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Speaker 1: It's John. They're very good. Yep. Okay, John, Um, I'll

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Speaker 1: just open it up for questions, John, John kind of

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Speaker 1: just take us through the process of, you know, the

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Speaker 1: last several hours and how this tall came to be. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: so Miami, we've we've been you know, they they reached out, uh,

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Speaker 1: probably the first time, I don't know, uh a week

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Speaker 1: ago and uh, you know, just kind of conceptually talked about,

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Speaker 1: you know, having interest in Jeff. Um, everything kind of

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Speaker 1: went quiet, and uh we really you know, as as

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Speaker 1: Kyle has communicated with you guys, we were really not

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Speaker 1: looking to move him. Um. You know, Jeff had communicated

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Speaker 1: with us, and you know, and you know in a

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Speaker 1: fashion that of course he loved it here, but he

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Speaker 1: also is loving being an integral part of a football team.

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Speaker 1: And once we did the Christian deal, Um kind of

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Speaker 1: seeing seeing Elijah close to returning that man, he wanted

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Speaker 1: the opportunity to continue to be able to do that,

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Speaker 1: and we assured him how much we valued him, but

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Speaker 1: that if all those things came to fruition and there

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Speaker 1: was a team you know that was willing to give

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Speaker 1: what we deemed the appropriate price, that we try to

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Speaker 1: work with him. But also said, Jeff, You're too important

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Speaker 1: to us. We believe we have the team to do it,

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Speaker 1: and you're very important to that. And you know, we

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Speaker 1: you know, Miami came hard probably uh you know, yesterday,

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Speaker 1: but then you know, all the way down to this morning,

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Speaker 1: um and uh, you know, fifth is kind of where

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Speaker 1: Kyle and I had it set and they ended up

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Speaker 1: giving it and at that point we felt like, you know,

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Speaker 1: as hard as it was, you know, I when I

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Speaker 1: talked to Jeff to tell him, he was on the

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Speaker 1: plane going back to Texas pilot talking and all of that,

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Speaker 1: and so you like doing these things in person. But

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Speaker 1: that's that was the flow of the u of the timing,

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Speaker 1: and uh, you know, at first Jeff was excited, you know,

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Speaker 1: he felt like Miami was a great spot obviously, know

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Speaker 1: as Mike and the crew, and then the emotions hit him,

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Speaker 1: and you know, I was able to share with him that, like,

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Speaker 1: bok uh, you're not only one of my favorite players

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Speaker 1: that I've ever had the opportunity to be around, You're

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Speaker 1: one of my favorite people. And you know, I think

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Speaker 1: Jeff feels the same way. Undrafted free agent who really

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Speaker 1: has been a tremendous story here is perseverance, coming off

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Speaker 1: countless injuries and playing the way he's played and always

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Speaker 1: got a smile on his face. He's a he's a

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Speaker 1: special player. So tough to do. But felt like the value,

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Speaker 1: especially in light of what we gave to get Christian, Um,

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Speaker 1: you know, was something that, uh, that we could have

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Speaker 1: passed up on. So we made the deal. Gone on

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Speaker 1: on Sunday, neither of your rookies. UM. I had to

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Speaker 1: carry with that part of the equation that it would

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Speaker 1: be hard to develop two young guys in a room

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Speaker 1: that was so full of veterans. Um. You know, ultimately

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Speaker 1: we're going to be about winning, Matt, but I think

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Speaker 1: winning long term, you got to play your young guys.

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Speaker 1: You know. I will tell you Jordan Mason was outstanding

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Speaker 1: on special teams the other day. Um, he really played

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Speaker 1: in in every you know, you look for those four

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Speaker 1: core guys that are playing all the units. Jordan did

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Speaker 1: a tremendous job really becoming a valuable piece there. Tie

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Speaker 1: as a guy, We're extremely I on. You know, I

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Speaker 1: do think there's a learning curve in this offense to

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Speaker 1: you know, to play. But we think highly of both

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Speaker 1: those young men. We felt like, uh, you're not going

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Speaker 1: to put a timetable on Elijah, but that he's close

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Speaker 1: to returning, and we all know what Elijah has met

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Speaker 1: to this team. And as well as Jeff was playing,

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Speaker 1: you know we also have Tevin on on Brad the squad. So, um,

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Speaker 1: we felt really good about our our group and you

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Speaker 1: know fifth round value was you know, we felt something

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Speaker 1: that um As I mentioned earlier was good value. It's

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Speaker 1: just as far as like Mitchell is his uh timetable

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Speaker 1: um sex that he could possibly play in the in

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Speaker 1: the next game against the Charters, I think it's certainly

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Speaker 1: a possibility. Um. You know, Elijah will be around here. Um.

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Speaker 1: You know the old the old adage in football, if

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Speaker 1: you don't play, you stay during a bye week, and

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Speaker 1: you know that's that's the case. All those guys are

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Speaker 1: are are staying around here doing their rehab, and Elijah's

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Speaker 1: one of those guys. He's been tracking really well. But

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Speaker 1: we'll see how he is when we return on on Monday.

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Speaker 1: He's gonna, like I said, be here working hard, just

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Speaker 1: as he has been and the progress has been good.

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Speaker 1: Where that ends up, I'm not sure a john kind

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Speaker 1: of a history of them that's with with fifth round picks.

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Speaker 1: How excited I you to have another one of those

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Speaker 1: under your belt. Well, they have been good to us,

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Speaker 1: fifth round picks. Um, Yeah, I don't know why, but

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Speaker 1: they have been good to us, and we'll take as

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Speaker 1: many of those as we can. M But we don't

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Speaker 1: do it lightly, you know. I keep saying it. But

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Speaker 1: Jeff um special human being and really was having a

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Speaker 1: great year. So um, that's the decisions like that are

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Speaker 1: never made lightly. Um, But we do feel great about

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Speaker 1: that that running back room, John, what kind of communication

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Speaker 1: did you have did you or Chyle have with Mike

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Speaker 1: McDaniel obviously in a familiarity among all you guys and

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Speaker 1: Jef familiarity with that system. Um, you know, Mike, Mike

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Speaker 1: was like on one of the last calls I had

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Speaker 1: with Chris Greer, Mike happened to be in the room

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Speaker 1: and h Kyle was downstairs. So I said, you guys

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Speaker 1: are ganging up on me, but uh, Mike was in there.

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Speaker 1: But I mean one of the things Mike wanted to

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Speaker 1: shirt he knows how special Jeff is to us. He

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Speaker 1: wanted to, you know, to assure us that you know

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Speaker 1: that like he'd take good care of them, that you know,

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Speaker 1: and those things, and uh so, um, you know, Mike's

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Speaker 1: Mike's a great dude, and and uh, you know, we

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Speaker 1: you know, part of this you have to make decisions

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Speaker 1: that are great for your team, but you also you

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Speaker 1: try to take care of guys that have taken care

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Speaker 1: of you. And I think, not saying that Jeff demanded

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Speaker 1: to be traded or anything, but I think, you know,

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Speaker 1: given the situation, if we could find the right situation

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Speaker 1: for him, um, kind of I don't know, grudgingly is

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Speaker 1: the right word. He wanted that opportunity and we found

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Speaker 1: I think, a really good situation for him and and

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Speaker 1: good for us as well. Give you a list of

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Speaker 1: a team that he would want to go to. Not no,

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Speaker 1: he did it, m he did. You know, I his

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Speaker 1: agent might have behind the scenes, but you know, with Jeff,

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Speaker 1: communication was direct. Kyle and he spoke a couple of times.

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Speaker 1: Jeff and I spoke a couple of times, and we

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Speaker 1: were kind of clear with him, like, look, you know,

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Speaker 1: it's going to have to be something, you know, significant,

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Speaker 1: because we value you greatly. And m he understood that,

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Speaker 1: and uh, you know, um, yeah, that's that's kind of

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Speaker 1: the way it worked out. And he didn't always. But

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Speaker 1: how much does it make you feel just a little

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Speaker 1: bit better that he is going to Mike McDaniel and

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Speaker 1: a program, you know, a team there where you feel

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Speaker 1: he will be didn't Garo, Yeah, except when we play Jennifer,

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Speaker 1: I don't feel great. I don't feel great about that.

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Speaker 1: But that was part of the deal. And uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: but I do, Yes, I cared greatly about Jeff Wilson.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I believe me. That kid's smile he lifts me.

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Speaker 1: How many times, you know, throughout our years here, you

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Speaker 1: know when when he's he's a warrior, and uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: through through some really hard times. You know, Uh, that kid,

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Speaker 1: he's just got a smile. That man makes everyone feel

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Speaker 1: good and he's got a fight to him. So I

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Speaker 1: can't say enough great things about him. I'm proud of him,

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Speaker 1: I'm happy for him, and I'm grateful for everything he

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Speaker 1: brought here. All right, good, We've covered I appreciate your John.

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Speaker 1: We've covered recently that all trades involved somewhat of a gamble.

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Speaker 1: But as you give you, I don't know any more anxiety.

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Speaker 1: Just given the recent history of running back injuries you've had,

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Speaker 1: mccaffran Mitchell's injury history, and and and just how dependable

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Speaker 1: Jeff has been when when called called him the duty. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I mean I I you know, I think, um, at

151
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Speaker 1: that position, that's always part of the equation. I think

152
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Speaker 1: what we had to do was way you know that

153
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Speaker 1: that depth. Even beyond that, we got an extremely deep group.

154
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Speaker 1: At some point, you can only keep so many just

155
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Speaker 1: from a roster approach as well. So likely knew when

156
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Speaker 1: we made the Christian move that somebody was going to

157
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Speaker 1: have to go. And ultimately Jeff's the one, you know,

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Speaker 1: um that that somebody made a move that we felt

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Speaker 1: was was worth moving on and we did so. UM,

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Speaker 1: that's yeah, that's kind of my thoughts there. All right,

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Speaker 1: thank you guys. Are going to enjoy your bye weekend, Okay,