On this episode of Altitude Advantage, team reporter Elisa Hernandez and lead writer Aric DiLalla take a deep dive into Courtland Sutton’s extension and what it means to the Broncos. Plus, they pick their top standouts from the first week of training camp. Intro (00:00-5:04) Courtland Sutton’s extension (5:05-14:11) Top standouts + close (14:12-22:33) Want more of Altitude Advantage? Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure to leave a rating and review or a comment if you’re watching on YouTube.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Altitude Advantage. I'm your host and team reporter
Alista Nandez across the table as always were our lead
writer on Denver Broncos dot com x SLALA. Day four
of Broncos Camp, Day two with pads on and we're
gonna talk about a few things on the pod today.
Big news with courtland In signing for your extension with
the team. We have reaction just on what we think
of that. Also some impressions from the first couple of
(00:22):
days of camp, and just kind of some breakdown that
we have for you guys. I have you covered with
everything from Broncos training Camp. You can make sure you
say tuned here on YouTube, on social as well as
Denver broncos dot com. But you know, the people want
to hear from you, so I know that they're excited
to hear your voice.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Sign out.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
You can keep going on nice. You know it's post practice.
Wasn't too hot out there, but we've been working hard.
I'm kind of sett all it in this nice chair.
Just close my eyes and just take it.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
You're going through your visualizations.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
Maybe play back something that I've said before going to.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
The visualizations and nice air conditioning it's helpful too well.
As always, we start with the comments with the people said,
last time we're on the podcast, we know we debuted
some new gear.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I have more gear now, have you know more stuff?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yeah, let's start with Dave Future, who says those hats
are so stupid. Thanks Dave, appreciate you listening and watching.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
That's better, it's more appropriate.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
I don't know if that word is nice necessarily, but.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
We read it. So you kind of got what you
wanted here. Joan Powell had our back said, loosen up.
A lot of the teams have these, along with other
team merch.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Speak on it.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
That's that I didn't even buy you the big chains
that should come with the big hats.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
I kind of like thought the hats were a fun
addition for you know, just those acclamation practice wasn't it
wasn't real practice. I would never wear that for real practice.
But acclamation it's fine. And they I think they're still
on sale right and if you are lucky enough to
have a ticket to Denver Bronco's training camp. Monica who
comments a lot, thank you Monica for listening. Your hats
(02:06):
are super dope. Keep them on, and then she said,
our division, regardless, is tough. I've always said that. That's
why I hate everyone in our division. Another hat comment,
A lot of hat comments. In case you missed it,
we wore big hats, not small hats, big hats, giant hats.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
He teamed up and made a super hat.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
One says Alisa was cute with the hat on. Eric
looked like a little kid. Don't hate me on This
now takes away from you sticking up from us. You're
back to zero, You're back to even David Scott, and
of all, says Sandoval. Sorry, David, my apologies because also,
do Advantage have a preseason or season schedule.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Preseason just kind of vibes once a week.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Once we get to the season, Thursday is the preview
show postgame or sorry, Friday, we'll try to have a
preview with an opposing beat writer. Postgame Sunday, I just
kind of get on and talk for twenty minutes to myself,
and then Monday we're here breaking down Sean Payton's press conference.
(03:10):
Sometimes Steve joins us occasionally. So that's your schedule, David Scott, Sandobal, Okay,
we got more. Someone's trying to call me. That's not
the time.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
You're a busy man.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Bill Bell says hat looks like something you wear to
your to hide your head, like Charlie Brown. And then
Bill also says, you do not worry about playing the
Chiefs except for when you're playing them. Letting Casey have
space in your head is a poor plan. Then he
also says that the results of what Breeze told bo
are about.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Tightening up his throwing motion.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Doesn't appear to throw as hard, to get there as quickly,
looks quicker and that's impressive as he was already pretty
quick last season. So of course, spend some time with
Drew Brees. Team Took says I need both these hats
one hundred. Anthony says that hat's great. Okay, so we're
back in the positive hat comments. A few final comments.
Ryan Carter says, y'all have me believing we will expect
(04:06):
big things this year for the Denver Broncos Super Bowl bound.
Haven't had that feeling since Manning. I'm stoked. Let's do this.
Broncos for life should be stoked. Exciting. Chase Daniel just
told our intern Kennedy, who's joining us for the season,
that Broncos show the Super Bowl on their mind. And
then finally, Anthony Boehmer says, this season is so exciting,
it's kind of scary. It's really hard to not have
(04:28):
high expectations. For sure, winning football is back for the
Denver Broncos. Those are the comments. If you want to
have your comment read on our YouTube page in the future,
go leave one if it's nice, or as you saw,
if it's really rude, I might reading.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, you know what, we accept that engaged.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
Two ways to get your your name on the show.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
That's the way you look at engagement is engagement. And
you stuck around to notice.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
That the hat's were on, So that's well, it was
right away, So.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
I'll just stay eight seconds.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
That's all matter.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I'm just kidding.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
You know, the number eight is on my mind because
Courland Son entering his eighth season in the NFL, because
it's big news, Coroland soon signing that four year extension.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
You know, I recorded thousand.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
And eighty one yards, were high eighty one career catches
in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Four year extension.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, but it's number four numbers though, eighty one and eight. Okay,
we're high eighty one catches.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Or there's a foreign in Jersey number it's.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
You divide two by eight four.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
It's not it is no, not that way.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Eight by two is Oh my gosh, So I'm dyslexic now, No,
I'm just lexing, all right in my mind is the
same thing. Anyways, we're getting off tract because the important
thing is that Son is remaining a Bronco signed that
four year extension. Obviously, he spoke to the media and
you just saw the joy in his in his face.
And one of the things that he mentioned that I
really value was he's like, I never wanted to be
(05:57):
a distraction. Like the fact that this contract is signed
is just the way that does. You know, it's business.
It's out the way. But he's been here and he's
been such a great mentor to the guys both last
season in this season, and I think he's just excited
to just continue his legacy. He mentioned about, you know,
the biggest things for him to come back because he's
been here through the thick and thin, and he's like,
I want to be here now that Broncos Country is
(06:17):
returning to what Broncos fans are used to and what
they deserve, and I think that that's the right mindset
you have from a captain and the leader, and I
know he has high praise.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Yeah, there's a lot here with this Sutton deal.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I think we talk about the specifics of it, and
like you mentioned Courtland saying, I don't want to be
a distraction, he wasn't in any way. He showed up
during the off season program, he was here for OTAs,
he was here for Mini camp, he was here for
the start of training camp. I know there was some
you know, discussion about his participation level and team drills,
but he did participate in some team drills ahead of
(06:49):
Saturday and Monday when he did not participate. I think overall,
he handled it about as well as you possibly could.
And obviously both teams, both sides wanted to get a
new track agreed on and figured out. But you see
around the league that these things can get contentious, and
it didn't really feel like this got to that level.
(07:09):
Both Champagne and Courtland said didn't feel like this was
ever not going to get done. It was just a
matter of when. So I think worth complimenting both sides
in terms of how this was handled and that did
not become a distraction, did not become a negative, did
not could become contentious or any of those things, So
that was good to see. I think there's two elements
of this deal, and one is short term and one
(07:33):
is long term, and I think starting with short term,
Cortland has a massive impact on this team. He is
the go to guy for Bo Nicks on third down
last year. We talked about it yesterday on our analysis.
He is number one, or was number one in the
NFL on third down in terms of first down receptions,
receiving yards plays of at least twenty yards, So like
(07:53):
on third down and in the red zone, he's a
go to guy. He makes those contested catches. I was
trying to think today of like what's his best catch,
and you realize just he's made so many good ones
that it's hard to pick one. But he's certainly the
security blanket or you know, whatever you want to call
(08:14):
it for Bonix that like, when he needs someone to
go to, he's going to Courtland Sutton, and it makes
sense to keep him, especially after the rapport they developed
last year. Which brings me to the second point of
kind of the now is that leadership, right is that
he's he's a leader in the locker room, Sean Payton said,
he is a guy that is part of the solution always.
And it isn't lost on me that as Sean Payton
(08:36):
came in here a couple of years ago and figured
out how does he want to build this team, some veterans,
whether for play or whatever other.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Reason, aren't with this team anymore.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
And Courtland Sutton is a guy that they've prioritized keeping
here and that means something. And I asked Sean Payton
about it, and he said, I knew pretty quickly the
type of guy Courtland was and that I wanted him
here and you know, called him kind of that example
for everybody, and you know, kind of the pro that
that you want. And so those two things, a current
(09:05):
play and the leadership, I think make this a no
brainer in terms of kind of where the Broncos are
right now.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
I think one of the biggest compliments that Sean Payne
gave was he's always part of the solution. And I
thought that was a really great compliment, because you know,
you have a lot of young receivers on this team,
a lot that are going to take another step this year.
You have obviously Pat Bryant coming in and he's one
of the guys that you know, he's not worried about that.
(09:33):
He's like, I'm here to make this team better, and
he lives and breathes, you know, Broncos country. And I
think when you have a guy like that, where your
coach sees you in that light, and he even mentioned
like it means a lot that because Sean Payne has
been around a lot of great receivers in his career,
He's coached a lot of great receivers in his career,
and so for him to be held in that regard,
I think that holds a lot for Sion and I
think that he also knows like, all right, I gotta
(09:54):
step it up now, you know. It's like he mentioned,
like complacency scares me, Like I'm always trying to find
a way to get better, trying to find a way
to learn. And I think when you have that from
a key guy, especially now you have your you know,
quarterback going into sophomore season, you're able to continue to.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Expand on that connection.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
And like you mentioned, the leadership really plays the part,
but also the continuance who want to be a student
of the game is also what impresses me the most.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
About science.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Yeah, he's listen.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
He's been through a lot, right, whether it's injury or
you know, being on some teams that have struggled, and
the way that he's fought through that and kept that
attitude has been really impressive. And he was walking around
you know, high five and guys before practice and like
he is the epitome is Sean Payton said of what
you want in a player. And I think the other
(10:40):
element of it is that we talk about the short
term but long term, like you look up and all
of a sudden, he's kind of in that conversation with
some of the most productive Broncos receivers of all time.
He's you know, about eighty catches I think it's eighty
one eighty three catches away and about eight hundred and
sixty yards from passing in. McAffrey could be a top
(11:01):
five receiver in Bronco's history and join guys like Lionel
Taylor and Damarius Thomas and Rod Smith. Like he's good,
you know, knock on what he says, healthy, Like he
could do that this year, and certainly you would think
if he doesn't do it this year, by next year
he'll easily do that. And so you're talking all of
a sudden about a guy that was drafted in the
second round and was kind of known as this big
(11:23):
play guy. But the thought when he was drafted was like, hey,
can he be that next guy after Damarius Thomas and
Emanuel Sanders. And to see it actually play out that
way and you know, him have the two one thousand
yard seasons and him have eighteen touchdowns over the last
two years, Like he's starting to kind of have the
(11:46):
success that I think he was probably always capable of
as just the quarterback position has been rocky at times,
and so the fact that it's now stable, like you
mentioned with Bo and you've seen what he's done the
last two years with Sean Payton, I think it's like
one hundred and forty catches and gosh, like eighteen hundred
yards or something like that and eighteen touchdowns, Like this
(12:07):
is who Courtland Sutton can be. And so you know,
who knows. Maybe we're talking after he five years after
he retires as a Ring of Fame type guy. And
it's interesting because I think a few years ago, especially
when he like it was coming off the ACL and
it wasn't quite the guy he wanted to be or
you know, a couple of years ago when you're like, Okay,
(12:28):
who's going to be part of this quote unquote rebuild right,
like you're unsure if he's going to get to that point,
and so to see him get there and be so
close to kind of putting his name up there with
those guys, for me, it's really cool because I've been here.
This is my tenth season, and like other than garat Balls,
Courtland Sutton's been here the longest. Like he's a guy
that I've seen in this building for eight years and
(12:50):
so really cool to see him kind of near this
success and get the chance to put his name with
those with those other guys.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yeah, and I think just the camaraderie you see, you
know at practice today, like just watching like the guys
and fans.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
They're interacting with fans and.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
They're getting them going, and you know, they're bo Is
giving the ball to Suttence to try to make a pass,
and it's just like that fun environment. And when I
was talking to some of the media members, Dana Rossini,
the athletics senior insider for the NFL, she mentioned that
she's like, there's something different about this training camp and
it was a first trade camp she'd gone to so
far on her tour. But she's just like, the vibes
(13:27):
here are just different. Like you can just see the
guys are buying into each other, They're buying into the culture,
and you can see the fact that the vision is clear,
like with Sean Payn and what George Payn have done
over the last few years, what they put together, it's
given a very clear vision of what this team can be.
And when you really step out there and me just
coming into here as the team reporter for the second year,
it's cool for me to see the jump made from
(13:49):
what we were talking about last training camp to now,
and so I can only imagine what it's like for you.
But when you kind of see the development, the continuation
of Bonix growing and obviously something being locked in new
weapons like Evan Ingram, you start to think, wow, like
it's gonna be a really fun year, like just on paper, right,
obviously we don't jump ahead, but just like on paper,
(14:09):
you kind of see that. But what have been some
of your first impressions over the couple of days.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Yeah, I think that there is a level of competitiveness
that I think we've seen every year that Sean Payton
has been here. It's part of what his philosophy is
as a head coach. But I do think you see
kind of in an increased intensity tempo this year, just
because everybody's further along. I do think as far as
Bonix goes, that we've seen a step like he just
(14:35):
looks like years different than he did this time last year.
It hasn't always been perfect, but I think, and I
asked Sean Payton, is today it's worth keeping in mind
that you're going against potentially the number one defense in
the NFL. If you were doing this against a defense
that it wasn't all that good or didn't have a
lot of playmakers and they were you know, plays that
they were winning, you'd be like, is this a reason
for concern?
Speaker 4 (14:55):
But like the fact that it.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Is as good of a defense, And then like today,
the defense had success early and then bo Nicks kind
of in the final team reps battled back and made
some good completions. Like that's encouraging it and kind of
gives me a sense that, like when you play some
other teams, you're you're gonna be able to work it
out and have success. I think to me, there's two
(15:17):
standouts so far in training camp, or maybe two guys
that I've really been impressed.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
With on offense.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
It's Evan Ingram, And part of that is, like we said, Courtland,
at least you know it's Tuesday. This was his first
like padded practice with team reps, and he.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Did have a catch.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
But I just think the way that Evan Ingram has
shown up every single day, catching a variety of different routes,
getting the ball in space, making contested catches, and then
just being a guy that Bonix looks at a lot.
He to me feels like a guy that could be
really productive this year and have a big season. And
we've seen him have those catch totals in the past
and wouldn't surprise me if you see something similar again.
(16:00):
Just the success that he could have in this offense
is really exciting, and I think there's all this potential
when we talked about in the offseason, like what is
he going to look like? I've seen it so far.
Now it's got to keep going and you got to
do it in the regular season. But really encouraged there.
The other guy that we've talked about a little bit
is Dre Greenlaw. I think, especially when the pads came
on yesterday and again today, you just feel this guy.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
He's all over the place.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
He's fast, he's applying pressure, he's holding up running backs,
he's delivering you know, would be hit like this is
a guy that I think could make a big maybe
even it's hard to say this about a defense was
third and scoring last year, but like a transformative difference
just in terms of what he's able to do. And
(16:46):
I think maybe it was Chase Daniel, can't remember who
said it. It might have been Diana, but they said
like maybe toward the end of the year you look
back at like this was a really big signing for
the Broncos. Kind of maybe it was under the radar
when it happened, but this could be a really big signing.
And so he's been and he's just a fun player
to watch. I love, you know, these off ball linebackers
(17:06):
that roam and make these big hits. And so yeah,
I would say Ingram and green Law to me as
we were sitting here, what four days in the training camp,
those have been kind of the two guys that I'm like, Man,
it's been fun to watch him play.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Well when Dre Greenlaw spoke to the media. He said
a lot of things that popped out to me. Right,
It's like the first time he really kind of got
a chance to talk about why he chose Denver, and
he mentioned something that really kind of caught my attention.
He said, you know, when I met with Champagne, it
wasn't a bunch of what ifs and but.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
This he was like, it was clear.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
It was like, we want you because you have this
skill set and you will fit gright into what this is.
We're going to meet you where you are. You know,
you're the player as you are that we want. And
he said a very sweet comment. He's like, you know,
growing up in the Fosters system, like not a lot
of people wanted me, So to feel wanted is a
big is a big deal. And to be somewhere that
I want to be that I'm accepted for who I am.
(17:54):
And not to say he wasn't before, but I think,
you know, you fit into something and you know it
just clicks us a different way for you. And you said,
He's like, for the past couple years, his defense has
been really good and now I get to be a
part of it. And there's like that joy and that
you know, kind of clean slate of like I get
to add something to this. And I think when you
have a guy like that coming in who is a
monster on the field, obviously he's coming in with Talano
Hafunga too.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
And you, like we've mentioned it, like on the field,
scary on the sideline, You're like, you're a really nice guy.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
You know.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
It's like you just you find these guys just fit
the system. And that's part of what Sean Payn has
done so well. It's like getting guys that are going to, yes,
make a difference on the field, but you're gonna make
it even bigger difference in the locker room and galvanizing
the guys, especially because teams are gonna be you know,
preparing for you now given what they did last year.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Yeah, and I listen, this next stretch of camp, I
think is interesting. You've got four more days in a
row before a day off and then gosh, next week
you go into joint practice and like kind of get
a sense of how you stack up against another team.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
So that's gonna be fun because we have a few
X forty nine ers on the team, so it's gonna
be really fun.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
So we'll have that joint practice.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
And we have an ex Bronco works in the social
media depart shut out this little little return on both sides.
But yeah, I'm excited to see that. But I think
these next four, five, six days whatever it is before
you get to that, are interesting to watch and just
kind of see. You know, you're gonna get sick of
(19:23):
each other right when you face off against each other
every day, But can you keep that competitiveness going again?
Always knock on would stay healthy and continue to get
ready for the season, because I think it's clear the
more we see it, like there's there's something here and
you just got to keep working and kind of try
to get to that point.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Yeah, Bonix mentioned in his press conference he's eventually we're
gonna play somebody else. And when I talk to our
Hall of Famer Steve Atwater, I said, like, you know,
when you continue these days, like what do you kind
of look forward to? And he's like, you know, he's like,
he's like from the player perspective, He's like, these days
are fun because you know, intensity gets up, competition goes up.
You know, you you're having fun out there. He's like,
but you also have to remember, like, well, these are
(20:03):
my teammates. I'm going again, like I need to say, know,
let up a little bit or just kind of talk
to you guys about what you see out there, and
that communication is key. So he's like just continue to grow.
That communication is also a big part of it. So
we did get some news about a few guys from
head coach Champayne. He did mention on Monday that inside
linebacker Juw Sanders is expected to be out north of
four to six weeks due to injury. He also mentioned
(20:24):
that Alex Singleton will be undergoing surgery on his thumb,
expected to be out about a week. Obviously tough losses
for those guys, but you mentioned like you're trying to
kind of steer the ship as much as you can
to go into the season as healthy as possible.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Yeah, and you know, I think especially with with Sanders,
it's tough because you want to see him get these reps.
But Trumpayn's had good news that it was not the
more serious potential injury there with his foot, and then Singleton,
you know, obviously tough news for him as he comes
back from that ACL injury, but about a week so
not not anything to signific in there. Yeah, obviously I'm
(21:01):
not the one having surgery on my thumb, but they're
built different.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
It seems like, yes, and on a positive To end
us on a positive note, one of the things I
really liked was I believe it was Dre Greenlaw when
they asked him, you know, you've played along a lot
with a lot of guys like Fred Warner and like
kind of his leadership. How does Alex Singleton kind of
compliment He's like, man, I see a lot of those
traits in him. And again, it's just everything that every
guy says about each other is like the leadership skills
or the way that you know, I know who to
(21:28):
go talk to about certain things, and for new guys
to come in, and just easy being able to identify,
like what guys in the locker room they feel they
connect with the most.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
I think is really great.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Obviously we mentioned it's gonna be fun once during practice
starts and just the fun and narratives that go along
with that. But I think it's it's gonna be a
really fun yet and again it's we're easing into it.
It's only day four, day two of PADS, but it's
like it's gonna start going the next thing. You know,
like certain things, certain storylines, certain position groups, certain things
are gonna start going to the top.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
It's gonna be fun to analyze it. You ready for that.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Remember to you.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
I have a lot more energy a little old thing
we have al right, guys. Well, that was it for
this episode of Altitude Advantage. As always, I am your
host and team reporter Lisa Nandez. Across the table we
have the mathematician who called me out for the wrong
division and our lead writer, Alaric Delaalas. Make sure you
guys stay tuned on our social media. On our YouTube pages,
(22:22):
we have inst analysis after practice for you guys, as
well as got you covered here on the podcast What
makes Sure You Guys,
Welcome to Altitude Advantage. I'm your host and team reporter
Alista Nandez across the table as always were our lead
writer on Denver Broncos dot com x SLALA. Day four
of Broncos Camp, Day two with pads on and we're
gonna talk about a few things on the pod today.
Big news with courtland In signing for your extension with
the team. We have reaction just on what we think
of that. Also some impressions from the first couple of
(00:22):
days of camp, and just kind of some breakdown that
we have for you guys. I have you covered with
everything from Broncos training Camp. You can make sure you
say tuned here on YouTube, on social as well as
Denver broncos dot com. But you know, the people want
to hear from you, so I know that they're excited
to hear your voice.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Sign out.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
You can keep going on nice. You know it's post practice.
Wasn't too hot out there, but we've been working hard.
I'm kind of sett all it in this nice chair.
Just close my eyes and just take it.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
You're going through your visualizations.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
Maybe play back something that I've said before going to.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
The visualizations and nice air conditioning it's helpful too well.
As always, we start with the comments with the people said,
last time we're on the podcast, we know we debuted
some new gear.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I have more gear now, have you know more stuff?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yeah, let's start with Dave Future, who says those hats
are so stupid. Thanks Dave, appreciate you listening and watching.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
That's better, it's more appropriate.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
I don't know if that word is nice necessarily, but.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
We read it. So you kind of got what you
wanted here. Joan Powell had our back said, loosen up.
A lot of the teams have these, along with other
team merch.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Speak on it.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
That's that I didn't even buy you the big chains
that should come with the big hats.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
I kind of like thought the hats were a fun
addition for you know, just those acclamation practice wasn't it
wasn't real practice. I would never wear that for real practice.
But acclamation it's fine. And they I think they're still
on sale right and if you are lucky enough to
have a ticket to Denver Bronco's training camp. Monica who
comments a lot, thank you Monica for listening. Your hats
(02:06):
are super dope. Keep them on, and then she said,
our division, regardless, is tough. I've always said that. That's
why I hate everyone in our division. Another hat comment,
A lot of hat comments. In case you missed it,
we wore big hats, not small hats, big hats, giant hats.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
He teamed up and made a super hat.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
One says Alisa was cute with the hat on. Eric
looked like a little kid. Don't hate me on This
now takes away from you sticking up from us. You're
back to zero, You're back to even David Scott, and
of all, says Sandoval. Sorry, David, my apologies because also,
do Advantage have a preseason or season schedule.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
Preseason just kind of vibes once a week.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Once we get to the season, Thursday is the preview
show postgame or sorry, Friday, we'll try to have a
preview with an opposing beat writer. Postgame Sunday, I just
kind of get on and talk for twenty minutes to myself,
and then Monday we're here breaking down Sean Payton's press conference.
(03:10):
Sometimes Steve joins us occasionally. So that's your schedule, David Scott, Sandobal, Okay,
we got more. Someone's trying to call me. That's not
the time.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
You're a busy man.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Bill Bell says hat looks like something you wear to
your to hide your head, like Charlie Brown. And then
Bill also says, you do not worry about playing the
Chiefs except for when you're playing them. Letting Casey have
space in your head is a poor plan. Then he
also says that the results of what Breeze told bo
are about.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Tightening up his throwing motion.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Doesn't appear to throw as hard, to get there as quickly,
looks quicker and that's impressive as he was already pretty
quick last season. So of course, spend some time with
Drew Brees. Team Took says I need both these hats
one hundred. Anthony says that hat's great. Okay, so we're
back in the positive hat comments. A few final comments.
Ryan Carter says, y'all have me believing we will expect
(04:06):
big things this year for the Denver Broncos Super Bowl bound.
Haven't had that feeling since Manning. I'm stoked. Let's do this.
Broncos for life should be stoked. Exciting. Chase Daniel just
told our intern Kennedy, who's joining us for the season,
that Broncos show the Super Bowl on their mind. And
then finally, Anthony Boehmer says, this season is so exciting,
it's kind of scary. It's really hard to not have
(04:28):
high expectations. For sure, winning football is back for the
Denver Broncos. Those are the comments. If you want to
have your comment read on our YouTube page in the future,
go leave one if it's nice, or as you saw,
if it's really rude, I might reading.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Yeah, you know what, we accept that engaged.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
Two ways to get your your name on the show.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
That's the way you look at engagement is engagement. And
you stuck around to notice.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
That the hat's were on, So that's well, it was
right away, So.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
I'll just stay eight seconds.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
That's all matter.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I'm just kidding.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
You know, the number eight is on my mind because
Courland Son entering his eighth season in the NFL, because
it's big news, Coroland soon signing that four year extension.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
You know, I recorded thousand.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
And eighty one yards, were high eighty one career catches
in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Four year extension.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, but it's number four numbers though, eighty one and eight. Okay,
we're high eighty one catches.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Or there's a foreign in Jersey number it's.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
You divide two by eight four.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
It's not it is no, not that way.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Eight by two is Oh my gosh, So I'm dyslexic now, No,
I'm just lexing, all right in my mind is the
same thing. Anyways, we're getting off tract because the important
thing is that Son is remaining a Bronco signed that
four year extension. Obviously, he spoke to the media and
you just saw the joy in his in his face.
And one of the things that he mentioned that I
really value was he's like, I never wanted to be
(05:57):
a distraction. Like the fact that this contract is signed
is just the way that does. You know, it's business.
It's out the way. But he's been here and he's
been such a great mentor to the guys both last
season in this season, and I think he's just excited
to just continue his legacy. He mentioned about, you know,
the biggest things for him to come back because he's
been here through the thick and thin, and he's like,
I want to be here now that Broncos Country is
(06:17):
returning to what Broncos fans are used to and what
they deserve, and I think that that's the right mindset
you have from a captain and the leader, and I
know he has high praise.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Yeah, there's a lot here with this Sutton deal.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I think we talk about the specifics of it, and
like you mentioned Courtland saying, I don't want to be
a distraction, he wasn't in any way. He showed up
during the off season program, he was here for OTAs,
he was here for Mini camp, he was here for
the start of training camp. I know there was some
you know, discussion about his participation level and team drills,
but he did participate in some team drills ahead of
(06:49):
Saturday and Monday when he did not participate. I think overall,
he handled it about as well as you possibly could.
And obviously both teams, both sides wanted to get a
new track agreed on and figured out. But you see
around the league that these things can get contentious, and
it didn't really feel like this got to that level.
(07:09):
Both Champagne and Courtland said didn't feel like this was
ever not going to get done. It was just a
matter of when. So I think worth complimenting both sides
in terms of how this was handled and that did
not become a distraction, did not become a negative, did
not could become contentious or any of those things, So
that was good to see. I think there's two elements
of this deal, and one is short term and one
(07:33):
is long term, and I think starting with short term,
Cortland has a massive impact on this team. He is
the go to guy for Bo Nicks on third down
last year. We talked about it yesterday on our analysis.
He is number one, or was number one in the
NFL on third down in terms of first down receptions,
receiving yards plays of at least twenty yards, So like
(07:53):
on third down and in the red zone, he's a
go to guy. He makes those contested catches. I was
trying to think today of like what's his best catch,
and you realize just he's made so many good ones
that it's hard to pick one. But he's certainly the
security blanket or you know, whatever you want to call
(08:14):
it for Bonix that like, when he needs someone to
go to, he's going to Courtland Sutton, and it makes
sense to keep him, especially after the rapport they developed
last year. Which brings me to the second point of
kind of the now is that leadership, right is that
he's he's a leader in the locker room, Sean Payton said,
he is a guy that is part of the solution always.
And it isn't lost on me that as Sean Payton
(08:36):
came in here a couple of years ago and figured
out how does he want to build this team, some veterans,
whether for play or whatever other.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Reason, aren't with this team anymore.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
And Courtland Sutton is a guy that they've prioritized keeping
here and that means something. And I asked Sean Payton
about it, and he said, I knew pretty quickly the
type of guy Courtland was and that I wanted him
here and you know, called him kind of that example
for everybody, and you know, kind of the pro that
that you want. And so those two things, a current
(09:05):
play and the leadership, I think make this a no
brainer in terms of kind of where the Broncos are
right now.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
I think one of the biggest compliments that Sean Payne
gave was he's always part of the solution. And I
thought that was a really great compliment, because you know,
you have a lot of young receivers on this team,
a lot that are going to take another step this year.
You have obviously Pat Bryant coming in and he's one
of the guys that you know, he's not worried about that.
(09:33):
He's like, I'm here to make this team better, and
he lives and breathes, you know, Broncos country. And I
think when you have a guy like that, where your
coach sees you in that light, and he even mentioned
like it means a lot that because Sean Payne has
been around a lot of great receivers in his career,
He's coached a lot of great receivers in his career,
and so for him to be held in that regard,
I think that holds a lot for Sion and I
think that he also knows like, all right, I gotta
(09:54):
step it up now, you know. It's like he mentioned,
like complacency scares me, Like I'm always trying to find
a way to get better, trying to find a way
to learn. And I think when you have that from
a key guy, especially now you have your you know,
quarterback going into sophomore season, you're able to continue to.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Expand on that connection.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
And like you mentioned, the leadership really plays the part,
but also the continuance who want to be a student
of the game is also what impresses me the most.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
About science.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Yeah, he's listen.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
He's been through a lot, right, whether it's injury or
you know, being on some teams that have struggled, and
the way that he's fought through that and kept that
attitude has been really impressive. And he was walking around
you know, high five and guys before practice and like
he is the epitome is Sean Payton said of what
you want in a player. And I think the other
(10:40):
element of it is that we talk about the short
term but long term, like you look up and all
of a sudden, he's kind of in that conversation with
some of the most productive Broncos receivers of all time.
He's you know, about eighty catches I think it's eighty
one eighty three catches away and about eight hundred and
sixty yards from passing in. McAffrey could be a top
(11:01):
five receiver in Bronco's history and join guys like Lionel
Taylor and Damarius Thomas and Rod Smith. Like he's good,
you know, knock on what he says, healthy, Like he
could do that this year, and certainly you would think
if he doesn't do it this year, by next year
he'll easily do that. And so you're talking all of
a sudden about a guy that was drafted in the
second round and was kind of known as this big
(11:23):
play guy. But the thought when he was drafted was like, hey,
can he be that next guy after Damarius Thomas and
Emanuel Sanders. And to see it actually play out that
way and you know, him have the two one thousand
yard seasons and him have eighteen touchdowns over the last
two years, Like he's starting to kind of have the
(11:46):
success that I think he was probably always capable of
as just the quarterback position has been rocky at times,
and so the fact that it's now stable, like you
mentioned with Bo and you've seen what he's done the
last two years with Sean Payton, I think it's like
one hundred and forty catches and gosh, like eighteen hundred
yards or something like that and eighteen touchdowns, Like this
(12:07):
is who Courtland Sutton can be. And so you know,
who knows. Maybe we're talking after he five years after
he retires as a Ring of Fame type guy. And
it's interesting because I think a few years ago, especially
when he like it was coming off the ACL and
it wasn't quite the guy he wanted to be or
you know, a couple of years ago when you're like, Okay,
(12:28):
who's going to be part of this quote unquote rebuild right,
like you're unsure if he's going to get to that point,
and so to see him get there and be so
close to kind of putting his name up there with
those guys, for me, it's really cool because I've been here.
This is my tenth season, and like other than garat Balls,
Courtland Sutton's been here the longest. Like he's a guy
that I've seen in this building for eight years and
(12:50):
so really cool to see him kind of near this
success and get the chance to put his name with
those with those other guys.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yeah, and I think just the camaraderie you see, you
know at practice today, like just watching like the guys
and fans.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
They're interacting with fans and.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
They're getting them going, and you know, they're bo Is
giving the ball to Suttence to try to make a pass,
and it's just like that fun environment. And when I
was talking to some of the media members, Dana Rossini,
the athletics senior insider for the NFL, she mentioned that
she's like, there's something different about this training camp and
it was a first trade camp she'd gone to so
far on her tour. But she's just like, the vibes
(13:27):
here are just different. Like you can just see the
guys are buying into each other, They're buying into the culture,
and you can see the fact that the vision is clear,
like with Sean Payn and what George Payn have done
over the last few years, what they put together, it's
given a very clear vision of what this team can be.
And when you really step out there and me just
coming into here as the team reporter for the second year,
it's cool for me to see the jump made from
(13:49):
what we were talking about last training camp to now,
and so I can only imagine what it's like for you.
But when you kind of see the development, the continuation
of Bonix growing and obviously something being locked in new
weapons like Evan Ingram, you start to think, wow, like
it's gonna be a really fun year, like just on paper, right,
obviously we don't jump ahead, but just like on paper,
(14:09):
you kind of see that. But what have been some
of your first impressions over the couple of days.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Yeah, I think that there is a level of competitiveness
that I think we've seen every year that Sean Payton
has been here. It's part of what his philosophy is
as a head coach. But I do think you see
kind of in an increased intensity tempo this year, just
because everybody's further along. I do think as far as
Bonix goes, that we've seen a step like he just
(14:35):
looks like years different than he did this time last year.
It hasn't always been perfect, but I think, and I
asked Sean Payton, is today it's worth keeping in mind
that you're going against potentially the number one defense in
the NFL. If you were doing this against a defense
that it wasn't all that good or didn't have a
lot of playmakers and they were you know, plays that
they were winning, you'd be like, is this a reason
for concern?
Speaker 4 (14:55):
But like the fact that it.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Is as good of a defense, And then like today,
the defense had success early and then bo Nicks kind
of in the final team reps battled back and made
some good completions. Like that's encouraging it and kind of
gives me a sense that, like when you play some
other teams, you're you're gonna be able to work it
out and have success. I think to me, there's two
(15:17):
standouts so far in training camp, or maybe two guys
that I've really been impressed.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
With on offense.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
It's Evan Ingram, And part of that is, like we said, Courtland,
at least you know it's Tuesday. This was his first
like padded practice with team reps, and he.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Did have a catch.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
But I just think the way that Evan Ingram has
shown up every single day, catching a variety of different routes,
getting the ball in space, making contested catches, and then
just being a guy that Bonix looks at a lot.
He to me feels like a guy that could be
really productive this year and have a big season. And
we've seen him have those catch totals in the past
and wouldn't surprise me if you see something similar again.
(16:00):
Just the success that he could have in this offense
is really exciting, and I think there's all this potential
when we talked about in the offseason, like what is
he going to look like? I've seen it so far.
Now it's got to keep going and you got to
do it in the regular season. But really encouraged there.
The other guy that we've talked about a little bit
is Dre Greenlaw. I think, especially when the pads came
on yesterday and again today, you just feel this guy.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
He's all over the place.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
He's fast, he's applying pressure, he's holding up running backs,
he's delivering you know, would be hit like this is
a guy that I think could make a big maybe
even it's hard to say this about a defense was
third and scoring last year, but like a transformative difference
just in terms of what he's able to do. And
(16:46):
I think maybe it was Chase Daniel, can't remember who
said it. It might have been Diana, but they said
like maybe toward the end of the year you look
back at like this was a really big signing for
the Broncos. Kind of maybe it was under the radar
when it happened, but this could be a really big signing.
And so he's been and he's just a fun player
to watch. I love, you know, these off ball linebackers
(17:06):
that roam and make these big hits. And so yeah,
I would say Ingram and green Law to me as
we were sitting here, what four days in the training camp,
those have been kind of the two guys that I'm like, Man,
it's been fun to watch him play.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Well when Dre Greenlaw spoke to the media. He said
a lot of things that popped out to me. Right,
It's like the first time he really kind of got
a chance to talk about why he chose Denver, and
he mentioned something that really kind of caught my attention.
He said, you know, when I met with Champagne, it
wasn't a bunch of what ifs and but.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
This he was like, it was clear.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
It was like, we want you because you have this
skill set and you will fit gright into what this is.
We're going to meet you where you are. You know,
you're the player as you are that we want. And
he said a very sweet comment. He's like, you know,
growing up in the Fosters system, like not a lot
of people wanted me, So to feel wanted is a
big is a big deal. And to be somewhere that
I want to be that I'm accepted for who I am.
(17:54):
And not to say he wasn't before, but I think,
you know, you fit into something and you know it
just clicks us a different way for you. And you said,
He's like, for the past couple years, his defense has
been really good and now I get to be a
part of it. And there's like that joy and that
you know, kind of clean slate of like I get
to add something to this. And I think when you
have a guy like that coming in who is a
monster on the field, obviously he's coming in with Talano
Hafunga too.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
And you, like we've mentioned it, like on the field,
scary on the sideline, You're like, you're a really nice guy.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
You know.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
It's like you just you find these guys just fit
the system. And that's part of what Sean Payn has
done so well. It's like getting guys that are going to, yes,
make a difference on the field, but you're gonna make
it even bigger difference in the locker room and galvanizing
the guys, especially because teams are gonna be you know,
preparing for you now given what they did last year.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Yeah, and I listen, this next stretch of camp, I
think is interesting. You've got four more days in a
row before a day off and then gosh, next week
you go into joint practice and like kind of get
a sense of how you stack up against another team.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
So that's gonna be fun because we have a few
X forty nine ers on the team, so it's gonna
be really fun.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
So we'll have that joint practice.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
And we have an ex Bronco works in the social
media depart shut out this little little return on both sides.
But yeah, I'm excited to see that. But I think
these next four, five, six days whatever it is before
you get to that, are interesting to watch and just
kind of see. You know, you're gonna get sick of
(19:23):
each other right when you face off against each other
every day, But can you keep that competitiveness going again?
Always knock on would stay healthy and continue to get
ready for the season, because I think it's clear the
more we see it, like there's there's something here and
you just got to keep working and kind of try
to get to that point.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Yeah, Bonix mentioned in his press conference he's eventually we're
gonna play somebody else. And when I talk to our
Hall of Famer Steve Atwater, I said, like, you know,
when you continue these days, like what do you kind
of look forward to? And he's like, you know, he's like,
he's like from the player perspective, He's like, these days
are fun because you know, intensity gets up, competition goes up.
You know, you you're having fun out there. He's like,
but you also have to remember, like, well, these are
(20:03):
my teammates. I'm going again, like I need to say, know,
let up a little bit or just kind of talk
to you guys about what you see out there, and
that communication is key. So he's like just continue to grow.
That communication is also a big part of it. So
we did get some news about a few guys from
head coach Champayne. He did mention on Monday that inside
linebacker Juw Sanders is expected to be out north of
four to six weeks due to injury. He also mentioned
(20:24):
that Alex Singleton will be undergoing surgery on his thumb,
expected to be out about a week. Obviously tough losses
for those guys, but you mentioned like you're trying to
kind of steer the ship as much as you can
to go into the season as healthy as possible.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Yeah, and you know, I think especially with with Sanders,
it's tough because you want to see him get these reps.
But Trumpayn's had good news that it was not the
more serious potential injury there with his foot, and then Singleton,
you know, obviously tough news for him as he comes
back from that ACL injury, but about a week so
not not anything to signific in there. Yeah, obviously I'm
(21:01):
not the one having surgery on my thumb, but they're
built different.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
It seems like, yes, and on a positive To end
us on a positive note, one of the things I
really liked was I believe it was Dre Greenlaw when
they asked him, you know, you've played along a lot
with a lot of guys like Fred Warner and like
kind of his leadership. How does Alex Singleton kind of
compliment He's like, man, I see a lot of those
traits in him. And again, it's just everything that every
guy says about each other is like the leadership skills
or the way that you know, I know who to
(21:28):
go talk to about certain things, and for new guys
to come in, and just easy being able to identify,
like what guys in the locker room they feel they
connect with the most.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
I think is really great.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Obviously we mentioned it's gonna be fun once during practice
starts and just the fun and narratives that go along
with that. But I think it's it's gonna be a
really fun yet and again it's we're easing into it.
It's only day four, day two of PADS, but it's
like it's gonna start going the next thing. You know,
like certain things, certain storylines, certain position groups, certain things
are gonna start going to the top.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
It's gonna be fun to analyze it. You ready for that.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Remember to you.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
I have a lot more energy a little old thing
we have al right, guys. Well, that was it for
this episode of Altitude Advantage. As always, I am your
host and team reporter Lisa Nandez. Across the table we
have the mathematician who called me out for the wrong
division and our lead writer, Alaric Delaalas. Make sure you
guys stay tuned on our social media. On our YouTube pages,
(22:22):
we have inst analysis after practice for you guys, as
well as got you covered here on the podcast What
makes Sure You Guys,
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