Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pulling back through it Broncos Country tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Benjamin All brought here with you Gret Smith back there
behind the glass five six six nine zero is the
text line. Got a couple of texts coming in off
that love hearing Rick on BCT with bit learning from
the Master. We had several people start to use the
clown hammer stuff, which apparently somebody pointed out the term
goes back to Jojo when he was on the air
with Less Shapiro Rich Gowens back in the day, back
(00:24):
in like twenty ten, way back in the day. So
fascinating stuff there. But yes, clown Hammers, I don't know.
I stole it from Jojo. That's that's and then Rick
got it from me from steal it from Jojo, and
now it's ricks word. It's officially Rix's word. We're just
start a band cover band called the clown Hammers. Can't
wait till he works at it into the broadcast on
so I can't either. Yep, we said, somebody somebody here
wants to add Kathy Lead to the broad to you
know on there said that'd be diabolical, diabolical.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Excuse me.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Let's see, Brian says, been the Broncos lost three consecutive
games to conclude the eight and eleven seasons when they
finished eight to eight. They'll have four consecutive games to
include the two thoy nine season to finish eight and eight.
Only eleven resulted in a playoff berth, So something to
keep your.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Eye on there.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
As far as that goes, without any further Ado.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Let just get the NFL six pack. It's time for
the NFL six pack.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I'm going to take a lot of beer, insight and
insight information you can't find anywhere else.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
I know six the top six NFL headlines.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
What since we practice responsibility on this show and I
am driving this show and we're doing an NFL six
pack running, Zack seegers to ask the question, since I
can't be driving, he's got to have a six, thank
you very much.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
The college football semifinal matchups are set as of now.
We've got Texas and Ohio State facing off in the
Cotton Bowl and Penn State squaring off with Notre Dame
in the Orange Bowl. What do you think the national
championship matchup will be and who do you think wins
it all?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I think the winner of Texas and Ohio State wins
at all. I think Penn State is going to beat
Notre Dame. I think they'll beat them pretty sound. Both
those teams have great defenses, but Penn State's offense is
better than the Notre Dames offense, I think less unless
Notre Dames just really gets that ground game going is
able to build off it. Drew always a better quarterback
to Riley Leonard. On the other side of that, man,
(02:13):
Ohio State has been red hot through these playoffs. But
Texas has a better coaching staff. They're a better coach team.
I kind of I want to pick Texas. I may
get laughed at for it, but I'm gonna go ahead
and take Texas. And we'll say Texas and Penn State
in the championship, and I think Texas will within it.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Look him figure.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
The Pro Bowl rosters have been unveiled. The Broncos have
three players. The Baltimore Ravens lead the NFL with nine
players and going to the Pro Bowl, Skills Challenge Games,
whatever they're calling it.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Now.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Who do you think was the biggest Pro Bowl snub
this year?
Speaker 4 (02:51):
I saw some people say in a J Brown, I
know Broncos fans are upset.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Zach Allen didn't make it.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Who sit out to.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Your I would say Zach Allen is certainly I think
Broncos fans have a right to be maybe a little
bit upset to Zach Allen who leads the NFL and
quarterback hits, you know as eight and a half sacks
from a from an interior defensive line position. You know,
Zach is really the motor that makes the this this
defense go. And you know, I think if we're being
(03:18):
honest here and we're looking at the way the money's
got to go next year, people talk about, you know,
keeping Cortland around, Well, you gotta pay Nick Benito, you
gotta pay Zach Allen. You know you can only do
two of those three.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Who are you doing?
Speaker 2 (03:28):
And I don't think it's Courtland Sutton in that scenario.
So yeah, we'll see how that works out. The Ravens
with nine seemed a bit much. Marvin Mims making it
as a punt return seemed weird because he hasn't really
been as dynamic on special teams this year. Of course,
he had the breakout game as a receiver this past week,
but he hasn't really been this I would say special
as a return. He's been good, but a great You
know that that one felt. I mean, I'll take it,
(03:50):
you know, but that one felt a little weird.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
The biggest gripe to me, I think with the Broncos
is the Zach Allen thing.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
You could make a case for maybe a quid minors
as well, But Zach Allen thing bugs me a little
bit because I think if you're if you really watch football,
you know that he's.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
The engine of the Mikes this defense. Go hurry.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Talked about it last time I was on with you.
But Saquon Barkley just one hundred and one yards away
from the NFL's all time rushing record.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Since last time we talked about it, though, it's come
out that he's reportedly sitting for Week eighteen. What do
you think of the Eagles and his decision to rest
for that game?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Uh, the Eagles are doing what's right for the Eagles,
which is, uh, rest your star weapon and get everybody
healthy for the playoff run that they that they need.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I think if you're there's gonna be some disappointment. But
this was also an asterisk record.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
He got an extra game, right, So you know, I
don't know if you're I don't know if you're that
upset about it. If you're Saquon, I mean I sort
of get it. You get your name to push it,
you push your name in the history books. But at
the same time, I mean, there's, like I said, it's
an asterisk rext record in the same way that Eric
Dickerson's is with OJ.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
You know, you have two more games to do it.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
I've been arguing for using yards per game aim for
players that play, you know, eighty percent of a season,
using that for the record Barama going forward. I think
that's I think that's probably a better way to do it.
That we were not sitting there swapping the number of
games and doing all that kind of stuff. So you know,
that'd be the direction I'd go with it. But you know,
(05:18):
who knows. If you're Sake one, there's a little bit
of disappointment in the sense you don't get to stamp
your name in something for immortality or I say immortality
until the next guy comes along.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
In a twenty game season and breaks it.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
But you know, other than that, I wouldn't be too
upset about it. But you know, we're one of the
teams that's favored that possibly win it. All this year.
Let's get healthy, get right, and hit our stride going.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Into the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I mean, like I said, the NFL is gonna keep
expanding the schedule. You're gonna have some guy like named
Fred mcjenkins or whatever break it, you know, running for
eighty yards a game over a twenty five game season.
Speaker 6 (05:50):
Do you think that he's in the MVP conversation with
how should be even with Josh Allen and Joe Burrow
and Lamar Jackson putting up career numbers.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Honestly, if Joe Burrow, I think one if if the
Cincinnati Bengals had won that Patriots game at the start
of the season, we're probably saying Joe Burrow's running away
with this thing. But you know, but because that team
underperformed relative to the number of wins. But an award
tends to become a quarterback on the team that wins,
award will leave out some people. Brock Powers should be
(06:18):
in that conversation, right, I mean, but I guess that
goes to show how not valuable the tight end position
is if you put up those kinds of numbers.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
And your team still sucks.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
Or on Wednesday, Aaron Rodgers alluded to the idea that
Sunday start could be his very last in the NFL.
Do you think that's the truth, And if not, do
you think the market what do you think the market
among NFL teams will be like for him in twenty
twenty five?
Speaker 1 (06:44):
And where do you think he'll land?
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Somebody will bring him in as a bridge guy, like
somebody will And no, I think he's too narcissistic to
hang it up on that note, you know, unless the
body's just not cooperating, which you know, then what happened
to all that crap you were talking about, all those
home remedies and stuff that made you football immortal or whatever?
You know? Send him in your water? What was a
cayenne in your water?
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Kayenne pepper in your water, whatever it was you were
sitting there milking.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
You know, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
I'm so glad that guy never got here.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I'm so glad I.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Didn't have to deal with just the the staggering level
of disconnected narcissism that that guy seems to have sitting
there talking about we need to be all focused in
on football. He's filming a Netflix documentary about himself. It's
just it's just a height of irony. I have my
respect for Aaron Rodgers has waned over the years and
it is now nears zero.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
You know, he's not the same person he was.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
I watched him bark at a receiver in the last
game for a play that he was the one in
the wrong on and I'm the guy side with the quarterbacks,
and I'm just sitting there watching. I'm like, bro, what
are you doing? It was you? You made a bad throw.
The receiver did, but he was supposed to in that situation.
So I you know, do I think that it just
depends somebody will give him a shot somewhere, I think,
And that's that's probably the problem.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I mean, you got you have a league where starting
for quarterbacks.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
You look around right now at U some of these
teams and you're wondering what both teams in New York
are gonna do at the quarterback position next year. You're
wondering what, you know, a team like Seattle, who's gonna
do with the quarter They're gonna go back to Geno,
They're gonna try something different. You know, there's there's there's
a lot of openings out there. What are the Raiders
gonna do? So I don't think you'll go there, but
there are just you know, there's there's too many question
(08:22):
marks out there for.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Not to have an offer at least five. I thought
this was interesting.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
ESPN conducted a pull with one hundred and eleven anonymous players,
asking them what were the hardest and easiest places UH
in the NFL to play at as a road opponent.
The Denver Broncos finished seventh, behind the Chiefs, Seahawks, Vikings, Eagles, Bills,
and Saints in that order.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
UH.
Speaker 4 (08:49):
Can you think the Broncos are ranked too low or
does this seem like the.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Right spot for I think the Broncos get it not
because necessarily of crowd noise, although when this stadium gets loud,
it can't get loud. I think it's just the entirety
of the environment. I mean, you're a mile up right,
You're not. It's not like Arizona where you're in a
dome and.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
You can, you know you can.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
You could pipe the oxygen and pump the pressure levels.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Up and whatnot.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
To me, you know, Denver has a built in advantage
that we just don't really take advantage of as much,
being at this altitude, and I'd like to see them
do that a little bit more. I think it's appropriate.
You know, you haven't exactly been a loud stadium ore
the last few years the fans as success has not
been there have if tapered, especially at the end of
the year. So I'm hoping that it'll be loud on
(09:30):
Sunday against Kansas City, and maybe we'll give a chance
to get closer to where Arrowhead is a hostile environment
by showing them what a real hostile environment is.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
This we can six.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Another ESPN thing Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler highlighted in
a report today. The Cowboys, Jags, Raiders, Patriots, Cults, and
Giants has teams that could still potentially fire their head
coaches this season. Of those five, which two coaches do
you think are safest and which too, do you think
are in the most danger.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Well, the Patriots is the safest on that list. Mayo
is gonna get another year. You know, they knew coming
into this thing that that was they were set for
a real year. So that's that's.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
That as far as the others go, I this is
gonna sound weird. I think the Giants might be the safest.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
As far as that goes I think that they're gonna
run it back one more time. I think they all
recognize they made a mistake on Daniel Jones. I think
they're gonna try and retool that thing and see what
they can do. They realize they've got the right receivers,
they need to get an offensive line, they need to
get the right quarterback, whoever that may be. I would
not be surprised if Carson Wentz, who's gonna be playing
against the Broncos this weekend, winds up in the New
York Giants next year.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
If they keep that staff intact.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
There's several guys on that staff that have been with
Carson Wentz. Other places might grow. Who is the quarterbacks
coach in Philadelphia's a wide receivers coach there in New York,
and that would be you know, I would not be
surprised to see Carson Wentz is the bridge quarterback or
even you know, take you know, take do it Gino
or Sam Darnold and take the job for a couple
of seasons.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
We'll see. As for the rest of.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
These the the Jags are already fired.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
That's that's done.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
So you can put them as the least safe probably
probably the Raiders after this. I don't think Antonio Pierce
has any leash. They're the Cowboys, They're they're waffling the Colts.
I think they may fire the GM, but not the coach,
so that that'd be the way I'd look at that.
WO are some of the candidates he think for some.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Of these jobs.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
I've seen John Gruden's name being voted around lately. Yeah,
once he wraps up his lawsuit.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Brian Flores is somebody that.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
There's there's a there's an interesting situation going on in
Chicago right now where Ryan Poles whose buddies with Brian Flores.
It has been for a long time. He's trying to
push the organization in that direction. Despite the fact that
Kevin Warren, who's the president of football operations in the ownership,
wants Ben Johnson from Detroit. Poles is worried that if
Ben Johnson gets in there, he's going to clean house
(11:49):
and have enough cache to fire as general manager and
bring in a guy.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
He wants UH to be his to be his GM.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
There's a couple of different assistants out there Washington, New
York that that would be I think prime Ben Johnson
candidates UH to come in and be his be his
preferred GM candidate.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
And Chicago's main competition is going.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
To be Jacksonville for Ben Johnson, where they can just
come in and have carte blanche and and so that's
that's sort of the thing. Does he want to stay
up there in Chicago's they want to go downside to Florida?
Speaker 1 (12:15):
What you know, what's the case?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
I mean, Ben Johnson has been in Florida before. He
was with Miami Dolphins previously, so uh, he knows that
stake down there, down there fairly well.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
As for some of the others. I mean, Drew Patsy
is going to get some books Vance Vance Joseph.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
If they fire Antonio Pierce, I would not be surprised
the Vance Joseph get heavy consideration. Mike Vrabel is going
to get consideration a couple of these places in in
Las Vegas and Chicago and New York. You know, I
would say those are the big names right now. There's
there's I mean, there's a couple of other names out there.
I think that could be in the hunt. Pete Carroll
is going to get some consideration a couple of places.
(12:49):
I would mind seeing him down in New Orleans actually,
you know, taking over there.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
I think they need to clean house down there. And
I like whatever you think of Sean Payton, I think that.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
That regime and the vestiges of it that are still
in there are kind of keeping New Orleans from moving
on and getting a new vision.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
I think they just need a clean house there.
Speaker 6 (13:06):
Going back to Ben Johnson for a second, do you
think there's any way that he could end up being
the Lions OC again next year and not take any
of these openings.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Yeah, I think it's it's possible. He's fine waiting.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
He knows what he is, a known commodity, he knows
what he wants, and I don't even think he's gonna
interview some places if he doesn't want to be there.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
So I think there's two or three teams that get
interviews with him, that's it.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
And I think if if they don't give him what
he wants, I don't think that he's gonna move.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Yeah, I mean why would you, especially with some of
the questions around these chops. I mean, I mean the
Bears I think have serious ownership questions. I think Caleb
Williams has shown you some to be really excited for,
but Uh, I think there's a lot to be concerned
about there. I don't know if that's the one you
want to bet your your big opportunity on. The Jags
are maybe the best opportunity to me. You get carte blanche.
(13:55):
You know, Sean conn seems to be a fairly patient owner.
But you know, Trevor Lawrence has his own issues. I
think he has some stylistic similarities to Jared Goff though,
so I think that pairing makes a lot of sense.
But you got to clean up Trent Bowky's mess. Like
I don't think there's a great job in this cycle.
Like I feel like the Chargers even wear a better
job last cycle than there is out there this year.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
The Bears come with already made defense. The problem is
the general manager situation there and to a degree ownership.
The Jags come with a team that's it's utterly devoid
of talent on the defensive side of the ball. You
got one, maybe two players there that you can build around.
You do have a software division with the Jags. No
state taxes down there in Florida, so there's there's a
couple of things that would kind of give you that.
(14:39):
But then again, you're you're locked into the Trevor Lawrence
thing Whereaskayleb Williams. If you get in there that doesn't work,
you can cut eight on that and move on. He's
a rookie deal, right If you're down there with Trevor Lawrence,
he's already getting paid. You're you're locked into that deal
for a little bit, and you know, and it'll it'll
You're at least gonna have to try that for a
number of seasons before you know, you do something else.
So that there's a lot to consider when it comes
(14:59):
into these situations. And you know, I think he's just
looking at this and saying, look, I know what my
vision of this is, and if we're not going to
meet that, then I'm not coming for the job.
Speaker 6 (15:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Well, I think he should be selective.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
I mean, I think the Lions are a great spot
right now, and I don't think his value unless NFL
teams get annoyed by the idea he keeps saying no
to them, I don't think his value will go down
anytime soon. That Lion's team is built to be a
pretty dynamic on offense for the foreseeable future. I mean,
maybe in a couple of seasons when Jamiir Gibbs and
Jamison Williams start coming up, it gets tricky to keep
(15:33):
building around everything. But you know, he has all the
freedom to sit back and be patient right now and
be selective and wait for the best job possible to
come open, Like maybe the Cowboys doesn't come open this year,
but maybe next year it comes open, and then they're
further along in this rebuild, and I don't know, I
feel like there'll be better opportunities next year than there
(15:54):
are this year. It feels like a week cycle in
terms of the available jobs.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Yeah, and you know, I mean as far as the
Lions teams goes, I mean they've been building that thing
from the from the ground up.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Montgomery.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
They'll cycle him out and get a new you know,
get a new veteran in there. Gibbs is only twenty
two years old. Jack Goff is only thirty years old.
You know, a lot of people think he's a lot
older than that. He's probably got another five or six
years in him, you know, playing it the way they
play and surrounding him on the offensive line the way
that they've surrounded him. So you know, I think they
feel like that thing can got to be put on autopilots.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Was there at the right coordinator.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Remember, Ben Johnson was not and Campbell's first choices offensive coordator.
He fired Anthony Lynn, who was a veteran offensive coordator,
and then hired Ben Johnson promoted him to take his place.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
I just think that's a good spot for him. You know,
he wanted to stay there also last year, surprisingly in
part because of the heartbreaking end of the season. And
I think right now the Lion season is trending much
the same way. You know, it wasn't long ago that
they looked like the absolute powerhouse in the NFC and
they were running away with the one seed, and now
they've been decimated by injuries to the point where I mean,
(17:02):
maybe they still make it out of the NFC, but
it's going to be a lot harder for them to
win the Super Bowl now. And I think it's going
to be another off season where you feel like, dang,
you came so close to maybe when he did it all,
but you've got a few bad bounces that if that
was enough to make him want to stay last time,
why not make it want to make him want to
stay this time too.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
It'd be fun to keep our eye on.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
We've got Alex Gold coming out to privy Kansas City
next here on Brocos Country tonight.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
What am I good? Brocos Country Tonight.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Benjamin all Bright here with you, Grat Smith back there
behind the glass five six six nine zero is the
text line.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
We had a couple of texts come in.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I bet a friend of mine who's a Bears fan,
that he'll be the coach there next year.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
I'm assuming youre talking of.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Ben Johnson, not one hundred percent sure about that.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
We'll figure out.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
We're going out to the kay Commasparl hotline and bring
on our guy, Alex Gold, talk a little bit about
these Kansas City chiefs in this week eighteen.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
I guess it is, Alex. How you doing this evening?
I'm good man.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Great to be back on with you guys.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Yeah, good to have you back.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Brother.
Speaker 7 (18:05):
And it's an interesting conundrum for Broncos fans because out
of one side, if you'd said back in training camp
and in week eighteen they'd be competing for a playoff
spot winning their end, they would have been ecstatic.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
However, the team then raced out to nine wins, including
one very close loss to Kansas City on a field
goal block there at the end that it would have
wanted for them.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
They look at this game.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Where you're playing largely backups or at least not the
main starters for Kansas City, and there's kind of an
oddity surrounding attitudes for this game where some Broncos fans
are like, well, they're not even at full strength, what
do we even care?
Speaker 3 (18:45):
That's interesting, you know, I think for you guys, I
don't want to speak for Broncos fans by any means,
but I know from Kansas City perspective, nobody thought the
Broncos were going to even be in a position to
make the postseason. So the fact that the Broncos have
a chance to beat Carson Wins and then maybe even
their third string quarterback and Chris Olodokin to get in
a postseason spot, even if it means going to Buffalo,
(19:08):
I think, I mean, that's that's an obvious thing for
for the Broncos to be going one hundred percent for
and I think they'll get the Chiefs bats effort, even
with some of the backups. But I'm I'm assuming there
in Denver, whether it was the not going for two
a week ago or yeah, the block field goal. I'm
sure there's plenty of Broncos fans feel like this thing
should have been wrapped up a long time ago.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Well, yeah, I mean you had the We have had
a case of and it's interesting because that Kansas City
game might be the counter example. We've had a case
of Sean Bayden making end of half an end of
game decisions that were frankly, brutally bat and have cost
this team at times. The game against the Raiders that
they got lucky and got away with it because garnermentsh
you got hurt, and then Ritter came in and turned
(19:48):
it over and they wound up winning that one. You
look at the Chargers end of half where we had
the free kick field goal that ultimately wound up being
the difference of the game. You had the not going
forward for two, although that to me, that's still a
mathematically defensible position because the tie would have gotten you in.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
But yeah, I would have gone for two.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
There to be fair end of half, end of game
coaching and has plagued Sean Payton since back in New Orleans.
That said, you're talking about a team that hasn't tasted
the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
In Super Bowl fifty.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
The culture in recent years has been one of lethargy
and mediocrity, and that seems to be head of the
other direction as we look at this thing now, I mean,
you know, I think frame of reference changes everything.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
It's what I call the Larry Coker effect.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Right, you start winning and then all of a sudden
you expect winning.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
In the University of Miami had.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Larry Coker there winning eleven twelve games a year, but
that wasn't good enough, so they ended up firing him,
and then they go meyer to mediocrity for a while.
As we look at this, I mean, obviously they want
to win. Ruckos fans want to win, they want to
be back in the playoffs. But it is rather disappointing that,
you know, it comes down to hopefully not embarrassing yourself
against Kansas City's backups.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Right, And look, I think for Chiefs fans looking at
this game too, everybody's trying to figure out this scenarios,
like you have a chance your rival out of the postseason.
That's one angle, and why you want to win the
other hand, there's there's.
Speaker 5 (21:05):
Some national narrative out there that, hey, the Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Don't want to see Cincinnati. But the way we've been
talking about it here man is been, hey, if Cincinnati
finds a way to get in, they're the only team
out of the Broncos, Dolphins, Bengals that we believe can
actually go and beat Buffalo in the opening round as
the two seed, and therefore the Chiefs could potentially not
have to play Buffalo. So that's how everybody here is
kind of talking about it. I know, everybody used like
(21:29):
Cincinnati is the Chiefs kryptonite, which is kind of funny
since they've lost three in a row to Kansas City.
But that's that's the view here at least that hey, yeah,
you got a chance to keep the Broncos out of
the playoffs, but also Cincinnati making it may not be
the worst thing.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
In the world, right And you know, it's kind of
funny because if you look at the matchups against Kansas City,
you would almost think that Denver would be the kryptonite
for Kansas City.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
They won a game against him last year.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
They you know, at Arrowhead, they had the misfield goal
away from doing two in a row versus.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
You know, Cincinnati.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
But I will say this, having just played Cincinnati, nobody
wants to see Cincinnati in the playoffs. Right now, they are.
Their offense is absolutely on fire over the last I
don't know, month, month and a half, as they've got
this thing going and they get in there at anything's possible.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
No doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
Now, look, ultimately, I think the Broncos are winning this game, man,
I really do. I think the Broncos win this thing.
I'll tell you though, seeing it ten and a half
points the spread, that seems a little high. Like if
I was forced to degenerately back on that game Sunday
in Denver, I would be taking the Chiefs to cover
the ten and that I think that's just too many points.
Carson Wentz has played plenty of football, and there'll be
(22:36):
plenty of guys out there that that's still gonna have
to play. Like it's funny year, everybody discusses who's gonna play,
who's not gonna play. Yeah, the main suspects won't be
out there, but it's not like you can call up
twenty five guys for a practice squad or something and
happen to play Like there's gonna be still a decent
chuck of the old line that's gonna have to play
in the game, and there'll be some guys that get
called up and everything, but I think it'll be closer.
(22:57):
When I say closer NFL standards, you know it'll to
me it'll be a seven or eight point win for
Denver's what I'm expected.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
The better seem to agree with you on this.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
The current line at ten and a half seventy nine
percent of bet sixty nine percent of money on Kansas
City plus the ten and a half. The over under,
which has not moved, sits there at forty forty and
a half eighty percent of best ninety three percent of
money on the over.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
There on the money line, though, this is where things
get weird.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
On the money line, sixty three percent of tickets are
on the Broncos, but ninety two percent of money is
what kids said, yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Yeah, and that look you know that you you're a
betting guy. That makes sense though if you think about it,
because you know, just from a value perspective, right, I mean,
there's no value on betting the Broncos from a money
life perspective in the game, so I guess that. I
guess that makes sense. I'll say this though, about you know,
watching bo Nix and whether it's going to be on
Sunday or the earlier matchup. I don't know how folks
(23:45):
in Denver are handling it way we've discussed Box. Obviously,
he's exceeded everybody's expectations here as well, and what he's
been able to be I think his floor was always higher,
and so we're seeing the success happen a lot quicker.
The fans are like, all right, you know what, that's fun.
Nobody's worried that his ceiling is so high that like
they've up the next you know, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow
(24:06):
or Lamar Jackson in their division for the next decade.
So it's kind of weird how everybody's talked about this.
All right, bone Nicks could be the quarterback there for
another eight to ten years or something. But at the
same time, all right, he's what's the ceiling? Is he
a number ten quarterback in football? He's Derek Carr basically,
And that's kind of how Chees fans have talked about this, like,
all right, bone Nix is definitely better than what you
guys have had, but at the same time, nobody feels
(24:28):
all that threatened by it.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Well, that was my next question.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
It's funny you brought up Derek Carr because that's the
name that I compared Bonext to when he was wrapped it.
I said, look, this guy's probably a guy that is
say top ten to twelve quarterback in this league, and
that's probably his home. He's probably in that Derek Carr
range where you can be successful with him. You know
you can be, but he's not going to put a
team on his back too often and be able to
(24:51):
do that, especially with his arm, you know, being kind
of what it is, which is, you know a little
bit under strength. Although that thrown at Marvin Mims on
the post last week was beautiful, big, big time Aria
Yard is.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
There with boul that.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
That was my question is what is the perspective from
opponents on what bo Nicks is at this point?
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Well, there's definitely better than people thought. I mean, I
can tell you even going to the first match up
many many weeks ago, heading in, you know, people were
still questioning, you know, remember he had he really started
out to tell you. I mean, he started to play
even better from the Chief game on when he really
taught fire, and so you know, even at that point
the jury was still out. I think now people are Okay, no,
he's going to be a started quarterback in this league
(25:28):
for a long time. But there's just limitation. Sean Payton
has his guy. Clearly, the relationships a million times better
than what it was with Russell Wilson, and so that
has also helped the progression. I think b Enix is
perfect for what Sean Payton wants to.
Speaker 5 (25:40):
Do, and that's why they're having success.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
You know, can they compete for a division title at
some point with bon Nicks? Maybe so we'll see, Like
I don't think it's out of the question, but he's
still the third best quarterback in this division and I
don't think that's changing for like a decade.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Talking with Alex Gold, Alex what we just talked about
the perspective of bon Knicks, What is the perspective on
Sean pay.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
So Sean Payton a lot of people, of course, during
the Russell Wilson years, people have just thrown them off
here in Kansas City like, okay, this is done, Like
why did the Broncos give up draft capital for for
both assets? What were they doing? And now I think
there's been some appreciation, like look, maybe just flat out,
you know, Russell Wilson was wasn't his guy, and we
saw that that ultimately impacted everything. So, you know, do
(26:24):
people view him in the top tier coaching.
Speaker 5 (26:27):
List in the NFL by any means? No.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
I think there's a plenty of coaches people in Kansas
City would would pick higher than him despite him having
a ring. But I think there's there's been maybe an
increase in in how people view him based off of
what he's done with Bo Nicks. At the same time,
you know, what Rust did in Pittsburgh this year is
also because there's there's definitely some fans that have said, Okay,
well that was all that was all Sean Payton's fault.
(26:50):
So it's a mixed bag, I guess to answer your question,
you know nobody, nobody thinks he's in a top ten
category of NFL coaches here. I'll tell you.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
That, okay, because here, you know, you get people to
talk about it be a whole thing like he's the
same resume.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
As Mike McCarthy.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Guys like what are we doing he's not, and scandals
that Mike doesn't look at the end of the day, man.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Like Mike McCarthy's another coach. But I don't know where
you're at it. He's another guy, though, I still think
people get way too much, you know what to for
what I get it. It's easy, it's low hanging fruit.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
He's in Dallas and.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
All this, But I still look look at some of
these years that he's had with Dallas and look like
now with Cooper, Russia's quarterback. Russia is like a winning
record since he's had either this year or going back
to when he's played in the past. I still think
Mike McCarthy gets way too much crap.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Well, I think they both. I think they both do.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
I think both Sean Payton and Mike McCarthy get both
They get too much praise and too much crap, which
means that the truth was probably somewhere in the middle
when it comes down to both guys. I mean, you know,
at the end of the day, there's something to be
said for coaches that can keep you competitive, Guys like
Sean Payton, Mike McCarthy, John Fox, you know, guys that
are the George Carrals of the NFL. In a way,
you're always going to make the playoffs. You're probably not
going to win the big one unless everything goes right
(27:52):
for you. Which you know, it is evidenced by the
fact that each one of those two guys had top
top five, top ten all time quarterbacks and got one ring.
But the same time, you know, there is something to
be said for establishing a professional culture and and and
having a competitive organization that gets you to the playoffs
no doubt.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Well, and you guys have a chance now, I mean
that's you know, you don't have a chance. Now you
got the quarterback and coach pairing, you guys are going
to be competitive, and who knows, maybe this will be
the first of many years to come with with playoffs,
the experience and playoff appearances.
Speaker 5 (28:19):
I truly believe the.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Broncos are getting the postseason, despite you know, what their
chances might be in the actual postseason that Buffalo I
think most people here ultimately still think that's that's the
likely outcome, and the odds obviously would say that's the case.
Is they're like, is there worry, is there panicked there
in Denver that somehow they're going to choke this thing away?
Or what?
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Oh yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:37):
I mean based on the last two weeks and specifically,
I mean the coaching decisions have have vastly contributed to that.
When you look at the Chargers game in the first half,
you know he's dialing up pass plays, trying to pad
the stats for bow and that allowed those the Chargers
to get that free kick field goal, which was the
difference to the game. Then you come back against Cincinnati,
you don't go for two uh in overtime. It looks
like you're playing for a tie and you wind up
(28:59):
losing that thing, And so there is a bit of
sense of kind of choking this thing away. I think
the fact that you're not playing starters has re energized
or put some faith back into the fan base, but
I think there's still a healthy skepticism right now based
on what they've seen over the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
Yeah, I mean's fair.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
I think that I think that's fair overall. I'll be curious.
I know. The conversation here too, though, is Carson Wentz
guys may not even play the whole game. There's a
chance if Denver gets that in front of off that
it's Chris Oladokin. It was just a practice squad player
that ends up actually playing the second half or fourth
quarter because they want to keep Carson Wentz actually healthy,
so they wouldn't have surprise me at all if you're
down to third string quarterback to compete against in the
(29:38):
second half of it, especially if it's not close.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Yeah, I struggle pronouncing his last name. I still think
it sounds like a sound effect fireball from Street Fighter.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
But that's that's besides the point.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
I Carson Wentz, though, is going to be playing for
the next job. He wants to be the next Sam
Darnold Baker Mayfield, Gino Smith. You know, he wants that
next comeback story to be him. He's got some allies,
some people he's worked with there, the New York Giants
that you know, could wind up there next year. If
he comes in and balls out in this game, I
don't expect him to take the you know, I don't
expect this to be a game where Kansas City's just
(30:08):
given up unless Denver wait ses out to that.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Big lead that you mentioned.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Not at all. I mean, I don't think they're handing
it off to Carson Steele, who's going to be playing
a lot of running backs thirty you know, thirty times
or something, and just in laying it down like, I
don't think that. I think you're a hundred percent right
about the future. I mean, for crying out loud, Gardner,
Minshew and eight and O'Connell. We're starting quarterbacks in this
year for a good junk of the season.
Speaker 5 (30:28):
So yeah, Carson Wentz has got a shot.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
I mean it's not people feel like he's not thirty
eight years old or something like that. He's still actually
pretty young. So I know, I'm with you. I think
Carson Wentz could go out and have a nice little showing.
And if he does that, even if even in a
losing effort, and he'll be someone that's going to get
some some strong looks, especially for a team that maybe
doesn't get the QB they want or does get a QB,
but they're gonna wait, you know, and have Carson Wentz
(30:51):
start the first month of the season.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
Yeah, and then I'll give him an opportunity to do that.
You mentioned a running back in Carson Steele, but there's
another running back I have my eye on, and Nanny's
samaj p Ryn been a guy who has you know,
he obviously played for Denver, but he was a guy
who always seems to have that one game every year
where he goes off and you know this, this feels
like the prime revenge game for out of nowhere?
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Is he gonna? Is he gonna be going in this game?
Speaker 5 (31:16):
I think just from a sheer numbers perspective.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
He's going to have to be active because as they
have to check who haven't really been practicing. He's got
some tender ribs and there's no reason to push that
for him. Kareem Hunt has gotten way more carries than
anybody ever thought when they brought him in. So I
think both those guys could be inactive. And so you're
talking about Carson Steel and p Ryan having to get
a bulk of the carries. I would be surprised if
p Ryan wasn't at least part of this to some extent.
(31:39):
You know, overall the last month, he's been a bigger
factor in the passing game. He's been a huge pass protector.
He's kind of taken on the Jerick McKinnon roll as
a big third.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
Down blocker for them. Everybody when they signed him.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
Thought he was going to do what he did in Denver,
though you know, he was what I think the fourth
most receiving yards of all running backs a year ago.
That hasn't been the case. That's just not the role
they've utilized him in but he's definitely turned it on
in the last month or so. But and he's you know,
I think a lot of people gained appreciation for him
in about what game was it? I think it was
three weeks ago. He had a huge block that allowed
them to get to get a pass off that hopefully
(32:12):
let them have a comeback win. And I'm escaping on
the game. It was about three weeks ago. See, all
these games been running together. Man, we can play three
and eleven days.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Tied with Alex Gold. Alex as we look at these things,
what is your pulse in this thing? Does this feel
like Kansas City could get the win ors? This feels
like something where they're just packing it in by halftime
and getting ready for these playoffs.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Yeah, I don't think it'll be, you know, a double
digit type of victory, but I think it'll be comfortable
for Denver. I don't know if the Broncos are going
to ever really feel like they're losing this game. I
think I had our prediction today on the show. We
were talking about twenty eight twenty I think, but it's
not going to feel like the Chiefs are marching down
for a game winning drive. I think if twenty eight
twenty Broncos get the win, get that final playoff spot
(32:53):
a lot that Alex.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
We appreciate the time as always looking forward to this
one on Sunday, and you know, I hoping that the
Broncos get into these playoffs. This fan base has got
something besides looking across the division of Kansas City for
a decade and saying, you know what, we used to
be them.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Hey, I get it, man, I get hey. You know,
I'll say that Atolicetlebroncos is the only road trip the
Chief's taking the division out that's actually a true road
trip because when we go out to LA and the
out to Vegas, it's just full of Chiefs fans. The
Diver's the one place where there's still some strong fan
base and support.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
Well, hopefully, hopefully it'll be a good one. Hopefully it'll
be one that we get a chance to really sink
our teeth into afterwards. Good luck in the playoffs, and
I'll talk to.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
You against him, all right, Thanks, guys, absolutely take care of that.
It's cool.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
We'll always love talking to him about Kansas City. He's
always has good Stuffing's got measured response on that kind
of stuff. It's not the fanboy stuff. We always get the.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Good people here. We appreciate him taking the time.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
We got a buff Prime Time coming up next right
here on Kowa. Appreciate you guys listening to Broncos Country tonight.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
See you going tomorrow night. Right here on eight to
fifty Dude Talk Sports
Pulling back through it Broncos Country tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Benjamin All brought here with you Gret Smith back there
behind the glass five six six nine zero is the
text line. Got a couple of texts coming in off
that love hearing Rick on BCT with bit learning from
the Master. We had several people start to use the
clown hammer stuff, which apparently somebody pointed out the term
goes back to Jojo when he was on the air
with Less Shapiro Rich Gowens back in the day, back
(00:24):
in like twenty ten, way back in the day. So
fascinating stuff there. But yes, clown Hammers, I don't know.
I stole it from Jojo. That's that's and then Rick
got it from me from steal it from Jojo, and
now it's ricks word. It's officially Rix's word. We're just
start a band cover band called the clown Hammers. Can't
wait till he works at it into the broadcast on
so I can't either. Yep, we said, somebody somebody here
wants to add Kathy Lead to the broad to you
know on there said that'd be diabolical, diabolical.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Excuse me.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Let's see, Brian says, been the Broncos lost three consecutive
games to conclude the eight and eleven seasons when they
finished eight to eight. They'll have four consecutive games to
include the two thoy nine season to finish eight and eight.
Only eleven resulted in a playoff berth, So something to
keep your.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Eye on there.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
As far as that goes, without any further Ado.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Let just get the NFL six pack. It's time for
the NFL six pack.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I'm going to take a lot of beer, insight and
insight information you can't find anywhere else.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
I know six the top six NFL headlines.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
What since we practice responsibility on this show and I
am driving this show and we're doing an NFL six
pack running, Zack seegers to ask the question, since I
can't be driving, he's got to have a six, thank
you very much.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
The college football semifinal matchups are set as of now.
We've got Texas and Ohio State facing off in the
Cotton Bowl and Penn State squaring off with Notre Dame
in the Orange Bowl. What do you think the national
championship matchup will be and who do you think wins
it all?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I think the winner of Texas and Ohio State wins
at all. I think Penn State is going to beat
Notre Dame. I think they'll beat them pretty sound. Both
those teams have great defenses, but Penn State's offense is
better than the Notre Dames offense, I think less unless
Notre Dames just really gets that ground game going is
able to build off it. Drew always a better quarterback
to Riley Leonard. On the other side of that, man,
(02:13):
Ohio State has been red hot through these playoffs. But
Texas has a better coaching staff. They're a better coach team.
I kind of I want to pick Texas. I may
get laughed at for it, but I'm gonna go ahead
and take Texas. And we'll say Texas and Penn State
in the championship, and I think Texas will within it.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Look him figure.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
The Pro Bowl rosters have been unveiled. The Broncos have
three players. The Baltimore Ravens lead the NFL with nine
players and going to the Pro Bowl, Skills Challenge Games,
whatever they're calling it.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Now.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Who do you think was the biggest Pro Bowl snub
this year?
Speaker 4 (02:51):
I saw some people say in a J Brown, I
know Broncos fans are upset.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Zach Allen didn't make it.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Who sit out to.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Your I would say Zach Allen is certainly I think
Broncos fans have a right to be maybe a little
bit upset to Zach Allen who leads the NFL and
quarterback hits, you know as eight and a half sacks
from a from an interior defensive line position. You know,
Zach is really the motor that makes the this this
defense go. And you know, I think if we're being
(03:18):
honest here and we're looking at the way the money's
got to go next year, people talk about, you know,
keeping Cortland around, Well, you gotta pay Nick Benito, you
gotta pay Zach Allen. You know you can only do
two of those three.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Who are you doing?
Speaker 2 (03:28):
And I don't think it's Courtland Sutton in that scenario.
So yeah, we'll see how that works out. The Ravens
with nine seemed a bit much. Marvin Mims making it
as a punt return seemed weird because he hasn't really
been as dynamic on special teams this year. Of course,
he had the breakout game as a receiver this past week,
but he hasn't really been this I would say special
as a return. He's been good, but a great You
know that that one felt. I mean, I'll take it,
(03:50):
you know, but that one felt a little weird.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
The biggest gripe to me, I think with the Broncos
is the Zach Allen thing.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
You could make a case for maybe a quid minors
as well, But Zach Allen thing bugs me a little
bit because I think if you're if you really watch football,
you know that he's.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
The engine of the Mikes this defense. Go hurry.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Talked about it last time I was on with you.
But Saquon Barkley just one hundred and one yards away
from the NFL's all time rushing record.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Since last time we talked about it, though, it's come
out that he's reportedly sitting for Week eighteen. What do
you think of the Eagles and his decision to rest
for that game?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Uh, the Eagles are doing what's right for the Eagles,
which is, uh, rest your star weapon and get everybody
healthy for the playoff run that they that they need.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I think if you're there's gonna be some disappointment. But
this was also an asterisk record.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
He got an extra game, right, So you know, I
don't know if you're I don't know if you're that
upset about it. If you're Saquon, I mean I sort
of get it. You get your name to push it,
you push your name in the history books. But at
the same time, I mean, there's, like I said, it's
an asterisk rext record in the same way that Eric
Dickerson's is with OJ.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
You know, you have two more games to do it.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
I've been arguing for using yards per game aim for
players that play, you know, eighty percent of a season,
using that for the record Barama going forward. I think
that's I think that's probably a better way to do it.
That we were not sitting there swapping the number of
games and doing all that kind of stuff. So you know,
that'd be the direction I'd go with it. But you know,
(05:18):
who knows. If you're Sake one, there's a little bit
of disappointment in the sense you don't get to stamp
your name in something for immortality or I say immortality
until the next guy comes along.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
In a twenty game season and breaks it.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
But you know, other than that, I wouldn't be too
upset about it. But you know, we're one of the
teams that's favored that possibly win it. All this year.
Let's get healthy, get right, and hit our stride going.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Into the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I mean, like I said, the NFL is gonna keep
expanding the schedule. You're gonna have some guy like named
Fred mcjenkins or whatever break it, you know, running for
eighty yards a game over a twenty five game season.
Speaker 6 (05:50):
Do you think that he's in the MVP conversation with
how should be even with Josh Allen and Joe Burrow
and Lamar Jackson putting up career numbers.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Honestly, if Joe Burrow, I think one if if the
Cincinnati Bengals had won that Patriots game at the start
of the season, we're probably saying Joe Burrow's running away
with this thing. But you know, but because that team
underperformed relative to the number of wins. But an award
tends to become a quarterback on the team that wins,
award will leave out some people. Brock Powers should be
(06:18):
in that conversation, right, I mean, but I guess that
goes to show how not valuable the tight end position
is if you put up those kinds of numbers.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
And your team still sucks.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
Or on Wednesday, Aaron Rodgers alluded to the idea that
Sunday start could be his very last in the NFL.
Do you think that's the truth, And if not, do
you think the market what do you think the market
among NFL teams will be like for him in twenty
twenty five?
Speaker 1 (06:44):
And where do you think he'll land?
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Somebody will bring him in as a bridge guy, like
somebody will And no, I think he's too narcissistic to
hang it up on that note, you know, unless the
body's just not cooperating, which you know, then what happened
to all that crap you were talking about, all those
home remedies and stuff that made you football immortal or whatever?
You know? Send him in your water? What was a
cayenne in your water?
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Kayenne pepper in your water, whatever it was you were
sitting there milking.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
You know, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
I'm so glad that guy never got here.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I'm so glad I.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Didn't have to deal with just the the staggering level
of disconnected narcissism that that guy seems to have sitting
there talking about we need to be all focused in
on football. He's filming a Netflix documentary about himself. It's
just it's just a height of irony. I have my
respect for Aaron Rodgers has waned over the years and
it is now nears zero.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
You know, he's not the same person he was.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
I watched him bark at a receiver in the last
game for a play that he was the one in
the wrong on and I'm the guy side with the quarterbacks,
and I'm just sitting there watching. I'm like, bro, what
are you doing? It was you? You made a bad throw.
The receiver did, but he was supposed to in that situation.
So I you know, do I think that it just
depends somebody will give him a shot somewhere, I think,
And that's that's probably the problem.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I mean, you got you have a league where starting
for quarterbacks.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
You look around right now at U some of these
teams and you're wondering what both teams in New York
are gonna do at the quarterback position next year. You're
wondering what, you know, a team like Seattle, who's gonna
do with the quarter They're gonna go back to Geno,
They're gonna try something different. You know, there's there's there's
a lot of openings out there. What are the Raiders
gonna do? So I don't think you'll go there, but
there are just you know, there's there's too many question
(08:22):
marks out there for.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Not to have an offer at least five. I thought
this was interesting.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
ESPN conducted a pull with one hundred and eleven anonymous players,
asking them what were the hardest and easiest places UH
in the NFL to play at as a road opponent.
The Denver Broncos finished seventh, behind the Chiefs, Seahawks, Vikings, Eagles, Bills,
and Saints in that order.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
UH.
Speaker 4 (08:49):
Can you think the Broncos are ranked too low or
does this seem like the.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Right spot for I think the Broncos get it not
because necessarily of crowd noise, although when this stadium gets loud,
it can't get loud. I think it's just the entirety
of the environment. I mean, you're a mile up right,
You're not. It's not like Arizona where you're in a
dome and.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
You can, you know you can.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
You could pipe the oxygen and pump the pressure levels.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Up and whatnot.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
To me, you know, Denver has a built in advantage
that we just don't really take advantage of as much,
being at this altitude, and I'd like to see them
do that a little bit more. I think it's appropriate.
You know, you haven't exactly been a loud stadium ore
the last few years the fans as success has not
been there have if tapered, especially at the end of
the year. So I'm hoping that it'll be loud on
(09:30):
Sunday against Kansas City, and maybe we'll give a chance
to get closer to where Arrowhead is a hostile environment
by showing them what a real hostile environment is.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
This we can six.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Another ESPN thing Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler highlighted in
a report today. The Cowboys, Jags, Raiders, Patriots, Cults, and
Giants has teams that could still potentially fire their head
coaches this season. Of those five, which two coaches do
you think are safest and which too, do you think
are in the most danger.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Well, the Patriots is the safest on that list. Mayo
is gonna get another year. You know, they knew coming
into this thing that that was they were set for
a real year. So that's that's.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
That as far as the others go, I this is
gonna sound weird. I think the Giants might be the safest.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
As far as that goes I think that they're gonna
run it back one more time. I think they all
recognize they made a mistake on Daniel Jones. I think
they're gonna try and retool that thing and see what
they can do. They realize they've got the right receivers,
they need to get an offensive line, they need to
get the right quarterback, whoever that may be. I would
not be surprised if Carson Wentz, who's gonna be playing
against the Broncos this weekend, winds up in the New
York Giants next year.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
If they keep that staff intact.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
There's several guys on that staff that have been with
Carson Wentz. Other places might grow. Who is the quarterbacks
coach in Philadelphia's a wide receivers coach there in New York,
and that would be you know, I would not be
surprised to see Carson Wentz is the bridge quarterback or
even you know, take you know, take do it Gino
or Sam Darnold and take the job for a couple
of seasons.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
We'll see. As for the rest of.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
These the the Jags are already fired.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
That's that's done.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
So you can put them as the least safe probably
probably the Raiders after this. I don't think Antonio Pierce
has any leash. They're the Cowboys, They're they're waffling the Colts.
I think they may fire the GM, but not the coach,
so that that'd be the way I'd look at that.
WO are some of the candidates he think for some.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Of these jobs.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
I've seen John Gruden's name being voted around lately. Yeah,
once he wraps up his lawsuit.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Brian Flores is somebody that.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
There's there's a there's an interesting situation going on in
Chicago right now where Ryan Poles whose buddies with Brian Flores.
It has been for a long time. He's trying to
push the organization in that direction. Despite the fact that
Kevin Warren, who's the president of football operations in the ownership,
wants Ben Johnson from Detroit. Poles is worried that if
Ben Johnson gets in there, he's going to clean house
(11:49):
and have enough cache to fire as general manager and
bring in a guy.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
He wants UH to be his to be his GM.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
There's a couple of different assistants out there Washington, New
York that that would be I think prime Ben Johnson
candidates UH to come in and be his be his
preferred GM candidate.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
And Chicago's main competition is going.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
To be Jacksonville for Ben Johnson, where they can just
come in and have carte blanche and and so that's
that's sort of the thing. Does he want to stay
up there in Chicago's they want to go downside to Florida?
Speaker 1 (12:15):
What you know, what's the case?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
I mean, Ben Johnson has been in Florida before. He
was with Miami Dolphins previously, so uh, he knows that
stake down there, down there fairly well.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
As for some of the others. I mean, Drew Patsy
is going to get some books Vance Vance Joseph.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
If they fire Antonio Pierce, I would not be surprised
the Vance Joseph get heavy consideration. Mike Vrabel is going
to get consideration a couple of these places in in
Las Vegas and Chicago and New York. You know, I
would say those are the big names right now. There's
there's I mean, there's a couple of other names out there.
I think that could be in the hunt. Pete Carroll
is going to get some consideration a couple of places.
(12:49):
I would mind seeing him down in New Orleans actually,
you know, taking over there.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
I think they need to clean house down there. And
I like whatever you think of Sean Payton, I think that.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
That regime and the vestiges of it that are still
in there are kind of keeping New Orleans from moving
on and getting a new vision.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
I think they just need a clean house there.
Speaker 6 (13:06):
Going back to Ben Johnson for a second, do you
think there's any way that he could end up being
the Lions OC again next year and not take any
of these openings.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Yeah, I think it's it's possible. He's fine waiting.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
He knows what he is, a known commodity, he knows
what he wants, and I don't even think he's gonna
interview some places if he doesn't want to be there.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
So I think there's two or three teams that get
interviews with him, that's it.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
And I think if if they don't give him what
he wants, I don't think that he's gonna move.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
Yeah, I mean why would you, especially with some of
the questions around these chops. I mean, I mean the
Bears I think have serious ownership questions. I think Caleb
Williams has shown you some to be really excited for,
but Uh, I think there's a lot to be concerned
about there. I don't know if that's the one you
want to bet your your big opportunity on. The Jags
are maybe the best opportunity to me. You get carte blanche.
(13:55):
You know, Sean conn seems to be a fairly patient owner.
But you know, Trevor Lawrence has his own issues. I
think he has some stylistic similarities to Jared Goff though,
so I think that pairing makes a lot of sense.
But you got to clean up Trent Bowky's mess. Like
I don't think there's a great job in this cycle.
Like I feel like the Chargers even wear a better
job last cycle than there is out there this year.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
The Bears come with already made defense. The problem is
the general manager situation there and to a degree ownership.
The Jags come with a team that's it's utterly devoid
of talent on the defensive side of the ball. You
got one, maybe two players there that you can build around.
You do have a software division with the Jags. No
state taxes down there in Florida, so there's there's a
couple of things that would kind of give you that.
(14:39):
But then again, you're you're locked into the Trevor Lawrence
thing Whereaskayleb Williams. If you get in there that doesn't work,
you can cut eight on that and move on. He's
a rookie deal, right If you're down there with Trevor Lawrence,
he's already getting paid. You're you're locked into that deal
for a little bit, and you know, and it'll it'll
You're at least gonna have to try that for a
number of seasons before you know, you do something else.
So that there's a lot to consider when it comes
(14:59):
into these situations. And you know, I think he's just
looking at this and saying, look, I know what my
vision of this is, and if we're not going to
meet that, then I'm not coming for the job.
Speaker 6 (15:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Well, I think he should be selective.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
I mean, I think the Lions are a great spot
right now, and I don't think his value unless NFL
teams get annoyed by the idea he keeps saying no
to them, I don't think his value will go down
anytime soon. That Lion's team is built to be a
pretty dynamic on offense for the foreseeable future. I mean,
maybe in a couple of seasons when Jamiir Gibbs and
Jamison Williams start coming up, it gets tricky to keep
(15:33):
building around everything. But you know, he has all the
freedom to sit back and be patient right now and
be selective and wait for the best job possible to
come open, Like maybe the Cowboys doesn't come open this year,
but maybe next year it comes open, and then they're
further along in this rebuild, and I don't know, I
feel like there'll be better opportunities next year than there
(15:54):
are this year. It feels like a week cycle in
terms of the available jobs.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Yeah, and you know, I mean as far as the
Lions teams goes, I mean they've been building that thing
from the from the ground up.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Montgomery.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
They'll cycle him out and get a new you know,
get a new veteran in there. Gibbs is only twenty
two years old. Jack Goff is only thirty years old.
You know, a lot of people think he's a lot
older than that. He's probably got another five or six
years in him, you know, playing it the way they
play and surrounding him on the offensive line the way
that they've surrounded him. So you know, I think they
feel like that thing can got to be put on autopilots.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Was there at the right coordinator.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Remember, Ben Johnson was not and Campbell's first choices offensive coordator.
He fired Anthony Lynn, who was a veteran offensive coordator,
and then hired Ben Johnson promoted him to take his place.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
I just think that's a good spot for him. You know,
he wanted to stay there also last year, surprisingly in
part because of the heartbreaking end of the season. And
I think right now the Lion season is trending much
the same way. You know, it wasn't long ago that
they looked like the absolute powerhouse in the NFC and
they were running away with the one seed, and now
they've been decimated by injuries to the point where I mean,
(17:02):
maybe they still make it out of the NFC, but
it's going to be a lot harder for them to
win the Super Bowl now. And I think it's going
to be another off season where you feel like, dang,
you came so close to maybe when he did it all,
but you've got a few bad bounces that if that
was enough to make him want to stay last time,
why not make it want to make him want to
stay this time too.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
It'd be fun to keep our eye on.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
We've got Alex Gold coming out to privy Kansas City
next here on Brocos Country tonight.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
What am I good? Brocos Country Tonight.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Benjamin all Bright here with you, Grat Smith back there
behind the glass five six six nine zero is the
text line.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
We had a couple of texts come in.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I bet a friend of mine who's a Bears fan,
that he'll be the coach there next year.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
I'm assuming youre talking of.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Ben Johnson, not one hundred percent sure about that.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
We'll figure out.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
We're going out to the kay Commasparl hotline and bring
on our guy, Alex Gold, talk a little bit about
these Kansas City chiefs in this week eighteen.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
I guess it is, Alex. How you doing this evening?
I'm good man.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Great to be back on with you guys.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Yeah, good to have you back.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Brother.
Speaker 7 (18:05):
And it's an interesting conundrum for Broncos fans because out
of one side, if you'd said back in training camp
and in week eighteen they'd be competing for a playoff
spot winning their end, they would have been ecstatic.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
However, the team then raced out to nine wins, including
one very close loss to Kansas City on a field
goal block there at the end that it would have
wanted for them.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
They look at this game.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Where you're playing largely backups or at least not the
main starters for Kansas City, and there's kind of an
oddity surrounding attitudes for this game where some Broncos fans
are like, well, they're not even at full strength, what
do we even care?
Speaker 3 (18:45):
That's interesting, you know, I think for you guys, I
don't want to speak for Broncos fans by any means,
but I know from Kansas City perspective, nobody thought the
Broncos were going to even be in a position to
make the postseason. So the fact that the Broncos have
a chance to beat Carson Wins and then maybe even
their third string quarterback and Chris Olodokin to get in
a postseason spot, even if it means going to Buffalo,
(19:08):
I think, I mean, that's that's an obvious thing for
for the Broncos to be going one hundred percent for
and I think they'll get the Chiefs bats effort, even
with some of the backups. But I'm I'm assuming there
in Denver, whether it was the not going for two
a week ago or yeah, the block field goal. I'm
sure there's plenty of Broncos fans feel like this thing
should have been wrapped up a long time ago.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Well, yeah, I mean you had the We have had
a case of and it's interesting because that Kansas City
game might be the counter example. We've had a case
of Sean Bayden making end of half an end of
game decisions that were frankly, brutally bat and have cost
this team at times. The game against the Raiders that
they got lucky and got away with it because garnermentsh
you got hurt, and then Ritter came in and turned
(19:48):
it over and they wound up winning that one. You
look at the Chargers end of half where we had
the free kick field goal that ultimately wound up being
the difference of the game. You had the not going
forward for two, although that to me, that's still a
mathematically defensible position because the tie would have gotten you in.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
But yeah, I would have gone for two.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
There to be fair end of half, end of game
coaching and has plagued Sean Payton since back in New Orleans.
That said, you're talking about a team that hasn't tasted
the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
In Super Bowl fifty.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
The culture in recent years has been one of lethargy
and mediocrity, and that seems to be head of the
other direction as we look at this thing now, I mean,
you know, I think frame of reference changes everything.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
It's what I call the Larry Coker effect.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Right, you start winning and then all of a sudden
you expect winning.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
In the University of Miami had.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Larry Coker there winning eleven twelve games a year, but
that wasn't good enough, so they ended up firing him,
and then they go meyer to mediocrity for a while.
As we look at this, I mean, obviously they want
to win. Ruckos fans want to win, they want to
be back in the playoffs. But it is rather disappointing that,
you know, it comes down to hopefully not embarrassing yourself
against Kansas City's backups.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Right, And look, I think for Chiefs fans looking at
this game too, everybody's trying to figure out this scenarios,
like you have a chance your rival out of the postseason.
That's one angle, and why you want to win the
other hand, there's there's.
Speaker 5 (21:05):
Some national narrative out there that, hey, the Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Don't want to see Cincinnati. But the way we've been
talking about it here man is been, hey, if Cincinnati
finds a way to get in, they're the only team
out of the Broncos, Dolphins, Bengals that we believe can
actually go and beat Buffalo in the opening round as
the two seed, and therefore the Chiefs could potentially not
have to play Buffalo. So that's how everybody here is
kind of talking about it. I know, everybody used like
(21:29):
Cincinnati is the Chiefs kryptonite, which is kind of funny
since they've lost three in a row to Kansas City.
But that's that's the view here at least that hey, yeah,
you got a chance to keep the Broncos out of
the playoffs, but also Cincinnati making it may not be
the worst thing.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
In the world, right And you know, it's kind of
funny because if you look at the matchups against Kansas City,
you would almost think that Denver would be the kryptonite
for Kansas City.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
They won a game against him last year.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
They you know, at Arrowhead, they had the misfield goal
away from doing two in a row versus.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
You know, Cincinnati.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
But I will say this, having just played Cincinnati, nobody
wants to see Cincinnati in the playoffs. Right now, they are.
Their offense is absolutely on fire over the last I
don't know, month, month and a half, as they've got
this thing going and they get in there at anything's possible.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
No doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
Now, look, ultimately, I think the Broncos are winning this game, man,
I really do. I think the Broncos win this thing.
I'll tell you though, seeing it ten and a half
points the spread, that seems a little high. Like if
I was forced to degenerately back on that game Sunday
in Denver, I would be taking the Chiefs to cover
the ten and that I think that's just too many points.
Carson Wentz has played plenty of football, and there'll be
(22:36):
plenty of guys out there that that's still gonna have
to play. Like it's funny year, everybody discusses who's gonna play,
who's not gonna play. Yeah, the main suspects won't be
out there, but it's not like you can call up
twenty five guys for a practice squad or something and
happen to play Like there's gonna be still a decent
chuck of the old line that's gonna have to play
in the game, and there'll be some guys that get
called up and everything, but I think it'll be closer.
(22:57):
When I say closer NFL standards, you know it'll to
me it'll be a seven or eight point win for
Denver's what I'm expected.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
The better seem to agree with you on this.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
The current line at ten and a half seventy nine
percent of bet sixty nine percent of money on Kansas
City plus the ten and a half. The over under,
which has not moved, sits there at forty forty and
a half eighty percent of best ninety three percent of
money on the over.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
There on the money line, though, this is where things
get weird.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
On the money line, sixty three percent of tickets are
on the Broncos, but ninety two percent of money is
what kids said, yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Yeah, and that look you know that you you're a
betting guy. That makes sense though if you think about it,
because you know, just from a value perspective, right, I mean,
there's no value on betting the Broncos from a money
life perspective in the game, so I guess that. I
guess that makes sense. I'll say this though, about you know,
watching bo Nix and whether it's going to be on
Sunday or the earlier matchup. I don't know how folks
(23:45):
in Denver are handling it way we've discussed Box. Obviously,
he's exceeded everybody's expectations here as well, and what he's
been able to be I think his floor was always higher,
and so we're seeing the success happen a lot quicker.
The fans are like, all right, you know what, that's fun.
Nobody's worried that his ceiling is so high that like
they've up the next you know, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow
(24:06):
or Lamar Jackson in their division for the next decade.
So it's kind of weird how everybody's talked about this.
All right, bone Nicks could be the quarterback there for
another eight to ten years or something. But at the
same time, all right, he's what's the ceiling? Is he
a number ten quarterback in football? He's Derek Carr basically,
And that's kind of how Chees fans have talked about this, like,
all right, bone Nix is definitely better than what you
guys have had, but at the same time, nobody feels
(24:28):
all that threatened by it.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Well, that was my next question.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
It's funny you brought up Derek Carr because that's the
name that I compared Bonext to when he was wrapped it.
I said, look, this guy's probably a guy that is
say top ten to twelve quarterback in this league, and
that's probably his home. He's probably in that Derek Carr
range where you can be successful with him. You know
you can be, but he's not going to put a
team on his back too often and be able to
(24:51):
do that, especially with his arm, you know, being kind
of what it is, which is, you know a little
bit under strength. Although that thrown at Marvin Mims on
the post last week was beautiful, big, big time Aria
Yard is.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
There with boul that.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
That was my question is what is the perspective from
opponents on what bo Nicks is at this point?
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Well, there's definitely better than people thought. I mean, I
can tell you even going to the first match up
many many weeks ago, heading in, you know, people were
still questioning, you know, remember he had he really started
out to tell you. I mean, he started to play
even better from the Chief game on when he really
taught fire, and so you know, even at that point
the jury was still out. I think now people are Okay, no,
he's going to be a started quarterback in this league
(25:28):
for a long time. But there's just limitation. Sean Payton
has his guy. Clearly, the relationships a million times better
than what it was with Russell Wilson, and so that
has also helped the progression. I think b Enix is
perfect for what Sean Payton wants to.
Speaker 5 (25:40):
Do, and that's why they're having success.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
You know, can they compete for a division title at
some point with bon Nicks? Maybe so we'll see, Like
I don't think it's out of the question, but he's
still the third best quarterback in this division and I
don't think that's changing for like a decade.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Talking with Alex Gold, Alex what we just talked about
the perspective of bon Knicks, What is the perspective on
Sean pay.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
So Sean Payton a lot of people, of course, during
the Russell Wilson years, people have just thrown them off
here in Kansas City like, okay, this is done, Like
why did the Broncos give up draft capital for for
both assets? What were they doing? And now I think
there's been some appreciation, like look, maybe just flat out,
you know, Russell Wilson was wasn't his guy, and we
saw that that ultimately impacted everything. So, you know, do
(26:24):
people view him in the top tier coaching.
Speaker 5 (26:27):
List in the NFL by any means? No.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
I think there's a plenty of coaches people in Kansas
City would would pick higher than him despite him having
a ring. But I think there's there's been maybe an
increase in in how people view him based off of
what he's done with Bo Nicks. At the same time,
you know, what Rust did in Pittsburgh this year is
also because there's there's definitely some fans that have said, Okay,
well that was all that was all Sean Payton's fault.
(26:50):
So it's a mixed bag, I guess to answer your question,
you know nobody, nobody thinks he's in a top ten
category of NFL coaches here. I'll tell you.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
That, okay, because here, you know, you get people to
talk about it be a whole thing like he's the
same resume.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
As Mike McCarthy.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Guys like what are we doing he's not, and scandals
that Mike doesn't look at the end of the day, man.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Like Mike McCarthy's another coach. But I don't know where
you're at it. He's another guy, though, I still think
people get way too much, you know what to for
what I get it. It's easy, it's low hanging fruit.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
He's in Dallas and.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
All this, But I still look look at some of
these years that he's had with Dallas and look like
now with Cooper, Russia's quarterback. Russia is like a winning
record since he's had either this year or going back
to when he's played in the past. I still think
Mike McCarthy gets way too much crap.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Well, I think they both. I think they both do.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
I think both Sean Payton and Mike McCarthy get both
They get too much praise and too much crap, which
means that the truth was probably somewhere in the middle
when it comes down to both guys. I mean, you know,
at the end of the day, there's something to be
said for coaches that can keep you competitive, Guys like
Sean Payton, Mike McCarthy, John Fox, you know, guys that
are the George Carrals of the NFL. In a way,
you're always going to make the playoffs. You're probably not
going to win the big one unless everything goes right
(27:52):
for you. Which you know, it is evidenced by the
fact that each one of those two guys had top
top five, top ten all time quarterbacks and got one ring.
But the same time, you know, there is something to
be said for establishing a professional culture and and and
having a competitive organization that gets you to the playoffs
no doubt.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Well, and you guys have a chance now, I mean
that's you know, you don't have a chance. Now you
got the quarterback and coach pairing, you guys are going
to be competitive, and who knows, maybe this will be
the first of many years to come with with playoffs,
the experience and playoff appearances.
Speaker 5 (28:19):
I truly believe the.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Broncos are getting the postseason, despite you know, what their
chances might be in the actual postseason that Buffalo I
think most people here ultimately still think that's that's the
likely outcome, and the odds obviously would say that's the case.
Is they're like, is there worry, is there panicked there
in Denver that somehow they're going to choke this thing away?
Or what?
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Oh yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:37):
I mean based on the last two weeks and specifically,
I mean the coaching decisions have have vastly contributed to that.
When you look at the Chargers game in the first half,
you know he's dialing up pass plays, trying to pad
the stats for bow and that allowed those the Chargers
to get that free kick field goal, which was the
difference to the game. Then you come back against Cincinnati,
you don't go for two uh in overtime. It looks
like you're playing for a tie and you wind up
(28:59):
losing that thing, And so there is a bit of
sense of kind of choking this thing away. I think
the fact that you're not playing starters has re energized
or put some faith back into the fan base, but
I think there's still a healthy skepticism right now based
on what they've seen over the last couple of weeks.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
Yeah, I mean's fair.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
I think that I think that's fair overall. I'll be curious.
I know. The conversation here too, though, is Carson Wentz
guys may not even play the whole game. There's a
chance if Denver gets that in front of off that
it's Chris Oladokin. It was just a practice squad player
that ends up actually playing the second half or fourth
quarter because they want to keep Carson Wentz actually healthy,
so they wouldn't have surprise me at all if you're
down to third string quarterback to compete against in the
(29:38):
second half of it, especially if it's not close.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Yeah, I struggle pronouncing his last name. I still think
it sounds like a sound effect fireball from Street Fighter.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
But that's that's besides the point.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
I Carson Wentz, though, is going to be playing for
the next job. He wants to be the next Sam
Darnold Baker Mayfield, Gino Smith. You know, he wants that
next comeback story to be him. He's got some allies,
some people he's worked with there, the New York Giants
that you know, could wind up there next year. If
he comes in and balls out in this game, I
don't expect him to take the you know, I don't
expect this to be a game where Kansas City's just
(30:08):
given up unless Denver wait ses out to that.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Big lead that you mentioned.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Not at all. I mean, I don't think they're handing
it off to Carson Steele, who's going to be playing
a lot of running backs thirty you know, thirty times
or something, and just in laying it down like, I
don't think that. I think you're a hundred percent right
about the future. I mean, for crying out loud, Gardner,
Minshew and eight and O'Connell. We're starting quarterbacks in this
year for a good junk of the season.
Speaker 5 (30:28):
So yeah, Carson Wentz has got a shot.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
I mean it's not people feel like he's not thirty
eight years old or something like that. He's still actually
pretty young. So I know, I'm with you. I think
Carson Wentz could go out and have a nice little showing.
And if he does that, even if even in a
losing effort, and he'll be someone that's going to get
some some strong looks, especially for a team that maybe
doesn't get the QB they want or does get a QB,
but they're gonna wait, you know, and have Carson Wentz
(30:51):
start the first month of the season.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
Yeah, and then I'll give him an opportunity to do that.
You mentioned a running back in Carson Steele, but there's
another running back I have my eye on, and Nanny's
samaj p Ryn been a guy who has you know,
he obviously played for Denver, but he was a guy
who always seems to have that one game every year
where he goes off and you know this, this feels
like the prime revenge game for out of nowhere?
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Is he gonna? Is he gonna be going in this game?
Speaker 5 (31:16):
I think just from a sheer numbers perspective.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
He's going to have to be active because as they
have to check who haven't really been practicing. He's got
some tender ribs and there's no reason to push that
for him. Kareem Hunt has gotten way more carries than
anybody ever thought when they brought him in. So I
think both those guys could be inactive. And so you're
talking about Carson Steel and p Ryan having to get
a bulk of the carries. I would be surprised if
p Ryan wasn't at least part of this to some extent.
(31:39):
You know, overall the last month, he's been a bigger
factor in the passing game. He's been a huge pass protector.
He's kind of taken on the Jerick McKinnon roll as
a big third.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
Down blocker for them. Everybody when they signed him.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
Thought he was going to do what he did in Denver,
though you know, he was what I think the fourth
most receiving yards of all running backs a year ago.
That hasn't been the case. That's just not the role
they've utilized him in but he's definitely turned it on
in the last month or so. But and he's you know,
I think a lot of people gained appreciation for him
in about what game was it? I think it was
three weeks ago. He had a huge block that allowed
them to get to get a pass off that hopefully
(32:12):
let them have a comeback win. And I'm escaping on
the game. It was about three weeks ago. See, all
these games been running together. Man, we can play three
and eleven days.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
Tied with Alex Gold. Alex as we look at these things,
what is your pulse in this thing? Does this feel
like Kansas City could get the win ors? This feels
like something where they're just packing it in by halftime
and getting ready for these playoffs.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Yeah, I don't think it'll be, you know, a double
digit type of victory, but I think it'll be comfortable
for Denver. I don't know if the Broncos are going
to ever really feel like they're losing this game. I
think I had our prediction today on the show. We
were talking about twenty eight twenty I think, but it's
not going to feel like the Chiefs are marching down
for a game winning drive. I think if twenty eight
twenty Broncos get the win, get that final playoff spot
(32:53):
a lot that Alex.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
We appreciate the time as always looking forward to this
one on Sunday, and you know, I hoping that the
Broncos get into these playoffs. This fan base has got
something besides looking across the division of Kansas City for
a decade and saying, you know what, we used to
be them.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Hey, I get it, man, I get hey. You know,
I'll say that Atolicetlebroncos is the only road trip the
Chief's taking the division out that's actually a true road
trip because when we go out to LA and the
out to Vegas, it's just full of Chiefs fans. The
Diver's the one place where there's still some strong fan
base and support.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
Well, hopefully, hopefully it'll be a good one. Hopefully it'll
be one that we get a chance to really sink
our teeth into afterwards. Good luck in the playoffs, and
I'll talk to.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
You against him, all right, Thanks, guys, absolutely take care of that.
It's cool.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
We'll always love talking to him about Kansas City. He's
always has good Stuffing's got measured response on that kind
of stuff. It's not the fanboy stuff. We always get the.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
Good people here. We appreciate him taking the time.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
We got a buff Prime Time coming up next right
here on Kowa. Appreciate you guys listening to Broncos Country tonight.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
See you going tomorrow night. Right here on eight to
fifty Dude Talk Sports
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