12-08-25 Hour 3 of Broncos Country Tonight with Nick Kosmider

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Appreciate Cody Rourke and Rob being joining us in the

(00:02):
Last Hour City part of that, you go to Broncos
Country to Night, that Coslash podcast, or wherever each podcast,
Apple iTunes, Spotify, the free and redesigned iHeartRadio, or you
can get to Take It for Granted podcast archives as well.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Can also hear the Taking It for Granted podcast on
Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
I believe right on we know which episodes that's going
to be here. It'll be a surprise. It's like you
like to say, my mystery guest, right, we haven't figured
that out yet. Let's go right back out to the
ka cous with a hotlight, know and bring on our guy,
Nick Cosmider from the Athletic Nick.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
How you doing, Buddy? I'm great.

Speaker 4 (00:35):
How are you doing? Then?

Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'm doing all right. Broncos win streak continues. They keep
rolling along that game. Grant coined the term that it
was boring in all the best ways, and I tend
to agree with that. It was not a game that
was really evert in any doubt for Denver, despite the
final score being a lot closer than the game actually
itself was. But the easy stuff is over you're contending

(00:57):
for the number one overall seed, you're contending for the
AFC and oh, by the way, you've got to speak
of four games here. That looks pretty punishing when you've
got Green Bay and Jacksonville coming to town. You've got
to go to Kansas City on a short week on
a Thursday night on Christmas and the Chargers who have
been you know, at least Jim Harbaugh has been Sean
Payton's bugaboo throughout his career. You know this, What is
your confidence level going into the final quarter of the season.

Speaker 4 (01:20):
Here, Well, I think it is great. It's a great
tech challenge for them. I mean, this is a team
that right now I think, up by our projection model,
ninety percent to win the AFC West. They still got
work to do there. Obviously, we'll see how the second
half of this wild game with the Chargers goes. Obviously
they lose tonight and then you know, in the early

(01:41):
window Sunday, the Broncos could be going into that game
playing play to go to win the AFC West against
the Packers. But regardless of how quickly that happens, like
this is a team that fancies itself a contender and
wants to have home games in the playoffs, and if
you are going to be a team that you know
uses that to make a deep playoff run, these are

(02:02):
the sort of you know, warm up backs, if you will,
that that are gonna be imperative. And not just because
of the fact that, like you're you're playing good teams,
but this is this is also just really the time
of the year where you want to know that that
the things that you've really tried to round into form,
you know, whether it's how you're using R. J. Harvey,

(02:22):
whether it's kind of some of this defensive back rotation
that they've been that they've been using the last couple
of weeks, wanting that to really kind of look like
what what it needs to look like going in the playoffs.
And I think to be able to match those things
against you know, really good personnel, you know, and all
these teams are really well coached here and going down
the stretch, I just think that's gonna that's gonna show
you a lot about what you really need to, you know,

(02:44):
to hone in on as you make your first game
plans in the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
So I went to Cosmider from the athletic. Yeah, I
felt like a game that r J.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
Harvey kind of grew up a little bit.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
We've seen his lack of patients throughout the season. He's
he's been in that that second back role when JK
was was the guy. He didn't seem the first couple
of games to really kind of grasp that. But it
felt like, and I get it's against the Raiders, but
it felt like a grow up game for r J.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Harvey.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
You agree, yeah, Like.

Speaker 4 (03:09):
And I mean, to my view there in Vegas, like
it's one of those things that obviously the numbers were there, right,
one hundred two yards offense is the most he's had
got in the end zone again, but it also just
looked like to me to sort of to your point then,
was that he just looked comfortable understanding, you know who
he was, Like, he's been doing this for for a
long time.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
He's a good running.

Speaker 4 (03:30):
Back, and it really just kind of looked like he,
you know, was more comfortable, you know, in that role.
And I think it's probably taken some time, like you know,
to like you said, he's behind JK. Dobbins, who's having
this you know, fantastic season. He was on pace to
have the best rushing season for a Broncos running back
in two decades, and you know R J. Harvey was

(03:52):
kind of able to learn behind that and really just
sort of grow behind Dobbins and you know, develop himself
as a pass catcher and things like that, and then
all of a sudden, like you know, you're having to
replace the guy that was really lifting this offense. And
I think it took a little bit of time for
him to get comfortable with that, but man, I just
really thought against the Raiders it was just a comfort level,
like to your point, patience when he needed to, but

(04:12):
also just the decisiveness, you know, to get in the
middle of the whole, you know, follow his blocks and
make quick decisions. You know, one cut turns up the field,
and then the physicality. Talking to John Franklin Myers afterwards,
he's like, I played with Jamal Adams for three years,
and you know, he's one of the hardest hitters I've
been around. So when you when you have a play

(04:33):
on the fourth play of the game where you get
smacked by Adams and and don't go down, twist and
turn get the first down, I think teammates took note
of that, and you're like, this is a guy and
those kind of moments, those are the plays that you're
gonna have to make in December and January football, So
big step forward for him.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
Yeah, it really felt like it felt like the patience,
like things just maybe slowed down for him, just just
a little bit. You know, another player that was out
and said have been discussed by a lot of people,
but DJ out for that game and Malcolm Roach, who
just got that contract from the Broncos. I thought he
really had a phenomenal game. Well, he came up with
a one sack, but it really felt like he was
disruptive in that game.

Speaker 4 (05:11):
Yeah, man, and he like his his interior pass rush
has really taken another step up. I believe that's it's
three and a half sacks for him. But he's consistently
causing problems on the interior of the pocket for opposing quarterbacks.
And when you have so little room elsewhere to go
because of just how dangerous you know, Nick and Cooper

(05:31):
around the edges like that, that's that's just one more problem,
one more headache that quarterbacks.

Speaker 3 (05:37):
Are having to deal with.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
I agree with you.

Speaker 4 (05:39):
I thought he popped, you know, quite a bit of
that game, and in a moment there where obviously, like
you said, with DJ Jones be and out, he sort
of seemed to recognize that moment. I mean, he's Malcolm
Roaches is a reserve kind of by name only, right,
Like he really is a starting level player for them.
It's why he got the contract. And you know again

(05:59):
it's it's another measure of defensively. You know that the
Broncos have had their depth tested a number of times,
and it's why you continue to be builled even at
perceived areas of strength. We've seen it a lot in
the secondary, to the point that they're continuing to get
Chris Abrams Drain and John A. Barron, you know, into
more spots into the opportunities that that they're getting right now,

(06:22):
you know, because as Vance just said, they've earned that
and and you need six seven competent defensive backs, you know,
for for whatever it is that you're game planning. So
I just think that you know, the defense has shown
that depth has become a big part of it, and
you know that that's not going to change.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
I don't think we didn't catch that six seven reference there,
Mister Cosmid from the Athletic h I definitely.

Speaker 4 (06:44):
Yes, six year olds, So it's sort of just embedded
in my brain. I just speak in six seven without.

Speaker 3 (06:49):
Even knowing it.

Speaker 1 (06:50):
Well, we we definitely caught that talk Winn Cosmeder from
the Athletic. You know, Marvin Maham gets in the end
zone on the return touchdown. I talked to Cody Rouric
about this earlier whil We've been about this earlier, and
it's something that's been a bugaboo for me since honestly
since the Giants game. And that is why we don't
use Marvin Mims more on offense. When you get the
guy the targets he produces. You go back and you
look at five six target games and he consistently produces in.

Speaker 3 (07:14):
That and then we just forget that we have him.

Speaker 1 (07:15):
And Sean Payton gave his usual you know token, Well,
we got to make more, you know, you gotta make
an effort.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
Get him the ballmore. Yeah, you're the guy.

Speaker 1 (07:22):
You're the guy who gets him the ballmore because you're
the only impediment to that. Why is it that we
just don't want to put our most explosive weapon out
there in the past game.

Speaker 4 (07:31):
Well, if I was able to answer that question for you.
You could put me onto some of the world's other
like great mysteries that that we have solving to go
way beyond AFC West football, because it is it's confounding.
I think I had tweeted out Sean's quote about Marvin
Mims getting more offensive involvement, and my colleague that does
fantasy thrust, Jake Seely, you know, kind of quote tweeted

(07:54):
and said that the funny thing is that this is
not actually a repurpose tweet from twenty twenty four. You know,
that's just sort of the same thing that we've you know,
that we've been talking about, and you know, it's it's
weird because there's stretches of it right, like you know,
the second half of last year. It really is confounding
because he got going. You know, part of it. I
do think, like you know, Pat Bryant, the way that

(08:14):
he's sort of started to develop is kind of your
your slant guy who is also.

Speaker 3 (08:18):
You know, really good in the run game.

Speaker 4 (08:21):
You know, he he the last couple of weeks has
really been been coming on and they're they're trying to
get Evan Ingram more involved and it's almost like they
they go in each week and say, we got to
get somebody, somebody else involved. Sometimes it's Courtland hasn't had it.
So they've got a lot of playmakers to feed right
now as part of it. And maybe it is like,
you know, Marvin is such a non diva receiver, you

(08:42):
know that that he can almost kind of fade into
the background. But I agree with you, it's just like
he doesn't need a lot of runway to have his
speed really impact you. And that's the thing that Sean
knows is like we if you get him in areas
where he can, you know, mimic his return style. He's
just too dynamic not to include in game plans. I mean,
this guy has a fifty yard return in each of

(09:04):
his first three years as a punt returner, and so
like it was to the point that when he scored
the touchdown and then you see it pop up that
was his first career punt return touchdow, I was almost like,
wait it is. Yeah, He's had so many like just
game changing returns that you know they hadn't gotten to
the end zone, but has literally one game for them
in that regard. So yeah, I mean, we'll see how
it goes and maybe they're you know, they're they're saving things,

(09:27):
whatever it might be. But yeah, it's it's an evergreen
statement to say that they need to get Marvin MEM's
more involved.

Speaker 1 (09:34):
Yeah, just just baffling to me when I look at
the end of the game and I'm like, little Jordan
Humphrey got three targets for twenty seven yards, more of
a m's got one for five, Like, what are we
doing here? I get holding a little something back, but
at the same time, he is clearly your most explosive weapon, Like,
what are we doing here? One of the things I
did highlight that I loved. I've been talking about it
for a while. Get At Apprentice more touches. It's still

(09:54):
limited him out, but he did get the bust off
the eighteen yard wrong longest carried by a back in
that game, finish with two carries for twenty two. Also
had two receptions for eleven yards. And you know, I
hate the white guy running back thing, but there's a
little Peyton hillisid Ada Prentice's game?

Speaker 4 (10:09):
Yeah, And it's and it's it's that and it's also
just like the you know, the they're running a lot
more jumbo and they're running a lot more fullback stuff
that was that was a season high for him in
terms of snaps, I think at thirty snaps for a
fullback in twenty twenty five. Like they're they're definitely playing
some old school and in terms of just that the
heavy personnel that they're using as a way to get

(10:31):
the running game on track, but also because you know,
bo Nix knows how to manage the get him into
the right stuff within that heavy personnel to still be
able to attack in the passing game. So I think
that's been a really interesting wrinkle for a long time.
Sean Payton in New Orleans would finish most years near
the top in terms of the jumbo uses the sixth
offensive lineman usage rate first two years in Denver, top ten,

(10:54):
but not quite to the degree that we had seen
at New Orleans this year, way back up at the
top in terms of just how much they're using that.
You know, you add the fullback to that and it's
you know, really pretty clear how they're trying to beat
you on the grounds. It's gonna be interesting to see
how that continues to develop.

Speaker 1 (11:09):
Tywe n Cosmier of the Athletic Shifting gears a little
bit the Denver Nuggets. How about Jamal Murray early this season,
you know, you sort of wondered with Porter Junior going
where the points we're gonna come from?

Speaker 3 (11:18):
You hope Camra Johnson was going to be part of that.

Speaker 1 (11:20):
But Jamal Murray's really picked up a lot of the
scoring slack and just been playing i think, at a
different level this year. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (11:26):
And what's funny is here we are talking about like
sort of statements you could seem to say each year,
which at this point it's like, you know, how are
they going to get Marvin Mems involved more early on?
You know, we'll see With Jamal Murray, it's always can
he in November, you know, in the early part of December,
like look like he does, you know, when he's hitting
his stride near the playoffs, because he becomes such a

(11:47):
different player. This is the first time since maybe his
second year in the league that we've seen it where
he is he is just ready to go from the
start of the season, just giving them so much, so
much juice. And you know, when you have when you
have Nicole Jokic and all the attention and resources that
he demands, and then you have a guy like Jamal Murray,
who is who is in this in this flow state

(12:08):
I like to call it right now, Yeah, it just
it just causes havoc. Like offensively, they're they're gonna, they're
they're just incredible. And you know, obviously with the injuries
to to Aaron Gordon, Christian Christian Brown, you're you're seeing
the difficulties some nice defensively, but but I just feel
like Jamal and and Nicola even are in that mode
of just like if for the time being, we we

(12:29):
have to we have to outscore people, then that's what
we'll do until until we get until we.

Speaker 1 (12:33):
Get guys back.

Speaker 4 (12:34):
Because he's just answering the bell every night.

Speaker 1 (12:37):
Well, it's interesting as you look around, you know, the
Denver sports scene right now, just the levels of excellence
though are the the Ads have gotten out to incredibly
hot star They look like the best team in hockey
maybe maybe Dallas, but beyond that, I mean, it looks
like them. Uh you look at the Nuggets and how
well they've played so far early on, they look like
a team that could be in contention. Obviously you're gonna
have to go through o case probably. Uh, you know,

(12:57):
in the West, and then you know the Denver Nugget
Rock those who are sitting here and Cruise Control on
the on the AFC West and possibly the number one seed.
Has there been a more exciting time to be a
Denver sports fan?

Speaker 4 (13:08):
Not since I've been here, and you might have a
better catalog of of things to pull from, But it's
really neat. I mean because it's like every every game
when the when the teams are in this kind of mode,
like every game gets to be appointment doing right, Like
you know, you always watch the games, but it's now
just this this idea that like you're you're watching something

(13:29):
special unfold, like every night, and when it's when it's
cold outside and there's a you know that that time
of year. It's just nice to be able to have that.
And I probably, you know, with with what how well
the Broncos are doing and kind of this season, I
haven't been as locked into the others as as I
certainly will when this season comes to an end. But yeah, man,
what a time to be alive as a Denver sports

(13:51):
fan right now.

Speaker 1 (13:51):
And it's fascinating because I like, we haven't even mentioned
the fact that CSU's hired Jim more junior who just
turned around a Yukon program and probably brings a cachet
and a credibility there. You Uh, Colorado hires my buddy
Brendan Marion. They're gonna bring the go go offense here.
That's gonna look a lot different there. It's you and
the Rockies even have everybody with an eyebrow raised hiring
Paul de Podesta. And then of course you today you

(14:12):
go out and get the pitching goat from the Marlins.
Who calls pitches from the dugout. It's it's just a
it's just a fascinating sort of interesting time intersection of
successful and innovative things going on.

Speaker 3 (14:21):
In the dever sports world.

Speaker 1 (14:22):
And I I mean, I've never been around this. This
is sort of intersectionalism in sports and h any stop yeah.

Speaker 4 (14:31):
And and like really and obviously it's it's when the
when the Broncos are playing this well that sort of
like carries it to the top. And I'm just I'm
really eager. We were talking about this at Allegiance, some
of us as we were wrapping up and getting ready
to leave of like, you know, when was the last
time you were going into a game in December at
home with the kind of sticks online. I know last

(14:53):
year they had a home game to get into the playoffs.
But but that, you know that the the energy behind that,
I think even though the crowd was super into it,
the idea that that was going to be a competitive
game was was obviously did not exist, right that playing
the Chief Space squad. Now you're playing a game two
division leaders that are that are both buying for the
top seed in their conference. It's just going to be

(15:16):
I think, an incredible atmosphere, you know, And I was
a you know, just kind of going to the game.
I remember being at the Sunday night game in the
regular season in twenty fifteen when the when the Broncos
beat the Patriots in the snow, you know, being up
in the way up in the nosebleeds with my wife,
you know, back before I was, you know, really doing
this thing and just how incredible that was. So it's

(15:39):
it's kind of cool that now in another generation of
fans are going to get to experience like what that
moment is like when this much is on the line,
this late in the year, in that highly competitive of
a matchup, like it's gonna be a lot of fun
these next two weeks.

Speaker 1 (15:53):
Was that it is look forward to seeing you out
there on Sunday. Nick Cosmidor from the Athletic. We appreciate your.

Speaker 4 (15:58):
Time, all right, man, and take care. Thanks what yep?

Speaker 1 (16:01):
Take care Nick cosmoon or the Athletic NFL six pack.
We come back Bagel Country tonight. Mouthful of bagel, right,
try to try to say that's the thing. Like a
lot of times I can get that last bite in
before we come back to air. But a microwave that bagel,
so it was chewy and I could not get I
could not get that. I like, it's a twelve hour

(16:21):
old bagel microwaved. Yes, yeah, that's that's how we roll
right here. You get hungry, you get you get snacky.
You know it is so uh anyway that you guys
are with us. We appreciate everybody that joined us tonight
and that cosmid Or, roly Bean, Cody Rourke.

Speaker 3 (16:35):
You missed any part of that, you go to.

Speaker 1 (16:36):
Broncos Country Night dot com, slash podcast or or of
Goats podcast, Apple, I to the Spotify the free Redesigned
I heard Rady app or you can get the Taking
for Granted podcast archives as well as uh some of
the episodes are gonna be playing here on KOA on
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas. That's
right looking on the times yet.

Speaker 2 (16:53):
But I was a guest before the Broncos game on
Christmas Day, fair enough looking looking forward to that as
always and without further.

Speaker 3 (17:03):
Ado, let's get to an NFL six pare.

Speaker 1 (17:05):
It's time for the NFL six pad.

Speaker 4 (17:08):
I'm going to trade the last year the insighted inside
information you can't find anywhere else.

Speaker 1 (17:13):
I know, six the top six NFL headlines.

Speaker 2 (17:17):
What forty nine Ers wide receiver Juan Jennings didn't have
any confrontations with opponents this.

Speaker 1 (17:24):
Week, but that was because the forty nine ers had
to buy.

Speaker 2 (17:28):
But he was asked about his last issue when he
spoke to reporters today. Brown's defensive lineman Shelby Harris said
that Jennings said some things that he should not say
to another man during injury stoppage in the Week thirteen
game between the two teams. Harris also said he could
see exactly why they punched him in the nuts in
reference to Panther's safety Trayvon Morigg during that doing that

(17:49):
to Jennings the previous week. Harris teammate Miles Garrett also
took issue with Jennings's comments and the wide outset on
Monday that he thinks they wanted some attention because he
doesn't believe he said anything that crossed the line. I mean,
Harris said something, so why he's saying what he said?
Via Matt Barrows of The Athletic. I don't know, bro.
I do know it ain't that bad, That's what I

(18:10):
do know. I'm gonna just keep keep it to myself
what I said. But I know it wasn't that bad.
And he knows that it's funny he sees me to
smack me. Maybe you'll find out that day. Jennings said
that you shouldn't say you want to kill someone when
asked where he would draw a line, and the reactions
from his recent opponents suggests that is probably a different
place than some others would place it. Here were Shelby

(18:32):
Harris's comments that they referenced in that story.

Speaker 3 (18:35):
He's a hope I want that Gnome.

Speaker 2 (18:38):
Do you know what Jennings said and do you think
he crossed the line?

Speaker 4 (18:42):
He did?

Speaker 1 (18:42):
He the player who was down the Gradlity Collins, was
waiting for a cart to be carted off, and Juwan
Jennings stood over him and was still talking smack about
wife's and wives and kids and that.

Speaker 3 (18:52):
You just don't like. The guy's hurt.

Speaker 1 (18:54):
He's you know, his day is done, his season's probably done,
his day is done. The cart's coming out for the guy.
That's where you draw the line. If a guy's hurt,
you don't you're done with the talk, like you've just
done with it at that point. That's the end of it.
That's where that's where the line goes. And yeah, Shelby
took exception to him standing over him while he's hurt
talking about wife and kids and all that and then
running back behind his offensive line when he got confronted

(19:15):
on it, which Juwan conveniently failed to mention there. He's
known for being that dude around the league too. This
isn't new, you know. Jawan Jennings is well known for
being the you know, out of pocket with his smack
talk and all that kind of stuff. And as a
prolific smack talker myself, you got to know where the
line is on all that kind of stuff too.

Speaker 2 (19:36):
On Sunday, Bengals receiver T Higgins return to action after
suffering a concussion in Week twelve against the Patriots. Earlier today,
after having his helmet strike the plane service on multiple
occasions during the Week fourteen game against the Bills, the
Bengals placed Higgins back in the concussion protocol early. Earlier tonight,
the NFL and the NFL Players Association issued a joint

(19:58):
statement t Higgins was evaluated twice in the game and
cleared to return, The league and the Union said after
the game and discussion with club medical personnel as part
of the post game evaluation, he notified the team he
was experiencing symptoms and was immediately placed in the concussion protocol.
It's standard practice for players who are checked for concussions
during games to be checked again and when the game ends,

(20:20):
and yes, concussions sometimes don't emerge immediately, so the optics
not good for Higgins, who suffered the concussion when his
helmet struck the artificial surface in Cincinnati, but it happens
more than once. On Sunday on the artificial turf in Buffalo.
Became objectively uncomfortable to see it happen, to see Higgins
stay in the game. After the game, Higgins hold reporters

(20:41):
he had no concerns about continuing to play. The protocol
is nevertheless in place to protect players from their natural
incarnation to keep playing. For a source with knowledge of
the situation, there will be no investigation regarding the handling
of Higgins because there is no reason to believe the
protocol may have been violated. What do you think of
this point statement from the NFL and the nfl PA,

(21:03):
And should Higgins have been allowed to return to play?

Speaker 1 (21:06):
I mean, there's a doctor there who needs to be
under review for allowing him to return to play, you know.
I mean, what is the procedure that very obviously missed
you know this? And how did Higgins escape the protocol
with flying colors only to very obviously be affected by
this later?

Speaker 3 (21:22):
I mean, those are the questions we need to ask.
The NFL has.

Speaker 1 (21:24):
Tried to preempt liability and that we know what's going
on there as far as the rest of it goes, though,
the physician that okay, that agreeing with that, that needs
to be reviewed.

Speaker 3 (21:32):
That procedure needs to be reviewed and his I don't
want to.

Speaker 1 (21:36):
Say credentials, but his process needs to be reviewed in
an effort to make sure that these things don't slip
through the cracks in the future.

Speaker 2 (21:41):
Do you think he'll be out this week for them
to save face a little bit against Yeah, I.

Speaker 3 (21:47):
Don't see any way.

Speaker 1 (21:48):
I mean, you've got to get a certain number of
practices in to be you know, so if you're not
cleared by like Wednesday or Thursday, you're not getting back
in there.

Speaker 2 (21:55):
Three, the college football playoff bracket is set. The game's
schedule is also released on Friday, December nineteenth, Number eight
Oklahoma versus number nine Alabama. Saturday December twentieth, number seven
Texas A and m versus number number ten Miami, number six,

(22:17):
Ole miss Verse number eleven two Lane and number five
Oregon versus number twelve James Madison. And that means Indiana,
who beat Ohio State over the weekend and the Big
Ten championship game is number one, they'll get a bye,
along with Ohio State at number two, Georgia at number three,
and four Texas Tech. What do you think of this
final bracket and the opening matchups of the tournament?

Speaker 1 (22:40):
Football, I'm fine with I'm fine with Notre Dame not
being in it. I'm fine with the matchups. I'm fine
with most of the stuff on here. I mean, I
felt there were a couple of teams that may have
gotten a little bit snobbed, but I didn't feel like
it was Notre Dame. Honestly, maybe you know, BYU, maybe Utah, Vandy,
Texas old had arguments. Say, as far as that stuff goes,

(23:02):
I had I pre programmed in AI to go back
get the old BCS formula, reverse engineer the BCS formula,
and generate.

Speaker 3 (23:11):
It back out.

Speaker 1 (23:12):
And this is what the BCS formula had Indiana one,
Georgia two, Texas Tech three, Oregon four, Ole, miss five,
A and M six, Ohio State seven, Oklahoma eight, Miami nine,
Alabama ten, BYU eleven, Utah twelve, Tulane thirteen, Fandy fourteen,
Texas fifteen. That would have put now with the two

(23:35):
guaranteed winners Tulane and Jennie Corse, Jas and Madison. That
would have meant that BYU and Utah and Vanderbilt would
have been the first three out.

Speaker 2 (23:42):
So pretty similar really, I mean, other than like the
ranking of Ohio State.

Speaker 3 (23:46):
Yeah, they have.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
Ohio State a lot lower at seven than the BCS.
The old BCS computer's formula, which nobody uses anymore, would
have had iOS state a little bit lower at seven
than than anything else. But other than that, I mean,
you know, everything else fairly, fairly much fell in line.

Speaker 3 (24:01):
I just don't understand this Notre Dame crying nonsense.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
I mean, they lost to Miami.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
How are you gonna Miami should be ahead of note?

Speaker 3 (24:08):
Well, yeah, what team were you taking out to put
Notre Dame in?

Speaker 1 (24:10):
Like at the end of the day, like all this
crying that they're doing, like, what team were you taking
out to put them in? And that's that's the other
part of this that I'm like Notre like. Honestly, the
OLDVCS formula did not have Notre Dame in the top
twenty best on the strength of schedule at all that
kind of stuff. Stuff. What do you think of them
opting out of any bowl game? It's this petty booho noss.

Speaker 3 (24:29):
If you want to cry out there, what is here?

Speaker 4 (24:31):
Ami?

Speaker 1 (24:31):
I love going to opt out of the out of
the Heisman ceremony too, you know it is this is crying,
whining nonsense. If you don't want to play a bowl game,
they don't play a bowl game.

Speaker 3 (24:40):
Whatever.

Speaker 1 (24:40):
But think about those seniors that didn't realize they were
playing their last.

Speaker 3 (24:44):
Game a few weeks ago.

Speaker 1 (24:45):
You know, don't even get another chance to have family
or something, come out watch me played one last time.

Speaker 3 (24:48):
That kind of stuff.

Speaker 1 (24:49):
It's just stupid to me, absolutely stupid. And you know
I everybody crying about Notre Dame not being in there,
I am not.

Speaker 3 (24:56):
The least bit sympathetic.

Speaker 2 (24:59):
Yeah, and Notre Dame ranked eleventh and the final playoff rankings. Yeah,
next year they have a deal in place that if
they are top twelve, no matter what, they are guaranteed
a college football playoffs.

Speaker 1 (25:10):
Which is stupid. We don't need to reward Notre Dame
for anything like Notre go out there and do like
everyone else in the country and earn it.

Speaker 2 (25:18):
Four. You mentioned Jeremiah Love at the Heisman ceremony. The
Heisman finalists are set. You got v Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia,
Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love. That we mentioned Fernando Mendoza,
the quarterback at Indiana, and Ohio State quarterback Julian Say.
And do you think anyone was left off this list?

(25:40):
And who is your Heisman winner? My guys on the
list this year.

Speaker 1 (25:44):
He's not gonna win it, but my guy's on the
list this year, that's Diego Paviya. He's gonna win it.

Speaker 3 (25:48):
I don't think he's gonna win it. I think the
dulls is gonna get it.

Speaker 1 (25:50):
And simply because people just give it to the quarterback
on the best team instead of the criterion here, which
is most outstanding player who did more with less than
Diego Paviah did this season, he played one fewer game
than Mendoza and still had like three hundred more passing
yards in the SEC.

Speaker 3 (26:07):
By the way, you.

Speaker 1 (26:09):
Know, it's I don't even know, I don't even know
where to goal with this. He averaged was it forty
more yards per game passing than than than Mendoza did,
And then you start digging down on the you know,
the rushing stats and all that kind of stuff as well.
To me, nobody did more with less around him than
Diego pavia and he did it in the SEC. With

(26:30):
all the respect to Mendoza, who's probably gonna be the
top pick in the draft, that's not the criterion for
the Heisman. Also, being the quarterback on the winning team
is not the criterion for Heisman. The criteria's most outstanding player,
which is why last year I was like apopleptic that
people have bryceon daily so low and this year you
at least got Diego Pavia in the finals. But he's not.
He's probably not gonna win and it's gonna upset me.

Speaker 2 (26:51):
Yeah, and to your appoint Mendoza is the heavy bet,
heavy betting favorite. And if Mendoza wins, he'll be the
first player in Indiana history to win the Heisman.

Speaker 1 (27:01):
Well, congratulations to uh, you know, the Indiana and Mendoz
on their season and.

Speaker 3 (27:05):
All that kind of stuff, and I think they're the
national champion favorites. But again, I would go a different
route with.

Speaker 2 (27:10):
This five accidentally hit the two sound thought it was
gonna be like a six to seven in theres No,
I'm not nick Cosbider. Riley Leonard has a knee issue
that puts his.

Speaker 1 (27:20):
Availability in question.

Speaker 2 (27:21):
This coming on the heels of Daniel Jones injured Achille
that he tore in the game against the jaguarres. That
means that uh, Daniel Jones out for the rest of
the year, and the quarterback situation in Indianapolis in question.
If Riley Leonard can play on Sunday, should he?

Speaker 1 (27:42):
Yeah? But who else is gonna be bro Ripens hashtag
Leonard shot. I mean, you know, even if Phil Rivers
and they do, you know, they pull this off, There's
no way Rivers is ready to play on Sunday. Yeah,
Riley Leonard, if he's able to go, there's the guy.
I mean, it has to be kind of right. Beyond that,
I don't really know. I don't really know what else
to say. You know, they don't have any other options

(28:04):
when you get to break to bring anthy Richardson. I
think this does go to show how little they you know,
how they can't wait to be rid of Anthey Richardson.

Speaker 3 (28:10):
But what else you get? Who else you turn into here?

Speaker 1 (28:14):
They don't have another option but Brett Rippon and I
don't know what we're doing six Well, they may have
another option.

Speaker 2 (28:21):
As you mentioned, Philip Rivers visiting and working out with
the Colts tomorrow. Colts have a surprising candidate to join
the team for the stretch.

Speaker 1 (28:29):
Run and the wake of the Daniel Jones injury.

Speaker 2 (28:32):
According to our report from NFL Media, Philip Rivers working out.

Speaker 1 (28:35):
With the Colts on Tuesday.

Speaker 2 (28:37):
Yes, that Philip Rivers, who hasn't thrown a pass since
his twenty twenty season with the Colts, he's been coaching
high school football. Turns forty four years old today and
considering getting back in the NFL locker room. Rivers spent
sixteen of his seventeen pro seasons with the Chargers, where
current Colts head coaching Steichen served as a QB's coach
from twenty sixteen to twenty nineteen before being promoted to

(29:01):
the interim offensive coordinator in rivers final year with the club.
Steichen has also been an offensive quality control coach with
the then San Diego Chargers in twenty fourteen and twenty fifteen,
and was a defensive assistant with a team in twenty
eleven twenty twelve. Rivers, as I said, last played with
the Colts in twenty twenty, helping pilot the team to

(29:21):
an eleven to five record and a postseason appearance the
year after Andrew Luck's surprise retirement. That season, he completed
sixty eight percent of his passes for four one sixty
nine yards with twenty four touchdowns and eleven intersections. What
do you think of the possible Philip Rivers comeback at.

Speaker 3 (29:39):
Age forty four?

Speaker 1 (29:40):
I love it the fact that he turned forty four
today and this is sort of a thing. And he
hasn't thrown a pass and since he was what thirty nine,
since you know, twenty twenty. This is shades of Steve
de Bergh coming back at forty six years old for
the Atlanta Falcons. For Rivers part, he only needs like
six seven hundred yards to repass Ben Roethlisberger on the

(30:02):
old time passing yardage stats. Now, he's not gonna move
anywhere on the touchdowns day. If he gets this, he's
gonna move anywhere the touchdowns, but he could move back
into sixth place possibly on the old time passing yardage thing.
Roethlisberger played one more year than Rivers, and it's it's
why he passed him. Rivers, to my opinion, should be

(30:24):
a first ballot Hall of Famers. He's an old time
player with all the time. I'd just love to see
him get a playoff run there, come back and the
magical playoff run, that kind of stuff. I think that
would help cement his help cement him, you know, as
it were.

Speaker 3 (30:37):
But yeah, I don't know what is he got left
in the tank. He's got a grand kid.

Speaker 1 (30:40):
Would just be a first time My grandfather played in
the NFL.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (30:44):
I don't know, but I think it's such a great
story man, And I'm just here.

Speaker 1 (30:47):
For him to be miked up in every goal he gets.

Speaker 2 (30:50):
To play in and just hear some of that classic
non cursing trash talk from philipp You.

Speaker 1 (30:55):
Know, he coaches his high school football and now I'd
love to see his kids get a chance to you know,
to watch him. Uh, the kids he'd coach get a
chance to watch him go out and play, you know,
a couple of games, and you just want a fun
memory that you what a fun thing that would be
for everybody. Uh, Penning obviously is physical. You don't know,
you know, you don't know, Yeah, what the fotty's like
if they're not playing in the league for five years.

Speaker 2 (31:16):
You know, I didn't know that him and Shane Steiken
had such a serious connection.

Speaker 1 (31:19):
Yeah, way back. Shane was in fact, he was on
the defensive side of the ball. His mentors, our good
friend John McConnell, John cook On was Shane Steichen's mentor.

Speaker 3 (31:28):
Yeah, coming up.

Speaker 2 (31:29):
So I hope things turn around for coach Pegano and
your commander in chief.

Speaker 3 (31:32):
Well, I tell you, the defense has turned around.

Speaker 1 (31:34):
So Dan took back over the defensive play calling, so it'll
be interesting to see who gets the nod as the
defensive coordinator next year.

Speaker 3 (31:40):
Might be even a John Paganell.

Speaker 2 (31:42):
Real quick, we didn't mention the Jayden Daniels injury. What
are you hearing on that?

Speaker 1 (31:45):
Not got anything? I'm supposed to hear something tomorrow, So
I don't know on that just yet, but we'll know
something about it by tomorrow. We're all be on KOI
Sports with right up, which making sure to antagonize.

Speaker 3 (31:56):
Him all after him.

Speaker 1 (31:57):
Can't wait?

Speaker 3 (31:58):
All right, Broncos Country? Did I get back into this?
I am a hater of fun?

Speaker 2 (32:03):
You know, art one out here's a hope.

Speaker 3 (32:05):
I want that known