09-18-24 Matt McChesney with Broncos Country Tonight

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And let's head on out to the KOA Common Spirit
health line and welcome to the show. Former CU buff
and Denver bronco owner of the Six to zero Football
Academy and Recruiting and host of the Zero to sixty podcast,
Matt McChesney to the show. Matt, how are you?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
What's happening? Guys? How are you on Wednesday evening?

Speaker 1 (00:17):
You know, it's a beautiful night here in Denver. Nick
and I have been having quite the fun evening and
we thought we'd talked a little bit of Broncos with you.
How about that?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Let's do it? I like it all right?

Speaker 1 (00:27):
So I know you're at the game on Sunday and
afterwards there was a there was a clip floating around
there on the interwebs. No audio to the visual that happened,
but it was a view from the Denver Broncos huddle
and maybe some perplexing looks that were taking place during
what I can only assume is some play calling. Can
you give me your initial thoughts on that so we

(00:49):
can open this conversation up right?

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Uh? Yeah, And I'm sure Ferg will jump in on
this one too, because look, I played de sense my
entire career in college, and I started my NFL care
at nose tackle and I got moved offense in the
middle of my NFL career and I got handed the
offensive playbook and it was daunting, to say the least.
So I can only imagine. And that was a defensive

(01:13):
head coach in New York and thereon, Eric Mangini that
really tried to simplify things and just copy what they
did in New England. I can't imagine what bone Nis
is going through mentally trying word. Sean Payton's just language
on top of the scheme. So I don't think it's
just him either. They're judging by what I saw on Sunday,

(01:35):
they looked confused. They look out of sorts. The offensive
line looks slow footed, which means they're thinking before they
can just get up and play. And Bo is just
like chasing a shadow. So I'm concerned. Man. That huddle
was That was ugly. And I know to the untrained
eye that it's like, oh, well, they're just communicating. It

(01:57):
looked to me like everybody was asking what are we
doing and then they were like, oh yeah, I got it.
And usually on the football field, when a dude just says,
I got it. You know, he ain't got it and
he's gonna screw it up. And the coach at me
yelling at him, You're never going to, you know, admit
that you don't know what's going on on the field
because they'll take your rep. So I'm pretty concerned. I

(02:19):
thought that that was a very telling h video and
I almost liked it about the sound because it forces
everybody to really think about what's going on now.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Coach Sean Payton said after the game when he was
on with Dave Logan about trying to and this is
me paraphrasing, maybe trimming things down. And I don't know
if that is from a play call standpoint or just
the amount of plays that he goes in on his
call sheet. And we've seen those restaurant menu type of
call sheets. Now for a season coach like Sean Payton

(02:50):
and looking at where the offense is both from running
the running the ball and the passing the ball, I mean,
what could he do as an offensive coordinated to kind
of really make things more concise to the players can
go out there and execute.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Man, This is a loaded question, but a good one. Look.
Sean Payton's obviously he's got tulps on the wall, he's
a super Bowl winning coach and and all of that
good stuff. But for Bree, I mean, Steve was all
with you earlier. Everybody knows that you don't win without players,
you don't win without a quarterback. So you know, Sean
without Drew Brees, who is he really? You know, Bill

(03:27):
Belichick without Tom Brady, who is he really? So everything
has to come together perfectly. And look, Sean Payton last year,
he did this with Russ, and he like would would
throw Russ under the bus at times, and look, he
deserved to be thrown under the bust of times, but
he would throw him outder the bust of times talking
about how you know they're going to try and dumb

(03:48):
things down to speed him up. And he's a twelve
year vet or whatever. He is a super Bowl winning quarterback.
So again, with a rookie, I always, I always thought
was easier just to simplify everything, and you know, like
one word code for the play and have one kill
call instead of three, and you know, instead of like

(04:11):
having him reiterate the formation and blah bla blah blah
blah blah all the way down through the protection in
the routes, you just have one word. You walk up
and say stallion, you know, kill pink, you know, and
if I say pink, that's the kill, that's the kill color.
And then we can go stallion sixty four, you know,
triple slant or something, and that simplifies everything. We get

(04:34):
to the land of scrimats where he can actually start
to process what he's looking at because judging by what
I saw Sunday, he was walking up late and not
getting really a chance to look at what Pittsburgh was doing.
And they weren't doing anything crazy, They're just good. So
I'd like to see him just you know, like one
word easy. You know, everybody remembering your job quarterback obviously

(04:59):
you have to remember everything. But does he need to
really repeat? Does it need to be a repeat game?
Like does it need to be super complex like Sean Payton.
Is he being like miked every week or something? Is
it a documentary where he needs to sound smart or
does he just want that like is he trying to
get his flowers that he's the smartest of sense of

(05:21):
mind in history? Or is he going to acclimate too
because he's sure as hell is asked the fan base
and the owners and the media and everybody to change
the way they do things in Denver to sit him.
So I wonder if Champaign's going to change the way
he does things in Denver to fit the players and
the scheme and like the ability to go win a

(05:42):
football game. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:43):
Absolutely, So you're talking about the first initial steps to
get Bonnicks back and rolling. It's going to take a
little bit of a hit here, though, as Mike McGlinchey
goes on IR with a minimum of a four week
sit out, there does look like Garrett Bowles is going
to be okay. However, I've got some questions about the
depth in the current play of the offensive line. What
are you seeing from the O line? How do the

(06:04):
Broncos address it? And is it that in the kind
of rearview mirror for seeing Bonix find some success here?

Speaker 2 (06:10):
Ooh Boyglitty being out, I'm not going to say it's
like we're gonna get any worse. I mean to pay
the guy eighty five million dollars or one hundred and six.
Maybe Powers got eighty five, I can't really remember. But
he's I think he's been a severe disappointment at right tackle.
I mean, last year he was voted to captain. This

(06:32):
year they did not vote him captain. Again, that says something.
I just that offensive line is paid. Bulls is paid,
miners is paid, powers is paid. The center is a
league minimal guy. But Glint he's paid. When are they
going to start playing like it? It's not on it's

(06:53):
not on constraints anymore. I mean, he played in the
NFL for fifteen years. When are the men up front
on the dever Bronco offensive line going to play football
the way that they're capable of so something good can
happen for the backs, for the receivers and for the
young quarterback. I mean, that should be the strong point
of this team, and again it's its weakest link. I mean,

(07:14):
Garrett Balls and mcguinchey, and again I know that I'm
hardcore and I'm mean and all this stuff, but they
were atrocious onset. They were terrible. So when you wear white,
you usually give up. And that's what I saw at
home with the Broncos wearing white and giving up on
Sunday on the offensive line.

Speaker 3 (07:31):
Well, this down the office line for a second, because
Brie and I was talking about this, because yeah, you're right,
the offensive line, they are really paid. But except for
the center position, it is just a case or am
I too far gone to even make the statement of
saying the Broncos miss Lloyd Cushionberry at the center position.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
I think they do. I think they missed Connor McGovern win.
Lloyd got there. I think you know, like they draft guys,
they let them develop in the good player and then
they just let him leave. And you know, for a
franchise that had Tom Nayland forever, like, it's not a
coincidence that Tom Naland was a mainstay and the offensive

(08:12):
line was always good when he was there. That's not
just something that happens. It's not because of the franchise.
It's because of Tommy. So, you know, he was the
glue guy, and usually your center has to be that.
So even at the high school that I coach at,
our center is our smallest player, but he's the smartest
guy and he's the glue. And if Birch isn't out

(08:32):
there doing this thing, then we're in trouble. So I
just I don't understand why they don't build from the
inside out on the offensive Why obviously they have a
left tackle that's serviceable. But I mean, I've had this
conversation with people who are like you think Derrick Bowles
is a real favorite, and I'm like, are you out
of your mind? What is the standard for Ring of
Fame anymore? He's never even been in a playoff game.

(08:55):
So the offensive line, in my opinion, is severely underachieving.
And it doesn't seem to me like they I'm not
saying they don't care, I mean, where is the fight.
Like the home opening, they came out and got absolutely
dominated by Campy, who has a Hall of Famer by TJ. Watt,
he's a freak. I mean, high Smith ate him alive.

(09:16):
They couldn't walk the linebackers, they couldn't pick up the glitzes,
they had no push in the run game, and they
struggled in Seattle as well. And look, I don't know
if anybody's noticed, but when the Broncos go on the
road in Florida, like in September and October, bad things happened.
So I thought, at Tampa, I'm sure they're gonna, you know,

(09:37):
vida ay. At No Stack, it was no scrub. So
I hope that the interior three bringing their lunch Trail
and Quinn Myners just got broke off a huge contract
and he deserves every penny, but he needs to play
to a standard that he leads the other four now
instead of just being the guy that plays hard, you know,
and and is going for a contract. You got the

(09:59):
money you got to see on your chest. Are you
going to be the leader of these five? Or are
you going to keep looking at the two tackles that
like essentially helped you into the league and it helped you,
you know, mature to the player you are. Are they
still the leaders and you're just wearing the seat? So
I need to see a lot out of the offensive
line this week. Man, It's all on them. If they
can't go to Tampa and play well, we have absolutely

(10:21):
no chance of winning this game.

Speaker 1 (10:23):
That's not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I
think you're right. Talking to Matt McChesney zero to sixty,
you had a great quote, I'm going to switch gears
here and go to another Colorado team. You had a
quote from your show a couple of weeks ago, and
it was even featured on the ESPN broadcast for the
Colorado Buffalo Is. It went something like if Shador doesn't
have to do everything, he can do anything. Are the
Buffs leaning into this mantra? Is that going to bode

(10:44):
well for Shador's success?

Speaker 2 (10:47):
Look, I liked what I saw on Saturday, And you know,
all to all the Colorado State fans listening and all
the people that picked against THEE, you why do you
pick CSU If they're not me? Good? Now to you
beat them? So that's my first thing. Number two, I
think Shador is an elite talent. I mean, he had
to throw the other night to Wester that was an

(11:09):
lway throw like it looked like you know when John
put his foot in the ground in Cleveland and rocketed
the ball to Mark Jackson. Mark Jackson, and I'm not kidding,
gon't watch it. It's between three rams and it was
a dot. So I think when you hit him, which
they chief shot at him again in this game, it
just pissed him off. And he went for four tutties.

(11:29):
I think he's got I think he's pretty special when
he supported and look, everybody can have their opinion of
old Patty Boy Patch over, but he he did change
and they did run the ball for one hundred and
nine yards and it was you know, again, whatever narrative
you want to feed into, you can, but that's vast
improvement from the first two weeks and last season. So

(11:51):
I feel a really strong, you know, improvement week in
and week out. And not only is Shador being supported
by Travis Hunter, who I mean, have you ever seen
anyone like twelve in your entire life?

Speaker 3 (12:05):
No? Wait, the only person I've seen like like twelve
is twenty four at champ Bailey.

Speaker 2 (12:11):
That's it.

Speaker 3 (12:12):
And they don't make many of those.

Speaker 2 (12:13):
Guys, and like even Charles Woodson, like Charles was good
on offense, and Prime was good on offense, and Champ
played some offense, but they didn't just play every play
every game. So I mean, Travis is a unicorn. And
when you have that kind of support and your offensive
linds playing better and then all of a sudden, you
got this defense that's just flying around and tattooing people

(12:36):
and causing turnovers and you know, only giving up twelve
points in three games in the second half all year.
That that says to me that they are getting better
and bolder. The guys are buying into the culture and
the community that coach prime Is has preached that he's
building that he is, you know, and look, a hater

(12:57):
can find a fault in anything, but it's hard to
stay the course and the entire world tells you you're wrong,
but you know you're right. And I really think that
people in Boulder really hold onto your ass because this
is gonna get pretty fun. Man Shoudor Special, well.

Speaker 3 (13:12):
Speaking of Shador really really quickly. I know everyone made
a huge deal after the game of Shaudor and not
shaken Nickelosi's hand, And I know I want your viewpoint,
and I'm asking you this question because I know you're
not going to give me the bias buff a lum answer.
But did you look at it the same way that

(13:33):
oh there's a problem and he's not shaking hands and
he's supposed to be somewhat sportsmanship and that's not good sportsmanship.
How did you look at that?

Speaker 2 (13:42):
I wouldn't have shaken Nichols either, no way, especially with
how much he ran his mouth, how much Horton ran
his mouth, knowing that they're dirty, cheap play that they
do with Cso this is the way they've always played.
They've got to played dirty in order to try and win,
like last year, like that again, like they did in
this year. I mean, does it's like the CSU faithful

(14:03):
in the country for God that Horton and Nicolosi sat
on you know, on social media and on TV and
talked about we're gonna murder these guys. We open revenge.
We'll see what eleven and eleven sounds like. Instagram followers
don't get you, that get you this and the whole game.
Nicolosi was just talking trash while he was getting merked,
by the way, So I wouldn't have shook his hand either,

(14:25):
And I got no problem with your door, not shaking
his hand and tell him, telling him what it is. This. Look,
there's a thing called sportsmanship that is true. But sportsmanship
goes out the door at a rivalry game. It's it's
heated where we don't like each other. Like I have
no love lost for CSU or their fans at all.
I think that they're the dirtiest program in college football,
and I'm going to continue to reiterate that. And I

(14:48):
like dirty stuff, like I'm with it. I'm with it.
And if I'm saying that, if I'm saying that they're dirty,
oh that's bad. So all I'm saying is Shador had
every right to say what's on his mind. And I
don't look at this like it's a negative. Any general
manager or head coach that looks at Saint Door and goes,
that's not the quarterback I walk because he's not a sportsman.

(15:10):
I look at him and go, that is exact dude,
I want. He's a dog. He's only about his team.
He doesn't care what anybody thinks. He he competes better
after they hit him. He's clutching two minutes. His percentage,
his completed percentage is through the roof. He makes good decisions,
and he's tough and like he doesn't back down from

(15:31):
any challenge ever, and he's not afraid to tell you
about it. And that sounds to me like his dad.
So you just you don't. Sometimes you got to understand
that you don't siddle the Mustang. You just kind of
let him go do the thing.

Speaker 1 (15:47):
As a coach, quick sixty seconds from you, what's the
message to the team as they head into homecoming week
beyond as significant big twelve matchups approach, Look, do your.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
Job, you know, don't get too high about you can
see su twenty four hour ol the same way you
didn't get too low about losing ther brasket, which was necessary.
It exposed flaws that were fixed. Now be able to
look at the Colorado State film as if you lost
and fix the flaws that are on the field, so
you can play a much better Baylor team. You're better

(16:18):
than that. You should be at home on national TV.
Whether it's rain, sleep, snow, or hail. It doesn't matter
to play them in a parking lot. Who cares. Lock
the gates on the Bears. And with that ass so
the UCF game means something. And then you're going into
the bye week with Kansas State on deck, so the
tune in the country will change as soon as you
start playing them like a fiddle. And that's what coach

(16:40):
Prime does to the media, so it's kind for the
team to start doing it to college football. So I mean, look,
this is an opportunity for all of them to keep
going building their own brand on the foundation of the
University of Colorado, which you know it is very strong
these days, to say the least. So I'm excited for Saturday.

(17:00):
Then I can't wait. Nick is my son. Nick got
invited up as a recruit, so we'll be up there
on Saturday night and it's gonna be awesome. I'll bring
my my umbrella just.

Speaker 1 (17:09):
In case for the downpour. Thanks for your time this evening, Matt,
I have yourself a great rest of your night, and
go Buffs. Matt McChesney, legendary buff