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Jeff Legwold joins Kreckman and Lindahl 12-15-25 · Jeff Legwold ESPN Broncos Reports

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  Speaker 1: On Mondays, we talked to Jeff Legwald Leggy, covering the
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  Speaker 1: Broncos and the NFL for ESPN dot Com. Leggy thirty
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  Speaker 1: four to twenty six, Broncos handle the Packers yesterday. Most
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  Speaker 1: impressive performance by this team all season long. I don't
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  Speaker 1: think I'm speaking out of bounds when I say that
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  Speaker 1: considering opponent and just simply considering quality of execution that
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  Speaker 1: the Broncos had yesterday. To me, the story of that
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  Speaker 1: game is bo Nicks and the way that he played
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  Speaker 1: average eight point nine yards per attempt, went out there
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  Speaker 1: and threw four touchdown passes. Absolutely looked as as aggressive
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  Speaker 1: and as comfortable as he has all season long. We've
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  Speaker 1: kind of been tracking this on a week by week basis,
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  Speaker 1: more jumbo packages, more work under center. Take us through,
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  Speaker 1: what was the next step that you saw yesterday when
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  Speaker 1: you broke down the tape on this game.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Nate, I think that I'd be remiss if I
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  Speaker 2: didn't say their protection was no really good against a
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  Speaker 2: really good rush, and you know, and it said, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I get it, you know, the voting for the Pro
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  Speaker 2: Bowl and all that, I understand it, But for Garrett
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  Speaker 2: Bowles not to be anywhere, you know, within shouting distance
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  Speaker 2: of a Pro Bowl slot according to the voting. Fan
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  Speaker 2: voting is a little weird to me. But they were
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  Speaker 2: great up front yesterday, and I think Nick's he talked
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  Speaker 2: a little bit about it after the game and about
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  Speaker 2: just sort of finding an understanding what's the intent of
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  Speaker 2: what Sean Payton is calling in different situations. And I
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  Speaker 2: think we may just be seeing you know, I know
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  Speaker 2: we often, all of us in this business, don't like
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  Speaker 2: to allow the time for things to sort of germinate,
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  Speaker 2: as it were, and I think they Sean Payton and
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  Speaker 2: bow Nicks may just be finding that little area where
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  Speaker 2: they they sort of you know, Bo understands why he's
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  Speaker 2: sending the play in right then, right, you know, at
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  Speaker 2: that moment, and Sean is, I think, understanding more and
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  Speaker 2: more about what really makes Bo Nicks comfortable. And I
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  Speaker 2: thought nix is from a fundamental standpoint, it was his
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  Speaker 2: best footwork game of the season.
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  Speaker 3: I tracked that pretty hard.
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  Speaker 2: I know people probably roll their eyes at me sometimes
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  Speaker 2: because off platform and the rest of it is is
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  Speaker 2: a big deal these days when people are analyzing quarterbacks.
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  Speaker 2: But I was taught long ago and still believe you
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  Speaker 2: play quarterback from the from the ground up in a
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  Speaker 2: lot of ways when you're throwing the ball. And it
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  Speaker 2: was his best game and it showed frankly, that was
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  Speaker 2: his best game as a pro.
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  Speaker 1: And my well, and you saw it in his accuracy.
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  Speaker 1: I think more than anything else Jeff was was when
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  Speaker 1: when the footwork is good, his accuracy takes a big jump.
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  Speaker 1: I also, what I loved about his performance yesterday was
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  Speaker 1: his willingness to push the ball, push the ball to
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  Speaker 1: the intermediate parts of the field where you know, when
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  Speaker 1: you look at the numbers and both throwing to the
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  Speaker 1: intermediate parts of the field, he's just he struggles there.
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  Speaker 1: That's just that's not been a part of his game historically.
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  Speaker 1: And man did he ever find it yesterday. And he
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  Speaker 1: found it against a really good, zone heavy kind of defense,
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  Speaker 1: which those have been the looks that have been given
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  Speaker 1: in problems all year long.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they played tons in zone probably eighty
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  Speaker 2: I think eighty five eighty seven percent zone yesterday out
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  Speaker 2: of the Packers and you know, down the hash receivers
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  Speaker 2: out of the slot, the intermediate zone, that's all been
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  Speaker 2: trouble spots for bow Nicks this year. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: that that game's a really good, you know, something for
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  Speaker 2: him to look at and just sort of do the math. Okay,
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  Speaker 2: when I do this, this and this, my chances of
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  Speaker 2: playing like that are much greater. And frankly, you know,
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  Speaker 2: if you're gonna do big things, that's that's how he
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  Speaker 2: has to play. He doesn't always have to throw for
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  Speaker 2: three hundred or four touchdowns.
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  Speaker 3: Or any any of that, but that down to down.
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  Speaker 2: I think that's how it has to look if they're
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  Speaker 2: gonna do everything they want to do.
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  Speaker 4: Look, I'm not saying that you did anything or influenced it,
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  Speaker 4: but sure it doesn't seem like since one Jeff le
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  Speaker 4: Legwall wrote an article about maybe getting the plays in
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  Speaker 4: and maybe not having him get to the line of
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  Speaker 4: scrimmage under ten seconds and maybe letting the young man
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  Speaker 4: be calm. It feels like they've made an asserted effort.
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  Speaker 4: Not perfect yesterday, but I did notice a lot of
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  Speaker 4: times he's at the line by eighteen seconds or so.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think that's for him. You know, they
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  Speaker 2: took that early time out, and I think in previous games,
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  Speaker 2: I think Nicks might have been a little angrier about that.
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  Speaker 2: As you know, in the next few plays, but they
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  Speaker 2: all shook it off pretty well, but you know they
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  Speaker 2: had it was that one very early time out where
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  Speaker 2: there's southern back and forth and then everybody's unsure about
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  Speaker 2: who should be in the huddle. But they took care
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  Speaker 2: of that right away, and that's how you got to
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  Speaker 2: handle that. But I think when they get him to
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  Speaker 2: the line and give him some time, he's it's you know,
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  Speaker 2: he's already proven it. He can play quarterback at the
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  Speaker 2: level they need him to play at. And there was
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  Speaker 2: one throw on the rollout too. I think when his
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  Speaker 2: when his footwork is good, his confidence is good, and
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  Speaker 2: that makes the rest of it good. That the one
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  Speaker 2: rollout whip throw is as good as he's made at
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  Speaker 2: any point in his career. And the touchdown to little
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  Speaker 2: Jordan Humphrey, that's elite stuff. Yeah, at the quarterback position,
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  Speaker 2: and that's the kind of stuff John Elway has always
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  Speaker 2: talked about. Not everybody's willing to make the throw that
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  Speaker 2: will win you the game, but the touchdown. A couple
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  Speaker 2: of the touchdown throws are exactly those kinds of throws.
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  Speaker 2: And the fourth down throw to Sutton was spectacular, spectacular
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  Speaker 2: catch too, But those are elite throws at an elite
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  Speaker 2: time of year against a really tough defense.
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  Speaker 1: Jeff Legwell, brought to you by the International Brotherhood of
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  Speaker 1: Electrical Workers IBW Local sixty eight. Starting with a job
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  Speaker 1: and with a career, LEGGI one of my rules you
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  Speaker 1: don't take greatness for granted, whether it's Jokich or mccarr
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  Speaker 1: or McKinnon, and in this case it's Patrick Sartan. The
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  Speaker 1: play that he made yesterday, the interception that he made
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  Speaker 1: cutting off Christian Watson again, it flipped the entire football game.
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  Speaker 1: He's the defensive player of the year. I do think
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  Speaker 1: at times because of the position that he plays, you
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  Speaker 1: can forget get about him. But that play right there,
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  Speaker 1: it's a complete game flipper. Number one, What in the
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  Speaker 1: world is Jordan Love thinking throwing that ball? But number two? Again,
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  Speaker 1: like you're an appreciator of defensive back play, Jeff, how
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  Speaker 1: many guys in the history of the game have you
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  Speaker 1: ever seen that could make that play?
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  Speaker 3: There aren't many. I contend with the kind of speed
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  Speaker 3: it takes to run.
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  Speaker 2: With Watson, one of the fastest players in the NFL,
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  Speaker 2: and to have the kind of length to make the catch.
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  Speaker 2: There might be one cornerback on the planet right now,
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  Speaker 2: who can do that?
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  Speaker 3: And you saw him do it yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: It made me think immediately of the joint practice last year.
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  Speaker 2: Jordan love Is asked after that joint practice, what did
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  Speaker 2: you learn about the Broncos defense? And his answer that day,
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  Speaker 2: after he had tried certain and almost for entertainment value
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  Speaker 2: on a couple plays, he said, Patzertan's really good, and
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  Speaker 2: I think love thought he could sneak it in. But
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  Speaker 2: there is in my mind, there's one corner in the
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  Speaker 2: game that could have had that kind of top end
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  Speaker 2: speed to run with Watson in man coverage in the
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  Speaker 2: open field and still make that kind of interception in
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  Speaker 2: man coverage when you're not facing the ball.
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  Speaker 3: And have the length to pull it off.
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  Speaker 2: Just this is if a receiver had made that catch,
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  Speaker 2: we'd be putting it in, you know, whatever list you're
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  Speaker 2: putting it on for that week's games. But even bo Nix,
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  Speaker 2: who had, you know, the best day of his career,
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  Speaker 2: said that was the play that changed everything. And just
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  Speaker 2: look at what happens after it, you know, they they
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  Speaker 2: outscored twenty to three and a half what the Packers
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  Speaker 2: have in the second half thirty four net passing.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean.
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  Speaker 2: That's just ridiculous when you look at the personnel and
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  Speaker 2: the coaching and all the rest of it. But now
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  Speaker 2: that was a game changer, and again that's if you're
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  Speaker 2: going to have a really good season. You know, the
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  Speaker 2: list of those plays can be found and that will
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  Speaker 2: certainly be on this year's for the Bronco You know
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  Speaker 2: Benito's bat down in Washington.
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  Speaker 3: You know, they.
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  Speaker 2: They're defensive players when they've had to make those kinds
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  Speaker 2: of plays, have been up up to that challenge.
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  Speaker 4: All right, Packers, boy, they should you how they can
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  Speaker 4: go from the outhouse or the penthouse to the out
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  Speaker 4: house or the injuries they got lost a top offensive lineman,
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  Speaker 4: lost their top receiver, lost their top pass rusher, all
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  Speaker 4: in one game that they ended up losing, and now
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  Speaker 4: they're in the final wildcard spot in the NFC. Broncos
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  Speaker 4: don't want that same fate, But you gotta have running backs.
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  Speaker 4: Can you update us on a Brandon Jones? I know Sternad.
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  Speaker 4: A lot of people have talked about Sternad, but that
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  Speaker 4: makes me nervous because I know Sternad has been really
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  Speaker 4: good in coverage this year and RJ Harvey. I noticed
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  Speaker 4: the Broncos claims somebody off of waivers from Houston. I
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  Speaker 4: wonder if Damian Pierce wants to rethink his decision to
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  Speaker 4: join the Chiefs and not the Broncos. But do you
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  Speaker 4: have any updates on RJ. Harvey, on Brandon Jones, and
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  Speaker 4: on Sternad Well.
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  Speaker 3: Jones has gone to IR.
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  Speaker 2: So that's four weeks or four games so at minimum,
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  Speaker 2: I don't think it's known yet and including by me
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  Speaker 2: if it's gonna take surgery to repair. But he he's
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  Speaker 2: missing the first playoff game at minimum, and the rest
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  Speaker 2: of the regular season. So you know, again you're talking
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  Speaker 2: about the Broncos right now.
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  Speaker 3: Have the top.
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  Speaker 2: Three players, the only three players in the NFL with
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  Speaker 2: three hundred man snaps this year in the same secondary,
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  Speaker 2: and Brandon Jones is one of the three. So this
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  Speaker 2: is going to influence what you can do on defense
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  Speaker 2: and how you do it. So you know, can can
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  Speaker 2: Hufanga be us free to pursue everything if if Brandon
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  Speaker 2: Jones isn't in the back, you know, making sure everything's okay.
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  Speaker 2: So this will influence that. And it's again it's four
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  Speaker 2: games minimum, no matter when that fourth game is whether
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  Speaker 2: they get the postseason by or not.
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  Speaker 1: By the way, Jeff just in a quick note on
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  Speaker 1: that in terms of a center fielder, is that PJ.
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  Speaker 1: Locke's job or did Joddy Baron get a look? How
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  Speaker 1: do you think VJ plays this?
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  Speaker 2: I think some of the run and we've already seen
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  Speaker 2: that with Brandon Jones in the lineup. Even Baron has
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  Speaker 2: played some of the run fit safety spots for Jones already.
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  Speaker 3: So I think they would keep that going.
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  Speaker 2: And and then Locke would handle a lot of what
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  Speaker 2: he played yesterday. But the Packers kept the uh, the
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  Speaker 2: Broncos in the base defense a lot, and you know,
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  Speaker 2: some of the the nickel looks were sprinkled in. But
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  Speaker 2: so I think Locke would get some of that base
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  Speaker 2: defense work, and then Baron will find the some specialty
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  Speaker 2: work in there along the way.
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  Speaker 4: All right, what's a concern with Sternad and Harvey?
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  Speaker 2: Well, Sternad, he took a leg whip and that's always tough,
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  Speaker 2: you know. I think they were evaluating the last I
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  Speaker 2: checked here today, they were still kind of evaluating that
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  Speaker 2: and seeing what's up.
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  Speaker 3: Harvey.
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  Speaker 2: They didn't take his helmet yesterday. It was a rib injury.
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  Speaker 2: But they didn't take his helmet or anything. He still
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  Speaker 2: was carrying that around, So I think that's ah, we'll
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  Speaker 2: see what it looks like Wednesday and Thursday. But the
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  Speaker 2: fact they claimed a running back, but again Traders only
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  Speaker 2: had one career carry, so that that could be more
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  Speaker 2: of a just in case, down the down the depth
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  Speaker 2: chart thing and to practice too, to have some practice snaps.
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  Speaker 2: But again that may not be a little clearer until
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  Speaker 2: Wednesday and Thursday.
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  Speaker 1: Talking to Jeff Leagweld here in le Broncos win Monday,
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  Speaker 1: Troy Franklin, big bounce back game out of Troy Franklin.
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  Speaker 1: Sanford and I were talking about this in the first
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  Speaker 1: hour of the show of this team. Bad habits don't
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  Speaker 1: really become huge problems with this group. This this team
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  Speaker 1: is well coached in courts correction. And I thought that
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  Speaker 1: Troy Franklin had had a shaky couple of games. Pat
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  Speaker 1: Bryant goes out with injury, and then I thought Franklin
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  Speaker 1: was fantastic yesterday. Jeff, what did you make of his performance?
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  Speaker 1: And again kind of what it means in the bigger
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  Speaker 1: picture of this team.
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  Speaker 2: I think you know a couple of things. You know, first,
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  Speaker 2: what you're talking about. Look, Sean Payton is not every
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  Speaker 2: player's cup of tea, and he admits that, and players
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  Speaker 2: admit it. Everybody admits it. But the one thing, you know,
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  Speaker 2: without a doubt is there accountability. You know, if you
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  Speaker 2: keep doing the same things that they don't want you
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  Speaker 2: to do, you know, guess what, you don't get to play,
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  Speaker 2: and it won't matter much how talented you think you are.
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  Speaker 2: And that's not always the case in a lot of
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  Speaker 2: NFL outposts. You know, sometimes talent overrides everything. And I
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  Speaker 2: think that's why they course correct so well. You know
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  Speaker 2: that the penalties are still kind of a problem, but
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  Speaker 2: they're less of a problem than they were. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: they just sort of gradually keep chipping away at that.
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  Speaker 2: And I think Franklin yesterday is another example of this
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  Speaker 2: team has a kind of a weird reverse productivity thing
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  Speaker 2: going on. The more targets they get to something, the
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  Speaker 2: better everybody eats. Yeah, across the board, because it influences
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  Speaker 2: the coverage everybody else gets. And Someton's had five games
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  Speaker 2: this year with at least eight targets and you know,
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  Speaker 2: three of them I think, or they had five in
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  Speaker 2: the first ten games. And he's got three in the
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  Speaker 2: last four, so they you pump the ball to Sutton
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  Speaker 2: more and it helps everybody. And Frey Franklin's at the
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  Speaker 2: stage now where it in certain man coverage looks and
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  Speaker 2: certain zone looks. He's really good at finding the spot,
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  Speaker 2: especially in the red zone. I think he's become a
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  Speaker 2: pretty good red zone you know, move with bow, make
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  Speaker 2: yourself available, and make a play when you have a chance.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and he did yesterday. Man, Jeff Legwald, everybody ESPN
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  Speaker 1: dot com read Jeff Legwald stuff there covering the twelve
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  Speaker 1: and two Broncos, the number one seed in the AFC,
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: currently riding an eleven game win streak. So go to
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: ESPN dot com. Get Legwalds covered right there, the latest
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  Speaker 1: on the IR designation for Brandon Jones. Leggy Man, good stuff.
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  Speaker 1: We'll talk to you Friday.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks, Las, We'll say it.