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  Speaker 2: footwork and his motion.
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  Speaker 4: I think more games of higher accuracy will will come.
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  Speaker 2: I mean he's up to twenty second in completion percentage.
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  Speaker 2: Now that that's pretty amazing given he was last in
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  Speaker 2: the league among starters maybe a month ago.
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  Speaker 3: All right, Jeff, So now we make the push for
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  Speaker 3: the playoffs. Now they start the real down the stretch
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  Speaker 3: kind of thing. What what are the next important games
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  Speaker 3: that you see on the horizon. This Raider game probably
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  Speaker 3: should never make a division team lightly, right. We see
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  Speaker 3: upsets all the time, but they don't feel like they're
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  Speaker 3: having a good time. They've got Cleveland, They've got Indy,
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  Speaker 3: which is Indy gonna be the key games? Indy maybe
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  Speaker 3: the game that's tougher than we think of those three.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Andy, I think in any playoff race, you want
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  Speaker 2: to take care of the AFC games, and you know
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  Speaker 2: they have nothing but AFC games left. They've got all
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  Speaker 2: of their division opponents left, so you know, those are
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  Speaker 2: the primo tiebreaker, you know, types of games. You know,
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  Speaker 2: they only have two left with with teams with winning
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  Speaker 2: records at this point, so that tells you, you know,
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  Speaker 2: they may you know, I've been part of the chorus
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  Speaker 2: that you know, maybe we can't see them as a
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  Speaker 2: playoff team until they beat somebody good. They may not
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  Speaker 2: have to beat anybody good to make the playoffs, is
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  Speaker 2: where they're at right now. But they got to take
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  Speaker 2: care of the AFC games, you know, none of those.
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  Speaker 2: You can't lose an AFC game against somebody who has two, three,
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  Speaker 2: four wins right now.
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  Speaker 4: That would be a crusher because.
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  Speaker 2: That would take away any margin of air you have
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  Speaker 2: at this point. The one benefit they have is the
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  Speaker 2: two teams immediately behind them or among them is Indian Cincy,
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  Speaker 2: and they get both of them head to head. You know,
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  Speaker 2: the only team they don't have a crack at who
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  Speaker 2: could wiggle their way back in is Miami. So I
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  Speaker 2: think that's why the AFC games.
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  Speaker 4: Are all huge right now. And obviously you want to
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  Speaker 4: get the ones.
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  Speaker 2: If you're the Broncos against the teams that have struggled,
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  Speaker 2: like the Raiders, like the Browns, you want to take
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  Speaker 2: care of those no matter what.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, no reason not to be eight and five going
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  Speaker 1: into the bye week. Broncos got delayed by this season.
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  Speaker 1: Jeff Lagwold with us on a Monday. He's brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by the International Brotherhood of Electrical workers ib W
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  Speaker 1: Local sixty eight start with a job and with a career.
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  Speaker 1: Speaking of careers, Jeff, we've seen sort of a new
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  Speaker 1: bent on how to get a productive career out of
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  Speaker 1: Marvin Mims. Over the last couple of weeks, Sean Payton
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  Speaker 1: has talked about his desire to find his joker. Looks
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  Speaker 1: like Mims is getting the audition right now. How do
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  Speaker 1: you think this is all going and what are the
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  Speaker 1: wrinkles that are kind of still available to him?
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know, Nate, what it does is it gives
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  Speaker 2: Sean Payton kind of you know, he gets to eat
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  Speaker 2: his dessert, you know, first, because he's They've really wanted
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  Speaker 2: Humphrey and Sutton on the field to block for any
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  Speaker 2: potential run plays when they're in the three wide set,
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  Speaker 2: and they haven't been able to figure out a way
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  Speaker 2: to get Humphrey out of there and still get the
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  Speaker 2: the blocking they want on the perimeter when you're in
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  Speaker 2: a wide open set. So this gives them that chance.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, they're they've had snaps already when Mims has
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  Speaker 2: been in the backfield. When Mims lines up as the
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  Speaker 2: running back per se and they have four wide receivers
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  Speaker 2: in the formation, as well, so he gets everything he
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  Speaker 2: wants if Mims can run enough and do well enough
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  Speaker 2: where they're not tipping plays when he goes into the game.
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  Speaker 2: And I think ultimately they want to do enough off
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  Speaker 2: of it, run enough variations of it, keep you know
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  Speaker 2: what coaches call window dressing, want to keep changing the
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  Speaker 2: window dressing enough so when he does put Mims on
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  Speaker 2: the field, defenses can't go, Okay, they're running this set
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  Speaker 2: of four plays.
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  Speaker 4: At us uh.
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  Speaker 2: And I think the more they can do that, I
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  Speaker 2: think the more Mims will play, because they do like him.
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  Speaker 4: He's you know we talked before.
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  Speaker 2: If you're a punt returner, you're a decisive runner, and
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  Speaker 2: it's just a matter of creating enough creases in space
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  Speaker 2: for him. Just give him that little bit he needs.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, I like what it does because I
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  Speaker 2: just think they need more. The more explosive guys they
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  Speaker 2: can get on the field, the better right now. And
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  Speaker 2: I think this does a very big thing that they
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  Speaker 2: haven't been able to pull off, which is how to
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  Speaker 2: just get this guy more snaps.
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  Speaker 4: And as they stubbornly.
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  Speaker 2: And and you know, willfully cling to the idea they
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  Speaker 2: got to have Humphrey and sometton on the field for
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  Speaker 2: potential blockers.
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  Speaker 4: In the run game.
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  Speaker 1: Another guy that is that has emerged, but we say emerged.
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  Speaker 1: He was great in training camp. De von Vela, Jeff,
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  Speaker 1: you you wiped him his college stuff from Utah? Is
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  Speaker 1: it just that he's twenty six? How is that guy
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  Speaker 1: still there in the.
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  Speaker 2: Seventh exactly age. I mean, you're you're seeing what sort
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  Speaker 2: of the free agency NFL. You know how they make decisions.
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  Speaker 2: You know, everyone's thinking, he's he's thirty one at the
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  Speaker 2: end of his rookie contract essentially, and you know, where
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  Speaker 2: do you go from there?
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  Speaker 4: Even what do the last two years look like?
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  Speaker 2: If he's like the average player in the you know
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  Speaker 2: when they when they crunch the numbers on this, you know,
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  Speaker 2: where do guys' career.
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  Speaker 4: Go after the thirtieth birthday?
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  Speaker 2: So but it's it's a unique situation and they should
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  Speaker 2: be sort of commended for taking a chance because I
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  Speaker 2: thought it in camp. I think he'd be a productive
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  Speaker 2: player in any offense. The guy is is strong to
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  Speaker 2: the ball, He knows the nuances to get open at
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  Speaker 2: the top of his route. He may not be the
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  Speaker 2: quickest guy we've seen, but he always creates enough separation
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  Speaker 2: and get himself the ball, and you know, that's just
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  Speaker 2: a pro player essentially. And then you know, to Boot
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  Speaker 2: you get sort of the maturity of a guy that's
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  Speaker 2: twenty seven, you know, and he he.
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  Speaker 4: Knows what he needs to do.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, when I talked to him in camp
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  Speaker 2: and since the season, and he understands his clock is
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  Speaker 2: ticking more than most guys. And I think that it
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  Speaker 2: shows and how he plays and how he practices, he
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  Speaker 2: really doesn't waste any days because he knows he you know,
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  Speaker 2: he's three, four or five years older than any of
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  Speaker 2: his contemporaries.
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  Speaker 3: Jeff Obviously, one of the big keys beyond this revival
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  Speaker 3: is the defense and that defensive lines at the heart
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  Speaker 3: of it. What's the contract situation there? What do they
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  Speaker 3: need to do? I know, I think DJ Jones is
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  Speaker 3: up right when that just a two year deal.
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  Speaker 1: What's going on with.
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  Speaker 3: John Franklin Myers and Malcolm Roach and how many of
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  Speaker 3: those guys can they keep around because it'd be nice
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  Speaker 3: to see them build on this thing.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think at the end of the season, Andy
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  Speaker 2: Jones will be the big decision.
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  Speaker 4: You know, in terms of.
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  Speaker 2: Immedia, I think the impending big decision is Benito. You
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  Speaker 2: know they are you going to try to sign him
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  Speaker 2: early as you did.
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  Speaker 4: You know Minerts and Cooper.
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  Speaker 2: You're gonna do a Cooper like deal with him because
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  Speaker 2: you're gonna have to do something because an edge player
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  Speaker 2: like that is looking at some big money out in
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  Speaker 2: the market. So I think, you know, DJ Jones is
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  Speaker 2: sort of the immediate question at the end of the season,
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  Speaker 2: but Benito is there. I mean, how much resources are
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  Speaker 2: you gonna have because they still are pretty squeezed next
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  Speaker 2: year cap wise, not quite as bad this year as
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  Speaker 2: this year, but enough next year. It will influence on
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  Speaker 2: how much they can do. But that the Benito future
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  Speaker 2: may influence what they do in the immediate you know,
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  Speaker 2: immediately after the season in the February March window.
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  Speaker 1: Vance Joseph a guy that should get head coaching interviews
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  Speaker 1: after this season, given the kind of year that he has,
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  Speaker 1: that he has head coaching experience. Jeff his game plan yesterday,
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  Speaker 1: Andy and I were talking about it before. They didn't bled. Honestly,
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  Speaker 1: they zoned him up a lot in that game and
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  Speaker 1: it worked toughly well. Like Vance has been a guy
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  Speaker 1: this yesterday, this season, He's not afraid to buck any
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  Speaker 1: kind of convention. He'll blitz on first down, he'll play
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  Speaker 1: press on first down because he knows he's got the
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  Speaker 1: corners to be able to do it. Yesterday, it was
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  Speaker 1: just like, I know we can win with four and
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  Speaker 1: I know our secondary will take care of business right now.
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  Speaker 1: How much is to use an expression the kids like,
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  Speaker 1: how much is VJ just in his bag right now?
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  Speaker 1: With this personnel and being able to tailor game plans
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  Speaker 1: week to week.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know, and the one of the best things
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  Speaker 2: He's done so many good things this year, but one
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  Speaker 2: of the best things is you've got a former secondary
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  Speaker 2: coach who understands how to use all of those guys
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  Speaker 2: to the optimum. I believe Certain was on London or
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  Speaker 2: Moody yesterday seventeen total routes and they got two targets
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  Speaker 2: and no catches between the two of them. When Certain
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  Speaker 2: is on that, that gives him the predictability very few
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  Speaker 2: coordinators have in the league in a passing time, when
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  Speaker 2: you can just simply say, on these thirty plays, I'm
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  Speaker 2: going to remove your best target and you're gonna have
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  Speaker 2: to do something else. That messes up offenses these days,
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  Speaker 2: like we haven't seen.
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  Speaker 4: Look what it's done this year.
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  Speaker 2: When they took away Metcalf, you know, the Seahawks had
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  Speaker 2: to do all kinds of weird other things. You know,
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  Speaker 2: he took away Davante Adams so much. The Raiders did
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  Speaker 2: whatever they did to move them away.
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  Speaker 4: At that point. It just gives them the option.
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  Speaker 2: And then I think Riley Moss was more ready to
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  Speaker 2: play than maybe even they thought coming out of August
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  Speaker 2: when he looked good in camp. And McMillan is one
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  Speaker 2: of the upper echelon Nickel corners, so he's he's got
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  Speaker 2: the benefit of these of these cover players. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: Brandon Jones doesn't even play yesterday and they still hold
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  Speaker 2: the Falcons without a touchdown for the first time this year.
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  Speaker 2: You know anybody, so uh, he's on a heater, and
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  Speaker 2: you know, I don't I don't think the Broncos want
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  Speaker 2: that to not continue.
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  Speaker 4: I mean, other than the Ravens game, I think it's.
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  Speaker 2: Been a really really quality upper level effort every week.
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  Speaker 3: Jeff forgot about a minute. By the way, your guy
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  Speaker 3: Ken says hello to you here.
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  Speaker 4: Are they really.
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  Speaker 3: Gonna flex out the Broncos of Browns on Monday Night?
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  Speaker 3: Is that really a thing.
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  Speaker 2: You know, it's it's on our air you know at ESPN,
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  Speaker 2: and it's it's not been something that I've heard so far.
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  Speaker 4: I will just tell you through the years, the people.
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  Speaker 2: Who make TV decisions at our place have always said
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  Speaker 2: the Broncos are a big number no matter who they play,
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  Speaker 2: so to flex them out it means and Cleveland's a
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  Speaker 2: big number, you know, in that region almost no matter
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  Speaker 2: what their record is. So if ratings is the top decision,
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  Speaker 2: I think it probably stays put because we aren't sure
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  Speaker 2: what other games have been protected by the other networks,
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  Speaker 2: and that's always the key piece that we don't have
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  Speaker 2: because that's not public knowledge.
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  Speaker 1: Lakey Man, good stuff, as always, we appreciate it. Keep
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  Speaker 1: up the good work. We have actual fun Bronco football.
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  Speaker 1: That's the world that we live in. But we'll be
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  Speaker 1: reading your stuff all week long. We'll talk to you
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  Speaker 1: on Friday, both