Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - PAYDAY: Denver Broncos REWARD Patrick Surtain II—5 Million Reasons to DOMINATE Again

Starting point is 00:00:00 With the constant rise of the cornerback financial market, the Denver Broncos are taking care of Patrick Sertan the second, giving him a $5 million pay raise. You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos Country? Cody Works here for another episode of the show as we're going to talk about pay raise Patrick Sertan.

Starting point is 00:00:31 We'll go through what Vance Joseph said to Pat and the defensive side of the ball during OTAs on Wednesday. And on top of that, we'll go through Sartan at an event that he put on, talking about the Jalen Water Trade being more than enough for the Broncos to go in and compete for a Super Bowl. But we're going to kick things off by the Broncos. Actually, on the day of Sartan's big event in the community, giving him a pay raise. Sarah, I think obviously for Pat, the moment the Broncos got a contract extension done with him,

Starting point is 00:00:58 I was thinking about this yesterday when the news initially came out that he was getting a contract adjustment. George Payton got so far ahead of that deal. And that fact that they extended him the year, like early on in the season, and then he went on that year to win defensive player to year. Could you imagine if they didn't get that deal done with him? He won defensive player the year. I mean, he already reset the cornerback market.

Starting point is 00:01:20 And then Jalen Ramsey a few days later, change it because the Rams gave that to him. And since then, he's now the fifth highest paid corner in the NFL. And that's going to change, obviously, with Christian Gonzalez, Quinnion Mitchell coming up. But my goodness, I was thinking about that. George Payton, Masterclass of getting deals done before the market goes absolutely insane. This is another example of how important it is for the Denver Broncos to have the ownership that they have in place, right? Because you reward what you want repeated.

Starting point is 00:01:47 You invest in your most valuable people as an organization to maintain organizational health and to really be a place that people want to work. This is the value of the Walton-Penner ownership group having such a diversity in their background of business, just in terms of obviously football terms because in football, it's way different, right? The football perspective is, hey, the Broncos are getting a big time steel. Pat Sertan, four years, 96 million. That deal is going to age like fine wine. And it absolutely did. I mean, how many times have we mentioned and Broncos country has mentioned, man,

Starting point is 00:02:23 the Pat Sertan deal looks like a steel. Man, the Pat Sertan deal looks like a steel. Wow, I can't believe the Broncos got Pat Sertan for such a steal. That's been the topic of discussion. it would be so easy for an NFL team that is always trying to find any competitive edge and money is one of the biggest competitive edges to say, you know what? We're fine with Pat Sertan's deal being a steal. And what does that lead to?

Starting point is 00:02:48 Well, then that eventually will lead to some ill will and him thinking, why aren't you guys coming back to me? The market continues to rise. I gave you a steal on my contract. The Broncos are taking care of that stuff, Cody, out of nowhere, out of left field, a $5 million raise for this year and then a $5 million incentive for next year. That's going to be about as easy as saying, hey, Pat, can you go out there onto the practice field today?

Starting point is 00:03:11 We'll give you a $5 million raise. That's basically what the Broncos have done here and giving him $10 million just pretty much out of the blue. Well, and the nice thing about that, too, and it's almost kind of like an easy way, right? You always throw incentives in their teams do. Some teams will place incentives in contracts that they know or they feel a player could get to, but more than likely won't get to. Well, for Pat, he can earn an additional $5 million on top of his $5 million pay raise this year

Starting point is 00:03:38 by just getting selected to a Pro Bowl or receiving an All-Pro nomination, which I think internally in the organization, they know that is the standard. Pat is a Pro Bowl, all-pro player. Too bad they couldn't attach $5 million if you make the Pro Bowl and another $5 million if you make an all-pro selection. So if you get both, we're talking about maybe $15 million pay raise. Unfortunately, that's not the way it works. But Pat Sertan can make an additional.

Starting point is 00:04:01 additional $5 million on top of the pay raise that he got if he wins an all pro or a pro bowl. And look, I think, sir, you look at the cornerback market. It kind of drives me nuts because this is my opinion. I look at Trent McDuffie right now is the highest paid corner in the NFL. Trent McDuffie can't even sniff, Pat Sirton's jockstrap in terms of that. So it's crazy to see guys like McDuffie. And McDuffie's good, but he is Cortland Sutton's son. Sutton always gets the advantage of him when they face off with one another.

Starting point is 00:04:29 But for me, I just, I look at that. What is the 120-something million is what McDuffie's getting. And then below him, you got Sauce Gardner. You got Derek Stingley Jr. Stingley, in my opinion. I feel like Sartan and Stingley could be the argument there for 1A, 1B. Christian Gonzalez is about to get a contract. Quinion Mitchell is as well.

Starting point is 00:04:46 So that's going to change. So I think this is the Broncos, a good faith gesture of saying, hey, you know, we know the market is changing. And you have done so much for us. We gave you the extension, which reset the cornerback market initially. You won defensive player of the year. then the price tag for that position with other players just went up, one up, one up, what up.

Starting point is 00:05:02 And that's not lost on us. We want to take care of you for everything that you've done. He's an racer. He is a generational talent type of player who's got a potential Hall of Fame trajectory this early on in his career. Don't believe me, Camp Bailey himself said, I look at him,

Starting point is 00:05:17 he's far ahead of wherever I was at that time, his career. And so I think the longevity of it, what Sertan can do, his technique and fundamentals. Man, he's something that I don't think you can replicate. in today's game. Like people think that there are corners that are just growing left and right like PS2. There's not. There's a reason he's a generational talent. There's a reason that when

Starting point is 00:05:37 Jamar Chase T. Higgins and all these star wide receivers around the NFL are getting together at these wide receiver summits and they're saying we can't, he's the boogeyman. That doesn't work against him. To me, that is the ultimate sign of respect for the best cornerback in the entire game. It's one of those situations where Pat is so good that he really doesn't get talked about all that much. we talk about him obviously. I mean, we're doing a show on him today, but that's because he got a pay raise. Like he's he's so good that you don't really have to think about his his job being done. You don't have to wonder like, is Pat going to be able to make as big of an impact this year? You expect, like you said, that all pro level, that pro bowl level performance from him.

Starting point is 00:06:23 And that's why I say it's really as easy as the Broncos saying, hey, just show up next year because I know that Sean Peyton has voiced this as well, Cody, in terms of like, you know, remember when Quinn Miners was not selected for a Pro Bowl and he's like, oh, yeah, you'll get selected for a few later in your career that basically you don't deserve because you're just going to start getting voted in. Like Pat Sartan is already at that point to where Judy, he doesn't have a great season, he's going to get voted in. And the Broncos know that. So they're essentially saying like, yeah, you're going to get voted in.

Starting point is 00:06:56 Like, you'll get $5 million. it's just going to be at the time that you make the Pro Bowl, right? So I think that ultimately what it shows is just a sign of, man, this guy has achieved a certain level of ability that is rare in sports in general. I mean, you just don't see organizations giving a guy five million out of nowhere. You don't see organizations certainly giving 10 million out of nowhere. I wanted to point this out too, Cody, because the Broncos got him at such a a bargain. You'll never guess there's one player who has more fully guaranteed money on his contract

Starting point is 00:07:32 than Pat Sertan. I was just looking at this list of overall players as you were talking about Trent McDuffie, Derek Stingley. Obviously, J.C. Horn is now up there. There's one player who has exceeded Pat Sertan's total guarantee, like fully guaranteed cash. Tennessee Titans cornerback. Do you have a guess? No, I don't. He's their newest corner. Alante Taylor has more fully Former Saints? Yes. I couldn't believe it either. I was like, wait a second.

Starting point is 00:08:02 I knew Pat's contract was a bargain. I knew it was a great deal for the Broncos. But in terms of fully guaranteed money when that contract was done, Alante Taylor got a couple million more than what Pat Ser tan got. That just shows how wise George Payton was to get out ahead of that market and probably a little bit of evidence as to why the Broncos are saying, hey, here's five million this year and another five million next year. Well, and the crazy thing about it, too, is like, obviously, this is the start of Pat's extension contract, like the additional extension that he's got there. So I do think when it's ultimately said and done, when Pat's contract is facing being up again, I think Denver will extend him.

Starting point is 00:08:41 He's going to be a lifelong Bronco. Like, I would be earth shatteringly shocked if Sartan did not finish his career in the Mile High City. And remember, we were at a point just a few years ago where fans were saying, you know, the Broncos are entering this rebuild period. They got to trade him. They got to get as much capital and asses as they can. Thank God the organization did not listen to those people because Sertand is a cornerstone legacy player here. The Broncos are taking care of one of their best players on the field, one of our best players

Starting point is 00:09:08 off the field. PS2, he is the standard when it comes to corner back play. But he also had a lot to say about his former Alabama teammate who joined him at a charity event at Top Golf earlier this week. He said Jay LaWato, the trade for him is more than enough for the Broncos to push their chips in to compete for a Super Bowl. We'll highlight that more here on today's episode of the show. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.

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Starting point is 00:10:38 It was a relatively quiet offseason for the Denver Broncos with a bit of fireworks in mid-March. But Pat Sertan said that the Jalen Waddle edition is more than enough for this Denver Broncos roster, which was already very good. We admit that. Certainly we wanted more moves to talk about, but Broncos country, we might have got the right move when all is said and done. We're going to talk about Pat Sertan's thoughts on Jalen Waddle coming to the Denver Broncos

Starting point is 00:11:03 and why it really is more than enough for this team. But I want to say thank you to all of you every dayers out there that make lockdown Broncos your first listen of the day every single day. And you can get your Denver Broncos fix every single day, completely ad free by joining the Every Day or Club today. Start your seven day free trial right now and get closer to your. favorite team, the Denver Broncos, without the interruptions. Check out the link in the show notes or go to lockdownbroncos.com. The Jalen Waddle trade for the Denver Broncos, Cody, we've, obviously

Starting point is 00:11:33 we've talked a lot about it this off season. It's really been the only major move the Broncos made outside of adding NFL draft selections, of course, but the trade is up there, I would say, right behind the Miles Garrett deal, as we talked about on yesterday's show, which fans should go check that out as well, because it's fascinating to discuss, fascinating to think about, hey, who's really that missing piece for each individual team that they're going to between Miles Garrett, AJ Brown now to the Patriots, Jalen Waddell to the Broncos. It's fun. It's really, I was going to say fun, but it's cool to hear Pat's perspective on this because he's

Starting point is 00:12:09 obviously a close friend of Waddle for a long time. They played college ball together. He obviously is one who could speak very directly to the impact that Jailen Waddle is capable of making on a team. I mean, they both come from the Nick Sabin coaching tree. I mean, they're obviously some of the greatest players that Sabin has coached. And Saban, I mean, historically has coached a lot of guys. But you can see the greatness that comes from Waddle and Sertan specifically out of that Alabama program.

Starting point is 00:12:35 They were obviously college roommates. And to this very day, they are close. They are like brothers. And so for them to kind of be back in this kind of room together, like I'm looking at training camp. When the Broncos going to one-on-ones, you're going to see PS2 versus Jalen Watter. You're going to see that competitiveness between those guys. Like that's the ultimate definition of iron sharpens iron. But you get these guys who have that dog mentality.

Starting point is 00:12:58 PS2 is kind of the silent assassin. He's not going to do a lot of talking. He's going to shut people down. He's going to let us play do the talking. But there's times we've seen Pat get a little chippy, which I like to see that version of Pat from time to time. He kind of breaks it out here and there. But for Jalen, you were getting a guy who's going to chirp and chirp and he's going to, he's going to tell you exactly what he's going to do.

Starting point is 00:13:17 and he's going to do it to you. And he's going to be sitting there like, he told me exactly what was happening. What the heck's going on here? He's the guy I think is going to bring that edge and that chippiness to the Broncos offense that I feel like that they do need. Cortland can chip from time to time,

Starting point is 00:13:32 but Cortland is also more of a, I'm going to go out there and make catches and let that do with talking. Jalen, it's going to catch. He's going to celebrate and he's going to flex for the first down. And he's going to chirp at the DB saying, you can't guard me. That's what the Broncos need. And I think Troy Franklin can emerge into a guy like that

Starting point is 00:13:47 as well. I think Troy's got a little chippy side to him. But this is a Broncos roster share that I think a lot of people forget last year at training camp, Sean Payton said, there are a handful of teams that I've coached throughout my tenure, where I felt like this could be a team that can win a Super Bowl. He said that about last year's team and everybody, I think we all are like, whoa, okay, Sean said this. Like, this must mean something. And then they were one game away. We saw what Sean saw in this roster. And they believe that we have this ultimate group of guys who are bought into the goal that we have. They're bought into the culture and they lead by example and they follow it. And they have the guys that know exactly the system

Starting point is 00:14:24 offensively defensively. They believe this is enough to go win a championship. But let's go out and let's add this piece because this is the piece that we've been missing. This is the piece is going to take the top off of defense. It's going to open everything up for everybody else here offensively. And I think that is where things are at. You mentioned in the offseason Broncos fans and myself included. We had wish lists of players that. you know we wanted Denver to go out to get at this point too i think it is all about quality versus quantity because you can get five or six really good players right is that going to be enough to win a super bowl i mean maybe maybe not but you go and you get you get one guy that can absolutely

Starting point is 00:14:57 elevate an area that needs it i think that amplifies your chances considering this is a team that was one game off last year we all wanted the embarrassment of riches but what we ultimately got was like the you know the heart that they have on the titanic movie right that one that necklace that everybody's after, right? The reason why they're digging and searching around in the movie for the heart of the ocean or whatever it's called. That's kind of what I feel like the Broncos discovered here is that, hey, we, well, you and I put this comparison out there before. It's like saying, hey, we got to go to Costco and do some bulk buying of certain things that we need versus going after the one item that you truly have to add to the mix that is going to change everything. And while that analogy may be a bit of a stretch there, I think there's some.

Starting point is 00:15:43 validity to it because ultimately Jalen Waddle does raise all boats in the harbor. He is that type of player. And the players know that. That's what I gleaned from what Pat Sir Tan said. Of course, Pat is excited to add his good friend and basically his cousin at this point. I mean, as much time as those guys have spent together. So it's cool for him to be able to have a close friend on the team like that. But what happens when you're on a team like this and you've gotten so close?

Starting point is 00:16:13 And you know that if Bo Nix wasn't injured, you probably would have made it to the Super Bowl. And for that team to be mostly brought back, what, 93, 94% of the snaps from last year brought back. And then you add Jalen Waddle in the offseason. And you're like, hey, we want to run it back. And I know Sean Payton won't say it like that. But we want to run it back with you guys. We believe in you guys. And we're adding Jalen Waddle.

Starting point is 00:16:36 What does that do to a locker room? What does that do to a team full of players that knows they're already so close to see an organization? go out there and make a blockbuster deal like that, that pays dividends that you can't really quantify on paper or depth chart projections or roster projections. That is something that that really sends a jolt of just, I mean, confidence, whatever you want to say, whatever word or you want to put in that sort of framing,

Starting point is 00:17:06 that's what it does to your locker room. It just gives it that it's like a catalyst that pushes everything else forward. Well, and I think as well, coming up short of the ultimate goal, the pinnacle of what every player in the NFL hopes to achieve in their playing career. Coming up one game shy of the Super Bowl, that leaves a nasty taste in your mouth. There's a lot of motivation with that. We got so close. And with that, there can be a lot of dwelling on that.

Starting point is 00:17:30 But I don't think that this is the type of locker room that would dwell on that so much to where if you overfocus sometimes on a specific goal, sometimes you overcompensate in other areas. And that can lead to mistakes. that can lead to performance issues, things of love that nature. But I think for this team, they have a good center about them that when you are returning everybody back and everybody knows just how close they were and how much it hurt, everybody is a little bit more motivated. Everybody's a little bit more driven to get to where they felt like they should have been last year.

Starting point is 00:17:59 And it's crazy to think as we go back now, say, man, if Bo, if Bo didn't get hurt in the Buffalo Bills game, we would be talking about a team that made it to the Super Bowl. Like how would that change the expectation? So now the expectation for Denver is Super Bowl. They're in a window here. They certainly have a chance to do it. Jalen Wattle is a piece that absolutely magnifies, I think, what they can do. And if this offense can explode and the defense can play at the standard in which they played last season, Sarah, this team is going to be a Super Bowl favorite this year.

Starting point is 00:18:27 Even though they have a tough schedule to start, I think very much as we went back when the schedule was released, this is a Super Bowl schedule. You want to be a Super Bowl champion this year? This is the schedule that's going to prove whether or not you are worthy of that crown. and I think this team is going to respond really well to that challenge here. But Denver's defense has been a bright spot for them for the last handful of years, Vance Joseph as well. But Vance had a message for the defense that will have them refocused going into the 2026 NFL season. Support for today's episode comes from our friends over there at Square,

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Starting point is 00:20:01 The Denver Broncos defense has been very good for the last two seasons, but Vance Joseph's message was very blunt. and very clear what you did last year. It's not going to matter this year. You have to go out and you have to have a brand new slate here. We'll break it down here on today's show. I want to say thanks to all the everyday airs out there in Brockos country for tuning in making us your first listening here on the lockdown podcast network, the number one sports podcast network in the country.

Starting point is 00:20:23 Also where you get your team every day for all your boots on the ground coverage. We got you covered here. Sarah, past for Tan obviously is the Broncos. We will get access to today's practice for OTAs, which I know everybody in Brockos countries is excited for. so stay tuned for a bonus episode later on. But throughout this week, the team has reported for OTAs on the field. And Pastor Tan mentioned at his event,

Starting point is 00:20:45 charity event at Top Golf, that Vance Joseph had a very important message for the defense, talking about what they did last year simply doesn't matter. 2026 is a brand new slate. And the Broncos, they can't just rely on the mindset, hey, we were the best defense in the NFL in this category. Last year, they have to go out there and have to continue to do things. do you like that message here from Vance?

Starting point is 00:21:08 Because I know as a former player and as a coach, it's true because sometimes if you rely on the fact, if you're coming into a season and you're like, you know what? Our defense was, we had 68 sacks last year. We're going to do the same thing this year. We're the best defense in the red zone.

Starting point is 00:21:20 We're the number two ranked third down defense in the entire NFL. We're good. We just got it set. Changes happen every single year. And you can't come into a new season with the same mindset. That's called complacency. It is, Cody. That's a great way to put it because ultimately,

Starting point is 00:21:34 if you get complacent with where you're at or if you feel like, hey, I've arrived. There's no such thing as a plateau when it comes to achieving anything, especially in just life in general, but certainly in the NFL, like Sean Payton knows this. Just because he won a Super Bowl back in what, 2009,

Starting point is 00:21:54 that doesn't mean you're going to win a Super Bowl every single year. Just because you have the number one offense in one year doesn't mean you're going to have the number one offense the next year. I mean, nothing, absolutely nothing. is guaranteed. And so you have to approach it from the vantage point of saying like, hey, we just finished a game of Monopoly that took us nine hours to play.

Starting point is 00:22:15 And so now we're starting over. We're starting from scratch. I don't get to have all the money that I had or all the properties that I had on the board or none of that. All the time that I invested in that game of Monopoly is done. And everybody knows how frustrating that can be. Like you don't just start right over playing Monopoly. You need some time to figure out what you're going to do.

Starting point is 00:22:34 do with your life if you're going to play another game. I've only played one full game of Monopoly that actually ended Cody in my entire lifetime. But when it comes to a football season, you obviously understand you make it all the way to the AFC championship game. You're playing deep into the month of January. And then all of a sudden, you have to start over. Your slate is wiped clean for you. It's just, it's not a helpless situation. It's the expected situation. But for a defense like this, you have to go into this season thinking to yourself, okay, last year was awesome. We were really good last year,

Starting point is 00:23:08 but we can be a lot better. And I think two ways this defense can get better this year is takeaways. And figuring out how to not have a second half, I'll call it a collapse because I would say that it's been two years in a row now where the second half of the season, we're like, dang, what's going on with that Denver defense, right? I mean,

Starting point is 00:23:25 they were elite in the first half before the buy. And then after the buy, not so much, but if they can improve in those two areas, shoot, they might be the number one. And they weren't number one last year. Like, were they? I mean, were they number one in the NFL last year and points allowed and yards allowed? I mean, no, they weren't. So like, let's put the pressure on these guys because

Starting point is 00:23:46 they are top tier and you don't celebrate being third place. You celebrate hoisting a Lombardi and they've got to do everything that they possibly can to get that. And they believe that too. I'll tell you this, just knowing and talking to some players, the mindset is there for this team. Like they don't view things as, you know, we want to work comfortable just kind of what we did last year. Like they want to set the bar higher. They know defensively. And I think the number one thing that these guys defensively know, we can force more takeaways. That was something like during the

Starting point is 00:24:13 regular season. I know people are critiquing us for talking about the takeaway thing, but it's very valid. Like I'm in the locker room. I'm talking to these guys and I've got defensive guys saying, man, we got to find a way to get the football more because there was a stretch of games where Denver didn't force a single takeaway. And they're in a pressure cooker situation. Like that's the Turnovers and the number one stat two that you go through in the NFL, if you win the turnover battle, you have a higher chance of winning. Like that right there is the number one thing. If you're plus three in terms of takeaways versus you turning it over offensively, you have a 90% chance of winning a football game. And that's something that even echoes back.

Starting point is 00:24:48 My defensive coaches always told me this too. We got to win. That was always our weekly goal. When we go on game day, it's on a whiteboard. Plus three in a turnover battle. We need to be plus three. And that was the standard we set like we need to get takeaways. These guys know that as well.

Starting point is 00:25:01 And obviously the strip sacks can be something that they get. But I think more interceptions, more force fumbles. This is something that these guys do work on in practice, but they understand they want to do that this year. And if they're going to beat a team like the Los Angeles Rams, week three, team like the Kansas City Chiefs, week one, and then maybe even if they get to the Super Bowl, you have to be able to do that.

Starting point is 00:25:21 And unfortunately, the Broncos, not even an AFC championship game, they couldn't force those takeaways. And that was something that ended up hurting them in that game, specifically outside of the weather element. So I think that they got the right mindset. They got the right group of guys in leadership to be able to do that. I think for Vance Joseph, too, I'm with you. Like, how do you avoid these second half collapses?

Starting point is 00:25:39 Because really what led to that, Sarah, in my opinion, you go back and you look at, let's even say, coming out of the by week against the Washington commanders, look at how many total snaps that Denver defense played. There was a stretch of games where they were playing 70 plus plays on the field. That's too much. And remember in 2024, really, when they were struggling, especially against the Cleveland Browns,

Starting point is 00:25:58 They had, they were on the field for 80 plays. Sarah, that is unheard of in the NFL. But they did that against the Bengals, 80 plus plays. I believe the Browns, 80 plus plays on the field. You're gashed. You're playing more snaps defensively. And considering some of the timing of the schedule and some of the games that Denver's going to have to play on a Friday coming off of a Sunday, like you want to be at your best.

Starting point is 00:26:18 You don't want to have those types of lapses late in the season. You don't want those early on the season. You have to find a middle ground between the two. Yeah, you do. And I think it speaks volume. to the fact that this team has won 24 games in the regular season over the last two years. And the fact that we are sitting here talking about how much better they can be in all ways. Like offensively, defensively, I do want to frame that takeaways argument, though, a little bit.

Starting point is 00:26:46 Because like you said, you do get some pushback to that because it's not like, well, okay, our strategy this week is to create more takeaways. And so therefore, we can go accomplish that. It's, I mean, it is in your hands, but it's not. at the same time, right? It's like one of those things that you can't just say, you want to have more takeaways and all of a sudden they appear. But look at the Chicago Bears last year.

Starting point is 00:27:07 They forced 33 takeaways defensively. Basically what that is, is every single week, they are inherently plus two in the turnover department immediately. And that's a crazy advantage to be able to start there with 33 takeaways in a season. That's insane. I mean, that's crazy. I know that led the league last year. So it's, I mean, it's a lot to ask to say,

Starting point is 00:27:32 hey, can you go lead the NFL? But that's not even the biggest number over the last three, four years. And so it's not like it's unattainable. And it's not like the Broncos don't have the players to go do that. And like you mentioned, internally, inside the locker room, these guys are all talking about and thinking about, man, when I get to the quarterback, how can I get the ball out? Man, I had 19 passes broken up last year, if you're Riley Moss.

Starting point is 00:27:54 How can I turn some of those past breakups into actual takeaways or those past interference penalties, how can I get my head around and get my hands on the ball and make a game-changing interception? I just think that's one of those things that, yes, Tala Noah Hufanga dropped interceptions. It's not like the Broncos weren't in position for these plays. Like Riley Moss, 19 past breakups,

Starting point is 00:28:16 Hufanga, like legitimately five or six dropped interceptions and how many other plays besides that just weren't made last year that could have been made at pick six taken off the board because of a penalty. So there's so many different ways that this can happen. And I think the Broncos understand that. I think they realize that. And I think they're going to absolutely attack that with like a personal,

Starting point is 00:28:40 like they're going to take it personal. What didn't go as well as it could have last year. I think we're going to see that on the field this year. No, I agree with you completely. And it's crazy to think about too. I think even a reduction of penalties might actually help the Broncos. Because didn't Jude, they even have an interception against the commanders?

Starting point is 00:28:56 What was it in the fourth quarter? was in an overtime and there was a penalty that wiped it off board. It would have ended the game, something like that. So there were chances where Denver's had takeaways that could have ended the game. You mentioned the Jada picked six, man. That would have put the nail in the coffin, the Kansas City Chiefs in that game specifically. And that was against a healthy Patrick Mahomes, by the way, there folks. But you know what?

Starting point is 00:29:18 I'm excited about it. I know that the mentality of this locker room, these guys defensively, they're locked in, pun intended here as we talk about it unlocked on Broncos. But they've got a chip on their shoulder. excited. They want to do more and they're not just satisfied with what they did last year. I think it's good that Vance kind of reiterated. Hey, last year doesn't matter. What can we do this year to raise the bar even higher? And I would say, 2024, they did raise the bar, right? 63 sacks. The next year, 68. Can you raise it to 74? Can you break the record of 72 here?

Starting point is 00:29:47 And can you get more takeaways? I think this is a team and a unit that if these guys stay healthy, I think that'll be a big thing. We'll see this Broncos defense be even better this upcoming season. Broncos country, thank you so much for rocking with us. Make sure you stay tuned later on today. I'm heading out to Broncos OTA practice. We'll get all the recap in a bonus episode later on today here on the Lockdown Broncos podcast. And then tomorrow we'll have a little bit of a deeper dive into some of the storylines coming out of week one of OTAs here on Lockdown Broncos.

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