Latest / Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports / Jeff Legwold joins Kreckman and Lindahl 9-21-26
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Let's talk to Jeff Legwald here on a rally house
- 0:02Speaker 1: football Monday on altitude sports radio, 92, five rally house shop,
- 0:05Speaker 1: every team in town Broncos win, uh, 20 to 13, but, uh,
- 0:11Speaker 1: coming up on Sunday night, they will take on the
- 0:14Speaker 1: LA Rams. Uh, Jeff, will you be getting any carries
- 0:18Speaker 1: for the Broncos in this game with injuries to RJ
- 0:21Speaker 1: Harvey and now JK Dobbins? What is Sean Payton's plan?
- 0:25Speaker 1: Because he alluded to today. It could be a bit
- 0:28Speaker 1: touch and go.
- 0:30Speaker 2: And it probably is in, you know, in the 10,000
- 0:34Speaker 2: foot view, I think internally in house, uh, they're hoping
- 0:40Speaker 2: with a little slice of optimism that Dobbins is going
- 0:44Speaker 2: to be able to practice this week and that he
- 0:46Speaker 2: would have a chance to play. Cause they, the, again,
- 0:50Speaker 2: the feeling inside is that, uh, it's not that serious
- 0:54Speaker 2: of an injury, but that said, uh, I've seen an
- 0:58Speaker 2: awful lot of players through the years have hamstring injuries,
- 1:02Speaker 2: and you really just don't know until they give it,
- 1:06Speaker 2: you know, run with explosiveness, you know, 100% and see
- 1:12Speaker 2: how it feels. So that one may go all the
- 1:15Speaker 2: way until the game time, especially if this participation is
- 1:21Speaker 2: in that limited area. So I have to see how
- 1:25Speaker 2: that looks on the practice field. Wednesday, Thursday in particular.
- 1:30Speaker 3: What do you think? Who is the star of camp,
- 1:33Speaker 3: that running back? Isn't he on the practice squad now?
- 1:38Speaker 4: Schrader.
- 1:38Speaker 3: Can't we see Schrader called up to the big squad?
- 1:42Speaker 4: Well, I mean, they've.
- 1:45Speaker 2: Been using the elevations for the long snapper and the fullback.
- 1:50Speaker 3: But the long snapper is done, right, Jeff?
- 1:52Speaker 5: They got to decide now, don't they?
- 1:55Speaker 4: It's a three. You get three, I believe. Yeah. So
- 1:58Speaker 4: they're both, they're both at two.
- 2:00Speaker 2: So this would be a third, but if you're going
- 2:03Speaker 2: to move, you know, anytime you move somebody from the
- 2:06Speaker 2: practice squad to the roster, somebody has got to go.
- 2:08Speaker 2: So that's not just as simple as, okay, just bring
- 2:12Speaker 2: up Schrader. Cause are you going to go without your
- 2:15Speaker 2: fullback who plays a lot of snaps? Are you going
- 2:17Speaker 2: to go without your long snapper who, well, you can't
- 2:20Speaker 2: go without a long snapper. So, they got a little
- 2:24Speaker 2: pinched there if they're going to try and make a
- 2:27Speaker 2: practice squad maneuver in all of this.
- 2:29Speaker 3: Okay, is Mims bad enough to put on IR?
- 2:33Speaker 2: I don't think we know the answer to that, Andy.
- 2:35Speaker 2: I wish I could give you an answer. You know,
- 2:38Speaker 2: he keeps being told, you know, make your good progress.
- 2:43Speaker 2: I think if he was truly an IR candidate, they
- 2:46Speaker 2: would have done it already. But again, last week I
- 2:50Speaker 2: was being told that was not the case. So But again,
- 2:55Speaker 2: I think they're going to wait and see how treatment goes.
- 2:58Speaker 2: But I think right now, with the caveat of everything
- 3:03Speaker 2: changes on the injury front all the time, I think
- 3:07Speaker 2: right now I would say they feel like Dobbins has
- 3:10Speaker 2: a better chance to play.
- 3:12Speaker 4: Than Harvey, even though Harvey.
- 3:14Speaker 2: participated at least some in practice last week.
- 3:17Speaker 1: By the way, a little further down the list from yesterday,
- 3:20Speaker 1: but Chris Abrams' drain did have a muff that he
- 3:23Speaker 1: recovered back there, recovering catch and punt. So something to
- 3:28Speaker 1: think about a little bit this week as the Broncos
- 3:30Speaker 1: hope to be able to get Marvin Mims back. Again,
- 3:32Speaker 1: the Broncos didn't necessarily have to pay for that mistake. Jeff,
- 3:36Speaker 1: let's start with the defense before we get to the
- 3:40Speaker 1: offensive renaissance that we saw yesterday. in the fourth quarter yesterday,
- 3:43Speaker 1: I guess we could call it that. Uh, but let's
- 3:45Speaker 1: talk about the defense, uh, particularly in the second half, uh,
- 3:49Speaker 1: you know, they give up the field goal on the,
- 3:51Speaker 1: on the opening drive. It's a 13 to three game.
- 3:54Speaker 1: And then they really tightened things up. Riley Moss had
- 3:57Speaker 1: the interception, uh, Zach Allen consistently was able to get pressure,
- 4:00Speaker 1: but what did you see once you watched the film, um,
- 4:03Speaker 1: how they were able to really stifle Trevor Lawrence in
- 4:05Speaker 1: the second half?
- 4:07Speaker 2: You know, they just were real consistent, uh, in some
- 4:11Speaker 2: of the run fits, you know, they were, they were
- 4:13Speaker 2: where they needed to be, you know, pursuit to the
- 4:17Speaker 2: ball and.
- 4:17Speaker 4: They were much better on early downs.
- 4:19Speaker 2: You know, this is a defense that flourishes when they
- 4:23Speaker 2: put you in second and eight, second and seven. And
- 4:27Speaker 2: that's when they can get to their, you know, their
- 4:29Speaker 2: specialty stuff. You know, their, their, their nickel is better
- 4:34Speaker 2: than other people's nickel packages because they have better defensive
- 4:38Speaker 2: backs than, you know, and you saw, you know, Moss
- 4:41Speaker 2: has an interception.
- 4:42Speaker 4: McMillan, uh, really good, uh, plays.
- 4:47Speaker 2: On the ball, you know, in the game and certain
- 4:50Speaker 2: is certain. I mean, it's, it's, uh, they want to
- 4:53Speaker 2: be in the nickel and they want you to have
- 4:55Speaker 2: to throw. And when they can turn, you know, against
- 5:00Speaker 2: Kansas city, the game was in such a state, they
- 5:03Speaker 2: couldn't use their simulated pressures. They couldn't crowd the line
- 5:07Speaker 2: of scrimmage and, and drop out and rush the four
- 5:11Speaker 2: you didn't expect. They didn't get to any of that. Yesterday,
- 5:16Speaker 2: that's all on the table, and look how much different
- 5:20Speaker 2: it looks defensively when they can do that. And they
- 5:24Speaker 2: were much more consistent up front. The guys up front,
- 5:27Speaker 2: I thought, had a good day against a good team.
- 5:30Speaker 2: I believe that team's more talented to me than Kansas
- 5:34Speaker 2: City is. Chris Jones is a really good player who's
- 5:37Speaker 2: still got a lot left and all of that, but
- 5:41Speaker 2: I think the front seven as a whole, I think
- 5:44Speaker 2: Jacksonville is stronger, you know, that group as a whole,
- 5:49Speaker 2: and the Broncos were much, you know, I mean, their front,
- 5:54Speaker 2: they were better against the physical Jacksonville multiple tight end look,
- 5:58Speaker 2: not the front seven, but the multiple tight end look,
- 6:02Speaker 2: you know, multi-back, all of those power looks, they were
- 6:05Speaker 2: much better at.
- 6:07Speaker 3: All right, Jeff, I know there's no explaining it. How
- 6:10Speaker 3: about I go here? Did Bo, did some man where
- 6:13Speaker 3: Bo quit thinking about the ankle? And the reason why
- 6:15Speaker 3: I was wondering, was he thinking about the ankle was
- 6:17Speaker 3: that third down where he nearly, he had the first
- 6:20Speaker 3: down and he nearly put himself down a little too
- 6:23Speaker 3: early on the rush. It just felt like he's playing
- 6:25Speaker 3: it extra safe there. And then in the fourth quarter,
- 6:28Speaker 3: it just felt like he was carefree again. What, what
- 6:32Speaker 3: happens here? What, what causes this?
- 6:34Speaker 4: Do you have any explanation?
- 6:37Speaker 2: Well, you know, I don't want to speak for him, but,
- 6:39Speaker 2: you know, I don't think he's been worried about the
- 6:42Speaker 2: injury per se. I think they've just, you know, I
- 6:46Speaker 2: think they were in a better groove in terms of
- 6:48Speaker 2: what menu they were working off of.
- 6:52Speaker 4: In those situations.
- 6:53Speaker 2: You know, again, you're going to a different part of
- 6:55Speaker 2: the card when you're in those situations. And, you know,
- 7:01Speaker 2: people would say, well, why can't you live there all
- 7:03Speaker 2: the time? Well, it's not really built like that, you know.
- 7:07Speaker 4: Each week.
- 7:08Speaker 3: What play got him going in your mind? What play
- 7:10Speaker 3: kind of flipped him into let's do this mode? Was
- 7:14Speaker 3: it the waddle throw at the beginning of the fourth quarter?
- 7:16Speaker 4: Yeah, probably.
- 7:16Speaker 2: The long throw to waddle because he's on the move
- 7:20Speaker 2: when he makes the throw. It's not a tight window,
- 7:25Speaker 2: but he's got to fit it in there a little bit.
- 7:30Speaker 2: That's down the field. I thought that was one that
- 7:33Speaker 2: got him going. I thought you guys know Because I
- 7:38Speaker 2: truly believe in this as offensive strategy. What struck me
- 7:43Speaker 2: yesterday was how much they were under center. And, you know,
- 7:49Speaker 2: 27 snaps under center.
- 7:50Speaker 4: By my count, including penalty snaps.
- 7:52Speaker 2: I always count penalty snaps because you're showing your intent
- 7:57Speaker 2: when you get up there. And, you know, 33 in
- 8:01Speaker 2: the gun. That's the kind of ratio... when they've done
- 8:05Speaker 2: it in the past, that's where this offense is at
- 8:08Speaker 2: the best. That's where he's at the best. I, you know,
- 8:10Speaker 2: I just don't understand why that can't be how they
- 8:14Speaker 2: live all the time. And, and Sean even said after
- 8:18Speaker 2: the game, you know, he, he used the phrase basically
- 8:22Speaker 2: under center more. And I, to your question, Andy, I
- 8:24Speaker 2: think that gets him going because that puts play action
- 8:29Speaker 2: on the table.
- 8:30Speaker 4: That puts rollout on the table.
- 8:33Speaker 2: That puts you know you can get them on the
- 8:35Speaker 2: move and it's not such a static start like when
- 8:39Speaker 2: you're in the gun and and I just I don't
- 8:42Speaker 2: know I just think that's how you should play offense
- 8:45Speaker 2: and I know that's.
- 8:46Speaker 4: Not how quarterbacks are brought up.
- 8:47Speaker 2: Anymore uh but if I'm a coach in the NFL
- 8:51Speaker 2: I believe it's worth teaching that how to do it.
- 8:54Speaker 1: Well Jeff to that point and and yesterday we you
- 8:57Speaker 1: know the breakout for Jalen Waddell in this offense but
- 8:59Speaker 1: also what you saw yesterday was you know the the
- 9:03Speaker 1: Ability of Waddle to be able to open things, other
- 9:05Speaker 1: things up in the offense. I mean, you talked about
- 9:07Speaker 1: it right there. You put Bo Nix under center. You know,
- 9:11Speaker 1: you run 22 personnel. You get Adam Prentice out there.
- 9:14Speaker 1: You run double tight stuff and, you know, stack them
- 9:17Speaker 1: tight to one side of the formation and get Bo
- 9:19Speaker 1: on the move. You know, then the play action game
- 9:22Speaker 1: and the boot stuff opens up. and that's when he's
- 9:25Speaker 1: at his very best, and Jalen Waddell is scary enough
- 9:28Speaker 1: to an opposing defense that things get opened up underneath. Suddenly,
- 9:31Speaker 1: Evan Engram is streaking across the field. Suddenly, Nate Adkins
- 9:35Speaker 1: is making plays for you in your offense. You're able
- 9:38Speaker 1: to flip the ball out to the side and get
- 9:39Speaker 1: it into the hands of the backs and make something happen.
- 9:43Speaker 1: The funny thing about as deep as this team is
- 9:46Speaker 1: at wide receiver is They almost don't need all those
- 9:50Speaker 1: guys because what they do well is is formationally not
- 9:55Speaker 1: having those guys out on the field.
- 9:58Speaker 4: Yeah, and even when they go three wide.
- 10:00Speaker 2: Nate i they're just better under center yeah and you
- 10:04Speaker 2: know look i know that and run it in.
- 10:05Speaker 1: The tight formation because because that creates things for you
- 10:09Speaker 1: and there was a lot of tight stuff yesterday And
- 10:12Speaker 1: I think his.
- 10:13Speaker 4: Clock is better.
- 10:13Speaker 2: You know, I've asked Bo about this, and I've asked
- 10:17Speaker 2: coaches about this.
- 10:18Speaker 4: I'm not talking out of school here. I've asked people.
- 10:23Speaker 2: They all contend, you know, sort of, maybe, you know,
- 10:27Speaker 2: they're not willing to dive in the pool. But I
- 10:30Speaker 2: just think if, you know, somehow if you could get
- 10:35Speaker 2: him in a quiet moment, I think they would all,
- 10:38Speaker 2: he would see that his clock is better.
- 10:41Speaker 4: His footwork is better. All of it is better.
- 10:45Speaker 2: He doesn't come off the first read as quickly. I
- 10:48Speaker 2: know it's anecdotal. It's hard to track, but I chart
- 10:52Speaker 2: every game.
- 10:54Speaker 4: I look at it multiple times.
- 10:56Speaker 2: I even clock it with a watch as I do
- 11:00Speaker 2: when I scout quarterbacks before the draft. So he does
- 11:04Speaker 2: not come off the first read as quickly. When he's
- 11:07Speaker 2: under center, I just think it all works better under center.
- 11:11Speaker 2: And to me, it'd be worth just staying in sort
- 11:15Speaker 2: of the ratio they had yesterday. Now, they're not going
- 11:19Speaker 2: to want to line up against every defense that way.
- 11:23Speaker 2: So we're not always going to see it. But any
- 11:26Speaker 2: time they get a chance to split it how they
- 11:30Speaker 2: did yesterday, I think that's a good place to start
- 11:34Speaker 2: for them to play better.
- 11:36Speaker 3: Hey, our jump-the-gun question of the day, because we haven't
- 11:38Speaker 3: seen the Rams play tonight, but I asked Nate this earlier.
- 11:42Speaker 3: Are you more worried if you're never worried because you're
- 11:45Speaker 3: the reporter, if you're the Broncos, would you be more
- 11:48Speaker 3: concerned about the Niners or the Rams right now?
- 11:51Speaker 2: Well, I, you know, they're both concerning because they, they
- 11:55Speaker 2: live in the same world as far as offensive.
- 11:59Speaker 4: That's, you know, guess what?
- 12:01Speaker 2: Those playbooks came off the same tree and, uh, it,
- 12:05Speaker 2: it all traces back to, you know, Mike Shanahan, Gary Kubiak.
- 12:09Speaker 4: So that is a concern because, uh, They.
- 12:12Speaker 2: Play under center a lot and come at you a
- 12:15Speaker 2: lot of different ways. I think the Rams are intriguing because,
- 12:21Speaker 2: you know, one of the best players of all time
- 12:24Speaker 2: is getting back on the field after a couple of
- 12:27Speaker 2: years off. So I'm intrigued to see what Aaron Donald's
- 12:30Speaker 2: impact can be. And if he gives them a little
- 12:34Speaker 2: pop on defense, they're suddenly a very, very well-built team
- 12:39Speaker 2: on both sides of the ball.
- 12:41Speaker 1: I said it earlier, a 32% target share for Jalen Waddle,
- 12:46Speaker 1: which I know is, you know, that's, that's a big
- 12:47Speaker 1: fantasy football stat for you there, Jeff, but it's a.
- 12:50Speaker 5: Real football stat too.
- 12:52Speaker 1: Do you think that's what it's going to look like
- 12:54Speaker 1: going forward here? The, the amount of targets going to
- 12:57Speaker 1: Jalen Waddle and really, really getting him featured in the offense.
- 13:02Speaker 4: Yeah. I don't know.
- 13:02Speaker 2: Pure target rate is going to, can remain that high
- 13:06Speaker 2: because eventually people are going to say, okay, you know,
- 13:09Speaker 2: we're going to make you do something else, but That's
- 13:12Speaker 2: up to the Broncos.
- 13:13Speaker 4: You can put him in the bunch. You can put
- 13:15Speaker 4: him on the move.
- 13:17Speaker 2: Unless somebody wants to match a corner on him, then
- 13:20Speaker 2: you can kind of control what part of the defense
- 13:24Speaker 2: you're attacking with him. His ability to play on the
- 13:29Speaker 2: move and play multiple spots, I think here they've always
- 13:34Speaker 2: said he'd be a slot guy first and then work out.
- 13:39Speaker 2: But if you look at Miami's usage of them. He
- 13:42Speaker 2: was routinely outside primarily and moved into the slot. So
- 13:47Speaker 2: his versatility there, he has a high comfort level. You know,
- 13:52Speaker 2: not everybody does. And, and Sean Payton is very big
- 13:57Speaker 2: on having all of the receivers work in all of
- 14:00Speaker 2: the spots, but Waddle doesn't just work there. He has
- 14:03Speaker 2: a real legitimate comfort level with working out of the,
- 14:07Speaker 2: all of those.
- 14:08Speaker 4: Spots and, I just think he's such a load.
- 14:12Speaker 2: In this and a difficult, he is a difficult, difficult
- 14:16Speaker 2: matchup on the inside.
- 14:18Speaker 4: And I.
- 14:19Speaker 2: Think it's intriguing when they start them in there and
- 14:22Speaker 2: start working them out to the other places when they
- 14:24Speaker 2: see the adjustments.
- 14:26Speaker 4: But I think they're going to try.
- 14:28Speaker 2: To give them that many targets with their ability to
- 14:31Speaker 2: do that or not.
- 14:32Speaker 4: And I think it didn't take long.
- 14:35Speaker 2: But I think certainly thinks for good reason, Bo Nix
- 14:38Speaker 2: trusts him because he's, a lot of good things happen.
- 14:41Speaker 2: So he's got two guys, you know, three, if you
- 14:44Speaker 2: count Bryant, cause I think he really trusts Bryant in
- 14:47Speaker 2: the tight window, but he's got three legitimate wide out
- 14:51Speaker 2: targets that he trusts in the tight window.
- 14:55Speaker 4: And that's a pretty big deal too.
- 14:57Speaker 2: That, that ultimately could be in November if we're talking about, okay,
- 15:02Speaker 2: he really, you know, has.
- 15:05Speaker 4: Improved as the season's.
- 15:07Speaker 2: Gone along when we're talking about Bo Nix. He's got
- 15:09Speaker 2: three guys he can throw the ball to when it matters.
- 15:13Speaker 4: All right.
- 15:14Speaker 3: Brian's got to quit holding.
- 15:15Speaker 5: Nate, give me your stat.
- 15:16Speaker 4: Let's see if Leggett can remember.
- 15:18Speaker 5: Oh, here we go. Let's see if Leggett remembers this.
- 15:21Speaker 4: Let's go, computer.
- 15:22Speaker 1: Buck 38, 138 receiving yards yesterday for Jalen Waddell. Do
- 15:29Speaker 1: you remember the last Bronco to have a game with
- 15:33Speaker 1: at least 130 receiving yards?
- 15:36Speaker 4: That's child's play. Jerry, Judy, Jerry, Judy finale.
- 15:40Speaker 1: Yep.
- 15:40Speaker 4: 2022.
- 15:40Speaker 5: My favorite stat of that is, uh, Do.
- 15:47Speaker 2: You know the last receiver to have at least that
- 15:50Speaker 2: many in his home debut for the Broncos? That's the
- 15:54Speaker 2: good one.
- 15:54Speaker 1: I believe it's, I heard, and I don't remember who
- 15:58Speaker 1: the player was, but it was 1975, correct?
- 16:00Speaker 4: Yeah, Rick Upchurch.
- 16:01Speaker 5: Rick Upchurch in 75.
- 16:02Speaker 4: Yeah. So that's a pretty funny stat.
- 16:06Speaker 1: In the home debut for Jalen Waddell yesterday, I tell
- 16:12Speaker 1: you what, man, it was an element to the Broncos
- 16:14Speaker 1: offense that we just haven't seen in a really, really
- 16:17Speaker 1: long time. Jeff, that route, his last catch of the game,
- 16:22Speaker 1: that route that he ran, that was something special.
- 16:26Speaker 2: I know some coaches and scouts, and they phrase it,
- 16:30Speaker 2: when you make a defender grab earth, you have really
- 16:34Speaker 2: done damage.
- 16:35Speaker 4: And he made that guy grab the earth.
- 16:37Speaker 2: You know, that is just, that's a brutal double move.
- 16:41Speaker 2: I don't wish that on anybody. You know, that was
- 16:44Speaker 2: a quality, that was a quality preparation snap too. They
- 16:49Speaker 2: kind of knew they were getting man coverage that Jacksonville
- 16:54Speaker 2: tried to hide it a little bit, but they knew
- 16:56Speaker 2: what they were getting and they got exactly what they
- 16:59Speaker 2: predicted they would. And I think Bo even admitted he
- 17:04Speaker 2: played it safe with the throw. If that's earlier in
- 17:07Speaker 2: the game and he just lets it loose a little bit,
- 17:09Speaker 2: that's a touchdown easily. But, yeah, you want to know
- 17:14Speaker 2: what a good double move looks like, just draw that
- 17:18Speaker 2: one up.
- 17:19Speaker 5: Leggy, man, good stuff. We'll talk to you Friday.
- 17:21Speaker 2: Hey, since Donald's playing tonight, can I give you one
- 17:24Speaker 2: of my favorite football little quirky numbers?
- 17:28Speaker 5: Yes, let's go. I'm here for it.
- 17:31Speaker 2: You know, 2018, Donald has one of the greatest seasons
- 17:34Speaker 2: I've ever seen a player have that I've charted in
- 17:36Speaker 2: some fashion.
- 17:37Speaker 4: And he had 20 and a half sacks that year.
- 17:41Speaker 2: And he was double teamed 64% of the time. Just
- 17:46Speaker 2: wrap your head around that a little bit. If you're
- 17:50Speaker 2: a little football nerd, that is freaking unbelievable.
- 17:56Speaker 5: I mean, that's Lawrence Taylor.
- 17:58Speaker 1: That's a Barry Bonds stat, quite frankly, is what that is.
- 18:03Speaker 4: Double team.
- 18:03Speaker 5: Yeah.
- 18:04Speaker 4: Double team.
- 18:05Speaker 5: Yeah.
- 18:05Speaker 2: By NFL linemen 64% of the time, and he has
- 18:10Speaker 2: 41 quarterback hits and 20.
- 18:13Speaker 5: And a half sacks.
- 18:15Speaker 4: 20 and a half sacks.
- 18:16Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 18:16Speaker 2: That's 2018 Aaron Donald, and of all the things I've
- 18:20Speaker 2: charted through the years, that's one of the all-timers.
- 18:22Speaker 5: That's a Jokic stat. That's a you're breaking sports. It's incredible.
- 18:26Speaker 5: Jeff Mann, thank you.
- 18:28Speaker 4: See you, fellas.