Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joined in the studio by Nick Ferguson and the Hall
of Famer Steve Atwater.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
How are you, Steve?
Speaker 3 (00:05):
What's going on? What's going on? Jeep Man?
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Doing good man? I got to ask you guys. I
was sitting on the couch earlier today. You know, the
one perk of this schedule is you get to have
a slow morning, which I think is a real treat
in life. And I was sitting on the couch with
my two cats watching the Pat McAfee show.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
I just found this ultimate comfort spot.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Like if I could just lay there forever, how my
body was positioned on this couch, I was gonna be
in heaven.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah. Have you ever had a moment like that?
Speaker 1 (00:33):
We would just like have the ultimate comfort comfort moment?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah, yeah I have.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
And actually, uh, I had one of those moments when
you know it's we're at that point.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
We've had our massage chair for quite a while and
you wore it out. Yeah there's one.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
I but we went to look at some some some
new ones and these things rotate back now now and
put you like you're you know, in a waitless position.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I forget what they call it, but like zero gravity.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Yes, And I was I was right there in heaven. Man,
I'm the guys looking at me. I'm like, oh, okay, okay,
did you buy the chair?
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Not yet? Not yet, we got it. Maybe maybe Sata's
going to bring it for Christmas.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
And I see I'm not. I'm not in a hurry.
I'm gonna go in on. That's Christmas.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Crisis, Travers. What about you, Nick?
Speaker 5 (01:32):
Real quickly, I want to know, like, when you were
in heaven sitting in a chair, did you some by
way see the Broncos winning the Super Bowl while you
were in heaven?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
No?
Speaker 4 (01:45):
I didn't. I didn't, but I didn't see anybody winning.
And I wasn't even thinking about mind was blank floating.
I was in the sky. It was relaxation.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
I get that I haven't had it in a while
because I haven't had like a deep tissue massage. But
typically when I get a deep tissue massage, mentally, I
kind of space out, just like what you're talking about.
Where now you in this kind of lucid dream like state,
writ in re em sleep, and every little thought that
(02:25):
the world had put.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
On you and now goes away, It just disappears, it
just goes away. Yeah, there we go. I have this friend.
I got to give him a shout out. Her name's Courtney.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
She has a place called Recenter Massage and she does
Ashiatsu massage.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Okay, well with her feet. Wait wait, wait, that's the woe.
When they stand on the.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Palls and balance themselves and just dig into like your
hips or your thighs with their heel.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
It is the most amazing thing I've ever experienced.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
I went to Hawaii and I had one of those done,
and I think the lady like stepped too hard on
my back.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
That's the only thing I could think of that happened
to my bank. Well, was he stepped on your bag?
Did you immedately say something?
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Whoa, you gotta come down over there?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Too much pressure hurts?
Speaker 5 (03:12):
Wow, based on what he just told me, Yeah, we
got to go to a professional like my friend.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah. Good point, good point, good point.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Even though she's so good, she's booked out for like
two years, so I don't even know why I say anything.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I can't even get in there.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, she just had to hire someone else for a
company because she's too busy.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Oh, somebody got to cancel every now and man.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well that's a good problem to have though, right man?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
That's a great problem.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Good problem to have for the Broncos.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Everyone complaining about the way they're winning, but they keep
winning ten in a row after taking down the Raiders.
I called it a dominant win. Nick did not agree
with me. Did you think it was a dominant win?
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Steve?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Wait, wait, hold on, I'm just saying, Hey, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Pulling to Ryan Edwards here, I'm saying exactly what you said.
It was not a dominant win.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
Yes, I did say that, But why don't you say, yeah, well,
why don't you put it in context? Because I said
not a dominant win. But then I followed that with
something else. Granted you seem to have left that out.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
What did you follow with me? It was an efficient win?
Thank you, thank you. I said it wasn't dominant, it
was efficient. So Steve, how did you see it?
Speaker 5 (04:19):
So?
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Hang on?
Speaker 4 (04:20):
First off, what what what makes it efficient versus dominant?
Speaker 5 (04:25):
Well, okay, for dominance. Now we're talking about double digit
point totals per quarter, right, that's dominance. Now, I know
everyone else is looking at time and possession. That's the
difference of what what maybe nine minutes of time of
possession twenty Okay, what I'm I'm looking at, well, the
total of points per quarter, right, that it was a
(04:48):
very efficient game because seven points offensively scored in the
first quarter. For the other fourteen, you could say that
that was Will Lutz and that was Marvin Mims. Third
quarter seven points, right, and then I don't think there
was any points And the fourth.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Special teams don't come when it comes to dominance, well, no,
because because I'm looking.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
At offensively, right, because every everyone has their different tail
as far as what they examine as it retains to
a level of dominance.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
And I'm only applying.
Speaker 5 (05:22):
That to teams that I've seen in the past, who
were the Broncos or other teams around the league.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Yeah, so I'll be honest, I wouldn't actually.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Say dominant, but it was. It was impressive. It was
a total win in all phases of the game. But
you allso got to look and say, that's what we
should have did against the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Right, that's what I should have looked like the first time.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
To see Gret they saying exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
To yesterday, I was coming around your way of thinking
because after I you know, I worked the game on
Sunday and I was so out of my mind because
the Broncos were just in control the entire time. And
I told Ben last night, like this was boring in
all the best ways for the Broncos.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it never really felt like the
Raiders had a chance.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
No, even when it was fourteen seven, Like you don't,
you didn't feel like the Raiders were going to come
back and win that game.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Yeah, amen. Rjie Harvey he's running rock. Yeah, he's running
that rock boy. He found his groove that this week.
But but the only thing for me though, is like.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
I wish some.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Of those hits he wouldn't take because he had hit
He hit big time contact.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
More than ten time. I mean many times.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
I mean Jamal Adams head him square up, he just
didn't grab claub and Harvey, you.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Know, bounced through that.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
But once again, that was one of those attributes in
traits that made him a high prospect for the Denver Broncos.
His ability to break to break tackles and situation like that.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
And I'm not talking about breaking down.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
I'm talking about taking the hits helmet to helmet. You
can only do so many of them over the course
of your career.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, you're right, You don't want that many.
Speaker 5 (07:13):
But you play a running back position where it seem
as though it is you even though you have ten
other teammates, but it's you against eleven other guys on
the defensive side of the ball. But once again, I
go back to this, this is why he was drafted,
the physical style of running that he has.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
And I kind of said the comp for me when R. J.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
Harvey was coming out of college, that's Ray Rice from
Baltimore Ravens. And we know how great is well, I
mean just on the field, that's all it was. But
we know how Ray Rice toted the rock and how
a physical downhill runner he was. So to me, that's
the comparison.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
Yeah, I just like I said, I know there were
some makes and pains after the game.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
It's gonna be like that most games.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
But you know, sometimes you got to know when you
when you need to get that first down and other
times that you got I ain't gonna say, make a
real decision, but.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Save the body for another day.
Speaker 5 (08:09):
Hey man, you know what this this sounds really different
coming from Steve who I I grew up watching and
the physicality that he.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Brought to the game.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
He knows how much it hurt when he delivered those hits,
but also like I got this because my son played
running back in high school.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Yeah, and like I went to the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
I think I was going to see Shannon or somebody
get John to get in, one of those guys get in.
And then I was at one of the after parties
and I saw Emmy Smith there. I was like, Amen,
what's up, mate, Man? I saw plays running back. Tell
me some things that I should tell them to make
sure that you know, don't play run back. No, he
was like, tell him, don't take his he don't have
to take.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
And that's a greatness of all times.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Yeah, He's like, well, you gotta get it. You gotta
get it, but you also want to be smart. You can't.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
You can't take all them hits, bro, you can't take
that many hits.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
And you're not gonna be there for your team when
they need you. You ain't gonna be there.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
And we already lost one running back. Hey, we can't lose.
We can't lose RJ.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
And I don't want them to be, you know, to
start tiptoing. You know, I know that's his style of play,
but you know, you bro, just don't take that many
hiss bro, It's gonna be hard. They could probably teach
them teacher better than I can, just saying from the
outside looking at it. But I'm like, man, boy, he
taking them head on.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Well, boy, you can see in the game planning and
the execution on Sunday against the Raiders, they took a
little different because even though they ran the ball, when
you look at the receiving yards and targets, I mean R. J.
Harvey was second on the team behind Courtland Sutton with
six targets, so you can see that. I guess we've
seen the game plan utilized with Marvin Mams, but now
(09:54):
you can put a guy back there who's used to
taking those hits.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
But RJ.
Speaker 5 (09:58):
Harvey see another way that I guess in Sean's way
of getting the run game going is throwing to the
run back running backs out of the backfield on the perimeter.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
So with that frame of mind, now you give.
Speaker 5 (10:10):
It to them with the possibility of being able to
see the defender coming at you at that point, now
you have a choice.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
You get him a jupe move. You better start joking.
Oh please, man, I'm looking out for your family. Some
jup moves every now and then, Bro, you can't run
everybody over.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Going back to your targets conversation, though, it was good
to see Corler and Sutton a point of the offense.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
There, man.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I mean, that's like, that's what I've been calling for
all year. Yes, get our number one receiver the ball,
and it seemed like it was finally part of the
game plan.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Again.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
I felt like Troy Franklin was not much of the
game plan, but Court was a focal point.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
Would you believe me if I told you try Franklin
over the season has had more red zone targets than
call a sudden?
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Is that true? That's true? That's crazy?
Speaker 5 (11:02):
Is that more RedZone target? If I'm not mistaken, I think,
what is that nine redsone targets? Troy Franklins at fifteen?
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Hey, that doesn't make any sense to me. Well, it
makes sense if you know that he bold Nicks has
a certain comfort level with Troy Franklin from the years
they played together, and it's gotta be it's gotta be
a little bit of that, you know, like that's a
safety net, even though.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
It's a safety that is at his own. Boy, my
homeboy involved.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
I don't know if it's that, but he has a
certain comfort level. He's been throwing throwing for so long,
and he know where it's gonna be a little bit more,
maybe than than everybody.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
And I'm not saying that it's a bad thing to
want to get your former Oregon teammate involved. I'm not
saying that's that that's kind of a downside. But at
the same time, when you can create multiple red zone threats,
now you take the advantage of the defense saying okay,
well we can isolate this particular guy double him.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Yeah, I mean I think I think, hey, dude, I
think Bowl goes through his progression, but it just happened
to be that, Hey, I'm.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Gonna go through my progression where it's eleven. No, he's
almost I.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Think that's the last thing on bose mine. Honestly, like he.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
He you know, I don't think he's playing moneyball. I
just think don't think he's doing that.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
I think that he has a certain comfort level with
him and hey.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
And if you see them like, oh whoa, he's made
this catch a thousand times.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
The only thing I think Troy Franklin's progression has been
amazing from year one to year two. But he just
doesn't catch the contested balls more often than not. Like,
that's what my problem is in Courtland Sutton has made
a lining off of that.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
Maybe Okay, So when you look at the touchdown pass
and in the game against the Washington Commanders, Courling went
from the left side.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
All the weight to the right side of the field.
You see bow knicks break. He even trying to escape
the pocket and.
Speaker 5 (13:01):
Prevent from being sacked, and he's still enough presence of
mind to throw the ball to the spot and like
Courtland get there. See that is what I've come to
know Cortland to be. Yeah, he's that fifty to fifty
receiver and you're right, it is being able to make
those contested catches. And we've seen Courtland Sutton.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
Do that a bump and Courtland, I'm telling you, he
made a catch in his last game though that I
didn't think he was going to catch because it was
it was a difficult catch and he made it look easy.
And I think it was Cam Newton I was listening to.
He was saying something about the good receivers they catch
(13:44):
all the ass that you're they're supposed to catch. But
the great ones catch the ones that people think, now,
I ain't gonna catch that.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
That was.
Speaker 5 (13:52):
You know, sometimes receivers in essence have to make their
quarterback look good, and at some point the quarterbacks to
make the receiver look good by ball placement and leading him.
But sometimes passes are not going to be as accurate
as you want them to be.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
The great receivers you got to make that catches.
Speaker 5 (14:13):
And this is what we're talking about once again, grant
what you're talking about the contested fifty to fifty balls,
Because when I try to explain to people what the
difference between each level from high school to college to
the pros as far as what's considered to be open,
they're astonished when I tell them, hey, a dB being
in your hip pocket and.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Phase that's all I mean.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
There's a big difference between open at any other level
and open.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, he got a little window there.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Yes, like me.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
You may have five steps in college, maybe two steps.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
And I heard Peyton Manning said, Peyton Manning say this that.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
No, No, I'm sorry, it wasn't. It wasn't Peyton Manning.
It was it was Champ. Champ. You know, what is
the greatest trade of a quarterback. He said, accuracy of passing.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Because I can be covering a guy, but if he
puts throws the more accurately, there's there's almost nothing I
can do.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Nothing.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
Just just think about the Trylon Brooks pass and the
Commanders game. You, yeah, righting was both guys climbed the ladder,
but Treylon Brooks came up with the pass.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I mean, that's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
That was the second coming of OBJ right, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
That's open in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Well, speaking of accuracy, this is from Zach Stevens with
d mvr BO. Nicks is just the third player ever
with three games of twenty five plus completions and eighty
percent completion rate within his first two seasons of the NFL. Wow.
Like he gets a lot of he gets a lot
of flak from the national media, but it seems like
he's always figuring it out and never making the same mistake.
Speaker 5 (15:51):
For But see, that's why when you said to me,
and you were not the only person to mention the
word dominant, But I say, that's why I say efficient, right,
because you're not going to have that many dominating games,
especially here on out.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
But it's how efficient can you be?
Speaker 5 (16:06):
And like I told you, Grant, and I'll tell the
audience and until you see the reason I say is
more efficient to dominate or some people are saying dominant
because we haven't really seen the Broncos offense operate the
way they did against the Raiders, and the Raiders did
a great job of taking away the deep passes. But
but no, but both to what was there? Now, I'm
(16:30):
gonna put a video up later on tonight and I'm.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Gonna show you where do you find that?
Speaker 5 (16:34):
Oh at Nick ferguson Underscore twenty five, so laid on tonight,
I'm a post the video right showing you two wide
receivers open on go routes. But you know what happened
when both stepped up in the pocket. Someone lost on
protection and as the team moves on, you can't lose
and protection and essentially give away of.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Explosives or give away points.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Right those explosives they trying to blow up a defense
right away and let them know. And you know what,
no matter what you're in, we have the ability to
take the top off the defense. The Broncos haven't really
really done that, but it's always due to maybe a
penalty or leaky pressure late in this flushes Bow out
of the pocket.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Right.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
It also seems like to me that we aren't throwing
as many go balls. It seemed like we were throwing
a ton of I'm like, bro, come on those in immediates.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
But and I think that.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
This last game it shown man, they are they're they're
they're spreading that thing around in every part of the field.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
They must have looked at the charts and be like, oh, man, okay,
we didn't hit that area there. They hit every area
this last game. Yes they did. We're off and rolling.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
By the way, Courtland Sutton passes Steve Watson for six
most receiving yards or granchise history. In that game against
the Raiders, we got Steve Atwater, the Hall of Famer
and studio alongside Nick Ferguson, I'm Grant Smith on Broncos
Country to Night. Okay, away Broncos Country Night, I'm your host, Smithville.
And then for Benjamin Olbrian alongside the Hall of Famer,
Steve Atwater and Nick Ferguson. Nick, you wanted to talk
(18:15):
about why pre and post snap communication is so vital
to the Broncos success.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
What do you mean by that, Well.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Yeah, because and Steve can attest to this. When it
comes to communication is so vide or so so important,
especially on the defensive side of the ball when you're
playing home, because it's going to be really loud, which
I expect is going to be loud.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
It's going to be so loud, so you want to
make sure that whatever communication.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Soon as they break the huddle, Steve and I are talking,
what are we seeing or.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Do they have two or the top receivers on the
same sip? Right? Is there a flop formation?
Speaker 5 (18:50):
So we know if there's a switch in man coverage
and we expecting a man beater. We talked beforehand instead
of talking after the play because by that time it's
too late. Now let's look at the pre snap indicators
for the officer side of the ball. First of all,
it starts with communication and getting the play in in
time from the sideline. Oh man, yes, so, so.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Did you ever have an instance when you played when
you're the call is not in, your call is.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Not in, and the clock is takeing down? Just how
did y'all handle that? Some how? What's it called?
Speaker 4 (19:27):
The defense? He just whatever it was, the hell with it?
We had we started doing that too.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Yes, I mean that's.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Why I mean kind of the value of having a
guy you can rely on that is your green dot,
like Alex Singleton right now, right like if the play
call doesn't come in, which I haven't heard any of
this from Vance Joseph, but he could call a defense
that is suitable for the situation.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
But yeah, I agree with you, and you're saying when
they once they get that call, now I got to
look and see what what they got going and right.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Right, because I remember talking to and Simmons and he said,
playing for Vic Fangio, sometimes it'd be a situation where
the call comes in late or it doesn't come in
at all, and now you have to essentially do what
we just say.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Yes, it's that type of thing. And for offense, they got.
Speaker 5 (20:22):
To get like both Nicks got to get the call
in so he's able to look at the defense processor
establish where he wants to go with the ball as
far as matchups are concerned and progressions. But the bigger
part of it is, and we've seen a little bit
start to develop as of late with the Denver Broncos.
I'll say, but the call the son has done it
and Pat Bryant. When a quarterback starts to scramble and
(20:45):
you're running rounds down the field, you have to uncover.
Don't just run at your spot and said, well I'm
at fourteen, I'm open. No, your quarterback is running, so
now you have to break back to the ball.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
And that's that's.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
Another element of communicatold, which is the non verbal right.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
See.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
See, that is what the Broncos have shown and they're
gonna need that to show up again on Sunday against
the Packers.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah. Man, especially on the defensive side.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Can you imagine this has got to be like number
one seed in the NFC coming to play the number
one seed and the AFC at home, mile high, seventy
two thousand plus people.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
I mean, you're gonna be there, Nick, Are you gonna
be there as well? Yeah? This should be a sun
This should have been like a Sunday night, Monday night.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
This is this is gonna be electric, prime time, prime time.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Yeah, boy, I wish I could be there.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Man, I'll get you.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
I'll be here. Okay, run on the board for the Broncos. Okay,
well you know what, here's what I'll do. Part of me.
I'll take I'll take some videos and I'll send it
to you. Oh yeah, that'd be awesome. Make me mess
it even a minute. If you can't come to the party,
I'm trying to bring the party to you.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
I will say this Jesse, our engineer on the Broncos
broadcast when we're at home, because you never know what
kind of of equipment you're going to be working with
on the road or what sounds you're going to get.
But when we have a home game, he has the
perfect mix. Like you hear the crowd noise, you hear
the field mics and the players talking on there.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
And we have no dumb button during home games. We
just hope we don't pick up too much. But it
does feel like you're there when you're listening to it
our home games on the broadcast.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
It is not as good to be as being there.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
It is cool.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Because there are so many things that happen that everyone
else in the stadium knows nothing about. All the communications
and the words and everything.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Everybody knows.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Nobody knows what's going on. Yeah, it could be a
big deal, could be something that's just funny, but it's
super cool. All these little micro things that happen.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Yeah, those nuances just like you know the game.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
Yes, those bubbles with the microphone.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
The parabolic mics, those dues.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
I always make sure I know where that person is standing, right.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
Because they're saying them hot Yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
Yeah, yes, you want your teammate to tell you if you.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Were miked up and see that, whether you're like, hey man,
be careful today, that's.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
What you're saying around Yeah, let me know. So it's
not a hot monk situation.
Speaker 5 (23:14):
Yeah, because the things that guys say on the sideline
in between plays, it's utterly ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
It's ridiculous, I mean.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
From the sideline sent to the games themselves. I mean,
and things getting pretty narrowly when you talk about competition
against another particular player and there's finger pointing, there's words
that are said, you know, none of which that I
can repeat at this moment.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
Not saying that. I said, well, we don't want to.
The name calling is fine.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
But we saw some somebody spit on somebody a couple
of weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Well we've seen five yeah, some five hundred.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
That's a game check.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
We've seen a lot of guys spitting a lot this season.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Yeah, right, and that's so disrespectful. It is disrespectful. Well,
I mean, I bet back in your day there was
even worse stuff. Yeah, with a lot less cameras.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
Yeah yeah, Oh I got spin on I guy that
went to my college, A younger guy office of a
dude that went to my college, fellow alumni, spit on you, yep.
And I told him it's like kool aid. I started
(24:32):
trying to get rid of the play, like, na, no, no,
I ain't.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
A little bit mean than I was. Yeah, So I said, okay,
did that diffuse the situation a little bit? A little bit?
Speaker 4 (24:41):
But several years later, after I retired, he retired, he
called me up and I don't know how you got
my number.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
He's like, hey, man, I just want to apologize for
what I did. It's been on my mind for a
long time. Like it's all good, man, it's all good.
I'm over that I hadn't thought about that is what
I had thought about it, because exactly you have to
about it. Those kind of disrespectful But I appreciate the call.
It's like kool Aide, So you.
Speaker 5 (25:06):
Should have said, what's fore gad?
Speaker 3 (25:11):
You can't wait?
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Common spirit heal Tex Slide five sixty six nine zero
from the seven one nine Greatest Words in Sports Radio,
referring to that Marvin Mems call Here we Go from
Dave Logan, Here we Go.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
I agree, Dave's so good on the call.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Well, I gotta say I was more surprised by you
singing Rio speed I'm surprised.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
To me, I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little surprised
I should listen to this for the game.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:35):
Well, okay, I'm not saying that I'm listening to Rio
Speedwagon before games, but I mean.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Well, maybe that's what you're thinking.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
About the times you were cheated on in life, and
then you get pumped up, get all that anger, anger
build up, and then go out and unleash it on
some offensive players.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
No, that didn't work for me.
Speaker 5 (25:52):
See uh no, I used to see. For me, it
was like, uh the water boy. You know how I
used to picture the faces of certain people. Yeah, so
I used to do that. But the face that I
used to pitch her, believe it or not, was my dad.
What yes, making you pay for your ss A T?
Speaker 3 (26:11):
See? See, you know doesn't know all these stories that
made you pay for your s A T. Yeah, man,
I had to take an emergency sat a minute. He
made me pay for it. You say, the sat is
you're in high school, right, yerect. He may be paid
for it, and he charged me interest charged about that?
Speaker 4 (26:30):
Hey, Like you say, back in the day, speaking.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Of the water Boy, did you see that two point
play Kevin Stefanski drew up for the Browns? Talk about
that looked like to play that the water Boy coach
was drawing up on the whiteboard before he got his
mojo back.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
And the guys didn't know what they were doing. Yes,
he almost throw a pink You know what, man.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
I know most people say, well, don't look at what's
happening in Cleveland as a conspiracy theory.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
But it's hard not to.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
It might be time to put that tenfoil hat on.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
You don't even need a ten to four a head
because once again, I mean, with the way that Shudor
Sanders played in that game, how do you not give
him an opportunity?
Speaker 2 (27:15):
He was in that moment he was Here's one of
the highlights from the game.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
Sanders to throw over the middle of Taty has in
the forty he's at the twenty five, he's at the
twenty hi stepping out of a tackle, head in to
the endsode with a flip sixty yards touchdown.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Bro, that's Andrews Ciciliano with w k RK and Cleveland
and three touchdown passes, one touchdown rushing, over three hundred
and fifty yards passing, and you take him off the
field for the game tying two point conversion.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Make that make in?
Speaker 3 (27:47):
What world does that make sense? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (27:49):
It's just well the only world that makes sense in
bizarre world, which is Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
That's very true. Wow, that's a I mean that shock.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
If you didn't think that Kevin Stefancy hated Shador Sanders
before that play, you gotta think it now.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
Well, I've heard certain people in the media say, well,
Kevin Stefanski, I mean, albeit the head coach, he's not
really calling the plays at this moment.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
So when you look at the play and when.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
I'm why they're starting to have some success.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Well, probably why.
Speaker 5 (28:21):
But the whole thing is that, and I told Steve this,
the plays are calling in you can hear it on
the headphone, and you're taking your quarterback out. You have
the ability to overrun.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
That's not gonna work.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
But once again, it only adds to the folklore of
what's going on in Cleveland, whether there's a conspiracy or not.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Yeah, that's very interesting. But Shador has been named starter
for the rest of the year. I think they're really
going to see what he got. He's got and if
he can keep these performances going, I don't see why
he won't be the starter next year, especially when Kevin
Stefanski is probably not the head coach. Real quick before
get get you out of here, Steve, we got about
a minute left. What are your expectations for the game
(29:04):
this Sunday Packers taking on the Broncos that I'm powerfield
at mile High.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
This could be the preview to the s B.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
I don't want to.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
Say, but hey, these are gonna be two great teams.
This is gonna it's gonna be a great battle. I'm
looking forward to boat Nicks being efficient, patient, running.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
That rock, not taking too many hits.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
This is too do.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
But run hard and the defense just you know, cosine
to do their thing. And we marve Mill's first Puppetsur
touch down.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
I couldn't believe that was his first one, with how
good he has been over the years. I'm like, damn,
I thought he definitely had one or two already.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
And he's such a threat as a receiver as well,
because he's so fast, he's got great hands.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
You know, think it runs good routes? I mean I don't.
Why don't they Why don't get to Baltimore?
Speaker 1 (30:01):
I don't know. Well, Sean Payton and the press conference
earlier this week said they're gonna find more ways.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
There we go to get him the ball in the
off playmaker, bro, can you get ball in his hands?
Speaker 3 (30:09):
He's gonna make something happen. Yeah, that's the truth.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Steve always appreciate the time, as always managed Broncos Country Night.
Rolling on after this with Parker Gabriel from the Denver
Post on KOA
Joined in the studio by Nick Ferguson and the Hall
of Famer Steve Atwater.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
How are you, Steve?
Speaker 3 (00:05):
What's going on? What's going on? Jeep Man?
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Doing good man? I got to ask you guys. I
was sitting on the couch earlier today. You know, the
one perk of this schedule is you get to have
a slow morning, which I think is a real treat
in life. And I was sitting on the couch with
my two cats watching the Pat McAfee show.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
I just found this ultimate comfort spot.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Like if I could just lay there forever, how my
body was positioned on this couch, I was gonna be
in heaven.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah. Have you ever had a moment like that?
Speaker 1 (00:33):
We would just like have the ultimate comfort comfort moment?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah, yeah I have.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
And actually, uh, I had one of those moments when
you know it's we're at that point.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
We've had our massage chair for quite a while and
you wore it out. Yeah there's one.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
I but we went to look at some some some
new ones and these things rotate back now now and
put you like you're you know, in a waitless position.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I forget what they call it, but like zero gravity.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
Yes, And I was I was right there in heaven. Man,
I'm the guys looking at me. I'm like, oh, okay, okay,
did you buy the chair?
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Not yet? Not yet, we got it. Maybe maybe Sata's
going to bring it for Christmas.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
And I see I'm not. I'm not in a hurry.
I'm gonna go in on. That's Christmas.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Crisis, Travers. What about you, Nick?
Speaker 5 (01:32):
Real quickly, I want to know, like, when you were
in heaven sitting in a chair, did you some by
way see the Broncos winning the Super Bowl while you
were in heaven?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
No?
Speaker 4 (01:45):
I didn't. I didn't, but I didn't see anybody winning.
And I wasn't even thinking about mind was blank floating.
I was in the sky. It was relaxation.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
I get that I haven't had it in a while
because I haven't had like a deep tissue massage. But
typically when I get a deep tissue massage, mentally, I
kind of space out, just like what you're talking about.
Where now you in this kind of lucid dream like state,
writ in re em sleep, and every little thought that
(02:25):
the world had put.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
On you and now goes away, It just disappears, it
just goes away. Yeah, there we go. I have this friend.
I got to give him a shout out. Her name's Courtney.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
She has a place called Recenter Massage and she does
Ashiatsu massage.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Okay, well with her feet. Wait wait, wait, that's the woe.
When they stand on the.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Palls and balance themselves and just dig into like your
hips or your thighs with their heel.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
It is the most amazing thing I've ever experienced.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
I went to Hawaii and I had one of those done,
and I think the lady like stepped too hard on
my back.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
That's the only thing I could think of that happened
to my bank. Well, was he stepped on your bag?
Did you immedately say something?
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Whoa, you gotta come down over there?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Too much pressure hurts?
Speaker 5 (03:12):
Wow, based on what he just told me, Yeah, we
got to go to a professional like my friend.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah. Good point, good point, good point.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Even though she's so good, she's booked out for like
two years, so I don't even know why I say anything.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I can't even get in there.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, she just had to hire someone else for a
company because she's too busy.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Oh, somebody got to cancel every now and man.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Well that's a good problem to have though, right man?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
That's a great problem.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Good problem to have for the Broncos.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Everyone complaining about the way they're winning, but they keep
winning ten in a row after taking down the Raiders.
I called it a dominant win. Nick did not agree
with me. Did you think it was a dominant win?
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Steve?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Wait, wait, hold on, I'm just saying, Hey, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Pulling to Ryan Edwards here, I'm saying exactly what you said.
It was not a dominant win.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
Yes, I did say that, But why don't you say, yeah, well,
why don't you put it in context? Because I said
not a dominant win. But then I followed that with
something else. Granted you seem to have left that out.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
What did you follow with me? It was an efficient win?
Thank you, thank you. I said it wasn't dominant, it
was efficient. So Steve, how did you see it?
Speaker 5 (04:19):
So?
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Hang on?
Speaker 4 (04:20):
First off, what what what makes it efficient versus dominant?
Speaker 5 (04:25):
Well, okay, for dominance. Now we're talking about double digit
point totals per quarter, right, that's dominance. Now, I know
everyone else is looking at time and possession. That's the
difference of what what maybe nine minutes of time of
possession twenty Okay, what I'm I'm looking at, well, the
total of points per quarter, right, that it was a
(04:48):
very efficient game because seven points offensively scored in the
first quarter. For the other fourteen, you could say that
that was Will Lutz and that was Marvin Mims. Third
quarter seven points, right, and then I don't think there
was any points And the fourth.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Special teams don't come when it comes to dominance, well, no,
because because I'm looking.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
At offensively, right, because every everyone has their different tail
as far as what they examine as it retains to
a level of dominance.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
And I'm only applying.
Speaker 5 (05:22):
That to teams that I've seen in the past, who
were the Broncos or other teams around the league.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Yeah, so I'll be honest, I wouldn't actually.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Say dominant, but it was. It was impressive. It was
a total win in all phases of the game. But
you allso got to look and say, that's what we
should have did against the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Right, that's what I should have looked like the first time.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
To see Gret they saying exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
To yesterday, I was coming around your way of thinking
because after I you know, I worked the game on
Sunday and I was so out of my mind because
the Broncos were just in control the entire time. And
I told Ben last night, like this was boring in
all the best ways for the Broncos.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it never really felt like the
Raiders had a chance.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
No, even when it was fourteen seven, Like you don't,
you didn't feel like the Raiders were going to come
back and win that game.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:18):
Yeah, amen. Rjie Harvey he's running rock. Yeah, he's running
that rock boy. He found his groove that this week.
But but the only thing for me though, is like.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
I wish some.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Of those hits he wouldn't take because he had hit
He hit big time contact.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
More than ten time. I mean many times.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
I mean Jamal Adams head him square up, he just
didn't grab claub and Harvey, you.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Know, bounced through that.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
But once again, that was one of those attributes in
traits that made him a high prospect for the Denver Broncos.
His ability to break to break tackles and situation like that.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
And I'm not talking about breaking down.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
I'm talking about taking the hits helmet to helmet. You
can only do so many of them over the course
of your career.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, you're right, You don't want that many.
Speaker 5 (07:13):
But you play a running back position where it seem
as though it is you even though you have ten
other teammates, but it's you against eleven other guys on
the defensive side of the ball. But once again, I
go back to this, this is why he was drafted,
the physical style of running that he has.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
And I kind of said the comp for me when R. J.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
Harvey was coming out of college, that's Ray Rice from
Baltimore Ravens. And we know how great is well, I
mean just on the field, that's all it was. But
we know how Ray Rice toted the rock and how
a physical downhill runner he was. So to me, that's
the comparison.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
Yeah, I just like I said, I know there were
some makes and pains after the game.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
It's gonna be like that most games.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
But you know, sometimes you got to know when you
when you need to get that first down and other
times that you got I ain't gonna say, make a
real decision, but.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Save the body for another day.
Speaker 5 (08:09):
Hey man, you know what this this sounds really different
coming from Steve who I I grew up watching and
the physicality that he.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Brought to the game.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
He knows how much it hurt when he delivered those hits,
but also like I got this because my son played
running back in high school.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Yeah, and like I went to the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
I think I was going to see Shannon or somebody
get John to get in, one of those guys get in.
And then I was at one of the after parties
and I saw Emmy Smith there. I was like, Amen,
what's up, mate, Man? I saw plays running back. Tell
me some things that I should tell them to make
sure that you know, don't play run back. No, he
was like, tell him, don't take his he don't have
to take.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
And that's a greatness of all times.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Yeah, He's like, well, you gotta get it. You gotta
get it, but you also want to be smart. You can't.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
You can't take all them hits, bro, you can't take
that many hits.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
And you're not gonna be there for your team when
they need you. You ain't gonna be there.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
And we already lost one running back. Hey, we can't lose.
We can't lose RJ.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
And I don't want them to be, you know, to
start tiptoing. You know, I know that's his style of play,
but you know, you bro, just don't take that many
hiss bro, It's gonna be hard. They could probably teach
them teacher better than I can, just saying from the
outside looking at it. But I'm like, man, boy, he
taking them head on.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Well, boy, you can see in the game planning and
the execution on Sunday against the Raiders, they took a
little different because even though they ran the ball, when
you look at the receiving yards and targets, I mean R. J.
Harvey was second on the team behind Courtland Sutton with
six targets, so you can see that. I guess we've
seen the game plan utilized with Marvin Mams, but now
(09:54):
you can put a guy back there who's used to
taking those hits.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
But RJ.
Speaker 5 (09:58):
Harvey see another way that I guess in Sean's way
of getting the run game going is throwing to the
run back running backs out of the backfield on the perimeter.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
So with that frame of mind, now you give.
Speaker 5 (10:10):
It to them with the possibility of being able to
see the defender coming at you at that point, now
you have a choice.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
You get him a jupe move. You better start joking.
Oh please, man, I'm looking out for your family. Some
jup moves every now and then, Bro, you can't run
everybody over.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Going back to your targets conversation, though, it was good
to see Corler and Sutton a point of the offense.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
There, man.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
I mean, that's like, that's what I've been calling for
all year. Yes, get our number one receiver the ball,
and it seemed like it was finally part of the
game plan.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Again.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
I felt like Troy Franklin was not much of the
game plan, but Court was a focal point.
Speaker 5 (10:50):
Would you believe me if I told you try Franklin
over the season has had more red zone targets than
call a sudden?
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Is that true? That's true? That's crazy?
Speaker 5 (11:02):
Is that more RedZone target? If I'm not mistaken, I think,
what is that nine redsone targets? Troy Franklins at fifteen?
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Hey, that doesn't make any sense to me. Well, it
makes sense if you know that he bold Nicks has
a certain comfort level with Troy Franklin from the years
they played together, and it's gotta be it's gotta be
a little bit of that, you know, like that's a
safety net, even though.
Speaker 3 (11:27):
It's a safety that is at his own. Boy, my
homeboy involved.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
I don't know if it's that, but he has a
certain comfort level. He's been throwing throwing for so long,
and he know where it's gonna be a little bit more,
maybe than than everybody.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
And I'm not saying that it's a bad thing to
want to get your former Oregon teammate involved. I'm not
saying that's that that's kind of a downside. But at
the same time, when you can create multiple red zone threats,
now you take the advantage of the defense saying okay,
well we can isolate this particular guy double him.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Yeah, I mean I think I think, hey, dude, I
think Bowl goes through his progression, but it just happened
to be that, Hey, I'm.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Gonna go through my progression where it's eleven. No, he's
almost I.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Think that's the last thing on bose mine. Honestly, like he.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
He you know, I don't think he's playing moneyball. I
just think don't think he's doing that.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
I think that he has a certain comfort level with
him and hey.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
And if you see them like, oh whoa, he's made
this catch a thousand times.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
The only thing I think Troy Franklin's progression has been
amazing from year one to year two. But he just
doesn't catch the contested balls more often than not. Like,
that's what my problem is in Courtland Sutton has made
a lining off of that.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
Maybe Okay, So when you look at the touchdown pass
and in the game against the Washington Commanders, Courling went
from the left side.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
All the weight to the right side of the field.
You see bow knicks break. He even trying to escape
the pocket and.
Speaker 5 (13:01):
Prevent from being sacked, and he's still enough presence of
mind to throw the ball to the spot and like
Courtland get there. See that is what I've come to
know Cortland to be. Yeah, he's that fifty to fifty
receiver and you're right, it is being able to make
those contested catches. And we've seen Courtland Sutton.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
Do that a bump and Courtland, I'm telling you, he
made a catch in his last game though that I
didn't think he was going to catch because it was
it was a difficult catch and he made it look easy.
And I think it was Cam Newton I was listening to.
He was saying something about the good receivers they catch
(13:44):
all the ass that you're they're supposed to catch. But
the great ones catch the ones that people think, now,
I ain't gonna catch that.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
That was.
Speaker 5 (13:52):
You know, sometimes receivers in essence have to make their
quarterback look good, and at some point the quarterbacks to
make the receiver look good by ball placement and leading him.
But sometimes passes are not going to be as accurate
as you want them to be.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
The great receivers you got to make that catches.
Speaker 5 (14:13):
And this is what we're talking about once again, grant
what you're talking about the contested fifty to fifty balls,
Because when I try to explain to people what the
difference between each level from high school to college to
the pros as far as what's considered to be open,
they're astonished when I tell them, hey, a dB being
in your hip pocket and.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Phase that's all I mean.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
There's a big difference between open at any other level
and open.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, he got a little window there.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Yes, like me.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
You may have five steps in college, maybe two steps.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
And I heard Peyton Manning said, Peyton Manning say this that.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
No, No, I'm sorry, it wasn't. It wasn't Peyton Manning.
It was it was Champ. Champ. You know, what is
the greatest trade of a quarterback. He said, accuracy of passing.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Because I can be covering a guy, but if he
puts throws the more accurately, there's there's almost nothing I
can do.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Nothing.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
Just just think about the Trylon Brooks pass and the
Commanders game. You, yeah, righting was both guys climbed the ladder,
but Treylon Brooks came up with the pass.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
I mean, that's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
That was the second coming of OBJ right, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
That's open in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Well, speaking of accuracy, this is from Zach Stevens with
d mvr BO. Nicks is just the third player ever
with three games of twenty five plus completions and eighty
percent completion rate within his first two seasons of the NFL. Wow.
Like he gets a lot of he gets a lot
of flak from the national media, but it seems like
he's always figuring it out and never making the same mistake.
Speaker 5 (15:51):
For But see, that's why when you said to me,
and you were not the only person to mention the
word dominant, But I say, that's why I say efficient, right,
because you're not going to have that many dominating games,
especially here on out.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
But it's how efficient can you be?
Speaker 5 (16:06):
And like I told you, Grant, and I'll tell the
audience and until you see the reason I say is
more efficient to dominate or some people are saying dominant
because we haven't really seen the Broncos offense operate the
way they did against the Raiders, and the Raiders did
a great job of taking away the deep passes. But
but no, but both to what was there? Now, I'm
(16:30):
gonna put a video up later on tonight and I'm.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Gonna show you where do you find that?
Speaker 5 (16:34):
Oh at Nick ferguson Underscore twenty five, so laid on tonight,
I'm a post the video right showing you two wide
receivers open on go routes. But you know what happened
when both stepped up in the pocket. Someone lost on
protection and as the team moves on, you can't lose
and protection and essentially give away of.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Explosives or give away points.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
Right those explosives they trying to blow up a defense
right away and let them know. And you know what,
no matter what you're in, we have the ability to
take the top off the defense. The Broncos haven't really
really done that, but it's always due to maybe a
penalty or leaky pressure late in this flushes Bow out
of the pocket.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Right.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
It also seems like to me that we aren't throwing
as many go balls. It seemed like we were throwing
a ton of I'm like, bro, come on those in immediates.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
But and I think that.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
This last game it shown man, they are they're they're
they're spreading that thing around in every part of the field.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
They must have looked at the charts and be like, oh, man, okay,
we didn't hit that area there. They hit every area
this last game. Yes they did. We're off and rolling.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
By the way, Courtland Sutton passes Steve Watson for six
most receiving yards or granchise history. In that game against
the Raiders, we got Steve Atwater, the Hall of Famer
and studio alongside Nick Ferguson, I'm Grant Smith on Broncos
Country to Night. Okay, away Broncos Country Night, I'm your host, Smithville.
And then for Benjamin Olbrian alongside the Hall of Famer,
Steve Atwater and Nick Ferguson. Nick, you wanted to talk
(18:15):
about why pre and post snap communication is so vital
to the Broncos success.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
What do you mean by that, Well.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Yeah, because and Steve can attest to this. When it
comes to communication is so vide or so so important,
especially on the defensive side of the ball when you're
playing home, because it's going to be really loud, which
I expect is going to be loud.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
It's going to be so loud, so you want to
make sure that whatever communication.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Soon as they break the huddle, Steve and I are talking,
what are we seeing or.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Do they have two or the top receivers on the
same sip? Right? Is there a flop formation?
Speaker 5 (18:50):
So we know if there's a switch in man coverage
and we expecting a man beater. We talked beforehand instead
of talking after the play because by that time it's
too late. Now let's look at the pre snap indicators
for the officer side of the ball. First of all,
it starts with communication and getting the play in in
time from the sideline. Oh man, yes, so, so.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Did you ever have an instance when you played when
you're the call is not in, your call is.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Not in, and the clock is takeing down? Just how
did y'all handle that? Some how? What's it called?
Speaker 4 (19:27):
The defense? He just whatever it was, the hell with it?
We had we started doing that too.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Yes, I mean that's.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Why I mean kind of the value of having a
guy you can rely on that is your green dot,
like Alex Singleton right now, right like if the play
call doesn't come in, which I haven't heard any of
this from Vance Joseph, but he could call a defense
that is suitable for the situation.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
But yeah, I agree with you, and you're saying when
they once they get that call, now I got to
look and see what what they got going and right.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Right, because I remember talking to and Simmons and he said,
playing for Vic Fangio, sometimes it'd be a situation where
the call comes in late or it doesn't come in
at all, and now you have to essentially do what
we just say.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Yes, it's that type of thing. And for offense, they got.
Speaker 5 (20:22):
To get like both Nicks got to get the call
in so he's able to look at the defense processor
establish where he wants to go with the ball as
far as matchups are concerned and progressions. But the bigger
part of it is, and we've seen a little bit
start to develop as of late with the Denver Broncos.
I'll say, but the call the son has done it
and Pat Bryant. When a quarterback starts to scramble and
(20:45):
you're running rounds down the field, you have to uncover.
Don't just run at your spot and said, well I'm
at fourteen, I'm open. No, your quarterback is running, so
now you have to break back to the ball.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
And that's that's.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
Another element of communicatold, which is the non verbal right.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
See.
Speaker 5 (21:02):
See, that is what the Broncos have shown and they're
gonna need that to show up again on Sunday against
the Packers.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah. Man, especially on the defensive side.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Can you imagine this has got to be like number
one seed in the NFC coming to play the number
one seed and the AFC at home, mile high, seventy
two thousand plus people.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
I mean, you're gonna be there, Nick, Are you gonna
be there as well? Yeah? This should be a sun
This should have been like a Sunday night, Monday night.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
This is this is gonna be electric, prime time, prime time.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Yeah, boy, I wish I could be there.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Man, I'll get you.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
I'll be here. Okay, run on the board for the Broncos. Okay,
well you know what, here's what I'll do. Part of me.
I'll take I'll take some videos and I'll send it
to you. Oh yeah, that'd be awesome. Make me mess
it even a minute. If you can't come to the party,
I'm trying to bring the party to you.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
I will say this Jesse, our engineer on the Broncos
broadcast when we're at home, because you never know what
kind of of equipment you're going to be working with
on the road or what sounds you're going to get.
But when we have a home game, he has the
perfect mix. Like you hear the crowd noise, you hear
the field mics and the players talking on there.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
And we have no dumb button during home games. We
just hope we don't pick up too much. But it
does feel like you're there when you're listening to it
our home games on the broadcast.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
It is not as good to be as being there.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
It is cool.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Because there are so many things that happen that everyone
else in the stadium knows nothing about. All the communications
and the words and everything.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Everybody knows.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Nobody knows what's going on. Yeah, it could be a
big deal, could be something that's just funny, but it's
super cool. All these little micro things that happen.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Yeah, those nuances just like you know the game.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
Yes, those bubbles with the microphone.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
The parabolic mics, those dues.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
I always make sure I know where that person is standing, right.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
Because they're saying them hot Yeah.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
Yeah, yes, you want your teammate to tell you if you.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Were miked up and see that, whether you're like, hey man,
be careful today, that's.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
What you're saying around Yeah, let me know. So it's
not a hot monk situation.
Speaker 5 (23:14):
Yeah, because the things that guys say on the sideline
in between plays, it's utterly ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
It's ridiculous, I mean.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
From the sideline sent to the games themselves. I mean,
and things getting pretty narrowly when you talk about competition
against another particular player and there's finger pointing, there's words
that are said, you know, none of which that I
can repeat at this moment.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
Not saying that. I said, well, we don't want to.
The name calling is fine.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
But we saw some somebody spit on somebody a couple
of weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
Well we've seen five yeah, some five hundred.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
That's a game check.
Speaker 5 (23:56):
We've seen a lot of guys spitting a lot this season.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Yeah, right, and that's so disrespectful. It is disrespectful. Well,
I mean, I bet back in your day there was
even worse stuff. Yeah, with a lot less cameras.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
Yeah yeah, Oh I got spin on I guy that
went to my college, A younger guy office of a
dude that went to my college, fellow alumni, spit on you, yep.
And I told him it's like kool aid. I started
(24:32):
trying to get rid of the play, like, na, no, no,
I ain't.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
A little bit mean than I was. Yeah, So I said, okay,
did that diffuse the situation a little bit? A little bit?
Speaker 4 (24:41):
But several years later, after I retired, he retired, he
called me up and I don't know how you got
my number.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
He's like, hey, man, I just want to apologize for
what I did. It's been on my mind for a
long time. Like it's all good, man, it's all good.
I'm over that I hadn't thought about that is what
I had thought about it, because exactly you have to
about it. Those kind of disrespectful But I appreciate the call.
It's like kool Aide, So you.
Speaker 5 (25:06):
Should have said, what's fore gad?
Speaker 3 (25:11):
You can't wait?
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Common spirit heal Tex Slide five sixty six nine zero
from the seven one nine Greatest Words in Sports Radio,
referring to that Marvin Mems call Here we Go from
Dave Logan, Here we Go.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
I agree, Dave's so good on the call.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Well, I gotta say I was more surprised by you
singing Rio speed I'm surprised.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
To me, I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little surprised
I should listen to this for the game.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:35):
Well, okay, I'm not saying that I'm listening to Rio
Speedwagon before games, but I mean.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
Well, maybe that's what you're thinking.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
About the times you were cheated on in life, and
then you get pumped up, get all that anger, anger
build up, and then go out and unleash it on
some offensive players.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
No, that didn't work for me.
Speaker 5 (25:52):
See uh no, I used to see. For me, it
was like, uh the water boy. You know how I
used to picture the faces of certain people. Yeah, so
I used to do that. But the face that I
used to pitch her, believe it or not, was my dad.
What yes, making you pay for your ss A T?
Speaker 3 (26:11):
See? See, you know doesn't know all these stories that
made you pay for your s A T. Yeah, man,
I had to take an emergency sat a minute. He
made me pay for it. You say, the sat is
you're in high school, right, yerect. He may be paid
for it, and he charged me interest charged about that?
Speaker 4 (26:30):
Hey, Like you say, back in the day, speaking.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Of the water Boy, did you see that two point
play Kevin Stefanski drew up for the Browns? Talk about
that looked like to play that the water Boy coach
was drawing up on the whiteboard before he got his
mojo back.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
And the guys didn't know what they were doing. Yes,
he almost throw a pink You know what, man.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
I know most people say, well, don't look at what's
happening in Cleveland as a conspiracy theory.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
But it's hard not to.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
It might be time to put that tenfoil hat on.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
You don't even need a ten to four a head
because once again, I mean, with the way that Shudor
Sanders played in that game, how do you not give
him an opportunity?
Speaker 2 (27:15):
He was in that moment he was Here's one of
the highlights from the game.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
Sanders to throw over the middle of Taty has in
the forty he's at the twenty five, he's at the
twenty hi stepping out of a tackle, head in to
the endsode with a flip sixty yards touchdown.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Bro, that's Andrews Ciciliano with w k RK and Cleveland
and three touchdown passes, one touchdown rushing, over three hundred
and fifty yards passing, and you take him off the
field for the game tying two point conversion.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Make that make in?
Speaker 3 (27:47):
What world does that make sense? Yeah?
Speaker 5 (27:49):
It's just well the only world that makes sense in
bizarre world, which is Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
That's very true. Wow, that's a I mean that shock.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
If you didn't think that Kevin Stefancy hated Shador Sanders
before that play, you gotta think it now.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
Well, I've heard certain people in the media say, well,
Kevin Stefanski, I mean, albeit the head coach, he's not
really calling the plays at this moment.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
So when you look at the play and when.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
I'm why they're starting to have some success.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Well, probably why.
Speaker 5 (28:21):
But the whole thing is that, and I told Steve this,
the plays are calling in you can hear it on
the headphone, and you're taking your quarterback out. You have
the ability to overrun.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
That's not gonna work.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
But once again, it only adds to the folklore of
what's going on in Cleveland, whether there's a conspiracy or not.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Yeah, that's very interesting. But Shador has been named starter
for the rest of the year. I think they're really
going to see what he got. He's got and if
he can keep these performances going, I don't see why
he won't be the starter next year, especially when Kevin
Stefanski is probably not the head coach. Real quick before
get get you out of here, Steve, we got about
a minute left. What are your expectations for the game
(29:04):
this Sunday Packers taking on the Broncos that I'm powerfield
at mile High.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
This could be the preview to the s B.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
I don't want to.
Speaker 4 (29:13):
Say, but hey, these are gonna be two great teams.
This is gonna it's gonna be a great battle. I'm
looking forward to boat Nicks being efficient, patient, running.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
That rock, not taking too many hits.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
This is too do.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
But run hard and the defense just you know, cosine
to do their thing. And we marve Mill's first Puppetsur
touch down.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
I couldn't believe that was his first one, with how
good he has been over the years. I'm like, damn,
I thought he definitely had one or two already.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
And he's such a threat as a receiver as well,
because he's so fast, he's got great hands.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
You know, think it runs good routes? I mean I don't.
Why don't they Why don't get to Baltimore?
Speaker 1 (30:01):
I don't know. Well, Sean Payton and the press conference
earlier this week said they're gonna find more ways.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
There we go to get him the ball in the
off playmaker, bro, can you get ball in his hands?
Speaker 3 (30:09):
He's gonna make something happen. Yeah, that's the truth.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Steve always appreciate the time, as always managed Broncos Country Night.
Rolling on after this with Parker Gabriel from the Denver
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