12-30-25 KOA Sports Hour 3

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now are you doing excellent? How about yourself? I'm doing great.
You have a nice Christmas? It was good. It was relaxing, Yeah,
especially when we went once we want. I was relaxed. Hey,
listen to the same way.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
I mean, obviously I was working Christmas night, but it
would have framed everything different over the next several days
if they had found a way to lose that game.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
No, no, they did. They did well. Man, We've been
find a way to win multiple ways. Different guys. Really
see a closeness with this group that I really really like.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah, there is something to that. I was watching that
the lay documentary. I want to ask you about what
you thought about it, but really really well done. But
you talk about closeness that that team, man, you guys,
you guys had a lot of that, didn't you.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
You know what it was? It was so crazy the
way cell phones are now with the cameras and video
wasn't out. We actually had cam quarters for some of
your old hears, y'all, I'm talking about you see guys
walking around with a cam quarter hand the palm in
their hands. And they got smaller, smaller as we as
we got older. But we were really really close man.

(01:06):
Every guy cared about each other as far as them
off the field just as well as on the field,
and you could you could feel it in the way
we played for each other. And I'm not just with
fun the fact of h I saw the premiere every
year in Denver when John was there asking questions. I've
watched it two or three times, and it's just it

(01:27):
brings back the nostalgia of what it's.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Like to be a champion.

Speaker 3 (01:30):
But for me, just the personal side of John, a
partner I knew, and of course a whole bunch of
stuff that I didn't know. And and I want people
to really respect every athlete or high end, especially the
years your sports people male, female, doesn't.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Matter, high end, college.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Everybody's going through something and a lot of times you
have to mask it with your sport. But that don't
mean we're not in pain. They don't mean we don't
have stuff going on. And and it's see him go
through what he was going through at this at the
same time, chasing greatness, and and to he said, he
looks calmer now and at peace.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
No ten grand keys to do that to.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
You, No, listen, I one hundred percent agree with you.
I thought It was really really well done. I had
no idea it was going to go into so much
of his personal life as it did, because sometimes when
they are these the sports biopicks or documentaries, it's about
what they did on the field and you and you
got a lot of that. Unless the Broncos fans you

(02:31):
watch it, you're gonna get a lot of the John
Lway career here with the Broncos. Obviously stuff with Stanford
and all of that, but I mean his stuff here
with the Broncos, the losing of the Super Bowl and
eventually obviously winning the two championships, coming back as a GM,
all that. But in twined, intertwined with all of that
was the personal stuff, with his stuff with his sister
and his dad and.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
His kids and his life and everything. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
I thought that was was tremendous and he was very
raw emotionally through all of it, which was really cool.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
Toy that part was because you know, Netflix did an
excellent job. Shout out to Netflix. At the premiere we
had the different premiere here, Brandon Lloyd was there. I
was sitting next to rich and Mark Jackson. We were
sitting by each other at it, and they were talking
on stage after how they got John to pull out

(03:18):
the emotion, to try to get you know, get to
the really the heart of who he is as a man,
and to pull out some of these personal things that
we don't like to share with people.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
And and they said they started.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
Challenging him like, oh, yeah, when we did Johnny, when
we did Joe Montana, you know Joe who told us this.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
They started comparing him the other courtback. They said, you.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
Know, because the competitiveness, yes, and that came out. But
I think for him to sit there, yeah, for him
to sit there, man and and really open up like that,
I was just so happy and proud of him as
his friend, you know what I'm saying, just as a man,
as his friend. We all have stuff and it's not easy.
It's really not easy. And to have it displayed internationally

(04:00):
like that, and I think it's crazy. I saw Jack
his son before Vermire that day and U when I
went to the game in Vegas, I'm walking in the
stadium and I look to my left and I see
this dude, this big alwazers on.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
It was Jack.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
Jack.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
What's up, ainy Rod, what's happening?

Speaker 3 (04:16):
So we both went into the game and just knowing
what his kids, guys, his kids went through some stuff
and then you got your your siblings in school and
all that kind of stuff. So it's it's hard on
a family when that that one matriarch who was John
at that time, he's chasing something that other people can't
see in his heart, and.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
To get the perspective from his wife at the time
and then of course his kids and how you know
he then you don't hold it against your dad who
is striving for something like that, but you also acknowledge
that it's a different way of growing up without your dad.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
I mean, your dad's president, he's there, but he's also
the right have you.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Not to get too personal here, but I mean as you,
as as as a father, as a man that absolutely
how much was that dealing with.

Speaker 3 (05:02):
That right now? No, I'm dead serious, man, it is.
I literally was just on the phone with my grandson,
my grandson that is in Florida after two that live
with me, and he's talking about basketball and basketball starts in.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Ten days, and I'm like, dude, have you been in
the gym?

Speaker 3 (05:17):
I hear his grandmother in the background, absolutely not, And
so she said, I've been telling him that Rod. I've
been telling them that. I'm like, dude, why you ain't driveling.
You got a gold in your yard, Why you're not
driveling every day? And it's just something about I think
they think we're trying to tell him what to do.
I said, no, I'm trying to tell you what's best
for what's coming ahead that you don't see. And I

(05:38):
will say it, hats off to John's family, man, just
for honestly, you're trying of taking that instride. You're going
through your own things. You want to be with your
dad and just give him a hug, and he's gone
most of the time, and he's watching film and he's
doing this, this and that. And I experienced the same thing, dude.
I was chasing My sons were playing in the super
Bowl when they were here with me, and I was

(06:00):
that practice for the trying to get to the super Bowl.
And so of course I missed that stuff. And I
think they resented me for that for years until I literally,
as my sons are older now and then the guy
got grandkids, I had to break that down to him.
I said, man, what I what I was chasing, is
the same thing I want you to chase, but you
can't be motivated to chase it because I want you
to you it's got to be internal. And that's why

(06:20):
I was chilling Jayden. I said, dude, is if you think, oh, well,
I'm the best one on the team. I said, yeah,
but you need the best one on the team that's
coming up because you don't know who's on it. And
I said, you think you're the best one on your team,
but what about d team that's coming up. And so
as a parent, especially as a guy who played at
the highest level in pro football, you know, we see
stuff different and people don't. Sometime they don't get it.

(06:42):
It's it's a clarity for us that it's not clear
to everybody else.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
I perfectly said one last thing on this before we
get to the Bronco's current current team.

Speaker 1 (06:50):
Did it what he said?

Speaker 2 (06:53):
Because he's he has said this historically, like my favorite
receiver is the open receiver, but in this documentary.

Speaker 3 (06:59):
Has a lot John Lye. John told me I'm his favorite.
He didn't tell me that. He didn't tell me that,
but I tell myself that all the time.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
But no, honestly, I talk to Tuesday. I was like,
oh man, I saw Netflix posted that clip. Yeah, they
had Shannon on there.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
Shannon was tagging it and Shannon was on there, and
I was gonna go on Netflix paper like, hey.

Speaker 1 (07:22):
That's a lie.

Speaker 3 (07:22):
John lyed and just to start some stuff. But honestly,
if Shannon was his favorite target, it was warranted because
Sharp started with nothing too. He was on the you know,
he was drafting eleventh round and and him and John
built a relationship before I ever got there. And when
when chips were down and things were tight, who did
he go to? We wouldn't need to win the NC

(07:44):
championship game. He went to his boy. He went to Sharp.
They had a history that you can't deny. And and
they made plays, I mean some clutch plays. And I
saw somebody on Instagram they actually saw they were talking
about that clip. They said, dude, I didn't realize that
Shannon was that good. I said, man, you better go
check the tape. And for me, it was beautiful for me.

Speaker 1 (08:04):
Because I sat right in front of the shand so
I learned from him. So I agree with John that
Sean was Shannon was probably his favorite. It's just so funny.
I can believe it.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
And I saw the clip on Twitter too, and I
saw it live. I was thinking myself, Okay, well gotta
asked Rod.

Speaker 1 (08:19):
Yeah, I almost went on. I had typed up some
good stuff too, I said.

Speaker 3 (08:23):
Nah.

Speaker 1 (08:23):
I said, no, I'm not gonna start no mess.

Speaker 2 (08:25):
That's so good. That's so good. All right, Rod Smith
is studio. Okay, so let's let me ask you about
the Chiefs game before we get to this. This game
coming up, obviously some big things happening out with the Chargers.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
They're going to bench the quarterback there. Really, yeah, you
want you to prepare for me. I never do that.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
They I mean, if they don't have it, if they
can't up their position. I definitely agree because he's been
you see him limping and stuff, and he had to
hit ye. So yeah, I mean you definitely. But there's
gonna guys out there. If Derwin James is playing, we
still got a problem. I tell you that right now.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
Oh no, I'm listening. No, nobody's overlooking all the Chargers.
It's not even about it's not even about that.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
It's but that point do you make where you say
Jim Harbaugh could be lying about yeah, sitting justin Herbert.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
I can't imagine that's my thing is if you if
I guess, if yeah, and they can't advance their position.

Speaker 3 (09:27):
If I heard this scenario, if they beat us, ye'll
play us again.

Speaker 1 (09:33):
That's right, And they don't want that.

Speaker 3 (09:35):
I don't know why he wouldn't if you beat us twice, right,
but the playoffs are different. If people say the playoffs
are different, it shouldn't be different. But I I I mean,
if he if he says he's gonna sit them this obeit,
I'm preparing as if they full force.

Speaker 1 (09:49):
I'm preparing because his thing.

Speaker 3 (09:51):
If he's not playing and they have a kink in
the armor, exposure as a defense, go out there and
do what you need to do, get the game over early.
If they're playing playing on land it down. We still
have to play well, We still have to execute. We
still have stuff we need to work on as a team,
not just as an office. Defensively, we've had a couplet
little lolls with the Jacksonville stuff. Teams are gonna start
running that stuff against you when when when they find

(10:14):
a kink in your armor. So to me, them not
playing him is great for us if we perform the
way we need to perform. Because I firmly believe this,
and I believe you believe. We're getting better as a team.
Over these last eight nine weeks. Man, we've been coming together,
jeling different groups of people, showing us that we can

(10:34):
win with the Office Special teams have made some huge
plays offensively, We've learned to control the ball. Mean, we've
talked about four minute office all time. We learn to
control the ball, go down there systematically score like they
did against the Chiefs. It was exactly the thing that
we would talk about ten weeks ago that wasn't happening,
and now we're doing it.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
So if they want to make this into account of
a practice game, good.

Speaker 3 (10:53):
We'll practice. Go ahead and get it over with early.
Let them hopefully fold up tent. We get a victory,
get a break, get some guys healed, rest, recharge, and
go go for a three round fight.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
Well that's one hundred percent right, And I'd say that
if you're the Broncos, you prepare as though you're facing
the best of the Chargers, even if they're not gonna
play the best of their their group, because you need
this game at this point more than they do apparently absolutely,
And for the Chargers, I see the point you make
and then I look kind of laid that ey yesterday.
If they won this game, it'd likely be playing the

(11:28):
Broncos again. Tough to beat a team three times, but
if they won this game, then they got to believe
that they could beat the Broncos three times. Meanwhile, we
had the sideline report for the Chargers in yesterday and
she said, from her understanding, they think their best path
is actually through the Patriots because they beat the Patriots
at Foxborough last year. There's a different Patriots team in
the sense that they had different coach, but they think

(11:49):
they match up better. And you know what, in the end,
teams view the matchups, they look at it, maybe not
the same we do, same way we do when they
look at it and say, well, actually I like our
matchup better.

Speaker 1 (11:59):
Against that team than this team.

Speaker 3 (12:00):
One thing about where they're seated, they're gonna have to
win four games to get there, you know what I'm saying.
They gonna have to go through the wild card and
do They're gonna have to do the whole thing.

Speaker 1 (12:09):
And so you know, you go.

Speaker 3 (12:11):
Out there and put your top performance together to do it.
Two weeks in a row against us that could be tough,
and like he said, you know so that. I mean,
that's the thing about these scenarios is once you get
them kind of concrete in on this week eighteen is
concrete in and teams know who they rather face. They
know who their team matches up better, right, And that's

(12:32):
that's kind of smart. But plimp to me. Take Derwin
James out too. Take Derwin James out. There's a couple
other guys I would like to be going to put
over there and let them rest for the Patriots game
in a couple of weeks.

Speaker 2 (12:44):
I'm hon he's so good and and they have a
lot of really good players on the defensive side of
the ball. Their numbers have been outstanding this year. That
that's the the interesting thing. We'll see the practice before tomorrow,
and I think we'll get a better idea because the
way Jim Harbaugh said it yesterday was if there's with
bumps and bruises, they're just gonna sit. So if it's
even close for a lot of these guys, they're gonna set.

(13:05):
I'll go to the Chiefs game for just a second,
because the four play four drives of fourteen or more
plays in that time, it wassessis like forty to twenty.

Speaker 1 (13:14):
Yes, in that game.

Speaker 2 (13:15):
You mentioned something very interesting there a moment ago about
the different ways they found to win. That does seem
significant as you get to the postseason, doesn't.

Speaker 1 (13:23):
And that's so different compared to this team. Yep.

Speaker 3 (13:26):
Remember we were the most most three and out team
in the league. We had the most punts in the league.
We had the most punts and penalties early in the
first half of the season, right, and to be able
to put those sustained drives together, and I have to
give it. I have to take my hat off the
coach because he is dialing up things that the personnel
that's on the field can execute well. And you know

(13:48):
what those guys are doing, they're execute it. It's a
different guy, little Jeorgan Humphrey. I love to see him.
He's one of those guys. I had the chances to
have a conversation with him when he got released. The
first time. I said, Man at a CEU game, I said, man,
stay ay, stay ready. I said, this business, this is business.
He said, oh yeah, absolutely. And I'm so glad he's
getting a chance to be back because I thought Troy
Franklin was hurt because he wasn't in the game that much,

(14:10):
and then I seen him come in and make a play.
Marvin gets a chance to make a play. Then all
of a sudden, I'm like, where is courting? Then Cortland
makes a play, and I see Baddy Mason. I'm like, okay, okay,
I'm liking the diversity that we have as a team.
And you mentioned that those sustain drives, those twelve and
fourteen play drives, especially in the winner, when you can
control the clock and keep their offices. These teams who

(14:31):
are playing have a good mix of offense and defense.
To make the playoffs, you got to have a good mix,
a good balance, so to speak. Usually want like our defense.
Of course, I believe it's better than our office, But
I think our office is just drastically improving. And being
able to control that ball and control the clock and
still go down there and get points, you know, is

(14:53):
a huge deal this time of year.

Speaker 1 (14:55):
The four minute office, we can do it. If we
need that to win, we can do it.

Speaker 2 (15:00):
They've shown that at times time Again, no no doubt
about it. Actually, it was funny. I was driving home
after the game and after doing the Broncos REAC show,
and there was a national host saying how boring it
is to watch the Broncos.

Speaker 1 (15:13):
Of course dan'el team.

Speaker 2 (15:15):
I mean, that's got to be part of it, and
it just more specifically the offense that the office is boring.

Speaker 1 (15:19):
Our first downs were good. We were really good on
first down.

Speaker 3 (15:22):
First down runs were good, and that's what we would
We didn't have this in the first half of the
season when we had Dobbins.

Speaker 1 (15:27):
Our first down runs were still not that good.

Speaker 3 (15:30):
So we kept having second and long and third and long,
and now we're getting that third and intermediate. Couple things
I saw that we talked about last week. I saw
Bowl run out of pocket, broke down good, Bow scooted
out of there, gets the first down get down.

Speaker 1 (15:45):
I had a couple of designs with him too.

Speaker 3 (15:47):
The couple designs, I'm telling you, the design runs just
push them even more crazy alert. But when he scrambles
and instead of me forcing this throw hard it's hard,
it's gotta be perfect, let me just run it. I
could pick up five or six on the run because
once he breaks that first line of defense, they're underneath

(16:09):
the guy you're trying to throw the ball to. So
by the time they reacting, Bo's got some real good
wheels and some good moves. So I saw that last
week and I was really excited about I said, remember,
he gonna go look at the tape. He can see
I can keep us on schedule. If you notice that,
that's how you get those twelve fourteen play drives. You
couldn't throw it down every time, but you're converting at
a probably eighty sixty about seventy five percent rate. And

(16:31):
if that keeps you on the field, that keeps you're
gonna win football games with that.

Speaker 2 (16:34):
Well they did against the Chiefs and at Boring or whatever.
I mean, you're controlling the clock, you're controlling the game.
And I know that in the end it was a
one score game, but there were so many other markers
in that game that made it feel like it wasn't
really that close.

Speaker 1 (16:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (16:48):
No, I mean in Casey without there, you know, if
pot Maholme's not there, they're very very limited.

Speaker 1 (16:54):
But they had some guys actually did make some plays. Still.
The defense still came through.

Speaker 3 (16:59):
Got a big pick you know in the game off
that tip that was a great play.

Speaker 1 (17:04):
By that kid.

Speaker 3 (17:04):
Can't you can't, you can't, you can't one thing about
NFL people always say is rigged.

Speaker 1 (17:09):
I hear that all the time. Oh you see, this
is rigged, This is rigged, This is rigged.

Speaker 3 (17:13):
I had a buddy of mine from college, him and
his wife called and asked me, was the game rigged?
I'm like, he said no, and I say no, because
one thing you can't do. You can't rig the mentality
of these athletes. As if I'm on that football field,
I'm giving you everything I got. There's no scenarios where
you can be like, hey, look, you know we need
to lose, so I need you to drop a pass,
or I need you to jump outside so I need

(17:34):
to They they were they were showing a clip one
of the ref doing some arm signal thing, and then
the guy jumped outside the very next play, so they
felt that was rigged. I'm like, first of all, that
guy does that almost every snap, but you didn't have
to be The camera happened to catch him doing it.
And because they're letting him know the clock is running,
he letting it. He letting the officials know we're running.

Speaker 1 (17:55):
The clock is.

Speaker 3 (17:55):
Running, things are running, but they don't know the sideline people.
But I can tell you, man, I'm really liking the camaraderie,
the togetherness. It just feels different than the first half
of the year. And I told you I give that
the coach. I think him and the staff, every party
on the staff have said.

Speaker 1 (18:14):
Hey, this is what we have. Let's do best with
what we have.

Speaker 3 (18:17):
His play calls some of the same places multiple times,
and that's how you pick.

Speaker 1 (18:22):
Up those first down with a different guy run the
same play. So you feel pretty good about whether the're
at heading the absolutely. I I don't do we even
have any major injuries. Well, they've had a few.

Speaker 2 (18:31):
I mean so the I know centers out, new center,
new safety. Uh, those are probably the two more significant ones.
We'll see if Drake Green lock and get back on
the field this week. They didn't put him on I R.
So I'm assuming whatever hamstring injury was. Yeah, but if
you get a buy week here, which you're get in
your position to do that, that's gonna help a lot.

Speaker 1 (18:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (18:50):
Yeah, no, and and and and Locke was I started
safety the previous year, that's right, So it's not like
he's just hadn't been in the fold.

Speaker 1 (18:56):
With that guy.

Speaker 3 (18:57):
Those guys, I think him and Henry Fungo would play
much better moving forward. Because that way you get that communication.
It's a communication thing on the back end.

Speaker 1 (19:10):
Week.

Speaker 3 (19:10):
Yeah, that's what I'm saying. After that first week, Nick
and I talked about it. Then the next week they're better.
And because you once you ain't it's hard to do
it from the sideline, it's it's easier to do it
in the game and go and mess it up. And
then he say he when I say this, this is
what I mean. And see, once you do that to
it with a guy, you never have to do it
twice and and those guys will jail pretty quickly. Our
corners are solid, our defensive line is solid. They're rotation

(19:34):
on defensive line, our linebackers. If we drink green Law
is one of those guys, we definitely need him. But
like you said, I think from us at center, the
great thing about the center is our guards.

Speaker 1 (19:48):
Of monsters, yes, and the Pro Bowl winning minors.

Speaker 3 (19:51):
And I think those guys can protect him and he's
just got to make the right call and they'll help
him make those calls.

Speaker 1 (19:56):
I think that's good.

Speaker 2 (19:57):
Unfortif look pretty good, and that the one me you're
talking about. Short week, then all of a sudden you
get inserted into the lineup and then you've got to
maintain on the road at Arrowhead game where you're playing center. Now,
the one thing I like about Alex Forsyth is is
I believe they are going to be better in the
run game, which is getting going into the postseason.

Speaker 1 (20:14):
That's going to be very valuable. Yeah, I mean and
the and the running backs.

Speaker 3 (20:18):
Man, they mixed it up really well running in between
the tackles and just gotta get Harvey man, he is
he is balled out this year. Not just the ten
touchdowns then he got like six rushing and probably five receiving.
But this kid is is playing well. Uh mclough. I'm
really good. I'm happy for him. He got a chance

(20:39):
to get back on the field and he plays with
the energy like that is like infectious energy. And as
a teammate, that's what you want. I want the guy
who's been sitting there just waiting on his opportunity to
prove to you as the starter that hey man, I
got your back and if it need be, I can
I can take over if you need me to. And
I just love that for him and both playing smart football.

(21:00):
One bad throw, I think that throw on third and short,
I didn't like the play call personally, but just that's
a Courtland ball and and and the guy made the
guy made a good play. But it was I think
it was fourth down on that on that particular was.

Speaker 1 (21:13):
It the interception? Third and short? Third and short and
we threw the back shoulder fade.

Speaker 3 (21:18):
I would have liked for us to run a slant concept.

Speaker 1 (21:23):
Would you know?

Speaker 3 (21:24):
Would to me it would have been better because he
got rid of the ball. It wasn't like no pressure
or anything like that. And that that's just one of those.
That one I think we could have got back. The
other one, they made a good play on it. That one,
I think the play call could have been a little
bit better.

Speaker 2 (21:37):
Kwai comma speral text line this one. The Netflix l
Way documentary was amazing. Made me choke up and gave
me chills. Reliving those days with Dave Logan's sound bites
were perfect, great production value. Also, no doubt that Rod
Smith is a Hall of Famer and the best undrafted
player of all time.

Speaker 1 (21:52):
Thank you? Yeah, what isspiring story? Yes, we all agree.

Speaker 2 (21:56):
For me, Rod's best attribute was his ability to catch,
turn and run. He was all fluid and practically full
speed through those motions and it's uncommon.

Speaker 1 (22:04):
That's truly amazing to watch.

Speaker 3 (22:05):
Oh, I definitely appreciate that. You know what I learned that.
I learned that stuff from Shannon. I learned it from
Eddie Mack. I learned it from going against Ray Crockett
every day. No, that's my guy, right. If it won
for Rain, I would have never had some of the
skills to get off the bump in the jam.

Speaker 1 (22:20):
Well you're gonna get Dale caught and James twice a year. Man.

Speaker 3 (22:24):
Those two dudes, they guard you one on one when
they come off, when you come off the.

Speaker 1 (22:27):
Bus, they right there. Man.

Speaker 3 (22:28):
Got so we had some we had some dog fights
going on, and I just, like I said, I just
think the Lway entire family, all the production Netflix, they
did an excellent job of that. You know, Shannon TV
was in it. I think Eaz Mack was in it,
Mark Jackson, all those guys who contributed to it. You know,
his family, his family, Uh, you know the fact of

(22:48):
his sister, his twin sister, that stuff, his dad, those things.

Speaker 1 (22:52):
Man, that's just gut wrenching.

Speaker 3 (22:54):
I'm I cried when I watched it the first time
at the premiere.

Speaker 1 (22:57):
I got choked up. I'm I'm glad the lights were out, but.

Speaker 3 (22:59):
I was in there right behind Mirke Jackson to Simon
Man because I.

Speaker 1 (23:02):
Could feel his pain of he still has to be dad,
he still.

Speaker 3 (23:06):
Got to be the provider, protector of his family and
his family's going through stuff. At the same time, let
me say one thing. I want you all to look
at the first ten minutes of the hits. He took
not one quarterback playing today, but it wasn't no slide rule,
no pull up on him.

Speaker 1 (23:22):
They body slamming, They.

Speaker 3 (23:24):
Doing everything as a quarterback man. And yeah, guys like
he's playing against like lawn tailoring in them. Those dudes
were like those dudes would be in jail right now
if they play today's game.

Speaker 2 (23:34):
A couple more texts here, Ryan, coming from a casual fan.
Why do some offensive centers or maybe the guard point
of the defensive line before the snap, So that's part
of the silent snap count there on the road.

Speaker 1 (23:43):
So specifically, like this last week against the Chiefs.

Speaker 2 (23:45):
You'll see Quinn Miners put his hand out and that's
more just for the vision of the center to snap
the ball.

Speaker 1 (23:49):
Yeah, no, one other thing too. Where you see them pointing.

Speaker 3 (23:52):
They're pointing out who's the strong right, who's the strong linebacker? Yes,
they usually point They always say they identify the mike.
That's what you hear him saying. He's identifying the mike
means the middle linebacker. And so once to sender know
who the middle linebacker is, everybody else knows who they have.
So when you see them point like that on the road,
when Minus does.

Speaker 1 (24:11):
It, that's what to indicate. Because his head is down
and Minus looking at the quarterback.

Speaker 3 (24:16):
When the quarterback is ready, Minus tell him, hey, look
you can snap it right after I said get back reset.
That's why you see a lot of teams doing that.

Speaker 1 (24:23):
Yeah, but you're you're right.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
Typically speaking, the center's point out, okay, Mike is this,
and sometimes the quarterback will do that too.

Speaker 1 (24:28):
When I point out who who's a threat to the
current play. If there's a threat, they're gonna point him out.

Speaker 2 (24:33):
This is what I wanted to get to and I'm
glad some we texted it anyways, because I think it's
a valuable or when it comes to perspective on this team,
especially as they had in the postseason, something that is
worth monitoring. Here. The sustained drives are nice, and dominating
time possession is also nice. But you're a fluke play
away from losing a game and they still got to
score touchdowns.

Speaker 1 (24:52):
So what do you mean you're a fluke play away from.

Speaker 2 (24:55):
Well in the game, like say a fluke call from
the rest, like you saw, for example, the Texans Chargers game.
Right there was that illegal contact penalty against the Chargers
that gave the Texans on third and long a new
set of downs.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
They ended up capitalizing and they won the game.

Speaker 2 (25:10):
Now, it doesn't mean the Chargers were going to come
back and win, but it certainly ended the game more
or less at that point once that illegal contact was called.
You allow for if you're going to play one score games,
which again the Broncos are eleven to two on the season,
one score games.

Speaker 1 (25:24):
That's fantastic, But.

Speaker 2 (25:26):
You allow for fluky moments like a bounce of the
ball or a bad ref call.

Speaker 3 (25:30):
But here's the thing. The game doesn't come down to
one play most of the time. No, you got sixty
minutes to do the right thing.

Speaker 1 (25:37):
That's right, and.

Speaker 3 (25:37):
Because you're run doing sustained drives, you still have to
stop them. You gotta remember, we don't play the offensive guy,
don't play defense. Our defense has to do a better
job of getting stops and getting them to punt. You know,
Kanas City actually did pretty good considering not having Mahomes
and not having you know, probably the top people. But
at the end of the day, every team has to

(25:59):
still go and perform. I'd rather have a sustained drive
and us get especially gets.

Speaker 1 (26:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (26:04):
I remember in the playoffs, every team is good. Ever,
in the NFL, every team is good. Like you said,
we were leving into it. In one score games, we
could easily be two an eleven, easily be two an eleven,
and its.

Speaker 1 (26:15):
Happened like that before.

Speaker 3 (26:16):
Well, you've seen teams who lost so many one score
games and the very next year they come back and
they're dominant because they learned through those through that adversity.
I think we've done it over the last couple of years.
I just like I say, coach, take my hat off
to them. Somehow, some way in that organization. If some
adjustments were made right around the bye week, right before

(26:38):
the bye week, some adjustments in the philosophy of coach
Peyton was adjusted to his players and that mentality. Here's
one thing to say to that question. Having a mentality
that we can go down there and do.

Speaker 2 (26:50):
It is a muss everything, everything, and that belief more.

Speaker 1 (26:54):
Than that's trust. We talk about that all the time.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
Yeah, and now there's there's a certain amount we talked
about it after the Jaguars game.

Speaker 1 (27:01):
There's a certain amount of the belief maybe.

Speaker 2 (27:06):
It shouldn't ever convince you that you don't need to
put in full prep And we heard that from Nick
Benito after the game, absolutely said I I played, I
played like ass and he said that he didn't prepare
the way he should have prepared for the game. And
so there's a certain amount where, hey, you have this
belief that we're gonna find a way to win these games.
And that's great, That is great, but you still have
to approach every single game as though every single thing
you do.

Speaker 3 (27:26):
Matters absolutely man, and that and and I'm so glad
it happened then, Yeah, you said that, I'm so glad
it happened then, because here's the thing. Nick was one
of those guys who's one of the top.

Speaker 1 (27:36):
These different performers. He was.

Speaker 3 (27:37):
He was pretty much on pace well chance to get
defensive player a year like back to the back DEFENSEI
players that a year would have been crazy for the Broncos.
But of course now he knows. He's still a young
guy and he's doing an excellent job, and he's a
leader on that team. And I'm gonna say this to
Nick hopefully he hears it, and Coop as well, uh
Zach right there in the middle. They're not just hide

(27:59):
paid guys in and top performers and you know, two
of the Pro bowlers. But remember now you lead the
team as well. You don't just you don't just play well,
you lead. You make sure guys understand how to prepare.
And that's what That's what I was saying earlier. My
locker was in front of a guy who was the
very best prepared tight end receiver in the game with Shannon,
and so I just copied him and added my own

(28:22):
little twist.

Speaker 1 (28:23):
And when what Shannon was gone, you know what I did.

Speaker 3 (28:24):
I talked the guy who was in front of me,
and the guy beside me and the guy in my room.
I taught them what I learned from them and plus
a little bit that I knew. So we never go
into game unprepared because you're one play away. It's not
a fluke play away. It's a prepared play away from
winning the Super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (28:41):
Let me ask you this.

Speaker 2 (28:42):
We were talking about a bit earlier about expectations maybe
before the season and now that they're about to get
the one seed in the AFC. The one thing that
I keep coming back to, they had experience in the
postseason last year, right, they got they got, they got
beat down by the Buffalo Bills. That's unfortunate, But the
experience is a good thing, yep. But they don't have
This group doesn't have a lot of experience winning the

(29:04):
postseason yet. Do you need like sort of a walk,
crawl run kind of conversation? Do you need that before
you are in this position with the one seed hosting
potentially the next two games to go to the Super Bowl?

Speaker 3 (29:16):
I like I said, I like how it has played
out over the last two years. Of course, you want
to win when you got to the play We got
to the playoffs, and I don't like you know me,
I don't play this. Our rookie quarterback last year, everybody to, oh,
he's a rookie, so this is this. I don't care
about that because my thing is, you made it to
the NFL and you're starting in the NFL. You're the
person who's supposed to be in that position, and I

(29:38):
take my hat off to you. We got experience for
him from the playoffs, and I guarantee that they didn't
like it. They didn't like how that felt. So every
game we played this year so far has been similar
to some scenarios of playoffs. Those all those scenarios will
come up in the playoffs, all the one score games.
Everybody's complaining about the ones who are losers is complaining

(29:59):
about they help you, guys.

Speaker 1 (30:01):
I promise you they help you.

Speaker 3 (30:02):
One good thing about the way we've had to approach
it is these guys they know how to get in
a dog fight and they know how to come out
on top. They also know how it feels to come
out on the bottom. So the preparations are gonna be
at the all time high. The reason I don't think
we have to have this veteran guys who's played in
the playoffs because the one thing they do know is
one and done and if you slip up, well he

(30:26):
done there. Before I watched the Jacksonville I had a guy.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
I had a guy text me, do you believe Jacksonville?
Did I tell you this story?

Speaker 3 (30:37):
After he plays Jacksonville, got text me. I don't I
don't even know the number, it's just a number. He
texts me, do you believe Jacksonville can.

Speaker 1 (30:44):
Go to Super Bowl?

Speaker 3 (30:45):
And I gave all kinds of explicits that I can't
say on the show because I didn't, first of all,
to know who it was. I was gonna be calledial
and say this is that? And I said, let me
go ahead and say what I feel. Why do I
give a f blah blah blah going off.

Speaker 1 (30:59):
I don't know who it is. I don't really care.
It could have been my mom. I don't care.

Speaker 3 (31:03):
And so oh you still salty, blah blah blah. I said, oh,
by the way, when they beat us, they still never
went to the super Bowl. And you know what I
said him, I squalled through my phone. I found a
picture of him in two Super Bowl trophies at my
house and I sent him to him. He said, Okay,
I'm done. I said, dude, it's personal. When we lost

(31:24):
to Jacksonville that year because we were home field advantage, yes,
and we lost to this day third year. I think
in the league, Jimmy Smith is my guy. That's my dude.
Love Jimmy. Hope Jimmy gets in the whole thing that
blackballing Jimmy just like you know, as people say, I
should be in a Jimmy as well. Jimmy and I
was unemployed at the same time. Really good close friend mine,

(31:44):
and I know they don't want that feeling. You don't
want that. I mean, the bye week is perfect for
you to come out so prepared that the week of
preparation is more. Will walk through like you're so prepared,
you know everything about anything and everything because members a

(32:06):
three round fight for them, it's not a four round fight.
You you have the luxury of getting to skip the
wildcard round. Let me give you guys a tip for
all you guys out there listening. Uh, we don't get
paid during that week. That's the only thing about the
NFL I hate. If you get a bye week in
the playoffs, you don't get paid that week. You don't
get paid that week. Wow, which I don't understand. Why

(32:28):
not I earned the right to get a bye and
I still don't. You don't get paid during that Hopefully
they change it, but I'm.

Speaker 1 (32:34):
Sitting there like, wait a minute, we don't get paid. We
did what we were supposed to do and then we
lost so excellent outfit. Do you really mean that? No, No,
sarcasm is like a second life.

Speaker 3 (32:47):
I kid, I'm just getting it in for the end
of the year. I'm just all right. I've never seen
this same be game the rest of this year.

Speaker 1 (32:53):
Nice. I see what you did there? Yeah, you you
decided to well, I mean it's a little better in pajamas. Yeah,
put close on. It's like a functioning adult. We should
be grateful that you're saying. I'm grateful. It could be worse.

Speaker 2 (33:06):
It could be although it could have been worse. Yeah,
absolutely can't be worse. I'm not even to dare you
on any of that.

Speaker 1 (33:11):
You shouldn't.

Speaker 2 (33:12):
I want to ask you one last quick thing here, Rod,
as we say goodbye to you and wish you a
happy New year. Corlan's son had a couple of early
drops in this game. Is there is there something they
can do to kind of get him in the I
mean some of those are tough catches.

Speaker 3 (33:26):
That one was a tough That one was a tough catch.
He was wide open too as it was. This is
another elevation piece for for ten. Is touch okay? Just
having a little bit more touch man, just put it.
Just put it on him sometimes and just get the
yards that we can get instead of breaking and trying
to go. And I promise you he's gotten better as

(33:49):
the years went on, and I just think I don't.

Speaker 1 (33:54):
I've seen Corland Sudden make some plays.

Speaker 3 (33:56):
Man, I questioned I could have made it, and I've
never questioned if I could have made a catch, and
I never do that.

Speaker 1 (34:04):
I'm not gonna lie. And I've seen him make some
and that's my guy. I'm like, if I'm.

Speaker 3 (34:09):
If everything is even, I'm going to fourteen somehow, some way,
this kid makes the play. He's the leader of that group,
or the organ that that office, the receiving Corps. He's
the he's the elder statesman, and he's doing an excellent
job of doing that. There's nothing you can do, because,
trust me, calling is hard on himself. You look at
his face when the ball he's the grounded bit touches
his hand and you know what, that's why he's old guy.

(34:32):
He got that back to back thousand yards. Hey man,
keep that thing going for the rest of your career.
That's why that's why I need him to be able
to do He deserves it.

Speaker 1 (34:40):
You got a new year's resolution to dress a little nicer?
Would would they? How could you go up from a
tall ten thousand? All right, Roger the best, appreciate you guys.

Speaker 3 (34:56):
You guys, be safe out there, you know, stay off
the streets. Y'all know them ops out there on the street,
so y'all please please be safe. We look forward to
having an excellent, excellent New year.

Speaker 2 (35:07):
Perfectly sad. We'll see you next Tuesday. Grand's great job
as always, BCT next