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Andrew Catalon: Keep an eye on play-calling in Texans matchup | Countdown to Kickoff · The Jacksonville Jaguars Official Podcast Network

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  Speaker 1: Andrew Catalan back with us this week. He has the
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: call of the Jaguars of the Texans on CBS Sports,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: And if I'm not mistaken, Andrew, it's Jaguars game number
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: four for you this season. A lot of those, actually
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: all of them now on the back half, when the
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  Speaker 1: Jaguars have been on the rise and and now here
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  Speaker 1: they are at the top of the a f C South.
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  Speaker 1: What's up, JP, Happy New Year. Yes, it is my
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: fourth time with the Jags and they won the previous
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  Speaker 1: three all in pretty dramatic fashion Vegas, Baltimore and at Tennessee.
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  Speaker 1: So here we go again. I mean, you want to
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  Speaker 1: tell somebody down there that they don't have to come
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  Speaker 1: back in these games. They can get a lead and
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  Speaker 1: hold on to them, right, Yeah, no doubt. I mean, look,
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  Speaker 1: I think that this team going into that Las Vegas
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  Speaker 1: game in early November, they were coming off the loss
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  Speaker 1: in London, didn't have the buy and you're thinking, all right,
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  Speaker 1: it's gonna be in you know, a bit of a
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: bumpy ride to the finish line here. I give them
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  Speaker 1: a lot of credit for the way they turned around
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  Speaker 1: really twice after the start and the loss in London,
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  Speaker 1: and then really kind of resetting after the loss in Detroit,
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  Speaker 1: which was something nobody really saw coming. So I give
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  Speaker 1: Doug Peterson and Trevor Lawrence and the entire organization a
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  Speaker 1: lot of credit. I think that we're really seeing this
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  Speaker 1: marriage of Peterson and Lawrence shine in these last six weeks,
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  Speaker 1: and I think there's a lot to look forward to,
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  Speaker 1: not only this year, but going forward in the future
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  Speaker 1: as well. Andrew Catalan with us. You know, it's an
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  Speaker 1: odd situation because this game matters for the Jaguars this
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  Speaker 1: week against the Texans because they're still in play for
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  Speaker 1: the wild card. A lot of things have to go
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  Speaker 1: right the next couple of weeks, and if they win
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  Speaker 1: in Tennessee loses, then a tie next week would get
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  Speaker 1: the Jaguars in. So they still need the game. But
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  Speaker 1: the division comes down to Week eight team, so no
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  Speaker 1: matter what, that's what's happening next week. So the head
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  Speaker 1: coaches this week or taking different approaches. Um, the Titans
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  Speaker 1: are resting some guys that are banged up US, but
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: the Jaguars are going the other way. They're playing and
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  Speaker 1: playing this game. And Doug Peterson said there's most such
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  Speaker 1: thing as a meaningless game in the NFL. We're going
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  Speaker 1: out to play and the approaches are just interesting. And
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  Speaker 1: this Jags team it's still all new, right, I mean,
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  Speaker 1: is that like they've been to seventh straight playoffs and
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  Speaker 1: know how to turn it off and on again. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: I think it's fascinating um, and I think it makes
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  Speaker 1: sense what both teams are doing. I have been with
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  Speaker 1: Tennessee the last three weeks. I mean they've been barely
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  Speaker 1: able to feel the roster with all the injuries they have,
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  Speaker 1: obviously Ryan Tannehill at the top, but Denico Autrey, Jeffrey Simmons,
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  Speaker 1: Christian Fulton. I mean, the list goes on and on
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  Speaker 1: and on, and they are in a position where they
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  Speaker 1: cannot afford to lose anybody else. They have to try
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  Speaker 1: to get guys as healthy as they'll be to ensure
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  Speaker 1: they have a a complete roster for Week eight team.
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  Speaker 1: So I get what they're doing. My first impression of
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  Speaker 1: was that Jacksonville should do the same thing, But after
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  Speaker 1: listening to Doug Peterson this week and hearing him talk
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  Speaker 1: about a younger team with momentum, I understand it from
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  Speaker 1: their perspective as well. Now I want to see how
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  Speaker 1: this game is called like Trevor Lawrence has been running
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  Speaker 1: a lot lately. If I'm the Jaguars, I'm not doing
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  Speaker 1: that as much in this game because I really think
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  Speaker 1: it's a far fetched reality that they're gonna lose this
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  Speaker 1: game or win this game and then still get in
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  Speaker 1: the playoffs as the wild card after a loss Week
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  Speaker 1: A team. I think it's all going to come down
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  Speaker 1: to Week eighteen and they have to be in the
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  Speaker 1: best possible position to win that game, which is continuing
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  Speaker 1: momentum but also staying healthy. It is fascinating the whole
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  Speaker 1: the whole setup going into this. I don't think I've
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  Speaker 1: ever heard of one where Week seventeen doesn't matter and
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  Speaker 1: only Week A team matters. So this is this is
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  Speaker 1: a new one for me and I think for a
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  Speaker 1: lot of people. Certainly the Jaguars haven't been to the
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  Speaker 1: playoffs in five years, but I don't remember. What do
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  Speaker 1: you remember one like this now? This is definitely strange
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  Speaker 1: um and you know, no one's really gonna remember the
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  Speaker 1: week's seven team game as much as the Week eight
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  Speaker 1: team game, which is interesting. But I do think there's
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  Speaker 1: things they can build on. I do think that keeping
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  Speaker 1: timing and rhythm with wide receivers is something important. Um.
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  Speaker 1: But again, I think if Tennessee is just in a
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  Speaker 1: different position than Jacksonville is in terms of the health
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  Speaker 1: of their roster, and that's why I think we're seeing
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  Speaker 1: two different things. I think if Tennessee was healthy and
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  Speaker 1: Brable felt a little bit better about where they are
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  Speaker 1: in terms of their depth, maybe you'd see Derrick Henry
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  Speaker 1: play a half or maybe you'd see Jeffrey Simmons play
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  Speaker 1: a quarter. But they're just not in a position to
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  Speaker 1: do that right now. Andrew Catalan with us. Of course,
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  Speaker 1: the Jaguars and the Texans this week. Texans have have
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  Speaker 1: been playing hard, at least for Levy Smith. It feels
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  Speaker 1: like the last month or so. They finally got to win.
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  Speaker 1: Of course last week in in Nashville, so they're beat up. Also,
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  Speaker 1: starting running backs out, they got a wide receiver out,
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  Speaker 1: Stanley's out. I mean, it's just what it is. We
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  Speaker 1: we know what that feels like at the end of
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  Speaker 1: the season. That's lost and your number one in the
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  Speaker 1: draft order with two weeks to go. Hopefully we don't
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  Speaker 1: have to feel that again here in Jacksonville for a
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  Speaker 1: long time. But what do you make of this? Texans
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  Speaker 1: group at least still out there fighting and and in
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  Speaker 1: games late in this season. Yeah, I've been impressed. I
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  Speaker 1: mean I was with them last week in Nashville when
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  Speaker 1: they beat Tennessee, and then you look at the prior
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  Speaker 1: to games. They should have won at Dallas and they
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  Speaker 1: should have beat the Chiefs at home. They ended up
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  Speaker 1: losing it overtime. Lovey Smith has found a way to
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  Speaker 1: get these guys motivated down the stretch, and I give
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  Speaker 1: him a lot of credit. Obviously, the record is what
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  Speaker 1: it is, but he's had this thing where he's been
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  Speaker 1: preaching that we can quote unquote win the division by
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  Speaker 1: finishing on a winning note. Because right now they are
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  Speaker 1: to one and one in the division and they finish
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  Speaker 1: with Jacksonville and that Indianapolis, And he's telling his guys
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  Speaker 1: that if we finished four one and one in the division,
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  Speaker 1: that's gonna give us some positive momentum going into the
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  Speaker 1: off season. Whether or not you and I believe that
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  Speaker 1: it doesn't matter, because it seems like the team is
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  Speaker 1: rallying around that a lot of their guys are playing
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  Speaker 1: on one year contracts, so they're playing for either another
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  Speaker 1: deal with Houston or another team. Davis Mills is trying
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  Speaker 1: to prove that he can be the starter. Smith is
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  Speaker 1: trying to prove that he should get another year as
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  Speaker 1: head coach. So while on the surface it doesn't look
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  Speaker 1: like they have much to play for, in reality there's
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  Speaker 1: these guys are playing for a lot and it's showing up. Uh.
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  Speaker 1: They really played a nice game against Kansas City and
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  Speaker 1: could have won that game, and I think that they're
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  Speaker 1: gonna play really hard again here against Jacksonville. Yeah, combined
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  Speaker 1: ten points in the two losses to Dallas and Kansas
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  Speaker 1: City for this Texas team. Then they go out and
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  Speaker 1: beat the Tennessee Titans. Alright, so big picture now, it
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  Speaker 1: is funny how fast this can change the perception of
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  Speaker 1: teams in a division. So in October you would have said, up, okay,
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  Speaker 1: well the quarterbacks young, they're not winning games. They're they're
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  Speaker 1: losing these one score games. Now a sudden fast forward
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  Speaker 1: a month and a half later, Jags are in first place.
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  Speaker 1: The Colts have their own issues, obviously with what's going
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  Speaker 1: on with the head coaching situation, quarterback roster Houston. You'll
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  Speaker 1: see firsthand this week what's going on there. And then
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  Speaker 1: tend Tennessee doesn't have a GM right now and the
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  Speaker 1: running backs nine years old. How long can that last?
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  Speaker 1: The Jaguars are poised at least right now from this,
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  Speaker 1: I get I'm biased, I'm in the building, I get it.
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  Speaker 1: But they could control this thing for a little while
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  Speaker 1: here if they get their act together and get the
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  Speaker 1: roster right and figure some things out and move ahead,
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  Speaker 1: no doubt. I mean there's a lot of questions and
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  Speaker 1: those other three buildings in the division, especially in Tennessee
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  Speaker 1: with the quarterback, because Ryan Tannehill is set to make
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  Speaker 1: a lot of money next year, I don't know how
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  Speaker 1: that's gonna shape out. As you point out, they don't
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: have a general manager right now. I really like the
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  Speaker 1: core of this Jacksonville team, and I really, I really
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  Speaker 1: like Doug Peterson. I had never done one of his
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  Speaker 1: games when he was in Philadelphia. I had never met
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  Speaker 1: him until the Vegas game this year. I'm really impressed
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  Speaker 1: by him, and I think he is a really uh
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  Speaker 1: spectacular guy to be for. For Trevor, I mean, you've
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  Speaker 1: heard Trevor say that he can relate Dougs calmness, the
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  Speaker 1: way he doesn't get too high or too low. I
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  Speaker 1: really like this marriage between the two and I know
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  Speaker 1: I've said that already, but I just I really I
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  Speaker 1: think this is this is going in the right direction.
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  Speaker 1: Between free agency and the draft, they can get a
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  Speaker 1: little bitter better here and there, and I think this
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  Speaker 1: is a team that that should be competing for playoffs
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  Speaker 1: spots for several years to come based on the way
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  Speaker 1: it's all coming together this year. Andrew, What's what's a
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  Speaker 1: highlight of a production meeting with Doug this year? Anything
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  Speaker 1: that you remember that just stands out, maybe hey, I
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  Speaker 1: never really thought of that, or or you know, first
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: time out with him, you you mentioned some of those things.
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  Speaker 1: But is there any story, any anecdote that stands out.
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  Speaker 1: I'll give you to His honesty is what stands out.
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  Speaker 1: He's very straightforward. He's not gonna try to throw one
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  Speaker 1: past you. He'll answer every question you have. He's very
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  Speaker 1: candid with us, and that's appreciated. And I do remember
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  Speaker 1: a couple of times this year. You know when a
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  Speaker 1: coach kind of beams or smiles or gets going on
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  Speaker 1: a couple of different guys. If it stands out, he
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  Speaker 1: did that with Tyler Shatley on the Walton Walter Payton
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  Speaker 1: Man of the Year nomination. He's done that with Luke
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  Speaker 1: Fortner very high on the Jacksonville Center. So obviously you're
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: gonna get good stuff on Trevor and Christian Kirk and
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  Speaker 1: tray Von Walker, but it's the other guys that when
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  Speaker 1: you ask him about that, he lights up. Even Daniel Thomas.
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  Speaker 1: I remember him giving a really good answer on him
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  Speaker 1: earlier this year. That's what I like to see when
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  Speaker 1: the when the coach uh makes a connection with maybe
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  Speaker 1: not you know, the star are on the team. Maybe
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: it's the backup safety, maybe it's the starting left guard.
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  Speaker 1: Those types of things stand out to me, and I
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  Speaker 1: do remember him being very complimentary of those three individuals
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  Speaker 1: in particular. Great stuff as always, Andrew Um, You're undefeated
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  Speaker 1: as an announcer for the Jaguars this year. Let's keep
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  Speaker 1: it rolling. Keep it rolling, JP, Thanks so much, man.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: Happy New Year.