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Jeff Legwold joins Kreckman and Lindahl 9-25-26 · Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports

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  Speaker 1: Joining us right now, Jeff Legwald, ESPN. Let's preview this
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Broncos-Rams matchup. Jeff, let's start with the Bronco injury report.
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  Speaker 1: No Jonah Coleman, but full participation for two days out
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  Speaker 1: of J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey. How healthy do we
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  Speaker 1: think these guys are?
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  Speaker 2: Today, Nate, they looked ready to go, at least in
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  Speaker 2: the portion of practice we're out there for. The Jonah
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  Speaker 2: Coleman situation was a little... odd in that he was
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  Speaker 2: on the field in uniform uh every day during the
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  Speaker 2: the open time when we're out there and often especially
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  Speaker 2: when a guy has a leg injury uh you know
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  Speaker 2: they're they're kept off their feet or inside getting treatment
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  Speaker 2: so that that was a little strange but you know
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  Speaker 2: and he would go through stretching and some of the
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  Speaker 2: light moving around but yeah that the fact he was
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  Speaker 2: listed as a did not participate all week and won't
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  Speaker 2: play Sunday unless there's some kind of significant miracle improvement
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  Speaker 2: where he gets upgraded. So that was a little odd,
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  Speaker 2: but the other two guys are ready to go. They
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  Speaker 2: didn't even give him a game designation, which means they're
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  Speaker 2: 100% and will play as scheduled.
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  Speaker 3: So you don't think they'll call up any, they won't
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  Speaker 3: use any call-ups on trade or anybody else. Then we
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  Speaker 3: would feel like we're safe to go with those three.
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  Speaker 2: But Andy, you don't, I mean, they've used their two
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  Speaker 2: call-ups for, they don't have a long snapper. So he
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  Speaker 2: has to be called up unless they move them to
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  Speaker 2: the roster, uh, between now and tomorrow. Uh, so they
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  Speaker 2: use the two call-ups the previous two weeks on a fullback,
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  Speaker 2: Adam Prentice and a long snapper, uh, The long snapper
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  Speaker 2: would have to be one of those. And, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I asked him today, would you call somebody up? And
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  Speaker 2: his answer was basically, I don't want to tell you,
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  Speaker 2: but I think we're okay, was kind of how he
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  Speaker 2: put it. So I would still think it's Prentice and
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  Speaker 2: Furboni as the call-ups there with Prentice maybe to carry
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  Speaker 2: the ball in short yardage if he asked to.
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  Speaker 1: Leggy, what have you seen, speaking of offensive pieces that
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  Speaker 1: are available for this team, and, you know, we're talking
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  Speaker 1: about Adam Prentice and, you know, Broncos used some 22
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  Speaker 1: last week. What have you seen out of this team
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  Speaker 1: as you've charted the Broncos through two weeks formationally, you know,
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  Speaker 1: going heavier and what Jalen Waddell has opened up in
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  Speaker 1: this offense? Give us a breakdown of kind of how
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  Speaker 1: Sean Payton and Davis Webb are using the personnel they
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  Speaker 1: have this year.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Nate, I think this game especially, The Rams very
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  Speaker 2: much like to live in the nickel and the dime
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  Speaker 2: if you let them get away with it. So I
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  Speaker 2: would expect the Broncos to try and force the issue
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  Speaker 2: from time to time with multiple tight ends, multiple backs
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  Speaker 2: and heavier looks. So I think they felt better about
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  Speaker 2: how things went, you know, obviously against Jacksonville when they were,
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  Speaker 2: heavier at times and they were more committed to the
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  Speaker 2: run and Bo Nix was under center more. So I think,
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  Speaker 2: you know, they will lean that way against these kinds
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  Speaker 2: of defenses or, you know, if they don't, that would
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  Speaker 2: be a little, a little quizzical, but I think given
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  Speaker 2: that the Rams like to play, if you let them
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  Speaker 2: in the lighter looks on defense, that the Broncos will
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  Speaker 2: try and force the issue and go the other way.
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  Speaker 3: Jeff, you know, it was interesting because I feel like,
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  Speaker 3: you know, Nate was breaking down some of the snaps
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  Speaker 3: that everybody played and how it's been affecting everybody. And
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  Speaker 3: one of the ones that he came up with, again,
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  Speaker 3: was you said, right, Nate, because of the tight end use,
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  Speaker 3: especially out of the first, I guess, in last week's game,
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  Speaker 3: Jadé Barron not playing a lot last week. What do
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  Speaker 3: you think's going on with Jadé there? Again, is it
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  Speaker 3: just because of formations? Is he taking a step back
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  Speaker 3: or is it just still be patient? If somebody goes down,
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  Speaker 3: he's going to play a big role.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know, Andy, that's one of those things where,
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  Speaker 2: you know, personnel, I mean, sometimes on defense you can
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  Speaker 2: just say, look, we're just playing this and we don't care.
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  Speaker 2: But Jacksonville, you know, essentially forced the issue. Teams don't
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  Speaker 2: want to face the Broncos' pass rush out of the
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  Speaker 2: nickel and the dime. So Jacksonville stayed really heavy. So you're,
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  Speaker 2: you know, that other corner isn't going to play any
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  Speaker 2: snaps if they won't come out of those heavier looks.
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  Speaker 2: And that's why he didn't get much and, you know,
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  Speaker 2: against the Jags. And I think, you know, until, you know,
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  Speaker 2: there's some movie, you know, you got guys who are
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  Speaker 2: free agents next March, but as long as Riley Moss
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  Speaker 2: and Jaquan McMillan and Sertan are healthy, you know, Barron is,
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  Speaker 2: is in that dime role and they have to be
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  Speaker 2: in the dime, you know, for him to be out
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  Speaker 2: there in some of the bigger nickel things. And if,
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  Speaker 2: and if they don't get a look from the offense
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  Speaker 2: to use him, you know, that's just how it's going
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  Speaker 2: to be this year has no bearing on what they
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  Speaker 2: think of him as a player. They, they, they actually
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  Speaker 2: believe he had one of the best off seasons training
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  Speaker 2: camps of anybody in On the defense, so it's not
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  Speaker 2: a question of ability or what's going on with the
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  Speaker 2: first rounder. Riley Moss is a really good corner. Jaquan
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  Speaker 2: McMillan is one of the best nickels in the league.
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  Speaker 2: There's just not room for him right now unless they
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  Speaker 2: go to the dime.
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  Speaker 1: That's Jeff Legwald of ESPN. Great breakdown right there, Leggy.
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  Speaker 1: We're live at Old Town Tavern in Arvada. Bud Light
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: football Friday. Great specials on Bud Light right now. Leggy,
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  Speaker 1: we have got two A-plus heavyweight matchups in this game,
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  Speaker 1: receivers versus corners. On one end, Devontae Adams going up
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  Speaker 1: against PS2. On the other, Jalen Waddell going up against
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  Speaker 1: Trent McDuffie. Jeff, give us the breakdown on both of
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  Speaker 1: these matchups because this is some really, really good head-to-head
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  Speaker 1: football we're about to watch on Sunday night.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, this is kind of a football geek like I am.
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  Speaker 2: These are the things that are fun to chart and
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  Speaker 2: break down and see happen in real time. Devontae Adams'
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  Speaker 2: superpower is the first yard and a half of the route.
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  Speaker 2: There are some guys who are pretty good at getting
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  Speaker 2: a release at the line of scrimmage. He is He's
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  Speaker 2: at the pinnacle, even at this age and this experience level.
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  Speaker 2: His release is still among the best in the league,
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  Speaker 2: and he leaves plenty of people flailing in his wake.
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  Speaker 2: Watching this past week when they were trying to line
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  Speaker 2: up rookies and young corners against him in man-press situations,
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  Speaker 2: that didn't go well. And that's why the numbers look
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  Speaker 2: the way it did. You know, Sertan's a totally different thing.
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  Speaker 2: You know, a lot of people have made Adams' numbers
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  Speaker 2: against Sertan or whatever. You know, most of that was
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  Speaker 2: the first meeting. Since then, it's been a really good fight.
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  Speaker 2: And Sertan's at the top of his game. I just
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  Speaker 2: told somebody today, I was talking to a scout in
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  Speaker 2: the league, and Sertan had two snaps against the Jags
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  Speaker 2: that were– absolutely perfect teaching tape kind of snaps on
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  Speaker 2: plays he made on the ball against the Jaguars just
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  Speaker 2: mirroring routes that other people can't do so that I
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  Speaker 2: would expect them especially if Nakua is not going to
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  Speaker 2: play to get Sertan on Adams a lot and take
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  Speaker 2: their chances with everybody else and mix it up and
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  Speaker 2: match a little bit But I think that is a
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  Speaker 2: matchup we'll actually see. Now, you know, will the Rams
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  Speaker 2: answer that way with Waddle? I mean, it's, you know,
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  Speaker 2: Sutton is a problem if you don't have a plan.
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  Speaker 2: If you match McDuffie, that leaves a very physical, good
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  Speaker 2: boundary receiver in Sutton, you know, working the edges of formation.
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  Speaker 2: And that makes it harder to get safety help there
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  Speaker 2: just by the way they do things. So I think
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  Speaker 2: that one's a little more strategic and how, how are
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  Speaker 2: you going to handle it? And, but I would expect
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  Speaker 2: them to, you know, they didn't sign McDuffie not to
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  Speaker 2: use them in situations like this, but it's hard to
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  Speaker 2: match waddle through the middle of the field, just in
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  Speaker 2: man to man. So, you know, maybe a little combo
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  Speaker 2: here and, man looks on one side and zone on
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  Speaker 2: the other and all of those things when they attack
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  Speaker 2: the Broncos.
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  Speaker 1: Because the Broncos, they like using Waddle in the slot,
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  Speaker 1: and yet last week against the Giants, McDuffie spent a
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  Speaker 1: lot of time there in that matchup. But again, the
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  Speaker 1: flip side to it, and to your point there, Jeff,
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  Speaker 1: is teams want to zone Bo Nix up as much
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  Speaker 1: as they possibly can because if you go into man...
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  Speaker 1: You simply play into his hands. So you're right about that.
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  Speaker 1: This is just a complete and total chess match that
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  Speaker 1: these two teams are going to be going through in
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  Speaker 1: this game. And yeah, I think more than anything, You know,
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  Speaker 1: for the Broncos, it's like Cortland Sutton's got to have
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  Speaker 1: a big-time game, and if he does, that loosens everything up. But, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: because they're going to move, you know, they're going to
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  Speaker 1: try and move McDuffie around. I don't know if it's
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  Speaker 1: always necessarily going to work for them.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and, you know, the thing that you have is
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  Speaker 2: Waddle's versatility is underrated. You know, it's something we talk
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  Speaker 2: about a lot, but he played the majority of his
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  Speaker 2: snaps in Miami, especially with Mike McDaniel calling plays. on
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  Speaker 2: the outside, you know, at the Z so to speak.
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  Speaker 2: And then the Broncos like him in the slot or
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  Speaker 2: to at least start the play with him in the
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  Speaker 2: slot and, and move them around pre snap and things.
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  Speaker 2: The thing about the slot that's helpful is you can,
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  Speaker 2: you can hide a guy in a bunch or you can,
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  Speaker 2: you can move them, condense the formation, move them around and,
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  Speaker 2: And then it's really hard for the defensive backs to
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  Speaker 2: get their hands on them. And you, you've got one
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  Speaker 2: of the fastest players in the league and Waddle getting
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  Speaker 2: a free release and a lot of momentum. And it's
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  Speaker 2: hard to then match after that. But so I, I
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  Speaker 2: am interested to see how the Rams will try to
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  Speaker 2: take that away. I, you know, again, if, the Broncos
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  Speaker 2: want you to, to help on Waddle. I mean, they're
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  Speaker 2: more than happy to throw Waddle the ball a ton
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  Speaker 2: and want to, but you know, the only good thing
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  Speaker 2: that happened in Kansas city was the Ingram touchdown when
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  Speaker 2: two chiefs defenders are chasing Jalen Waddle and Ingram's running free,
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  Speaker 2: you know, right behind them. So they, they want the
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  Speaker 2: reaction to Waddle.
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  Speaker 3: Jeff, I've got to ask you, it's kind of been
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: a little bit of a topic the last couple of
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  Speaker 3: days and You know, it's wild for me because he's
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  Speaker 3: the first guy that I knew well, and now we've
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  Speaker 3: got a movie about him. The trailer's come out as
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  Speaker 3: Nicolas Cage as John Madden. Have you watched it? What
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  Speaker 3: feelings do you have about it? Because I think they
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  Speaker 3: got the wrong guy doing this thing, comedy or not.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, he's an astounding actor, so if he
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  Speaker 2: can pull it off, then.
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  Speaker 3: But he's not him, Jeff. I mean, again, to me,
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  Speaker 3: the guy, Madden's too.
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  Speaker 1: Much of a....
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  Speaker 2: It's hard for me to believe, you know, you're going
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  Speaker 2: to spend all that money and do all those things.
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  Speaker 2: If it, if it didn't look good when they were done. So,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I don't know, I guess I'd give it
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  Speaker 2: a chance, but having talked to John Madden a lot
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  Speaker 2: at games over the years, it's always tough for me
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  Speaker 2: to watch biopics where, where I see people I've, I've
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  Speaker 2: spoken to, you know, and been around. Uh, so that
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  Speaker 2: will be, uh, a little different. You know, John was
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  Speaker 2: an advisor for the Hall of Fame selection process for
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  Speaker 2: a little while. So I had a lot of contact
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  Speaker 2: with him at that time. And then I would see
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  Speaker 2: him at games when he was a broadcaster a lot. And,
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  Speaker 2: you know, early on, he had seen a couple of
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  Speaker 2: things I had done and was very kind to say,
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  Speaker 2: you know, keep on doing that or whatever. But So
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  Speaker 2: it will be odd to see a movie about someone
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  Speaker 2: I did speak to and talk to about football and
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  Speaker 2: stories over the years.
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  Speaker 1: By the way, when someday when there's the demand for
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  Speaker 1: someone to produce a biopic about Brewers manager Pat Murphy,
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  Speaker 1: I say you cast Jeff Legwald first things first. That's
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: the guy you get. A good Midwestern boy to play
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: the part of Pat Murphy.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. I would have a better bullpen than the Cubbies
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  Speaker 2: do if that was the case.
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  Speaker 1: You probably would. Yeah, you probably would.
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: Hey, are you sweating this Illinois game tomorrow as much
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  Speaker 3: as Nate is?
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  Speaker 1: No, you don't sweat it. It's just you know we're
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: going to lose by three touchdowns.
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  Speaker 2: It's like knowing the pain is coming. I'm not sure
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  Speaker 2: we have an answer for Jeremiah Smith.
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  Speaker 1: The good thing about losing to Duke is it sets
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  Speaker 1: your expectations where they need to be.
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  Speaker 3: Puts you right back in reality.
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  Speaker 1: All right. You know what? It's like slipping on a
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  Speaker 1: nice warm robe. You feel like it's Illini football again.
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  Speaker 1: Jeff Legwald, everybody. Yeah, Jeff.
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  Speaker 2: No, you can just let go of the playoff dream there,
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  Speaker 2: you know. Yeah. The championship weekend.
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  Speaker 1: It may not be happening for us this year. We're
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: hoping for a Pop-Tarts bowl berth. Jeff, man, awesome. That's
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: going away.
• 14:50
  Speaker 3: You've lost that, too.
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  Speaker 1: We appreciate it. Thanks, dude.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks, fellas. We'll see you.