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OPPOSITION TERRITORY: Denver Broncos · The Philadelphia Sports Table | Philly Sports News & Views

• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Opposition Territory here at the Philadelphia Sports Table
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: podcast show, the longest running weekly Philly sports podcast show
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: in the world, twelve years strong. We got a great
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: discussion coming your way here on Opposition Territory. This week,
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: we are diving into a team that I'm really looking
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: forward to talking about, looking forward to seeing what they
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: do this upcoming NFL season, the Denver Broncos. And we've
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: got with us from predominantly Orange. You know, we love
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: our fans sided sites here at the PST podcast show,
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Louis Gatanglia. Man, buddy, it's great to have you on
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: for the first time. Thanks so much for joining us.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Jeff. I will never ever pass up a
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: time to talk about my beloved Bronc Ghosts, especially after
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: all the suffering I went through.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Dude, You've been for some suffering with this team over
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: the years. My gosh. But look, I think this is
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: a team that is on the rise here. You know,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: I've been saying for a number of weeks now on
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: this podcast platform that I think the Denver Broncos could
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: be that quote sneaky team that's going to surprise the
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: football world this coming NFL season. Even though they made
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: the playoffs last year. I think this is a team
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: that can really surpass what they achieved last year. But
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: to do that, we got to take a look at
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: how this team has grown over the past year, some
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: of the talent that they've added on offense and defense.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: They had a really nice draft, I thought, in my opinion. Here,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: so let's kind of get into some reflections on this
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: offseason before we start talking about what we'll see this
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: upcoming season. Here, lou, do you think the Broncos can
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: and will shock some folks this coming season? How and why?
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah? So, I think the NFL world was definitely underrating
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: us last year. You could pull up roster power rankings.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: We're a thirty first and thirty second, and I remember
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: last year. It was a distinct time. Last offseason I
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: looked at this roster and I said, this roster is
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: really good. Yeah, and I kind of likened it to
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: what Houston did in twenty twenty three. Now, I wasn't
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: like over the moon high on the Broncos. My personal
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: prediction was we'd go nine to eight, miss the playoffs.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: But I knew we would be better than people thought
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: because we were strong of the trenches, which is extremely important.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: And we had a quarterback that Sean Payton won. And
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: the three most important things for a winning NFL team
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: is the quarterback, Yeah, protecting the quarterback and getting to
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: the quarterback. And I'm like, well, we have all three
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: of those things. So we were better than people thought.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: And every year in the NFL there's usually one or
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: two teams that kind of surprises. A couple of years ago,
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: remember it was the Jags and Giants making those playoff runs,
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: and then it was Houston, and then it was US
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: in Washington. But you look get where Sean Payton has
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: invested since he's been here the trenches. You look at
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: some of the draft picks panning out like Mimes and
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: Benito and bo Immediately. This was a team that kind
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: of arrived onto the scene maybe a year early. And
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: the large, the large NFL opinion of the Broncos last
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: year was just way too low and it was kind
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: of wrong. Now all of a sudden, after a good year,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: you know, everyone's speaking highly about the Broncos. They have
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: the sixth Beth roster. Bo Nix is going to make
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: a leap. This is just kind of like people course
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: correcting and realizing, oh crap, the Broncos are actually better
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: than we think. But I look at the roster, I
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: don't see a notable weakness, and I also see a
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: quarterback on the rise. So I'm again cautiously optimistic. I'm
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: not ready to say that we're going to make the
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: super Bowl, but making a playoff run, winning a game
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: or two is absolutely on the table.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah. I think that is a great way to analyze
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: the hopes the thought process of Broncos fans and even
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: NFL fans looking at this team heading into this season.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: But you mentioned bo Knicks, and we have to talk
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: about him, talk about his development and his growth and
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: how he is going to progress this year under center.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: I mean, I think one of the aspects of his game,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: and I think it's a pretty big one, Lou, that
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: he really is going to need to improve on from
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: last year is his drop back abilities in the passing
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: game and also his intermediate throws. I mean, they were
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: often inconsistent too, and we are seeing that with certain
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: quarterbacks in the NFL, younger quarterbacks every now and again. Overall,
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: I mean, he was a really good quarterback last season.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: In my opinion, I think he's poised to really take
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: those and make those developmental next step. So what are
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: you hoping to see from bow Knicks this season in
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: terms of that particular growth.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, So I think as the season went on last year,
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: he got a lot more comfortable in the pocket. In
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: the beginning of the year, his footwork was like sausa dancing.
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: He was dreadful in the pocket, but he was also
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: so good at avoiding sacks that it was kind of
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: like a double edged sword. But as the season went on,
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: he got a lot more comfortable in the pocket. The
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: drop back game really came to him. So next year
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: is really just kind of what you just said is
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: he needs to pick up where he left off at
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: the end of twenty twenty four. Become more comfortable in
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: the pocket, you know, get rid of the ball when
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: he needs to, don't hold onto the ball for too long,
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: don't run into pressure like Russell Wilson did for so long. Yes,
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: the accuracy and the intermediate passing game is going to come,
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: because that's kind of what Sean Payton's offense is built on, rhythm, timing,
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  Speaker 2: intermediate passing. Obviously, a lot of those slant routes curl routes,
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: a lot of those short routes to get the ball
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  Speaker 2: into the hands of the playmakers early. And then it's
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: really also about the running game. And I think we're
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: going to talk about here in a second, but for
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: Bo Nicks, it's really just like watching that tape from
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: like the final eight games of last he was just
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: on fire. He was actually on a believe it or not,
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: he was on a forty five touchdown pace over the
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: final eight games of twenty twenty four, which is ridiculous.
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  Speaker 2: So it's really about watching that good tape. And Bo
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: even said, like the challenges are are the same, he's
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: just more you know, he's more seasoned. So it's about
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: attacking things now that he has a year under his belt,
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: focusing on the weaknesses. But there really isn't any reason
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: to believe why he can't make Elite because again, the
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: Broncos are stronger it matters than most. Yeah, and some
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: line is returning all five starters, and I know we're
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: going to talk about the weapons that he had it,
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: but it's really just about like like not messing up.
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's it's hard for me to envision that
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: the Broncos regress on offense just because of the linear
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: growth that we actually saw from Bow last year. So
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: I think we're going to see a way more complete
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: passing attack and that sort of first half of twenty
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: twenty four where he was kind of awful, I think
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: that's just that's gone and that's not the quarterback he
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: is anymore.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: It means he's coachable, quite frankly, and I think that's
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: that is something that's really important, I think for NFL fans.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: And I know, you know, we really don't talk about
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: fantasy football too too much on this platform, but if
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: you're looking for a good fantasy quarterback in terms of development,
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: absolutely somebody who's coachable. That's Bo Nicks for sure. So
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: as we're moving along, you kind of teased, you know,
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: the rushing attack and what we may see from that
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: this season, Lou. I mean, I'm wondering what the Broncos
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: rushing attack is really going to look like right out
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: of the gate. It's something I'm going to be very
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: interested in following throughout this preseason. JK. Dobbins was brought in.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: I love how they drafted RJ. Harvey out of UCF,
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: a fantastic running back in college, and look I don't
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: think a lot of folks realize that during JK. Dobbins's career, overall,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: he's averaged five point two yards per carry. I think
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: that's like second in the league. I think at this point,
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: and last year the Broncos finished sixteenth in rushing. How
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: do you see this rushing attack really taking shape this
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: coming season?
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah? I think one hugely important thing to note right
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: off the bat is that the Broncos offensive line was
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: ranked number one in run blocking and pluck last year
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: according to ESPN, So the run game was really was
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: no fault of the offensive line. This run scheme. Zax
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: Streeve has done an outstanding job, and we're returning all
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: five starters from last year, which is really unheard of
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: in today's NFL. But yeah, I mean we had Javonte
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: Williams and Audrey Guestsaman and Julia McLoughlin as our primary backs.
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: Javonte Williams is an NFL player and I'm not, but
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: I mean he's stunk the past couple of years, Like
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: he wasn't good. Audre Guestimy was okay as rookie, struggled
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: with fumbles, but we just didn't really have any sort
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: of home run hre or we didn't have a consistent
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  Speaker 2: rushing attack. And it's funny. Every once in a while,
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  Speaker 2: I will fixate on a player that I want the
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Broncos to sign, and for months it was, oh, I
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: want us to sign JK. Dobbins when he's a free
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: age and I got my wish in the middle of June.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: I was driving to my then fiance's house and we
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: signed him, and I rolled down the windows and I
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: let out a big WOU because I was just over
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: the moon, because I think JK. Dobbins is a lot
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: better than you think. But with the rushing attack, there's
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: a reason why we signed him. I think you're going
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: to see JK. Dobbins get the primary workload to open
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: up the season. I think the splits are going to
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: vary from week to week. Some weeks it might be
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: seventy thirty if Dobbins has the hot hand, might be
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: closer to fifty to fifty if if RJ. Harvey is
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: doing something and has the hot hand. But you know RJ.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: Harvey needs to work on his pass protection, which is
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: something JK. Dobbins can do very well. But RJ. Harvey
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: is the more explosive player and probably has better footwork.
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: Just given that Dobbins is a veteran and he has
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: you know, been in the NFL since I think twenty twenty,
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: even despite the injuries, he's going to get the primary
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: RB one looks if you will. It's not going to
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: be a belcow situation like the Eagles have with with
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: Saquon He's not going to carry the ball twenty five
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: times a game. However, you are going to see the
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: running back room look like Dobbins and then Harvey. Then
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: as the season goes on, as you know Sean Payton
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: loves to use those committee approaches, You're going to see
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: Dobbins and Harvey, not Dobbins and then Harvey, and then
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: after Harvey you're probably gonna see Julia McLaughlin sprinkled in there,
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: and because he's kind of our scat back, change of
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: pace back. But I could argue that both Dobbins and
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: Harvey are mountains, leaps and bounds better than anything that
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: we've had really since the days of Melvin Gordon and
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: Philip Lindsay about five years ago. I am cautiously optimistic JK.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: Dobbins is a very efficient runner.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: R J.
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: Harvey incredible for work and very explosive, so he's going
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: to hit some home runs overall. You know, I can't
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: say that we're gonna have a top run game in
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: the NFL, but we have the blocking scheme and now
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: we have the running back talent. So I am much
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: higher on this room than I was last year.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: Well, folks, we're going to be taking a break in
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: just a bit here. But first off, again we're talking
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: to Lou Scataglia from Predominantly Orange and Buddy, let everybody
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: know where they can find you on the interwebs out there,
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: I know, Predominantlyorrange dot com. That's the site. And again,
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: you do a fantastic job. But if people want to
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: follow you out there, sure, let everybody know where they
• 11:00
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• 11:02
  Speaker 2: Sure. So my ex Twitter handle was just loose Scattaglia PO,
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: so just my first and last name, Capital P Capital Oh.
• 11:08
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• 11:13
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• 11:16
  Speaker 2: our social media presence, but occasionally I will sprinkle in
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: some of my football takes on Twitter as well.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: Nice. All right, sounds good. And if you are watching
• 11:25
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• 12:01
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• 12:15
  Speaker 1: So that being said, folks, we are going to take
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: a quick break and we come back some more offensive talk,
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: some defensive talk as it pertains to this Broncos team
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: and what we're going to be seeing this season. We'll
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: be back in just a bit. All right, folks, we
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: are back with our good friend Lou Scataglia from Predominantly
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: Orange Predominantly Orange dot com. Check out everything they've gone
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: on over there, and I want to continue with our
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: discussion here Lou about this Broncos offense here, but from
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: a receiving standpoint here. Look, we know that Courtland Sutton
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: was just given a new four year deal that's going
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: to keep him around for the next few years. In fact,
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: he took a very very team friendly deal probably gosh, yeah,
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: it was a really team friendly look right for him. Yes,
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: Marvin Mims Junior, you mentioned him earlier, his development. He's
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: going to be catching passes for this team this season.
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: But I'm wondering what the other receivers on this team
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: as well are going to be doing in terms of
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: that chemistry. Bo Nix is going to need to develop
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: that chemistry with a lot of these other receivers on
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: this team. It's going to be a work in progress.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: What are your thoughts on this particular storyline.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah, obviously we play the Eagles, I think what week
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: six something like that. I would definitely know the name
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: Devon Velay. He is our number two right now. Not
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: Marvin Mims. I so badly want Marvin Mims to take
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: that stride, as I think Sean Payton drafted him with
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: the idea that he could become his next Brandon Cooks,
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: who I have an odd affinity for. Okay, I think
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: Brandon Cooks was criminally underrated. But anyway, Devon Velay is
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: probably going to be that second option at wide receiver,
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: and then after that, you're probably looking at Evan Ingram,
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: who averages I think over seventy catches over a seventeen
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: game season. Evan Ingram is going to catch a ton
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: of passes. I promise you that. Yeah, he's He's that
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: that that big slot receiver that Sean Payton has has
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: has always loved, you know, Marvin Mims. I read a
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: blurb a couple of days ago that that he was
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: getting a lot of work and his route tree was
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: looking a lot better, which is really encouraging because as
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: we saw last year, Marvin Mims was a very explosive player,
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: but it was kind of like like a boom er
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: bust type of thing. He had all of those deep touchdowns,
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: he also caught passes out of the backfield as an
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: extension of our terrible run game, just because that was
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: out of necessity. Another name to keep in mind is
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: Troy Franklin, who was teammates with Bonix at Oregon. He
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: has had a wonderful training camp thus far. He's also fast.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: He's also six foot two, and he also put on
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: about five pounds this year, so he's a lot closer
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: to maybe one seventy five point eight than he was
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: his rookie season. Kind of same size as Devonte Smith almost.
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: He's obviously not the receiver that DeVante Smith is, but
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: Troy Franklin is another one who could take a step forward.
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: But if you're looking for more of a pecking order,
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: Sutton is going to get the top targets because he's
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: our top guy. Devon Valley is then going to get
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: a ton of looks. Evan Ingram is going to get
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: a ton of passes thrown his way, and then after that,
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: it really could be an an even division of Mims
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: rookie Pat Bryant, who also has some size and some
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: good route running ability on he brings to the table,
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: and Troy Franklin. If nothing else, I know that the
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: Broncos don't have a home run hitter with their receiving
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: and tight end options, but they have a ton of
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: players who at any point in time could go off
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: and have a big day. And I think that's going
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: to be really tough for opposing defenses is if you
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: want to run like four wide receiver sets, you're gonna
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: have Sutton, Mims, Vley Franklin on the field. And then
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: if you can squeeze inn Ingram on the field. I
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: mean those are like, that's five players that the defense
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: has to take note of teaching every one of them
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: has the ability to crack open a big play, all
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: all in all in different ways. So Sean Payton, He's
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: obviously had top guys like Marcus Colston and Jimmy Graham
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: and Michael Thomas, but the twenty twenty five Broncos are
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: just going to feature a ton of players that you're
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: going to have to take note of. It's going to
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: put a big strain on opposing secondaries and linebackers in coverage.
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: So that could be something that former Broncos had Coach
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: Vic Fangia is going to have to really take note
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: of when the game planning starts for when we play.
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: But it's definitely going to be Sutton Vley Ingram and
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: then I think everybody else.
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: I can't wait to see the development of this receiving
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: corps and how bo Nicks really is able to hone
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: in on that chemistry as well. It's gonna be really
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: phenomenal to see. So let's flip the coin over here,
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: move over to the defense.
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: Low.
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: Look, I think they're going to be a top five
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: defense in the league for sure this coming season. From
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: Patrick Certan to Zach Allen and DJ Jones on the
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: defensive line here, I think this unit is really positioned
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: to be an attack type of defense for sure. Man,
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: they're gonna be getting a lot of quarterbacks out of
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: the pocket, and you know, what does the secondary do
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: the linebacker corps do when that does happen. I know
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: it's a general question, but what are some of the
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: key aspects of this defense that we really need to
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: keep our eyes on as this season is getting ready
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: to start.
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: Sure, vance Joseph loves to blitz. He blitzed at one
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: of the highest rates in the NFL last year and
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: it worked. We had sixty three sacks, which was nine
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: more than the second place scene, which was Baltimore. We
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: had I think almost one hundred tackles for loss and
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: just an insane amount of quarterback hits. Zach Allen had
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: forty quarterback hits, and I'm surprised it's not talk that
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: talked about more. Forty quarterback hits is something that you
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: just don't see. But you're returning almost the same front
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: seven as last year. Say for Cody Barton is out,
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: Drey green Law is in, which is pretty scary for
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: opposing offenses because it's Dray Greenlaw. I know the injury
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: concern is there, but I don't need to tell you
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: or tell your listeners why Dre Greenlaw is so good.
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: We also added on the back end Talanoa Hufonga to
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: replace PJ. Locke, who was starting for US last year.
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: Teleanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones arguably might be the best
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: safety due in the NFL, and then obviously Jade Bear
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: in the twenty twenty five NFL draft. This offseason on
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: the defense was honestly just making the strength even better,
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: which is kind of scary because we were third in
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: points allowed. I think we were third best in run defense.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: I know our pass defense kind of tapered off towards
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: the end once Riley Moss hurt his knee, but again,
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: you look at this defense on paper, Jeff, I don't
• 18:33
  Speaker 2: see a weakness. Pass rush duo best pass rush duo
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: last year, Nick Benito, Jonathan Cooper. The outside linebackers, I
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: think most combined sacks out of any outside linebacker duo.
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: Strong defensive line returning again Zach Allen, DJ Jones, John
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: Franklin Myers. Then you have an improved linebacking room with
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton. I would like us to
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: add maybe former Eagle Kaisier White who's still on the
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: open market. Yeah, I think we need more help there,
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: but anyway, it's still it's still a really good unit.
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: And then somehow improving the secondary with Kufonga and Baron
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: already pairing up with Brandon Jones who's under a Patricks
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: or Tan who needs no introduction, Riley Moss, who was
• 19:12
  Speaker 2: a very solid starter last year, and then Jakwan macmillan,
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: who might see his job taken by Baron. But all
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: in all, Denver made the strength even more of a strength,
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: which is a very smart idea if you want to
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: be a contender. I don't see a weakness on the
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: defensive side of the ball. Late in the season, things
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: kind of got shaky, especially with the pass defense. But
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: you know, if it's a mostly healthy unit, I think
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: it could be best in the NFL. No worse than
• 19:40
  Speaker 2: top three. I mean, shoot, like, what can't they do?
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: We can cover, we can get to the quarterback. I mean,
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: and we were really good when Van s Joseph wants
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: to blit. So it's going to be a scary unit.
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: Ye, Lou, I can't wait to see what the pass
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: defense is going to be. I mean, I mean Week
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: six when they take on the Eagles. I mean, I'm
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: not looking forward to that at all, to be honest
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: with you. But pass defense with the secondary, the safety position,
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: the cornerback position, I mean, it is solid in that division.
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: It is going to be tough for those teams in
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: that division to be able to throw on the Denver Broncos,
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: especially downfield, those big explosive plays. So, Buddy, before I
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: let you go, we've been talking about this on our
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: Opposition Territory podcast recently, just talking about biggest concerns and
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: what you're least concerned about in terms of the team
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: heading into this season. So let's start off with the
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: biggest concern that you have for this Broncos team heading
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: into this season, then we'll get to what you're least
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: concerned about. So take it away, buddy.
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: Sure. I think my biggest Scot serve would honestly probably
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: be the line backing room, just because Dray Greenlaw and
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: Alex Singleton can be a very good duo, but Singleton
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: is on the wrong side of thirty and coming off
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: of a torn ACL Dray green Law is very good,
• 20:53
  Speaker 2: he's elite in some respects, but he has a lengthy
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: injury history. So I'm worried that if one of those
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: guys needs to miss time that it's going to throw
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: off the whole defense because they're the middle of the defense.
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: They're the glue that holds everything together, and you're obviously,
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: as a fan, worried about catastrophic injuries that unfortunately happen.
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: We've been one of the healthiest teams in the NFL
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: since Sean Payton took over, But and I guess on
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: the offensive side of the ball, my biggest concern would
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: be maybe since the tape is out in bo Nicks,
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: maybe that catches up to him and he regresses a
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: little bit. We just saw CJ. Stroud indoor a sophomore slump.
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: I don't think it'll happen, but you have to leave
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: the door open until it doesn't happen. So I guess
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: I would say a potential for a regression from the
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: quarterback and the offense and then really just the linebacking
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: room on the defensive side of the ball. I'm just
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: really worried that those guys aren't going to stay on
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: the field for a majority of the season, and if
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: that's the case, the entire defense is going to suffer. Yeah.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about what you are least concerned about
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: with regard to this Broncos team, because again, they're a
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: developing team. They are a team that's got a lot
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: of weapons as well. What are you at least concerned about, buddy.
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm least concerned about the coaching. Obviously, this is
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: in a coaching staff. They know how to develop players,
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: they know how to put players maximize what they do.
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: Well.
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: I'm least concerned about the trench play. Arguably best offensive
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: line in the NFL right now, returning all five starters.
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: Same thing on the defensive side of the ball, I'm
• 22:13
  Speaker 2: just not really concerned about the past rush, the past defense,
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: I'm not at all concerned about either. And even the
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: special teams. We actually quietly overhauled our special teams. We
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: brought in Darren Rizzy, who's a very good coordinator. We
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: also replaced Riley Dixon with Jeremy Crosshaw out of the
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: NFL Draft, who has been booming punts and training camp.
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: So I'm actually like not at all concerned about the
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: special teams as well. So I would say generally trench play,
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: pass defense, and special teams and coaching, I just have
• 22:41
  Speaker 2: virtually no concerns about any of those units either, folks.
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: He is Luskataglia from predominantly Orange dot com, great fan
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: sided site, and lou Buddy, it was great talking to
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: you for the first time here. Loved having you on
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: the show here on our Opposition Territory pod. Come back
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: join us down the road. I'd love to have you
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: back on the show.
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: All rights. Yep, thank you, Jeff. It was fun.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: That's going to do it for us here on Opposition
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: Territory this week. Please share our podcast with your friends
• 23:10
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• 23:13
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• 23:16
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• 23:20
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• 23:23
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• 23:33
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• 23:38
  Speaker 1: we will catch you next time.