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Speaker 1: All right, this is Darwin James and you listen to

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Speaker 1: the Chargers Podcast Network. Hey, everybody, Chris Hay with you

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Speaker 1: on a week fifteen edition of Chargers Weekly here on

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Speaker 1: the Chargers Podcast Network. Coming up, we'll get this week's

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Speaker 1: opposing view from Minnesota, courtesy of Ben Guessling of the

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Speaker 1: Star Tribune. Also a bit later, our bead writers round

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Speaker 1: table Jeff Miller of the La Times, Gilbert Manzano of

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Speaker 1: Southern California News Group, and Daniel Popper of the Athletic.

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Speaker 1: But first, a locker room round up ahead of Sunday's

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Speaker 1: game against the Vikings. All right, here with defensive tackle

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Speaker 1: Justin Jones and Justin let's just go back to Jacksonville

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Speaker 1: forty five to ten, probably the best defensive performance in

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Speaker 1: terms of just slowing down that offense. Yeah, we were

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Speaker 1: just having fun out there. To be honest, in my opinion,

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Speaker 1: I think everybody was just clicking on all cylinas and

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Speaker 1: everybody just having a good time out there. Like when

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Speaker 1: I go around asking my team, Mason, did you get tired?

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Speaker 1: It was like, no, I wasn't tired up there, but

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Speaker 1: he was. When you having fun, you don't think about

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Speaker 1: stuff like that. So when you're losing, I was, you know,

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Speaker 1: you'll feel fatigue, but when you're winning, you don't get tired.

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Speaker 1: I I wish you played two more quarters, you know

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Speaker 1: what I'm saying. So that that's how I felt out there.

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Speaker 1: It's a safe bet. I think you were having the

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Speaker 1: most fun. I saw you almost in the crowd and

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Speaker 1: the quarter talking to some fans. Oh yeah, yeah, my

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Speaker 1: Pops is in the stands. But he was all the

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Speaker 1: way up so when he was blowing team out already,

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Speaker 1: and you know, we had like threety five seconds of

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Speaker 1: a mental left on the clocks, that's how make let's say,

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Speaker 1: what's up in my pop is? You know what I'm saying. Wo,

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Speaker 1: He's in the stands, so whynot. But it looked like

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Speaker 1: I was talking to the whole crowd and I was

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Speaker 1: just looking at my people talking to people. It's a

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Speaker 1: cool moment. Moved to the Vikings at nine to four.

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Speaker 1: What stands out on this office very balanced attack, very

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Speaker 1: balanced attack. They wanted to check our ages for the

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Speaker 1: most part, you know, stretch runs, perimeter runs. They want

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Speaker 1: to get Davin cut the ball. That's obvious. He's a

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Speaker 1: good running back. Officive lines were pretty good too, So

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Speaker 1: we're gonna have a challenge this weekend. She got You

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Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, you gotta stick to the game planning,

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Speaker 1: get the work done. Kirk Cousins twenty four touchdowns, four interceptions.

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Speaker 1: How do you get a guy like that all schedule?

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Speaker 1: It was having a pretty good year. Uh, Melvyn Enjoys.

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Speaker 1: You know what, it's a simple answer, simple answer. We

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Speaker 1: got we got, we got some weapons on defense, we

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Speaker 1: have a probably have a really really good d line,

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Speaker 1: we got a really good depth, we got a really

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Speaker 1: really good back end. And you know, having Darrown back

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Speaker 1: in our secondary is big ap back, big, you know

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Speaker 1: what I'm saying. So the biggest difference having to his

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Speaker 1: guys back there is what I feel like. I feel

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Speaker 1: like we just add a different dynamic to the to

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Speaker 1: to our secondary with having them guys back, not not

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Speaker 1: just you know, knowledge and experience, just just personality. So

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Speaker 1: I feel I feel like that's that's that's big too.

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Speaker 1: So and finally, Mike, cause my cleats, what are you

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Speaker 1: representing on Sunday? Just Oh, I'm representing TV's cause I'm

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Speaker 1: representing his foundation and everything. So my plan was, you know,

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Speaker 1: starting my own foundation come next year. From my cause

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Speaker 1: my cleats to this year, I just represent TV's foundation.

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Speaker 1: You know, he's had had a pretty good cause and

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Speaker 1: NAT designs and pretty cool cleats, you know, with the

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Speaker 1: ape on the front. So I like it a lot.

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Speaker 1: So I saw the look sharp, yeah, man, yeah, man,

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Speaker 1: they look pretty good. They stick out too, ancy stay red.

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Speaker 1: So there you go, man, appreciate your time. Apprecient you

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Speaker 1: all right here a Brandon scope field Brandon to see

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Speaker 1: what Austin and Melvine did last week and just how

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Speaker 1: the running game has been going the last month or so.

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Speaker 1: It's gotta make you guys feel good up front. Yeah, definitely,

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Speaker 1: especially the last game. Like you said, Ely had a

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Speaker 1: great game. Melvin broke off some big runs too. It's

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Speaker 1: just I think a lot of it is obviously. I

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Speaker 1: think we had a good game plan for that game

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Speaker 1: and we executed very well. The thing with Melvin and

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Speaker 1: Austin over the like the last three weeks, it seems

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Speaker 1: like those guys have been hitting some big games, whether

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Speaker 1: it's in the run game with the pass game. Yeah, yeah, definitely,

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Speaker 1: And I think, I mean it's nice to have those

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Speaker 1: two different backs, you know, mean Melbourne's you don't want

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Speaker 1: to say, like a more downhill kind of guy, where

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Speaker 1: Eclos got that speed to get on the edge and everything.

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Speaker 1: So I think they compliment each other very well. You

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Speaker 1: got a team coming in here in the Minnesota Vikings

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Speaker 1: nine of four, an opportunity to maybe spoil their season

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Speaker 1: a little bit. Yeah, definitely, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 1: We I mean stinks we're out of the playoffs right now,

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Speaker 1: so you gotta look whatever you can look at. So

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Speaker 1: I mean that's one thing to look at right now.

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Speaker 1: And obviously our goals every week to go one and

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Speaker 1: all right now and just try to finish the season

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Speaker 1: as strong as it could. So if we could get

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Speaker 1: a win this week, I mean put a better taste

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Speaker 1: in our mouth for sure. What jumps out to you

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Speaker 1: about this defense, I mean they got players all at

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Speaker 1: every single level. D line, linebackers, safeties, got players everywhere.

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Speaker 1: So I mean we just got to be ready for

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Speaker 1: all all kinds of games and just be ready for everything. Finally,

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Speaker 1: do my cause my cleats. You got some cleats you're

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Speaker 1: wearing on Sunday? Yeah, yeah, I do. I got me

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Speaker 1: and my wife started foundation this past year called the

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Speaker 1: skull Field Family Foundation, so I'm wearing those cleats. This

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Speaker 1: week's also tell me about the Scholfield Family FUNDA So

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Speaker 1: it's uh, we kind of focus on five areas, help

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Speaker 1: five different areas and that have been very impactful far

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Speaker 1: of life. So like militarier brothers in the Army, first

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Speaker 1: responders is one. We do use sports kind of help

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Speaker 1: out local areas, mostly in Chicago right now, but we're

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Speaker 1: trying to expand we give out a scholarship out of

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Speaker 1: local high school and then families in need. We've donated

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Speaker 1: to Ronald McDonald house and got a room named after

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Speaker 1: our foundation. So it's been a lot of cool things

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Speaker 1: so far. It's also all right, so this is radio

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Speaker 1: or podcast, so give me the visual if people are

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Speaker 1: listening to this right now my cleats. Yes, yeah, so

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Speaker 1: they here, we got right in front of us. Yeah, yellow,

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Speaker 1: they got this our little logo. Our logo is a

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Speaker 1: little heart with two hockey sticks. I make a heart

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Speaker 1: and then a football on na the white place hockey.

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Speaker 1: And then we kind of have the five areas that

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Speaker 1: we held so like books for the education, we got

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Speaker 1: some footballs and stuff for the youth sports, and then

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Speaker 1: we got a military helmet for the military, or cross

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Speaker 1: like a paramount, a cross for the first responders, and

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Speaker 1: then cancer ribbons for the families in need. So yeah,

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Speaker 1: a little bit of everything. Well, hey, congrats on that,

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Speaker 1: and we'll look for those fire cleats on Sunday. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: thank you. Take are you the adream? Phillips AP two

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Speaker 1: games in last Sunday looked pretty good. Yeah it feel

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Speaker 1: it feel good. H We played very well defensively limited

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Speaker 1: their explosive plays, you know, I mean she was back

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Speaker 1: there running around. That's usually when a lot of the

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Speaker 1: time they get their big plays, and we limited that

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Speaker 1: and I felt great. Did it feel good to come

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Speaker 1: in after the first game knocking off any rust that

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Speaker 1: you may have had, Yeah, definitely. When the first game back,

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Speaker 1: I actually I actually had a good game. You know,

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Speaker 1: you always find stuff that you want to get better at,

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Speaker 1: and I think I did that. This game is starting

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Speaker 1: to slow down and even a little more for me,

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Speaker 1: just because you know, you've been away from her for

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Speaker 1: so long and you go back into them bullets and

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Speaker 1: they fly lying fast. You know, you kind of gotta

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Speaker 1: get back to your technique and fundamentals. And having a

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Speaker 1: second game under my belt it made it that much easier.

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Speaker 1: It's amazing because you went through one that looks seamless

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Speaker 1: and now you look at Minnesota coming here the nine

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Speaker 1: to four. What stings at about their offense? They get

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Speaker 1: an aficial quarterback right now on a good running game. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: they run the ball very well. I mean Dalvin Cookie,

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Speaker 1: he's been going crazy this year. And then even with

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Speaker 1: Diggs and Feeling on the outside, those guys are the

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Speaker 1: big play seekers. I want to say, like Diggs has

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Speaker 1: like fifty some cases almost like nine hundred yards. That

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Speaker 1: means every catch he's either getting a whole bunch of

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Speaker 1: yack or he's taking the top off. So it's Mike

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Speaker 1: Williams territory all right, Definitely. I think he's number two,

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Speaker 1: and like yards for catching Mike is like number one

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Speaker 1: or something. But the fact that we get that test

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Speaker 1: this week, like this is what you want when you're

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Speaker 1: play in the NFL. You know, you go against competitors

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Speaker 1: like the guys that are gonna be out there seeking

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Speaker 1: a big play, looking for the big play, like how

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Speaker 1: can you shut that down? How can you limit those?

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Speaker 1: So that'd be a great challenge for us this week.

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Speaker 1: What is the biggest challenge. When you have an offenses

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Speaker 1: as balanced as Minnesota's, really you have to make on

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Speaker 1: one dimensional. You know, you can't give them, you can't

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Speaker 1: give them the run in the past. You know, you

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Speaker 1: take away you take away one of them and then

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Speaker 1: live with the other and if you're really good, you

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Speaker 1: just shut down both of them. So that's what we

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Speaker 1: look to do. We want to shut down both the

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Speaker 1: run in the past. But they get paid as well.

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Speaker 1: They're gonna hit some big runs and we limited the

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Speaker 1: exposed to passes will be all right, But you really

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Speaker 1: want to make an offense that's balanced like that. It's

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Speaker 1: very one dimensional. What's grace seeing number thirty one back

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Speaker 1: out of the field. AP appreciate your time thanking all

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Speaker 1: right here with Hunter, Henry Hunter. I know you've talked

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Speaker 1: about this probably nauseam, but can can we walk through

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Speaker 1: that thirty yard touchdown and the play design? I think

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Speaker 1: Thomas Davis is taking credit for huh yeah, big shouts

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Speaker 1: to Thomas for helping us out we future. Yeah, maybe

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Speaker 1: uh shoot, just help you know, he's he's been around

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Speaker 1: for so long. Um, you know, he just picked up

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Speaker 1: on the tendency last week. Uh kind of we were

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Speaker 1: able to change the formation, change to play to kind

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Speaker 1: of help it work. And I mean he worked out perfectly.

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Speaker 1: The offense is the way that it was rolling so balanced. Um,

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Speaker 1: what do you think was different last Sunday as opposed

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Speaker 1: to maybe some other games. I think we came out fast.

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Speaker 1: I think that was we set the tone early. I

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Speaker 1: think that was the biggest thing too, and we we

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Speaker 1: that was a big emphasis last year was starting fast

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Speaker 1: and I started practice all week, so you know we

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Speaker 1: gotta have another week. Um, starting fast and jumping on

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Speaker 1: him because we knew if we can jump on him

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Speaker 1: and kind of get get rolling, you know, once we're

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Speaker 1: kind of you know, when we're in a rhythm, we're

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Speaker 1: really really good. And Shane did a great job calling

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Speaker 1: plays and um we went out there and executed. We

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Speaker 1: got a pretty good team coming here Sunday in the

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Speaker 1: Vikings nine of four. What do you see from that

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Speaker 1: defense the first glance? Uh, I mean they've been together

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Speaker 1: for a while. Um, you know, obviously they're really tough,

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Speaker 1: they're gonna fight. Um, very athletic, very long, big. I

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Speaker 1: mean you know, they kind of are everything that you

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Speaker 1: look for in a defense. So uh, it's a it's

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Speaker 1: a tall task. You know they're good at all three levels. Um,

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Speaker 1: you know we're gonna have to be on on our

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Speaker 1: game and ready to go. So you know it's a

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Speaker 1: you know, getting a big win last week is gonna

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Speaker 1: help us and work excited. But you know, just attack

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Speaker 1: each week one at a time. We're excited for this opportunity.

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Speaker 1: I know you study and admire tight ends around the

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Speaker 1: league passing present Kyle Rudolph is a guy who's been

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Speaker 1: doing it for a long time. But what is it

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Speaker 1: about Kyle's game that that maybe you appreciate? Yeah, you

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Speaker 1: know obviously, like you said, he's he's been doing it

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Speaker 1: a while and anytime you can do it, um, you know,

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Speaker 1: continue to stay around and continue to be um. You

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Speaker 1: know at that you know, at the tope of the

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Speaker 1: game for a while, you know it mean it definitely

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Speaker 1: is means something. Um. And you know he's big, he's strong. Um,

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Speaker 1: I feel like he's improved a lot in the run

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Speaker 1: game and you know he's crisp and his routes, he

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Speaker 1: has great hands. H makes it plays when plays present himself.

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Speaker 1: So m you know, I'll definitely watch them and marred

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Speaker 1: him from a far Finally, with the music very loud

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Speaker 1: by calls my cleats. Tell me what you're rocking on Sunday,

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Speaker 1: then I'm rocking the IJM International Justice Mission. I'll just

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Speaker 1: fight against human trafficking and slavery all across the world. UM.

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Speaker 1: So you know, if you're listening to this, uh, you

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Speaker 1: go to my pledge of page and um, you know,

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Speaker 1: give money and go to IJM check it out for

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Speaker 1: more information. Uh it's a really good costs amazing couse hunter.

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Speaker 1: Thanks so much. Yeah, man, thank you. All right, let's

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Speaker 1: get to these questions. Y'all, boys, jack boys, How do

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Speaker 1: you get the girls? What do you say to get

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Speaker 1: the girl? No? Fake energy? Oh fake I hey, fake energy.

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Speaker 1: Chargers fans be sure to check out Dear jack Boys,

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Speaker 1: presented by Pepsi and take all football celebrations to the

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Speaker 1: next level. Whether it's a Hail Mary touchdown or a

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Speaker 1: defensive stop on the gold line. What it's time to celebrate.

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Speaker 1: It's time to crack open up Pepsi. Pepsi, a proud

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Speaker 1: sponsor of the Los Angeles Chargers, reminds you to always

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Speaker 1: be celebrating, all right, guys. To get this week's Posing

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Speaker 1: View presented by Mercury insurance. We bring in. Ben Guestling

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Speaker 1: of the Star Tribune does a great job covering the

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Speaker 1: Vikings in Minnesota. Ben, how are you, sir, excited to

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Speaker 1: have you come to La Thanks Chriss. I'm excited to

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Speaker 1: be in a place to experies warmer than it is

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Speaker 1: here right now. A little bit warmer here right on

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Speaker 1: the West coast, Yeah, a little bit. What are the

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Speaker 1: Vikings saying about coming west to face the Chargers. Well,

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Speaker 1: it's been a challenge they've had a hard time with. Frankly,

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Speaker 1: it's they had. They were on in Seattle a couple

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Speaker 1: of weeks ago and lost on Monday night, and I

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Speaker 1: think they're probably quite grateful that the NFL moved this

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Speaker 1: game out of Sunday night. It is I've spent a

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Speaker 1: lot of time looking at the statistics for teams that

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Speaker 1: have to travel from either the Central or each time

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Speaker 1: zone dot to the West Coast, and they have not

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Speaker 1: been very good at night. It's been a tough assignment

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Speaker 1: with trying to get your body clock set to playing

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Speaker 1: opponents that is full of players that are used to

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Speaker 1: that already, so that has been difficult for them. And

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Speaker 1: even when they've played the few times they've had day

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Speaker 1: games on the West Coast, they've struggled, So that part

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Speaker 1: of it is something they've tried to figure out that

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Speaker 1: we go two days before, do we go a day

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Speaker 1: before They're flying out Saturday and kind of going from there.

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Speaker 1: But it is a difficult challenge and one that I

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Speaker 1: think they know adds a little bit of an extra

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Speaker 1: layer to the challenge against the Chargers this weekend. These

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Speaker 1: next three games pivotal for the Vikings. They're nine and four.

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Speaker 1: You look at the Chargers, they were eliminated Sunday, but

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Speaker 1: we're very impressive against the Jacksonville team that is very

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Speaker 1: different from what Minnesota is facing. What are the players

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Speaker 1: and coaches saying about this version of the Chargers a

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Speaker 1: little bit healthier coming off a big win in Jacksonville. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's it's a tricky opponent because it's a team, as

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Speaker 1: certainly as you know, that was not expected to be

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Speaker 1: here at this point of the year. I think when

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Speaker 1: NBC had put this game on Sunday night, the Chargers

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Speaker 1: were the team that was coming off the playoff trip

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Speaker 1: Vikings for the team last year that everybody thought was

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Speaker 1: going to be a contender and wasn't so this was

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Speaker 1: a game I think that it had kind of been

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Speaker 1: circled at the beginning of the year. It's one of

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Speaker 1: the tougher ones of the year, and I don't think

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Speaker 1: the Vikings have necessarily changed that opinion of things. Mike

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Speaker 1: Zimmer has talked this week. Obviously, it's faced Philip Rivers

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Speaker 1: quite a bit over the years from his time both

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Speaker 1: and I guess he faced him once in Minnesota, but

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Speaker 1: he faced them quite a bit when he was in

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Speaker 1: the AFCs the Bengals defensive court here, and was certainly

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Speaker 1: a very complimentary of Rivers and the works down over

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Speaker 1: the years. And it's a team that they know has

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Speaker 1: a lot of weapons on offense and a lot of

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Speaker 1: playmakers on defense. So it's it's a game that I

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Speaker 1: think is the Vikings look at it when they're trying

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Speaker 1: to stay in the NFC North Tettle race and trying

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Speaker 1: to stay ahead of the Rams in the wildcard race.

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Speaker 1: They can't really afford a slope up at this point,

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Speaker 1: and I think they know that this is not one

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Speaker 1: that you can get Petzel in simply because the charters

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Speaker 1: record is what it is. You know, the Vikings, you

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Speaker 1: look at the Chargers offense, and who do you think

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Speaker 1: is priority A in terms of who you need to

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Speaker 1: stop a lot of weapons. It seems like Austin Eckler

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Speaker 1: has really kind of separated himself as just a different player.

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Speaker 1: You know, a guy who had a hundred yards receiving

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Speaker 1: and rushing last week. But then you also have guys

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Speaker 1: like Hunter Henry and Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and

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Speaker 1: Melvin Gordon. Who do you think the Vikings need a

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Speaker 1: home in on? Well, I mean you go down a

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Speaker 1: list there that's quite long and it has a lot

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Speaker 1: of different ways to go. I mean, it's the problem

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Speaker 1: the Vikings have had a lot this year and it's

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Speaker 1: been unique for Mike Zimmertinas has been giving up big

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Speaker 1: plays in the past the game and it's not been

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Speaker 1: something we've seen them struggle with a lot in the past,

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Speaker 1: but in recent weeks especially, that's been a big concern

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Speaker 1: for them. So Mike Williams, you look at a guy

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Speaker 1: like that that has been the type of downfield threat

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Speaker 1: he's been in his career and certainly has come around

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Speaker 1: a little been in the last two weeks here is

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Speaker 1: making more big plays out feel like I think taking

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Speaker 1: him away is going to be a big part of it,

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Speaker 1: and a guy like Austin Ekeler and a guy like

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Speaker 1: Melvin Gordon certainly is going to be something they have

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Speaker 1: to worry about to because it's the times that they

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Speaker 1: have lost this year have been the games where they've

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Speaker 1: struggled to stop the run. Certainly that was a big

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Speaker 1: issue two weeks ago in Seattle they gave up I

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Speaker 1: think two hundred and eighteen yards in the ground. So

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Speaker 1: they know that they're going to have to be better

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Speaker 1: than that this time around two if they if they

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Speaker 1: want a champ to win, because the Chargers can hurt

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Speaker 1: you in a lot of different ways. Yeah, Ben, you

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Speaker 1: mentioned Mike Williams. He's tops in the league twenty one

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Speaker 1: yards per reception, but Stefan Diggs right behind him seventeen

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Speaker 1: point eight. We're gonna have two of the top deep

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Speaker 1: threats in football on the same field when you flip

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Speaker 1: it to Minnesota. In their offense, they've been so balanced

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Speaker 1: this year. Cousins has really taken care of the football

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Speaker 1: twenty four touchdowns and just four picks. Dalvin Cook a

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Speaker 1: monster in the run game. What has made this offense

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Speaker 1: so successful? I guess balance is probably the obvious answer.

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Speaker 1: Balance is a lot of it, But they think what

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Speaker 1: they are going to be and their identity in terms

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Speaker 1: of what they want to do on offense. And that's

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Speaker 1: not a small thing for the Viking. That has been

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Speaker 1: an issue for a long time. It's been an issue

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Speaker 1: for Mike Zimmer coach teams. It's really been an issue here.

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Speaker 1: You can go back farther than Mike Zimmer simply because

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Speaker 1: this has not been a team the tad the consistency

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Speaker 1: at quarterback that they're getting from Kirk Cousins. But they

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Speaker 1: have they've figured out, whether it's been Kevin Stefanski calling

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Speaker 1: plays or the influence of Gary Kubiak, who they brought

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Speaker 1: in this year, they know that they're going to run

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Speaker 1: that that same ying in the West Coast offense that's

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Speaker 1: been so successful for years in Denver, and you see

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Speaker 1: it with Kyle Shanahan now in San Francisco and and

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Speaker 1: certainly Matt mcflour and Green Bay to some extent, Sean McVay.

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Speaker 1: There's even elements of that to it. So they know

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Speaker 1: it starts with the run for them, and they have

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Speaker 1: made no bones about that how much they want to

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Speaker 1: run the ball that's something that Mike Zimmer believes in

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Speaker 1: very strongly, and it has set up a lot of

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Speaker 1: the play acts and stuff you mentioned Stefan Diggs, and

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Speaker 1: that's been the way they've got him going. He's not

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Speaker 1: been the big deep threat guy through much of his career.

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Speaker 1: He's been a guy that has typically made a lot

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Speaker 1: of his living out of shorter passes and then they

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Speaker 1: sometimes be able to run after the catch. But when

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Speaker 1: they have been able to run play action and they

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Speaker 1: do it just about as much as anybody in the NFL,

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Speaker 1: they've had a lot of big plays off of that,

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Speaker 1: and then certainly they're going to look for more of

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Speaker 1: those on Sundays. Yeah, the collection of wide receivers when

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Speaker 1: you add Adam Feeland potentially to the mix. Ben, how

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Speaker 1: much does Adam Feeland mean to this Vikings offensive and

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Speaker 1: what have they been lacking when he's done on the field. Well,

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Speaker 1: he's he's been a steady part of it for an

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Speaker 1: awfully long time and really had been more of the

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Speaker 1: deep threat guy than Diggs historically. And we've seen Diggs

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Speaker 1: kind of take on that role a little bit before

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Speaker 1: Feeland got hurt, but certainly since he got hurt so

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Speaker 1: if you add him back, it's another guy that can

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Speaker 1: do a lot of the things that Diggs can do.

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Speaker 1: They're both good route runners. Feeling's probably the guy that

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Speaker 1: if you need a tough catch over the middle, he's

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Speaker 1: more of the guy you look to in that situation.

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Speaker 1: He's a little bit bigger. He's been a guy that

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Speaker 1: can go off and get it and take a hit

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Speaker 1: and kind of show that he can keep moving on

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Speaker 1: from that. So getting that back in their offense I

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Speaker 1: think helps an awful lot of third downs. They've had

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Speaker 1: some struggles up there downs in recent weeks, and I

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Speaker 1: think sometimes not having that guy that Kirk Cousins knows

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Speaker 1: this is the place I want to go if I

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Speaker 1: get in trouble on third down and hurt a little bit.

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Speaker 1: So you add him back to the offense, I think

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Speaker 1: that's going to be a big part of it. They

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Speaker 1: I mean, they really have run a lot of two

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Speaker 1: and three tight end sets, a lot of big personnel

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Speaker 1: groups in recent weeks, and that's part of what they do. Anyway,

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Speaker 1: they've leaned on more of that though since Feeling has

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Speaker 1: been hurt, So some of what they're going to have

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Speaker 1: to try to do is mix him back into the offense.

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Speaker 1: They've been playing well without him and figured out a

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Speaker 1: way to make it work. So some of it now

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Speaker 1: is you have him back, how are you going to

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Speaker 1: incorporate him to the overall mix of where you're trying

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Speaker 1: to do? Then? How would you assess the play of

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Speaker 1: Kirk Cousins this year in comparison to what he did

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Speaker 1: last year in Minnesota and even in Washington. I see

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Speaker 1: more consistency. We talked about that twenty four to four number,

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Speaker 1: but just you know, I feel like he's firmly entrenched

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Speaker 1: himself as a leader in kind of an undisputed franchise

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Speaker 1: quarterback this year. I think the word I would use

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Speaker 1: on a lot of levels is trust. I think he

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Speaker 1: trusts himself in this offense. I think they trust him.

429
00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:11,479
Speaker 1: I think receivers trust him more than they did last year.

430
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:13,840
Speaker 1: I mean, they had a lot of things really that

431
00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:16,960
Speaker 1: were not conducive to him coming in and taking off

432
00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:19,200
Speaker 1: in his first year. It was a new offensive coordinator

433
00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:22,040
Speaker 1: after Pat Schermer had taken the Giant's job, John d

434
00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:25,000
Speaker 1: Pfl came in, and that just didn't It never really

435
00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:27,639
Speaker 1: meshed well with what Mike Zimmer wanted out of his offense,

436
00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:30,680
Speaker 1: and in a lot of ways, I think Kirk Cousins

437
00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:33,080
Speaker 1: trying to learn a new scheme in year one, in

438
00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:35,679
Speaker 1: addition to learning new teammates, learning a new city, all

439
00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:38,680
Speaker 1: of that kind of stuff made it difficult that way.

440
00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,280
Speaker 1: So now you have a scheme that it's very similar

441
00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:43,800
Speaker 1: to what he'd run in Washington. He had to second

442
00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:45,800
Speaker 1: year with a lot of these pieces on offense, and

443
00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:49,479
Speaker 1: I think he trusts the people he's working with. The

444
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,119
Speaker 1: people he's working with trust him, so that has allowed

445
00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:55,000
Speaker 1: him to play faster. It's allowed him to make some

446
00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:57,320
Speaker 1: more throws where he will give his guy a chance

447
00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,000
Speaker 1: to go get it. That was one of the things

448
00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:00,800
Speaker 1: that you saw last year where he wouldn't pull the

449
00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,280
Speaker 1: trigger a lot of times even if there was a

450
00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:06,280
Speaker 1: throw to be made with a receiver along the lines

451
00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:08,200
Speaker 1: of the weapons that he had. This year, it's been

452
00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:12,199
Speaker 1: more you see him acquire it and give a guy

453
00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:14,240
Speaker 1: a chance to make a play. I mean that long

454
00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:17,720
Speaker 1: catch to Fund Diggs had last week, Cousins basically threw

455
00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:19,680
Speaker 1: it on faith that Diggs was going to beat his man,

456
00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,399
Speaker 1: Darius Flay, and of course he did. You see more

457
00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:24,960
Speaker 1: of that happened this year where he's saying, I'm gonna

458
00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:26,919
Speaker 1: give my guy a chance. He's been better on the

459
00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:29,080
Speaker 1: red zone because of that, and it just kind of

460
00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,080
Speaker 1: permeates through the whole offense, the fact that he's trusting

461
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:33,560
Speaker 1: all of it more than he has in the past.

462
00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,840
Speaker 1: You bring up a great point about scheme and what

463
00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,919
Speaker 1: he did in Washington with Sean McVeigh and Kyle Shanahan.

464
00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:44,280
Speaker 1: It's amazing what simplicity and scheme can do in terms

465
00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:48,000
Speaker 1: of just making a quarterback comfortable. And that certainly shows

466
00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:51,480
Speaker 1: this year. And I think having Kubiak Derris Stefanski kind

467
00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,960
Speaker 1: of changing things up catering to Kirk's strengths is clearly

468
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:58,200
Speaker 1: on display. Yeah, there's no doubt. I mean a lot

469
00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:00,639
Speaker 1: of what they tried to do this off season, and

470
00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,159
Speaker 1: Kirk kind of, I think quibbled with the idea a

471
00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:05,359
Speaker 1: little bit that it needed to happen for him. I

472
00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:07,360
Speaker 1: remember talking about that in the off season. He said,

473
00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:09,199
Speaker 1: obviously I'm going to be a beneficiary of this, but

474
00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:13,000
Speaker 1: I don't feel like they thought they needed to just

475
00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:18,240
Speaker 1: kind of reinvent everything for me. But that said, he's

476
00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:20,159
Speaker 1: the guy. I mean, he's the guy that you have

477
00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,280
Speaker 1: to have comfortable if you're going to go anywhere. That's

478
00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,280
Speaker 1: just the way it works at the position. And certainly

479
00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:27,199
Speaker 1: he's not the only one that that is the case for.

480
00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:29,000
Speaker 1: And I think the fact that they win out and

481
00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,439
Speaker 1: got guys that have run a scheme that he's comfortable with,

482
00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:36,240
Speaker 1: that are very confident in their own abilities to do things.

483
00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:39,040
Speaker 1: Talking about guys like Kerry Kubiak and some of the

484
00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:42,240
Speaker 1: assistance he has with him, Rick Dennison, Brian Piriani, guys

485
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,040
Speaker 1: that have been with him for an awfully long time

486
00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:48,240
Speaker 1: brought a level of stability into this offense that Cousins

487
00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:50,000
Speaker 1: has been able to lean on. I think he's a

488
00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:54,560
Speaker 1: guy that values stability, He values consistency and awful lot

489
00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:56,240
Speaker 1: both in the way he goes about the job and

490
00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:58,439
Speaker 1: what he has around him. He's not the guy that

491
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,680
Speaker 1: is running around making plays, you know, kind of freelancing

492
00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:05,199
Speaker 1: like you might see from a Patrick Mahomes or Russell Wilson.

493
00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:07,840
Speaker 1: He's better when everything around him is in place and

494
00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:09,680
Speaker 1: he kind of knows where to go with the ball

495
00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:11,679
Speaker 1: and can play fast because he trusts all of it.

496
00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:13,800
Speaker 1: And I think the fact that they've been able to

497
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,920
Speaker 1: put all that in place this year has made him

498
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:19,439
Speaker 1: play faster. It's just made everything work a lot smoother.

499
00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:23,320
Speaker 1: And we talked about the collection of wide receivers Sunday.

500
00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:25,879
Speaker 1: How about the pass rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram

501
00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:27,919
Speaker 1: on the charger side. But I think when you talk

502
00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,439
Speaker 1: about some of the great pass rushers and really overall

503
00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:34,160
Speaker 1: defenders in this league, Dannelle Hunter his name doesn't get

504
00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:37,360
Speaker 1: mentioned as much as it probably should. Three sacks last week.

505
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:39,080
Speaker 1: He has twelve and a half on the year. I

506
00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:41,520
Speaker 1: believe he's the reigning NFC defensive Player of the week.

507
00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:44,760
Speaker 1: What makes him so special and if you can speak

508
00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,600
Speaker 1: to the year that he's having, well he's the I

509
00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:50,840
Speaker 1: mean in that game on Sunday when he had three sacks,

510
00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:53,800
Speaker 1: he became the youngest player in NFL history to fifty sacks.

511
00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,119
Speaker 1: He turned twenty five in at the end of October.

512
00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,240
Speaker 1: And I mean, if you were going to design a

513
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:02,640
Speaker 1: defensive end in a four to three scheme, it's hard

514
00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,760
Speaker 1: to imagine a guy that is a better fit than

515
00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:09,719
Speaker 1: Denil Hunter, both because I mean physically he's he's like

516
00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:11,960
Speaker 1: six to five and he's two hundred and fifty pounds.

517
00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:14,679
Speaker 1: I would guess his body fat, it's something under three percent.

518
00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:18,120
Speaker 1: And he's a guy that I remember doing a story

519
00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:21,320
Speaker 1: on Adrian Peterson down in Houston a few years ago. Actually,

520
00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:23,719
Speaker 1: Melvin Gordon was working out there at the time as well,

521
00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:27,280
Speaker 1: and Daniel Hunter's working out on the track with a

522
00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:31,480
Speaker 1: lot of these guys in outrunning defensive defensive backs in

523
00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:35,040
Speaker 1: four hundred meter sprints. I mean, he can move, he's quick,

524
00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:39,040
Speaker 1: he's got a lot of strength, and he's a guy

525
00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:44,000
Speaker 1: that gets the position. He's learned how to be a

526
00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,399
Speaker 1: good run defender, he's learned how to diagnose things at

527
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,400
Speaker 1: the line. He's not a guy that draws a ton

528
00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:51,240
Speaker 1: of attention to himself, so I think that's why people

529
00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:53,119
Speaker 1: will talk about him. But the Vikings also love it

530
00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:57,880
Speaker 1: because he doesn't seem to get enough in terms of

531
00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,359
Speaker 1: wanting to learn and improve at what he does. And

532
00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:04,200
Speaker 1: their defensive end coach, a defensive line coach, Andrey Patterson,

533
00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:06,359
Speaker 1: has been doing an awfully long time and it's one

534
00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:09,320
Speaker 1: of the best in the NFL. So a guy like

535
00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:12,840
Speaker 1: that in Andrea Patterson's hands has improved an awful lot.

536
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:14,920
Speaker 1: And that was a pick when the Vikings made it.

537
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:16,479
Speaker 1: He was a third round pick and I think had

538
00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:18,760
Speaker 1: a sack and a half his last year at LFU.

539
00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:20,560
Speaker 1: If people kind of thought, well, okay, this is a

540
00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,240
Speaker 1: little bit of a reach, but they saw I think

541
00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:26,320
Speaker 1: they could get him to rush the quarterback the way

542
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,080
Speaker 1: they wanted him to do it. That he can improve

543
00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:31,439
Speaker 1: awfully quickly, and you put a lot to bear with

544
00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,520
Speaker 1: the physical ability he has. It certainly has turned into

545
00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:37,480
Speaker 1: something special, no doubt. The Deil Hunter certainly a player

546
00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:39,600
Speaker 1: the Chargers are gonna have to have eyes on. Man,

547
00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:41,359
Speaker 1: we'll get you out of here on this. What do

548
00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:43,440
Speaker 1: you think is going to decide this one? Even though

549
00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:45,600
Speaker 1: the Chargers out of the playoffs, this is going to

550
00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:49,160
Speaker 1: be a fun matchup between two very competitive teams. Well,

551
00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:50,760
Speaker 1: I think a lot of it is going to come

552
00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:54,040
Speaker 1: down to what happens when the Chargers have the ball.

553
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,119
Speaker 1: I think we've seen it certainly this year with Philip Rivers.

554
00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,280
Speaker 1: You know, commitics and turnover throwing interceptions at time. We've

555
00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:02,600
Speaker 1: also seen and make a lot of big plays in

556
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,200
Speaker 1: recent weeks, and he's always that guy that will give

557
00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:07,520
Speaker 1: his receivers a chance to make a play. That can

558
00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:10,840
Speaker 1: also meet sometimes that defensive backs have a chance to

559
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:12,800
Speaker 1: make a play, especially if it's a close game, which

560
00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:14,560
Speaker 1: the Chargers have played a lot of this year. So

561
00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:18,640
Speaker 1: the Vikings have been a team that gives up quite

562
00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,080
Speaker 1: a few big plays, especially on the road, but they've

563
00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:22,560
Speaker 1: also been a team that I think it's had a

564
00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:26,240
Speaker 1: turnover defensively, a takeaway and just about every game this season.

565
00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:28,760
Speaker 1: So it's one of those that I think very much

566
00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:32,480
Speaker 1: could swing on. Can the Chargers win the turnover battle,

567
00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:36,160
Speaker 1: what happens when they have the ball? And it should

568
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:38,280
Speaker 1: be a fun one. I think it's a game that

569
00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:41,400
Speaker 1: even though the Chargers are out of the playoff race

570
00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:43,400
Speaker 1: at five and eight, there's a lot of talent there

571
00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:46,400
Speaker 1: and it should be an interesting matchup. Certainly a lot

572
00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:48,480
Speaker 1: riding out it for the Vikings, and I'm sure the

573
00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:51,119
Speaker 1: Chargers want to play that role as spoiler if they

574
00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:54,080
Speaker 1: can a little bit here too, Ben Guestling, Star Tribune

575
00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:56,679
Speaker 1: Vikings beat writer, Ben, you do awesome work, man. I

576
00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:59,600
Speaker 1: look forward to senior at Deny Hill Sports Park. We'll

577
00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:01,639
Speaker 1: see on the West coast. Thanks for having me on.

578
00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:04,840
Speaker 1: Great appreciated. All Right, guys, we know you love the Chargers,

579
00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,960
Speaker 1: but you also probably love saving money too, and Mercury

580
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:10,160
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581
00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,480
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582
00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:14,600
Speaker 1: Mercury that it gets your great seats for the next

583
00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,159
Speaker 1: game and jerseys for the whole family too. So what

584
00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:19,119
Speaker 1: are you waiting for? Get a quote today at Mercury

585
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586
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587
00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:25,719
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588
00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:28,960
Speaker 1: a quote today at Mercury Insurance dot com. Savings info

589
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,399
Speaker 1: based on twenty nineteen California Department of Insurance for a

590
00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:36,479
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591
00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:40,440
Speaker 1: guys A week fifteen Beat Riders round table, and I

592
00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:44,680
Speaker 1: got my guys. Daniel Popper the athletic first. First, there

593
00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:49,160
Speaker 1: you go, Gilbert Manzano, incognito today with hatt and glasses.

594
00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,720
Speaker 1: Did not recognize gil did not know if he was

595
00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:53,760
Speaker 1: here today, and I had to do a double teck.

596
00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:55,760
Speaker 1: How are you, Boddy? I'm doing well, but yeah, I'm

597
00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:57,760
Speaker 1: number two today behind Pop. First. I gotta be a

598
00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:00,160
Speaker 1: little hid in today. You wanna tell us why you're

599
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,320
Speaker 1: wearing that off? It? A lot of things. Well, I'm

600
00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:06,159
Speaker 1: getting a haircut today. That's Opera already got one. So

601
00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:08,200
Speaker 1: I don't like my hair ta I gotta put on

602
00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:10,720
Speaker 1: my hat. I know, Jeff are gonna be all weird

603
00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:12,280
Speaker 1: like these kids. Why do they care about their hair?

604
00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:16,440
Speaker 1: For the record. For the record, Jeff asked before how

605
00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:20,639
Speaker 1: we approach Google reviews? I was ascribing to him to reviews. Well,

606
00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:22,440
Speaker 1: let me let me let everyone know that, Jeff Miller,

607
00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:29,119
Speaker 1: I am here and I uh it's uh, it's always

608
00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:32,440
Speaker 1: interesting in these uh as. We sit actually around a

609
00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:36,639
Speaker 1: round table today that every week that goes by, I

610
00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:39,679
Speaker 1: age about a year, so I'm so much older right

611
00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:41,960
Speaker 1: now than I was when this thing first started. What's

612
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,560
Speaker 1: your what's your take on TikTok? Does Jeff have a TikTok?

613
00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,320
Speaker 1: Do you do? You know what TikTok is? How much time?

614
00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:55,159
Speaker 1: Does this sounds? That's what it is. That's a good thing, perfect,

615
00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,080
Speaker 1: well done. We should do a TikTok with all four

616
00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:00,560
Speaker 1: of us. I would ride his round table. Honestly, I'm

617
00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:03,600
Speaker 1: a little scared of TikTok because I've I've my sister

618
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,280
Speaker 1: has it. She's older, but she hasn't. And round Thanksgiving

619
00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:08,480
Speaker 1: when I was home, we started looking through TikTok and

620
00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:12,880
Speaker 1: there is some interesting stuff. There is interesting stuff. Yeah,

621
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,920
Speaker 1: we'll table the TikTok talk. Let's let's get Chargers forty

622
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:21,320
Speaker 1: five ten to Jacksonville guys. Most complete performance all three phases.

623
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:24,040
Speaker 1: I guess you have to start with Austin Nickler, right,

624
00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:27,919
Speaker 1: hundred hundred club historic, historic performance. And I went through

625
00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:29,760
Speaker 1: and actually went back and looked at all the Hall

626
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:31,520
Speaker 1: of famers that never did that, had one hundred hundred.

627
00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:33,359
Speaker 1: I mean Marshall Falk never did it, Emmett Smith never

628
00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:35,920
Speaker 1: did it. O J. Simpson never did it, Frank or

629
00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,640
Speaker 1: Adrian Peterson hadn't done it. Touches. Yeah, fewest ever, fewest

630
00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:41,200
Speaker 1: ever by a player to get one hundred hundred in

631
00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:43,920
Speaker 1: the game. I mean, it was a historic performance, unbelievable,

632
00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:46,760
Speaker 1: and I think it shows that he's he's putting together

633
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,920
Speaker 1: a season that's going to demand a legitimate contract offer

634
00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:54,080
Speaker 1: when he's eligible for it after the season. No, he is.

635
00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:58,640
Speaker 1: And it's interesting to see after the game the other day, Um,

636
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,400
Speaker 1: you know, Melvin Gordon standing there and what a weird

637
00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:05,640
Speaker 1: position he's now. And it just keeps getting weird every week,

638
00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:09,920
Speaker 1: where now he's watching this guy emerge, this undrafted rookie

639
00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:13,760
Speaker 1: emerge in a spot where where everybody thought, this is

640
00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:17,120
Speaker 1: he's the future. Melvin's the future running back of this

641
00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:19,600
Speaker 1: franchise and all that. And we know his hold out

642
00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,120
Speaker 1: was ill fated from the beginning. It didn't work out,

643
00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:27,000
Speaker 1: it didn't really accomplish anything. And now he's watching Austin

644
00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:30,840
Speaker 1: Ekeler emerge in this role that he he should people

645
00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:32,640
Speaker 1: thought he was going to be in. So he it's

646
00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,440
Speaker 1: it's even as great as this for Austin. It's it's

647
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:38,440
Speaker 1: it just makes Melvin situation all the all the weirder

648
00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:41,080
Speaker 1: and more strange moving. The thing about it, though, and

649
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:43,880
Speaker 1: Gil will get your thoughts in a two The thing

650
00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:48,080
Speaker 1: about Austin and he's just different from any other running back.

651
00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:51,560
Speaker 1: So entering week fifteen, there's only eight wide receivers in

652
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:54,200
Speaker 1: the league who have more catches than him. There's only

653
00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,200
Speaker 1: five players in the NFL who have more total touchdowns

654
00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:01,720
Speaker 1: than him. So he is this hybrid pass catching back.

655
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:04,840
Speaker 1: And I think with Melvin, you do need a guy

656
00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:08,560
Speaker 1: like that to burn clock. And I think the one

657
00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:12,040
Speaker 1: two punch that we didn't necessarily see when Melvin first

658
00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:14,400
Speaker 1: came back, we're starting to see them kind of get

659
00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,000
Speaker 1: a rhythm, Gil Yeah, and the thing that you know,

660
00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:20,400
Speaker 1: I kind of caught my attention, Jeff, and I kept saying,

661
00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:22,160
Speaker 1: do you know how big this is? Which you just

662
00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:24,400
Speaker 1: did the historic you know kind of you know what

663
00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:26,480
Speaker 1: you did? Not many Hall of famers have done it.

664
00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:29,920
Speaker 1: And Austin kept saying, you know what, I'm a complete

665
00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:31,760
Speaker 1: football player. I'm a guy who could do it all.

666
00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:33,160
Speaker 1: It's what I've been trying to tell you guys for

667
00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:35,080
Speaker 1: a whole year that could you know, line up in

668
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:36,960
Speaker 1: a slot, I could, you know, be a blocker. I

669
00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:39,120
Speaker 1: could be a running back, a run between tackles. So

670
00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:41,240
Speaker 1: I think for Austin it was more like, hey, I

671
00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:43,440
Speaker 1: know we got a three down back in Melvin Gordon,

672
00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:44,760
Speaker 1: but I could do the same things too. And I

673
00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:46,479
Speaker 1: don't think it's like a ride or a rival way

674
00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:48,880
Speaker 1: or anything like that. It was just more Austin saying, Hey,

675
00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:51,120
Speaker 1: I'm just as good as all these guys in the NFL,

676
00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:53,160
Speaker 1: and I can make it work with Melvin Gordon, but

677
00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:55,440
Speaker 1: I could do my thing too. The running back room

678
00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,640
Speaker 1: here with the charge is pretty close. And even a

679
00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:00,720
Speaker 1: guy like Justin Jackson man, I mean what he did

680
00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:03,880
Speaker 1: at to be give you're it's just a numbers game

681
00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:06,080
Speaker 1: now with him in terms of seeing the field, But

682
00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:08,680
Speaker 1: I mean that running backs room, Derek Watt gets his

683
00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:11,920
Speaker 1: first career touchdown. A lot of a lot of positivity

684
00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:14,000
Speaker 1: from that room. Yeah, And the question is what's the

685
00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:16,520
Speaker 1: best way to move forward if if you're general manager

686
00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:18,760
Speaker 1: Tom Talesco, what combination a guy is going to make

687
00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:20,560
Speaker 1: the most sense for your cap sheet and for your

688
00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:24,080
Speaker 1: on field production. And right now you bring back Austin

689
00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:26,880
Speaker 1: Neckler and you still have Justin Jackson on his rookie deal.

690
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,320
Speaker 1: That's going to be a relatively cheap option and a

691
00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:31,880
Speaker 1: very productive option at that You said mentioned what Justin

692
00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:34,440
Speaker 1: was doing earlier this season, leading the league and yards

693
00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:36,720
Speaker 1: per carry, and what Austin is doing. He's one of

694
00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:41,920
Speaker 1: the best offensive players in football period. He's averaging seven

695
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:44,760
Speaker 1: point one yards per touch and that is second in

696
00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:46,840
Speaker 1: the league among guys with at least the hunter touch.

697
00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:48,719
Speaker 1: Is the only guy who's been more efficient than him

698
00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:51,120
Speaker 1: is Michael Thomas. That's it, and that guy's in the

699
00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:53,880
Speaker 1: MVP conversation as a wide receiver. That's how good Austin's

700
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:56,160
Speaker 1: been this season. He's not just and I wrote this

701
00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:58,400
Speaker 1: in my story on Sunday. He's not a complimentary piece anymore.

702
00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:00,680
Speaker 1: He's not the guy just filling in from Gordon. He

703
00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:05,080
Speaker 1: is running back, number one, elite playmaker in the NFL.

704
00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:07,200
Speaker 1: And you can't you cannot say any say it any

705
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:08,600
Speaker 1: other way. That's just what he is at this point.

706
00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:11,520
Speaker 1: And Jeff, thanks to Austin Ekeler, Philip Rivers had the

707
00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:15,840
Speaker 1: longest touchdown hass of his career. And let Janick in

708
00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:23,080
Speaker 1: Dockway know about it, that yard touchdown, that that was

709
00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:25,840
Speaker 1: crazy that he had not had a longer reception. I know,

710
00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:27,800
Speaker 1: we were all, we were all in the press box

711
00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:33,360
Speaker 1: like it. It's ever. It's the longest supposedly now it's

712
00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,320
Speaker 1: the longest pass you'd ever completed, because there was an

713
00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:38,560
Speaker 1: eighty one yard or before that. But that even that

714
00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:41,600
Speaker 1: doesn't I it was a touchdown though, well I think

715
00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:44,320
Speaker 1: we're talking touchdowns. Uh let me let me dig it

716
00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:46,600
Speaker 1: in the numbers after we're done here. It's been confirmed

717
00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:49,479
Speaker 1: by Charger that longest pass ever. Yeah, because if if

718
00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:52,000
Speaker 1: it's more than eighty four yards, it's likely a touchdown.

719
00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:54,440
Speaker 1: You'd be throwing a pass from the one yard line

720
00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:56,360
Speaker 1: and gets a really good point. That's a really good point,

721
00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:59,240
Speaker 1: but it's, uh, that was remarkable. And then it was

722
00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:02,200
Speaker 1: remarkable that Philip had the highest rating he's had in

723
00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:05,280
Speaker 1: his career out of whatever, two hundred and thirty whatever

724
00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:07,680
Speaker 1: cut in the playoffs games. He's starting in a Ronos,

725
00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:10,440
Speaker 1: his best, his most, his highest rating he's ever had.

726
00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:12,320
Speaker 1: No right, that whole rating things a little bit of

727
00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:14,760
Speaker 1: a mystery does a lot of you know, how they

728
00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:16,120
Speaker 1: come to it. But still the fact that it was

729
00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:18,960
Speaker 1: his most, his best ever, and you think about it,

730
00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:21,760
Speaker 1: Hunter had had a drop, Hunter Henry had to drop,

731
00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,200
Speaker 1: the Guidon had a drop. You know, he had sixteen

732
00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:27,640
Speaker 1: completions and two of them were clearer drops. I mean,

733
00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:30,000
Speaker 1: you know, Hunter Henry after the game was joking about

734
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:31,880
Speaker 1: how bad of a drop he had, so it could

735
00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:35,400
Speaker 1: have even been better. But that that was It was weird,

736
00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:37,480
Speaker 1: I guess in part because the game wasn't close, and

737
00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:41,160
Speaker 1: there you're in this weird, you know team that's kind

738
00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:43,520
Speaker 1: of in Jacksonville. It's just sort of going through the

739
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:45,680
Speaker 1: motions here at the end. It didn't feel like we

740
00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:47,640
Speaker 1: were watching all kinds of history, but we actually were.

741
00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:49,840
Speaker 1: The One interesting thing about that, though, is like you had.

742
00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,280
Speaker 1: They were both in the same spot coming into this game.

743
00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:54,840
Speaker 1: They were both four and eight. One team goes out

744
00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:56,880
Speaker 1: and puts on the showing that you saw with the Chargers,

745
00:33:56,920 --> 00:33:59,240
Speaker 1: and one team completely folds. What does that say about

746
00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:01,600
Speaker 1: Anti Lynn as a head coach and his ability to

747
00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:04,000
Speaker 1: motivate players. Yeah, that to me is a clear indication

748
00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:05,640
Speaker 1: because both these teams were playing for the same thing.

749
00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:08,040
Speaker 1: I think it says a lot, especially when you look

750
00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:10,920
Speaker 1: at the losses that the Chargers have had. They've all

751
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,800
Speaker 1: been so close. They have not been blown out in

752
00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:17,239
Speaker 1: any game. So to see guys who know that the

753
00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:20,360
Speaker 1: playoffs are not out of possibility, to go three thousand

754
00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:23,400
Speaker 1: miles away from home and to put together a performance

755
00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:26,200
Speaker 1: like that. I think Coachlan was talking about phillips performance

756
00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:29,279
Speaker 1: and how decisive he was with the football, and that

757
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:32,759
Speaker 1: certainly showed. I mean to have all these guys eat

758
00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:35,279
Speaker 1: man like Mike Williams, all he does is catch forty

759
00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:38,360
Speaker 1: yard passes, Keenan Allen had a great game, Hunter and

760
00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:42,040
Speaker 1: Henry had that thirty yard touchdown that apparently Thomas Davis designed,

761
00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:49,880
Speaker 1: so everybody. Everybody had a pretty exceptional game. Yeah, I

762
00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:51,799
Speaker 1: think they were most happy from Mike Williams. I get

763
00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:54,399
Speaker 1: that first touchdown finally, Like I know, you keep bringing

764
00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:56,279
Speaker 1: up all these stats of a forty yard receptions, but

765
00:34:56,560 --> 00:34:58,040
Speaker 1: he wants to get in the end zone, of course,

766
00:34:58,120 --> 00:35:00,400
Speaker 1: and he finally got it and to fill with the

767
00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:02,759
Speaker 1: press conner. He was just so excited for him. And

768
00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:04,480
Speaker 1: then you got Keenan Allen tell him to go go

769
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:06,040
Speaker 1: dunk the ball at the goal post. He got that.

770
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:07,960
Speaker 1: We got in trouble with that, but he could tell

771
00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:10,160
Speaker 1: everybody really want him, Mike to get in there. And

772
00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:12,440
Speaker 1: I started talking to Mike today and I realized that

773
00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:14,680
Speaker 1: they can have three guys with a thousand yards receiving

774
00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:17,040
Speaker 1: this year, where Austin Nakeler, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

775
00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:18,440
Speaker 1: I don't know if that's there were happening with the

776
00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:20,000
Speaker 1: charges or I don't know when's the last time team

777
00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:22,200
Speaker 1: has done that, but I got to have two two

778
00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:24,560
Speaker 1: thousand yard guys is like a big deal for a team.

779
00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:27,120
Speaker 1: So to potentially have three is so we gotta figure

780
00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:29,520
Speaker 1: that that out. But yeah, to be that close, but yeah,

781
00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:31,120
Speaker 1: it seems like now these guys are kind of geting

782
00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:33,600
Speaker 1: in a groove or again their numbers, and it's kind

783
00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:35,360
Speaker 1: of like, where was this the whole season, you know,

784
00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:37,799
Speaker 1: but for them to put it together on one one week,

785
00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:39,640
Speaker 1: and I'm sure that felt really good for them. And

786
00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:41,759
Speaker 1: the one thing with Mike, I mean we've sat here

787
00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:43,479
Speaker 1: and we talked over and over again earlier this season

788
00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:46,040
Speaker 1: about he needs to find some consistency. He needs to

789
00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:47,920
Speaker 1: be the consistent player that we all know he can be.

790
00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:50,960
Speaker 1: And here he is over the second half of this year,

791
00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:53,640
Speaker 1: really since about week six, week seven. He's consistent, and

792
00:35:53,760 --> 00:35:57,080
Speaker 1: the consistency is catching forty yard passes. But who cares

793
00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:58,880
Speaker 1: how the production comes, because that's a big play in

794
00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:00,719
Speaker 1: the game. If you're making a forty yard reception every

795
00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:02,840
Speaker 1: single game, then hey, you have value in the NFL.

796
00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:05,719
Speaker 1: And I just I just commend Mike for on a

797
00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:09,040
Speaker 1: balky knee, going out and being a consistent football player

798
00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:10,920
Speaker 1: and making plays every week. And I remember when that

799
00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:13,360
Speaker 1: ball went up on Sunday, I was like, this is

800
00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:15,840
Speaker 1: the one that falls in complete. There's no way he

801
00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:17,480
Speaker 1: can get to that ball because he's on the thirty

802
00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:19,360
Speaker 1: yard line the like, and then all of a sudden,

803
00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:21,040
Speaker 1: I'm just seeing I'm just seeing him run and im

804
00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:22,400
Speaker 1: and then he catches it. It was one of the

805
00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:24,840
Speaker 1: most amazing things I've ever seen live because I just

806
00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:26,200
Speaker 1: when the ball was in the arms, like there's just

807
00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:28,600
Speaker 1: no chance I've written off. I was like, Nope. Incompletion,

808
00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:30,680
Speaker 1: they have a player like that on your team that

809
00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:34,000
Speaker 1: can also just bail you out in situations. Even though

810
00:36:34,239 --> 00:36:36,440
Speaker 1: it didn't work out for the Chargers in that Kansas

811
00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:39,000
Speaker 1: City and Denver game, he had huge plays to put

812
00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:40,920
Speaker 1: them in a position to win. Yeah, he was the

813
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:43,120
Speaker 1: old He's kind of an ultimate bailout. And that you

814
00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:45,759
Speaker 1: mentioned that in the in those two games that they

815
00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:48,759
Speaker 1: actually lost, I mean he he did bail him out

816
00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:51,200
Speaker 1: and they just weren't able to finish, which has been

817
00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:53,200
Speaker 1: the theme all you know, we've talked about this all

818
00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:54,880
Speaker 1: year and not you know, the turnovers and i'd be

819
00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:58,080
Speaker 1: able to finish drives. But it this week will be

820
00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:01,960
Speaker 1: interesting because the Vikings have all kinds of stuff to

821
00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:04,240
Speaker 1: play for, and there we know they're much more talented

822
00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:07,680
Speaker 1: than than Jacksonville. So I, you know, I think it'll

823
00:37:07,719 --> 00:37:09,680
Speaker 1: be I suspect it'll be a good game. We'll probably

824
00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:12,960
Speaker 1: another close game, but it's not you know, to Daniel's point,

825
00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:15,080
Speaker 1: it's I don't think it was surprising. And all the

826
00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:19,040
Speaker 1: way the Chargers played. I I think, you know, Anthony,

827
00:37:19,920 --> 00:37:22,000
Speaker 1: I think guys want to play hard for him. He's

828
00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,680
Speaker 1: just one of those guys. And you know in Jacksonville's

829
00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:26,879
Speaker 1: you know, they I think they all know their coach

830
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,400
Speaker 1: is gone, so they are kind of just you know what,

831
00:37:29,920 --> 00:37:32,440
Speaker 1: you know what we you're playing for your own pride

832
00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:35,160
Speaker 1: at that point and for some guys and that that

833
00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:38,279
Speaker 1: team's not loaded with talent as we know. Um, but

834
00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:40,640
Speaker 1: this will be you know, this will be a different animal.

835
00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:43,160
Speaker 1: You know, the Vikings are a much better team and

836
00:37:43,239 --> 00:37:45,759
Speaker 1: they have they're they're rolling, and they've got you know,

837
00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:48,320
Speaker 1: they're looking at the postseason. So you know, it'll be

838
00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:50,319
Speaker 1: a different challenge for the Chargers. But I expect them

839
00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:52,040
Speaker 1: to show up and I think it'll probably be like

840
00:37:52,120 --> 00:37:54,399
Speaker 1: a lot of these games, it'll be a one score game. Yeah,

841
00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,279
Speaker 1: it's a great segue into the Vikings nine and four,

842
00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:00,279
Speaker 1: pretty balanced offense. All of us just came from the

843
00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:02,640
Speaker 1: locker room. Um, so we got a little bit insight

844
00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:05,279
Speaker 1: into what the guys are thinking. Um. Kirk Cousins twenty

845
00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:08,480
Speaker 1: four touchdowns, just four interceptions. You got digs I think

846
00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:11,560
Speaker 1: Feeland as a question mark. Uh and then Dalvin Cook

847
00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:14,080
Speaker 1: is good of a runner as there is in football.

848
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,640
Speaker 1: So the Chargers they're not playing at Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday,

849
00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:20,080
Speaker 1: and it will be interesting to see how they respond

850
00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:22,960
Speaker 1: to the success that they had Sunday and how they

851
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:26,160
Speaker 1: can maybe carry it over and maybe spoil what the

852
00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:28,080
Speaker 1: Vikers have gone. I think you said it right there.

853
00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:29,600
Speaker 1: I think they want to be a spoilers. You know,

854
00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:31,560
Speaker 1: they're not gonna go to the playoffs, but you could

855
00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:34,959
Speaker 1: you can ruin somebody's playoffs. And I think if Vira,

856
00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,319
Speaker 1: you know, the cross Town team, the Rams, they're rooting

857
00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:39,080
Speaker 1: for the Chargers because the Vikings are fighting with the

858
00:38:39,239 --> 00:38:41,440
Speaker 1: Rams have wildcard spy, so it's kind of awkward for

859
00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:43,200
Speaker 1: the Charges in the Rams of being on the same type.

860
00:38:43,239 --> 00:38:45,360
Speaker 1: I think for Chargers, who I could keep saying that

861
00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:47,160
Speaker 1: they're fighting front the OLMP, but now they could fight

862
00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:49,600
Speaker 1: for more. They could be spoilers. And in a game

863
00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:53,000
Speaker 1: like that, I think and Papa bright Up and how

864
00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:55,520
Speaker 1: close they are with the point deferential, I think they're

865
00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:58,479
Speaker 1: they're kind of similar. They're just for them hasn't gone

866
00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:01,320
Speaker 1: the right way for the Charge but they're both talented

867
00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:02,480
Speaker 1: on both sides of the ball, so I think it

868
00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:05,040
Speaker 1: should be a good game on Sunday. Yeah, I'm curious

869
00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:06,719
Speaker 1: to see how they match up, because I mean, you're

870
00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:09,719
Speaker 1: waiting for that that that seven old Derwin James moment

871
00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:11,839
Speaker 1: where he just makes the kind of plays that they've

872
00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:14,719
Speaker 1: been missing. Now he's come closed, no pun intended. That

873
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,200
Speaker 1: was good. Oh I didn't even think about that. That

874
00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:21,560
Speaker 1: was actually that was tremendous. Was tremendous, tremendous word play. Wow,

875
00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:23,800
Speaker 1: thanks guys, even though I didn't mean it. But so

876
00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:25,920
Speaker 1: he's come close. You know, he's had an attackle for

877
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:27,879
Speaker 1: loss in the Broncos game. He had that bad ball

878
00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:30,759
Speaker 1: last week in Jacksonville. But you're waiting for like that

879
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,319
Speaker 1: Derwin James play um and the one thing just talking

880
00:39:33,360 --> 00:39:35,640
Speaker 1: to defensive guys in there, just like the difference of

881
00:39:35,719 --> 00:39:38,320
Speaker 1: having Adrian Phillips and Derwin James on the field is

882
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:41,200
Speaker 1: so big and about that, and I'm yes, but I'm

883
00:39:41,239 --> 00:39:43,440
Speaker 1: fascinated to see, like, Okay, when this they're kind of

884
00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:46,239
Speaker 1: feeling like themselves again. They both got two games under

885
00:39:46,239 --> 00:39:47,640
Speaker 1: their belt. This is gonna be the third game, going

886
00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:50,080
Speaker 1: up against a really good offense, and this could be

887
00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:52,000
Speaker 1: the game where we see like that Chargers defense that

888
00:39:52,160 --> 00:39:54,160
Speaker 1: we haven't seen all season just because guys have been injured.

889
00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:56,640
Speaker 1: Are you surprised by how good those guys have looked

890
00:39:56,960 --> 00:40:00,279
Speaker 1: in the two games that they've been back, Because for

891
00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:02,880
Speaker 1: Ap to get hurt in week two, Darwin to not

892
00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:05,840
Speaker 1: to see the field training camp was when when Derwood

893
00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:09,719
Speaker 1: got hurt. Of course, those guys both games. Darwin I

894
00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:12,960
Speaker 1: think only missed one snap in the game against Denver.

895
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:15,680
Speaker 1: What was his snap count because Jacksonville. Yes, Sam, it

896
00:40:15,719 --> 00:40:17,600
Speaker 1: was about to say he only missed one snap. Yeah, yeah,

897
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:19,880
Speaker 1: it's it's sixty to sixty two to sixty three. It's

898
00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:23,200
Speaker 1: pretty impressive. Yeah yeah. I mean, honestly, Adrian, for me,

899
00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:25,319
Speaker 1: has been more. I sort of expected they're gonna come

900
00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:26,960
Speaker 1: out and play like this. He's just like a such

901
00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:29,160
Speaker 1: a physical specimen and he's a young guy, like he's

902
00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:30,719
Speaker 1: sort of expected to be able to bounce back from

903
00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:33,600
Speaker 1: an injury. Adrian came out in like the third play

904
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:37,200
Speaker 1: of that Broncos game, just delivered a crushing hit. And

905
00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:39,440
Speaker 1: this is a guy who was like it's a broken arm,

906
00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:41,840
Speaker 1: like that thing can break again. It's like you know,

907
00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:44,239
Speaker 1: you need time for it to heal properly. But I

908
00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:45,839
Speaker 1: was talking to him today about He's just like, Yeah,

909
00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:47,560
Speaker 1: that's that's just how I play. That's gonna break again.

910
00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:49,160
Speaker 1: It's gonna break again. But the one thing I'm not

911
00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:50,920
Speaker 1: gonna do is go out there and not give one

912
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:54,239
Speaker 1: hundred percent and or play scared. Um. He's been he's

913
00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:56,799
Speaker 1: been impressive, and he played thirty six snaps last week,

914
00:40:56,840 --> 00:40:58,160
Speaker 1: so he's getting on the field. The're using a lot

915
00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:00,879
Speaker 1: of dime package, which is what's really exciting about this defense.

916
00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:02,479
Speaker 1: When they can get those six dbs in the field

917
00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:06,800
Speaker 1: and play quickly and fast, but also have that physicality

918
00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:09,640
Speaker 1: because Adrian Derwin are just such big hitters. It's I'm fascinated.

919
00:41:09,640 --> 00:41:10,800
Speaker 1: I think it's gonna be a great match up and

920
00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:12,440
Speaker 1: it's gonna be interesting to see if the Chargers defense

921
00:41:12,480 --> 00:41:14,359
Speaker 1: can can take that next step now that everyone's health,

922
00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:15,719
Speaker 1: even though it won't matter for the playoffs, just to

923
00:41:15,719 --> 00:41:17,200
Speaker 1: see it moving into the next year. You want to

924
00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:19,919
Speaker 1: see what it looks like twenty twenty. Eric Williams, Haley, Olwin,

925
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,880
Speaker 1: Am myself, we're talking after the games Sunday about just

926
00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:25,920
Speaker 1: the youth on the defense, to see Drew Tranquil and

927
00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:28,000
Speaker 1: Derwin James on the field at the same time. This

928
00:41:28,239 --> 00:41:31,319
Speaker 1: last month. You get a snapshot of what this team

929
00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:33,799
Speaker 1: can look like next year. Oh absolutely. And I think

930
00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:39,000
Speaker 1: one thing the Chargers get All NFL teams get trashed

931
00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:41,520
Speaker 1: all the time because their guys get hurt constantly, and

932
00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,800
Speaker 1: we earlier this year that was the theme everybody's you

933
00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:48,480
Speaker 1: know what's wrong with the Chargers training staff, And my

934
00:41:48,880 --> 00:41:53,440
Speaker 1: limited experience covering professional sports is covering the NFL especially,

935
00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:56,000
Speaker 1: is all these teams do the same thing. There's no

936
00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:58,160
Speaker 1: secrets for the most part of everybody, So I don't

937
00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:00,840
Speaker 1: think they're doing anything incorrectly. The one thing that I

938
00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:02,440
Speaker 1: think you need to point out though here with both

939
00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:05,280
Speaker 1: Derwin and Adrian As they did not rush those guys.

940
00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:07,680
Speaker 1: They made sure that they were okay. And I will

941
00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:09,640
Speaker 1: promise you that both those players will tell you they

942
00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:11,319
Speaker 1: could have come back, They could have played sooner than

943
00:42:11,360 --> 00:42:14,000
Speaker 1: they ended up playing. But I think that in part

944
00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:16,640
Speaker 1: of it, maybe if these games had really been insignificant,

945
00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:20,000
Speaker 1: maybe they would have brought back like Adrian the week before.

946
00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:23,040
Speaker 1: But obviously, unfortunately for the Chargers, the season's gone the

947
00:42:23,080 --> 00:42:25,280
Speaker 1: way it's gone but I think they were really careful,

948
00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:29,120
Speaker 1: especially with Derwin, young guy. You don't want to you know,

949
00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:30,960
Speaker 1: it's a foot thing. You don't want that lingering. And

950
00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:33,600
Speaker 1: I thought they should be commended the fact that they

951
00:42:33,719 --> 00:42:36,239
Speaker 1: really slow played, that they gave those guys as much

952
00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:39,719
Speaker 1: time as they needed. So I think they're both, you know,

953
00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:42,520
Speaker 1: I think they're in. You know, Adrian, I talked to

954
00:42:42,560 --> 00:42:44,880
Speaker 1: him last week after the game, his first game. He

955
00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:47,239
Speaker 1: said he's perfectly fine. Never he didn't feel anything. He

956
00:42:47,280 --> 00:42:49,800
Speaker 1: didn't you know, he's not He didn't have the slightest

957
00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:52,279
Speaker 1: bit of hesitation of doing anything. He feels totally normal,

958
00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:54,200
Speaker 1: and I'm sure Derwin feels the same way. I think

959
00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:57,160
Speaker 1: they're totally healthy. And I think it should be noted

960
00:42:57,160 --> 00:43:00,120
Speaker 1: that the Chargers did that, that they actually waited. They

961
00:43:00,719 --> 00:43:02,680
Speaker 1: let these guys get get well to the point where

962
00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:04,680
Speaker 1: they're one hundred percent. And this stuff pays off, like

963
00:43:05,080 --> 00:43:06,880
Speaker 1: and it happens around sports where if you take your

964
00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:08,560
Speaker 1: time and let a young guy come back from injury

965
00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:10,880
Speaker 1: the right way, it pays off. I mean to use

966
00:43:10,920 --> 00:43:14,279
Speaker 1: a baseball analogy. Steven Strasburg, Tommy John, they re made

967
00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:17,880
Speaker 1: the playoff hunt. They shut him downs, were ripping. Oh

968
00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:20,000
Speaker 1: my god. And I was covering the team at that season,

969
00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:22,200
Speaker 1: and I mean it was, you know, Mike Rizzo, the

970
00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:24,440
Speaker 1: GM should be fired. How could anyone do this? It's

971
00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:26,120
Speaker 1: a mockery of the game. Blah blah blah blah lo

972
00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:29,359
Speaker 1: and behold whatever one of the four or five. Six

973
00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:31,880
Speaker 1: years later, Strosser's leading them to a World Series. So

974
00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:34,040
Speaker 1: it's it's important. It's important, and I think it's a

975
00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:36,040
Speaker 1: great point from Jeff with all the storylines that we

976
00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:39,360
Speaker 1: talked about Sunday from Austin to fill up to, you know,

977
00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:43,000
Speaker 1: the play of the defense. Joey Bosa whole home another

978
00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:45,600
Speaker 1: two sacks, right, and that that gets lost because I

979
00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:48,160
Speaker 1: think we almost expected each every week. Right. That was

980
00:43:48,239 --> 00:43:50,120
Speaker 1: kind of surprising because I was checking whe's the last

981
00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:52,000
Speaker 1: time Joey Bosa got a sack? And it hasn't been

982
00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:54,360
Speaker 1: since the November third week nineing as the Packers. So

983
00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:56,759
Speaker 1: for him to go that long without a sack, that

984
00:43:56,760 --> 00:43:58,319
Speaker 1: that's kind of hard to believe. But they get two.

985
00:43:58,320 --> 00:44:00,640
Speaker 1: He climb made up for that. Think he's ten point

986
00:44:00,719 --> 00:44:03,279
Speaker 1: five now, three out of their four seasons he's got

987
00:44:03,360 --> 00:44:05,239
Speaker 1: into double the sax. So for him, he's a usual

988
00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:07,680
Speaker 1: typical of joy Bosa game. But I think we've kind

989
00:44:07,680 --> 00:44:09,360
Speaker 1: of realized this year that he's more than just a

990
00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:12,160
Speaker 1: sack guy. He'll stopped the run. He's all over the field.

991
00:44:12,160 --> 00:44:13,320
Speaker 1: He's doing a lot of things. But I think for

992
00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:15,560
Speaker 1: Joya Bosa, I know he's kind of out of the

993
00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:17,040
Speaker 1: race for he was the player of the year, maybe

994
00:44:17,040 --> 00:44:18,680
Speaker 1: because they're not winning that so much. But he's still

995
00:44:18,719 --> 00:44:20,440
Speaker 1: doing the same things I've been doing all year. Yeah,

996
00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:22,400
Speaker 1: it's just it's the stats that don't show up in

997
00:44:22,480 --> 00:44:25,040
Speaker 1: the statue. It's yeah. And when you talk to coaches,

998
00:44:25,080 --> 00:44:26,960
Speaker 1: the one thing they always say is the biggest difference

999
00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:29,239
Speaker 1: with Joey the season is how unselfish he is. He's

1000
00:44:29,239 --> 00:44:32,160
Speaker 1: willing to clog running lanes and fit the run and

1001
00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:34,360
Speaker 1: do things that maybe might not show up on the statue,

1002
00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:36,320
Speaker 1: like he said, but are crucial to winning games. And

1003
00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:38,840
Speaker 1: that's what they're saying. Now. The crazy thing about the

1004
00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:41,480
Speaker 1: season he's having is he's taking this unselfish approach and

1005
00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:43,319
Speaker 1: defending the run the way that he should. But he's

1006
00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:45,440
Speaker 1: also putting up the sack numbers, which just tells you

1007
00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:48,520
Speaker 1: how great of a season he's having. I'm fascinated to

1008
00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:50,480
Speaker 1: see how it plays out this offseason because if he's

1009
00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:52,680
Speaker 1: getting the right advice, he's going to hold out for

1010
00:44:52,719 --> 00:44:56,160
Speaker 1: a huge contract because defensive ends are extremely valuable on

1011
00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:59,440
Speaker 1: the marker. Right now, DeMarcus Lords signed that one hundred

1012
00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:02,719
Speaker 1: million plus dollar contract, Frank Clark's getting paid over one

1013
00:45:02,800 --> 00:45:04,680
Speaker 1: hundred million dollars, So you expect Joey Bosa to be

1014
00:45:04,719 --> 00:45:06,960
Speaker 1: in that same conversation. Um, So we'll see how it

1015
00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:08,680
Speaker 1: plays out, but I think they have to try and

1016
00:45:08,760 --> 00:45:10,359
Speaker 1: keep him. They have to do everything they can get.

1017
00:45:10,360 --> 00:45:13,080
Speaker 1: See's a complete game changer. Well, just for Sunday, you know,

1018
00:45:13,160 --> 00:45:16,360
Speaker 1: we just talked about Kirk's numbers. Twenty four touchdowns, four interceptions.

1019
00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:18,400
Speaker 1: That's justin just how do you get him off schedule?

1020
00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:21,799
Speaker 1: He just goes Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. That's how

1021
00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:24,920
Speaker 1: you get about schedule. Yeah, that's a pretty good recipe,

1022
00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:28,200
Speaker 1: that is. And yeah, it's uh, it's funny. You know,

1023
00:45:28,239 --> 00:45:31,120
Speaker 1: we're you look at this team, the Chargers, and there's

1024
00:45:31,719 --> 00:45:33,160
Speaker 1: I don't know, we know all we're talking about all

1025
00:45:33,200 --> 00:45:34,759
Speaker 1: these great things that they're doing and I don't know

1026
00:45:34,760 --> 00:45:37,360
Speaker 1: how many Pro Bowlers these guys are gonna have everybody.

1027
00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:39,160
Speaker 1: I mean there's a few, right, there's a few guys

1028
00:45:39,239 --> 00:45:43,360
Speaker 1: that are could legitimately be Pro Bowlers and uh and

1029
00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:45,960
Speaker 1: they're gonna be and you look at their record and think,

1030
00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:47,840
Speaker 1: how is this possible? So it shows you. I mean

1031
00:45:47,880 --> 00:45:50,400
Speaker 1: there's like there's talent on this team and it's just

1032
00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:54,239
Speaker 1: it's it sounds kind of like coach speak, but it's not.

1033
00:45:54,520 --> 00:45:57,120
Speaker 1: Is that these you know, they're they're they're really this

1034
00:45:57,280 --> 00:45:59,759
Speaker 1: close to being Did you guys have so much to watch?

1035
00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:05,000
Speaker 1: At HBO documentary Saban in Belichick, I haven't seen it yet.

1036
00:46:05,040 --> 00:46:07,160
Speaker 1: I watched it last night. It was it was fantastic.

1037
00:46:07,520 --> 00:46:09,800
Speaker 1: But one of the things that they were talking about

1038
00:46:10,200 --> 00:46:14,040
Speaker 1: was how each season, you know, whether you're Nick Saban

1039
00:46:14,200 --> 00:46:16,800
Speaker 1: at Alabama and you have to have a new team

1040
00:46:16,960 --> 00:46:21,760
Speaker 1: and playing against new players that freshman, sophomore, juniors, that transfer.

1041
00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:24,719
Speaker 1: I mean, every team's different each and every year and

1042
00:46:24,840 --> 00:46:26,440
Speaker 1: the same ghost to the NFL. You may have the

1043
00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:28,800
Speaker 1: same players, but each season is different, so it's a

1044
00:46:28,840 --> 00:46:32,799
Speaker 1: new challenge. It's rebuilding that chemistry. And I think one

1045
00:46:32,840 --> 00:46:35,680
Speaker 1: of the things I heard from this building in between

1046
00:46:35,840 --> 00:46:38,360
Speaker 1: the twelve and four season this season was that that

1047
00:46:38,520 --> 00:46:41,040
Speaker 1: doesn't carry over to this year, and we said that

1048
00:46:41,160 --> 00:46:43,680
Speaker 1: a lot, but it's true, it just doesn't carry over.

1049
00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:46,560
Speaker 1: It's a new challenge and you're you're seeing a lot

1050
00:46:46,640 --> 00:46:49,919
Speaker 1: of the same players in the same position. The games

1051
00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:52,840
Speaker 1: have been so close. They won the games in twenty eighteen,

1052
00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:55,320
Speaker 1: they just haven't done it in twenty nineteen. I'm a

1053
00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:58,120
Speaker 1: fundamental believer in the fact that cliches exists for a reason,

1054
00:46:58,200 --> 00:47:01,120
Speaker 1: and there's a reason coaches always talk about situational football.

1055
00:47:01,719 --> 00:47:04,000
Speaker 1: You have to make the plays in the big time

1056
00:47:04,120 --> 00:47:06,759
Speaker 1: moments late in games, and these guys have just they've

1057
00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:08,520
Speaker 1: made so many mistakes at the end of the games.

1058
00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:10,719
Speaker 1: Whether it's in Detroit fipped on the interception in the

1059
00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:13,080
Speaker 1: end zone, whether it's Melvin Gordon fumbling at the goal line.

1060
00:47:13,280 --> 00:47:15,239
Speaker 1: You can go on and on about just situations where

1061
00:47:15,239 --> 00:47:17,360
Speaker 1: they just haven't made plays. Casey, hey, we're drawing the

1062
00:47:17,400 --> 00:47:19,480
Speaker 1: passing inference. We can argue about whether it's PI or not.

1063
00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:21,320
Speaker 1: It got quality put himself in a bad position on

1064
00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:23,680
Speaker 1: that play. Um. You can go down the list, and

1065
00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:25,800
Speaker 1: I mean they have a better point differential than the

1066
00:47:26,000 --> 00:47:28,480
Speaker 1: ten and three Seahawks, the eight and five Steelers, Like

1067
00:47:28,560 --> 00:47:30,920
Speaker 1: there are teams that are that have not won by

1068
00:47:30,960 --> 00:47:32,759
Speaker 1: as many points as them and put up the same

1069
00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:35,040
Speaker 1: points when when you subtract points four and points against

1070
00:47:35,280 --> 00:47:37,440
Speaker 1: that have much much better records, and it comes down

1071
00:47:37,440 --> 00:47:39,520
Speaker 1: to not making the plays when it matters the most.

1072
00:47:39,640 --> 00:47:42,000
Speaker 1: Just think about this when we talk about the NFL

1073
00:47:42,080 --> 00:47:44,440
Speaker 1: and just how weird it is. Twelve and four last year,

1074
00:47:44,719 --> 00:47:47,200
Speaker 1: this team was so close to being a number one

1075
00:47:47,239 --> 00:47:50,040
Speaker 1: overall seat in the AFC five and eight if you

1076
00:47:50,120 --> 00:47:52,080
Speaker 1: put them in the NFC East. Right now, they are

1077
00:47:52,160 --> 00:47:55,080
Speaker 1: one game back from hosting a playoff game. That's just

1078
00:47:55,320 --> 00:47:59,279
Speaker 1: that's just the way that it's it's unbelievable. But you

1079
00:47:59,400 --> 00:48:01,480
Speaker 1: have teams like that. I remember when the Seahawks were

1080
00:48:01,520 --> 00:48:03,960
Speaker 1: like seven and nine and it beat the Saints, um

1081
00:48:05,200 --> 00:48:08,960
Speaker 1: the Marshawn Lynch, the Beast Quake run exactly. So you know,

1082
00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:12,080
Speaker 1: it's funny to look back and see, Okay, twelve and four,

1083
00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:13,759
Speaker 1: this could have been another one overall seed in the

1084
00:48:13,800 --> 00:48:16,839
Speaker 1: playoffs this year, not even close to that, not gonna

1085
00:48:16,880 --> 00:48:18,920
Speaker 1: make the playoffs. But you put them in another division,

1086
00:48:19,400 --> 00:48:21,439
Speaker 1: it's a different story. I think I think the team

1087
00:48:21,520 --> 00:48:23,279
Speaker 1: was such in a good role last year, winning those

1088
00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:25,279
Speaker 1: close games. They kind of maybe expected to win those

1089
00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:27,560
Speaker 1: close games this year. And I was talking to Virgil

1090
00:48:27,640 --> 00:48:29,840
Speaker 1: Green last week and he gave me an honest answer.

1091
00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:32,120
Speaker 1: He said, a lot of these guys came in, you know, Ryan,

1092
00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:33,759
Speaker 1: the same high horse from a year ago, kind of

1093
00:48:33,800 --> 00:48:35,520
Speaker 1: expecting to do the same thing. And did you know

1094
00:48:35,560 --> 00:48:37,320
Speaker 1: when they were twelve and four. You can't just go

1095
00:48:37,520 --> 00:48:39,279
Speaker 1: get you know, stay on that same horse. You gotta

1096
00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:40,920
Speaker 1: get down and go and get back up again, he

1097
00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:43,279
Speaker 1: was telling me. And another cliche the high horse thing

1098
00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:45,279
Speaker 1: for Virgil Green, but it's true. You you you know,

1099
00:48:45,520 --> 00:48:47,919
Speaker 1: it's a new year again. More cliche is a new sealer.

1100
00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:51,359
Speaker 1: You gotta, you know, keep working hard. And I think, guys,

1101
00:48:53,719 --> 00:48:55,920
Speaker 1: I know, we hate that as we hate that as reporters.

1102
00:48:55,960 --> 00:48:57,640
Speaker 1: I'm gonna get that more as quotes. Now. That's like

1103
00:48:57,800 --> 00:48:59,160
Speaker 1: I kind of hate that I'm saying that, But sometimes

1104
00:48:59,200 --> 00:49:05,640
Speaker 1: it's true, Like well, Gil likes clean. Sometimes you playally

1105
00:49:05,680 --> 00:49:07,799
Speaker 1: win the game and all that. Sometimes there's true there's

1106
00:49:07,800 --> 00:49:09,960
Speaker 1: a reason that gets talked about all the time. Yeah,

1107
00:49:10,200 --> 00:49:12,240
Speaker 1: and I think we're agreeing. I think, you know, being honest,

1108
00:49:12,440 --> 00:49:15,200
Speaker 1: and I think maybe they gave before that against the

1109
00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:18,960
Speaker 1: Denver where this time the offensive I mean the offense

1110
00:49:19,200 --> 00:49:20,960
Speaker 1: they did, they delivered, they went down the field, they

1111
00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:22,520
Speaker 1: got that field go with Michael Badgley. I know they

1112
00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:24,920
Speaker 1: got the Casey Hayward thing, but for the offensive mindset

1113
00:49:24,960 --> 00:49:27,800
Speaker 1: to deliver in that situation and kind of close the

1114
00:49:27,840 --> 00:49:30,040
Speaker 1: game and you get the rough thing with the p either.

1115
00:49:30,160 --> 00:49:31,560
Speaker 1: But that I think maybe that kind of carried over

1116
00:49:31,600 --> 00:49:32,680
Speaker 1: to the to the next week and you have a

1117
00:49:32,760 --> 00:49:35,520
Speaker 1: complete game, you're in a row and you jump out

1118
00:49:35,560 --> 00:49:37,680
Speaker 1: to whatever it was, thirty eight ten, you you finished

1119
00:49:37,719 --> 00:49:39,839
Speaker 1: forty five ten. So I think just kind of maybe

1120
00:49:40,080 --> 00:49:42,239
Speaker 1: the baby steps helped out for that Jackson movie game,

1121
00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:43,520
Speaker 1: but it was a little too late. But I think

1122
00:49:43,640 --> 00:49:46,640
Speaker 1: now maybe they could get somementum for momentum for twenty twenty. Yep.

1123
00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:50,480
Speaker 1: Well Sunday players to watch. We do it every round table.

1124
00:49:50,880 --> 00:49:54,880
Speaker 1: Daniel Popper, you go first, Oh boy, um, who am

1125
00:49:54,920 --> 00:49:57,960
Speaker 1: I watching? Who am I watching? Let's say Denzel Perriman,

1126
00:49:58,200 --> 00:50:00,279
Speaker 1: it's getting the start at middle linebacker, come and off

1127
00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:03,719
Speaker 1: a game where he was left behind because of a

1128
00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:07,359
Speaker 1: coach's decision. I'm gonna be I'm interested to see how

1129
00:50:07,400 --> 00:50:09,719
Speaker 1: he comes back and how he plays, because honestly, he

1130
00:50:09,840 --> 00:50:11,880
Speaker 1: has a situation moving this offseason where he could potentially

1131
00:50:11,920 --> 00:50:13,760
Speaker 1: not be here based on how they set up his contract.

1132
00:50:13,800 --> 00:50:15,960
Speaker 1: He's a pretty big cap h next year, they could

1133
00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:18,400
Speaker 1: cut him and save eighty percent of that contract. And

1134
00:50:18,440 --> 00:50:20,879
Speaker 1: they got Drew Trankwill who's playing really well at mic

1135
00:50:20,960 --> 00:50:24,720
Speaker 1: linebacker and seven tackles. So I'll had first drive. Yeah, insane,

1136
00:50:24,840 --> 00:50:26,400
Speaker 1: and he's playing really well. And also he can fit

1137
00:50:26,400 --> 00:50:27,920
Speaker 1: a bunch of different roles in this defense because of

1138
00:50:27,960 --> 00:50:29,680
Speaker 1: his background as a safety and his ability to cover.

1139
00:50:30,680 --> 00:50:33,400
Speaker 1: So they have somebody behind Denzel right now who can

1140
00:50:33,480 --> 00:50:36,080
Speaker 1: be the long term solution at MIKE. Denzel's got to

1141
00:50:36,120 --> 00:50:37,800
Speaker 1: show something over these last three games to prove that

1142
00:50:37,840 --> 00:50:39,759
Speaker 1: he still has value because he's such had such an

1143
00:50:39,760 --> 00:50:42,319
Speaker 1: injury plagued season and then this what happened last week.

1144
00:50:42,719 --> 00:50:44,400
Speaker 1: So I'll be watching him. Yeah that's my fish with

1145
00:50:44,440 --> 00:50:46,200
Speaker 1: a guy like Dalvin Cook in the back right, Yeah,

1146
00:50:46,480 --> 00:50:49,200
Speaker 1: big running game and uh you know you got Kniro

1147
00:50:49,239 --> 00:50:51,680
Speaker 1: middle linebacker making plays and he's obviously that's his strength,

1148
00:50:52,160 --> 00:50:55,040
Speaker 1: is playing the run and being the decisive hitter against

1149
00:50:55,080 --> 00:50:56,960
Speaker 1: the run set in the tone for that defense. So

1150
00:50:57,239 --> 00:50:59,719
Speaker 1: I'll be watching Denzel gil I'm gonna think the easy one.

1151
00:50:59,719 --> 00:51:01,680
Speaker 1: I want to see more of Austin Ekeler, and I

1152
00:51:01,840 --> 00:51:04,160
Speaker 1: keep looking at its stats. I'm like, he's so close

1153
00:51:04,200 --> 00:51:07,239
Speaker 1: to a thousand yards receiving, one hundred yards catches in

1154
00:51:07,280 --> 00:51:10,200
Speaker 1: a season. Uh, he has eleven touchdowns? How many can

1155
00:51:10,280 --> 00:51:12,000
Speaker 1: he get with three games to go? I want to

1156
00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:13,759
Speaker 1: just see him pile up those numbers and kind of

1157
00:51:13,920 --> 00:51:15,840
Speaker 1: have one of those memorable of charge of seasons. So

1158
00:51:16,520 --> 00:51:18,359
Speaker 1: he has three games ago and let's see what he does.

1159
00:51:18,440 --> 00:51:20,600
Speaker 1: Anthony Lynn was asked about him this week. He goes,

1160
00:51:20,920 --> 00:51:23,200
Speaker 1: I just want to see him do it again. Yeah, again,

1161
00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:25,239
Speaker 1: one hundred, one hundred, a double triple. That was just

1162
00:51:25,320 --> 00:51:26,759
Speaker 1: fun to watch and be a part of. So let's

1163
00:51:26,800 --> 00:51:28,120
Speaker 1: see what he could do with the top that only

1164
00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:30,080
Speaker 1: one guy in history has does the one hundred hundred

1165
00:51:30,120 --> 00:51:33,680
Speaker 1: and twice Brian Westbrook. Wow in a season, No, in

1166
00:51:33,719 --> 00:51:36,239
Speaker 1: a career. Wow, I was a great player too. Wait,

1167
00:51:36,440 --> 00:51:38,839
Speaker 1: only one guy has done that twice in a career

1168
00:51:38,920 --> 00:51:43,440
Speaker 1: in a career. Insane, really receiving rushing, doing going on

1169
00:51:43,480 --> 00:51:45,839
Speaker 1: a hundred yards, receiving a hundred yards rushing in one game,

1170
00:51:45,960 --> 00:51:48,080
Speaker 1: doing that in two games, Brian westbrosh he only got

1171
00:51:48,160 --> 00:51:51,279
Speaker 1: to do it twice? Yeah, there you go. Don't believe me.

1172
00:51:51,400 --> 00:51:53,279
Speaker 1: I didn't know. I didn't. I did not know that

1173
00:51:53,440 --> 00:51:56,200
Speaker 1: that's impressive. Yeah, it's it's it doesn't have impressive to

1174
00:51:56,239 --> 00:52:01,120
Speaker 1: do it once, right, It doesn't happen times he touches

1175
00:52:01,280 --> 00:52:03,799
Speaker 1: thirty fifth times since nineteen fifty that happened. It does

1176
00:52:03,960 --> 00:52:08,000
Speaker 1: not happen that. I'm I'm legitimately blown away by the

1177
00:52:08,080 --> 00:52:10,200
Speaker 1: fact that there's only been one guy who's done it twice.

1178
00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:16,439
Speaker 1: I'm gonna be wrong. I'm I'm mind blown by that. Wow.

1179
00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:19,640
Speaker 1: So what twelve touches? Was it like nineteen yards of touch? Yeah?

1180
00:52:19,680 --> 00:52:22,600
Speaker 1: And it was like nineteen point seventeen point seven. Yeah,

1181
00:52:23,320 --> 00:52:26,520
Speaker 1: So I you know, I'm gonna go with Derwin James.

1182
00:52:26,880 --> 00:52:28,960
Speaker 1: I think I think Pops onto something. I think this.

1183
00:52:29,160 --> 00:52:30,759
Speaker 1: I think we're gonna I think we're due one of

1184
00:52:30,840 --> 00:52:33,759
Speaker 1: those moments and he's gonna do something crazy and it's

1185
00:52:33,800 --> 00:52:35,759
Speaker 1: gonna be spectacular, and I think this is a good

1186
00:52:36,400 --> 00:52:39,200
Speaker 1: this would be a good spot for it. And yeah,

1187
00:52:39,239 --> 00:52:41,440
Speaker 1: I think but over the some at some point over

1188
00:52:41,440 --> 00:52:43,399
Speaker 1: these last three weeks, he's gonna do something and we're

1189
00:52:43,400 --> 00:52:45,600
Speaker 1: all gonna be talking about it, you know. The next

1190
00:52:45,640 --> 00:52:49,080
Speaker 1: week after this podcast, the next week, So I'm gonna

1191
00:52:49,120 --> 00:52:50,640
Speaker 1: go with him. I think this is this is I'm

1192
00:52:50,640 --> 00:52:52,040
Speaker 1: gonna pick him as this is the week that he's

1193
00:52:52,040 --> 00:52:54,920
Speaker 1: gonna do something spectacular. That was mine too, And I

1194
00:52:55,040 --> 00:52:57,440
Speaker 1: think you bring up a great point. We're starting to

1195
00:52:57,520 --> 00:53:01,960
Speaker 1: see that slowly build right that that past deflection, that

1196
00:53:02,120 --> 00:53:05,440
Speaker 1: stop I think was on fourth down in Jacksonville. To

1197
00:53:05,600 --> 00:53:07,920
Speaker 1: have a quarterback come in like Kirk Cousins, who has

1198
00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:12,120
Speaker 1: been really good this year, I can see Derwin affecting

1199
00:53:12,200 --> 00:53:16,800
Speaker 1: this game, whether it's an interception or a sack, a sack, fumble,

1200
00:53:16,880 --> 00:53:20,160
Speaker 1: forcing a turnover. Um. So Darwin James, He's just he's

1201
00:53:20,200 --> 00:53:23,239
Speaker 1: so much fun to watch and to have him back,

1202
00:53:23,760 --> 00:53:25,680
Speaker 1: I can't tell you how much I think that means

1203
00:53:25,760 --> 00:53:28,480
Speaker 1: to the defense and the energy overall that it has

1204
00:53:28,560 --> 00:53:31,680
Speaker 1: provided just the team in general. Yeah, Derwin and Adrian,

1205
00:53:31,760 --> 00:53:33,600
Speaker 1: I think both those guys just getting him back, it's

1206
00:53:33,600 --> 00:53:36,600
Speaker 1: a complete game changer and they certainly feel like a

1207
00:53:36,640 --> 00:53:39,400
Speaker 1: different unit without what those guys out there. Jeff, I

1208
00:53:39,520 --> 00:53:41,680
Speaker 1: want to do this with you guys moving forward. I

1209
00:53:41,760 --> 00:53:43,960
Speaker 1: feel negligent not doing it. What are you writing about

1210
00:53:44,040 --> 00:53:48,839
Speaker 1: this week? And what should fans that's just staring at

1211
00:53:48,880 --> 00:53:50,200
Speaker 1: me because it doesn't want to give away a story.

1212
00:53:52,480 --> 00:53:56,799
Speaker 1: You know, I think we heard about Brendan Fason today

1213
00:53:56,840 --> 00:53:58,800
Speaker 1: about how much how well he's been playing, so I

1214
00:53:58,880 --> 00:54:02,279
Speaker 1: probably have a little something on him. Um nice, and uh,

1215
00:54:03,120 --> 00:54:05,239
Speaker 1: you know, we'll kind of probably try to look at

1216
00:54:05,239 --> 00:54:07,560
Speaker 1: the jury tillerything a little more, but uh, you know,

1217
00:54:07,719 --> 00:54:10,120
Speaker 1: just kind of trying to keep I think the point

1218
00:54:10,280 --> 00:54:12,239
Speaker 1: is at this point, as writers, what you're trying to

1219
00:54:12,320 --> 00:54:14,759
Speaker 1: do is look toward the future a little bit, since

1220
00:54:14,800 --> 00:54:17,640
Speaker 1: these games don't matter to the Chargers, and maybe kind

1221
00:54:17,640 --> 00:54:21,040
Speaker 1: of write things that are either looking toward the future.

1222
00:54:21,080 --> 00:54:22,759
Speaker 1: In that case, you have two young players who you

1223
00:54:22,960 --> 00:54:24,719
Speaker 1: think will be around here for a while and maybe

1224
00:54:24,760 --> 00:54:28,520
Speaker 1: what their futures are, and you know, you're you're trying

1225
00:54:28,560 --> 00:54:30,880
Speaker 1: to kind of advance the story a little bit. So

1226
00:54:31,280 --> 00:54:34,600
Speaker 1: I think I'm guessing these guys will probably have similar answers. Yeah,

1227
00:54:34,760 --> 00:54:38,440
Speaker 1: I'll be looking looking ahead mostly doing some analysis on uh,

1228
00:54:38,600 --> 00:54:40,680
Speaker 1: you know, what it's going to look like in twenty nineteen.

1229
00:54:41,400 --> 00:54:44,719
Speaker 1: Why certain people twenty twenty why certain people? Thank you

1230
00:54:44,760 --> 00:54:46,759
Speaker 1: for cracting me. Yeah, well, I just want people going, like,

1231
00:54:46,880 --> 00:54:51,120
Speaker 1: tell you enjoyed that we know what's going on. Yeah,

1232
00:54:51,160 --> 00:54:53,920
Speaker 1: for twenty twenty, which people in the building are going

1233
00:54:54,000 --> 00:54:56,080
Speaker 1: to be back, while they're going to be back, looking

1234
00:54:56,120 --> 00:54:58,200
Speaker 1: at some young players that could be progressing that sort

1235
00:54:58,239 --> 00:55:00,600
Speaker 1: of thing. Yeah, I'm kind of doing a something similar

1236
00:55:00,640 --> 00:55:02,640
Speaker 1: to Jeff I kind of rookie around. I'm kind of

1237
00:55:02,760 --> 00:55:05,560
Speaker 1: talking all the rookies and even guys like a Meek

1238
00:55:05,680 --> 00:55:07,600
Speaker 1: who didn't play much. You know, how do they feel

1239
00:55:07,680 --> 00:55:10,040
Speaker 1: this year? You know, because the rookie season could be

1240
00:55:10,640 --> 00:55:12,879
Speaker 1: so different. You could be a start like Derwin James,

1241
00:55:12,960 --> 00:55:14,040
Speaker 1: or you could be a guy kind of takes you

1242
00:55:14,040 --> 00:55:15,960
Speaker 1: a while to blossom, like Justin Jones a year ago

1243
00:55:15,960 --> 00:55:19,239
Speaker 1: who's now started even the tackles. So do something like that.

1244
00:55:19,320 --> 00:55:22,520
Speaker 1: And then also Philip Rivers story, he kind of earned

1245
00:55:22,560 --> 00:55:24,920
Speaker 1: this story. He was kind of being told to retire,

1246
00:55:25,040 --> 00:55:27,000
Speaker 1: go home, you're too old, and he kind of has

1247
00:55:27,080 --> 00:55:29,120
Speaker 1: this big game on his birthday. So it seems like

1248
00:55:29,160 --> 00:55:31,200
Speaker 1: every time we Philip Rivers, he always finds a way

1249
00:55:31,200 --> 00:55:33,160
Speaker 1: to kind of change that narrative and kind of say, hey,

1250
00:55:33,280 --> 00:55:36,640
Speaker 1: I still got plenty of the football. Leaft ninety yard

1251
00:55:37,480 --> 00:55:41,000
Speaker 1: touch down I'm doing on my favorite. Every time I

1252
00:55:41,040 --> 00:55:47,000
Speaker 1: think about it, I laugh, you just did that? How

1253
00:55:47,040 --> 00:55:51,080
Speaker 1: did you all I'm glad I recognize Gil. It was

1254
00:55:51,160 --> 00:55:53,120
Speaker 1: good we found him. We had a back on the

1255
00:55:53,200 --> 00:55:55,719
Speaker 1: round table. I think you guys were joking with each

1256
00:55:55,760 --> 00:55:57,279
Speaker 1: other before the press conference. I don't know if you

1257
00:55:57,320 --> 00:55:59,279
Speaker 1: guys want to talk about that now or just let

1258
00:55:59,400 --> 00:56:01,279
Speaker 1: that go. I got a haircut. Jeff was gonna make

1259
00:56:01,280 --> 00:56:03,200
Speaker 1: a bad joke about my haircut, wouldn't tell me in

1260
00:56:03,239 --> 00:56:05,080
Speaker 1: the moment, and then told me about two hours later,

1261
00:56:05,160 --> 00:56:07,600
Speaker 1: and it wasn't a very good joke at all. Oh wow,

1262
00:56:09,040 --> 00:56:13,200
Speaker 1: it wasn't a very good joke on hair now at all.

1263
00:56:13,719 --> 00:56:15,799
Speaker 1: Say the general through the at all of the end. Listen,

1264
00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:17,800
Speaker 1: We'll let the well, let the audience be the judge.

1265
00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:20,400
Speaker 1: So the background of this is Daniel's been looking for

1266
00:56:20,480 --> 00:56:21,960
Speaker 1: a barber. He's been trying to find so, you know,

1267
00:56:22,880 --> 00:56:25,799
Speaker 1: you know, it's this whole season whatever he's been talking

1268
00:56:25,800 --> 00:56:27,640
Speaker 1: to Gil. The young guys are trying to figure out.

1269
00:56:27,880 --> 00:56:32,839
Speaker 1: I mean, I go to Supercuts, Okay, just to us.

1270
00:56:33,239 --> 00:56:35,319
Speaker 1: I've only gotten two haircuts since I've moved to Los

1271
00:56:35,360 --> 00:56:37,440
Speaker 1: Angeles in July. So the third hair he came in

1272
00:56:37,560 --> 00:56:39,640
Speaker 1: today with his third haircut since he moved here, and

1273
00:56:39,880 --> 00:56:41,919
Speaker 1: I looked at him and the first thing I thought

1274
00:56:42,120 --> 00:56:45,000
Speaker 1: was I was gonna say I didn't, but I didn't

1275
00:56:45,000 --> 00:56:48,320
Speaker 1: say in front of Hiddy. I thought it my my revere.

1276
00:56:49,280 --> 00:56:51,680
Speaker 1: My comment was going to be, oh, I see you

1277
00:56:51,760 --> 00:56:55,440
Speaker 1: still haven't fund to barber. That's that would have been

1278
00:56:55,480 --> 00:56:58,320
Speaker 1: a good one. And it was, according to him, not

1279
00:56:58,400 --> 00:57:01,680
Speaker 1: funny at all. The application that it's a bad haircut

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00:57:01,960 --> 00:57:07,080
Speaker 1: or I'm not sure this is implying that. I think

1281
00:57:07,080 --> 00:57:11,560
Speaker 1: it's pretty much stating that it's good defensive. Well, Charger fans,

1282
00:57:11,600 --> 00:57:14,000
Speaker 1: if you're at Dignity Health Sports Parts Sunday, give a

1283
00:57:14,040 --> 00:57:15,960
Speaker 1: shout out to Daniel Popper. Let them know what you

1284
00:57:16,120 --> 00:57:18,960
Speaker 1: think about his haircut. Yes, and I'll find me. We'll

1285
00:57:19,000 --> 00:57:21,840
Speaker 1: go from there. Sounds good, all right, boys? Thanks all right, guys,

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00:57:21,880 --> 00:57:23,480
Speaker 1: that's gonna do it for us. A big thanks to

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00:57:23,520 --> 00:57:25,200
Speaker 1: all of our guests, and of course thanks to you

1288
00:57:25,320 --> 00:57:27,800
Speaker 1: all for listening. Remember be sure to subscribe to the

1289
00:57:27,880 --> 00:57:30,920
Speaker 1: all new Chargers podcast Network. We are now on Spotify

1290
00:57:31,120 --> 00:57:33,680
Speaker 1: and Soundclouds. So where have you listen to podcasts? You

1291
00:57:33,760 --> 00:57:36,960
Speaker 1: can find the Chargers Podcast Network. Enjoy the game Sunday,

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00:57:37,040 --> 00:57:39,120
Speaker 1: and until next time, I'm Chris Hayry