Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Rockies Edition. I hope you guys had a good Fourth
of July weekend. Extended weekend for me, I hope you
guys had a good Fourth of July weekend. Everybody's safe
and sound, got some good food, all that kind of stuff.
I kept getting asked over on social media what I
did for the Fourth of July weekend? I did.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I didn't do anything.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
This is I started staring down the barrel of you know,
the season coming up toward the end of the month.
It really kicks off for us. I mean, I understand
the NFL season doesn't actually start till September, but for
those covering it, it really starts at the end of
this month with training camp and the preseason all that
kind of stuff. And so for me, what I did
(00:40):
this week it was bed rot man. I did not
I mean, I went and worked out, but beyond that,
I did not get out of bed.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
I watched TV.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I went back and binge watched Firefly in the subsequent
movie Serenity, one of my all time favorite shows, and
it was I've forgotten how much I love that show,
and it was it was great. I did almost nothing.
It was all that I hoped it could be just
you know, had a lot of uh, had a lot
of fun, just kind of relaxing and shutting the world
(01:09):
off for a little while and all that kind of stuff.
And you know, I I to those who can do
something like that, I highly recommend it, and I recommend
the show. If you guys never saw Firefly, If you
guys ever watched The Rookie, the guy who plays you know,
the old rookie in that show anythan fillions of his
kind of first big breaks. She's kind of the centerpiece
of that show. And there's a bunch of other people in
(01:30):
this show. Marina Backern, who you might recognize as Deadpool's
girlfriend and the Deadpool.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Movies, or she was on Homeland.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Uh, she was in The Mentalist, she was in a
couple of a couple of shows. And then Alan Tudic
who's in like everything and is great, Geena David. There's
just there's a ton of people in that show. It's actually,
if I remember correctly, one of the TV episodes where
they do a flashback of the Doctor to his younger self,
the kid in that is Zach Effron. I think in
his first acting role. Christine Hendrix is in a couple
(02:00):
of episodes. It's just, you know, it's one of those
it's one of those shows that had a lot of
people break out from it, and you know, I I
like it.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
It's it's a Western that's set in space.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
So if that, you know, doesn't make your eyes crossed
right off the bat, It's got snappy dialogue and it's
it's just I don't know, I thought it was. It's
one of my favorite shows. It was originally intended when
they created that show to be a study on what
happened to the losers of the Civil War. And at
(02:33):
the time, Fox, who was was doing the show, decided
they didn't like that, you know, they didn't want to
make it something about it the former Confederacy with the
the you know, the slavery connotations and all that kind
of stuff, and you know, so they send it back
to and and and made them retool it, and they
basically made it a Western set in space. It's still
the losers of a you know, of a war and
all that kind of stuff and what they do after
(02:55):
and everything else. But if you get a chance anyway
enough for me bla throwing about to firefly, you guys
can certainly considaly watched that. I believe it's on Hulu,
and then I'm not sure where the follow up movie,
Surerendity is. It's not on Hulu, but I'm sure it's
on one of the other services I own it. So
for me, I just did that. Let's let's get into it.
(03:16):
Got a couple of things, a lot of Chiefs stuff
coming out today, some Broncos news too. We'll get to
that here just a little bit. But the Kansasity Chiefs
have been embroiled in a battle to get a new
stadium built, and the Chiefs they're not gonna be leaving
Kansas City unless they leave Kansas City for Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas.
(03:41):
The state of Kansas had had applied a June thirtieth,
twenty twenty five deadline to its offer to build a
new stadium for the Chiefs. The Chiefs requested an extension,
and this morning Kansas provided it via WIBW dot com.
The new deadline is June thirtieth of twenty twenty six,
and that gives the team nearly a full year to
(04:01):
pick one state of the other, and of course it
allows them to leverage one against the other in the
search for the best possible deal, which makes it the
best possible out come for the Chiefs. Missouri, how badly
do you want to keep the team?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Kansas?
Speaker 1 (04:15):
How badly do you want to snatch it? And for
now Kansas wants it badly enough to move the prior
deadline by an entire year, knowing full well in the end,
the Chiefs could simply be using Kansas to get the
best deal from Missouri. But beyond playing one governmental partner
against the other, the Chiefs at some point will have
to decide between a renovated Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri or
(04:37):
a new domed stadium in Kansas, which could come with
hosting a Super Bowl. There's a good chance the team
already knows its preference, there's no reason to disclose it.
And however, if there's still a way to get a
better deal from one state, you know, versus the other.
But it's interesting as the Broadcos sort of eyeball their
(04:59):
next stadium situation. Now they're not the Broncos are not
leaving Denver in its surrounding area, but it is sort
of interesting to kind of watch this play out and
what things Broncos' ownerships can learn from this to maximize
their own negotiating and leveraged positions as it comes to
(05:19):
either renovating, rebuilding, or relocating to a new plot of
land in terms of getting a new stadium.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
For the Broncos.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Something to keep your eye on there. There were several
moments in recent seasons when it felt like the Chiefs
were short on receiving options for Patrick Mahomes, but Mahomes,
who's given a couple of interviews lately, did not believe
that was going to be an issue this coming season.
The Chiefs have or she writes back from the last
(05:51):
seasons knee injury. They re signed Juju Smith Schuster to
go Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Skuy Moore. They selected Jalen
Royals out of Utah State in the fourth round. Travis
Kelsey came back no Gray returns, Isaiah pacheck O, Kareem
hant Elijen Mitchell in the running back room, and during
an appearance on Ky Adams Show Up in Adams, Mahomes
(06:12):
was asked if this is the deepest group of weapons
he's had run him in Kansas City. He of course
said he believes that it is. The team has to
focus on making the most of everyone's talents. Saying, quote,
I think it's going to come from everywhere. Obviously, you've
got Rashi being back, he looked great, Ixavier Worthy came
on strong at the end of the year, Hollywood, Brown
healthy again, guys everywhere, Yet in Travis a Hall of famer,
no great, a great tight end, and everybody that we've
(06:35):
added to all those different rooms. We have so many weapons.
Let's go out there and just maximize it all. It's
not gonna be one person, It's gonna be the entire
offense going out there and showcasing what the Kansas City
Chiefs truly are. Brown and Pacheco joined Rice and missing
large stretches of time with injuries last season. So the
makeup of the group on today, a July seventh, isn't
guaranteed you to be the same toot the season. But
(06:57):
as long as all hands are on deck, there's gonna
be plenty of places for or my homes to go
with the ball, as long as he has the time to,
you know, make the deliveries. And I think the thing
the kind of eyeball with that is knowing why the
Broncos went was a baron early as they could continue
to make the commitment to making sure they have the
(07:18):
matchup pieces on defense as they try to build up
this offense in its second year under bow Nicks.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
You know, you go back and you look at.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
The Broncos and Chiefs games last year, and you can't
count the you can't kunt a second game because the Broncos.
You know, obviously we're playing the Chiefs backups in that one.
So not really I think counting that thirty eight nothing win.
(07:51):
I mean, we counted. It's still a dubby. It got
it in the playoffs, But I don't think you're counting
that in terms.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Of, you know, we beat the Chiefs.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I think you're looking at that is the real game
from last year to kind of focus your head on,
is the sixteen fourteen loss at Kansas City back on
the number tenth of last year. And you know, I
think if you're the Broncos, you kind of kind of
eyeball in that one. Now that being said, the Kansas
chief scored sixteen points against the Broncos all last year.
(08:18):
Now thirty eight nothing. Obviously the backups that was a
little bit different. But yeah, I think if you're the Broncos,
you're just your eyeball that you're saying, look, we were
close last year. If we get a little bit more
out of the offense, then you know, we might we
might be able to position ourselves out or near the
top of you know, the division going forward. You know,
(08:44):
you look at you look at that game last year
and it took a while, took into the second quarter
for any points to be scored. It was just a
punt fest. Early Broncos really couldn't get much going. Kansas
City had eleven play drive but didn't get anything out
of it, you know, and then you get to the
second quarter and uh Nicks hits vle A for the touchdown,
(09:05):
and then it was you know, it was kind of
off to the after the races there in that quarter.
Broncos scored both touchdowns in that quarter. Kansas City got
a touchdown a field goal, and you know, I think, uh,
I think if you're the Broncos, your your eyeball and
that you're saying, Okay, we sort.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Of got the blueprint, but we need to make sure.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
That this Kansas City is getting weapons back, that we
have enough to to continue to match up with that.
And so I think that I think that was part
of the other part of the the interview that aired
today was Mahomes noting that he's had thoughts about what
his legacy could be what he's done playing, but you know,
he talked to Tom Brady, who recently noted that Mahomes
(09:51):
has a chance to duplicate some of Brady's historical impact
on the game. Mahomes also tokay out of I think
legacy is always in the back of your mind.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Even from the beginning of my career.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
But at the end of the day, it's about taking
it a day at a time and just continuing to
do that. That's something that I've been conscious of, knowing
how blessed time to be in case they have all
these great players around me, and having Tom Tom Brady,
a guy like that, saying that just motivates me even more.
I've actually talked to Tom a good amount this offseason,
so it's cool that he wants to give me advice
that have to be like that. He's such a good
(10:24):
dude and I have much respect for him.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
I'll take any advice he gives me.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
It's fascinating on a couple of levels because it sort
of keeps the Broncos' rivalry alive.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
As we know Peyton.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Manning has conversed with with Bonnex and conversed with with
Broncos quarterbacks and Brady of course, part owner of the Raiders,
He's given a Chiefs quarterback advice and you know, it's
sort of sort of funny, I think, to kind of
break it down from that angle as far as what
the advice was, Mahomes sort of defferred saying, I've got
to keep secrets. But he always talks about being yourself.
(10:56):
He thinks, which I truly believe too, is that guys
can spot when you're not authentic and you're not putting
in the work. And that's something he did every single day.
That's why guys respected him so much. And that's all
I'm going to do for the rest of my career.
I feel like I've done so far, Always myself, no
matter if you like me don't like me. You know,
I'm giving everything I can to win football games. And well,
(11:17):
Malams of Brady can relate a lot of quarterbacks. Brady
status as Raiders minority owner probably raises some questions about
the nature that those kinds of relationships.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
My homes.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
The Chiefs obviously had that bitter defeat, you know, in
the Super Bowl back in February. But Kansas City's expected
to be a serious contender this coming season as well.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
And that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Where do the Broncos fit into this? Where does Denver
sort of shake out? You know, in the realm of
the AFC West, the AFC West probably has the best
resume in terms of coaching, the best coaching pedigree. Andy
Reid is obviously. Andy Reid is the issue in for
(12:03):
the Hall of Fame. You know, Harball over there with
the Chargers is one everywhere he's been. You've got Sean
Payton here who won a Super Bowl with the with
the Saints, and he's trying to resurrect their feet because
if I don't think he makes a Hall of Fame
unless he wins a Super Bowl with the Broncos. Uh,
then you got Pete Carroll who's probably a Hall of
(12:25):
Famer as well, one at the collegiate level as well.
And so you know, the AFC West obviously has uh
the best coaching pedigree out there. But where do the
Broncos stack up as a team, And you know, in
all of that, and I think it's a three way
race there at the time.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I think Kansas City. I think the Chargers and I
think the Broncos.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
I think they're They're all three good teams, each bring
a little bit of something different to the table. The
question is who's gonna shake out, you know, as the top.
But I think if you're you know, your off season,
everybody's gotta rank everything and all that kind of stuff.
I mean, I think you have to rank Kansas City
at the time just by default because of their chokehold
on this division, until someone dethrones them. Once that happens,
(13:05):
you know, then then we won't default that way, and
there's probably a better discussion. But I believe the Broncos
can win the division. I believe they can. I believe
they are fully capable of winning the division. But you've
got you've got a tough ask. I mean, Pat Mahomes is,
if not the best quarterback on the planet, certainly up there.
(13:26):
Kansas City's got a pretty good defense, and they're getting
those weapons back that we mentioned earlier. And then you know,
you've got a Chargers team that I think people are
probably sleeping on, I mean, and it's probably it's probably
because the Chargers over hype over the years. Back when
you have McCoy or Brandon Staley coaching. You know, you
get this kind of Chargers over hype every year, this
(13:48):
is going to be the year. I was never with that,
but I for them, I believe this could be their year,
certainly their year to make some noise. You know in
the AFC West, they they've added more pieces. They they
they kind of carved out an identity last year as
a smashingout football team.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
They've added pieces. We stole JK.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Dobbins from them, but you know they replaced that with
Naj Harris and Amarion Hampton. In the draft, they added
Makai Beckton right guard. Uh and then it continues to
fill out that that offensive line that they've got there,
which is not bad. All of a sudden, you know,
you got Slater and Joe Altis the tackles. That's a
that's a pretty good combination. Zion Johnson, McKai Beckon and
Bradley Boseman his guards.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
That's that's a.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Pretty decent offensive line. The question for the Chargers was
really about the weapons that they have, and they brought
back Mike Williams. They added Trey Harris and Keandery Lambert Smith.
You know, in the draft. Of course, they still got
Lad McConkie, who was an absolute stud last year. They're
hoping Quintin Johnston can it can develop into something, you know,
(14:50):
and then they've got a couple of down roster guys
hoping to make it. Jalen ragor the you know, the
former first rounders on it is on that team. So
they they're you know, they're they're kind of hope that
if they build something out on the and the tight
end room, I mean will just Lee Tyler Concklin and
they added around to Gaston Jr. They've they've got some
they've got some talent there and it's gonna be it's
(15:12):
gonna be interesting to see what what overall impact that
has and where they where they shake out. But don't
don't sleep on the Charge. Don't just be dismissive of
the Chargers just because we're hoping that the you know,
the Broncos take that next step this year. You know,
you've got to you gotta keep your head on a
swivel about the opponents in your division and not uh
not underestimate them. And that's one of those things I
think the Chargers are gonna be a you know, it's
just a tough, physical football team.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Uh. And the way they're designed, the way Jim.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Harball likes to play, they're going to be a tough,
physical football team.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Their defense was was very good last year.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
I honestly, I think that the second best defense in
the in the you know, in the in the division.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
I think Kansas City's third.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
But uh, you know, it's it's anytime you have a tough,
physical football team like that, you know, you gotta you
gotta kind of look at where you play them in
the schedule and and all that kind of stuff. And
you know, the Broncos catch the Chargers in LA early.
That's the September twenty first, that's the game Week three,
(16:09):
and then you've got the course the Bengals to follow
that up with in the Eagles before going to London.
And then you don't get again until the end of
the season after a game at Kansas City. And so
at least in that game you'll have like a week
and a half off because it's at at Christmas game.
So we come back. I'm want to tell you about
something the Broncos are looking to focus on this year.
They're looking to focus on They're making an effort you
(16:30):
guys listen to Broncos Country.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
At Night right here on KAA welcome back to it.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Broncos Country Tonight bens with Albright here with you short
show post Rockies edition, And I know I teased it
right as we're heading to break in the last segment.
The Broncos has some areas of focus that they plan
on working on heavily through this offseason training camp. I
(16:59):
know on into the season they've identified a specific area
they believe that they can improve on. If they can
improve on that, they believe it will get them more wins,
and that is starting games faster, scoring first, scoring quickly.
(17:19):
You know, you look at the big wins ahead last year,
most of that came from scoring early. You know, games
they struggled in were games where they got behind or
games where they did not get off to that fast start.
And so they want to come out in the first
and second half both and make sure they're setting the
tempo in each half and having I've got a source
(17:42):
inside the building to kind of detail how they bullet
point how they're looking at this with strategic play calling,
prioritizing play selection that best suits upon it in situation
efficient drives avoiding negative play pedally, sacks, turnovers. They were
pretty good at dead last year, but they want to
(18:02):
continue to uh uh to do that run game focus
and they want to they specifically would like to uh
get a little bit more outside, a little bit more
off the edge there may maybe maybe we're not talking
like toss sweep type stuff, but they would like to
be able to get more runs that that get over
there to the de gap and are able to move defenses,
(18:25):
you know, sideways a little bit as well as stretching things, uh,
you know, vertically through the pass game.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Excuse me.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Tempo and rhythm and that's this is a big one.
Nick and I have talked about this, you know a lot,
and that is you know, maybe going a little up
tempo early, maybe putting your foot on the gas just
just a little bit, especially here at home early in games,
just to just to kind of put defenses back on
their heels. And then you know, the main thing is
(18:52):
is fast starts and early leads allow you to put
your opponent in a position where they've got to catch up,
where you're going to give your pass rush your secondary
benefits because if you're if you're behind, you you tend
to think in terms of I've got to catch up. Uh,
and so they throw the ball a little bit more
(19:13):
and it gives you more opportunities to create turnovers and so, uh,
there's a multifaceted approach to this. But you know, the
the the way that they want to play this year
is they want to get out to early leads, and
so that's that's sort of been it has been. It
was a problem a little bit last year. You look
(19:36):
at you look at some of the games they had
last year. I mean, there were games that could have
gone the other way. They won both of them. But
the two games I'm thinking the most about are the
Raiders game when they debuted the throwback uniforms and you know,
the Raiders that got out to what was I think
it's a ten toh of lead and they had to
ball or drive it again. It could have been it
could have got ugly at that point if it hadn't
been for a pick six from from Certan. And then
(19:58):
the Colts game where you know, they come out Jonathan
Taylor started running the ball with authority and then he
dropped the ball right before the goal line and that
turned that whole game around. And so you know, I
the Broncos don't want to rely on things like that
because you can't count on things like that happen. You
can't count on a player dropping the ball before he
crosses the goal line. It's just pure dumb luck. Or
(20:19):
you know, the pick six from from certain I mean,
there's there's a skill in being a position and making
that play, but the reality is you can't count on
pick sixes. And so I think that, uh, they've identified
this offseason. They said, look, we've got to we've got
to get out to a faster start on offense. We've
got to take a little pressure off the defense, UH
to be able to make these plays we get we've
got the fine ways, uh to get out there, get
(20:44):
out to a lead, and and go from there. Last year,
Sean Payton talked about that a little bit. You know,
it's before the before the Jets game, where he said,
I think each game takes on a shape of its own.
You always want to score your first possession. In other words,
we we do the openers. We'll look at all the
opening drives when you see them. There's touchdowns, field goals,
(21:04):
there's punts, punts, punts. Occasionally there's a turnover. That's trying
to put together the right grouping of plays to fit
who were playing. You know, and obviously Peyton's a West
Coast offense acolyte.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
But.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
There are I think there are better ways to do that,
and the main emphasis is going to be on being
able to run the ball so you're not one dimensional.
That became a problem for the Broncos at times last
year as we saw opponents get out to leads and
punch them in the mouth and then put them in
the position where they had to throw throw a throw
to try to keep up. And you know, that has
(21:40):
never really been an effective strategy for winning games like that.
So you want to you want to get yourself out
to elit so you can play balanced. You know, people
talk about running to salt it away, but really once
you get out to the lead, you can throw the
ball more effectively too, because teams are creeping up expecting
(22:01):
you to run it. You know, they get a little
tight when it comes to those kinds of things, and
it allows you to get some big chunk plays things
like that, and we'll see, but those are that that
is excused me. The big focus I think is as
they're coming into this per people inside the building. It
talk to me that they want to get out the
faster starts this year. That's a big point.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Of emphasis as they as they head into.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
To training camp this year. Pivoting over to the former
Bronco at least as a general manager now general managers
of the Jets, Terrehmuji, and the quarterbacking situation that they
have there. I've made no secret the fact that I
am not a Justin Fields fan, that I think he's terrible,
(22:45):
But you know, who knows, maybe this could be the year.
If the Jets are going to exceed expectations, they'll need
a strong season from him. Fields, who was drafted eleventh
overall by the Bears back in twenty twenty one because
he he could be there. They thought he could be
their long term answer at quarterback, but he never could
turn little flashes here there into consistent play. Obviously moved
(23:08):
on to the Steelers last year. Was you know when
Russell Wilson got hurt. He opened the season as a
starter and then was benched in the offense immediately got
better when Russell Wilson got in and went the rest
of the way. That led to Fields moving on to
the Jets as a free agent this offseason, third team
in three years. I didn't really do much to inspire
(23:29):
hope that it's all going to fall into place for
Fields this year, But I don't know a new team made.
Andre Cisco thinks that anybody who shares those doubts is
in for an unpleasant surprise. Cisco has kind of gone
up the latter at the same time as Fields, and
he said his first chance to see the quarterback up
close was convinced him good things were coming. Cisco said,
(23:49):
me and Justin we were in the same class in
high school, same class in college, same class coming up
in the NFL. So these are people that whether you
play with them or not, you feel you know them
from not too far away. Getting to know him how
close to the teammate, has been really, really special, And
I'm really glad that I get this opportunity to get
behind him and just support him as he takes on
that role. We already know what quarterback means in the NFL.
(24:10):
I'm excited for him to prove those who are doubting
him wrong and those who are supporting right, because I
think he's gonna have a huge year. This goes the
only Jets player to share his belief that the team
is in better shape than most outsiders believe. But years
of offseason hope that went nowhere for the Jets means
proof's gonna have to come on the field for that
bandwagon to fill up.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
I don't believe it with Justin Fields. I don't. I've
seen enough at this point that I'm like, you know, unless.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
You know, unless there's just some something that's been holding
him back this whole time that he just gets over.
But you talk about guy doesn't see the field that well,
He's late with throws, you know, all world athleticism, and
he's a nice guy. I mean, I root for the person,
but in terms of you know who and what he
is as a football player, he's just not an NFL
(24:58):
caliber quarterback. And and we saw that. We saw that
when the Steelers bench team last year to put Russ
in there, and you know, the offense immediately got light
years better. And that's saying something because I think everybody
saw what Russ was here, you know, in Denver, So
you know, end of the day, I don't believe Justin
(25:18):
Fields will end the season as the starting quarterback of
the New York Jets. We'll see, you know, Zack Segers
and I have a little wager I think going on
which quarterback does better this year at New York, Russell
Wilson or Justin Fields. So that's something to be something
to keep your eye on. Jacksonville's got some people talking
about them. Brian Thomas Junior obviously the rising star receiver
(25:41):
Travis Hunter new kid on the block, but Diami Brown
could end up being a quiet difference maker there. Michael
De Rocco of ESPN cited Jack's coach Liam Cohen is
expecting the former Commanders receiver to have a bigger role
in Jacksonville than he did in his four years in Washington.
Cohen uh said of Brown Fia de Roco, you look
(26:04):
at somebody that's able to attack the field at all
three levels. You go down the field on the post,
on the go and the pylons beat top shelf, but
also you throw them a screen and he can go
and do something with it. I can't coach that. I
can't coach you to go and make three people miss
after you caught the ball.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
That's what he can do.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
So hopefully he'll be able to help us at all
three levels. He's hungry coming off a successful end of
the year and he wants to continue to do that,
and it was very successful out of the year for
the Brown. There's the fourth and finally year of a
rookie deal that saw the former third round pick never
really break out. But he had a moment in the
(26:39):
twenty twenty four end of season postseason after full season
yardage totals of one hundred and sixty five, sixty eight
and then three eight, he caught fourteen passes for two
hundred and twenty nine yards or three playoff games to
cap his time at the Commanders and now the goals
for him to do more town Jacksonville. You don't really
(26:59):
see him worked intermediate that much in Washington. I think
over the course of the spring Trevor Lawrence and him
gained a little bit of chemistry on some of those
intermediate inbreakers, curls, and outcuts. Part of the selling point
they haven't come here was, man, we really want to
continue to diversify your route tree and have you do more.
You're not just a screen, jet sweep and vertical threat.
Diami Brown signed a one year, ten million dollars deal
(27:22):
to play in Jacksonville nine and a half of that's guaranteed,
So he's certainly going to get some playtime, not a
major contract, give it a market that's roughly four times
that amount, but it's more than many would have expected
Brown to make at that point. And obviously he's going
to get single coverage because of Brian Thomas and and
Travis Hunter. Speaking of the commanders back in late April,
(27:47):
President Trump addressed the question of whether the commander should
revert the name they dropped five years ago, given the
word was and frankly still is a dictionary defined slur,
and he expressed at the time at the form is
superior to the current one. Trump acknowledged that the former
Washington name was a little different from other names that
had been done like the Cleveland Indians did. On Sunday,
(28:11):
the issue emerged again. Speaking to reporters, the President provided
a stronger endorsement of turning back the clock to days
gone by, saying, quote, do you want me to make
a controversial statement. I wouldn't have changed the name just
doesn't have the same ring to me. He acknowledge the
on field success can make a new name better. Same quote,
(28:33):
but you know, winning can make everything sound good. So
if they win all of a sudden, Commanders sounds good,
But I wouldn't have changed the name. For his part,
Commander's owner Josh Harris said the old name will not
be returning. Still, his predecessor said the prior name would
never change, and then changed it to Commanders after making
it Washington Football team for a while. The prospect of
(28:55):
change comes at a time when the Commanders could be
going to get help to get a DC deal done
that would allow a new facility to be built on
the site of RFK Stadium, which means if they ultimately
would need the President's help, they may have to do
something in return. That's something could include naming the stadium
after him, or renamed the team, or whatever other ludicrous
(29:17):
thing that he would want. It all comes down to
what he would want in exchange for his assistance in
getting DC to finalize the arrangement, whether the team would
even be willing to do it. Joel Botonio is going
to be back out for a twelfth season with the Browns.
The leftguard's return whether the twenty twenty five campaign wasn't
a sure thing. Antonio took some time after the season
(29:39):
to confirm he'd be back in Cleveland. He told Barry
Shuck of Dogs by Nature, that he never doubted his
ability to continue playing at a high level, but there
was truly a decision because the way things played out
last year, Browns went three to fourteen, and one of
the offseason questions about quarterback and other spots on the
roster that made it hard for Botonio to immediately commit
to returning. The bad take that the twenty twenty four
(30:01):
season left in his mouth, along with the arrival of
the offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren, turned out to be
the leading reasons why he decided to keep playing. Atonio said,
it was tough. I did give consideration retiring. I was frustrated.
I don't know if I would have done the same conversation.
We'd going to the playoffs again. Maybe we're a ten
win team, but after having a successful year followed by
losing four team was difficult. I questioned why I was
(30:22):
playing the game, What am I doing here? The fact
that we had a terrible season was not what I
was expecting. Sat back and waited for a little bit.
Talked to head coach Kevin Stefanski. They brought in Bloomgren
and promoted Tommy Reese's offensive coordinator. He said they were
going to draft a quarterback and make all these moves.
I wanted to go out on a higher note than
what we experienced last year.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
It remains to.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Be seen the Browns moves at quarterback will push the
team back up in the standings, but having Betonio as
part of the protection plan certainly should help. Browns for
their part, drafted both Dylan Gabriel and Shadeorge Sanders and
brought in Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, all four of
which we'll compete for the starting job there. Chase Claypool,
(31:05):
old Maple Tron, said he's stronger and faster than ever
after missing last season. Almost a year ago, wide receiver
Chase Claypool suffered a toe injury in Bill's trading camp
that was initially described as day to day, but ended
up being so serious it cost him in the entire season.
Claypool is unsigned, but says he's ready to have the
best year of his career. Laypool wrote on social media
(31:25):
that he needed extensive medical treatment rehabit is now capable
of doing everything he's ever done on the football field.
Saying quote, I tore a ligman and attended in my
second toe. I've been rehabbing, working out, recovering every day
for the last year. I'm back to being the strongest
and fastest I've ever been. Couldn't be more excited to
step back out on the field and let my actions
speak for themselves.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Twenty seven year.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Old Claypool certainly has talent, which is why the Steelers
drafted him in the second round back in twenty twenty
when the Bearers traded a second round or to acquire
him in twenty twenty two. But after promising first couple
of seasons in Pittsburgh, has production plummeted. He caught just
eight passes playing for two teams in twenty twenty three,
the Bears and the Dolphins, and then didn't play at
all last year with the aforementioned injury in Buffalo. Claypoo
(32:08):
was falling a long way from when he was one
of the NFL's best rookie receivers five years ago, but
he's shown enough that some team will likely give him
a chance to show what he has in training camp
and whether he really is stronger and or faster than.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Ever before and real quickly.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Terry McLaurin not happy with his contract situation. Some are
of discontent for multiple pass rushers, but there's a pass
catcher who isn't happy with his contract. McLaurin and his
last year of a current deal at a base salary
of fifteen point five million. The new money market for
wide receivers is now north of forty million. Clearly deserves
an adjustment and acknowledging that fact is one thing. Coming
(32:46):
up with a number that makes him happy is another.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowlers reported during Sunday Sports Center that McLaren
is not happy with where things are with an extension.
That's sort of obvious given he boycotted the entire offseason
program voluntary and mentatale, So at any deadline driven sports,
there's no need for the commanders to get their best
number until training camp approaches. Will he hold out if
(33:08):
he doesn't get what he wants before camp starts SAT
and remains to be seen. He turns thirty on September fifteen,
so this is probably his last shot to get paid,
and the best way to apply leverages obviously deny services McLaren,
who's been pretty quarterback proof has five straight thousand yard seasons.
Last year eighty two catches, one thousand, ninety six yards
thirteen touchdowns.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
The best news for the Commanders is that a new
deal on.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Dauted, he'll drop his cap number, which his cap number
will be twenty five point five million this year. It
said he may prefer to burn up cap dollars during
the next two years of Jaydon Danils rookie deal. Come
twenty twenty seven, it will be time to pay him
a lot more than nine point four million he's making
per year on his initial contract, So something to keep
your keep your.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Eye on there.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
And still nothing on the Nick Benito, Zach Allen or
Courtland Sutton fronts, But as that stuff comes up, I'll
be happy to happy to keep you guys. A prize
programming note Thursday full live show myself Nick Ferguson, So
you guys want to stay tuned for that. You guys
listening to Broncos Country tonight right here on koa's fifty
am ninety four one FM News Talk Sports
Rockies Edition. I hope you guys had a good Fourth
of July weekend. Extended weekend for me, I hope you
guys had a good Fourth of July weekend. Everybody's safe
and sound, got some good food, all that kind of stuff.
I kept getting asked over on social media what I
did for the Fourth of July weekend? I did.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I didn't do anything.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
This is I started staring down the barrel of you know,
the season coming up toward the end of the month.
It really kicks off for us. I mean, I understand
the NFL season doesn't actually start till September, but for
those covering it, it really starts at the end of
this month with training camp and the preseason all that
kind of stuff. And so for me, what I did
(00:40):
this week it was bed rot man. I did not
I mean, I went and worked out, but beyond that,
I did not get out of bed.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
I watched TV.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I went back and binge watched Firefly in the subsequent
movie Serenity, one of my all time favorite shows, and
it was I've forgotten how much I love that show,
and it was it was great. I did almost nothing.
It was all that I hoped it could be just
you know, had a lot of uh, had a lot
of fun, just kind of relaxing and shutting the world
(01:09):
off for a little while and all that kind of stuff.
And you know, I I to those who can do
something like that, I highly recommend it, and I recommend
the show. If you guys never saw Firefly, If you
guys ever watched The Rookie, the guy who plays you know,
the old rookie in that show anythan fillions of his
kind of first big breaks. She's kind of the centerpiece
of that show. And there's a bunch of other people in
(01:30):
this show. Marina Backern, who you might recognize as Deadpool's
girlfriend and the Deadpool.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Movies, or she was on Homeland.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Uh, she was in The Mentalist, she was in a
couple of a couple of shows. And then Alan Tudic
who's in like everything and is great, Geena David. There's
just there's a ton of people in that show. It's actually,
if I remember correctly, one of the TV episodes where
they do a flashback of the Doctor to his younger self,
the kid in that is Zach Effron. I think in
his first acting role. Christine Hendrix is in a couple
(02:00):
of episodes. It's just, you know, it's one of those
it's one of those shows that had a lot of
people break out from it, and you know, I I
like it.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
It's it's a Western that's set in space.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
So if that, you know, doesn't make your eyes crossed
right off the bat, It's got snappy dialogue and it's
it's just I don't know, I thought it was. It's
one of my favorite shows. It was originally intended when
they created that show to be a study on what
happened to the losers of the Civil War. And at
(02:33):
the time, Fox, who was was doing the show, decided
they didn't like that, you know, they didn't want to
make it something about it the former Confederacy with the
the you know, the slavery connotations and all that kind
of stuff, and you know, so they send it back
to and and and made them retool it, and they
basically made it a Western set in space. It's still
the losers of a you know, of a war and
all that kind of stuff and what they do after
(02:55):
and everything else. But if you get a chance anyway
enough for me bla throwing about to firefly, you guys
can certainly considaly watched that. I believe it's on Hulu,
and then I'm not sure where the follow up movie,
Surerendity is. It's not on Hulu, but I'm sure it's
on one of the other services I own it. So
for me, I just did that. Let's let's get into it.
(03:16):
Got a couple of things, a lot of Chiefs stuff
coming out today, some Broncos news too. We'll get to
that here just a little bit. But the Kansasity Chiefs
have been embroiled in a battle to get a new
stadium built, and the Chiefs they're not gonna be leaving
Kansas City unless they leave Kansas City for Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas.
(03:41):
The state of Kansas had had applied a June thirtieth,
twenty twenty five deadline to its offer to build a
new stadium for the Chiefs. The Chiefs requested an extension,
and this morning Kansas provided it via WIBW dot com.
The new deadline is June thirtieth of twenty twenty six,
and that gives the team nearly a full year to
(04:01):
pick one state of the other, and of course it
allows them to leverage one against the other in the
search for the best possible deal, which makes it the
best possible out come for the Chiefs. Missouri, how badly
do you want to keep the team?
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Kansas?
Speaker 1 (04:15):
How badly do you want to snatch it? And for
now Kansas wants it badly enough to move the prior
deadline by an entire year, knowing full well in the end,
the Chiefs could simply be using Kansas to get the
best deal from Missouri. But beyond playing one governmental partner
against the other, the Chiefs at some point will have
to decide between a renovated Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri or
(04:37):
a new domed stadium in Kansas, which could come with
hosting a Super Bowl. There's a good chance the team
already knows its preference, there's no reason to disclose it.
And however, if there's still a way to get a
better deal from one state, you know, versus the other.
But it's interesting as the Broadcos sort of eyeball their
(04:59):
next stadium situation. Now they're not the Broncos are not
leaving Denver in its surrounding area, but it is sort
of interesting to kind of watch this play out and
what things Broncos' ownerships can learn from this to maximize
their own negotiating and leveraged positions as it comes to
(05:19):
either renovating, rebuilding, or relocating to a new plot of
land in terms of getting a new stadium.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
For the Broncos.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Something to keep your eye on there. There were several
moments in recent seasons when it felt like the Chiefs
were short on receiving options for Patrick Mahomes, but Mahomes,
who's given a couple of interviews lately, did not believe
that was going to be an issue this coming season.
The Chiefs have or she writes back from the last
(05:51):
seasons knee injury. They re signed Juju Smith Schuster to
go Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Skuy Moore. They selected Jalen
Royals out of Utah State in the fourth round. Travis
Kelsey came back no Gray returns, Isaiah pacheck O, Kareem
hant Elijen Mitchell in the running back room, and during
an appearance on Ky Adams Show Up in Adams, Mahomes
(06:12):
was asked if this is the deepest group of weapons
he's had run him in Kansas City. He of course
said he believes that it is. The team has to
focus on making the most of everyone's talents. Saying, quote,
I think it's going to come from everywhere. Obviously, you've
got Rashi being back, he looked great, Ixavier Worthy came
on strong at the end of the year, Hollywood, Brown
healthy again, guys everywhere, Yet in Travis a Hall of famer,
no great, a great tight end, and everybody that we've
(06:35):
added to all those different rooms. We have so many weapons.
Let's go out there and just maximize it all. It's
not gonna be one person, It's gonna be the entire
offense going out there and showcasing what the Kansas City
Chiefs truly are. Brown and Pacheco joined Rice and missing
large stretches of time with injuries last season. So the
makeup of the group on today, a July seventh, isn't
guaranteed you to be the same toot the season. But
(06:57):
as long as all hands are on deck, there's gonna
be plenty of places for or my homes to go
with the ball, as long as he has the time to,
you know, make the deliveries. And I think the thing
the kind of eyeball with that is knowing why the
Broncos went was a baron early as they could continue
to make the commitment to making sure they have the
(07:18):
matchup pieces on defense as they try to build up
this offense in its second year under bow Nicks.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
You know, you go back and you look at.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
The Broncos and Chiefs games last year, and you can't
count the you can't kunt a second game because the Broncos.
You know, obviously we're playing the Chiefs backups in that one.
So not really I think counting that thirty eight nothing win.
(07:51):
I mean, we counted. It's still a dubby. It got
it in the playoffs, But I don't think you're counting
that in terms.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Of, you know, we beat the Chiefs.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I think you're looking at that is the real game
from last year to kind of focus your head on,
is the sixteen fourteen loss at Kansas City back on
the number tenth of last year. And you know, I
think if you're the Broncos, you kind of kind of
eyeball in that one. Now that being said, the Kansas
chief scored sixteen points against the Broncos all last year.
(08:18):
Now thirty eight nothing. Obviously the backups that was a
little bit different. But yeah, I think if you're the Broncos,
you're just your eyeball that you're saying, look, we were
close last year. If we get a little bit more
out of the offense, then you know, we might we
might be able to position ourselves out or near the
top of you know, the division going forward. You know,
(08:44):
you look at you look at that game last year
and it took a while, took into the second quarter
for any points to be scored. It was just a
punt fest. Early Broncos really couldn't get much going. Kansas
City had eleven play drive but didn't get anything out
of it, you know, and then you get to the
second quarter and uh Nicks hits vle A for the touchdown,
(09:05):
and then it was you know, it was kind of
off to the after the races there in that quarter.
Broncos scored both touchdowns in that quarter. Kansas City got
a touchdown a field goal, and you know, I think, uh,
I think if you're the Broncos, your your eyeball and
that you're saying, Okay, we sort.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Of got the blueprint, but we need to make sure.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
That this Kansas City is getting weapons back, that we
have enough to to continue to match up with that.
And so I think that I think that was part
of the other part of the the interview that aired
today was Mahomes noting that he's had thoughts about what
his legacy could be what he's done playing, but you know,
he talked to Tom Brady, who recently noted that Mahomes
(09:51):
has a chance to duplicate some of Brady's historical impact
on the game. Mahomes also tokay out of I think
legacy is always in the back of your mind.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Even from the beginning of my career.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
But at the end of the day, it's about taking
it a day at a time and just continuing to
do that. That's something that I've been conscious of, knowing
how blessed time to be in case they have all
these great players around me, and having Tom Tom Brady,
a guy like that, saying that just motivates me even more.
I've actually talked to Tom a good amount this offseason,
so it's cool that he wants to give me advice
that have to be like that. He's such a good
(10:24):
dude and I have much respect for him.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
I'll take any advice he gives me.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
It's fascinating on a couple of levels because it sort
of keeps the Broncos' rivalry alive.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
As we know Peyton.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Manning has conversed with with Bonnex and conversed with with
Broncos quarterbacks and Brady of course, part owner of the Raiders,
He's given a Chiefs quarterback advice and you know, it's
sort of sort of funny, I think, to kind of
break it down from that angle as far as what
the advice was, Mahomes sort of defferred saying, I've got
to keep secrets. But he always talks about being yourself.
(10:56):
He thinks, which I truly believe too, is that guys
can spot when you're not authentic and you're not putting
in the work. And that's something he did every single day.
That's why guys respected him so much. And that's all
I'm going to do for the rest of my career.
I feel like I've done so far, Always myself, no
matter if you like me don't like me. You know,
I'm giving everything I can to win football games. And well,
(11:17):
Malams of Brady can relate a lot of quarterbacks. Brady
status as Raiders minority owner probably raises some questions about
the nature that those kinds of relationships.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
My homes.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
The Chiefs obviously had that bitter defeat, you know, in
the Super Bowl back in February. But Kansas City's expected
to be a serious contender this coming season as well.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
And that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Where do the Broncos fit into this? Where does Denver
sort of shake out? You know, in the realm of
the AFC West, the AFC West probably has the best
resume in terms of coaching, the best coaching pedigree. Andy
Reid is obviously. Andy Reid is the issue in for
(12:03):
the Hall of Fame. You know, Harball over there with
the Chargers is one everywhere he's been. You've got Sean
Payton here who won a Super Bowl with the with
the Saints, and he's trying to resurrect their feet because
if I don't think he makes a Hall of Fame
unless he wins a Super Bowl with the Broncos. Uh,
then you got Pete Carroll who's probably a Hall of
(12:25):
Famer as well, one at the collegiate level as well.
And so you know, the AFC West obviously has uh
the best coaching pedigree out there. But where do the
Broncos stack up as a team, And you know, in
all of that, and I think it's a three way
race there at the time.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I think Kansas City. I think the Chargers and I
think the Broncos.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
I think they're They're all three good teams, each bring
a little bit of something different to the table. The
question is who's gonna shake out, you know, as the top.
But I think if you're you know, your off season,
everybody's gotta rank everything and all that kind of stuff.
I mean, I think you have to rank Kansas City
at the time just by default because of their chokehold
on this division, until someone dethrones them. Once that happens,
(13:05):
you know, then then we won't default that way, and
there's probably a better discussion. But I believe the Broncos
can win the division. I believe they can. I believe
they are fully capable of winning the division. But you've
got you've got a tough ask. I mean, Pat Mahomes is,
if not the best quarterback on the planet, certainly up there.
(13:26):
Kansas City's got a pretty good defense, and they're getting
those weapons back that we mentioned earlier. And then you know,
you've got a Chargers team that I think people are
probably sleeping on, I mean, and it's probably it's probably
because the Chargers over hype over the years. Back when
you have McCoy or Brandon Staley coaching. You know, you
get this kind of Chargers over hype every year, this
(13:48):
is going to be the year. I was never with that,
but I for them, I believe this could be their year,
certainly their year to make some noise. You know in
the AFC West, they they've added more pieces. They they
they kind of carved out an identity last year as
a smashingout football team.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
They've added pieces. We stole JK.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Dobbins from them, but you know they replaced that with
Naj Harris and Amarion Hampton. In the draft, they added
Makai Beckton right guard. Uh and then it continues to
fill out that that offensive line that they've got there,
which is not bad. All of a sudden, you know,
you got Slater and Joe Altis the tackles. That's a
that's a pretty good combination. Zion Johnson, McKai Beckon and
Bradley Boseman his guards.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
That's that's a.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Pretty decent offensive line. The question for the Chargers was
really about the weapons that they have, and they brought
back Mike Williams. They added Trey Harris and Keandery Lambert Smith.
You know, in the draft. Of course, they still got
Lad McConkie, who was an absolute stud last year. They're
hoping Quintin Johnston can it can develop into something, you know,
(14:50):
and then they've got a couple of down roster guys
hoping to make it. Jalen ragor the you know, the
former first rounders on it is on that team. So
they they're you know, they're they're kind of hope that
if they build something out on the and the tight
end room, I mean will just Lee Tyler Concklin and
they added around to Gaston Jr. They've they've got some
they've got some talent there and it's gonna be it's
(15:12):
gonna be interesting to see what what overall impact that
has and where they where they shake out. But don't
don't sleep on the Charge. Don't just be dismissive of
the Chargers just because we're hoping that the you know,
the Broncos take that next step this year. You know,
you've got to you gotta keep your head on a
swivel about the opponents in your division and not uh
not underestimate them. And that's one of those things I
think the Chargers are gonna be a you know, it's
just a tough, physical football team.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Uh. And the way they're designed, the way Jim.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Harball likes to play, they're going to be a tough,
physical football team.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Their defense was was very good last year.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
I honestly, I think that the second best defense in
the in the you know, in the in the division.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
I think Kansas City's third.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
But uh, you know, it's it's anytime you have a tough,
physical football team like that, you know, you gotta you
gotta kind of look at where you play them in
the schedule and and all that kind of stuff. And
you know, the Broncos catch the Chargers in LA early.
That's the September twenty first, that's the game Week three,
(16:09):
and then you've got the course the Bengals to follow
that up with in the Eagles before going to London.
And then you don't get again until the end of
the season after a game at Kansas City. And so
at least in that game you'll have like a week
and a half off because it's at at Christmas game.
So we come back. I'm want to tell you about
something the Broncos are looking to focus on this year.
They're looking to focus on They're making an effort you
(16:30):
guys listen to Broncos Country.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
At Night right here on KAA welcome back to it.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Broncos Country Tonight bens with Albright here with you short
show post Rockies edition, And I know I teased it
right as we're heading to break in the last segment.
The Broncos has some areas of focus that they plan
on working on heavily through this offseason training camp. I
(16:59):
know on into the season they've identified a specific area
they believe that they can improve on. If they can
improve on that, they believe it will get them more wins,
and that is starting games faster, scoring first, scoring quickly.
(17:19):
You know, you look at the big wins ahead last year,
most of that came from scoring early. You know, games
they struggled in were games where they got behind or
games where they did not get off to that fast start.
And so they want to come out in the first
and second half both and make sure they're setting the
tempo in each half and having I've got a source
(17:42):
inside the building to kind of detail how they bullet
point how they're looking at this with strategic play calling,
prioritizing play selection that best suits upon it in situation
efficient drives avoiding negative play pedally, sacks, turnovers. They were
pretty good at dead last year, but they want to
(18:02):
continue to uh uh to do that run game focus
and they want to they specifically would like to uh
get a little bit more outside, a little bit more
off the edge there may maybe maybe we're not talking
like toss sweep type stuff, but they would like to
be able to get more runs that that get over
there to the de gap and are able to move defenses,
(18:25):
you know, sideways a little bit as well as stretching things, uh,
you know, vertically through the pass game.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Excuse me.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Tempo and rhythm and that's this is a big one.
Nick and I have talked about this, you know a lot,
and that is you know, maybe going a little up
tempo early, maybe putting your foot on the gas just
just a little bit, especially here at home early in games,
just to just to kind of put defenses back on
their heels. And then you know, the main thing is
(18:52):
is fast starts and early leads allow you to put
your opponent in a position where they've got to catch up,
where you're going to give your pass rush your secondary
benefits because if you're if you're behind, you you tend
to think in terms of I've got to catch up. Uh,
and so they throw the ball a little bit more
(19:13):
and it gives you more opportunities to create turnovers and so, uh,
there's a multifaceted approach to this. But you know, the
the the way that they want to play this year
is they want to get out to early leads, and
so that's that's sort of been it has been. It
was a problem a little bit last year. You look
(19:36):
at you look at some of the games they had
last year. I mean, there were games that could have
gone the other way. They won both of them. But
the two games I'm thinking the most about are the
Raiders game when they debuted the throwback uniforms and you know,
the Raiders that got out to what was I think
it's a ten toh of lead and they had to
ball or drive it again. It could have been it
could have got ugly at that point if it hadn't
been for a pick six from from Certan. And then
(19:58):
the Colts game where you know, they come out Jonathan
Taylor started running the ball with authority and then he
dropped the ball right before the goal line and that
turned that whole game around. And so you know, I
the Broncos don't want to rely on things like that
because you can't count on things like that happen. You
can't count on a player dropping the ball before he
crosses the goal line. It's just pure dumb luck. Or
(20:19):
you know, the pick six from from certain I mean,
there's there's a skill in being a position and making
that play, but the reality is you can't count on
pick sixes. And so I think that, uh, they've identified
this offseason. They said, look, we've got to we've got
to get out to a faster start on offense. We've
got to take a little pressure off the defense, UH
to be able to make these plays we get we've
got the fine ways, uh to get out there, get
(20:44):
out to a lead, and and go from there. Last year,
Sean Payton talked about that a little bit. You know,
it's before the before the Jets game, where he said,
I think each game takes on a shape of its own.
You always want to score your first possession. In other words,
we we do the openers. We'll look at all the
opening drives when you see them. There's touchdowns, field goals,
(21:04):
there's punts, punts, punts. Occasionally there's a turnover. That's trying
to put together the right grouping of plays to fit
who were playing. You know, and obviously Peyton's a West
Coast offense acolyte.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
But.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
There are I think there are better ways to do that,
and the main emphasis is going to be on being
able to run the ball so you're not one dimensional.
That became a problem for the Broncos at times last
year as we saw opponents get out to leads and
punch them in the mouth and then put them in
the position where they had to throw throw a throw
to try to keep up. And you know, that has
(21:40):
never really been an effective strategy for winning games like that.
So you want to you want to get yourself out
to elit so you can play balanced. You know, people
talk about running to salt it away, but really once
you get out to the lead, you can throw the
ball more effectively too, because teams are creeping up expecting
(22:01):
you to run it. You know, they get a little
tight when it comes to those kinds of things, and
it allows you to get some big chunk plays things
like that, and we'll see, but those are that that
is excused me. The big focus I think is as
they're coming into this per people inside the building. It
talk to me that they want to get out the
faster starts this year. That's a big point.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Of emphasis as they as they head into.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
To training camp this year. Pivoting over to the former
Bronco at least as a general manager now general managers
of the Jets, Terrehmuji, and the quarterbacking situation that they
have there. I've made no secret the fact that I
am not a Justin Fields fan, that I think he's terrible,
(22:45):
But you know, who knows, maybe this could be the year.
If the Jets are going to exceed expectations, they'll need
a strong season from him. Fields, who was drafted eleventh
overall by the Bears back in twenty twenty one because
he he could be there. They thought he could be
their long term answer at quarterback, but he never could
turn little flashes here there into consistent play. Obviously moved
(23:08):
on to the Steelers last year. Was you know when
Russell Wilson got hurt. He opened the season as a
starter and then was benched in the offense immediately got
better when Russell Wilson got in and went the rest
of the way. That led to Fields moving on to
the Jets as a free agent this offseason, third team
in three years. I didn't really do much to inspire
(23:29):
hope that it's all going to fall into place for
Fields this year, But I don't know a new team made.
Andre Cisco thinks that anybody who shares those doubts is
in for an unpleasant surprise. Cisco has kind of gone
up the latter at the same time as Fields, and
he said his first chance to see the quarterback up
close was convinced him good things were coming. Cisco said,
(23:49):
me and Justin we were in the same class in
high school, same class in college, same class coming up
in the NFL. So these are people that whether you
play with them or not, you feel you know them
from not too far away. Getting to know him how
close to the teammate, has been really, really special, And
I'm really glad that I get this opportunity to get
behind him and just support him as he takes on
that role. We already know what quarterback means in the NFL.
(24:10):
I'm excited for him to prove those who are doubting
him wrong and those who are supporting right, because I
think he's gonna have a huge year. This goes the
only Jets player to share his belief that the team
is in better shape than most outsiders believe. But years
of offseason hope that went nowhere for the Jets means
proof's gonna have to come on the field for that
bandwagon to fill up.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
I don't believe it with Justin Fields. I don't. I've
seen enough at this point that I'm like, you know, unless.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
You know, unless there's just some something that's been holding
him back this whole time that he just gets over.
But you talk about guy doesn't see the field that well,
He's late with throws, you know, all world athleticism, and
he's a nice guy. I mean, I root for the person,
but in terms of you know who and what he
is as a football player, he's just not an NFL
(24:58):
caliber quarterback. And and we saw that. We saw that
when the Steelers bench team last year to put Russ
in there, and you know, the offense immediately got light
years better. And that's saying something because I think everybody
saw what Russ was here, you know, in Denver, So
you know, end of the day, I don't believe Justin
(25:18):
Fields will end the season as the starting quarterback of
the New York Jets. We'll see, you know, Zack Segers
and I have a little wager I think going on
which quarterback does better this year at New York, Russell
Wilson or Justin Fields. So that's something to be something
to keep your eye on. Jacksonville's got some people talking
about them. Brian Thomas Junior obviously the rising star receiver
(25:41):
Travis Hunter new kid on the block, but Diami Brown
could end up being a quiet difference maker there. Michael
De Rocco of ESPN cited Jack's coach Liam Cohen is
expecting the former Commanders receiver to have a bigger role
in Jacksonville than he did in his four years in Washington.
Cohen uh said of Brown Fia de Roco, you look
(26:04):
at somebody that's able to attack the field at all
three levels. You go down the field on the post,
on the go and the pylons beat top shelf, but
also you throw them a screen and he can go
and do something with it. I can't coach that. I
can't coach you to go and make three people miss
after you caught the ball.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
That's what he can do.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
So hopefully he'll be able to help us at all
three levels. He's hungry coming off a successful end of
the year and he wants to continue to do that,
and it was very successful out of the year for
the Brown. There's the fourth and finally year of a
rookie deal that saw the former third round pick never
really break out. But he had a moment in the
(26:39):
twenty twenty four end of season postseason after full season
yardage totals of one hundred and sixty five, sixty eight
and then three eight, he caught fourteen passes for two
hundred and twenty nine yards or three playoff games to
cap his time at the Commanders and now the goals
for him to do more town Jacksonville. You don't really
(26:59):
see him worked intermediate that much in Washington. I think
over the course of the spring Trevor Lawrence and him
gained a little bit of chemistry on some of those
intermediate inbreakers, curls, and outcuts. Part of the selling point
they haven't come here was, man, we really want to
continue to diversify your route tree and have you do more.
You're not just a screen, jet sweep and vertical threat.
Diami Brown signed a one year, ten million dollars deal
(27:22):
to play in Jacksonville nine and a half of that's guaranteed,
So he's certainly going to get some playtime, not a
major contract, give it a market that's roughly four times
that amount, but it's more than many would have expected
Brown to make at that point. And obviously he's going
to get single coverage because of Brian Thomas and and
Travis Hunter. Speaking of the commanders back in late April,
(27:47):
President Trump addressed the question of whether the commander should
revert the name they dropped five years ago, given the
word was and frankly still is a dictionary defined slur,
and he expressed at the time at the form is
superior to the current one. Trump acknowledged that the former
Washington name was a little different from other names that
had been done like the Cleveland Indians did. On Sunday,
(28:11):
the issue emerged again. Speaking to reporters, the President provided
a stronger endorsement of turning back the clock to days
gone by, saying, quote, do you want me to make
a controversial statement. I wouldn't have changed the name just
doesn't have the same ring to me. He acknowledge the
on field success can make a new name better. Same quote,
(28:33):
but you know, winning can make everything sound good. So
if they win all of a sudden, Commanders sounds good,
But I wouldn't have changed the name. For his part,
Commander's owner Josh Harris said the old name will not
be returning. Still, his predecessor said the prior name would
never change, and then changed it to Commanders after making
it Washington Football team for a while. The prospect of
(28:55):
change comes at a time when the Commanders could be
going to get help to get a DC deal done
that would allow a new facility to be built on
the site of RFK Stadium, which means if they ultimately
would need the President's help, they may have to do
something in return. That's something could include naming the stadium
after him, or renamed the team, or whatever other ludicrous
(29:17):
thing that he would want. It all comes down to
what he would want in exchange for his assistance in
getting DC to finalize the arrangement, whether the team would
even be willing to do it. Joel Botonio is going
to be back out for a twelfth season with the Browns.
The leftguard's return whether the twenty twenty five campaign wasn't
a sure thing. Antonio took some time after the season
(29:39):
to confirm he'd be back in Cleveland. He told Barry
Shuck of Dogs by Nature, that he never doubted his
ability to continue playing at a high level, but there
was truly a decision because the way things played out
last year, Browns went three to fourteen, and one of
the offseason questions about quarterback and other spots on the
roster that made it hard for Botonio to immediately commit
to returning. The bad take that the twenty twenty four
(30:01):
season left in his mouth, along with the arrival of
the offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren, turned out to be
the leading reasons why he decided to keep playing. Atonio said,
it was tough. I did give consideration retiring. I was frustrated.
I don't know if I would have done the same conversation.
We'd going to the playoffs again. Maybe we're a ten
win team, but after having a successful year followed by
losing four team was difficult. I questioned why I was
(30:22):
playing the game, What am I doing here? The fact
that we had a terrible season was not what I
was expecting. Sat back and waited for a little bit.
Talked to head coach Kevin Stefanski. They brought in Bloomgren
and promoted Tommy Reese's offensive coordinator. He said they were
going to draft a quarterback and make all these moves.
I wanted to go out on a higher note than
what we experienced last year.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
It remains to.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Be seen the Browns moves at quarterback will push the
team back up in the standings, but having Betonio as
part of the protection plan certainly should help. Browns for
their part, drafted both Dylan Gabriel and Shadeorge Sanders and
brought in Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, all four of
which we'll compete for the starting job there. Chase Claypool,
(31:05):
old Maple Tron, said he's stronger and faster than ever
after missing last season. Almost a year ago, wide receiver
Chase Claypool suffered a toe injury in Bill's trading camp
that was initially described as day to day, but ended
up being so serious it cost him in the entire season.
Claypool is unsigned, but says he's ready to have the
best year of his career. Laypool wrote on social media
(31:25):
that he needed extensive medical treatment rehabit is now capable
of doing everything he's ever done on the football field.
Saying quote, I tore a ligman and attended in my
second toe. I've been rehabbing, working out, recovering every day
for the last year. I'm back to being the strongest
and fastest I've ever been. Couldn't be more excited to
step back out on the field and let my actions
speak for themselves.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Twenty seven year.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Old Claypool certainly has talent, which is why the Steelers
drafted him in the second round back in twenty twenty
when the Bearers traded a second round or to acquire
him in twenty twenty two. But after promising first couple
of seasons in Pittsburgh, has production plummeted. He caught just
eight passes playing for two teams in twenty twenty three,
the Bears and the Dolphins, and then didn't play at
all last year with the aforementioned injury in Buffalo. Claypoo
(32:08):
was falling a long way from when he was one
of the NFL's best rookie receivers five years ago, but
he's shown enough that some team will likely give him
a chance to show what he has in training camp
and whether he really is stronger and or faster than.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Ever before and real quickly.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Terry McLaurin not happy with his contract situation. Some are
of discontent for multiple pass rushers, but there's a pass
catcher who isn't happy with his contract. McLaurin and his
last year of a current deal at a base salary
of fifteen point five million. The new money market for
wide receivers is now north of forty million. Clearly deserves
an adjustment and acknowledging that fact is one thing. Coming
(32:46):
up with a number that makes him happy is another.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowlers reported during Sunday Sports Center that McLaren
is not happy with where things are with an extension.
That's sort of obvious given he boycotted the entire offseason
program voluntary and mentatale, So at any deadline driven sports,
there's no need for the commanders to get their best
number until training camp approaches. Will he hold out if
(33:08):
he doesn't get what he wants before camp starts SAT
and remains to be seen. He turns thirty on September fifteen,
so this is probably his last shot to get paid,
and the best way to apply leverages obviously deny services McLaren,
who's been pretty quarterback proof has five straight thousand yard seasons.
Last year eighty two catches, one thousand, ninety six yards
thirteen touchdowns.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
The best news for the Commanders is that a new
deal on.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Dauted, he'll drop his cap number, which his cap number
will be twenty five point five million this year. It
said he may prefer to burn up cap dollars during
the next two years of Jaydon Danils rookie deal. Come
twenty twenty seven, it will be time to pay him
a lot more than nine point four million he's making
per year on his initial contract, So something to keep
your keep your.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Eye on there.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
And still nothing on the Nick Benito, Zach Allen or
Courtland Sutton fronts, But as that stuff comes up, I'll
be happy to happy to keep you guys. A prize
programming note Thursday full live show myself Nick Ferguson, So
you guys want to stay tuned for that. You guys
listening to Broncos Country tonight right here on koa's fifty
am ninety four one FM News Talk Sports
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