Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Five six six nine zero is the text line.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Appreciate all the text you guys are sending in.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Look forward to getting back to reading.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Those here and just and then we'll get some Breemasis
as well here in just a minute. Appreciate you guys
being along for the rod. I did want to say
that we're just about down to it.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
In terms of heroes, thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
It's a final month to thank a veteran, active military
member or first responder with twenty five hundred dollars. We've
got the money, we just need to know who to
give it to. So through February. First, you guys can
submit your nomination name and they're deserving reason for twenty
five hundred dollars. You go to Kwacolorado dot com slash
contest Heroes Thank You. That's presented by Common Spared Health
and fix It twenty four seven. Well that let's rout
(00:42):
to the ka comas for the hotline to bring on
our good friend Reemasis. Brie.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
How you doing this evening?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yea nice?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
How are you?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Happy New Year? So happy to be on with you all.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, Happy New Year to you as well. I hope
the holidays were great for you and yours. Did you
get what you wanted for Christmas?
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I absolutely did? You know, wrapped a Bucky underneath my
tree was the cherry On top of all the festivities,
I also got to sin this infection. So if I'm
a little rasty and whatnot, that's simply because I'm still
trying to kick it to the curb here this week.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
The gift that keeps on giving as we look at this,
and I think most Broncos fans got what they wanted
for Christmas, which is definitely clinching the playoffs and potentially
getting the number one seed, certainly gonna have a home
playoff game either way. As we look at this thing,
the Chargers are They're not resting starters, but they are
holding back guys who have been injured or had injury,
(01:32):
guys like Justin Herbert and Marian and Halfton.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Et cetera.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
This game on paper feels like a fairly easy Broncos win,
but the Broncos have played down to their level of
competition at times.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
What is your level of confidence in this game?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Well, first and foremost starters are resting, but not all
starters are resting. Is that what you're telling me here?
I just want to make sure I understand because I
know some guys are banged up right on both sides
of the ball too, So I think he stripped down
to the core of it all. There's no need to
overcomplicate this matchup. We know what's at state. Bronco's country
is excited about the probability of an AFC ONECE versus
(02:09):
the Charters, but it's a home game. That's where the
mile high advantage comes into play here, and I think
that's been the entirety of the regular season, having all
of these theoretical edges, but it's not just a talking point.
Home field advantage throughout the entire AFC playoffs would be huge,
and I am worried a little bit about the Broncos
(02:30):
playing down to their competition, but Denver has to make
sure that their opponents servives these hostile environments. But they've
been able to do it on the road, so I
think it's nice to have this setup to where it's
one less fight, one less an unfamiliar stadium, and potentially
one fewer game like this Bye week could be just
the absolute monumental achievement here for Sean Payton and this team.
(02:55):
So I'm validating Peyton's vision here because he's emphasized discipline
in situational full football quarterback development all season. That's what
it really comes down to in Week eighteen. I'm really
excited about this game, particularly for their chances, but I
am worried a little bit that they could get caught
up and playing down to their opponent. We've seen them
(03:16):
do it in the past. You can recall Ugly Jets
games and Raiders games aside, but I think this is different.
This is a difference maker. It's about adjusting their mental clarity.
You know that you are fighting for something. The charters
already have their slots wrapped up. They're not necessarily chasing anything.
But the Broncos are defending territory, and I think for
(03:36):
a young quarterback like Bonnicks, still trying to evolve, they're
able to actualize the sense of stability. They allow Bonis
to play play fast trust as Reids operate with a
lot of urgency because you're not looking at a win
or go home situation here. But I think it's really
(03:57):
important that the Broncos don't play down to their opponent
in Week eighteen, and they wrap this by week up on.
You know, it serves to their advantage moving forward, and
I think that that's the path to that going forward.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Talking with brief mestis of let's talk Broncos and believe
in Broncos. If the Broncos do manage to avoid the
stumble this week and lock up that number one seed,
they're very likely going to play one of the three
AFC wildcard teams in that divisional round. Of those three
AFC Wildcard teams, which one are you most hoping they
(04:31):
avoid and which one would you feel most confident playing.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yeah, you know, I'm a little worried about all few
teams right now. They have a couple of things going
for them. I think right now what I'm watching the
most is a lot of people have counted out the Ravens,
right they have to match up against the Steelers. That's
a game that I'm not particularly looking forward to because
I think Lamar Jackson can be simply quite dangerous alongside
(04:57):
Derrick Henry, and I think the Broncos matchup well against
a lot of teams. But I'm the person foremost kind
of worried about them being back into a corner in
that predicament. There are hungry teams, and there are just
teams that have been discounted, and I think anyone who's
presently in the hunt right now, which would look like
the Steelers and the Ravens, are the teams where I
feel like they're a little hungry and a little scary
(05:19):
at this point in the season. Now, if we broad
in that a little bit and we cast a little
bit of a wider net, you look at playing teams
again like the Jaguarers that I'm not really looking forward to,
and then the charters for potentially a third time is
also still in the mix there. So as this continues
to work itself out, I think that the Broncos match
up well against any of their opponents in the AFC.
(05:39):
When it gets a little bit I see as when
you start looking at who they could potentially play in
a matchup for the Super Bowl. So in general, I
think the Broncos have the opportunity to really showcase what
they've built all year, whether or not the narrative continues
down the stretch of them being way ahead of schedule,
I think what they've built is the confidence that they
have the depth to wear all of thee that comes
(06:00):
through as they're presently a little banged up again, earning
that one seed would allow them to rest up a bit,
and then I don't think you have to worry about
anybody in the long term of things. Wrapping up that
one seed really limits a lot of the ever seed
you'd see in the postseason. So ultimately, I know it
seems a little bit like I have the orange colored
(06:22):
glasses on today and tonight, but I think that they
can hang around with just about anybody. They play their
opponents well. The only thing I could reference is that
Jaguars game where they could get kind of maybe lost
in trying to outsmart a team that has already figured
them out once. But I think that's just an opportunity
to flip the script. At the end of the day,
this team has shown us that they can win through
(06:45):
multiple facets of this game, and they've been limiting the penalties,
They've been cleaning up their mistakes, and they continue to
grow on offense. This core continues to gain a lot
of balance, which will serve them well against a lot
of the opponents they could as the weeks come tack
with brimestus.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
We're a good friend here on Broncos Country tonight, Are
you buying the Broncos post by week defensive decline or
has it just been circumstance accommodation of Cliff Kingsbury who
worked with Vance Joseph before maybe laying out some of
a blueprint.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Is this defense ready for a playoff push?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Well? I have been commenting about it all week because
I have to take a pause when anyone goes to
the I guess a plot line that the defense is
falling off. First and foremost, have they not been performing
at the level that they were in the first half
of this season. I don't think you can compare the
play to right now as a fall off. I think situationally,
(07:42):
when you get to this latter part of the season,
you've got a lot of wear and tear on those tires,
and you have to understand that defense has slowed down.
I do think it's a little mixture of both, because
there is an opportunity for opposing offenses to try to
find those pressure points. But that's what the teams do.
They try to find the holes and they try to
(08:07):
disallow the defense to mitigate those leaks, and ultimately the
defense has been bank up a little bit. So I
think you have this perfect storm of a little bit
of a slow down. I think there's a letdown when
it comes to maybe being nine off from a sack
record and potentially seeing the slow down there on the edges.
What I think it is is a little bit of
a determination point that the defense didn't have to continuously
(08:29):
carry games past a certain point this season. You could
point to post by week of there being a shift
in the I guess the strategy when it comes to
how you're going to win these games. So I'm going
to say I don't necessarily think it's a slowdown. I
don't think the defense is necessarily doing things wrong. I
(08:50):
think they do need to clear up some of the
communication issues that we've been seeing, because that is obviously
a byproduct and a ripple effect of the injuries. It
would not be nice to have everyone healthy and back
on the field, but that's just not what it is
right now. And so as they continue to mature through
these later season wins and as they look to the playoffs,
they know what needs to happen here. And I don't
(09:11):
think coaching has anything to do with it other than
you have to dictate what needs to happen out there,
and execution needs to be more consistent. So ultimately a
little late to have those turnovers start falling. But I
do think that this defense is just right on schedule
as the offense continues to click in the right direction.
When that starts happening, then you have a completely different
(09:32):
energy butting and you're not relying solely on the defense
being your dominant capitalizing force.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
We'll talk with Bakes this.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
What's the biggest hurdle for the Broncos in terms of
getting to and or winning a Super Bowl?
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Oh my goodness, it feels like we got to take
it game by game. But I think it's a long
term health of the team. They've already been very much
so consistent on the significant development of all units of
their football points to the I guess the trenches in general,
because with the playoffs looming, they still have to in
(10:05):
battle with you know, missing their starting center, getting back
one of their guards. I think as they are stabilizing
their offense, the biggest thing to be going in the
wrong direction with penalties, shooting themselves in the foot with
additional mistakes, trying to get maybe too cute when you're
strategizing how to go up, go up against some of
(10:27):
these tougher opponents. What is seeing the Broncos do really
well is play their own game of football, and as
they continue to lean into what they're doing well, I
don't think you really have to go outside of that
realm of football. You can play gritty within the trenches
football win it on offense and defense. And then with
the little sprinkling of how the special team seems to
(10:48):
be coming back to the mean and not making an
abundance of mistakes. They really just have to be good
at what they do and not make the mistakes that
catastrophy being won and done in the playoffs, we were
talking about what success is in the offseason for this season, Well,
they've kind of gone above and beyond what the expectation was.
(11:10):
Now it is on the road to the Super Bowl
is how can you make sure that you do what
you need to do to get the job done. And
this is what this team is really good at. They win,
They find the way to win. If they get behind
in the fourth quarter, they find a way to turn
that around, and ultimately I think that's going to be
the name of the game as they continue to highlight, rewrite,
and then etch into stone. What the annals of history
(11:31):
are going to consider this Denver Brons season, which was
winning no matter what, and I think the only thing
that gets in their way is the crux of overthinking,
trying to overplay, and ultimately creating a situation, whether it
be turnovers or penalties that cost you a game.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
Last one for you here, Brie, Sean Payton, Bo Nicks,
and RJ. Harvey are all long shots for their respective
awards Coach of the Year, MVP, and Offensive Rookie of
the Year. Of those three, which do you think would
be most deserving of that award? Either Sean Payton for
Coach of the Year, Bo Nicks for MVP, or RJ.
(12:11):
Harvey for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
I really love this conversation that we can have. Right
we can say that there are multiple individuals on this team,
within this organization that are doing what they need to
do to be in those respected categories, just to be
in the final you know, the top five of what
those subject matters are. I think it really is coming
down to who's conducting that training. And I think when
(12:35):
you talk about the NFL Coach of the Year, it's
not just about win totals. Although they have gone above
and beyond there. I think it's about the maybe the
degree of difficulty, the way that Sean Payton has been
able to transform the culture of the team, and then
ultimately you have re established the credibility within not just
(12:56):
the AFC wes, but in the league. AFC like factors
start to stack up and people start to take notice.
You have to go back to the days of when
he was first hired. Peyton didn't inherit a finished product,
you know, walking into a franchise that has been searching
for identity and has been kind of lost in the
cycling of coaches and quarterbacks, I mean just quarterback carecil
(13:19):
existing in general. And then the philosophies have changed too.
So I think when you look at the results, you
have to point to the idea that, yeah, there's plenty
of deserving coaches out there and for different reasons. And
I think when you look at this Broncos team that
has ended all of these decade long streaks and the
stranglehold that other teams have had against them. Specifically, you know,
(13:42):
you could point to Kansas City and the enormous weight
that all of that carries. Sean Payton has cleared the
checkbook for the Broncos, and he has been able to
really re establish Broncos country. And I think that weight
lifting from the team, from the fan base, it really
does allow you to at least want to give him
(14:04):
as flowers right now. I don't want to wait until
that tenure is over. For as long as we may
have him, it's not perfect, and I think that there's
still a lot of work that needs to be done.
But in tandem with George pay and I think that
Shahn has done a tremendous job with what he inherited
and then was able to create because he knew what
he wanted. It wasn't necessarily a square pag through a
(14:24):
round hole. It was a this is my vision, this
is how we're going to achieve it. And everyone got
in line and decided to carry that out. And so
there's a mastery of what he's attempting to do here
in Denver, and it seems to be working as we're
having these conversations leading up to the matchup on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Very nice to appreciate the time as always.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Thanks guys, have a good one.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Absolutely get better. I'll at you so well. I love
talking Abrete. That's a good question there, Zach, I don't know.
I don't know that. I mean, none of the three
are going to win my guards. He's not going to
win Rookie the Year the Year, and oh certainly it's
gonna win MVP. I think that would be the longest
of long shots of those three. But I think there's
a case for RJ or Sean. I don't really think
(15:12):
there's a case for BO, but I do think there's
a case of the other two. I think I just
think the problem is is twofold one. Yeah, Argie's got
the gaudy touchdown numbers, but he really doesn't have gaudy
numbers anywhere else. The efficiency hasn't been there running the
ball either. And then for Sean, that award isn't for
like you have to understand what that award has become.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
That award has become for better or worse, the coach that.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Exceeded preseason expectation, right, Like, that's what the Coach of
the Year has really become. Hey, this guy got a
bunch of wins and we didn't predict that earlier in
the year, right Whereas and you could say that the
Broncos exceeded expectation, but they didn't appreciably exceed expectations. Everybody
kind of thought they were a borderline or a playoff team.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
If they did this last year, then it would have
been entirely different scenario. Instead, you've got Mike Rabel taking
the Patriots top draft pick to this and that's why
I think he is ultimately likely to win that award.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
Now Vegas, actually, and you're a thousand percent right, that
is how they've given out the award. It does seem
like they might buck that trend this year as Kyle
Shanahan is currently the big favorite, but he's never won
one like they typically aren't, you know, giving it to
those accomplished coaches who are turning in great coaching jobs.
It is the surprise story of the season almost at always. Now,
(16:32):
I'm with you. I think there's at least a case
for Sean, there's a case for Harvey. It's just a
loaded coaching pool. There's a Vrabel who of course you
mentioned Shanahan. Ben Johnson's another popular pick. Liam Cohen is
ahead of Sean Payton in the odds right now. So
there's just so many great candidates that he can't win
that one. Bo Nix's first half of the season makes
(16:53):
it really hard to give it to him, as you
as you pointed out, and then Harvey, it's not the
greatest offensive rookie of the year class, but it's just
outside of the touchdowns, he doesn't have much of a case.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Yeah, it's fascinating because the coach NFL Coach of the
Year award really hasn't gone till like that, dude, since
I don't know, twenty nineteen when it was Harball or
twenty seventeen when it was Sean McVay. If you look
at the list over the last few years of who's
won that award, mean, Kevin O'Connell got it last year,
right prior to that, it was Kevin Stefanski and he's
been awarded by the way, Yeah, Brian Dable before that,
(17:25):
and both those guys are not going to be coaching
their teams at the end of the years. Fans could
be gone in Cleveland, Mike Rabel and Tennessee before that,
Kevin Stefanski's first award, then you had John Horrible.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Then you had Matt Naggy. You know, it's kind of
a kiss of death award in a lot of ways.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
You go back twenty sixteen with Jason Garrett Ron Rivera.
It's just usually been the coach that outpaced expectation.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
And even McVeigh, they just happened to hit on that
guy outpacing that expectation instead of missing on a Brian
Dable type because I was mcveigh' first year with the team, right.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
So it's you know, it is sort of one of
those things where you go back and you look and
it's like, all right, this is not a Sean Payton
has won it before, by the way, he won it
in two thousand and six with the Saints outpacing expectation
his first year, right, so that tends to be who
wins that award. Roccos Country Tonight rolls out. We'll be
back after this five six, six nine zero is the
(18:19):
text one three the text one. I get this guy
to text in all the time from the six o
five and every like, I guess you guys don't realize
that we can see your text history.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
So this guy's his whole bit.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
It's like just texting in and talking about how I'm
a Chiefs fan.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
And how I need to go back to Kansas City
and I'm gonna lose my job and all this stuff.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Buddy, if somebody comes along who's better than me and
takes my job, man or.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
A woman, cool.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
But as far as the rest of it, if you
fell for that bit about the Chiefs thing because I
used to live in Kansas City in nineteen eighty eight,
that says more about you than it does anybody else.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Yeah, I've never known you to cheer for the chief
And I also think your bosses are well aware of
what you talk.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
About on radio.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
It's just it's funny to be like because Ryan started
that bit a while back, because I mean because I did.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
I grew up. I grew up there. I grew up
in Kansas City, and.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
So I saw uh live there twice, and I saw
how from their perspective, what it looked like to have
QBNV and have you know, like the broadcos over the
last few years with Pat Mahomes across the division, what
it was like to see John Elway across the division.
And that's kind of when you know, I got my
love of football around then, you know, I see in
(19:34):
the Akoy at water Hit, I was there at Arrowhead
when when Derek Thomas broke the single game sack record
and then Dave Craig still won the game for the Seahawks.
Last second there was. You know, there's just some memorable
games and all that kind of stuff. But if you think,
if you actually think that I'm a Kansas City Chiefs fan,
you are you were either the easiest most gullible person
(19:54):
on earth to dupe, or you're just so far gone
or troll.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
And I don't really know what to say at that point.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
Your incessant use of the tomahawk chop could correct idea
that impression.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
That is a thing that I definitely do around here
and frequently. For once, said Ben, Sorry if you covered
this already, but do you have any running back or
tight end names we should be paying attention to in
the draft or free agency for next season.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Love to see a.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Bruising running back as well as a tight end that
is a big threat in the past game and can
block so we're not predictable when we have them in there.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Thanks, Well, you know we free agency. I think the
big name.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Everybody's kind of circled is Tyler Algier if you're looking
for a big body guy, and that's the one I think. Uh,
I think everybody keeps talking about.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
I don't know that. I don't know if the Broncos
would pay what it would take I think to get him.
You don't think so, not really.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
I'm paying intends to pay running backs, but not like that.
You know, they'll they'll they'll pay. You know, they'll do
those one year, eight million dollar deals, those kinds of things,
but they tend not to pay, and they tend not
to pay long term running backs like that.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
And and Algier will have suitors, uh and be able
to do that.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
In terms of you know, big bruising guys, I mean,
this draft class has got a couple of them.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
You got Nick Singleton, who's uh what too like twenty five?
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Somewhere in there.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Jonah Coleman, who comes in your two hundred and thirty pounds,
he's uh, he plays at Washington.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
Iron Allen, uh, the Singleton's backfield partner there up in
Penn State.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Yeah, Terry and Stewart at Virginia Tech.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
There's there's a couple of guys out there that got
some some big body.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Which one did you say? You said, uh, Ca Tron Allen, Yeah,
I think, uh, he's a.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Little lighter, he's he's not quite two twenty, but two seventeen.
But yeah, but you know.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
There are plenty of guys. You just I'm looking for
guys that are over two hundred twenty pounds.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
You know, Omia loves two fifteen, but he'll probably play
two twenty in the league once he gets there. Uh,
and he's probably the best back in this class. But
Terry On Stewart from Virginia, tex some of the guy
who's you know, five nine to twenty two. I don't know,
you know, I don't know what you're looking for exactly
when you say you know you want those, uh, when
the big body guys, Cause I mean, like for me,
(22:26):
when I look at at running backs, I mean I
love him when they're closer to that two thirty range. Now,
usually that means a running about a four six forty.
You could look at I think, what's his name, Robert
Robertson is right around that.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
He's two thirty five and a four six four forty one.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
One guy I just heard getting a lot of love
it running back is Dante Dudell. I'm trying to see
if he's related to Rico Daudo at all. Wouldn't surprise me.
He's almost two thirty coming out of Kentucky.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
He's not. This running back class is nowhere near last year's.
But I know he's getting some top five. Yeah, he's not.
They're in fact that their last name is spelled difference. It
is pronounced the same, but it's spelled if. But yeah,
he's in. Dante's about a four four to eight guy.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
But if you're looking for the highweight speed guy would
be Jonah Coleman.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Coleman's about about two.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Thirty, about a four five forty And if you're looking
for a high weight speed guy, he's probably Joonah Coleman's
probably the guy. Uh if you look, if you air
more on the side of speed, I mean Nick Singleton
is like a four legit four four maybe even sub
four four guy at two twenty five.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Typically, Sean Payton likes he likes to have a couple
of those Chilian McLoughlin, RJ. Harvey type, you know, smaller guys,
and then one bruiser and so I mean, I guess
JK was technically our bruiser this year, although a little
lighter than normally what he looks for. I mean Jk's
about two twenty five to give or take but the
ballparks that he looks for. I mean, Alvin Kamara was
(23:47):
to do it all guy at about two eighteen. Now,
he put all a little weight over the years, but
when he first came, he was about two eighteen. Uh,
so you're looking I mean that two hundred and twenty
pound number is really kind of what you're looking for
if you're looking for an archetype for Sean Payton terms
of you know, potential.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
I think Nick Singleton sort of fits the.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Mold a little bit in terms of, you know, in
terms of what he'd be looking for as far as
that kind of stuff goes. So, uh, if you're looking
for that, I don't remember. I have to go back
to the text message here. One of the positions he
was looking for I believe was a tight end. Yeah,
there's a lot of people keep talking about the kid
from Oregon. I don't eve think he's gonna be there
where the Broncos are picking Sadika. I don't even think, Yeah,
I don't think that's in the cards. I think if
(24:26):
you're looking for somebody that fits what uh Sean Payton
looks for out of a tight end.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
You know, he's had different guys over the years for
different roles.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
You know, obviously Jimmy Graham was a converted basketball player,
wasn't really much of a blocker. You look at a
guy like Adam Troutman, who's basically a blocker, not much
of a receiver.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
There are and if you look at this class, a
lot of these guys.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Even the bigger guys, aren't really the greatest blockers out there.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
So, I mean, I.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Like the kid from Vanderbilt Elstors, but he's not really
much of a locker at all.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Then he's a little thin at six four two thirty.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Five, he's he's more of a you know that in
between bigger receipt you know, just a little bit too
big to be a receiver, but a little too small
to be that in line tight end probably doesn't fit
here in terms of what you're looking for.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
You go back and look at what they've drafted.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Me kayl Loher was a guy with upside, but it
was huge, right, another basketball guy. So you know, I
think if you're looking for that kind of stuff, you know,
you go back and you look and you see what
can we find that fit those archetypes. I don't know
that this tight end class is necessarily. That one guy
somebody asked me about that I don't think is in
(25:41):
the cards would be Shamar Easter. That guy, he is
just a big receiver. At sixty five two fifteen, you're
just a receiver. You're not a tight end at that point.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
You're a receiver.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
So the one guy that fits the archetype would be
uh Tanner Cazoil from Houston, Uh six seven, two hundred
and forty pounds.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
It's fun too, good receiver.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
I don't think the blockings there, but he's a fun receiver,
right So something to keep your eye.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I'm just I'm trying to put archetypes out there so
you can kind of see. Justin Jolly another guy that
probably fits that archetype.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
A little bit short at six', three but two hundred
and fifty.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
One he wins contested catches and makes great catches and
is a willing, blocker and he's got a little he's
got enough heft that he sort of fits the mold. Overall,
YEAH i think you're giving up blocking ability on a
lot of the guys that are really popular right.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
Now Max claire out Of Ohio state's another. ONE i
just don't think he's much of a. Blocker you, know
it might be a case of drafting the really athletic
guy who is a good pass, catcher and that's maybe
the you're replacing The Evan ingram. RULE i don't think
he'll be here in twenty twenty. Six we'll, see BUT
i think maybe you replace The Evan ingram rule via the,
draft and then you circle back and look to upgrade
(26:53):
the blocking ability in that room with a veteran that's proven,
it BECAUSE i just don't unless you want to go
with like A Jackson hawes. Type not in the drafts this,
year but came out Of Georgia, tech was, LIKE i
think a seventh round pick by The bills last, year
and they had no illusions about him becoming.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Some dynamic red zone.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
Threat he's caught a couple of balls this, year but
they drafted him to be a great, blocker and he's
been exactly.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
THAT i think you can find those blocking specialists later. On,
Yeah and that's the.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
THING i think you're more likely to be able to
coach a receiver to block than you are a blocker
to receive at this point in their.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Development you know WHAT i. MEAN i, mean you're.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
More likely to get a guy who's a little on
the fin side to put some weight on and be
a blocker than you. Are to find a guy who's
already built thick and you, know then to speed him
up and teach him.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
Hands, yeah there aren't many guys also that have that
receiving potential in terms of athletic, ability you, know ball,
skills all, that and aren't being exploited as such at
the college. Level you, know if you're that level of
athlete at the tight end, possession you're going to be
used as a pass. CATCHER i think the guys you,
(27:55):
see you, know relegated to that like blocking specialist. Roll
it is The Jackson, haws not the guys who excite
you as as.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Ballcarriers it's going to be you, know the greed of.
Speaker 4 (28:05):
Your guys who have earned their spot on their respective
teams rosters through that grit and technique, play but not
necessarily again, height, weight speed.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Guys, yeah and SO i THINK i think that's hopefully
that answers your question. There and and you, know LIKE i,
said we'll delve will delve more into the draft prospects
once The broncos are either eliminated or win A Super
bowl get more into that that portion of, it but
they're gonna be picking much too late to Get Kenya.
(28:35):
Sidik there's he'll be going in the first twenty picks
and The broncos are gonna be picking.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
There SO i.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
DON'T i don't really know what to do with that
BECAUSE i get a lot of questions about, him And i'm,
like they're not going to trade up for a tight.
End that's not something that you do and and they're
not gonna and they're Not he's not gonna be.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
There when they, pick so AND i think that is
going to be an interesting conversation when we do turn
towards the draft In broncos, country because there is so
much talk, about you, know wanting to get a weapon
in the first. Round you, know they The bonnix need more,
weapons AND i think there is truth to. That but
he doesn't need another guy to join the supporting cast
(29:14):
Of Pat, Bryant Troy franklin And.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Marvin they don't need another rotational. Guy they need a.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
Dude, yeah they need the guy who can either, well
who can eventually take over From. Courland sutton is the
number one and maybe even in the short term subplant
him LIKE i Think sutton's a good number one, receiver
just like T higgins could be a good number one.
Receiver but if you're able to Have sudden as your number,
two that's where you're really cooking with.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Gas AND i think that's what The broncos.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
Need and you're not probably gonna find that elite offensive,
weapon especially in this weaker draft class that kind of
leans more towards defensive trench. Play if, anything you're not
going to maybe find that elite weapon in the twenties
or thirties of this. Draft it might be something where
you have to try right up and to your. POINT
(30:01):
i don't know if you do that a tight end
or running. Back but if if they you, know fall
in love With Jordan tyson Or Carnel tait or whoever
one of these these you, know top receivers in this,
class it might be worth at least considering to move
up because those eleee weapons aren't on the free agent
market unless there's something really wrong with, them like like
A Brandon, ayuk and they're not going to be as
(30:23):
late in the draft as The broncos are.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
Picking, Yeah and so.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
That's the THING I i have less had my eye
on the offensive side of the ball and more on
the defensive.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
SIDE i do believe we're.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Gonna Lose Vance joseph to a head coaching job this.
OFFSEASON i, Do AND i wonder as we start to
replace things and mold to whoever his successor could. Be
Maybe Jim, leonard you know what we're looking at in
terms of the, linebackers especially the inside. BACKERS i know
we've got Green, law but that's that's sort of been
A i don't want to say.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
It's been a bus so, far but it certainly been
what they.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Thought and he's still dealing, with you, know with things
and everything.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Else Alex.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Singleton you can't bring him back at that, probably AND
i doubt you're bringing him back in. General you, know in,
fact he might cut him and he might wind up
wherever A vance, goes you, know in that kind of.
Thing sternad is going to be a free. Agent Drew
sanders has not been able to even find the. Field
you're gonna have to you gonna have to shore up
that inside backer. Position AND i kind of like to
(31:19):
give From Ohio state sunny. Styles you, know former safety
who's who's he's got coverage, instincts and you think a
defensive back former safety Like Jim leonard might might appreciate. That,
yeah and he's got the run stuff. Too you, know
he had my favorite clip Of Sunny. Styles he blows
up the offensive.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
LINEMAN i.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
THINK i think a guard WHO'S i think it Was Penn,
state but blows up an offensive guard and pushes him
back into the running back to blow the running back
off his feet and make the. Tackle he's a very
exciting prospect if he makes it to The.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Broncos. PICK i think you absolutely got to run that one.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
UP i would also highlight offensive. Line you talked about,
it AND i think the first segment, tonight you've Got Garrett,
bulls who's gonna be in his mid to late thirty.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
Soon Mike mclinchy's getting up. There Ben powers might not be.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
Around Luke wattenberg hopefully is, around but there's always potential
to have buyer's remorse on those. Contracts you're going to
need some solutions along the offensive line sooner rather than,
later and offensive tackle plays among rookies is typically really.
Bad i'd like to get ahead of that problem before Oh,
Man Garrett bulls Or mike mclinchy's retired and now looking
(32:28):
at free agent. Tackles i'm forced to spend whatever first
round PICK i got on whatever offensive tackle is there
and start in day.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
One, yeah and so there's you, know this draft is
gonna BE i mean it doesn't seem like, it but
this coming draft where they had luxury this past draft
to be able to kind of look for some things
and go from, there this coming draft is gonna be pretty.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
Important it's gonna be another building blocks.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Draft right when when you, uh when you redo the,
foundation because two years from, now when you're gonna pay Bo,
nix you're going to have you're gonna.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Have a lot of this.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Turnover you're gonna have a lot of turnover on the
defense where you you can't afford to pay guy everybody
at every.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Position you're going to have to have guys in there
on rookie deals at some of these.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Positions you can't pay two edge rushers at the same
time and an entire interior defensive line in a thirty
four while paying two, safeties one, corner two inside. BACKERS i,
mean you just you can't in the monitor, offil you
can't do it the only way you can build a
defense that way is if you've got a quarterback on
a rookie, deal which they do right. Now so this
is going to have to be a building blocks kind
(33:27):
of draft for either replacing some of the aging offensive
line or replacing some of those defensive players as they
age and contract out in the coming.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
Years, yeah they AND i think with this past, class
the twenty twenty five class being such an unknown commodity
at this, point that amplifies the stakes all that much. More,
like hopefully you've got some long term contributors in this,
class but a lot of that's unproven right, now so
you're going to have to hit to not only supplement
everyone getting more, expensive but also a potentially missed class.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
That, well we got another text messages Give Raylon miller
will be a tremendous player in THE. NFL i don't.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
KNOW i don't think, so BUT i you, KNOW i
don't really. Know we'll see how that. Goes, Well steve
De berg great For Kansas. City steve was there WHEN
i was In Kansas. City, YEAH i don't know if
he's a great, player but he was one of the
quarterbacks that they had. There they had they kind of
ran through quarterbacks WHEN i was WHEN i lived, there
it was De burgh was.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
There they Had Steve.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
BONO i think they Drafted Matt, blendon Although i'm not
sure you were. Played Joe montana was there WHEN i was. There,
uh they kept, trying couldn't get past The, BILLS uh
in order to get to THE uh in order to
get to the Super. Bowl but you, know yeahs as
far as that, goes anybody's still following for the bit
that That i'm A chiefs, fan it's some pretty funny.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Stuff Roncos country dined back
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Her for this
Five six six nine zero is the text line.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Appreciate all the text you guys are sending in.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Look forward to getting back to reading.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Those here and just and then we'll get some Breemasis
as well here in just a minute. Appreciate you guys
being along for the rod. I did want to say
that we're just about down to it.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
In terms of heroes, thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
It's a final month to thank a veteran, active military
member or first responder with twenty five hundred dollars. We've
got the money, we just need to know who to
give it to. So through February. First, you guys can
submit your nomination name and they're deserving reason for twenty
five hundred dollars. You go to Kwacolorado dot com slash
contest Heroes Thank You. That's presented by Common Spared Health
and fix It twenty four seven. Well that let's rout
(00:42):
to the ka comas for the hotline to bring on
our good friend Reemasis. Brie.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
How you doing this evening?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yea nice?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
How are you?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Happy New Year? So happy to be on with you all.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, Happy New Year to you as well. I hope
the holidays were great for you and yours. Did you
get what you wanted for Christmas?
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I absolutely did? You know, wrapped a Bucky underneath my
tree was the cherry On top of all the festivities,
I also got to sin this infection. So if I'm
a little rasty and whatnot, that's simply because I'm still
trying to kick it to the curb here this week.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
The gift that keeps on giving as we look at this,
and I think most Broncos fans got what they wanted
for Christmas, which is definitely clinching the playoffs and potentially
getting the number one seed, certainly gonna have a home
playoff game either way. As we look at this thing,
the Chargers are They're not resting starters, but they are
holding back guys who have been injured or had injury,
(01:32):
guys like Justin Herbert and Marian and Halfton.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Et cetera.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
This game on paper feels like a fairly easy Broncos win,
but the Broncos have played down to their level of
competition at times.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
What is your level of confidence in this game?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Well, first and foremost starters are resting, but not all
starters are resting. Is that what you're telling me here?
I just want to make sure I understand because I
know some guys are banged up right on both sides
of the ball too, So I think he stripped down
to the core of it all. There's no need to
overcomplicate this matchup. We know what's at state. Bronco's country
is excited about the probability of an AFC ONECE versus
(02:09):
the Charters, but it's a home game. That's where the
mile high advantage comes into play here, and I think
that's been the entirety of the regular season, having all
of these theoretical edges, but it's not just a talking point.
Home field advantage throughout the entire AFC playoffs would be huge,
and I am worried a little bit about the Broncos
(02:30):
playing down to their competition, but Denver has to make
sure that their opponents servives these hostile environments. But they've
been able to do it on the road, so I
think it's nice to have this setup to where it's
one less fight, one less an unfamiliar stadium, and potentially
one fewer game like this Bye week could be just
the absolute monumental achievement here for Sean Payton and this team.
(02:55):
So I'm validating Peyton's vision here because he's emphasized discipline
in situational full football quarterback development all season. That's what
it really comes down to in Week eighteen. I'm really
excited about this game, particularly for their chances, but I
am worried a little bit that they could get caught
up and playing down to their opponent. We've seen them
(03:16):
do it in the past. You can recall Ugly Jets
games and Raiders games aside, but I think this is different.
This is a difference maker. It's about adjusting their mental clarity.
You know that you are fighting for something. The charters
already have their slots wrapped up. They're not necessarily chasing anything.
But the Broncos are defending territory, and I think for
(03:36):
a young quarterback like Bonnicks, still trying to evolve, they're
able to actualize the sense of stability. They allow Bonis
to play play fast trust as Reids operate with a
lot of urgency because you're not looking at a win
or go home situation here. But I think it's really
(03:57):
important that the Broncos don't play down to their opponent
in Week eighteen, and they wrap this by week up on.
You know, it serves to their advantage moving forward, and
I think that that's the path to that going forward.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Talking with brief mestis of let's talk Broncos and believe
in Broncos. If the Broncos do manage to avoid the
stumble this week and lock up that number one seed,
they're very likely going to play one of the three
AFC wildcard teams in that divisional round. Of those three
AFC Wildcard teams, which one are you most hoping they
(04:31):
avoid and which one would you feel most confident playing.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yeah, you know, I'm a little worried about all few
teams right now. They have a couple of things going
for them. I think right now what I'm watching the
most is a lot of people have counted out the Ravens,
right they have to match up against the Steelers. That's
a game that I'm not particularly looking forward to because
I think Lamar Jackson can be simply quite dangerous alongside
(04:57):
Derrick Henry, and I think the Broncos matchup well against
a lot of teams. But I'm the person foremost kind
of worried about them being back into a corner in
that predicament. There are hungry teams, and there are just
teams that have been discounted, and I think anyone who's
presently in the hunt right now, which would look like
the Steelers and the Ravens, are the teams where I
feel like they're a little hungry and a little scary
(05:19):
at this point in the season. Now, if we broad
in that a little bit and we cast a little
bit of a wider net, you look at playing teams
again like the Jaguarers that I'm not really looking forward to,
and then the charters for potentially a third time is
also still in the mix there. So as this continues
to work itself out, I think that the Broncos match
up well against any of their opponents in the AFC.
(05:39):
When it gets a little bit I see as when
you start looking at who they could potentially play in
a matchup for the Super Bowl. So in general, I
think the Broncos have the opportunity to really showcase what
they've built all year, whether or not the narrative continues
down the stretch of them being way ahead of schedule,
I think what they've built is the confidence that they
have the depth to wear all of thee that comes
(06:00):
through as they're presently a little banged up again, earning
that one seed would allow them to rest up a bit,
and then I don't think you have to worry about
anybody in the long term of things. Wrapping up that
one seed really limits a lot of the ever seed
you'd see in the postseason. So ultimately, I know it
seems a little bit like I have the orange colored
(06:22):
glasses on today and tonight, but I think that they
can hang around with just about anybody. They play their
opponents well. The only thing I could reference is that
Jaguars game where they could get kind of maybe lost
in trying to outsmart a team that has already figured
them out once. But I think that's just an opportunity
to flip the script. At the end of the day,
this team has shown us that they can win through
(06:45):
multiple facets of this game, and they've been limiting the penalties,
They've been cleaning up their mistakes, and they continue to
grow on offense. This core continues to gain a lot
of balance, which will serve them well against a lot
of the opponents they could as the weeks come tack
with brimestus.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
We're a good friend here on Broncos Country tonight, Are
you buying the Broncos post by week defensive decline or
has it just been circumstance accommodation of Cliff Kingsbury who
worked with Vance Joseph before maybe laying out some of
a blueprint.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Is this defense ready for a playoff push?
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Well? I have been commenting about it all week because
I have to take a pause when anyone goes to
the I guess a plot line that the defense is
falling off. First and foremost, have they not been performing
at the level that they were in the first half
of this season. I don't think you can compare the
play to right now as a fall off. I think situationally,
(07:42):
when you get to this latter part of the season,
you've got a lot of wear and tear on those tires,
and you have to understand that defense has slowed down.
I do think it's a little mixture of both, because
there is an opportunity for opposing offenses to try to
find those pressure points. But that's what the teams do.
They try to find the holes and they try to
(08:07):
disallow the defense to mitigate those leaks, and ultimately the
defense has been bank up a little bit. So I
think you have this perfect storm of a little bit
of a slow down. I think there's a letdown when
it comes to maybe being nine off from a sack
record and potentially seeing the slow down there on the edges.
What I think it is is a little bit of
a determination point that the defense didn't have to continuously
(08:29):
carry games past a certain point this season. You could
point to post by week of there being a shift
in the I guess the strategy when it comes to
how you're going to win these games. So I'm going
to say I don't necessarily think it's a slowdown. I
don't think the defense is necessarily doing things wrong. I
(08:50):
think they do need to clear up some of the
communication issues that we've been seeing, because that is obviously
a byproduct and a ripple effect of the injuries. It
would not be nice to have everyone healthy and back
on the field, but that's just not what it is
right now. And so as they continue to mature through
these later season wins and as they look to the playoffs,
they know what needs to happen here. And I don't
(09:11):
think coaching has anything to do with it other than
you have to dictate what needs to happen out there,
and execution needs to be more consistent. So ultimately a
little late to have those turnovers start falling. But I
do think that this defense is just right on schedule
as the offense continues to click in the right direction.
When that starts happening, then you have a completely different
(09:32):
energy butting and you're not relying solely on the defense
being your dominant capitalizing force.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
We'll talk with Bakes this.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
What's the biggest hurdle for the Broncos in terms of
getting to and or winning a Super Bowl?
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Oh my goodness, it feels like we got to take
it game by game. But I think it's a long
term health of the team. They've already been very much
so consistent on the significant development of all units of
their football points to the I guess the trenches in general,
because with the playoffs looming, they still have to in
(10:05):
battle with you know, missing their starting center, getting back
one of their guards. I think as they are stabilizing
their offense, the biggest thing to be going in the
wrong direction with penalties, shooting themselves in the foot with
additional mistakes, trying to get maybe too cute when you're
strategizing how to go up, go up against some of
(10:27):
these tougher opponents. What is seeing the Broncos do really
well is play their own game of football, and as
they continue to lean into what they're doing well, I
don't think you really have to go outside of that
realm of football. You can play gritty within the trenches
football win it on offense and defense. And then with
the little sprinkling of how the special team seems to
(10:48):
be coming back to the mean and not making an
abundance of mistakes. They really just have to be good
at what they do and not make the mistakes that
catastrophy being won and done in the playoffs, we were
talking about what success is in the offseason for this season, Well,
they've kind of gone above and beyond what the expectation was.
(11:10):
Now it is on the road to the Super Bowl
is how can you make sure that you do what
you need to do to get the job done. And
this is what this team is really good at. They win,
They find the way to win. If they get behind
in the fourth quarter, they find a way to turn
that around, and ultimately I think that's going to be
the name of the game as they continue to highlight, rewrite,
and then etch into stone. What the annals of history
(11:31):
are going to consider this Denver Brons season, which was
winning no matter what, and I think the only thing
that gets in their way is the crux of overthinking,
trying to overplay, and ultimately creating a situation, whether it
be turnovers or penalties that cost you a game.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
Last one for you here, Brie, Sean Payton, Bo Nicks,
and RJ. Harvey are all long shots for their respective
awards Coach of the Year, MVP, and Offensive Rookie of
the Year. Of those three, which do you think would
be most deserving of that award? Either Sean Payton for
Coach of the Year, Bo Nicks for MVP, or RJ.
(12:11):
Harvey for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
I really love this conversation that we can have. Right
we can say that there are multiple individuals on this team,
within this organization that are doing what they need to
do to be in those respected categories, just to be
in the final you know, the top five of what
those subject matters are. I think it really is coming
down to who's conducting that training. And I think when
(12:35):
you talk about the NFL Coach of the Year, it's
not just about win totals. Although they have gone above
and beyond there. I think it's about the maybe the
degree of difficulty, the way that Sean Payton has been
able to transform the culture of the team, and then
ultimately you have re established the credibility within not just
(12:56):
the AFC wes, but in the league. AFC like factors
start to stack up and people start to take notice.
You have to go back to the days of when
he was first hired. Peyton didn't inherit a finished product,
you know, walking into a franchise that has been searching
for identity and has been kind of lost in the
cycling of coaches and quarterbacks, I mean just quarterback carecil
(13:19):
existing in general. And then the philosophies have changed too.
So I think when you look at the results, you
have to point to the idea that, yeah, there's plenty
of deserving coaches out there and for different reasons. And
I think when you look at this Broncos team that
has ended all of these decade long streaks and the
stranglehold that other teams have had against them. Specifically, you know,
(13:42):
you could point to Kansas City and the enormous weight
that all of that carries. Sean Payton has cleared the
checkbook for the Broncos, and he has been able to
really re establish Broncos country. And I think that weight
lifting from the team, from the fan base, it really
does allow you to at least want to give him
(14:04):
as flowers right now. I don't want to wait until
that tenure is over. For as long as we may
have him, it's not perfect, and I think that there's
still a lot of work that needs to be done.
But in tandem with George pay and I think that
Shahn has done a tremendous job with what he inherited
and then was able to create because he knew what
he wanted. It wasn't necessarily a square pag through a
(14:24):
round hole. It was a this is my vision, this
is how we're going to achieve it. And everyone got
in line and decided to carry that out. And so
there's a mastery of what he's attempting to do here
in Denver, and it seems to be working as we're
having these conversations leading up to the matchup on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Very nice to appreciate the time as always.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Thanks guys, have a good one.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Absolutely get better. I'll at you so well. I love
talking Abrete. That's a good question there, Zach, I don't know.
I don't know that. I mean, none of the three
are going to win my guards. He's not going to
win Rookie the Year the Year, and oh certainly it's
gonna win MVP. I think that would be the longest
of long shots of those three. But I think there's
a case for RJ or Sean. I don't really think
(15:12):
there's a case for BO, but I do think there's
a case of the other two. I think I just
think the problem is is twofold one. Yeah, Argie's got
the gaudy touchdown numbers, but he really doesn't have gaudy
numbers anywhere else. The efficiency hasn't been there running the
ball either. And then for Sean, that award isn't for
like you have to understand what that award has become.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
That award has become for better or worse, the coach that.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Exceeded preseason expectation, right, Like, that's what the Coach of
the Year has really become. Hey, this guy got a
bunch of wins and we didn't predict that earlier in
the year, right Whereas and you could say that the
Broncos exceeded expectation, but they didn't appreciably exceed expectations. Everybody
kind of thought they were a borderline or a playoff team.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
If they did this last year, then it would have
been entirely different scenario. Instead, you've got Mike Rabel taking
the Patriots top draft pick to this and that's why
I think he is ultimately likely to win that award.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
Now Vegas, actually, and you're a thousand percent right, that
is how they've given out the award. It does seem
like they might buck that trend this year as Kyle
Shanahan is currently the big favorite, but he's never won
one like they typically aren't, you know, giving it to
those accomplished coaches who are turning in great coaching jobs.
It is the surprise story of the season almost at always. Now,
(16:32):
I'm with you. I think there's at least a case
for Sean, there's a case for Harvey. It's just a
loaded coaching pool. There's a Vrabel who of course you
mentioned Shanahan. Ben Johnson's another popular pick. Liam Cohen is
ahead of Sean Payton in the odds right now. So
there's just so many great candidates that he can't win
that one. Bo Nix's first half of the season makes
(16:53):
it really hard to give it to him, as you
as you pointed out, and then Harvey, it's not the
greatest offensive rookie of the year class, but it's just
outside of the touchdowns, he doesn't have much of a case.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Yeah, it's fascinating because the coach NFL Coach of the
Year award really hasn't gone till like that, dude, since
I don't know, twenty nineteen when it was Harball or
twenty seventeen when it was Sean McVay. If you look
at the list over the last few years of who's
won that award, mean, Kevin O'Connell got it last year,
right prior to that, it was Kevin Stefanski and he's
been awarded by the way, Yeah, Brian Dable before that,
(17:25):
and both those guys are not going to be coaching
their teams at the end of the years. Fans could
be gone in Cleveland, Mike Rabel and Tennessee before that,
Kevin Stefanski's first award, then you had John Horrible.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Then you had Matt Naggy. You know, it's kind of
a kiss of death award in a lot of ways.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
You go back twenty sixteen with Jason Garrett Ron Rivera.
It's just usually been the coach that outpaced expectation.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
And even McVeigh, they just happened to hit on that
guy outpacing that expectation instead of missing on a Brian
Dable type because I was mcveigh' first year with the team, right.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
So it's you know, it is sort of one of
those things where you go back and you look and
it's like, all right, this is not a Sean Payton
has won it before, by the way, he won it
in two thousand and six with the Saints outpacing expectation
his first year, right, so that tends to be who
wins that award. Roccos Country Tonight rolls out. We'll be
back after this five six, six nine zero is the
(18:19):
text one three the text one. I get this guy
to text in all the time from the six o
five and every like, I guess you guys don't realize
that we can see your text history.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
So this guy's his whole bit.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
It's like just texting in and talking about how I'm
a Chiefs fan.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
And how I need to go back to Kansas City
and I'm gonna lose my job and all this stuff.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Buddy, if somebody comes along who's better than me and
takes my job, man or.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
A woman, cool.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
But as far as the rest of it, if you
fell for that bit about the Chiefs thing because I
used to live in Kansas City in nineteen eighty eight,
that says more about you than it does anybody else.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Yeah, I've never known you to cheer for the chief
And I also think your bosses are well aware of
what you talk.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
About on radio.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
It's just it's funny to be like because Ryan started
that bit a while back, because I mean because I did.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
I grew up. I grew up there. I grew up
in Kansas City, and.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
So I saw uh live there twice, and I saw
how from their perspective, what it looked like to have
QBNV and have you know, like the broadcos over the
last few years with Pat Mahomes across the division, what
it was like to see John Elway across the division.
And that's kind of when you know, I got my
love of football around then, you know, I see in
(19:34):
the Akoy at water Hit, I was there at Arrowhead
when when Derek Thomas broke the single game sack record
and then Dave Craig still won the game for the Seahawks.
Last second there was. You know, there's just some memorable
games and all that kind of stuff. But if you think,
if you actually think that I'm a Kansas City Chiefs fan,
you are you were either the easiest most gullible person
(19:54):
on earth to dupe, or you're just so far gone
or troll.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
And I don't really know what to say at that point.
Speaker 4 (20:00):
Your incessant use of the tomahawk chop could correct idea
that impression.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
That is a thing that I definitely do around here
and frequently. For once, said Ben, Sorry if you covered
this already, but do you have any running back or
tight end names we should be paying attention to in
the draft or free agency for next season.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Love to see a.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Bruising running back as well as a tight end that
is a big threat in the past game and can
block so we're not predictable when we have them in there.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Thanks, Well, you know we free agency. I think the
big name.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Everybody's kind of circled is Tyler Algier if you're looking
for a big body guy, and that's the one I think. Uh,
I think everybody keeps talking about.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
I don't know that. I don't know if the Broncos
would pay what it would take I think to get him.
You don't think so, not really.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
I'm paying intends to pay running backs, but not like that.
You know, they'll they'll they'll pay. You know, they'll do
those one year, eight million dollar deals, those kinds of things,
but they tend not to pay, and they tend not
to pay long term running backs like that.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
And and Algier will have suitors, uh and be able
to do that.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
In terms of you know, big bruising guys, I mean,
this draft class has got a couple of them.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
You got Nick Singleton, who's uh what too like twenty five?
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Somewhere in there.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Jonah Coleman, who comes in your two hundred and thirty pounds,
he's uh, he plays at Washington.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
Iron Allen, uh, the Singleton's backfield partner there up in
Penn State.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Yeah, Terry and Stewart at Virginia Tech.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
There's there's a couple of guys out there that got
some some big body.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Which one did you say? You said, uh, Ca Tron Allen, Yeah,
I think, uh, he's a.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Little lighter, he's he's not quite two twenty, but two seventeen.
But yeah, but you know.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
There are plenty of guys. You just I'm looking for
guys that are over two hundred twenty pounds.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
You know, Omia loves two fifteen, but he'll probably play
two twenty in the league once he gets there. Uh,
and he's probably the best back in this class. But
Terry On Stewart from Virginia, tex some of the guy
who's you know, five nine to twenty two. I don't know,
you know, I don't know what you're looking for exactly
when you say you know you want those, uh, when
the big body guys, Cause I mean, like for me,
(22:26):
when I look at at running backs, I mean I
love him when they're closer to that two thirty range. Now,
usually that means a running about a four six forty.
You could look at I think, what's his name, Robert
Robertson is right around that.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
He's two thirty five and a four six four forty one.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
One guy I just heard getting a lot of love
it running back is Dante Dudell. I'm trying to see
if he's related to Rico Daudo at all. Wouldn't surprise me.
He's almost two thirty coming out of Kentucky.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
He's not. This running back class is nowhere near last year's.
But I know he's getting some top five. Yeah, he's not.
They're in fact that their last name is spelled difference. It
is pronounced the same, but it's spelled if. But yeah,
he's in. Dante's about a four four to eight guy.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
But if you're looking for the highweight speed guy would
be Jonah Coleman.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Coleman's about about two.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Thirty, about a four five forty And if you're looking
for a high weight speed guy, he's probably Joonah Coleman's
probably the guy. Uh if you look, if you air
more on the side of speed, I mean Nick Singleton
is like a four legit four four maybe even sub
four four guy at two twenty five.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Typically, Sean Payton likes he likes to have a couple
of those Chilian McLoughlin, RJ. Harvey type, you know, smaller guys,
and then one bruiser and so I mean, I guess
JK was technically our bruiser this year, although a little
lighter than normally what he looks for. I mean Jk's
about two twenty five to give or take but the
ballparks that he looks for. I mean, Alvin Kamara was
(23:47):
to do it all guy at about two eighteen. Now,
he put all a little weight over the years, but
when he first came, he was about two eighteen. Uh,
so you're looking I mean that two hundred and twenty
pound number is really kind of what you're looking for
if you're looking for an archetype for Sean Payton terms
of you know, potential.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
I think Nick Singleton sort of fits the.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Mold a little bit in terms of, you know, in
terms of what he'd be looking for as far as
that kind of stuff goes. So, uh, if you're looking
for that, I don't remember. I have to go back
to the text message here. One of the positions he
was looking for I believe was a tight end. Yeah,
there's a lot of people keep talking about the kid
from Oregon. I don't eve think he's gonna be there
where the Broncos are picking Sadika. I don't even think, Yeah,
I don't think that's in the cards. I think if
(24:26):
you're looking for somebody that fits what uh Sean Payton
looks for out of a tight end.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
You know, he's had different guys over the years for
different roles.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
You know, obviously Jimmy Graham was a converted basketball player,
wasn't really much of a blocker. You look at a
guy like Adam Troutman, who's basically a blocker, not much
of a receiver.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
There are and if you look at this class, a
lot of these guys.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Even the bigger guys, aren't really the greatest blockers out there.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
So, I mean, I.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Like the kid from Vanderbilt Elstors, but he's not really
much of a locker at all.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Then he's a little thin at six four two thirty.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Five, he's he's more of a you know that in
between bigger receipt you know, just a little bit too
big to be a receiver, but a little too small
to be that in line tight end probably doesn't fit
here in terms of what you're looking for.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
You go back and look at what they've drafted.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Me kayl Loher was a guy with upside, but it
was huge, right, another basketball guy. So you know, I
think if you're looking for that kind of stuff, you know,
you go back and you look and you see what
can we find that fit those archetypes. I don't know
that this tight end class is necessarily. That one guy
somebody asked me about that I don't think is in
(25:41):
the cards would be Shamar Easter. That guy, he is
just a big receiver. At sixty five two fifteen, you're
just a receiver. You're not a tight end at that point.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
You're a receiver.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
So the one guy that fits the archetype would be
uh Tanner Cazoil from Houston, Uh six seven, two hundred
and forty pounds.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
It's fun too, good receiver.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
I don't think the blockings there, but he's a fun receiver,
right So something to keep your eye.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
I'm just I'm trying to put archetypes out there so
you can kind of see. Justin Jolly another guy that
probably fits that archetype.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
A little bit short at six', three but two hundred
and fifty.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
One he wins contested catches and makes great catches and
is a willing, blocker and he's got a little he's
got enough heft that he sort of fits the mold. Overall,
YEAH i think you're giving up blocking ability on a
lot of the guys that are really popular right.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
Now Max claire out Of Ohio state's another. ONE i
just don't think he's much of a. Blocker you, know
it might be a case of drafting the really athletic
guy who is a good pass, catcher and that's maybe
the you're replacing The Evan ingram. RULE i don't think
he'll be here in twenty twenty. Six we'll, see BUT
i think maybe you replace The Evan ingram rule via the,
draft and then you circle back and look to upgrade
(26:53):
the blocking ability in that room with a veteran that's proven,
it BECAUSE i just don't unless you want to go
with like A Jackson hawes. Type not in the drafts this,
year but came out Of Georgia, tech was, LIKE i
think a seventh round pick by The bills last, year
and they had no illusions about him becoming.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Some dynamic red zone.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
Threat he's caught a couple of balls this, year but
they drafted him to be a great, blocker and he's
been exactly.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
THAT i think you can find those blocking specialists later. On,
Yeah and that's the.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
THING i think you're more likely to be able to
coach a receiver to block than you are a blocker
to receive at this point in their.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Development you know WHAT i. MEAN i, mean you're.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
More likely to get a guy who's a little on
the fin side to put some weight on and be
a blocker than you. Are to find a guy who's
already built thick and you, know then to speed him
up and teach him.
Speaker 4 (27:35):
Hands, yeah there aren't many guys also that have that
receiving potential in terms of athletic, ability you, know ball,
skills all, that and aren't being exploited as such at
the college. Level you, know if you're that level of
athlete at the tight end, possession you're going to be
used as a pass. CATCHER i think the guys you,
(27:55):
see you, know relegated to that like blocking specialist. Roll
it is The Jackson, haws not the guys who excite
you as as.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Ballcarriers it's going to be you, know the greed of.
Speaker 4 (28:05):
Your guys who have earned their spot on their respective
teams rosters through that grit and technique, play but not
necessarily again, height, weight speed.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Guys, yeah and SO i THINK i think that's hopefully
that answers your question. There and and you, know LIKE i,
said we'll delve will delve more into the draft prospects
once The broncos are either eliminated or win A Super
bowl get more into that that portion of, it but
they're gonna be picking much too late to Get Kenya.
(28:35):
Sidik there's he'll be going in the first twenty picks
and The broncos are gonna be picking.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
There SO i.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
DON'T i don't really know what to do with that
BECAUSE i get a lot of questions about, him And i'm,
like they're not going to trade up for a tight.
End that's not something that you do and and they're
not gonna and they're Not he's not gonna be.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
There when they, pick so AND i think that is
going to be an interesting conversation when we do turn
towards the draft In broncos, country because there is so
much talk, about you, know wanting to get a weapon
in the first. Round you, know they The bonnix need more,
weapons AND i think there is truth to. That but
he doesn't need another guy to join the supporting cast
(29:14):
Of Pat, Bryant Troy franklin And.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Marvin they don't need another rotational. Guy they need a.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
Dude, yeah they need the guy who can either, well
who can eventually take over From. Courland sutton is the
number one and maybe even in the short term subplant
him LIKE i Think sutton's a good number one, receiver
just like T higgins could be a good number one.
Receiver but if you're able to Have sudden as your number,
two that's where you're really cooking with.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Gas AND i think that's what The broncos.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
Need and you're not probably gonna find that elite offensive,
weapon especially in this weaker draft class that kind of
leans more towards defensive trench. Play if, anything you're not
going to maybe find that elite weapon in the twenties
or thirties of this. Draft it might be something where
you have to try right up and to your. POINT
(30:01):
i don't know if you do that a tight end
or running. Back but if if they you, know fall
in love With Jordan tyson Or Carnel tait or whoever
one of these these you, know top receivers in this,
class it might be worth at least considering to move
up because those eleee weapons aren't on the free agent
market unless there's something really wrong with, them like like
A Brandon, ayuk and they're not going to be as
(30:23):
late in the draft as The broncos are.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
Picking, Yeah and so.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
That's the THING I i have less had my eye
on the offensive side of the ball and more on
the defensive.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
SIDE i do believe we're.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Gonna Lose Vance joseph to a head coaching job this.
OFFSEASON i, Do AND i wonder as we start to
replace things and mold to whoever his successor could. Be
Maybe Jim, leonard you know what we're looking at in
terms of the, linebackers especially the inside. BACKERS i know
we've got Green, law but that's that's sort of been
A i don't want to say.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
It's been a bus so, far but it certainly been
what they.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Thought and he's still dealing, with you, know with things
and everything.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Else Alex.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Singleton you can't bring him back at that, probably AND
i doubt you're bringing him back in. General you, know in,
fact he might cut him and he might wind up
wherever A vance, goes you, know in that kind of.
Thing sternad is going to be a free. Agent Drew
sanders has not been able to even find the. Field
you're gonna have to you gonna have to shore up
that inside backer. Position AND i kind of like to
(31:19):
give From Ohio state sunny. Styles you, know former safety
who's who's he's got coverage, instincts and you think a
defensive back former safety Like Jim leonard might might appreciate. That,
yeah and he's got the run stuff. Too you, know
he had my favorite clip Of Sunny. Styles he blows
up the offensive.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
LINEMAN i.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
THINK i think a guard WHO'S i think it Was Penn,
state but blows up an offensive guard and pushes him
back into the running back to blow the running back
off his feet and make the. Tackle he's a very
exciting prospect if he makes it to The.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Broncos. PICK i think you absolutely got to run that one.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
UP i would also highlight offensive. Line you talked about,
it AND i think the first segment, tonight you've Got Garrett,
bulls who's gonna be in his mid to late thirty.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
Soon Mike mclinchy's getting up. There Ben powers might not be.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
Around Luke wattenberg hopefully is, around but there's always potential
to have buyer's remorse on those. Contracts you're going to
need some solutions along the offensive line sooner rather than,
later and offensive tackle plays among rookies is typically really.
Bad i'd like to get ahead of that problem before Oh,
Man Garrett bulls Or mike mclinchy's retired and now looking
(32:28):
at free agent. Tackles i'm forced to spend whatever first
round PICK i got on whatever offensive tackle is there
and start in day.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
One, yeah and so there's you, know this draft is
gonna BE i mean it doesn't seem like, it but
this coming draft where they had luxury this past draft
to be able to kind of look for some things
and go from, there this coming draft is gonna be pretty.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
Important it's gonna be another building blocks.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Draft right when when you, uh when you redo the,
foundation because two years from, now when you're gonna pay Bo,
nix you're going to have you're gonna.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Have a lot of this.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Turnover you're gonna have a lot of turnover on the
defense where you you can't afford to pay guy everybody
at every.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Position you're going to have to have guys in there
on rookie deals at some of these.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Positions you can't pay two edge rushers at the same
time and an entire interior defensive line in a thirty
four while paying two, safeties one, corner two inside. BACKERS i,
mean you just you can't in the monitor, offil you
can't do it the only way you can build a
defense that way is if you've got a quarterback on
a rookie, deal which they do right. Now so this
is going to have to be a building blocks kind
(33:27):
of draft for either replacing some of the aging offensive
line or replacing some of those defensive players as they
age and contract out in the coming.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
Years, yeah they AND i think with this past, class
the twenty twenty five class being such an unknown commodity
at this, point that amplifies the stakes all that much. More,
like hopefully you've got some long term contributors in this,
class but a lot of that's unproven right, now so
you're going to have to hit to not only supplement
everyone getting more, expensive but also a potentially missed class.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
That, well we got another text messages Give Raylon miller
will be a tremendous player in THE. NFL i don't.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
KNOW i don't think, so BUT i you, KNOW i
don't really. Know we'll see how that. Goes, Well steve
De berg great For Kansas. City steve was there WHEN
i was In Kansas. City, YEAH i don't know if
he's a great, player but he was one of the
quarterbacks that they had. There they had they kind of
ran through quarterbacks WHEN i was WHEN i lived, there
it was De burgh was.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
There they Had Steve.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
BONO i think they Drafted Matt, blendon Although i'm not
sure you were. Played Joe montana was there WHEN i was. There,
uh they kept, trying couldn't get past The, BILLS uh
in order to get to THE uh in order to
get to the Super. Bowl but you, know yeahs as
far as that, goes anybody's still following for the bit
that That i'm A chiefs, fan it's some pretty funny.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Stuff Roncos country dined back
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Her for this
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