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Speaker 1: If you want Colts talk all year long, you're in

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Speaker 1: the right place.

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Speaker 2: Fires Upfield into the endzme it is cut to Loney,

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Speaker 2: what cuts down and he's.

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Speaker 1: Gonna fire up Field's poke it up? Tip it Intercepted.

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Speaker 3: By the Colts.

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Speaker 2: This is the Official Colts Podcast, giving you an updated

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Speaker 2: look at what's new with the Horseshoes.

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Speaker 3: Colds, Tabit, interception it two seconds slip.

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Speaker 1: The Cults are gonna win in the Indiana Union Construction

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Speaker 1: Industry Radio Studio. Let's get the podcast started.

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Speaker 3: What's up? Everyone? Welcome into another episode of the Official

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Speaker 3: Colts Podcast, presented by Win las Vegas. I'm JJ Stankowitz,

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Speaker 3: She's Lara Overton, and he is Chris Pallard, general manager

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Speaker 3: of the Indianapolis Colts. If you're watching us on YouTube,

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Speaker 3: we've got that. If you're listening to us here on

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Speaker 3: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, welcome in as well. All right, Chris,

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Speaker 3: let's just hop right into it here. Cults are five

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Speaker 3: and five going into the bye week. You've ed Anthony

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Speaker 3: Richardson and Jonathan Taylor on the field together for I

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Speaker 3: think two snaps. What does it say about the culture

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Speaker 3: that Shane has instilled and the leadership that Shane Stikeen

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Speaker 3: has brought to this team. That the Colts are five

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Speaker 3: and five right in the thick of the AFC playoff

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Speaker 3: race right now.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, look, I give coaching staff, Shane and

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Speaker 2: the staff and the players a lot of credit, especially

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Speaker 2: with all the you know, in and out at the

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Speaker 2: quarterback position, offensive line, secondary. You know, we've had to

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Speaker 2: make a lot of adjustments a long way, which is

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Speaker 2: typical in a season. But here's here's the thing I

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Speaker 2: really enjoy about Shane. It doesn't it doesn't phase him.

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Speaker 2: You know, you never hear what was me? You never hear.

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Speaker 1: Now it's like, all right, who we got up, All right,

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Speaker 1: let's find a way to make it work. And that's

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Speaker 1: really encouraging.

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Speaker 2: We got a lot we had a long way to

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Speaker 2: go and a lot of work to do, but encouraged,

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Speaker 2: you know, five and five, you know, I mean, of

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Speaker 2: course we'd like to be better. We lost some very

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Speaker 2: tight games that you know, we thought, you know, it

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Speaker 2: could have gone either way. But that's where we're at

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Speaker 2: and focused on Tampa. You know here after the bye.

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Speaker 3: I think something you said at Shane's introductory press conference

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Speaker 3: was you hired him because he was the right coach

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Speaker 3: for the team, not because he was, you know, the

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Speaker 3: offensive coordinator of the Eagles. It wasn't just about the offense. Basically,

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Speaker 3: you've seen that really play out in terms of just

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Speaker 3: keeping this group together through these challenges of the first

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Speaker 3: part of the season.

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Speaker 2: Here, here's like anytime you're doing something for the first time,

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Speaker 2: you know you're gonna have some bumps. But here's what

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Speaker 2: I and I thought this came out really strong in

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Speaker 2: the in the interview.

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Speaker 1: He's very authentic. He is who he is.

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Speaker 2: You know, he's not trying to be somebody he's not.

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Speaker 2: And I think players gravitate to that. They appreciate somebody

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Speaker 2: that is the same person each and every day in

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Speaker 2: their personality.

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Speaker 1: And I appreciate that about it. Look, he's very demanding.

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Speaker 2: He wants what he wants and he's going to tell

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Speaker 2: you and that Look, that makes my job and my

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Speaker 2: staff's job a lot easier when you know, hey, look

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Speaker 2: I need this to make this go.

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Speaker 1: And he's real with him each and every day.

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Speaker 2: And he's real with himself, Like he doesn't just sit

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Speaker 2: there and blame people when things go wrong. No, he

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Speaker 2: takes accountability when it's his fault, and he'll hold the

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Speaker 2: players accountable when it's their fault.

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Speaker 4: For this team to find a way to fight itself

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Speaker 4: to be five and five at the buy guarantees you're

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Speaker 4: going to be playing these meaningful games, you know, going

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Speaker 4: into the next stretch ahead, the seven game stretch ahead.

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Speaker 4: In particular, with having such a young group with veteran leadership,

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Speaker 4: what type of position does that put them in latter

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Speaker 4: part of November all the way through December and January,

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Speaker 4: with everything in front of them.

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Speaker 2: I've always look, I've always thought that the season really

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Speaker 2: starts at Thanksgiving. Look, you don't want to play yourself

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Speaker 2: out of it, that's for sure, But the season starts.

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Speaker 2: This last seven game stretch you know, usually determines you know,

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Speaker 2: who's going to get in. You know, you always see

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Speaker 2: it each and every year, somebody go from the back

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Speaker 2: of the path, can you know, get playing good football.

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Speaker 2: But the one thing I think we got to stay

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Speaker 2: focused on is Tampa. You know, that's it. There's no

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Speaker 2: looking forward, there's no like we're not there to where

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Speaker 2: we can just you know, roll the ball out and

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Speaker 2: say we're gonna get a victory. So we got to

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Speaker 2: worry about Tampa. It's it's we put ourselves in position

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Speaker 2: to just do some really good things, but you know,

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Speaker 2: none of it means anything if we don't get the

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Speaker 2: next win.

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Speaker 3: For getting the Jonathan Taylor extension done, getting him back

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Speaker 3: on the field and now getting him kind of ramped up,

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Speaker 3: what did it mean for this team to get JT

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Speaker 3: back in the fold and to get him back out

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Speaker 3: on the field and now playing at a high level again.

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Speaker 2: No, it's it's good. Look, we I think a lot

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Speaker 2: of stuff got. I mean, look, business, the business end

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Speaker 2: of this can get dicey at times and emotional and

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Speaker 2: understood not and I think once we finally kind of

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Speaker 2: took a step back and eva he waited it for

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Speaker 2: what it is and who Jonathan is. We want to

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Speaker 2: do everything we can to keep as many homegrown players

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Speaker 2: as we can. That's been our history and I think

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Speaker 2: we got a pretty good track record of it. And

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Speaker 2: being able to get a player that's been highly productive

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Speaker 2: for us and been great not only in the building

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Speaker 2: but in the community, we think is very important.

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Speaker 1: And we think.

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Speaker 2: Going forward, I mean, Jonathan's twenty four years old. He's

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Speaker 2: still a young He's still a young player, and we

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Speaker 2: think has a really, really bright future ahead of him.

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Speaker 2: He's starting to get going, and I still don't think

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Speaker 2: we've seen the best of what he will be. And

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Speaker 2: then I don't want to kind of push to de

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Speaker 2: side what Zack Moss has done.

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Speaker 1: Zack Moss.

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Speaker 2: Zack Moss played not good football great football for us.

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Speaker 2: And I know this last game the carry's got a

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Speaker 2: little out of whack with Jonathan geting most of them.

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Speaker 2: I know our staff will work hard because Jonathan needs

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Speaker 2: to be in. I mean, both Jonathan and Zach need

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Speaker 2: to be involved for us to be six successful.

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Speaker 4: Shane indicated that we were pretty close to seeing Anthony

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Speaker 4: return to the team to continue progressing through his rehab.

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Speaker 4: What were the conversations, the evaluations that went into determining

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Speaker 4: for him to have the season ending surgery and how

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Speaker 4: has he responded in the conversations you've been able to

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Speaker 4: have with him.

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Speaker 2: Well, I mean, look, I you know, I walked in

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Speaker 2: on the back end of you know, and Andrew has

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Speaker 2: had his surgery.

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Speaker 1: You know, so I saw what Andrew went through.

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Speaker 2: I saw that, you know, at the long rehab process

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Speaker 2: and what he did before I got here, and then

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Speaker 2: after getting multiple opinions on the shoulder. Kind of my

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Speaker 2: history of knowing how important your throwing shoulder is on

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Speaker 2: any rotational athlete, any throwing athlete, the shoulder has to

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Speaker 2: be right. And I think at the end of the day,

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Speaker 2: it's a hard decision, but the best decision for the

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Speaker 2: player was to get it fixed now and get it

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Speaker 2: done where going forward it won't be more issues. Surgery

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Speaker 2: went well, rehabs going well, and we'll get him back,

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Speaker 2: you know, uh, you know next season. You know, it's

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Speaker 2: a tough pill to swallow because you want him to

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Speaker 2: get those reps, those live reps.

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Speaker 1: But it kind of is what it is.

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Speaker 2: I mean, you can't map out, you know, when things

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Speaker 2: happen like this, they happen and you keep moving forward.

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Speaker 4: You noted when I think this is the beginning of

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Speaker 4: training camp, how even keel his demeanor is. How much

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Speaker 4: was that tested a little bit through this process and

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Speaker 4: how much of the maturity did he show in being

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Speaker 4: able to, you know, overcome and work through these early obstacles.

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Speaker 2: He's a Anthony's a really neat young man. And you

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Speaker 2: know it's not I think he saw it with play.

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Speaker 2: I mean, there's no there's never a moment of panic,

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Speaker 2: you know, with him, he's disappointed. Of course he was,

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Speaker 2: you know, I mean he wanted to continue to play.

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Speaker 2: He actually sent a great message to the team right

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Speaker 2: for surgery, voice mailed to Shane and Shane you know,

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Speaker 2: played it for the team and it really heartfelt and

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Speaker 2: from the heart and how much he cared and how

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Speaker 2: much it bothered him.

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Speaker 1: They wasn't playing.

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Speaker 2: But he's he is far more mature, you know, for

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Speaker 2: a kid, that young man that just turned twenty one

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Speaker 2: years old than I expected.

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Speaker 3: What need to see out him when he played.

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Speaker 1: Again, you know, you you all the notions of raw

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Speaker 1: needed work.

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Speaker 2: He exceeded my expectations in terms of now we saw

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Speaker 2: the poison college, but the accuracy, his instincts, his ability

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Speaker 2: to create, I think all that was on full display.

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Speaker 2: There's no doubt things he has to work on protecting

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Speaker 2: himself being one. He'll learn that I think all young

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Speaker 2: quarterbacks have to learn, and that that you don't have

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Speaker 2: to take, you know, don't take the unnecessary shots in

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Speaker 2: this league, that you don't have to take. It's okay

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Speaker 2: to slide, it's okay to step out of bounds. I

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Speaker 2: think those are things to learn as he plays. But

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Speaker 2: really encouraged about the you know, the small glimpse we

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Speaker 2: got of him.

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Speaker 3: He's not the first quarterback to be highly picked and

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Speaker 3: miss time as a rookie. You think about Joe Burrow,

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Speaker 3: Deshaun Watson. Even in that four game sample size, was

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Speaker 3: there enough to make you think, twenty twenty four, we

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Speaker 3: can really build with this guy's our quarterback.

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Speaker 2: It You know, the until you're around somebody, I mean,

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Speaker 2: no matter how brilliant people are in this league, you know,

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Speaker 2: the more you see and when you get to see

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Speaker 2: him play that it really a light goes off. Okay,

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Speaker 2: this is what we need to do to get this

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Speaker 2: guy going. You anticipate and you project, but until you

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Speaker 2: are with them and live with them and watch them

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Speaker 2: play daily, understanding what a player can and can't do,

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Speaker 2: especially at the quarterback position, and how you got to

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Speaker 2: build around it. I think we got a pretty good

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Speaker 2: handle on him, what he can do and what we

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Speaker 2: need to do to build around him.

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Speaker 4: Another rookie who's been incredibly impressive, shown great promise, and

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Speaker 4: certainly something to build on for the future. Josh Downs

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Speaker 4: from what you saw in that entire pre draft process,

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Speaker 4: the time you spent with him, how has he either

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Speaker 4: exceeded expectations or maybe just proven things sooner than what

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Speaker 4: you expect from a rookie wide receiver.

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Speaker 1: No, I don't. I don't. We expected it. I don't.

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Speaker 1: It didn't take long for us.

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Speaker 2: I mean he had great tape and great history in college, Okay,

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Speaker 2: produced in Cotage, and then the first rookie mini camp

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Speaker 2: he was he was lights out. I mean, there was

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Speaker 2: no doubt he was going to help us right away.

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Speaker 2: I mean, I think the last player I'm not putting

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Speaker 2: on this pedestal, but I remember when Tyreek Hill when

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Speaker 2: I was in Kansas City in his first mini camp, Okay,

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Speaker 2: we got something here.

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Speaker 1: The same thing with Josh. I mean he's not Tyreek.

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Speaker 2: I mean, Tyreek's in a whole new, whole different category

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Speaker 2: of who he is as a player. But Josh Towns

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Speaker 2: is really really freaking good and it's continuing to grow.

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Speaker 1: So everything he's doing we expected.

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Speaker 2: We had no question that he was going to help

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Speaker 2: us right from that.

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Speaker 1: From that moment.

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Speaker 4: You mentioned that you don't know entirely about these guys

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Speaker 4: though until you're living with them. What is something that

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Speaker 4: you've learned about Josh through this point in the season.

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Speaker 4: That maybe you didn't know when you selected him back

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Speaker 4: in April.

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Speaker 1: No, the tape usually plays out.

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Speaker 2: They change and they grow, but what you see on

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Speaker 2: tape and Todd usually is who they are. You know

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Speaker 2: they'll get better. But you know, we knew he was

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Speaker 2: highly competitive. You saw that on tape. You knew he

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Speaker 2: had tremendous instincts. We saw that on tape.

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Speaker 1: The more I'm around him and watching him, he's got some.

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Speaker 2: T Y any like t Y and I don't want

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Speaker 2: to put him in that category yet, but t Y

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Speaker 2: probably had the best instincts of any player I've been

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Speaker 2: around in my career. I mean, the kid just knew

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Speaker 2: how to play the game. Josh is got some of

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Speaker 2: that in him. He knows he's got tremendous instincts and

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Speaker 2: feel for.

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Speaker 3: The game you're talking about, You know you expected this

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Speaker 3: out of Josh kind of another guy on offense, not

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Speaker 3: a player. But you know, Shane put a big emphasis

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Speaker 3: on hiring Tony Soprano juniors the offensive line coach. The

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Speaker 3: work he's done with that group, I mean, has that

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Speaker 3: been kind of just the the expectation of getting that

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Speaker 3: group to playing at the level they're at right now.

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Speaker 2: He's got a Tony, Tony's got a really bright future.

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Speaker 2: I mean, look, he was raised in this His dad

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Speaker 2: was a legendary O line coach in our league. And

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Speaker 2: you know, and and Tony's worked with great coaches throughout

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Speaker 2: his career, you know, to help him develop his craft.

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Speaker 2: And you know, this is really the first time he's

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Speaker 2: had the O line room to himself, and and he is.

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Speaker 2: He's going to do nothing but continue to grow and

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Speaker 2: get better. Here's what Here's what good coaches do. Good

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Speaker 2: coaches see the best and in a player and get

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Speaker 2: it out of them. And they it's easy to look

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Speaker 2: at deficiencies, it's easy to look at what they can't do.

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Speaker 1: That's easy to do.

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Speaker 2: That's that's to me, is what bad coaches do. Good

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Speaker 2: coaches look for what this guy can do, and they

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Speaker 2: make him better. And Tony never wants, I mean never

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Speaker 2: once I've seen him flinch when hey man, you're gonna

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Speaker 2: have to play this rookie right tackle, you know Freeland

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Speaker 2: this week. Oh yeah, by the way, he's gonna play

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Speaker 2: left tackle this week. Then the next time he's gonna

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Speaker 2: play right play. You know, he's gonna play right tackle.

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Speaker 2: And he's never wants flinch with all the change.

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Speaker 1: He He's got.

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Speaker 2: A great feel for the room, he's very demanding, and

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Speaker 2: he has got a really, really bright future in this league.

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Speaker 3: It seems like to me that the five is one

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Speaker 3: thing for the line is really strong this year, where

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Speaker 3: if it was four of those guys, you know, you

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Speaker 3: might have the weaklink who teams are going to go

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Speaker 3: after over and over again. But no matter if it's

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Speaker 3: been like you mentioned Blake coming in or West coming

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Speaker 3: in at center, that group five is one has stayed

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Speaker 3: strong throughout the entire season.

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Speaker 1: And that's a look.

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Speaker 2: That's a credit to you know, Tony and Chris Watt,

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Speaker 2: who's his assistant, and to the players. I mean, they're

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Speaker 2: a prideful they're prideful group. I didn't play up to

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Speaker 2: their potential last year, but like I said.

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Speaker 1: I remember saying it last year, like I thought at the.

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Speaker 2: End of the year that you start seeing them get

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Speaker 2: better and you know, they're playing really solid football right now.

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Speaker 4: Christy mentioned the priority on you know, investing in your

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Speaker 4: own then homegrown type of talent for guys like Zire

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Speaker 4: Franklin and Kenny Moore. How gratifying is it to see

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Speaker 4: them have the type of seasons that they are having.

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Speaker 4: When they were guys who had to earn their way

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Speaker 4: onto this team, they were underestimated at certain points and

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Speaker 4: have battled through so much to find the type of

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Speaker 4: contribution and play the type of level that they are

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Speaker 4: this season.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's I mean, look at it. It's a

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Speaker 2: credit to them. I mean, you know Kenny was when

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Speaker 2: we claimed him back in seventeen. I mean, it didn't

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Speaker 2: take long to see that we thought he had some

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Speaker 2: unique quality and then to really watch him grow and

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Speaker 2: then you know, last year we had some struggles. Kenny

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Speaker 2: had some struggles and but you know, my relationship with

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Speaker 2: Kenny hire too, but Kenny especially, you know, you stick,

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Speaker 2: you stick with people, especially when you know who they are.

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Speaker 2: We all have bad moments in bad times, and it's

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Speaker 2: a credit to Kenny and his character of who he is,

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Speaker 2: the way he's bounced back and played, which I think

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Speaker 2: is at a pro Bowl level right now. And I'm

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Speaker 2: not so sure Zayer is not playing at the same level.

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Speaker 2: You know, Zaire, he comes in. He's a seventh round pick,

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Speaker 2: but is a I think it was a four time

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Speaker 2: captain of Syracuse, four year starter at Syracuse, came in

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Speaker 2: right away, was a special team captain pretty quickly for us,

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Speaker 2: and then just a what in the linebacker group has

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Speaker 2: been really good here since about eighteen nineteen, we've just

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Speaker 2: been able to it's been a position We've able to

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Speaker 2: find guys from Bobby o'krike to Anthony Walker to EJ.

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Speaker 1: Speed.

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Speaker 2: I mean, you know, our scouts have done a tremendous

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Speaker 2: job scouting that group and never once has Zaire. Whatever

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Speaker 2: role he's been asked to play, he does it. He

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Speaker 2: does it with a tremendous amount of pride, effort, and production.

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Speaker 2: And whether it's been be the special team captain or

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Speaker 2: be the start and Mike, he does it at a

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Speaker 2: high level.

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Speaker 4: How important are guys like that to set the standard,

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Speaker 4: set an example, and be leaders for other guys who

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Speaker 4: are either undrafted or late round draft picks, to be

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Speaker 4: able to show them follow him. Look at was he

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Speaker 4: what he's doing, Look at what he's done. Know that

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Speaker 4: there are guys around you who are doing it the

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Speaker 4: right way, who have paved the way for you to

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Speaker 4: find success no matter how you get in the league.

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Speaker 2: It's easy to talk about competition, it's easy to say it,

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Speaker 2: but it's hard to live it. And as one of

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Speaker 2: the things that I've I've always kind of thinking pride

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Speaker 2: in It don't matter where you come from.

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Speaker 1: It matters how you play and if you produce.

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Speaker 2: And you know, there are two great example of guys

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Speaker 2: that were late round, undrafted players that produced and have have.

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Speaker 1: You know, they get the snaps. It doesn't matter.

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Speaker 2: You know where you're taking, like, eventually, eventually you got

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Speaker 2: to produce, and the guys that produce the ones are

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Speaker 2: going to play.

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Speaker 3: The flip side of that, you know, guys, you want

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Speaker 3: other players to follow it. DeForest Buckner, guy's been in

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Speaker 3: the league for eight years now, playing at a high level.

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Speaker 3: Nate Ali was telling me, you know, they have an

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Speaker 3: effort boarding there and every single week it's buck up

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Speaker 3: at the top, running down plays, giving it at all

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Speaker 3: as practice, putting in the work when you have him,

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Speaker 3: also as an example of playing at a high level,

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Speaker 3: having done it for so long, how does that kind

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Speaker 3: of lift the rest of the guys, especially in a

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Speaker 3: young D line room.

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Speaker 2: I read I don't read much, but I read something

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Speaker 2: the other day where it said stock down Buckner and

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Speaker 2: I'm like, what freaking game were you watching? Like that's

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Speaker 2: New England if it's stock down. He is one of

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Speaker 2: our defensive coaches asked me the other day, compare him

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Speaker 2: to when you first brought him in, you know, we

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Speaker 2: first traded for him, No different, I said, I think

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Speaker 2: he's getting better.

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Speaker 1: He is a true professional in each and every way.

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Speaker 2: How he prepares each and every day, how he takes

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Speaker 2: care of his body, how he shows up for practice.

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Speaker 2: You know, everything he does is a great example for

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Speaker 2: everybody on this team. And then he goes out on

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Speaker 2: Sunday and he and he produces. And it doesn't always

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Speaker 2: showup in a statu sheet, but I promise you when

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Speaker 2: you put up on when you put on the tape,

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Speaker 2: our opponents are they know, they notice it. We're very

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Speaker 2: fortunate to have. You know, DeForest Buckner as a.

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Speaker 4: Cult When has been a moment this season that you

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Speaker 4: look to that through the adversity you mentioned all the

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Speaker 4: close games, there have been losing streaks, winning streaks, all

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Speaker 4: of that, but you look to and you know, all right,

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Speaker 4: we've got the right pieces in place, and this is

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Speaker 4: what makes me optimistic for how we're going to finish

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Speaker 4: this season.

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Speaker 2: I don't know if I ever feel completely comfortable with

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Speaker 2: that because we're always looking and working for it.

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Speaker 1: There's no there's not a perfect team out there. There's not.

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Speaker 2: Everybody's got, you know, real strengths and real weaknesses on

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Speaker 2: it and then you play around them.

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Speaker 1: But we're always looked to grow. And I don't. I

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Speaker 1: don't know if I ever feel comfortable.

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Speaker 2: I mean even in years when we were you know,

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Speaker 2: I think about where humming. I mean, you're always on notice.

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Speaker 2: You know, you're one injury away. And our staff, my

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Speaker 2: staff does a tremendous job making sure we have a

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Speaker 2: ready list at all points.

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Speaker 1: We're always looking. I don't know if I ever feel comfortable.

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Speaker 1: I don't. I don't.

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Speaker 2: I don't know if that's a good word. I've always

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Speaker 2: feel like we're going to be competitive, without question, and

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Speaker 2: it's fun to watch your players grow and get better as.

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Speaker 1: We go along.

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Speaker 2: It'll be it's gonna be a fun end of the

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Speaker 2: season to watch these young guys continue to play.

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Speaker 1: And let's see if we can get in the mix.

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Speaker 1: I mean a long way to goo. Tampa's the next

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Speaker 1: Tampa's the next team.

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Speaker 3: All right, Well that's going to do it for us.

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Speaker 3: Here on this episode of the Official Colts Podcast, presented

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Speaker 3: by Win Las Vegas. Chris Pollard, thanks so much for

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Speaker 3: the time today.

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Speaker 1: Appreciate you, appreciate joll