05-01-24 Paul Klee with Brandon Krisztal on Broncos Country Tonight

Episode Transcript

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Happy to be joined now by asteam columnist and sports editor of the Gazette.
Make sure you're checking out all thegreat covers they have of all your
local team at ezet dot com byPaul Klee on x which used to be
called Twitter, I still call itTwitter and one of my great friends,
Paul, You were there to meetbo Nix the other day, just like

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so many of us were. Whatwere your impressions and how excited are you
as someone who grew up in Denverremembers John Elway on the way up even
though you were certainly younger then asa kiddo. What just to take me
through all of it as it relatesto bon Nicks and how excited your readers
have been with the selection and theway you and Mark Kislin Woody and Chris

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Thominson have written about bon Nix thatKay and at first Man, thank you
for having me on. If Iever decline an opportunity to come on the
best radio station in the country,you got to come check on me.
You know where I live. Ihave great memories of this radio station.
It always reminds me of fly fishingwith my dad when I was a kid.
So you know, the best timeto go back in the day was

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when the bus or the Broncos wereplaying, because there's nobody on the river.
So we'd listen to Larry Zimmer andwe listen to the Broncos and we
go fishing. So I always appreciateit when you guys have me on.
But to answer your question, man, it's really good for business when the
Broncos take a quarterback early. Asyou get older, you start to think

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about those things a little bit more. But yes, I will say that
readers have jumped all over anything Bnixrelated. My first impression of the young
man is that he may be moremature than you and I put together.
He's twenty three, he's twenty threeor twenty four, I can't remember which,
something like that. He played avery long time in college. He's

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like Drew Timmy at Oregon and Auburn. But he's very mature, and this
is a pressure cooker for a youngquarterback. You know. There was one
Broncos executive that mentioned this to methe other day. He said, immediately,
bon Nick is kind of the youknow, he's the biggest deal going,

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and we got the best hockey playerand the best NBA player here in
town, and I think he couldmake that argument. But he's going to
be able to handle that his mediatraining with the Broncos. You know,
they put him through all the mediatraining. What's the same one not to
say that's going to last about twentyseconds because he's been through it with Auburn,
he's been through with Oregon. Asfar as the football wise goes,

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I think there's two schools a thoughtfor me. One, I did think
it was a reach for the Broncos. I thought he was probably taken too
high. But I completely understand whySean Payton did that. There was clearly
a kind of a cerebral connection betweenthe two. They both strike me as

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you know football lifers. Bonnicks grewup in the football hoigh hold, that's
all they did. Dad a longtime coach. Bon Knicks is gonna be
able to sit down and watch filmwith Sean Payton and they are going to
be able to be aligned. They'regoing to know what the other guy's talking
about. There was always that disconnectthat felt like with Russ and Sean Payton.
That's not going to be the caseof bone Nicks. I think it's

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going to come down to the physicalpart if he's simply physically gifted enough to
do to run that position. Butin terms of the intellectual, the cerebral
half of the game, which obviouslySean Payton values more than most and as
much as you could probably bon Nicksis going to be fine in that regard.

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Pull lead with us from the Gazette, and you mentioned the Nugs and
Abs having the best players. We'llget to both those teams here in just
a little bit, because although itsBroncos Country tonight, it would be unfair
to our listeners talk about the twoteams making deep playoff runs and all of
that. But a couple more thingson Bonnick. So I'm gonna there are
two things at you. One Isaw earlier and want to saw why we

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were sitting here talking. When Igoogled bo Nix's age, this also came
up. He is twenty four.He turned twenty four on February twenty fifth,
so he's twenty four years old.But this courtesy of Then Cummins FF
on X. But Pro Football Focus, which we know dives away into metrics.

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Out of one hundred and sixty fivequalifying college qbs last year, and
Sean Payton gave us a lot ofthis, but these are PFF's metrics.
His passing grade. Bo Nix's passinggrade was first in the country. His
intermediate grade in terms of intermediate passingfirst, his pressure grade, so under
pressure he was first, adjusted percentage, adjusting completion percentage, first, turnover

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worthy percentage first, deep passing gradefifth, and no pressure grade actually eight.
So you read that he's better underpressure. Then there were some guys
that were better with no pressure.He was eighth best there. And then
this I hadn't seen this, butNick Saban ESPN said, Bonnix's the guy's
been through it and came out theother end very successfully out at Oregon.
And the thing I really like aboutbow and I've known him since his sophomore

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year. Him and kool Aid McKinstryplayed together in high school. He's the
most accurate guy in the draft.And everybody could say, well, seventy
percent of his balls were ten yardsfrom the line of scrimmage. But in
Sean Payton's offense, you've got toget the ball out of your hand,
you get it out quick, andyou've got to be accurate. And I
think he's a good fit So withall that being said and the excitement that
comes with it, I'll say this, I want to se him get I

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want to see him earn the job. I want to see him start day
one. What do you think isthe ideal scenario to get bon Nicks going
in this offense and getting him onthe field. How would you like to
see a playoff? Paul? Yeah, man, because we wear this what
the Chiefs did with the homes andAlex Smith, you know where they waited
a little bit. I don't thinkthat happens here. I really don't.

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Sean Payton doesn't strike me as agradual build. I don't think he wants
to wait three or four years toget this thing going. I think there's
a very good chance that the rookieis the week one starter. I really
believe that because he's twenty four.In part, you know, this isn't
your usual twenty one, twenty twoyear old kid leaving early out of school.

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You know, because there's a fivestar recruit, there's a guy that's
played a whole ton of football.So I do think there's a very good
chance of that. I think it'srisky, but I don't think it's the
risk that Chantayne's going to shy awayfrom. You know, it's interesting because
it reminds me of the Jeff Bridis. You remember Bradis with the Rockeys.

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Hedn't he didn't grasp that idea thatfans had been through four or five,
six years whatever it was, oflosing. It was like the clock started
when he got there. I didn'tSean Payton understand that part of it.
That people here. It's been adecade, man, it is in a

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really long time since the Bronkers weresince the Broncos were a factor. I
think he's going to try and speedthis thing up. Uh. The kids
they got from the Jets. Youknow, I don't have a lot of
NFL contacts, but they got acouple, and two of them reached out
to me and said the defensive winemanthey just picked up from the Organge.
Yeah, John Franklin Myers, weheard from them. Uh with Kayla Sports
and replayed that here as well.Yeah. So they both like him.

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They're both scouts in the NFT andthey said, le Bronco's got to steal
with him. He plays really hard, He's got all that, you know,
the motor and all the Draftnicks talkabout all that stuff. He plays
very hard, So I think they'regoing to try and speed this thing up,
probably more than outsiders would expect,and that tells me that BOONEX is
going to play pretty early. Ican't see them trying to beat mahomes Harbaugh.

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I think the Raiders are going tobe much better. Uh with Zach
Wilson. I think you know whatyou have there. So all those analytics
that you just listed, it's interestingbecause I do Champ Payton is very much
a quote unquote old school type coach. This this operation leans heavily on the

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numbers, very much, so theylook at their their accountants, you know.
That's how That's a big reason whythey decided to go with bon Nicks.
But also I think there was aconnection between the coach and the quarterback,
which is obviously what he had inNew Orleans forever, that they could
sit down, pass things out,work things out, and they seem to
operate on the same wavelength. SoI think there was a little bit of

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the human side where they fled outand got along. Maybe Sean Payton just
needed a friend in the building whoknows he wants to hang on talking football
with. But Also, I thinkthat those numbers play to how you know
Sean Payton wants to run an offense. Yeah, Sean Payton's actually a really
interesting case study because and it wassome of the things I brought up throughout
the year because I had heard themfrom people close to him and people that

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knew him really well. For allthe old school stuff, and we know
how much he relies upon his timewith Bill Parcells and reference reference Bill all
the time. Well, we're seeingright now, is there in this part
of the phase one of the offseason program that April is for running and
lifting. You shouldn't be doing anyfootball stuff the first couple of weeks of
OTAs I get that, we're nowinto the first week of May. But

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when they get into phase two andall of that, then you start to
introduce more football stuff, but youget enough football. He's not worried about
you being able to pick up theplaybook. Part of that comes from drafting
smart players and all of that,but that for all the old school stuff.
He was the first coach in theleague to embrace next gen stats at
Zebra Technology powers that he's been sponsoredby them and partnered with them for a

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long time. He was the firstguy to have cryo chamber recovery, he
was the first guy to have aflow tank, all this stuff, and
I've asked him about it kind ofthroughout the year. So he blends the
new school and the dad and theanalytics with kind of an old school football
mentality. And so I think it'sjust fascinating when you look at how Sean
approaches thaying souse. Everybody thinks somuch of what he does as old school,

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But what isn't maybe talked about enoughis the new school approach blended with
the old time school, right,and there's there's not gonna be a lot
of patience involved there. And onething when you watch some of the bone
Nicks, I'm the furthest thing froma draft expert, but you got to
go back and watch some of it. He if you have a tailback or
a wide receiver or someone who isout of position, he goes full Sean

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Payne on Russ on the sideline onthat player. I want to talk about
bon Nicks like, you've got toknow exactly where you are, You're exactly
you have to know exactly what you'resupposed to do on that route. I
think the student of the game partis going to be very true. Like
I said, I think it's goingto be about the physical part. Does
he have the arm for it?The processing and the understanding of what Sean

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Payne wants to do, that's notgoing to be an issue. He's he's
very he's a very intelligent kid.I call him a kid because we're you
know, we're a world right.I graduated college two months after he was
born, and you were right behindme a year or two. Jeez,
But hey, we have little kids, so let's keep it this young.
We might and my little kid needsto go to no And I get I

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get that, I get that.Mine who we're fighting it as well.
But let's shift gears to to thetwo teams in town that how about this.
For as good as they've been,this is just the fourth time and
they had a kind of a stretchthat overlapped COVID where three years in a
row they both made it to thesecond round. But now, after we
saw the Abs chiced a Cup twoyears ago, the Nugs bowed out in

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the first round because of injury thatyear. Even though Joker was the MVP
last year, injuries and and justshortcomings the Abs could not follow up their
Stanley Cups, so they bowed outin the first round, So the first
time in a in a few years, but just the fourth time ever both
teams advanced to the second round.And from where I'm sitting, you mentioned
the two best players we'll see whenthey get those awards, and odds are

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both Nathan McKinnon will get the HeartTrophy and Joker will get a start MVP
if they can be healthy, andthat's always a big if, but if
their teams are healthy, there's noreason I think they're not both making a
conference final for the first time thesame year, or perhaps we're gonna be
at Ballerina so much because they're bothmade thinking the finals in the NBA finals,
Stanley Cup Finals. Yeah, theconversion crew over there at ball Arena,

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that's really good. You watched themset up and take it down.
They're going to have a workout overthe next two months, I thought.
And I traveled with the Nuggets lastyear for the four playoff series. The
best player they played in the postseasonlast year, where that was Anthony Edwards.
He was the biggest problem that theyfaced from the Lakers to the Suns

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to the heat, he was thebest player. And now he's a year
older, he looks about ten tofifteen pounds figure. He's super confident he
might be the best player on thisOlympic roster that they put over in Paris,
and it's going to be an absolutetreat. There are a couple of
players that when he's on television,you have to watch him, and he's

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one of them. And they surroundedhim with the best defensive team in the
NBA, so it's not really close. The Timberwolves are a ferocious defensive team
and you've got this kid that jumpsout of the gym thinks he's better than
everybody. He's a fantastic teammate.Tim Connley raives about him. Joe Scott
down at the Air Force had himin Georgia when he was at the University

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of Georgia. He raised about him. An Anthony Edwards is the real deal.
So the Nuggets absolutely have their handsfull in this one. It's going
to be the most difficult playoffre's thatthey've played in the in the Yokachira,
It's going to be sensational basketball.You have a you know, transcendent type
offensive player against one of the bestdefensive teams of the last decade. A

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coach in Minnesota with Chris Finch,who you know, when when Joker is
playing, it's not the opposing centeror opposing big man that he's matched up
against. Jokic is matched up againstthe opposing coaching staff, and this Minnesota
coaching staff knows him very well.Now nobody can stop him. He's impossible

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to hold down. But I thinkthe big key for the Nuggets in this
series is still Michael Porter. He'sbeen playing his best ball since he got
to Denver. He's playing really goodball. He's got a lot of stuff
going on in his life that he'splayed through it. I'm very interested to
see how Mpja plays in this seriesbecause I think he is the most important
player for the Nuggets. All Right, well, I can't really put you

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on the spot as it relates tothe Abs against You know, the Stars
not take a three to two serieslead, but we'll see what the defending
champ Golden Knights can do in Gamesix Friday. So regardless, do you
think the Abs move on based onhow they're playing? And then secondly,
you're want to give me a Nugsprediction because I'm going Nugs in seven.
I think it's gonna take all thatthey have, and obviously the health of

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Murray and Casey p are a bigpart of that as well. This series
right here is why they wanted thattwo seed. You know that you get
that Game seven against Minnesota because it'sa whole different deal. That Minnesota arena.
It's got to be one of theoldest in the NBA. I think
it's nineteen ninety two. They're reallygood of ball fans. They're into the
game. It's a typical place toplay. But you get game seven here.

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I'm with Ubk. I think it'sthe seven game series. I think
you got to hold at home court. You don't want to drop one at
ball arena with the Avs, youknow, I think it was Jared Bednar
said something about that Stars game whereDallas had I think it was seven to
four, they put seven goals onhim that he admitted that they had a
difficult time with that Dallas team.So I'm a Dallas, City of Dallas

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fan. You want to go there, yep, yep. I love the
city of Dallas and my sister's there, so I hope that happens. But
you want to play the Knights,and and that's not my hockey expertise talking,
that's the betting markets target because Vegasare still way down the list and
the Stars are even with the Aves. So I hope it's the Dallas Stars

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because I think that could be ayou know, I think the winner of
that thing probably comes out of theWest, but Vegas as that championship pedigree.
Man, So I think that seriesis to two. That game might
be on tonight. Well yeah,three two Stars. One tonight they actually
won the game three two, sothey're up three to two. Well,
there you go. So I thinkit's you know, I think it's probably

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gonna be the Stars. They're abetter team, and that's probably another seven
game series. That's the way tohappen, all right, Paul, we
got a run because we're up againstit. But you're always the best at
by Paul Klee on X and ofcourse and because that thinks so much right
on BK, thanks for having me. Man. There you go, the
one and only Paul Klee